Copyright: Help File (C) 1993, Monarch Software


Contents

Welcome to NILBUILD!!!

NILBUILD is a freeware utility for the Norton Desktop that automates the process of importing icons (.ICO files) into Norton Icon Libraries (.NIL files).  New for version 2 is the ability to export icons from .NIL as well as from .EXE and .DLL files.

If you have already gone through the installation process, you can get started quickly by double clicking on the NILBUILD icon.  You will then be prompted for all necessary information.  If you need further assistance, refer to the prompt mode procedures section.

NILBUILD also supports "drag and drop" launching for a limited number of .ICO files.  For larger numbers of files, a technique known as "file select" can also be used.  For more information on these methods, read the section on modes of operation followed by the advanced procedures section.  The BROWSE buttons will guide you through all the relevant topics in the proper sequence.

Note: It is highly recommended that you install the NFIXICO program if you haven't done so already.

Contents:

System Requirements

NFIXICO

Installation

Prompt Mode Procdures

Modes of Operation

Advanced Procedures

Reports

Error Messages

Troubleshooting

File Listbox

Directory Listbox

License Agreement


NFIXICO

Approximately 10% of all public domain icons contain an irregularity that prevents them from being read by the Norton Icon Editor and by NILBUILD.  It is, therefore, highly recommended - almost essential - that you install the NFIXICO program.  If properly installed, NILBUILD will automatically run NFIXICO to remove these irregularities.

NFIXICO is, unfortunately, not a public domain program and cannot be distributed along with NILBUILD.  However, Symantec has made the program available free-of-charge to registered Norton Desktop users via the Symantec BBS.  The program NFIXICO.EXE is contained in the ZIP archive FIXICO.ZIP posted on the NDW section of the BBS at 1-408-973-9834 (9600 baud) and 973-9598 (2400 baud).

See the installation section for directions on how to install NFIXICO.


PU Monarch Software

Monarch Software

P.O. Box 2574

Goleta, CA 93118

(805) 685-4751 fax/voice mail


License Agreement

Use of this software implies acceptance of the following terms:

NILBUILD is Copyrighted (C) June 1, 1993 by  Monarch Software.

This software may be used for personal or non-profit applications without fees or royalty payments of any kind.  However, use of NILBUILD in commercial, business, or government applications requires permission from the authors.  Hospitals and health-care facilities are exempt.

NILBUILD may be freely distributed provided that:

1) it is distributed in its original form without modification.

2) it is not sold for profit nor bundled with other software.

3) it is distributed with all five files intact. (See Installation.)

The user has read and has understood the disclaimer below.

The user will find this software enjoyable and convenient or he will contact the authors and tell them why not.

Disclaimer

NILBUILD is neither published nor endorsed by the Peter Norton Group nor by Symantec Corporation.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.  Norton Desktop and the Norton Icon Editor are trademarks of the Symantec Corporation.

NILBUILD is offered without warranty or liability of any kind.  The authors are not responsible for hardware or software damage, loss of data, lost business profits, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or the death of indoor houseplants resulting from the use, misuse, or abuse of this software.


Installation

Please read the system requirements and the NFIXICO section if you haven't already done so.

NILBUILD is comprised of FIVE separate files:

NILBUILD.EXE  -  the main executable file

NILBUILD.SUB  -  file containing subroutines used by NILBUILD.EXE

NILBUILD.HLP  -  this HELP file

NILBUILD.DOC  -  a documentation file containing installation instructions

NFIXICO.PIF  -  a PIF file used by the optional, but highly recommended NFIXICO program

Please make sure that you have all 5 of these files before you begin the installation process.

Procedure

1) Create the NILBUILD program icon.

To use NILBUILD's drag & drop and file select features, it is necessary to launch NILBUILD from a program group or desktop icon.  The easiest way to create this icon is to "drag" the NILBUILD.EXE file out of a drive window and "drop" it onto a program group or desktop.  The icon (above) will appear automatically. (See the Norton Desktop User's Guide, pages 2-22 and 5-16.)   The NILBUILD.EXE file can be copied into any directory prior to creating the icon,  but it is recommended that it be placed in the Norton Desktop directory along with the other required files. (see #2 below)

2) Copy the NILBUILD files into the appropriate directory.

Copy the following files into the Norton Desktop directory.  It is important that NILBUILD.EXE not be moved after creating the icon in step #1.

NILBUILD.SUB

NILBUILD.HLP

NILBUILD.PIF

3) Extract and install the optional NFIXICO.EXE program.

If you have obtained the file FIXICO.ZIP, you must first extract the file NFIXICO.EXE from the archive.  To extract the file, use PK-Unzip or another ZIP compatible archiver.  Copy the extracted file into your Norton Desktop directory.  NFIXICO can then be used by NILBUILD to repair icons automatically.


System Requirements

To run NILBUILD you must have Windows 3.0 or better and the Norton Desktop for Windows 2.0 or better.  The following files must be present in the Norton Desktop directory:

ICONEDIT.EXE - necessary for ALL procedures

BATCHRUN.EXE - necessary for file select operation

NVIEWER.EXE - necessary for displaying .NIL libraries

Additionally, the file CLIPBRD.EXE must be in the main WINDOWS directory in order for NILBUILD to display reports.  Norton Desktop must be defined as the shell in order for the drag & drop feature to work.

Note: If you have installed both Windows and the Norton Desktop correctly, these files should already be in their respective directories.  However, if you have made any changes to the setup, or if NILBUILD reports missing files, you should double-check the location of each file.


PU PKUNZIP

PKZip, along with its companion program, PKUnZip, is a

compression and archiving tool available as shareware

(fee required) from most bulletin boards or directly from

the publisher:

PK-WARE, Inc.

9025 N. Deerwood Dr.

Brown Deer, Wisconsin 53223

(414) 354-8699

Look for the NEWEST version, which is 2.04g as of 6/93.


Prompt Mode Procedures

This section describes basic prompt mode procedures.  For a description of how to work with drag & drop and file select modes, refer to the advanced procedures section.

Important!!

NILBUILD will not run if the Norton Icon Editor is already open.  You must close the editor prior to running NILBUILD or fatal Error 101 will result.

A) Importing Icons

1)	Prepare a source directory containing all of the .ICO files you wish to import.

2)	Launch NILBUILD by double-clicking on its icon.  NILBUILD will come up in prompt mode and you will be presented with the prompt mode menu.  Choose option "A" from the menu.

3)	Choose a target library from the listbox.  If you specify a non-existent library, you will be given the option of creating it.

4)	Choose the source directory from the next listbox.

5)	Enter up to nine filenames or wildcards specifying .ICO files that you wish to import.  If you wish to import all of the .ICO files in the directory, enter  *.

6)	If you have NFIXICO installed correctly, NILBUILD will give you the option of FIXing the icons in the source directory.  Unless the icons have already been fixed, it is recommended that you answer in the affirmative.

7)	The import process will commence.  You must hold down the CONTROL-key for several seconds if you wish to abort.  A report will be generated when the process terminates.

B) Exporting Icons

1)	Determine how many icons you want to export.  If your source library is an .NIL file, NILBUILD will export ALL the icons in the file by default.  However, if your source is an .EXE or a .DLL file, NILBUILD will not be able to determine the number of icons contained in the library.  You must, therefore, count the number of desired icons.  The best way to do this is to load the file into the Norton Viewer and select "Windows Icons" as the current view.  The icons will be displayed in rows of 8 for easy counting.

2)	Prepare a target directory.

3)	Launch NILBUILD.  Select the appropriate option "B", "C", or "D" from the prompt mode menu.

4)	Choose the source library from the listbox.

5)	Choose the target directory from the listbox..

6)	From step one, enter the number of icons to export.  If your source library is an .NIL file, the total number of icons in the library will appear as the default.  Otherwise, the default will be zero, and you must enter a number.  If the specified number is greater than the total number of icons contained in the library, the last icon will be duplicated over and over again until the specified quantity is reached.

7)	The export process will commmence.  Hold the CONTROL-key down for several seconds if you wish to abort.  Reports are not generated for export operations.


PU Dumb Logo

Yes, it's a dumb logo.  But what

do you expect from freeware?


PU Source Directory

A source directory is a directory containing .ICO

files that the user wants to import intto a target

library.  To satisfy memory constraints, it is recom-

mended that the source directory contain no more

than 450 icons.


PU Target Library

A target library is an .NIL file that the user

wishes to import icons into.  The icons may

be selected from a drive window or placed

in a specially prepared source directory.


PU Source Library

A source library is an .NIL, .EXE, or

.DLL file that the user wishes to export

icons from.  The icons must be sent to a

pre-selected target directory.


PU Target Directory

A target directory is a directory designated

to receive .ICO files exported from a source

library.  The directory must not contain any

filenames of the form ICON???.ICO or an

error message will be issued.  For best results,

it is recommended that the target directory be

empty.


Modes of Operation

There are 3 modes of NILBUILD operation:

1) Drag & Drop Mode

Files may be selected from any drive window and then passed to NILBUILD as parameters by dragging them from the window and dropping them onto the NILBUILD icon. (See the Norton Desktop User's Guide, page 6-6.)  Up to 9 files may be dropped in this manner.  However, the total combined length of the dropped filenames may not exceed the length of the DOS command line, which is 127 characters.  If this limit is exceeded, Norton Desktop will issue a warning message explaining that the command line has been truncated.  If you say OK, the launch will proceed normally, but some of the dropped files will not be passed as parameters.  To solve this problem, use the file select mode explained below.  For more information on using drag & drop, see Advanced Mode Procedures.

2) File Select Mode

If you have BATCHRUN.EXE in your Norton Desktop directory, you can use the far easier file select method to pass an almost unlimited number of filenames to NILBUILD.  First, select and highlight all the desired files in the drive window as if you were going to use the drag & drop method.  However, instead of dragging the files over to the NILBUILD icon, hold down the CONTROL-key and double-click on the icon with the desired files left highlighted in the window. Hold the CONTROL-key down for several seconds while NILBUILD launches.  The filenames will automatically be fetched.  For more information on using file select mode, see Advanced Mode Procedures.

Note:  If BATCHRUN.EXE is not found, you will hear a beep whenever you attempt to use file select mode.  When this happens, NILBUILD automatically switches to prompt mode.

3) Prompt Mode

Prompt mode is the default mode for NILBUILD and will activate whenever there are no files selected or dropped.  To run prompt mode, simply double click on the NILBUILD icon.  You will be presented with the prompt mode menu and prompted for all necessary information.  You may perform any NILBUILD function using prompt mode.  See Prompt Mode Procedures for more information.

Notes:

If a single .NIL file is selected or dropped, the user is asked if he wants to import to, or export from the selected file.

If a single .EXE or .DLL file is selected or dropped, an export operation is assumed and the user is prompted for a target directory.

If a single .ICO file is selected, an import operation is assumed and the user is prompted for a target library.

If more than one file is selected or dropped, it is assumed that all the files are .ICO files.  An import operation is performed and the user is asked to specify a target library.


Advanced Procedures

Advanced Mode Procedures

This section describes the use of NILBUILD's drag & drop and file select techniques.  Please read the section on modes of operation if you haven't already done so.

Important!!

NILBUILD will not run if the Norton Icon Editor is already open.  You must close the editor prior to running NILBUILD or fatal Error 101 will result.

A) Importing Icons

Method I

1)	Select the appropriate number of .ICO files and launch NILBUILD using either the drag & drop or file select method outlined in the modes of operation section.

2)	Choose a target library from the listbox..  If you specify a non-existent library, you will be given the option of creating it.

3)	If you have NFIXICO installed correctly, NILBUILD will give you the option of FIXing the icons you have selected.  Unless the icons have already been fixed, it is recommended that you answer in the affirmative.

4)	The import process will commence.  You must hold down the CONTROL-key for several seconds if you wish to abort.  A report will be generated when the process terminates.

Method II

1)	Drag & drop the target .NIL library onto the NILBUILD icon using the method outlined in the modes of operation section.

2)	Choose option "A" from the startup menu.

3)	Follow procedure "A" outlined in Prompt Mode Procedures.  Start with step 4.

B) Exporting Icons

1)	Determine how many icons you want to export.  If your source library is an .NIL file, NILBUILD will export ALL the icons in the file by default.  However, if your source is an .EXE or a .DLL file, NILBUILD will not be able to determine the number of icons contained in the library.  You must, therefore, count the number of desired icons.  The best way to do this is to load the file into the Norton Viewer and select "Windows Icons" as the current view.  The icons will then be displayed in rows of 8 for easy counting.

2)	Prepare a target directory.

3)	Drag & drop the source library onto the NILBUILD icon using the method outlined in Modes of Operation.  If the source is an .NIL file, choose option "B" from the menu.  If the source is an .EXE or .DLL file, an export operation is assumed and there will be no menu.

4)	Choose the target directory from the listbox.

5)	From step one, enter the number of icons to export.  If your source library is an .NIL file, the total number of icons in the library will appear as the default.  Otherwise, the default will be zero, and you must enter a number.  If the specified number is greater than the total number of icons contained in the library, the last icon will be duplicated over and over again until the specified quantity is reached.

6)	The export process will commmence.  Hold the CONTROL-key down for several seconds if you wish to abort.  Reports are not generated for export operations.


Error Messages

Beep

If you attempt to use the file select feature and you hear a "beep" during startup, it means that NILBUILD could not find the BATCHRUN.EXE file in the NDW directory.  BATCHRUN is necessary for NILBUILD to obtain the highlighted filenames from the drive window.  NILBUILD switches to prompt mode when this error occurs.  See Modes of Operation.

Error 101

NILBUILD works by "taking control" of the Norton Icon Editor.  Since the editor does not allow two versions of itself to run simultaneously, NILBUILD would have to take control of an existing window if the editor were already running.  Since this could result in data loss, NILBUILD is designed to launch and take control of a "fresh" copy of the editor.

Error 102

The main Windows directory must contain the NDW.INI file which, in turn, must contain the entry "NDWDir=" in the Configuration section.  Otherwise, NILBUILD will not be able to determine the name of the Norton Desktop directory and Error 102 will result.

Error 103

NILBUILD is designed to work with the Norton Icon Editor and will produce this error message if ICONEDIT.EXE is not found in the Norton Desktop directory.  See System Requirements.

Error 104

This message will result if the NILBUILD subroutine file, NILBUILD.SUB is not found in the Norton Desktop directory.  See Installation.

Error 105

This message will result if NILBUILD cannot locate a dropped or selected file.  If this happens, try REFRESHing the drive window to make sure the files you want are still there.

Error 106

During drag & drop or file select operation, Error 106 will occur if:

1)	only a single file is selected, and

2)	the file is neither type .NIL, .DLL, .EXE nor .ICO

See Modes of Operation.

Error 107

This error will occur when the Norton Icon Editor cannot write an .ICO file to disk.  This will occur if the current directory is invalid or if the directory already contains a file of the same name.  Hardware, FAT, or directory problems can produce this error as well.

Error 200

The main program, NILBUILD.EXE, is a different version from the subroutine file, NILBUILD.SUB.  This can only happen if NILBUILD is updated to a newer version and the older files are not deleted.

Error 201

This error occurs when NILBUILD tells the Norton Icon Editor to load an .NIL, .EXE or .DLL file and the editor reports an error afterward.  This will occur if:

1)	the file is type .EXE or .DLL (not .NIL) and contains no icons.

2)	there are not enough GDI resources to load the file.

3)	the file is corrupt.

4)	the file somehow confuses the editor into coming up in the wrong MODE. (see below)

Some .EXE and .DLL files, such as DESKEDIT.EXE, "trick" the icon editor into coming up in LIB mode instead of in EXE mode. (See the Norton Desktop User's Guide, page 19-13.)  This is due to an undocumented feature of the editor.

Error 202

If the Norton Icon Editor reports an error while trying to write a new .NIL file to disk, Error 202 will result.  This can be caused by an invalid pathname, or hardware or FAT problems.  On rare occasions, this can be caused by too few GDI resources.  If this happens, try deleting just a few icons from the library before saving it.


Reports

A report is copied to the Windows clipboard at the end of every import operation.  The clipboard viewer is started up automatically for the user's convenience.  The report can be pasted into a document with any editor and then saved for future reference.  A typical report may look like this:

NILBUILD vers 2.03 Beta

Copyright (C) 1993 by Monarch Software

Import process is COMPLETE.

Status report for TARGET library "c:\test.nil" follows:

Successfully imported 60 icons from "cad.ico" to "cave.ico".

There were NO corrupt or unreadable icons.

System GDI resources currently at 65 percent.

The Norton Icon Editor has been left open.  You may make any

necessary changes before SAVING the library and CLOSING the editor.

*****  END OF REPORT  *****

Notes:

The report states whether the import process completed or was interrupted.  The process can only be interrupted if the user presses the CONTROL key or if Windows GDI resources fall below 12 percent of maximum.

The number of successfully imported icons as well as the first and last (alphabetically) successfully imported filenames are displayed.

If all the specified .ICOs were successfully imported, NILBUILD will state that there were no unreadable icons.  Otherwise, an alphabetical list of unreadable .ICO files is produced.  If NFIXICO is not on the system, NILBUILD will recommend that it be installed.

The report will give the percentage of Windows GDI resources remaining at the end of the import process.  G.D.I. stands for "Graphics Device Interface" and can be loosely thought of as an area of memory where Windows stores graphics images.  The size of this memory area is unrelated to system memory size.  As the Norton Icon Editor imports icons, GDI memory is consumed very rapidly.  NILBUILD interrupts the import process when 89 percent of the available resource is consumed.  This allows for about 450 imported icons on most systems while leaving room for a few miscellaneous operations.  If you find that you cannot import at least 400 icons, refer to the troubleshooting section.

At the end of the report, NILBUILD offers a gentle reminder that it is up to the user to SAVE the imported icons to disk.  NILBUILD does NOT close the icon editor.


Directory Listbox

This box is used to select target and source directories.  It differs slightly from the standard Windows listbox in that only drives and subdirectories are displayed.  Double-click on any drive or subdirectory to display it.  Click the OK button to select it.  You cannot enter the directory name with the keyboard.

For more information, click on any listbox control above.


File Listbox

This listbox is used to select source and target libraries.  It is similar to the standard Windows dialog box.  To select a file, click once on the filename or type it in the editbox at the bottom.  Click the OK button to complete the selection.  To view a different directory, double-click on any of the directory names encased in square brackets, "[  ]".  The symbol, "[..]", represents the parent directory.

For further information, click on any of the listbox controls above.


PU NDW Directory

The Norton Desktop Directory

is usually named "c:\ndw".  However, the directory

can be given a different name during NDW instal-

lation.  If you do not know the name of your NDW dir-

ectory, view the contents of the NDW.INI file located

in the main WINDOWS directory.  The directory name

should be defined in the Configuration section of the

file as shown below:

[Configuration]

Save=TRUE

NDWErrorCode=0

NDWVersionMajor=2

NDWDir=?????

NDWVersionMinor=0

Note: Error 102 will result if the NDW directory is not

defined in this manner.


Troubleshooting

Here is a list of common problems and their solutions.  For help with specific errors, refer to the error messages section.

NILBUILD does not import the icons that I specify.

One way around this problem is to prepare your source directory so that it contains only the .ICO files you want to import.  Use the Norton file manager to prepare the directory and to double-check its contents.  Use the default wildcard, *, to select all the files in the source directory.  If you must use specific wildcards, familiarize yourself with their operation by reading the appropriate section in the DOS manual.  Remember that NILBUILD accepts up to nine wildcards separated by spaces.

I can't get the "File Select" mode to operate.

You must have the file BATCHRUN.EXE in your NDW directory in order for file select to operate.  If the file is missing, you will hear a beep.  Another reason may be that you aren't holding the control key down long enough when you launch NILBUILD.  When NILBUILD launches, you will see the icon appear momentarily at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.  You should wait until the icon has disappeared before you take your finger off the key.  By that time, NILBUILD has already checked the status of the keyboard.  In fact, it is not recommended that you hold the key down any longer.  My experience has been that the keyboard buffer can overflow if the key is held down for too long a time.  This can cause some unpredictable problems.

I get an error message when I try to use "Drag & Drop".

Norton Desktop passes its drag & drop parameters through the DOS command line, which is limited to 128 characters.  Therefore, drag & drop is only good for a few filenames.  Use file select mode for 5 or more files.

"Drag & Drop" and "File Select" don't work at all.

You must have Norton Desktop specified as your shell.  Program Manager does not support these features.  See System Requirements.

I can't get NILBUILD to stop!!

Sometimes it takes NILBUILD several seconds to respond.  Just hold down the control key until things come to a halt.  The control key on your keyboard may also be faulty.  See Prompt Mode Procedures.

NILBUILD runs out of GDI resources before importing the 400th icon.

Remember that the number 400 refers to the approximate maximum number of icons that can be loaded into the icon editor at one time.  Therefore, this amount refers to the number of imported icons plus the number of icons already in the library.  This is assuming, of course, that no other active applications are using GDI resources.  To be on the safe side, close all other apps before doing a large import.  Next, check the availability of system resources by selecting "About.." from the Norton Desktop Help menu.  The percentage of remaining system resources will appear at the bottom of the window and should be at least 70.  See Reports.

When I export from an .EXE or an .DLL file, NILBUILD counts zero icons in the library.

This is because NILBUILD cannot count icons in an .EXE or .DLL library.  You must count them yourself using the Norton Viewer.  See the "Exporting Icons" section of either Prompt Mode Procedures or Advanced Mode Procedures.

NILBUILD doesn't present a report after EXPORT operations.

NILBUILD presents reports only after IMPORT operations.  If there are any errors during an EXPORT operation, NILBUILD will either refuse to begin the operation or terminate with an error message.


PU Wild Cards

Wild Cards are exactly like the ones used in DOS to

specify more than one filename.  However, the extension

.ICO is always used, regardless of which extension is

actually specified.  For example, the following line selects

all icons beginning with the letters A-D.

a*.ico   b*.   c*.bak   d*

Remember: NILBUILD allows up to 9 wildcards per

import.  For more information on wildcards, please refer

to your DOS manual.


PU FB File

This is the name of the file selected

by the OK button.  You may type the

desired filename into this editbox or

select it from the listbox above.  You

may also type a wildcard into this

box to change the type of file dis-

played.


PU FB Filelist

This is a listing of the directory whose name

appears directly above.  Only subdirectories

and files of the type specified in the editbox

(below) are displayed.  Subdirectories are

encased in square brackets, [  ].  To change

the directory, double-click on any subdirectory

or drive name presented in the  listbox.  The

parent directory is displayed as "[..]".  Drives

are displayed as "[-a-],[-b-]" etc.


PU FB Dir

The contents of this directory is

displayed in the listbox below.


PU HelpQuit

This button gives you the option of read-

ing the HELP file or of QUITTING the

program.


PU FB OK

This button SELECTS the file

displayed in the edit box at the

bottom.


PU DB Dir

This directory is displayed in the

listbox above and is selected by

the OK button.


PU DB Filelist

This is a listing of the directory whose name

appears directly below.  Only subdirectories

are displayed and are encased in brackets,

"[  ]".  To change the directory, double-click

on any subdirectory or drive name presented in

the listbox.  The parent directory is displayed

as "[..]".  Drives are displayed as "[-a-],[-b-]"

etc.


PU DB OK

This button selects the directory whose

name appears at the bottom.