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I have copied one program from a floppy to a HDD drawer (I created for it) and I want to start this program directly, without going through [Window] → [Show] → [All Files] first in my Amiga Workbench (without doing that I am not able to see the program in the drawer).
How to achieve my goal, means having an icon in WB which I can click to start the program? I can copy an existing one and rename it. However do you know a better/faster way/tool?
I use Amiga 500 with WB 40.42 (3.1).
Various authors have created utility programs for AmigaOS that will automatically create .info files and associate them with your Amiga programs, thus making the program or data file launch-able via a Workbench icon. As you noted, without the .info file, the program or data file is not visible as a custom Workbench icon.
If you search on aminet, you can find these utilities. One which I quickly located is called IconAdder. According to its README file:
This program is like other 'icon adder' programs you may, or may not, have seen before. It uses the WhatIs.Library to find the file type, and then adds an icon according to it's type.
NOTE: The way a .info file is associated with a program or data file is by giving it the same base name; like MyProg and MyProg.info. The contents of the .info file can link a data file to the executable to launch in order to use/view the data file.
Look for DefIcon on Aminet. It places an entry in the tools menu. You select the "fake icon" in Workbench and choose "Tools->default icon". It will then create an .info file.
You don't need any 3rd party tools or tedious typing in the CLI. Just run IconEdit (found in sys:Tools). This opens with a default icon called 'Untitled" that you can customize or use as is. Then select "Save as" from the menu, browse to your file and select it, and hit the "save" button. This will create an icon for your file.
Note that when a program has an icon it will be run as a Workbench application. Programs that assume a CLI environment may crash if they try to use it.
I'll add mention of an open source utility I wrote long ago called IconJ. Its Readme description reads:
IconJ significantly enhances the IconX program, and is 100% compatible. It allows scripts to be executed by double-clicking the script's icon. Abilities include joining the script with the icon file itself, or calling it from any directory or disk, executing either AmigaDOS or ARexx scripts, outputting to any file or device, running interactive scripts and scripts that contain conditionals, and creating relative console windows. Includes a utility called AtatJ which attaches or detaches a script to/from an icon file.
I forgot which Fish Disk it is on, but it can be obtained from Aminet:
It comes with the source, written in JForth. (You don't need JForth to run it, though.) Being able to store the script within the icon file itself is advantageous, especially in situations where there is both a script to set up stuff, and a separate executable. Now the icon drags the whole set of them at once.
If you could upgrade to Amiga OS 3.2, that includes a make-real feature. (Show all files in WB, select the one you want an icon for, snapshot it, and it will have an icon.)
