Could someone clarify how arguments work in objectdock?
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 by Brad Nault | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
I want to run games with objectdock but some won't work. What exactly do i have to enter in the arguments field.
Objectdock is excellent otherwise, i have been looking for something like this for a long time. Proof that macs are only good for coming up with new ideas to use on PCs....
Objectdock is excellent otherwise, i have been looking for something like this for a long time. Proof that macs are only good for coming up with new ideas to use on PCs....
Brad Nault
Reply #3 Thursday, February 20, 2003 9:21 AM
Reply #3 Thursday, February 20, 2003 9:21 AM
thanks for the bumps, iplural
doesn't anyone run games off of objectdock? how do you do it?
doesn't anyone run games off of objectdock? how do you do it?
IPlural
Reply #4 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:16 AM
Reply #4 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:16 AM
you might be able to create a batch file that loads the game and link to that from an OD icon?
that or if it's a windows ready game, just link to it and the put the args in the field below your link as you would in the normal link in windows?
not sure, don't have any games installed...
oh wait, my daughter has a barbie game on a system, let me try and I'll let you know what I find out...
that or maybe someone else does this already and can help? peoples?
that or if it's a windows ready game, just link to it and the put the args in the field below your link as you would in the normal link in windows?
not sure, don't have any games installed...
oh wait, my daughter has a barbie game on a system, let me try and I'll let you know what I find out...
that or maybe someone else does this already and can help? peoples?
kthxbye
Reply #5 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:19 AM
Reply #5 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:19 AM
Well, I got curious - so I installed 0.88... none of my games use arguments - but some of my other apps accept arguments.
So I set up some shortcuts to test. All I did was created the shortcut on the bar normally, and in the 'arguments' field of 0.88 I put in whatever arguments I needed to pass to the app, and they were all sent correctly.
So I set up some shortcuts to test. All I did was created the shortcut on the bar normally, and in the 'arguments' field of 0.88 I put in whatever arguments I needed to pass to the app, and they were all sent correctly.
IPlural
Reply #6 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:21 AM
Reply #6 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:21 AM
cool 
thanky kthxbye
I was playing hell trying to decide if I wanted to put Quake 3 on a system or not, found my daughters game only runs under 256 colors, ick...
thanky kthxbye
I was playing hell trying to decide if I wanted to put Quake 3 on a system or not, found my daughters game only runs under 256 colors, ick...
Brad Nault
Reply #7 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:07 AM
Reply #7 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:07 AM
kthxbye- could you post exactly what you entered in the "arguments" field. i think my problem is i'm not using the correct syntax. maybe i don't really know what an "argument" is. basically what's happening is that games that need to be started in their directory don't work from OD. All quake 3 engine games say something like "can't find *.cfg" or something (im at work so i can't check to see exactly what it says) some other games (gta3,battlefield 1942) don't start at all or give an error. If i make a shortcut in the directory, same thing happens, but they run fine from a windows (not OD) shortcut no matter where it is, so it must be because the game's directory is automatically in the shortcut's "Start in:" field. i guess my question is how do i get the info in a Windows shortcut's "Start in:" field to run when i click on a OD shortcut??
IPlural
Reply #8 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:14 AM
Reply #8 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:14 AM
if you right click on the icon you use now to laod it and then properties, you will see what file or what args are being passed to run it, I think..
kthxbye
Reply #9 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:20 AM
Reply #9 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:20 AM
Right. Arguments are options passed through to a program as its run (as you probably knew 
)
The biggest problem is, while there are unnofficial standards, there's not really a set standard for arguments and the like.
Usually, they're in the form of
/ or - in windows.
So, say "C:\Program Files\My Game\My Game.exe" -config mygame.cfg -res 1024x768x32
The -config and -res entries (with the data after them,) are the arguments.
As for where to enter them - I'm going by 0.88/0.088 (whatever, I've already removed it again) and it doesn't have a "Start In:" entry in the icon properties - it has an actual "Arguments:" field (in which, in my example, you would enter:
-config mygame.cfg -res 1024x768x32
And yes - the place you'd find those would be from your existing shortcut on your startmenu or on your desktop. In a standard Windows shortcut, it would be in the Target: box - after the path to the .exe (which will probably be in quotation marks.)
Target: "C:\program files\my game\my game.exe" -config mygame.cfg
Is how it would look in the shortcut properties.
) The biggest problem is, while there are unnofficial standards, there's not really a set standard for arguments and the like.
Usually, they're in the form of
/ or - in windows.
So, say "C:\Program Files\My Game\My Game.exe" -config mygame.cfg -res 1024x768x32
The -config and -res entries (with the data after them,) are the arguments.
As for where to enter them - I'm going by 0.88/0.088 (whatever, I've already removed it again
) and it doesn't have a "Start In:" entry in the icon properties - it has an actual "Arguments:" field (in which, in my example, you would enter: -config mygame.cfg -res 1024x768x32
And yes - the place you'd find those would be from your existing shortcut on your startmenu or on your desktop. In a standard Windows shortcut, it would be in the Target: box - after the path to the .exe (which will probably be in quotation marks.)
Target: "C:\program files\my game\my game.exe" -config mygame.cfg
Is how it would look in the shortcut properties.
Brad Nault
Reply #10 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:21 AM
Reply #10 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:21 AM
yeah but the windows properties has a "Start in:" field....the objectdock properties has a "arguments" field. when i enter whats in the "start in:" field in the "arguments" field, it don't work none.
Brad Nault
Reply #11 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:22 AM
Reply #11 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:22 AM
thanks kthxbye i was writing #10 while you were posting so please disregard
Brad Nault
Reply #12 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:30 AM
Reply #12 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:30 AM
so if i were to put in the Objectdock Properties:
In the "Link" field:
C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe
And in the "arguements" field:
-"C:\Program Files\GTAIII\"
Would that work? or does there need to be "Start in:" somewhere. What would the shortcut properties for the game look like if it was written command line style:
C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe -"C:\Program Files\GTAIII"
Like that? that doesn't seem right. I'm asssuming everything after the space after gta3.exe is exactly what would go in the agruments field
I appreciate your help sorry if i am making this too complicated.
In the "Link" field:
C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe
And in the "arguements" field:
-"C:\Program Files\GTAIII\"
Would that work? or does there need to be "Start in:" somewhere. What would the shortcut properties for the game look like if it was written command line style:
C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe -"C:\Program Files\GTAIII"
Like that? that doesn't seem right. I'm asssuming everything after the space after gta3.exe is exactly what would go in the agruments field
I appreciate your help sorry if i am making this too complicated.
kthxbye
Reply #13 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:33 AM
Reply #13 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:33 AM
Basically... Ignore the 'Start in' field in windows.
If the Target field has "C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe" -"C:\Program Files\GTAIII"
then, IIRC, in Object Dock it would be:
Link: C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe
Arguments: -c:\program files\gtaiii\
I'm unsure if Object Dock requires the "'s or not, like Windows does.
( Oh, and I just pretty much repeated what you said, yes.)
The Start In: option in Windows shortcuts is... really irrelevant for most programs - even from Windows shortcuts!
If the Target field has "C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe" -"C:\Program Files\GTAIII"
then, IIRC, in Object Dock it would be:
Link: C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe
Arguments: -c:\program files\gtaiii\
I'm unsure if Object Dock requires the "'s or not, like Windows does.
( Oh, and I just pretty much repeated what you said, yes.
)The Start In: option in Windows shortcuts is... really irrelevant for most programs - even from Windows shortcuts!
Brad Nault
Reply #14 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:41 AM
Reply #14 Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:41 AM
ok...that makes sense, but i believe the target path in the apps i am having trouble with only has the executable, ie:
"C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe" NOT
"C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe" -"C:\Program Files\GTAIII"
i will have to try at home to know for sure
thanks again for the help
"C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe" NOT
"C:\Program Files\GTAIII\gta3.exe" -"C:\Program Files\GTAIII"
i will have to try at home to know for sure
thanks again for the help
kthxbye
Reply #15 Thursday, February 20, 2003 1:23 PM
Reply #15 Thursday, February 20, 2003 1:23 PM
Hmmm - if you have any problems, post a screenshot of the GTA III shortcut properties window (the Windows properties, not OD's,) and we can see.
Make sure it shows the /end/ of the Target line - not the beginning.
Make sure it shows the /end/ of the Target line - not the beginning.
Brad Nault
Reply #16 Thursday, February 20, 2003 1:44 PM
Reply #16 Thursday, February 20, 2003 1:44 PM
ok
lets use MOHAA as an example because it has a console that comes up and tells the error. it says:
Current search path:
C:\Program Files\ObjectDock/main
so my problem is the search path. how do you change that with an argument.?
I tried -"C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\MOHAA" in the arguments field both with and without quotes---didn't work
lets use MOHAA as an example because it has a console that comes up and tells the error. it says:
Current search path:
C:\Program Files\ObjectDock/main
so my problem is the search path. how do you change that with an argument.?
I tried -"C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\MOHAA" in the arguments field both with and without quotes---didn't work
Shro2004
Reply #17 Monday, January 5, 2004 6:57 PM
Reply #17 Monday, January 5, 2004 6:57 PM
I'm having the exact same problem. It occurs with all games built using the Quake 3 engine (may be others). I have tried copying the text exactly as it appears in the Windows shortcut into an Objectdock icon (Placing the text in the Target field into the Link text box and the text in the Start In field into the Arguments box)
This problem is occuring because Objectdock does not interpret the path placed in the arguments box as a "start in" folder. Does anyone know a way to rectify this, or how you specify a start in folder using the Command Prompt.
This problem is occuring because Objectdock does not interpret the path placed in the arguments box as a "start in" folder. Does anyone know a way to rectify this, or how you specify a start in folder using the Command Prompt.
Phar0e
Reply #18 Monday, January 5, 2004 7:50 PM
Reply #18 Monday, January 5, 2004 7:50 PM
I don't use objectdock (litestep junkie) so forgive me if I'm offbase.
Rather than worrying about correct syntax for paths and arguments; can you point objectdock to the program (game) shortcut that would exist on the desktop (desktop directory)
Trigger the shortcut, to trigger the game?
Rather than worrying about correct syntax for paths and arguments; can you point objectdock to the program (game) shortcut that would exist on the desktop (desktop directory)
Trigger the shortcut, to trigger the game?
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Reply #1 Wednesday, February 19, 2003 12:01 PM