Hi All,

I am posting my "funnel module" demo named T&C for testing
on your machines running various OS, 7 to 9. See:

  ftp://topo.math.u-psud.fr/pub/lcs/fb/DragAndDrop/

Expect crashes. Or failure to change icon promptly
(predicted by Waverly). Those problems are gone on my
machines, but yours may bring nasty surprises.

Bowerbird asks why I want to stay below 8Ko.
(I am at 6Ko).

It is because this this is my swansong
with FBII.  The competitors are near 30Ko in the same
functionality -- which can be called "feeder module",
"gateway module", "funnel module", "profile module" etc.
--- it passes a configuration and dropped files to a
bigger application.

Probably most similar existing modules are compiled
applescript; clearly Apple considers this a prime
application of Applescript, and certainly the
Applescript approach can in principle achieve much more.
Whether it really does is another matter.

[Could you guys cite specific instances you have seen?
The only one I use is the Netscape profile module, and it
lacks the drag-and-drop feature that is half the joy.]

The most visible advantage of my funnel module over the
Applescript competitors is size 6Ko vs 30Ko and that makes
a palpable difference if there are 50 modules -- as there
should be for the demo called T&C.

I'll mention another advantage of my approach later, if
things really pan out technically.

T&C (Type and Creator) is also a name for an earlier demo
without the "funnel module", but the interest now lies
entirely in the new "funnel" functionality, that has  
little to do with with type and creator change. 

There is one self documenting core of 22Ko called
T&C_core accompanied in the same folder by any number of
droplet "funnel" modules of 6Ko and, each bearing a
config.  

I have borrowed one one trick from Herbie's recent
efforts.  I use a custom Icon on the core app, that
serves to let the many funnel modules borrow the one
application icon.  

As the core processor becomes big the funnel module
concept becomes more important, not less. I claim that
funnel modules deserve to be used for all big apps that

A. process files and
B. do so in various ways

It is a mystery to me that funnel modules not more common
or indeed even a standard facility of the Finder.

Thanks to all of you who have put up with my incessant
questions:-  Alain, Heather, Herbie, Jamin, Waverly to name
a few. The many excellent suggestions I have not yet used
will no doubt blossom somehow somewhere.

           Cheers

                  Larry S

PS. The demo is not quite finished; it needs an alert or
two, better icons, and a basic configuration feature.  But
I will be busy for a couple of weeks now; I hope to finish
the demo in April.

PPS. Known queer features: Custom icons persist.
GraphicConverter Icons resist change. Systems 7.x <7.5 need
to borrow drag-and drop extension (and maybe Finder?)
from 7.5.