HTML version of the original iTidy AmigaGuide documentation.
A Workbench Icon & Window Tidy Tool for AmigaOS 3.x
iTidy is a small Workbench utility I wrote after getting fed up with the mess left behind by large archive extractions - especially when unpacking thousands of WHDLoad games and demos into drawer trees like Games/AGA/A/, Games/AGA/B/, and so on. The aim was simple: point it at a folder, let it recurse through everything underneath, and have it tidy icon layouts and drawer windows in a consistent way.
It works by updating Workbench .info files and drawer/window layout information only - it doesn't touch the contents of your data files. If you enable backups, iTidy can create LhA restore points so you can roll back icon and layout changes later.
iTidy requires the following to run properly:
SYS:C path
iTidy is a Workbench utility I wrote to deal with a few recurring annoyances I kept running into when using my own Amiga systems.
The point where I properly decided to write it was after extracting thousands of WHDLoad games and demos. Once everything was neatly filed away into folders like Games/AGA/A/, Games/AGA/B/, Games/AGA/C/, etc., Workbench would still leave the icons and drawer windows in a complete mess. Cleaning that up by hand across so many drawers was painfully slow, and I had the urge to try and build something that would do it for me: give it a folder path, let it dive through all subfolders, then arrange the icons and windows neatly. That experiment eventually turned into iTidy.
iTidy focuses on four areas that tend to cause friction once your disks and drawers start to grow:
The program only works with Workbench .info files and drawer layout information. It never modifies the contents of your data files. If you enable automatic icon backups, any changes can later be reversed using the Restore Backups feature.
iTidy can work with the common icon formats you'll typically run into on Workbench 3.x setups, including:
Side note: GlowIcons are supported too - both the older NewIcons-style GlowIcons and the newer Colour Icons version.
iTidy detects icon types automatically, so you don't need to pick a mode or convert anything first. You just point it at a folder and it will tidy the icons it finds in whatever supported format they're already using.
iTidy is free hobby software that I work on in my spare time. It's been tested on real Amiga systems, but it may still have bugs or edge cases I haven't hit yet.
iTidy only touches .info files and Workbench drawer/window layout information. It also includes an optional backup feature to help roll back icon/layout changes, but you shouldn't treat that as a replacement for your own regular backups (and it's still being improved).
If you use iTidy, you do so at your own risk. I can't accept responsibility for data loss, corruption, or any other problems caused by using (or misusing) the software.
Before running iTidy for the first time - especially on large or important partitions - make sure you have a current, verified backup. If you want to be extra cautious, try it on a small test folder or a copy of your Workbench setup first.
To get started with iTidy:
Double-click the iTidy icon on your Workbench desktop to launch it.
In the main window, select the Folder gadget and choose the folder (or whole partition) you want to tidy. The selected location will appear in the Folder Path display.
Pick how you want icons ordered using the Order cycle gadget (Folders First, Files First, or Mixed).
If you want iTidy to process everything underneath the chosen folder as well, enable Cleanup subfolders.
If you want more control over layout, window shape, and spacing, click Advanced to open the Advanced Settings window.
When you're ready, click Start. iTidy will process the selected folder (and any subfolders, if enabled), arrange the icons, and resize drawer windows using your chosen settings.
If backups are enabled, iTidy will create a restore point before making changes. You can roll back later using Restore backups.
Tip: For your first run, try a small test folder so you can see what the options do without touching a whole partition. If you've enabled backups, you can always restore afterwards if you want to undo the changes.
The main window is where you choose what to tidy and set the basic options. It's designed to make the common "tidy this folder" job quick, without getting in the way.
Order: Sets how icons are grouped before sorting.
Note: When "Grouped by type" is selected, the By sort option may be disabled because the group order is fixed. Icons within each group are still sorted by name.
By: Selects the sort key used within the chosen order mode (Name, Type/Kind, Date, or Size).
Cleanup subfolders: When enabled, iTidy also processes all subfolders under the selected folder. This is the option you'd use for tidying a whole partition or a large folder tree in one pass. On classic hardware, very large trees can take a while.
Backup icons: When enabled, iTidy creates an LhA backup of the folder's .info files before making changes. This gives you something to roll back to later using Restore backups. Requires LhA to be available in C:.
Position: Controls where drawer windows are placed after iTidy resizes them.
The menu lets you save and load your settings:
This is handy if you want one setup for general Workbench use and another for things like WHDLoad folders or archive dumps.
Open this window using Advanced... on the main window. These options are split into tabs so related settings stay together.
Layout aspect
Sets the target width-to-height shape for drawer windows.
When full
Choose what iTidy does when a drawer has more icons than fit comfortably on screen.
Vertical alignment
Sets how icons are aligned vertically when a row contains icons of different heights: Top, Middle, or Bottom.
Spacing (X and Y)
Sets the horizontal and vertical gap between icons (in pixels). Lower values pack icons tighter; higher values give icons more breathing room.
Icons per row (Min)
Minimum columns. Prevents drawers becoming one long vertical list.
Auto-calc max icons / Max
When Auto-calc max icons is enabled, iTidy automatically chooses the maximum columns based on the window width.
If you turn it off, you can set Max manually.
Max window width
Limits how wide drawer windows may become (percentage of screen width): Auto, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 100%.
Column layout
When enabled, iTidy uses a column-based layout rather than a free-flow placement.
Auto-fit columns
When enabled, each column is sized to its widest icon instead of forcing all columns to the same width.
Gap between groups
Controls spacing between icon groups when using the Grouped by Type order mode. The choices are Small, Medium, and Large.
Note: If a group contains no icons (for example, a folder with no Tools), that group is skipped and no gap is added.
Skip hidden folders
When enabled, iTidy skips folders without .info files during recursive processing. This helps avoid pointless work when processing large trees.
Strip NewIcons borders
Strips NewIcons borders during processing (requires icon.library v44+). This permanently modifies those icons. If you might want to restore the original look later, enable icon backups first.
Reverse sort order
Reverses the current sort direction (for example Z->A, newest-first, or largest-first depending on the sort mode).
You can open this window via Fix Default Tools... on the main window. It scans WBPROJECT icons and helps you find (and fix) default tools that no longer exist.
On the Amiga, most data file icons have a "Default Tool" set - the program Workbench runs when you double-click that icon. For example, a .txt icon might have SYS:Utilities/MultiView as its default tool.
After copying icons between systems or extracting older archives, those tool paths often don't match what's actually installed. When that happens you'll see the familiar "Unable to open your tool" error.
SYS:Tools/TextEdit)Before iTidy changes anything, it automatically saves the original default tool values as small text backups. This backup system is separate from the icon/layout backups used for tidying.
To undo default tool changes, use Restore Default Tools Backups... from within this window. (This only restores default tool settings - it won't restore icon positions or window layouts.)
When validating tools, iTidy checks absolute paths directly. For simple tool names like MultiView, it searches the Amiga PATH (parsed from S:Startup-Sequence and S:User-Startup) to see if the tool can be found there.
You can open this window via Restore backups on the main window. It restores icon positions and drawer/window layout information from the LhA backup archives that iTidy created. This is only available if you previously ran iTidy with Backup icons enabled.
Note: this restores icon/layout backups only. If you're trying to undo default tool changes, use Restore Default Tools Backups... in the Fix Default Tools window instead.
The top list shows previous backup runs:
Click a run to select it and view its details.
Shows information about the selected run, including the source directory, how many archives were created, total size, status, and where the backups are stored.
.info files back to their original locations, restoring icon positions and (optionally) window geometry..info files that were backed upC:PROGDIR:Backups/If some icons look misaligned after tidying while others look fine, it's often down to icon.library support rather than iTidy itself.
On Workbench 3.0/3.1 with older icon.library versions, OS3.5+ colour icons may not render at their real size and can appear as tiny placeholder images. iTidy positions icons using the actual icon dimensions, but Workbench may draw them at the wrong size, which makes the layout look "off".
What to do:
If you restore a backup (or run iTidy) and window positions don't appear to change right away, this is usually Workbench caching.
What to do:
A few quick things to check:
C:PROGDIR:logs/ for any error detailsRecursing through thousands of folders takes time on real hardware, especially with mechanical drives.
A few tips:
WHDLoad:Games first, then WHDLoad:Demos) rather than doing everything in one run.Check the folder in Workbench and see if the menu Window->Show->All Files is selected. This option shows the contents of the folder by giving each item a temporary icon, which won't be visible to iTidy.
If you want iTidy to tidy this folder, you should create real icons first. Select the folder's contents via Window->Select Contents, then choose Icons->Snapshot. Default icons will be created, and iTidy will be able to process them.
By default, iTidy will skip processing folders if the parent folder doesn't have an icon.
To bypass this, go to Advanced Settings and untick "Skip hidden folders"
This usually means an icon's Default Tool points to something that isn't installed on your system.
What to do:
iTidy is free hobby software that I work on in my spare time. It's been tested on real Amiga systems, but it may still have bugs or edge cases I haven't run into yet.
iTidy only touches .info files and Workbench drawer/window layout information. It also includes an optional backup system to help roll back changes, but you shouldn't treat that as a replacement for your own regular system backups (and it's still being improved).
If you use iTidy, you do so at your own risk. I can't accept responsibility for data loss, corruption, or any other damage caused by using (or misusing) the software.
Before running iTidy for the first time - especially on large or important partitions - make sure you have a current, verified backup. If you want to be extra cautious, try it on a small test folder or a copy of your Workbench setup first.