David,
There is a problem with map files. They work fine for coloring, and in all ways intended. The problem is in comparing for duplication. Two identical maps as far as color values and sequence goes will not show as duplicate if one of the maps has been cycled and then saved. Would it be possible to have fractint list the map file used in the par even if the par is saved with colors? This would provide a reference by name to the map used in the par.
Using the "recordcolors=comment" option does this as long as the colors have not been cycled. Is it possible to know that the palette has been cycled and no colors have changed? I'll have to look into this.
Using the "recordcolors=comment" option, I have gotten this to work with PARs when color cycling has been used but the palette has not been otherwise changed. The palette editor will take more work (and may not be possible to change correctly). I've also arranged it so that the original color map name is written to a saved MAP file when the palette has only been rotated. The current problem with this is that, in both cases, when these new PARs and MAP files are used, the original color MAP name disappears. Provided there are not a great number of PARs and MAPs in existance that currently have a color MAP name embedded in them, we can write code to read the color MAP name from the comment fields of the PAR or the first line of the color MAP file.
The best solution would be a program which first would enter place holders within the map file so that all maps would be uniform, then run a comparison for sequence of RGB values regardless of place.
And it would mean that all of the other applications that can use FractInt .MAP files would also need to be modified by their author's (and that is several programs).
Paul, We add PAR entries and change GIF data blocks with no regard for other applications that can use them, or older versions of Fractint. If we did, we would never be able to add new features. The method Fractint uses to read the color MAP data allows us to add text on each line after the data. We can add place holders (once we figure out how to keep track of them) after the data without causing problems for prior versions of Fractint. Jonathan