HyperLib 1997 Winter - Disc 1/HYPERLIB-1997-Winter-CD1.ISO.7z/HYPERLIB-1997-Winter-CD1.ISO/オンラインウェア/UTIL/Maybe 1.5 folder.sit/Maybe 1.5 folder/Maybe 1.5/Maybe Help (text)

Text File | 1996-03-07 | 48KB | 1,196 lines

ﾊ
Maybe 1.5

March 6, 1996



Disclaimer and Copyright Notice


Maybe is a free utility designed to improve upon the System 7
implementation of alias files.  The author, Ross Brown, makes no
warranty, either express or implied, with respect to this software, its
performance, merchantability, or suitability for any particular purpose.
People using the Maybe utility do so at their own risk.  The author
disclaims all liability for loss of data, mechanical damage, or other losses
suffered while using the Maybe utility.

Maybe is an AWOL Software Production, Copyright ｩ 1994-6 Ross
Brown.  All rights reserved.  Permission is granted to make and distribute
copies of this software, provided this disclaimer and copyright notice are
preserved on all copies.  The software may not, however, be sold or
distributed for profit, or included with other software which is sold or
distributed for profit, without the permission of the author.

There are no site license fees for the use of Maybe within an organization.
The author encourages you to make and distribute as many copies of the
application as you wish, for whomever you wish, as long as it is not for
profit.  Maybe is part of a set of cooperating programs, AWOL Utilities.
The tutorial help you are reading is designed for handling by the help
server application Help on Wheels, which is also part of AWOL Utilities.



Distribution Policy


New versions of individual AWOL Utilities programs, including Maybe, are
available by anonymous FTP from popular archive sites including
sumex-aim.stanford.edu, mac.archive.umich.edu, and their respective
mirror sites, and through Usenet news group comp.binaries.mac.

Support for AWOL Utilities is through Internet mail at address
[e-mail].  The software is not available by FTP from
this site.  The address for paper correspondence is AWOL Software
Productions, PO Box 24207, 300 Eagleson Road, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
K2M 2C3.

Macintosh users who do not have access to electronic sources of free and
shareware software may obtain a copy of AWOL Utilities by sending a
self-addressed stamped envelope and an 800K (or larger) formatted
diskette to the author at the above address.  U.S. users are reminded that
postage from Canada in 1996 is C$0.52 up to 30 grams (1 oz.), C$0.77 up
to 50 grams (1 3/4 oz.), and C$1.17 up to 100 grams (3 1/2 oz.).
US$0.50, US$0.75, and US$1.00 in coin is acceptable in place of stamps
for the respective weights.  People outside the U.S. and Canada may send
an international postal reply coupon instead of Canadian stamps (available
from any post office).  Please use sturdy envelopes, preferably cardboard
disk mailers.  (Mailers over 5 mm (1/5") thick require C$1.17 postage to
the U.S.)
Please do not send return envelopes with non-Canadian
stamps, as Canada Post will not accept them.



About AWOL Software Productions


AWOL Software Productions specializes in custom development of
software for the Mac OS.  Since its inception in 1990, AWOL has
developed a number of programs which enhance the Mac OS user
experience, working in nearly every part of the Macintosh Toolbox.  If
you have a short-term programming task or product idea but lack the
staff to do the expert design, coding, and documentation, we invite your
inquiry.

Virtual Desktop is AWOLﾕs best-known effort, serving the desktop
expansion needs of thousands of Mac users around the world.  Later in
1996, AWOL will release a new commercial version 2.0 to replace the
freeware version contained in the AWOL Utilities package.  Please contact
us at [e-mail] for feature and ordering information.

Users who want more out of the Macﾕs speech capabilities should check
out MacYack Pro, a jointly developed package of speech tools marketed by
Scantron Quality Computers ([e-mail]; 20200 Nine Mile Rd.,
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080).



Purpose


One of the many useful enhancements in System 7 is the alias concept.  As
a user, you are probably familiar with Finderﾕs alias files, the ones with
the names in italics.  Alias files are great because they make it so much
easier to organize and cross-index your folders.  They can even point to
items on network servers, and remember what to tell the modem if you
need to dial up to reach them!

Because alias files have full status in the file system, any program which
can open a file can open an alias file.  Thatﾕs the limit of it, though.  An
alias file canﾕt do anything other than point to a target item.  Think of all
the things you could do with an alias file if you could attach more meaning
to it:

･  play a sound, perhaps a spoken message

･  open every item in a target folder, not the folder itself

･  open another designated item along with the target item

･  ask the user a question before opening the target item

･  mount a server you know the target item will need access to

･  talk to another program, to log usage, or to get permission

･  make an alias file in your Startup Items folder conditional

Fortunately, Finder doesnﾕt have a monopoly on the concept of aliases.
Any program can use alias information to keep track of things that move.
This application, Maybe, takes the alias information in a Finder alias file,
combines it with options you set, and creates a document which does just
what the Finder alias did before ﾑ plus whatever you told it to do.



Who Can Use Maybe?


Any Macintosh running System 7.0 or later can use Maybe.  There is
nothing special to install.  Because itﾕs an application, and not a system
extension, it shouldnﾕt conflict with your other programs.

Maybe works only with Finder, not with At Ease.

Maybe can be placed on an AppleShare file server, where any number of
users can access it simultaneously.



What Does Maybe Do?


Maybe is a very versatile utility.  The name refers to one of its many
uses.  Here are some of the things it can do for you.


Prompting the User

When you convert a Finder alias file to a Maybe document, you have a
choice of five action types.  The action will occur when you open or print
the converted alias later on.  The first choice is to prompt the user with a
dialog box, asking whether or not to open or print the target item.

You can choose the text to appear in the dialog box, or let Maybe compose
it.  If you like, you can set a time limit on the response, and decide which
response (ﾒYesﾓ or ﾒNoﾓ) will be assumed if the timer elapses; the user
will see a countdown timer in the dialog box.  Timing the dialog is useful if
the user may not be paying attention, for example, when the converted
alias is located in the userﾕs Startup Items folder.


Checking Keyboard State

The second action choice, and one which is also useful for converted
aliases in the Startup Items folder, is to check the up/down state of all
keys on the keyboard before opening or printing the target item.

You select the default response, as above, and two sets of keys:  those
which must be up, and those which must be down, in order to override the
default.  So, if youﾕre rebooting for the fourth time today, and you donﾕt
want to wait while that news reader crawls to life, you can press the ﾔfﾕ
key and get a ﾒfastﾓ startup.
See the section entitled ﾒSpecial Treatment of Foldersﾓ for another good
use of this action type.


Talking to Another Program

The third action choice is like the first, but instead of asking the user
whether or not to proceed, you have Maybe ask some other program using
Apple events (program linking).  If it returns an error, Maybe doesnﾕt
open or print the target item; otherwise, it does.

You compose a single Apple event using a simple notation, and pick a
target program, which can be running locally or on another Macintosh on
your network.  You decide what to do if the program isnﾕt there, or
doesnﾕt respond within the time limit you specify.  If the target program
has something to say to the user, Maybe can display it in a dialog box.

This action type is good for logging usage, or for informal access control,
but it also lets you do personally meaningful things, like automatically
quitting one application as you open another.  Your options are limited only
by the Apple event support of the target program.  AWOL Utilities includes
a system extension called Menu Events, which lets programs control
other applications through their menus using Apple events, even ones
which are not designed to be scriptable.
See the section entitled ﾒSuggestions for Useﾓ for more information on
Menu Events.


Tying Two Items Together

The fourth type of action lets you choose a second item (volume, folder,
application, document, alias, or whatever) which will be opened every
time you open or print the converted alias.  By opening one thing, you can
make Finder open two things.  Chaining this kind of converted alias with
others lets you make a whole string of actions happen with one
double-click.

The item you specify is recorded using alias information, so Maybe will
keep track of it just as it does the target item.

If you are using Virtual Desktop, the virtual desktop manager which is
also part of AWOL Utilities, you will find this action type useful for
defining converted aliases which cause the desktop to scroll to the target
applicationﾕs work area just as the application or document is opened.
See the section entitled ﾒSuggestions for Useﾓ for more information on
Virtual Desktop.


Accessorizing an Alias File

The fifth action type is no action at all.  This just lets you use the
following accessory options, which apply regardless of the action type.


Special Treatment of Folders

If the target item turns out to be a folder or volume, and Maybe decides to
go ahead and open or print it, you can tell it to open the folder in the usual
way, which would mean a new Finder window, or you can tell it to open or
print every item in the folder all at once.  This is a convenient way to
group documents or applications you often use together.

Having set the option to open or print every item in the folder, if any of
the items in the folder is a converted alias with an action to check
keyboard state, then you can hold down different keys while opening the
converted folder alias to select subgroups within the folder.  ﾔaﾕ could
mean all items, ﾔeﾕ could mean just the essential items, and no keys down
could mean a default set of items.


Action Sounds

One way to play a sound while opening or printing a target item is to put
the sound into a sound file, and tie the sound file to the target item using
the action type described above.  However, making sound files is
generally difficult.

Maybe offers an accessory option to play any sound you choose as it
executes the chosen action.  It plays sounds asynchronously, so that they
donﾕt interrupt whatever else is going on.  The sound can be taken from
the System file, which is where the Sound control panel puts them, or
from the Maybe Preferences file, or from the converted alias itself.  If
you have a new sound in the Clipboard, you can paste it in, name it, and
use it.  If your Macintosh has a sound input device, such as a built-in
microphone, Maybe can do the job of recording new sounds.



How Does Maybe Work?


Setting Options for Converted Aliases

Everything starts with the ﾒConvert Aliasﾉﾓ command, which takes the
place of the usual ﾒNewﾉﾓ command in the File menu.  The resulting file
dialog asks you to choose an alias file to convert.  Ordinarily, selecting an
alias in a file dialog is equivalent to selecting its target item, but that is
not the case here.  (If you want to trace from an alias to its target item
without selecting it for conversion, press the Option key while selecting it
in the list of files.)

You then fill out the options in the Options dialog, including the action type
and any of its special options.  Some action types require you to click a
button which opens another dialog, with more choices to make.  If you
accept the options, Maybe converts the alias file into a Maybe document
called a converted alias.  This document has a name and an icon which are
either identical or very similar to those of the Finder alias file, depending
on the options you chose.


Using a Converted Alias

A converted alias is really a Maybe document that looks like a Finder alias
file.  (If you want it to look different, to make it clear that itﾕs not the
original and not an alias to it, the default options will stamp a rather large
question-mark ﾒbrandﾓ over the icon, and add ﾒ (Maybe)ﾓ to the end of
its name.)  From Finderﾕs point of view, though, you can use a converted
alias anywhere you would use an alias file:  in the Apple Menu Items
folder or Startup Items folder, on the desktop, attached to a macro, or
whatever.

What happens when you open or print a converted alias depends on the
action chosen when the options were set.
See the section entitled ﾒWhat Does Maybe Do?ﾓ for descriptions of the
various action types.

There are a couple of things you can do while opening or printing a
converted alias which affect those actions.

If the action is to prompt the user for a ﾒYesﾓ or ﾒNoﾓ answer, and you
press the Command key while opening or printing, the Prompt dialog will
not appear, and ﾒYesﾓ will be assumed.

If you press the Option key, the Options dialog will appear, so you can
change the options.  (Maybe actually has two ways to ﾒopenﾓ a converted
alias:  one, to do its special action; and two, to change its options.)  If the
converted alias is a stationery pad, and you ask to change the options, you
will be prompted to save a copy first, unless you also press the Control
key, in which case you can change the options in the stationery pad itself.
Stationery pad status has no effect on the way it acts if opened to do its
special action.


Automatic Quit Feature

You will need to open the Maybe application whenever you want to convert
an alias or to change existing converted alias options.  Maybe also opens
automatically whenever a converted alias is opened or printed, because
converted aliases are Maybe documents.

It would be bothersome to have to quit Maybe manually every time you
open or print a converted alias.  Therefore, if opened in this fashion,
Maybe tries to excuse itself after about five seconds of inactivity in the
background.  This automatic quit feature is disabled if the user selects any
menu command or equivalent keyboard action, indicating an interest in
Maybeﾕs other functions.

If Maybe is opened in any other fashion, it will not try to quit
automatically.  If you expect to use converted aliases frequently, and
donﾕt mind tying up a bit of memory, put an alias to Maybe in your Startup
Items folder, so that it will always be ready when you need it.


Background Information

Maybe doesnﾕt make the alias file; it takes what Finder has created and
enhances it.  Therefore, opening or printing the target item is quite
simple.  Most of what Maybe does is to carry out the actions and options
you specify when you convert the alias file.

Timed dialogs are done using a special countdown timer, which turns on
and off like a button, but shows an animated counter.
See the section entitled ﾒProgrammer Notesﾓ for more information about
the countdown timer control.

Keyboard state checking is unsophisticated, so what matters is the state
at the time when the converted alias is opened.  Attaching a quiet action
sound helps the user know when to release the keys.

Apple event construction is done using AEBuild, a simple representation
language and compiler for Apple events written by Jens Peter Alfke.  (See
the attached documentation.)

Everything else is done using standard System software methods,
including everything to do with alias tracking.



Suggestions for Use


Maybe is distributed as part of a free set of cooperating programs, AWOL
Utilities.  This section explains how Maybe can work in conjunction with
the other programs.


Help on Wheels

Help on Wheels is an efficient and full-featured help server which displays
help files on behalf of client applications.  The help file you are reading is
distributed alongside the Maybe application file as a separate Help on
Wheels document.

You can read this help at any time while using Maybe, either by selecting
ﾒMaybe Helpﾓ from the Help menu, or by pressing the Help or Command-?
key.  This version of Maybe has some support for the sophisticated
features of Help on Wheels, such as context-sensitivity, casual displays,
and ﾒhotﾓ hypertext buttons.

This help file can be stored separately from the Maybe application,
archived, or trashed, without affecting Maybeﾕs routine operation.


Virtual Desktop

Virtual Desktop, a virtual desktop manager, lets you define preset
locations on the virtual desktop called ﾒdoors.ﾓ  When you ﾒopenﾓ a door,
the desktop shifts to the preset location.  Ordinarily, the user opens a
door by clicking on a small iconic window that looks like a door.  However,
Virtual Desktop also has an option to save a very small document called a
door file, whose name matches the name of a door.  Opening a door file
from Finder is another way to open the door.

Maybeﾕs open item action type is appropriate for any alias to a document
or application which you might like to work on in a preset location on the
virtual desktop.  If you ask Virtual Desktop to make a door file, and place
it in a central location (for example, a Doors folder inside your
Preferences folder), you can use it as the item to open before opening the
target document or application.


Menu Events

Menu Events is a small, single-purpose system extension which lets any
program send Apple events to most high-level-event-aware applications
having a menu bar.  These ﾒMenu eventsﾓ let you query the contents and
state of the applicationﾕs menus, then select a menu command and tell the
target application to do it.

As described in the help file for Menu Events, Maybe is one of the
simplest ways to launch a Menu event.  The Send AE action type lets you
compose a single Menu event and choose its target, so that any program
which can open a file (the converted alias), such as Finder, can indirectly
send a Menu event.

NOTE:  Menu Events is intended for Macintosh programmers and those
familiar with Apple event scripting.  If your favorite archive site does not
have Menu Events and its companion application Menu Grabber, you may
request a copy from the author at the addresses listed above.



Dialogs


Maybe does not open any windows other than dialog boxes, which are
described here.


The Options Dialog

This dialog appears when you are converting a Finder alias file, and when
you ask to change the options in a converted alias.

･  Action option

This version of Maybe offers five choices of action to perform when the
converted alias is opened or printed.  Click one of these five radio buttons
to select an option.

･  Alert User action option

If you choose this action type, the user will see the Prompt dialog when
opening or printing the converted alias, asking for a ﾒYesﾓ or ﾒNoﾓ
answer.  Only if the answer is ﾒYesﾓ does Maybe proceed to open or print
the target item.
See the section entitled ﾒThe Prompt Dialogﾓ for more information about
the Prompt dialog.

The default response will be assumed if the user presses the Return or
Enter key, or if you specify a wait time and it elapses.  (If more time is
needed, the user can stop the countdown timer by clicking on it.)

｡  Alert Text option

If you leave this field blank, then Maybe will compose the message to
display in the dialog box, along the lines of, ﾒDo you want to open ﾒTarget
Itemﾓ?ﾓ  You can put any text you choose in this field, as long as it is
phrased in the positive.  For example, ﾒThis looks dangerous.  Do you
want to abort?ﾓ would be wrong, because Maybe would not understand
that a ﾒYesﾓ answer means donﾕt open the target item.

･  Check Keys action option

If you choose this action type, Maybe will decide whether or not to open
or print the target item depending on the state of the keyboard at the
time.

The default response will be assumed unless the user presses a certain
combination of keys and not certain others.

｡  Keys Downﾉ option

Click the Keys Downﾉ button to choose which keys must be down
(pressed) to override the default.  When the Keys dialog comes up, hold
down all the keys you want in this set, and click the OK button.  Due to
limitations of the keyboard design, you may find that sets of four or more
keys are sometimes truncated, because the keyboard canﾕt report that
combination.  The Options dialog gives you feedback so you can check what
was recorded.

｡  Keys Upﾉ option

Click the Keys Upﾉ button to choose which keys must be up (not pressed)
to override the default.  The procedure is the same as for the Keys
Downﾉ option.

･  Send AE action option

If you choose this action type, you can compose a single Apple event and
address it to any program on any Macintosh on your network.  It is up to
you to determine what Apple events that program will accept, but if you
get it wrong the first time, Maybe can tell you what the problem is by
telling you the error string or error number returned by the target
program.  Sometimes, you may need a list of Apple event error codes to
figure out what is wrong.

The default response will be assumed if you specify a wait time and the
target program doesnﾕt respond within that time, or if the target program
(server) canﾕt be found, either locally or through the network.  If the
server returns any sort of error, Maybe will not open or print the target
item.  Also, if you cancel the wait by pressing Command-Period, Maybe
will beep to confirm, and will not open or print the target item.

｡  Targetﾉ option

Click the Targetﾉ button to choose a program which will receive the
Apple event.  It brings up a program browser dialog, listing all ﾒlinkableﾓ
programs which are running at this time.  If you are connected to a
network, you can choose any zone and any machine, then select from its
list of programs.

Remember that in order for program linking to work, the target machine
must have program linking turned on in the Sharing Setup control panel,
your user name must be allowed to do program linking through the Users
& Groups control panel, and the target program must allow remote
program linking through its Finder Sharing dialog.

NOTE:  If you have already chosen a target program, and that program
cannot be found when you click the Targetﾉ button, you will see a warning
alert to that effect.  When the program browser dialog appears, if it was
the target machine which could not be found, it will show an empty list
under Programs.  This is a bit misleading, especially if your machine is
disconnected from its network, because it looks as though there are no
programs running on your machine.  To correct this, select a machine
name from the list under Macintoshes.

｡  Class option

Enter the four-character Apple event class code for the Apple event you
want to send.  For example, for a Quit Application event, you would enter
ﾒaevtﾓ (without the double quotes).

｡  ID option

Enter the four-character Apple event ID code for the Apple event you
want to send.  For example, for a Quit Application event, you would enter
ﾒquitﾓ (without the double quotes).

｡  Activate option

The standard practice for Apple-event-aware applications is to ﾒrequest
user interactionﾓ before putting up a dialog box in response to an Apple
event.  If the target application does this, Maybe will automatically yield
to that application so that you can answer the dialog.  If it does not do
this, then the dialog will come up in the background, and you will have to
click on it before you can answer it.  For example, if ResEdit 2.1.1 has a
modified file open, and you send it a Quit Application event, it will ask you
if you want to save the file, but the dialog comes up in the background.

If you find that the target program doesnﾕt ﾒplay by the rules,ﾓ then you
can set the Activate option, to force the application to become active
before it receives the Apple event.  The disadvantage to using this option
is that if Maybe wants to report an error, it has to say ﾒahemﾓ and wait
for you to bring it back to the front.  Maybe strives to be polite.

｡  AE Text option

If the Apple event registry information specifies no parameters for the
Apple event, as Quit Application does, then you should leave this field
blank.  If it requires parameters, or you want to supply optional
parameters, you must enter them here as a comma-separated list of keys
and values in AEBuild format.  If one of your parameters is the direct
parameter, please remember to put single quotes around the key, thus:
ﾒ'----':valueﾓ (without the double quotes).

See the attached documentation on AEBuild for full syntax details.

Maybe will report any syntax errors it finds, and place the text cursor
near the point of the error.

｡  Alert If No Target option

If this option is in effect, and the target program does not exist when the
converted alias is opened or printed, Maybe will put up a dialog box to tell
you so.  Otherwise, it will not.  In either case, Maybe will assume the
default response.

This option is on by default.

｡  Alert If Target Reports Error option

If this option is in effect, and the target program returns an error code or
error string when the converted alias is opened or printed, Maybe will put
up a dialog box to tell you so.  (If there is an error string, it will form the
text of the dialog.)  Otherwise, it will not.  In either case, Maybe will not
open or print the target item.

This option is on by default.

｡  Alert If Wait Elapses option

If this option is in effect, and you have specified a wait time, and the
target program fails to reply within that time, Maybe will put up a dialog
box to tell you so.  Otherwise, it will not.  In either case, Maybe will
assume the default response.

This option is on by default.

･  Open Item action option

If you choose this action type, you can choose another item (volume,
folder, application, document, alias, or whatever) which will be opened
(not printed) just before the target item is opened or printed.  Maybe
records the identity and location of this other item using alias
information, so that it wonﾕt lose track of it if it is moved or renamed.
The other item can be local or on any volume which is mounted at the time
you set the options.

The default response will be assumed if you specify a wait time and it
elapses.  Set the wait time to zero if you want the target item to be
opened or printed immediately after opening the other item.  Otherwise,
Maybe will wait in the background, blinking its icon in the menu bar, until
you make it active.  If Maybe becomes active before the timer elapses, it
will then open or print the target item.  (For example, if you are using an
alias to a remote server as the other item, so that the target item can
depend on a certain remote volume being mounted, you can set the wait
time to zero, because Finder will not get around to opening the target item
until the mount completes.  However, if your other item intends to bring
up an AppleTalk Remote Access connection which the target item
requires, it would be wise to allow a 45-second wait for the connection to
come up.)

｡  Itemﾉ option

Click the Itemﾉ button to see or choose the other item to open.  The file
dialog which appears has an extra button at the bottom, marked ﾒSelect
ﾒitemﾓﾓ.  You can use this button to select a volume or folder instead of
opening it, and to select an alias file instead of its target.

The item can be another converted alias, if you want to chain two or more
converted aliases together.

NOTE:  If you have already chosen an item, and that item cannot be found
when you click the Itemﾉ button, you will see a warning alert to that
effect.

･  None action option

If you choose this action type, no special action will occur when you open
or print the converted alias, but other options still apply.  In particular,
the Default Response option will determine whether or not the alias target
is opened or printed, special folder treatment is still given, and any action
sound will still play.

You can use this action type to temporarily ﾒshut downﾓ access to the
target item through the converted alias.  You might also use it to attach
the Folder Treatment or Action Sound option permanently to an alias.

･  Wait for Response option

Choose one of these two radio buttons to indicate how long you want to
wait for a response to an Alert User or Send AE action.  This choice also
determines how long Maybe will wait in the background during an Open
Item action.  These buttons are disabled for other action types.

The default is to wait forever, but if you click the other button, the
default time limit is 5 seconds.

｡  Up to ﾉ Seconds option

Click this button to limit the time Maybe will wait for a response, then
enter the number of seconds in the text field.  If you set this number to
zero, the effect depends on the action type:  for Alert User, the Prompt
dialog will not come up; for Send AE, the Apple event will still be sent,
but Maybe wonﾕt wait for a reply; for Open Item, Maybe wonﾕt wait in the
background after opening the other item.  If you are not interested in the
reply to an Apple event, you should set the wait time to zero and turn off
the Alert if Wait Elapses option.

｡  Forever option

Click this button to wait indefinitely for a response.  You can still press
Command-Period at any time to cancel the wait.

･  Default Response option

Every action type can have a default response, ﾒYesﾓ or ﾒNo,ﾓ which
determines whether or not to open or print the target item, if there is no
other indication.

For the Alert User action type, the default response determines which
button gets the thick outline, the one which is assumed to have been
clicked if the timer elapses.

For the Check Keys action type, the default response is assumed if the key
conditions are not met.  If they are met, Maybe takes the opposite
indication.

For the Send AE action type, the default response is assumed if the target
program does not exist, or if the timer elapses.

For the Open Item action type, the default response is assumed if the
timer elapses.  It is an error if the other item does not exist.

For the None action type, the default response is always assumed.

The ﾒdefaultﾓ default response is ﾒNo.ﾓ

･  Folder Treatment option

Maybe doesnﾕt know whether or not the target item is a folder (or
volume, which is equivalent for this purpose) until it has decided to open
or print it.

If you choose the Open Window option, Maybe will ask Finder to open the
folderﾕs window, showing the icons inside.  (It is an error to ask Finder to
print a folder.)  If you choose the Open/Print Each Item option, Maybe will
ask Finder to open or print each item in the folder.  The folder may contain
Maybe documents, which are opened or printed in turn.

The default is to open the window.

･  Appearance options

The following three options affect the appearance of the resulting
converted alias.  They are available only at the time of initial conversion.
At other times, when changing options, they are unavailable.

｡  Brand Icon option

When this option is in effect, the converted alias will sport a rather large,
garish question mark stamped over the former icon, to make it clear that
it is not a normal alias file and not the original.  The grayish color which
fills the question mark is tinged according to the label color of the Maybe
Preferences file, if any.

This option is on by default.

｡  Convert File Name option

When this option is in effect, Maybe will suffix ﾒ (Maybe)ﾓ to the name of
the alias file as it is converted.  This accomplishes the same effect as
branding the icon, but is more likely to be noticed in file dialogs.  At any
rate, you can always change the name after converting the alias.

This option is on by default.

｡  Stationery option

When this option is in effect, Maybe will make the converted alias into a
stationery pad, and alter the brand icon slightly to reflect that fact.  If
you donﾕt use this option, you could change the converted alias to a
stationery pad using Finder, but it wouldnﾕt look any different from one
that isnﾕt a stationery pad.

This option is off by default.

･  Action Soundﾉ option

By default, no sound is played when a converted alias is opened or printed.
To change this, you click the Action Soundﾉ button to bring up the Action
Sound dialog.
See the section entitled ﾒThe Action Sound Dialogﾓ for more information.

･  Cancel

Click here to cancel the conversion of a Finder alias file, or to cancel the
changes made to an existing converted alias.

･  Use Defaults

Click here to change all options to their default values, which you may
have changed using Make Defaults (see below).  Click here with the Option
key pressed to change all options to their built-in default values, the ones
described in this help file.

･  Make Defaults

Click here to change the default values for all options to those displayed in
the dialog.  You may or may not prefer this approach to using stationery
pads.

If any options are invalid, you are prompted to correct them.

･  OK

Click here to accept the options and close the dialog.  This will lead to the
conversion of a Finder alias file or the changing of options in an existing
converted alias.

If any options are invalid, you are prompted to correct them.


The Action Sound Dialog

Clicking the Action Soundﾉ button in the Options dialog opens the Action
Sound dialog.  This is where you select a sound to play when the converted
alias is opened or printed, just before the action takes place.

･  Sound list box

This list box contains one line for every sound found in the System file,
Maybe itself, the Maybe Preferences file, and the Finder alias file.
(Normally, a Finder alias file does not contain sounds, but if you add one
using Maybe, it will stick with the alias even after it has been reverted to
a Finder alias file, and Finder will ignore it.)  Click any line to hear the
sound and select it, or double-click to hear it and choose it.  If you donﾕt
want to hear the sound, hold down the Option key as you click.

The top line in the list box says ﾒ[none]ﾓ.  Click this line if you want no
sound to be played.  This is the default.

･  Always Play Sound to Completion option

If any sound is selected in the list, you have an option of whether or not to
play the sound to completion when the converted alias is opened or
printed.  If you turn on this option, the user will always hear long sounds,
such as voice messages, to the end, even if that holds up the next sound to
be played as another converted alias is opened or printed.  If you turn off
the option, Maybe will cut off the playing sound if it has another sound to
play.

This option is off by default.

･  Cut Sound (Command-X)

Click this button to cut the selected sound to the Clipboard, removing it
from its file.  You are not allowed to cut a sound from the System file,
nor from any unwritable file.

･  Copy Sound (Command-C)

Click this button to copy the selected sound to the Clipboard.

･  Clear Sound

Click this button to clear the selected sound, removing it from its file.
You are not allowed to clear a sound from the System file, nor from any
unwritable file.  Pressing Delete is equivalent to clicking Clear Sound.

･  Paste Sound Intoﾉ (Command-V)

Click this button to paste a sound from the Clipboard into the converted
alias file or preferences file.  Unless you cancel in the Sound Name dialog
that follows, this will close the Action Sound dialog.  Press the Option key
if you do not wish to hear the sound as the Sound Name dialog appears.
This button is disabled if there is no sound in the Clipboard.

･  Record Sound Intoﾉ

Click this button to record a sound into the converted alias file or
preferences file, using the sound input device selected in the Sound
control panel.  Unless you cancel in the Record Sound dialog or Sound Name
dialog that follows, this will close the Action Sound dialog.  This button is
disabled if there is no sound input device available.

･  Cancel

Click here to cancel the action sound choice and close the dialog.  This will
not affect any changes made to files containing sounds while using the
dialog.

･  OK

Click here to accept the action sound choice and close the dialog.


The Record Sound Dialog

This is the standard Macintosh Record Sound dialog.  It appears when you
click Record Sound Intoﾉ in the Action Sound dialog.

If you find that the dialog does not offer enough recording time for the
sound you want to record, quit Maybe and increase its memory size.  It is
not necessary for users of converted aliases to increase Maybeﾕs
memory size to hear large sounds.

･  Record, Stop, Pause, Play

Click these buttons to control recording and playback, as you would on a
tape recorder.  You can use the Pause button during recording to splice
different sounds together.  Nothing is actually saved to disk before you
click Save.

･  Cancel

Click here to avoid recording a sound and return to the Action Sound
dialog.

･  Save

Click here to proceed to the Sound Name dialog.  If you donﾕt want to hear
the sound, hold down the Option key as the Sound Name dialog appears.


The Sound Name Dialog

The Sound Name dialog appears when you ask to paste a sound from the
Clipboard, or after recording a new sound, while using the Action Sound
dialog.  This is where you assign a name and number to the new sound, and
decide whether to put it in the converted alias file or in the preferences
file.  If you donﾕt want to hear the sound, hold down the Option key as the
dialog appears.

･  Name

Optionally, you may enter a sound name in this box.  This name will be
displayed in the Action Sound dialogﾕs list box.

･  Number

Enter a number between 128 and 32767 in this box.  This number will be
displayed in the Action Sound dialogﾕs list box.  The number is important,
because itﾕs how Maybe remembers the sound you have chosen for a
converted alias.  Unless you need to coordinate sound numbers between
several Macintoshes, there is no need to change the randomly generated
number in this box.

･  Place Sound In

Click one of the two radio buttons to choose the file where the sound will
be placed.  The preferences file button is disabled if the preferences file is
unwritable.  The default is to place the sound in the converted alias file.

･  Cancel

Click here to avoid placing the new sound in a file and return to the Action
Sound dialog.

･  OK

Click here to place the sound in the selected file and close the Action
Sound dialog.


The Prompt Dialog

When Finder asks Maybe to open or print a converted alias which has the
Alert User action type, and the Command key is not pressed, and the wait
time is not zero, Maybe posts the Prompt dialog.

This dialog displays the text supplied using the Alert Text option.  If no
text was supplied, Maybe will compose some appropriate question.

･  Countdown timer

If the options specify a wait time, Maybe makes room for a circular
countdown timer, rather like the one you see in a motion picture leader.
It starts at the wait time limit and works down toward zero.  The user
can stop and start the timer by clicking on its face.  If the timer elapses
before the user chooses ﾒYesﾓ or ﾒNo,ﾓ the default response is assumed.

NOTE:  On a monitor set to 256 grays or colors, the countdown timer will
actually sweep down the seconds.  Unfortunately, the timer animation
causes other applications such as Finder to erase and redraw their
windows, so you may want to turn off the animation.  To do this, if you
have a resource editor, change the ProcID field of Maybeﾕs 'CNTL'(128)
resource from 2048 to 2063.

･  No

Click here to tell Maybe not to open or print the target item.  If this is the
default response as defined in the Options dialog for the converted alias,
you can press Return or Enter instead.  Pressing ﾔnﾕ, ﾔ-ﾕ, Escape, or
Control-Period is equivalent to clicking No.

･  Yes

Click here to tell Maybe to open or print the target item.  If this is the
default response as defined in the Options dialog for the converted alias,
you can press Return or Enter instead.  Pressing ﾔyﾕ or ﾔ+ﾕ is equivalent
to clicking Yes.


The About Dialog

This dialog presents Maybeﾕs About box.  It is opened by the ﾒAbout
Maybeﾉﾓ command in the Apple menu.

It mentions, by way of a balloon, that Maybe offers help through both
Balloon Help and Help on Wheels.  If you already have balloons showing,
Maybe spares you the balloon, figuring that youﾕve probably seen enough
recently.



Menus


This section describes each of Maybeﾕs menus.


The Apple Menu

･  About Maybeﾉ

This command opens Maybeﾕs About dialog, which invites you to try
Balloon Help or Help on Wheels to learn more about Maybe.


The File Menu

･  Convert Aliasﾉ (Command-N)

This command opens a file dialog, asking you to choose an alias to convert.
When you do that, it opens the Options dialog so that you can set the initial
options of the converted alias.

･  Openﾉ (Command-O) or Set Optionsﾉ (Command-Option-O)

The Openﾉ command opens a converted alias in the sense of doing its
special action, the same as would happen if you double-clicked its icon in
Finder.  It opens a file dialog, asking you to choose a converted alias to
open.

With the Option key pressed, either before you click in the menu bar or at
the time you choose the converted alias from the file dialog, this command
becomes Set Optionsﾉ, allowing you to see or change the options of the
converted alias.  If the converted alias is a stationery pad, Maybe will
prompt you to save a copy before editing.  Press the Control key along
with the Option key if you want to edit the stationery pad directly.

･  Printﾉ (Command-P)

This command prints a converted alias, the same as would happen if you
clicked its icon and selected the Print command in Finder.  It opens a file
dialog, asking you to choose a converted alias to print.

･  Find Originalﾉ (Command-F)

This command does for converted aliases what the Find Original button in
Finderﾕs Get Info dialog does for Finder alias files.  It opens a file dialog,
asking you to choose a converted alias whose target item to find.

There is a known bug in this command due to a shortcoming in Finderﾕs
support of Apple events, namely, that Finder does not deselect whatever
is selected before Maybe tells it to select the target item, often resulting
in an inadvertent multiple selection.

･  Revert to Aliasﾉ (Command-R)

This command reverts a converted alias to its former self, a Finder alias
file, with its icon, name, and smaller size restored.  Any sounds which
Maybe pasted into the file while it was converted remain in the file, and
do not affect its operation within Finder.

･  Quit (Command-Q)

This command quits Maybe.  Maybe will quit automatically after about
five seconds of inactivity in the background if it was started by Finder to
open or print a converted alias, and the user never did anything to
express an interest in keeping it open for other reasons.


The Edit Menu

･  Undo (Command-Z)

This command is not used by Maybe.  It is present only for desk
accessories.

･  Cut (Command-X)

This command cuts selected text to the Clipboard.  It is used only with
desk accessories and dialogs containing text fields.

･  Copy (Command-C)

This command copies selected text to the Clipboard.  It is used only with
desk accessories and dialogs containing text fields.

･  Paste (Command-V)

This command inserts the contents of the Clipboard at the current cursor
location or replaces the currently selected text by the contents of the
Clipboard.  It is used only with desk accessories and dialogs containing
text fields.

･  Clear

This command clears the selected text in a desk accessory or dialogs
containing text fields.


The Help Menu

･  About Balloon Helpﾉ

This command, supplied by System software, tells you how to use Balloon
Help.  Maybe supports Balloon Help.

･  Show/Hide Balloons

This command, supplied by System software, lets you turn Balloon Help
on and off.  Maybe supports Balloon Help.

･  Maybe Help

This command asks Help on Wheels to display Maybeﾕs help file.  This will
start the help server if it was not already running.  If the help server
cannot be found on any mounted volume, Maybe will offer to save a
readable copy of the help file as a TeachText file, then ask Finder to open
the file.  If the help file is missing or invalid, this command is disabled.

Pressing the Help or Command-? key at any time does the same thing.
When there is a dialog box on your screen, such as the Options dialog, the
menu command is disabled, and the keyboard is the only way to display
help.



Limitations


Once a Finder alias file has been converted, it is no longer understood by
Finder as anything other than a document belonging to the Maybe
application.  While its icon looks like that of the target item, it really has
no association with the application which owns that item.  Therefore, you
cannot use drag-and-drop with a converted alias as you would with a
regular Finder alias, neither as the source of the drag, nor as the target.
Also, file dialogs posted by the owning application will not include the
converted alias in the list of documents to open.  It is possible that
Appleﾕs Easy Open software extension will enable a later version of
Maybe to overcome this limitation.



Programmer Notes


The countdown timer control which optionally appears in the Prompt
dialog uses a special 'CDEF' and programming interface written by the
author.  If you would like to add countdown timers to your own
applications, write to the author at the above address to get a copy of the
developerﾕs package (resource, library, header file, and sample
application source code).



Acknowledgements


The author would like to thank Jens Peter Alfke for writing and supporting
his adorable AEBuild package, and Jon Pugh for some quick answers and
good advice about Apple events.

One big hug to Toni and the family for enduring a LOT of late nights.

Special thanks to the 170 fine people who beta-tested this software, and
to others who provided useful information.



Revision History


1.5 (March 6, 1996)
･  Public AWOL Utilities 1.3 release.
･  No revisions.

1.4 (October 17, 1994)
･  Public AWOL Utilities 1.2 release.
･  Improved the message given when the target program or item to open
cannot be found.

1.3 (March 28, 1994)
･  Public AWOL Utilities 1.1 release.
･  Corrected a bug which prevented the use of the Action Sound dialog on
the Power Macintosh.

1.2.3 (March 13, 1994)
･  Some minor documentation changes.
･  Added the thank-you hot button under Acknowledgements.

1.2.2 (February 27, 1994)
･  Fixed a bug which prevented conversion of aliases in the desktop folder
of a disk other than the startup disk.
･  Corrected an incompatibility with SpeedyFinder7ﾕs Help menu removal
option which prevented help display.
･  Cut Sound and Clear Sound buttons are disabled if selected sound is
from the System file or any unwritable file.
･  Replaced Paste Sound buttons with one Paste Sound Intoﾉ button in the
Action Sound dialog and two radio buttons in the Sound Name dialog.
･  Added Record Sound Intoﾉ button to enable sound recording within the
Action Sound dialog.
･  Added the ability to choose sound number as well as name in the Sound
Name dialog.
･  Improved the documentation on sound handling.
･  Allowed the application to operate without a preferences file (for
example, when startup disk is locked).

1.2.1 (January 19, 1994)
･  If the help server is absent when Maybe requests help, and the user
agrees to save the help file as a TeachText document, the file is split into
two parts small enough for TeachText to handle.
･  Fixed a bug in the countdown 'CDEF' which caused a crash if help was
requested while the timer was counting down.

1.2.0 (October 2, 1993)
･  Initial AWOL Utilities 1.0 release.