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STARTAPP.TXT
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1994-07-07
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StartApp V1.1
Copyright 1993,94 by Andreas Furrer
=================================
StartApp lets you start your applications
- standard
- normal
- maximized
- minimized
- hidden
It also lets you specify the position and/or the size of the application
and lets you start the application on top.
The main advantage of StartApp is that it substitutes the library SHELL.DLL
with its own library, so every time an application starts a new application
using SHELL.DLL (most newer Windows programs use SHELL.DLL) the application
is started in the mode you like.
This means you can start the application with Program Manager, File Manager
or another tool and every time the application is started in the mode you
have defined. Also all applications that are launched during startup are
started as you like. Now you can hide the icons of some tools that are
started at the beginning of Windows, set the windows of some tools to always
stay on top, and so on.
Another advantage of substituting SHELL.DLL is that you can also set a special
start mode for files.
For example, if you want Windows Help to start maximized on most occasions,
but you want it at a special position when you open the file XYZ.HLP, you
can have an entry for both WINHELP.EXE and XYZ.HLP.
For this you have to create entries for WINHELP.EXE and XYZ.HLP and set the
mode you like for each. Now if you open XYZ.HLP you get the mode for
XYZ.HLP and if you open WINHELP.EXE you will get the mode for this.
But note: if you open XYZ.HLP with the command 'WINHELP XYZ.HLP' you will
get the setting for WINHELP.EXE and not for XYZ.HLP. If you want to have the
settings for XYZ.HLP, the command line is only 'XYZ.HLP.'
Installation
============
The installation od StartApp is very simple:
1) Exit Windows.
2) Rename SHELL.DLL in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory to SHELL_.DLL
3) Copy the version of SHELL.DLL in the StartApp package and the files
STARTAPP.CPL and CTL3D.DLL into the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
If you already have a version of CTL3D.DLL in this directory that
is newer than the version included in the StartApp package, do NOT
overwrite the file you have.
Uninstallation
==============
To uninstall StartApp, delete SHELL.DLL and STARTAPP.DLL in your
WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory and rename SHELL_.DLL to SHELL.DLL.
Configuration
=============
If you start Control Panel you will see a new icon: StartApp. Double-
clicking this icon brings up the configuration dialog of StartApp.
In the left listbox you will see all applications for which a special
start mode has been defined. On the right side you can switch between the
start modes:
- Standard (no changes to the default start)
- Normal (not maximized and not minimized)
- Maximized
- Minimized
- Hidden
You can also set an application on top and not on top.
The checkbox 'On top' has three states:
- unchecked: the application is set not on top even if it normally starts
on top
- checked: the application is set on top
- gray: StartApp doesn't change the on top attribute of the window.
In the fields 'Normal Position' and 'Normal size' you can set the
position and/or size of the main window of the application when it
is displayed in the normal mode (not minimized or maximized).
If you don't want to set one of the fields you can leave it empty and
StartApp will use the default value set by Windows.
If you want to enter the position and/or size with the mouse you can push
the button 'Get position and/or size'. Now you will see a dialog where you
can choose if you want to enter the position of the window, the size of the
window, or both. If you choose Ok, the dialog will be invisible and you can
choose the position and/or size with the mouse cursor, after which the
configuration dialog will become visible again.
With 'New' you can create a new entry in the listbox and with 'Delete'
you can delete an entry.
Limitations
===========
- StartApp will only work with applications that use the new ShellExecute
function of SHELL.DLL. This should be most newer applications. Older
applications will use the old WinExec function and will not work with
StartApp.
- StartApp will not work with the Windows Help system if you open a help
file in an application by pressing <F1> (or whatever) or selecting a help
menu item. But if you start WinHelp or you open a help file with Program
Manager, File Manager, or another tool, it will work with StartApp.
Freeware-Note
=============
You can use and distribute STARTAPP freely, as long as the following files
are not changed and you distribute all files together
- shell.dll
- startapp.cpl
- startapp.txt
I wrote STARTAPP for fun and not to make any profit. That's why STARTAPP is
free and you don't have to pay more or less high registration charges. I
think it is a bad habit that more and more program authors want to have
money even for the smallest programs.
For informations about my other FREE Windows tools see the file
SOFTWARE.TXT (or the German version SOFTWARE.TXG).
Long live Freeware!
If you have problems, comments, suggestions or you detect any errors,
please E-Mail to
s_furrer@ira.uka.de
(c) 1993 by Andreas Furrer
Version history
===============
1.1: - Added a version information so StartApp will now work correctly
with Microsoft Access.
- Changed the documentation - Thanks to Jeff Johnson for correcting
my errors.
1.0: First version of STARTAPP.