home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Software Vault: The Gold Collection
/
Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
/
cdr25
/
9lives0d.zip
/
README.TXT
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-05-20
|
19KB
|
489 lines
======================================================================
Welcome to Version 1.0d of 9 Lives!
written by Ross Judson of The Code Industry
9 Lives gives you multiple desktops in OS/2's Workplace Shell!
9 Lives is a desktop expander. It makes nine "virtual desktops"
available to the user, instead of the standard one. Why is this
useful? It reduces window clutter and allows you to organize groups
of windows more effectively.
Thanks to everyone who registered the previous version! Your
registration code will work with this version as well. Contact
the address at the bottom of this file if you have any trouble.
======================================================================
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer!
-----------
This version has proven to be relatively stable, but to achieve
multiple desktops 9 Lives needs to do unusual things to PM.
Therefore, Ross Judson and the Code Industry cannot be held
responsible for any losses or damages incurred by the use of this
program. Use it at your own risk!
Improvements
------------
1.0d gives you the option of activating the window you click on in
the desktop diagram. When you clicked to change a window in 1.0b,
the desktop changed but the active window didn't. Selecting the
"activate under click" option tells 9 Lives' to switch to the desktop
you clicked on AND activate the window you clicked on.
1.0d makes the number keys activate particular desktops.
1.0d lets you drag windows between desktops but have them end up in
the same position. Hold down the control key while dragging windows
on the desktop diagram to force your window to have the same screen
position it had before.
1.0c adds a zooming capability; by clicking both mouse buttons at the
same time you can tell 9 Lives to fill the entire screen. It then
becomes extremely easy to place your windows. Click both buttons
again to put 9 Lives back to its original size. You can also use the
'control-Z' key, or choose 'Zoom' from the context menu. A 'visible
margin' feature has been added to the option dialog. It's convenient
to have a margin around the virtual desktop diagram that doesn't
activate any desktop if you have the activate on first click option
turned off.
1.0c also changes all accelerator keys to use the control key as a
modifier (that means you type control-z instead of just z). This is
in reponse to users who said that, due to confusion about the focus,
they were accidentally activating 9 Lives features when they thought
they were typing in a program. No more!
1.0c removes byte alignment from its window. That makes it a little
easier to position the window.
1.0c improves upon the method used to detect the workplace shell.
The improvement to you, the user, is that you will no longer have to
enter the title of the shell window into the options dialog.
1.0c gives you sticky windows. Sticky windows are windows (such as
Pulse or a memory watcher) that you want to keep visible at all times.
To set up sticky windows, use the "sticky windows..." button in the
options dialog. Enter the titles of the windows you want to be
sticky. 9 Lives will match what you type against window titles it
looks at. It uses _prefixes_. That means if you type BIC in the
sticky list, all windows with BIC as their first three letters will
stick.
1.0c now correctly resets the shell window when deleted from the
task list.
V1.0b adds the ability to drag 9 Lives' window around on the screen.
Right click and hold anywhere there isn't a mini-window in the
desktop diagram, then drag. You'll be able to easily position 9
Lives' window. If you want to bring up the context menu, don't drag;
just click.
Fixes
-----
V1.0d fixes an error that could occur during the "Retrieve Windows"
operation. Some windows might not be retrieved correctly.
V1.0c correct some shell position errors when growing and shrinking
the shell window.
V1.0c corrects an error that occurred with certain complex parent/
owner relationships. An owned-relationship was not being correctly
detected. This was primarily visible with the Help System of Borland
C++.
V1.0c unzooms before closing so that the zoomed position will not be
stored.
V1.0c improves the keep on top logic. It's still not perfect, but it
works better.
V1.0b corrects a deficiency in changing desktops when invisible,
owned windows are present. The bug identified for V1.0a was not
actually completely fixed in that release, but turns out to be
related to the code used to keep the window on top. I am searching
for a better method to do this. In the mean time, you can work
around it by turning off the keep on top option.
V1.0a corrects an oddity PM presents to 9 Lives. Apparently, after
quitting from a full screen session, the WM_BUTTON1CLICK message is
not received. This resulted in an inability to switch desktops with
the mouse, but the keyboard controls still worked! A slight change
in 9 Lives attempts to work around this, so the problem should be no
more (NOTE - not so; see preceding paragraph).
If you find any problems, please let me know. My street address and
email addresses are at the bottom of this file.
Release Notes
-------------
If you lose a window (and I hope you don't), try the following:
1 - 9 Lives' Retrieve Lost Windows option
2 - The Alt-F7 keystroke
3 - The Alt then M keystroke
One of them should help you get it back. Remember, the window isn't
lost. It's just somewhere out of sight.
There is slight problem associated with VIO window, such as an OS/2
shell window. VIO windows need to be notified when they are moved or
sized. Unfortunately, 9 Lives can't let this processing happen
(arrgg :-). 9 Lives attempts to compensate for this, but is not
always successful. I am researching ways to fix this problem.
When leaving a full screen session, if you have the "keep on top"
option active, do not immediately change to another desktop. There
is some focus confusion happening, and 9 Lives will not correctly
respond. Either choose some other program first, or turn off the
keep on top option. This will be fixed! In the mean time, it might
happen to you. Here's what you should look for. When you exit the
full screen session, you'll notice that both 9 Lives and another
window are active (have title bars/borders in the active color).
Choose the other active window (not 9 Lives). PM seems to reset the
activation correctly at this point, and everything is normal from
then on.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Instructions
------------
9 Lives is a desktop expander. It makes nine "virtual desktops"
available to the user, instead of the standard one. Why is this
useful? It reduces window clutter and allows you to organize groups
of windows more effectively.
Manifest
--------
The 9 Lives package consists of two files:
9LIVES.EXE - main executable
README.TXT - documentation file (ASCII)
Please do not tamper with the archive; upload it intact to other
bulletin boards.
Installation
------------
Installing 9 Lives is simple. Unpack the archive and place 9LIVES.EXE
and README.TXT either in their own directory, or with your other
OS/2 utilities.
You'll probably want to make an icon on your desktop for 9 Lives.
Open up the Templates folder and drag a new Program object to the
desktop. Enter the directory and file name to locate 9 Lives.
Switch to the General Page and change the title to 9 Lives. Now
you're ready to run 9 Lives!
Using 9 Lives
-------------
Once 9 Lives is running, you'll see a grid of desktops on its window
( this is called the "Desktop Diagram" throughout the rest of this
documentation). Miniature rectangles representing the windows on
your desktop will be shown in the diagram. Some are conspicuously
absent; 9 Lives itself, your shell window (the Desktop), and anything
you have in the "sticky" list (more on the sticky list later).
You can pick a new desktop by clicking the left mouse button on it.
The windows in your current desktop disappear, and those in the new
desktop become visible. Turn on the "activate under click" option
and the window you click on while you are changing desktops will
become activate automatically. If you click on an area of the
desktop diagram that has no window, the window currently activated
will stay activated.
Click the right mouse button to show a context menu. Click the right
mouse button on a mini-window to drag it somewhere else. Hold down
the control key while dragging a mini-window to force it to stay in
the same screen position, but change desktops.
Click the right mouse button where there isn't a mini-window, then drag
without releasing the button, and you can drag 9 Lives' window around.
The following accelerator keys are available (^ means control):
F1 - Bring up help (instructions)
^A - Show the about dialog
^O - Show the options dialog
^R - Retrieve lost windows
^Z - Zoom in and out
^H - Hey, cut that out! key. If 9 Lives stops updating itself,
hitting this key may return it to action.
Esc- Turn the title bar on and off
The number keys (1-9) activate desktops. The desktops are numbered
sequentially from lower left to upper right (the numbering resembles
the numeric keypad. So if you want to change to the top left desktop,
hit 7. If you want to change to the middle right desktop, hit 6.
Remember to check the num lock key; if it's off, the numeric keypad
won't work. Use the number keys at the top of your keyboard instead.
You can also use the cursor keys to move the current virtual desktop.
The desktop moves in the direction of the arrow key you push.
Right clicking on an empty area (without a window underneath) will
pop up the 9 Lives context menu, from which many commands can be
executed.
Clicking both buttons at the same time zooms 9 Lives' window in and
out. Clicking both buttons is commonly called a chord. Zooming is
nice for position windows across desktops -- the big picture is much
easier to work with.
Use the retrieve lost windows to pull all other windows to the
current desktop. This is very useful if, for example, you
accidentally move windows off the virtual desktop and want to get
them back.
Options
-------
A "Follow Active" option tells 9 Lives to try to keep the currently
active window visible. If you change to another window by, say,
using the task list, 9 Lives will attempt to figure out which desktop
that window is on and go there. You can activate and deactivate this
option from the options dialog.
"Keep on top" tries to keep 9 Lives on top of other windows. 9 Live
tries to do this fairly unobtrusively.
"Expand desktop" tells 9 lives what to do with your workplace shell.
If this option is selected, 9 Lives will expand the shell window to
cover the entire virtual desktop. Your icons will only appear in one
desktop, unless you move them to another. If this option is not
checked, the workplace shell is not touched, and will be available on
each virtual desktop.
"Hide on Desktop Change" hides 9 Lives after you change desktops.
Hide on desktop change does not work very well at this time. It will
be repaired.
"Activating click..." prevents 9 Lives from changing desktops when you
click on it to active it. This option is very handy if most of 9
Lives is behind another window. You can click on the 9 Lives window
to activate it, then click on the desktop you want to go to. Without
this option turned on, the click that activated 9 Lives would also
have chosen a new desktop. But, some people prefer to have 9 Lives
on top and instantly respond to desktop changes on the first click.
"Visible margin..." tells 9 Lives to draw a small margin around the
virtual desktop diagram. This makes it easy to activate 9 Lives
without changing desktops. It also looks neat on some systems.
"Activate under..." tells 9 Lives to activate the window that's under
the mouse when you click on the desktop diagram to change desktops.
Was that a run-on sentence or what. Simple explanation -- see the
desktop diagram? Left click on a window in that and 9 Lives will
change to that desktop _and_ activate that program.
The "sticky windows" button brings up a dialog that lets you make
windows stay put when you change desktops. Many OS/2 users always
have a memory manager and a pulse-type program visible. If you enter
the window titles of those programs here, they will stay visible when
you change desktops. So if you want to keep Pulse visible, enter
"Pulse" (without the double quotes) into one of the sticky window
boxes. The titles you enter in this dialog are compared as _prefixes_.
That means that 9 Lives compares the window title with what you enter
for the length of the string that you enter. If you enter PUL, all
windows that start with PUL will be sticky. The comparison is case
sensitive, so make sure you have the correct spelling and capitalization
of the words.
You can drag and drop a font from the font palette on the 9 Lives
window. 9 Lives will use that font to draw the titles of windows in
its desktop diagram.
9 Lives remembers where you put it and how you set it up.
Tips and Tricks
---------------
9 Lives' many options make it easy to configure to your tastes. If
there's something that you'd like to see, please let me know! I'll
be happy to consider your request.
I like to set up 9 Lives so that it sits in the bottom right corner
of my screen. I turn on the expand desktop and stay on top options,
then turn off the title bar. It's quite small and convenient in this
configuration. I can then run my compilers in one window, my shell
in another, and keep several help files open and easily accessible.
When you are arranging windows across desktops, it's very handy to
use the zoom feature. Click both buttons on the 9 Lives window. You
can then easily move windows from desktop to desktop in the large
desktop diagram. Select the desktop you want to work on with the
left mouse button, then click both buttons again. 9 Lives will
"unzoom", and you will be working on the desktop you selected.
I have my program object for 9 Lives sitting in the lower right
corner of my screen. When 9 Lives is running, it covers up the icon.
Registration
------------
You may use this program freely in a 14 day trial period. If you
continue to use this program after the trial period has elapsed, you
must register it by sending your name, address, and $18 (U.S.) to:
Ross Judson
7935 Tyson Oaks Circle
Vienna, Virginia, USA
22182
In Canada, you may send a cheque for $20 Canadian to:
John Judson
6 St. Remy Drive
Nepean, Ontario, Canada
K2J 1A3
Make Cheques payable to Ross Judson in the U.S.A., and to John Judson
in Canada. A registration form follows in this text; you can print it,
fill it out, and send it.
You will receive a registration code in response. Entering this
registration code into 9 Lives will defeat a nag mechanism that
becomes active after you use the program a certain number of times.
You can reach the author via email on Compuserve. The ID is
73657,1712. Please email me with your comments! They are very
useful for evolving the program.
I am available on America Online. You can email my screen name,
JRossJ.
If you have access to FidoNet, you can reach me on the OS/2 Shareware
BBS. The address is 1:109/347, and my name is Ross Judson, there.
Enjoy your expanded lifestyle under the Workplace Shell!
======================================================================
Release History
v1.0 - Initial Release
v1.0a - Fix Full-Screen session release
v1.0b - Fixed change desktop bug related to invisible, owned windows
v1.0c - Add zoom feature, margin option. Corrected shell management.
Added sticky windows.
v.10d - Added activate under click. Added control-drag of windows.
======================================================================
Revision-O-Matic
$Id: readme.txt 1.16 1993/05/21 02:01:10 Ross Exp Ross $
$Log: readme.txt $
# Revision 1.16 1993/05/21 02:01:10 Ross
# Proofreading.
#
# Revision 1.15 1993/05/21 01:53:33 Ross
# Added notes for snap to screen window dragging.
#
# Revision 1.14 1993/05/16 21:28:47 Ross
# Further notes for release.
#
# Revision 1.13 1993/05/15 04:19:46 Ross
# Further revisions and checks for 1.0d.
#
# Revision 1.12 1993/05/15 04:00:49 Ross
# Added note about hot key and VIO programs.
#
# Revision 1.11 1993/05/13 02:48:52 Ross
# DLL and instructions for installation.
#
# Revision 1.10 1993/05/13 02:36:37 Ross
# More notes for 1.0d.
#
# Revision 1.9 1993/05/13 02:33:38 Ross
# Updated for keyboard hooks in 1.0d.
#
# Revision 1.8 1993/05/11 04:24:10 Ross
# More updates for 1.0c.
#
# Revision 1.7 1993/05/09 15:07:34 Ross
# More revision -- activate under click option.
#
# Revision 1.6 1993/05/07 02:14:58 Ross
# More bug fixing notes added.
#
# Revision 1.5 1993/05/02 14:37:21 Ross
# Sticky window notes.
#
# Revision 1.4 1993/05/01 16:44:35 Ross
# Further 1.0c notes.
#
# Revision 1.3 1993/04/30 02:16:27 Ross
# Added 1.0c notes -- zoom and new margin option.
#
# Revision 1.2 1993/04/26 01:50:03 Ross
# for v1.0b
#
# Revision 1.1 1993/04/26 01:33:37 Ross
# Initial revision
#
======================================================================
Order Form for 9 Lives!
Name _________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
City _________________________________________________________________
State/Province _________________________ Country ____________________
Zip/Postal Code ______________________
Compuserve ID ___________________
America OnLine screen name ___________________
Enclosed is a cheque for _______________, for _____ copies of 9 Lives.
Mail to:
Ross Judson
7935 Tyson Oaks Circle
Vienna, VA, USA
22182
or
John Judson
6 St. Remy Drive
Nepean, Ontario, Canada
K2J 1A3
Make cheque payable to Ross Judson in the U.S. and John Judson in Canada.
Thank you!