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Text File | 1992-05-08 | 47KB | 1,068 lines

┌┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┬┐ ╞╪╪╪░▒▓██████████████████████████████████▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒░▒▓█│ │█▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒░▒▓█│ Windows │█▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒░▒▓█│ ────────Online»(TM) │█▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒░▒▓█│ │█▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒░▒▓█│ "the Weekly" │█▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒░▒▓█│ │█▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒░▒▓██████████████████████████████████▓▒░╪╡ ╞╪▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒╪╪╪╡ ╞╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╡ └┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┴┘ May 9, 1992 - Issue 40 ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▌▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▐ ▌▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▐ ▌═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════▐ ▌ Windows Online "the Weekly"(TM) (WOLW) is published electronically every ▐ ▌ Saturday and distributed through many well-known on-line services. WOLW ▐ ▌ contains articles and columns about Windows oriented subjects by WOL's ▐ ▌ staff of freelance writers. Subject matter includes all aspects of ▐ ▌ MS Windows(TM) and its associated applications and utilities. Additional ▐ ▌ subjects covered are: OS/2, computer news, various GUI subjects, new ▐ ▌ products and on-line communications. If you are interested in writing ▐ ▌ for "the Weekly" contact us through the numbers listed at the end of ▐ ▌ this publication. ▐ ▌═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════▐ ▌▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▐ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ -!- In this issue: -!- ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ √ New Product News ─────────── by Rich Young ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── hDC Power Launcher 2.0 - A Windows Program Launch Utility ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ √ Interesting Computer News ── by Randy Wong ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ √ Windows Tips ────────────── by Hugh Hardie ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * To Buffer or Not to Buffer, That is the Question * Controlling the Actions of Users - Part Two * Uncle Bill's Tip of the Week ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ √ Visual Basics ─────────── by Barry Seymour ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The Window Manager List ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ √ Windows Software Review ─── by Brian Parks ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SmarText for Windows version 2.0 Lotus Development Corporation - Word Processing Division ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ √ Desktop Publishing ────── by Rob Weinstein ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── CHARTIST--A flow chart creator ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ New Products ▌────────────▐ Researched, Compiled and Edited By Rich Young for Sat. May 9, 1992 hDC Power Launcher v2.0 ▌───────────────────▐ hDC presented Power Launcher version 2.0 at Windows World 1992. Power Launcher 2.0 has a new main window that provides a graphical control center to quickly and easily access the customization and productivity tools in Power Launcher. In addition, Power Launcher takes advantage of Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and Drag and Drop capabilities of Windows 3.1 to provide the ultimate application launcher and manager for Windows. The new main window for Power Launcher is called Power Bar. This thin, horizontal toolbar across the top of the user's screen allows instant access to: A convenient Command Line that executes any hDC Enhanced Command, including DOS commands (without running a DOS session) and includes an "auto completion" feature to save time when typing commands Key status information -- memory, resource, and disk space viewing Task management -- find hidden and visible applications quickly File management -- Windows File Manager is now one click away Virtual Desktop map to organize work area using virtual screens Customizable Power Buttons for favorite Enhanced Commands, and support for Drag and Drop, for functions like printing and deleting files. Power Launcher can be used in addition to any shell, but also makes an ideal shell for the power user looking for a resource-efficient, yet powerful and configurable solution. Our new Action Editor is an OLE server for hDC Enhanced Commands. The hDC Action Editor is similar to the Object Packager application included in Windows 3.1, but supports the hDC Enhanced Command, a superset of the Windows run command. Using the Enhanced Command, users can launch multiple applications, documents and MicroApps, run scripts, play back macros, execute DDE commands, call DLLs and more in a single command. For example, the Action Editor can be used to perform an SQL database query to get the latest data for a report, send it to Excel and create a chart through DDE commands, and then paste it into the document. With the Drag and Drop capabilities in Windows 3.1, the customizable floating toolboxes created with the Power Toolbox can be used as drag targets. When a file is dropped onto a toolbox button, it will automatically run any hDC Enhanced Command assigned. For example, drag a file from the new Windows File Manager onto an hDC Power Toolbox button that automatically creates an email message, prompts for the recipient's name, and sends the message to the designated recipient. Power Launcher is the most powerful, convenient, and resource-efficient application launcher and manager for Windows. The product is compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.0. Pricing and availability hDC Power Launcher version 2.0 will be available in April 1992 for a suggested retail price of $99.95. Registered users of hDC Power Launcher V1.0 can upgrade for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. If the previous version was purchased after February 1, 1992, the upgrade is free with proof of purchase. System Requirements Microsoft Windows-compatible personal computer Microsoft Windows 3.0 or higher 1.2 MB disk drive or 720K 3.5"disk drive Microsoft or compatible mouse hDC has delivered innovative solutions for PC users since Windows 1.0. From doubling the size of the Windows 1.0 color palette, to creating the first user-friendly shell for Windows 2.0, to showing you the inner workings of Windows 3.0 memory management, hDC has been the technical leader. hDC products are designed to fully exploit the power of the graphical user interface in Microsoft Windows environments. In addition to the new hDC Power Launcher, the company markets hDC Windows Express, a menu system for corporate Windows standardization, and hDC FirstApps, FileApps, and Icon Designer, three products that use hDC's pop-up MicroApp approach to add customization and productivity tools to Windows. hDC was founded in 1986 and currently has an installed base of more than a half million. The company is located at 6742 185th Ave NE, Redmond, Washington 98052. hDC Power Launcher, hDC PowerApps, Enhanced Command, hDC FirstApps, hDC FileApps, hDC Icon Designer, hDC Windows Express and MicroApps are trademarks of hDC Computer Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ »········» Computer News »······································» Windows Online(TM) "the Weekly" Written for WOLW by Randy Wong Inking The Pen ────────────── With Microsoft releasing Windows for Pen Computing, four manufactures, NCR, NEC, MicroSlate, and Momenta, are shipping hardware that runs on the Microsoft's Pen System. Oracle announced Oracle Card for Pen Computing, a graphical client/server application development tool for the Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing. The developer's version will be about $699 and $299 for a runtime, single-license version. On May 25, Slate's pen spreadsheet, At Hand, will be announced. Dan Bricklin, inventor of VisiCalc, precursor to Lotus 1-2-3, assisted with most of the work on At Hand. At Hand will be available on pen computers that run Go's PenPoint operating system. This application will be one of six pen applications that Slate will be shipping this summer. Not to be left out, Apple will be showing off its pen based, handheld computer, code named the Newton, at the Consumer Electronic Show. Users will be able to enter information by writing it on the screen. A unique feature of Newton, is that it will be able to communicate with a desktop computer, wireless, up to six feet away, by using infrared lights. The videocassette sized handheld device will be priced less than $700.00, and will be available in the beginning of 1993. DEC Seeks Edge With NT ────────────────────── Digital Equipment Corp. and Microsoft Corp. tighten the bonds that hold them together. DEC has confirmed that Microsoft Windows NT will run on DEC's next generation Alpha platform. The two companies' latest agreements include an assortment of ways to expand support and service by DEC of the Microsoft Windows environment and its products. The arrangement also calls for DEC to readjust its Network Application Support (NAS) software platform to conform with those of Microsoft's Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA). This will allow Windows applications to interact on a multiplatform environment using NAS. Microsoft Windows NT is expected to appear later this year, and will run on the Intel Corp., Mips Computer Systems, Inc., and now the DEC Alpha hardware platforms. DEC's Alpha chip will begin shipping sometime in the first quarter of next year. A workstation using both of these technologies is a year away. Icon Based SQL Database ─────────────────────── IntelligenceWare, Inc. is scheduled to release Iconic Query, a Microsoft application for allowing users to access database information by using graphical icons, instead of dealing with query language commands. Iconic Query will offer read access to database systems, such as Borland's Paradox, Oracle's Oracle, Sybase's Sybase, and IBM's DB2. The product will include a library of icons, for attaching to tables. A hypertext function allows the user to relate or link variables. Double clicking on icons can let a user query through the contents of a database. Behind the icons is the link between tables, and full access to joined databases. Data files from spreadsheet applications, statistical analysis applications, data management applications, or graphics packages are candidates that might be joined into a database. Reach Out And Touch ─────────────────── Another alternative to the uprising pen computing, is the touchscreen computing. Touchscreen computing is beginning to start its climb as another ease of use interface, and affordable alternative to the mouse, keyboards, or pens. Touching the screen with your finger or any object, will cause the command to be executed. Not all pointing devices is right for someone, such as people have coordination problems with moving the mouse, dentists and doctors have some allergy with keyboards, and users who get tangle with the pen cable. Whatever the reason is, the ease of just a touch to do something is still the best way to do things. Software compatibility for this rising technology is another great feature. The touchscreen computers can work with most pointer driven software, such as Microsoft Excel. Several corporations are beginning to experiment in using this technology. They are Grace Hospital, McDonald Corp., Blockbuster Enterprises, and others. Ringing Out The Weeds ───────────────────── Using computers, criminal hackers steal credit card and telephone account numbers, then charge thousands of dollars in goods and telephone calls. Two teenagers were arrested last week in New York city for charging on stolen account numbers. The two were discovered when their order arrived at the real card holder's home. This prompted the FBI to begin the crackdown of over 1,000 computer criminals using these tactics. The credit card and phone accounts were stolen from the Equifax credit bureau and other unknown sources. Currently on the trail left behind by the two, authorities arrested two Ohio hackers and the seizure of computer equipment in three cities. Compaq Goes To The Orients ────────────────────────── Compaq will be going outside of the United States to produce their low cost notebooks. Following Compaq's specifications, Citizen, a Japanese manufacturer, will be building all three notebooks for Compaq. Announcement of these machines is expected sometime in June, and the starting base price is $999. ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ Windows Tips ════════════ * To Buffer or Not to Buffer, That is the Question * Controlling the Actions of Users - Part Two * Uncle Bill's Tip of the Week To Buffer or Not to Buffer, That is the Question Well, its buffer controversy time again. It seems that the Windows User's Guide has caused a spot of puzzlement about what it means when it talks about buffers. The offending page is Number 522. Page 522 states the following: "In general, you should set buffers=20 or less. If you are using SMARTDrive, you can set buffers=10. If you are using MS-DOS version 5.0 or later, you can set the buffers=30." The controversy is raging over what to set buffers to, if you are using a combination of the products mentioned above. What if you are using SMARTDrive and MS-DOS 5.0. Is the number suggested for SMARTDrive overridden by the settings for MS-DOS 5.0 if you use them both. Suppose you are still on MS-DOS 4.01 and running SMARTDrive, what then? The argument has raged fast and furious across Windows messaging conferences around the world. Everyone has their own interpretation of the meaning of the words. At times it takes on the airs of a discussion of religious principles. Advocates argue loftily and, sometimes, not so loftily for their individual positions. Still others try out the various permutations and combinations and report back with glee that nothing much changes whatever you choose to do. These individuals, of course, represent the atheists. I decided that this was too important a question to be left to the soothsayers and so I attempted to reach a representative of the individual who created Windows and MS-DOS 5.0. I was informed that, after careful examination of and rumination on, the technical scriptures that the answer is: If you are running any kind of disk cache, SMARTDrive, PC-KWIK, Hyperdisk or whatever, you should set buffers=10. This is irrespective of what version of DOS you are using. If you are running without a cache and are using a version of DOS prior to 5.0, you should set buffers=20 since those versions of DOS could not create any more than 20 buffers. If you are running without a cache and are using DOS 5.0, you should set buffers=30. This is appropriate for 99.5% of all DOS version, application type and hardware combinations. If this is not clear, call Uncle Bill and get him to explain. Controlling the Actions of Users - Part Two In the last column, we started to investigate ways in which the activities of users could be controlled in larger environments where the importance of standards overshadows everyone's right to do their own thing. Windows offers a number of controls over user access to features and functions of Windows. These controls are implemented through commands intered in the PROGMAN.INI file. In the last column we discussed the effects of the NoRun, NoFileMenu and NoClose commands. The commands left to examine are: NoSaveSettings= EditLevel= These commands are used in the following manner: The NoSaveSettings command can be used to prohibit a user from saving any changes he or she made to Program Manager settings. The user may still be able to make changes such as creating new groups and group items but the new settings would not be saved. 0 allows saving, the default, and 1 prohibits saving. The EditLevel command controls in greater detail what users can and cannot do to items under the control of the program manager. There are four levels of control that are implemented by placing any number between 1 and 4 after the equals sign which follows the command. The four levels are as follows: 1 - File menu commands; new, move, copy and delete are available only when a group is selected. The command prevents these file menu commands from being used on groups as opposed to programs within groups. 2 - File menu commands; new, move, copy and delete are not available plus all restrictions for level 1. 3 - File/Properties/Command line; text cannot be changed for program items plus all restrictions for levels 1 and 2. 4 - File Properties dialog box; no commands can be changed, only viewed plus all restrictions for levels 1, 2 and 3. Uncle Bill's Tip of the Week Switching between applications is easiest when you can click on the icon of the application you would like to use next. This might be easy if you were running the current active application in a window as opposed to full screen. I tend to run my most frequently used application, word processing, full screen. The lack of icons to click on is complete but Uncle Bill has a solution. The ALT/ESC keys, pressed simultaneously, cause all of the icons on your desktop to pop through whatever is on the screen at the time. Switching applications is easy, just point and click. Thanks, Uncle Bill! ╠╣╠╣ Hugh E. Hardie ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ VISUAL BASICS By Barry Seymour The Window Manager List In tales of old, a magician gained power over someone if he discovered their true name. Using that name in spells and incantations, a sorcerer could wreak mischief or havoc, bestow favors or curses on the person whose name he had learned. In Windows, the secret name that is the key to power is the windows handle. Once you have a window's handle, you can send messages to the window to restore, minimize, maximize or destroy itself. You can determine the window's task ID, display contents, coordinates, windowstate or caption. Having a window's handle gives you control over that window, provided you know how to access the required API spells. Note that this applies to any window and any program, not just the forms you create in Visual Basic . Windows maintains a list of all active windows called the Window Manager's List. As it's name indicates, this is a list of all existing parent and child windows. You can use this list to get information about everything that's going on in the current session of Windows; you can get a list of handles, task IDs, and captions for every process in the system. If you wished, you could limit that list only to visible windows, or you could limit the list to top-level windows, ala the Task Manager. Once you can access the Window Manager's List the choice is up to you. The API call GetWindow allows you to traverse the Window Manager List, getting the handle of each window. The call, along with constants for required parameters, looks like this.... (remember the <+> signifies a line join.) Declare Function GetWindow Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd As Integer, <+> ByVal wCmd As Integer) As Integer Const GW_HWNDFIRST = 0 Const GW_HWNDLAST = 1 Const GW_HWNDNEXT = 2 Const GW_HWNDPREV = 3 Const GW_OWNER = 4 Const GW_CHILD = 5 This function takes two parameters; first, the handle of a window; second, a parameter which specifies what kind of related window handle to retrieve. Since you're accessing the Window Manager's List, the descriptive constant names give you a clue as to their purpose. (All descriptions taken from the Microsoft Window's Programmer's Reference.) GW_HWNDFIRST ID's the first sibling window of a child window, otherwise the first top-level window in the list. GW_HWNDLAST IDs the last sibling window for a child window. Otherwise it returns the last top-level window in the list. GW_HWNDNEXT IDs the next window in the Window Manager's List. GW_HWNDPREV IDs the previous window in the Window Manager's List. GW_OWNER Identifies the window's owner GW_CHILD ID's the window's first child window If you want to access the list of all active windows from the beginning, you need to get the handle of a top level window, then issue a GetWindow call with that handle and the GW_HWNDFIRST parameter. After that you can cycle through the whole list with each subsequent window handle and the GW_HWNDNEXT parameter. At first glance this seems to be a bit of a conundrum; in order to get a handle, you need to provide a handle. Fortunately VB can give you the handle of any Visual Basic form through the .hWnd property. For example, to get the handle of Form1, you simply reference Form1.hWnd. After you obtain a handle to any window the API call GetParent allows you to 'climb the tree' from that window to it's topmost parent. If a window has no parent the funciton returns zero, and you know you're at the 'top of the famil y tree'. Declare Function GetParent Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd As Integer) As Integer To sum up the process... 1. Get the handle of your VB form using .hWnd. 2. Climb to that window's topmost parent using GetParent. 3. Use GetWindow with the topmost parent's handle and the GW_HWNDFIRST parameter to get the first window in the Window Manager's List. 4. Use GetWindow with the GW_HWNDNEXT parameter to get the handle of the rest of the windows in the list. A code snippet (actually a mondo code CHUNK) from this week's example demonstrates this three step technique... 'Use handle of vbex12 window & climb window's family tree to the WindHandle% = VBEX12.hWnd OldHandle% = WindHandle% WindHandle% = GetParent(WindHandle%) If WindHandle% <> 0 Then Looping = -1 'TRUE While Looping OldHandle% = WindHandle% WindHandle% = GetParent(WindHandle%) If WindHandle% = 0 Then 'TOP FOUND WindHandle% = OldHandle% Looping = 0 ' false End If Wend Else 'if WindHandle% = 0: This window has no parent! 'Back down one.. WindHandle% = OldHandle% End If 'Obtain the first toplevel window in the Window Manager's List... WindHandle% = GetWindow(WindHandle%, GW_HWNDFIRST) StartPlace% = WindHandle% Looping = TRUE While Looping 'Get info on ALL windows in the List... 'get window caption... StrLen% = GetWindowTextLength(WindHandle%) + 1 StrText$ = Space$(StrLen%) Result% = GetWindowText(WindHandle%, StrText$, StrLen%) WindowTask% = GetWindowTask(WindHandle%) 'Assemble a string for addition to the task listbox.. NewStr$ = "Task ID: " + LTrim$(Str$(WindowTask%)) + Chr$(9) NewStr$ = NewStr$ + "Handle: " + LTrim$(Str$(WindHandle%)) 'add it to the list.... NewStr$ = NewStr$ + Chr$(9) + StrText$ List1.AddItem NewStr$ 'get the next window handle; 'quit if you return to the start or reach the end... Result% = GetWindow(WindHandle%, GW_HWNDNEXT) Select Case Result% Case StartPlace%, 0 Looping = 0 'FALSE Case Else WindHandle% = Result% End Select Wend As you get all these windows, you can also get the Task ID for each window. According to the Microsoft Windows Programmers' Reference, "a task is any program that executes as an independent unit. All applications are executed as tasks, and each instance of an application is a task." Couldn't have said it better myself. Getting the task IDs for each window allows you to determine which running program each window belongs to. This is achieved with an easy call to GetWindowTask... Declare Function GetWindowTask Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd As Integer) <+> As Integer Send the window handle; GetWindowTask returns it's task ID. If you need to get the total number of tasks, another simple API call is GetNumTasks. Make the call and you're returned the number of active tasks.... Declare Function GetNumTasks Lib "Kernel" () As Integer This week's example scans the Window Manager List and displays the information. The Task ID, window handle and window caption for each visible window are placed in a sorted list box, hence grouping together windows with the same task ID. A timer checks the total number of tasks at regular intervals. If that number changes, the listbox is cleared, the list is scanned again and the listbox is refilled. You can modify the program to show information on all windows in your system; you may be surprised at how much is going on behind the scenes! You can also modify the program to show just top-level windows; this gives you the same list that Windows' Task Manager shows. I've included commented-out sections of code for all three options in the source code. Once you have this kind of information you can control all these windows with further program modifications. See the text file WINAPI.TXT for more parameters to use with the SendMessage call -- you might just get drunk with power! There are a lot of other little API calls in this week's example that I can't go into for lack of space; SendMessage is used to quickly clear the ListBox. I use GetWindowText and GetWindowTextLength to obtain a window's caption. I also use the self-explanatory API call IsWindowVisible. You can see how they're used in the code. To create this week's example you need the Write version of this column so you can correctly cut and paste code into your application. If you don't have it, this column plus sample code is available on the Windows Online BBS in Danville, California, phone 1 510 736-8343. This column in Windows Write 3.0 format, along with the Visual Basic source code is in VBEX12.ZIP, and may be distributed as freeware. Barry Seymour Marquette Computer Consultants San Rafael, CA 415/459-0835 for Windows Online "the Weekly" ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ WINDOWS SOFTWARE REVIEW ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Written By Brian A. Parks SmarText for Windows version 2.0 Lotus Development Corporation Word Processing Division Curl up with a good book ──────────────────────── I first saw this product demonstrated at one of the many Lotus booths at the Windows World show in Chicago. To say that I was impressed would be putting it mildly. After the demonstration the only thing I could think of to say was; "Where has this been hiding?!" I had no idea that a product like this even existed, much less dared dream that I'd be seeing it in action. With SmartText, managing information efficiently and effectively will no longer be a lofty dream. SmartText for Windows is a complete hypertext software program for building, publishing, and reading electronic documents, minus the headache. Using your existing text and graphics files, SmartText puts together an electronic document that includes a table of contents and index. But it doesn't stop there. It also creates hypertext links throughout your entire document.... Automatically. Graphics can not be linked automatically in this version, you must do these manually. (Remember Apple's HyperCard, hypertext links that you had to create one at a time, day after day? Ha! me neither.) With SmartText you don't have to be a programmer to create an impressive on-line document. SmartText features the ease of use of the Windows interface, which make learning the program a cinch. (The actual Users Guide for the Builder program is less than 115 pages long.) This leaves you with more time to be more creative... or not. What's in it SmartText for Windows 2.0 consists of two programs. The first is the Builder Program. With this program you may: Prepare and specify the source files. Specify the build options. Customize the document that SmartText creates. In plain English. You tell the program what text and graphic files to use, what to do with them when it gets them and then add those finishing touches to it that make it your own. A SmartText document may contain more than one source file from any combination of ASCII text files, word processor files, graphic files, or keyword and stopword files. You may use up to 3500 of each of the above mentioned files. How do I do it Creating source files for the SmarText "DOCUMENT" is as easy as; 1. Opening a new file and giving it a name. 2. Select the type of files to include from a list in the "INCLUDE" dialog box. 3. Determine your unique "KEYWORDS and STOPWORDS" if any. Creating or building the actual "Electronic Document" is just as simple. 1. Create a new, or open a previously created SmarText doc (*.STX) 2. Choose File/Build 3. Create the OUTLINE, TEXT LINKS, and WORD INDEX. (If this is a new document, these options will be selected automatically.) 4. If you want to specify options for the text links, outline, and index choose "OPTIONS." Now all that's left to do is sit back and let SmarText handle the transformation, which it can do in the background. Freeing you to do more important things...or not. It should be noted that SmarText does nothing to your original documents and graphic files. They are left as they are found. Spreading the word SmarText's Build program also contains a READER PROGRAM. This is used to access the information in the electronic document. Lotus also supplies a copy of ADOBE TYPE MANAGER ver 1.15 bundled with version 2.0 of SmarText for Windows. The separate READER program allows you to pass on the document that you have created to another user without fear that it will altered in any way. It is a read only version A special Publishers license is available on a case by case basis. There are other special options available to Publishers only. To find out more about these options, Publishers may contact Robin Sargent or Joel Ackerman at Lotus Development, Word Processing Division. Read the book You view the document as you would any other "book." When you start the Reader program you are presented with a "BOOKSHELF." Here you may select a book to read. The bookshelf contains icons that represent the documents that you have available. Double-clicking on an icon opens the book. You may also open a document using the File/Open command. When you open a book, a "title page" can appear, if it is specified. Objects or words on the title page can contain links to other parts of the text in the document. If no title page is specified, you are taken directly to the "full text" window. Outlines, indexes and graphic are displayed in their own window. SmarText does not support the mixing of graphics and text in the same window. As you read through the document you may often find words with boxes around them. These are links. Some of the different kinds of links that you may run across are; Text to text. When you double-click on this type of link, SmarText displays related text in either another location within the same document or in another document altogether. Text to illustration. When this type of link is activated, an illustration window is opened that contains a picture related to the initial link. Text to executable application. When you double-click on this type of link, SmarText launches another application such as a spreadsheet, communications, or other program. Moving around in the document or accessing SmarText's features is made simple with the help of a user definable SmartIcon bar. If by chance you customize the SmartIcon bar and then forget what an icon does. Simply pointing to that icon and pressing the right mouse button will display it's function in the upper right corner of the screen. You can use SmarText's SEARCH feature to perform Boolean searches. This, my friends is a very handy feature. You can use it from within an open document or from the Bookshelf window. Use it to specify a search term or any desired Boolean operators. (Or, and, but not.) SmarText finds all instances of each search term, along with instances of the entire search query. It then shows you the results of the search in order of appearance. SmarText's features list is long and impressive. Suffice it to say that in a corporate situation, SmarText will effectively end the paper chase or the paper avalanche. SmarText is NETWORK READY right out of the box (nuff said) Installation is as simple and straight-forward as any other Windows application. SmarText may be installed from the Program Manager using File/Run....A (or) B:Install. Or you can install it from the DOS prompt by typing, WIN A (or) B:\install. The program requires a minimum of 3 MB to install it's file on your hard drive. 1 MB of RAM is needed for the program to run correctly. 2 MB's are needed if you are running Windows in Enhanced mode. If you thought about running Windows in REAL mode and using SmarText...forget about it. SmarText for Windows version 2.0 is available now. Retail pricing is $495.00 for the Builder program bundled with Adobe Type Manager ver 1.15. Separate Reader programs are also available with discounted pricing for quantity ordering. For more information or to receive a free working demo contact; Lotus Development Corporation 1000 Abernathy Road Bldg. 400 Suite 1700 Atlanta Georgia 30328 1 800 831-9679 If you've unearthed a rare find, take a minute and drop me a line. Brian Parks c/o Windows Online. Copyright (c) 1992, Brian A. Parks Copyright (c) 1992, Hopscotch Research Service ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ Desktop Publishing ···················· ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ CHARTIST--A flow chart creator ────────────────────────────── By Rob Weinstein for Windows Online, "the Weekly" Recently I had a somewhat unusual project. I was approached by some business systems consultants who wanted me to put their latest report about a corporation into final presentation form. Most of the report was very straight forward text, organized in sections and sub-sections, with an index and footnotes. But a major part of the presentation consisted of four or five flow charts which were used to describe the corporate organization, inter- departmental relations and workflow. Flow charts are a highly specialized, technical tool, which are probably familiar to many of you because of their use in designing computer programs, and electronics equipment. The charts have what essentially amount to their own language, with specific symbols, flows and movement directions, each of which carry very specific meanings (in a workflow chart, for example, a rectangle signifies a step, while a diamond signifies a decision). They can be used to chart organizational structure, workflow, interaction, decision processes, or to graphically represent virtually any interaction. In this case, I simply used CorelDRAW to draw the necessary flow charts, creating the basic shapes and then copying them as necessary and inserting the appropriate colors, fills and text. I then connected the symbols with individually created arrows. The process produced beautiful charts, but was laborious and entailed using a drawing program for something which, while if functioned adequately, was not really in its venue. So it was no surprise that when I saw a program called "Chartist", a flow charting program, on Compuserve the day after I finished the report, it attracted my attention. If you are ever faced with creating a flow chart of any type, this Windows shareware program should attract your attention also. Chartist v. 1.02 is published by Novagraph, a company out of Dallas, Texas. This remarkable program does an excellent job of automating the task of creating flow charts, but takes the process one step beyond a simple graphic representation. Chartist creates a dynamic interaction between symbols (circles, squares, diamonds, etc.), so that the symbols and their connections are actually related. If you delete a symbol, for example, you delete all of the flows to and from that symbol, automatically. Let me explain with a simple example. Chartist opens on a blank page, deliniated with a quarter inch grid. The Chartist tool bar includes buttons for symbols, lines, symbol style, line style, printing, etc. There is a menu bar which includes which provides quick access to the standard Windows 3.x commands, as well as zoom and formatting capabilities. If you select the Symbol button and place a symbol on the page, you are automatically presented with a dialogue box which allows you to choose for 48 pre-defined technical symbols--parallelograms, circles, ovals, reels, diamonds, rectangles, and so on. Each symbol can be filled with color (or not), and descriptive text can be placed within the symbol (in any available font). When you want a flow line connecting one symbol with another, you simply choose the Line button, click the cursor or the source symbol and drag the pencil cursor to the destination box. Chartist automatically places the necessary line, in the traditional format. And the line is linked to both boxes. If you delete the a box, the line goes also. All of this doesn't mean Chartist does the work for you. But it does make the process of putting together a flow chart a whole lot easier, and for people who don't work with the charts all the time, far more accessible. Further, since Chartist is compatible with any Windows supported printer with graphics capability, it can be used in a wide range of environments. Finally, the documentation is simple, straight forward, and easy to follow. And it comes with several examples which show some of the many uses-- organizational design, decision trees, and several technical charts. An evaluation copy of Chartist is available on Compuserve, or a registered copy is available for $72.95 from Novagraph, 10014 Lawler Rd., Dallas Texas 75243-2612. SCREENED BACK COPY Graphic artists and designers have long used the trick of using screened text behind foreground type to create visually interesting effects. This is a technique which can be used in black-and-white or in color, and can turn simple text into a visually appealing graphic. What is nice is that the current sophisticated desktop publishing programs such as Arts & Letters or CorelDRAW, let you create this effect simply and on your screen, where it used to take a $100,000 vertical camera to get almost the same results. Here is an example of the technique. Play with it! 1. Choose a simple, non-ornate text for the background text, and type it in a large size. In the example shown in the following figures, the numeral 50 was set in large, bold, san serif type. Set your text. 2. Fill the text with a 20 or 30 percent grey screen, and no outline. 3. Choose a different shaped and textured typestyle for your foreground type, and type your text. In the example, we used a script font, because the curved, italicized flow of the type contrasted well with the block shape of the background figure. Try using different types of foreground and/or background type. In this figure the foreground text style is the same, but it is outlines with black and filled with white. The effect is dramatically different. Finally, you can integrate color into the design. Depending on the color you choose, you may not have to use a percentage fill for the background type. This type is 100 cyan, for example, and doesn't overwhelm the foreground type. If the color you want in the background it bright red, try a 50 percent fill, so it won't be so overwhelming. ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ Write for "the Weekly" ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ The WOLW is looking for a two or three writers to contribute a weekly column to this publication. Any of the following subjects: Windows, Windows Software Reviews (commercial or shareware), OS/2, Windows Programming, Windows related hardware, DeskTop Publishing, MultiMedia/Sound or Communications. Qualified individuals will have backgrounds as computer consultants, Lan managers, Windows programmers, desktop publishing, graphic artist, technical support personal or just be knowledgable about Windows etc.. You must either have or be willing to acquire a 9600 modem. There are many benefits to the special status you would have as a writer for Windows Online. If you are a professional and are interested in combining business with pleasure call me at the voice line listed below. Frank Mahaney - Publisher ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ "the Weekly" is a product of, Windows Online(TM), (WOL), an on-line service dedicated to the MS Windows(TM) operating envoirnment and to other GUI subjects. WOL prides itself on having the most complete and up-to-date library of Windows shareware in the world. WOL currently has over 3,600 Windows 3.x programs and files for download. Call today for your free trial. Consider membership with the Worlds premier Windows on-line service. No reprinting of this document is permitted without the written permission of Windows Online. All articles are copyrighted by their authors. Opinions presented herein are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of WOL or "the Weekly." Call Windows Online today! 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