Thank you for taking the trouble to try this module out. We hope you like it.
Note: this file is formatted and is best read with SimpleText and not TeachText.
Note: this file is not read-only so that you can easily copy the text if you want to. For example, you can copy the email addresses and URLs. Please don't modify this file or distribute modified versions.
Note: you should scroll up and down a pageful at a time so that the pictures will appear properly. If the pictures don't appear, you can make them appear by scrolling up a page and then back down a page.
This software is copyrighted material and therefore you are not allowed to modify this software or its documentation in any way, shape or form, nor can you sell it for your own profit. You may only charge a reasonable fee for the cost of distributing it. See the Distribution section below for information about how and on what Control Strip Menu may be distributed.
Contents
The documentation for Control Strip Menu comes in 3 files. Their contents are:
1. Read me first
What's new?
What's new in version 2.3
What's new in version 2.2.1
What's new in version 2.2
What's new in version 2.1
What's new in version 2.0
What is it? - description, features, requirements and compatibilty notes
Description
Features
Hardware and software requirements
Compatibility
Installation and setup
Simple installation/setup
Tips
Setup for power users
Instructions
A. General Instructions
B. Clicking Instructions
C. Drag and Drop Instructions
2. Changing settings
Opening the preferences dialog
General instructions for the preferences dialog
Instructions for each specific pane and the displayed options
Icons pane
Clicking pane
Dragging pane
Items Folder pane
Font pane
Styles pane
Register pane
3. Other stuff
Cost/fee and registration
Desktop Mac users, read this!
About control strip modules
Version history (notes by Vincent)
Future version features
Distribution
Contacting the authors
Other software by Vincent
Other software by Ammon
Disclaimer
What's new?
What's new in version 2.3
• now comes with 2 versions: mc68K native and PowerPC native (the PowerPC version works with all the strip utilities). If you have a PowerMacintosh or PowerPC PowerBook, install the PowerPC version, otherwise install the 68K version. You do not need to install both
• doesn't display the box in menu listings unless the item begins with '-'
• now respects 'diacritical marks' such as ` (grave) ¨ (umlaut) ˆ (circumflex) and ´ (acute) when creating the menu listings
• displays watch cursor when scanning long folders
• now should not display menus with items just having "A" in them (or does so much less often)
• drags into folders inside a menu will now place the icon much closer to the other icons (the Finder will place them) instead of placing them far far away in the folder
• fewer errors when printing the registration form
• increased the allowed scan interval to a maximum of 32000 seconds (about 8 hours)
• changed the default scan interval to 600 seconds (10 minutes)
• and most important of all: no longer scans the disk excessively. Now only scans when it has to: when the display changes, when the strip orientation changes, and when the scan interval has elapsed
What's new in version 2.2.1
• fixes all known functional bugs
• now enters sticky mode only when the mouse is released near where it was pressed
What's new in version 2.2
• "sticky" mode now has the option to track the mouse as you move it; drags to the Control Strip Menu now always track the mouse
• now can display the names of the icons on the strip
• improved the preferences dialog with Balloon Help and the ability to revert to the default settings
• has faster opening and dragging operations when used with Extensions Strip
What's new in version 2.1
• the ability to navigate folders and their contents without the need to hold down the mouse button - this feature is called "sticky menus". This feature even works for drags to Control Strip Menu!
• the ability to have multiple copies installed so that you can have multiple strips each with different items displayed
• a much improved preferences dialog which now groups options by their similar functions into panes within the dialog
• many minor bug fixes and updates to the registration form
• a new documentation format - it's now in 3 files, each describing different parts of the software
What's new in version 2.0
• files/folders can be dragged and dropped onto it or into a menu it displays,
• can copy, move, open, or make an alias to those items that are dropped onto it or into a menu it displays,
• text, pictures and sound data can be dragged and dropped onto it or into a menu it displays, and save such data as clippings,
• the folder that it displays can be changed,
• can display large icons (*),
• can display its icons in a vertical strip (*),
• can display folder lists alphabetically or with the folders at the top or at the bottom of the listing,
• can display the label colors of labelled items,
• can display folders and aliases in a customisable style,
• can display the selected folder on the control strip and can update its display when this folder is changed,
• can change the font and the font size that is displayed in menus, and it allows you to preview these changes,
• can limit the number of items it displays on the control strip and in a menu,
• can change the messages used for empty and unavailable folders, and
• can change its behaviour when you click on an icon.
(*) does not work with Apple's Control Strip. These features require the use of Extensions Strip or Desktop Strip. Control Strip Menu is Extensions Strip savvy.
Because of the extensive improvements, Control Strip Menu is now shareware. See the Cost/fee and registration section in the third file for details.
What is it? - description, features, requirements and compatibilty notes
Description:
Control Strip Menu is a module for Apple’s Control Strip control panel. When you install and set up this module, you will have a handy way of quickly accessing your favourite files and folders from the control strip. If you don't know what the Control Strip is, see About control strip modules in the third file for details.
How does it work? By clicking on an icon, you can open a file, application or folder. If you hold down the mouse on a folder icon, a menu of the folder's contents will appear. You can then access files and folders in the menu. With Macintosh Drag and Drop installed or System 7.5 or later, you can drag files, folders or data to icons on the Control Strip Menu, or even to folders inside those folder icons! This allows you to quickly and easily access your favourite files and folders with a simple click or drag.
Features:
• able to display the contents of the selected folder as a line of icons on the strip. In fact, you can display any folder in your System folder as a line of icons (even the Apple Menu Items can be displayed - see Changing settings in the second file for instructions)
• supports dragging and dropping of files, folders or data to icons on the displayed strip or into folders inside the icons that pop up from the icons - this makes it very handy to move things when your screen is full of windows covering your Finder windows: there is no need to hide windows or switch to the Finder! As far as we know, this is a unique feature - it is not available in any other menu utility.
• dropped items can be moved, copied, or an alias can be made of them. This allows you to quickly and easily move or copy files/folders or even make aliases to them in one simple step.
• full color support - displays items in their Finder label colors!
• Control Strip Menu doesn't patch anything. This means it does not modify the way your system works in any way and so greatly reduces your chances of getting an extension conflict.
• able to be customised in many ways, including:
- the font and font size that are used in the menus
- small or large icons can be displayed on the strip
- the way folders are listed in menus
- what folder is displayed on the control strip
- folders and aliases can be distinguished easily by selecting a style for them
- the behaviour of items you drag
- the behaviour of icon clicks
• Aaron savvy. See below.
Hardware and software requirements:
This module requires:
• a control strip utility to be installed, such as Apple's Control Strip, or other third party utilities such as Extensions Strip or Desktop Strip. Control Strip Menu is Extensions Strip savvy. See the Other software by Ammon section below for info about obtaining Extensions Strip.
• System 7 or later.
Recommended software:
• Macintosh Drag and Drop (which is built into system 7.5 or later). This will allow you to use Control Strip Menu's drag and drop features.
• Extensions Strip, because many features such as large icons, vertical icons, and the drag and drop features work best with it.
Compatibility:
This software has been tested on systems 7.1 to 7.5.1 with Apple's Control Strip, Extensions Strip, and Desktop Strip. It has been tested on a Quadra and a PowerPC 6100/80 and some PowerBook models. It has not been tested on the older black-and-white Macs (the Mac Plus, the SE, the Classic, or the PowerBook 100) so use at your own risk! (although I see no reason why it shouldn't work on these machines).
There is one quirk when it is used with the latest version of Apple's Control Strip v1.3. This problem does not occur on earlier versions (1.0 and 1.1). The problem is that if you drag files to a Control Strip Menu icon AND the Finder is the front most program at the time, then the strip will disappear when the menu appears! This won't happen if the Finder is not at the front (try it from SimpleText and you'll see that it works fine). This is not an easy problem to work around and no fix for it is likely. It is purely cosmetic: you can still select adjacent (invisible) icons and you can still traverse menus. If this problem bothers you, I recommend using Extensions Strip instead.
In future systems, Apple has hinted at changing the way menus work. If they do change it, this module will probably not work and may crash/freeze/bomb. Currently it does not check which system it is running under. This software will be updated to work with future systems - you may need to obtain a later version if you have such a system.
When At Ease is running, the control strip is not active so you can't use this module with At Ease.
As with all hierarchial menu utilities, Control Strip Menu is limited to a depth of 5 menus. This is due to a limitation in the menu routines on the Mac so there isn't much that can be done about it. :-( If an item in the deepest menu is a folder, a bullet '•' will appear next to the item.
Utilities that patch the way menus behave won't have any effect on Control Strip Menu. If you want a particular feature of these utilities, write to us and we'll see what we can do.
Control Strip Menu is Aaron savvy. Aaron is an extension that makes your Mac appear like the new system that Apple is developing, codenamed Copland. When Aaron is installed, Control Strip Menu uses Copland-style icons.
Control Strip Menu does not work very well with DragStrip 2.0 because of DragStrip's… err… "unusual" handling of Control Strip modules.
Installation and setup
Simple installation/setup
To install and set up this module:
1) install the Control Strip control panel or an alternative such as Extensions Strip or Desktop Strip. If you use a desktop Mac, see the Desktop Mac users, read this! section in the third file for more information.
2) place Control Strip Menu inside the Control Strip Modules folder which is inside the System Folder. If this folder isn't there, you should restart with your strip utility installed to create it. It may be named differently on non-English systems.
3) restart your Macintosh to install Control Strip Menu.
4) open your System folder. In it will be a new folder called Control Strip Menu Items. It should have the Control Strip Menu icon on it. Put your favourite files or folders into this folder, or better yet, put aliases of your favourite files or folders into it. You can even put in an alias of the Trash!
5) this step is optional but recommended. Open your System Folder and make aliases to the following folders: the Apple Menu Items folder, the Control Panels folder, and the Trash. If you are using System 7.5 or later and you have the "Show Recent Items" option is turned on in the Apple Menu Options control panel, then you should open the Apple Menu Items folder and make aliases to the Recent Documents, Recent Applications, and Recent Servers folders. Move all of these aliases to the Control Strip Menu Items folder.
6) this step is also optional but recommended. Make aliases to your favourite applications and place them either in the Control Strip Menu Items folder, or in a folder in the Control Strip Menu Items folder.
You are now set to use the Control Strip Menu. Enjoy!
Read the Changing settings section in the second file to learn how to configure, set up and customise Control Strip Menu.
Tips
• making an alias to the trash makes it easier for you to trash items and allows you to quickly see what in the trash.
• the Control Strip Menu Items "folder" can actually be made an alias so you don't even have to have it set up in your System Folder! You could then have the same set for different System Folders!
Setup for power users
More advanced computer users (so-called "power users") may want to use some of Control Strip Menu's more powerful features.
• Multiple strips - to have multiple strips:
1) install Control Strip Menu as above.
2) duplicate the Control Strip Menu module and give the copy a name different to the original - the multiple strips feature relies on each copy being named differently. If you are using Extensions Strip, you may also want to put the copy in a folder that is in the Control Strip Modules folder so that each Control Strip Menu module's Items folder will appear on a separate strip.
3) restart or start up your control strip utilty. Change settings as desired. The folder used to display each strip can be changed in the Items Folder pane in the preferences dialog. See the Changing settings section in the second file for more details about this.
• Fast and easy dragging and dropping data to and from clipping files - with Macintosh Drag and Drop installed or System 7.5 or later running, you can drag your favorite paragraph of text or your favorite picture as easily as you drag your files. By having your most used clippings on the control strip, you can drag them straight into the document that you're working on. Because Control Strip Menu always "floats" on top of your documents, there's no need to go through the routine of switching to the Finder, finding the clipping, arranging your window and icon, and then dragging the data in. Instead you can quickly get to your frequently used data without the hassle of switching back and forth. Similarly, you can quickly save any piece of text or picture by just dragging it to the strip or a folder that contains your clippings which is accessible from the control strip.
- To take advantage of this feature, make sure you have the "allow drags From/To the Control Strip Menu" options turned on.
Instructions
In version 2.0 and later, Control Strip Menu can display its icon in the control strip (one icon view) or it can display each item in the Control Strip Menu Items folder (a special folder created by Control Strip Menu in your System folder) as an icon on the strip (multiple icon view).
A. General Instructions
• to display large icons or to display vertical icons, you will need a utility other than Apple's Control Strip. Currently, the known alternatives are Extensions Strip and Desktop Strip.
• to display vertical icons, click the zoom box on these utilities. It may take a short while but Control Strip Menu should (eventually) redraw with vertical icons.
• to display large icons, go to the Preferences dialog and click the large icon in the Icons pane. When you close the dialog, the strip will be redrawn with large icons.
• be sure to read Installation and setup section above so that Control Strip Menu is set it up correctly.
• see the Changing settings section in the second file for instructions on how to configure, set up and customise Control Strip Menu.
• if the "Sticky menus" option is on then you can release the mouse button after a menu is displayed: the menu will then stay open and the cursor will invert to show you that it is in the "sticky" mode. When you press the mouse button again, the cursor returns to normal to indicate the "normal" mode. Note that there are separate options for clicking and dragging.
• "sticky" mode can behave in two ways: it can follow or "track" your mouse, highlighting menu items as you move the mouse, or it can highlight items only when you click the mouse.
• whilst in "sticky" mode:
- to have the Finder open a file, just click it once
- to display the contents of a folder in a menu, click the folder's name once
- to have the Finder open a folder in a menu, either click the folder name once (if tracking the mouse) or double click the folder's name (if not tracking the mouse)
- to have the Finder open the last selected folder in a menu or the last selected icon on the strip, press the 'enter' or 'return' keys
- to change the icon displayed, either move the mouse to another icon (if tracking the mouse) or click on another icon (if not tracking the mouse). The old icon's menu(s) are closed and the new one's first menu is opened
- to abort the selection and close the menu(s), just click anywhere that is not a displayed menu or icon.
B. Clicking Instructions
When you initially click on an icon, it will become selected and if you release the mouse at this time and before its menu is displayed, the icon will be opened. However, if you hold the mouse button down (•), the item will then display a menu next to it. If the item is a folder, its contents are displayed. If it's a file, its name is displayed.
(•) if there seems to be a lengthy delay before the menu appears, you may want to either shorten the current double click setting in the Mouse control panel, or you can turn off the "Easy drags" setting in the Dragging pane in the preferences dialog by selecting its opposite setting: "only when a '' is held down". The latter will make the menus appear as soon as the mouse is clicked (unless the command key is held down).
In one icon view, clicking on this module's icon will bring up a popup menu that contains the items in the Control Strip Menu Items folder. To use the Apple Menu Items folder instead of the Control Strip Menu Items folder, hold down the shift key and click on the module's icon. From the menu that pops up, you can navigate into folders to open files or folders. Clicking on the icon will open the displayed folder if Control Strip Menu is set to do this. To change the settings of the Control Strip Menu, hold down the command key and click on the module's icon. This brings up the Preferences dialog. From this dialog, you can change many of Control Strip Menu's settings - see the Changing Settings section in the second file to learn about the settings.
In multiple icon view, clicking on a folder icon will bring up a popup menu that contains the items in that folder. From there, you can navigate into folders to open files or folders. Clicking on the icon will open the displayed folder if Control Strip Menu is set to do this. To change the settings of the Control Strip Menu, click on the control-panel icon at the left of the module's display. This brings up the Preferences dialog. From this dialog, you can change many of Control Strip Menu's settings - see the Changing Settings section in the second file to learn about the settings. To pop up the Control Strip Menu Items folder, hold down the command key and click on the control-panel icon. To use the Apple Menu Items folder, hold down both the command key and the shift key and click on the control-panel icon.
To reposition this module in the Control Strip, hold down the option key and click on the module's icon. Then drag it to a new location. (This does not work in Desktop Strip).
To see invisible items in any menu, hold down the control key and then click on an icon. Note that if you select an invisible item, it probably won't open and instead you'll see an error message from the Finder.
Quirk: if multiple-icon view is selected and the displayed folder has changed but has not been updated, Control Strip Menu will ignore your first click and instead update itself. After it has done this, just click again to access the displayed items.
C. Drag and Drop Instructions
Note: the drag and drop features will only work if you are using System 7.5 or later, or if you have both System 7.1 (or later) and Macintosh Drag and Drop installed. Macintosh Drag and Drop is available only by special licensing agreements with Apple or with some software packages. I know of no easy way to obtain it. Users of System 7.5 or later do not need to install Macintosh Drag and Drop because System 7.5 has it built into it.
Drags to Control Strip Menu can have "sticky" menus if this option is enabled in the Dragging pane of the preferences dialog. For drags, "sticky" menus always have automatic mouse tracking - that is, as you drag the mouse, menu items are automatically selected. To abort a "sticky" drag, press the mouse button and keep it held down. Then continue your drag. To completely abort the drag, click on the menu bar.
1. Dragging to Control Strip Menu
You can drag either files, folders or certain types of data to Control Strip Menu.
When something is dragged onto Control Strip Menu, any items that cannot be dragged to will be hidden and the icon that the arrow is over will become selected. If you then hold the mouse over the icon for about half a second, a menu will open, showing you the icon's contents or name. You can then drag the item into the displayed menu until it is at your desired place. Releasing the mouse over a folder will put the result of the drag in that folder. You can change folders by dragging the mouse over a different icon. You can also abort the drag by moving the mouse away from the menu - this will cause the menu to close and you are then free to drag the item wherever you want to again.
When you release the mouse over an icon or a menu item, Control Strip Menu will use these rules to work out what to do:
• if you dragged files or folders to an application (or an application alias), Control Strip Menu will try to open the dragged files with that application
• if you dragged files or folders to a folder (or a folder alias), Control Strip Menu will do the following:
* if the "Ask what to do with dragged items" preference is active (see the Dragging pane in the preferences dialog), you will be asked what you would like to do with the dragged items with this dialog:
You can use keyboard shortcuts with this dialog - ie, command-C to copy, command-M to move, and command-A to make an alias. You can press the 'esc' key to abort (do nothing).
* if the "Ask what to do with dragged items" preference is not active, the modifier keys are used to work out what to do to the files. The modifiers are interpreted in this manner:
- the option key always copies the selected files or folders to the selected folder. This key can be pressed at the start and at the end of the drag
- the command key moves the selected files or folders to the selected folder. This key can be pressed at the start and at the end of the drag
- the shift key makes aliases of all the selected files or folders in the selected folder. This key only works when you press and hold it down at the end of a drag - that is, first drag the items to wherever you want the aliases to be, then press and hold down the shift key, and with the shift key held down, release the mouse button. You can then release the shift key
- if no key is pressed during the drag, it will behave the same as a Finder drag - that is, a drag to a folder on the same volume as the items will move them, whereas a drag to a folder on a different volume from the items will copy them
- all other key combinations will bring up the above dialog
• if you dragged files or folders to an document or extension or any other system file (or an alias to any such files), Control Strip Menu will ignore the drag because such a drag makes no sense
• if you dragged some data (such as a selection of text, a selection of a picture, or some sound data) to a folder (or a folder alias), Control Strip Menu will try to save the data in that folder. For example, you can drag a text selection from a SimpleText window to the Control Strip Menu strip. Doing this will display this dialog to let you enter the file name you want to save the data under:
Note: it makes no sense to drop data on an application or a document - such drags are ignored.
In addition, you can access the Apple Menu Items folder instead of the Control Strip Menu Items folder by holding down the shift key and drag on to either the module's icon (in one icon view) or the control panel icon (in multiple icon view). The control panel icon is the one on the left or the top of the module.
2. Dragging from Control Strip Menu
If you click on an icon and move the mouse within half a second of clicking it then that item will be dragged. You may also need to hold down the '' key if that preference is selected.
You can drag a file or folder to another icon, into a menu, or out onto the desktop, or into any window that accepts a file. For example, you can drag to a Finder window or a PowerTalk mailer.
You can drag a clipping to any of the above places as well as into any application window that supports the dragged data. For example, you can drag a text clipping from the Control Strip Menu strip into a SimpleText window.
Tip: to limit the dragged item to only areas that accept files, hold down the control key before dragging.
Quirk: to drag clipping files from the strip to the Finder, you will need to hold down the control key before dragging.
