OS/2 Shareware BBS: 10 Tools/10-Tools.zip/hook57.zip/objopen.doc

Text File | 1995-01-17 | 5KB | 121 lines

       Sun  01-08-95

Title: Objopen,doc

 From:Morton F. Kaplon   CIS:73457,437

In conjunction with a Hot Key program and the included program
OBJOPEN.EXE there is a way you can organize your desktop to open up any
Folder with a single keystroke; you can also create your own LAUNCH
PAD(s) that can be opened for use with a single Key Stroke.

1 - The included program  OBJOPEN.EXE  takes as its command line
    argument the filespec of a folder.

    If you look at the DESKTOP directory in the root directory of your
    boot disk (almost always C:) you will see a listing of
    subdirectories with the names of the folders on your desktop.

    Each of these subdirectories (as it is the name of a folder)
    contains within it a list of subdirectories whose names are the
    names of the folders within it . And so on.

    Usually the SYSTEM folder on the DESKTOP has a number of folders
    within it. For example one is the GAMES folder.

    To open that folder with OBJOPEN.EXE, from the command line give
    the command:   objopen c:\desktop\system\games
    and the GAMES folder will be opened with one of the game icons
    highlighted. A CR will start that game or you can use the cursor
    arrow keys to move to any of the other game icons and then start
    them with the CR. No Mouse needed.

    When finished just close the folder with Alt-F4 and your desk top is
    restored to the way it was. No other folders open.

2 - You do not want, of course,  to have to go to a command line to open
    a folder. It would probably take mcuh more time, BUT if you use any
    of the available (commercial,shareware or freeware) Hot-Key programs
    you can assign the various set of commands for folders you want to
    open that way to different hot-keys. Then, for example, to open the
    GAMES folder, Hit the HOT-KEY to which you have assigned the

    command:  drive:\dir\objopen.exe c:\desktop\system\games

    where  drive:\dir\objopen.exe  is the complete file specification
    for oobjopen.exe .

3 - Make your own LAUNCH PAD(s)
    Suppose you have a group of folders and/or program icons you want to
    keep together in one LAUNCH FOLDER.

    You can create the new Folder in one of two ways.

    A:
    Open the TEMPLATES icon in the System Folder and drag a Folder
    Template to the DeskTop. Change its name to something suitable, say
    LAUNCH1.

    B:
    From a command prompt, give the command:  md c:\desktop\launch1
    You will see on the desktop a folder named LAUNCH1.

    In either case after the folder has been created, open it and you can
    then drag the icons you want to collect together to that folder and
    then size it and position it appropriately.

    Your desktop will now have a folder named LAUNCH1 and it will contain
    the icons you placed there (could be a combination of Folder icons
    and  program icons). The icons placed in the folder LAUNCH1 will not
    now appear on the DeskTOP.

    Now assign the command:    drive:\dir\objopen.exe c:\desktop\launch1
    to a HOT-KEY of your choice and  that folder is opened by
    pressing that HOT_KEY. You can navigate within it with the cursor
    keys and activate with the CR. You can even place the SHREDDER in
    it if you so desire.

    You can windup with just LaunchPad(s) on your DESKTOP. And they have
    the advantage that all the Icons are readable (no drawer contents
    to remember).

    I find it useful for each of the "Launch Folder(s)" to goto Page 2 of
    Window options under SETTINGS and choose the Automatically Close All
    Objects option. This gives you the cleanest set up. This appears to
    be an available option so far only under WARP.

4 - If you haven't tried it, try using the Non-Flowed option under the
    Settings for each of your Launch Folders to have them appear
    vertically. I think it gives a more pleasing appearance.

    If you like Minimal Desk Top Clutter, this is the way to go. I place
    by most used icons nearest to the left (or top) edge of the open
    folder so they are fewest cursor strokes away from the first hilited
    icon when the folder is opened.

5 - What is objopen.exe ?
    The program (written in Assembler - my own  quirk), makes the following
    API calls:

    Function Called   <-------------------Purpose of Call-------------------->
    DosGetInfoBlocks  Get the Command Line String
    WinInitialize     This and the next Call are needed in order to be
    WinCreateMsgQueue able to use  WinMessageBox  for Error Display
    WinQueryObject    Is passed CommandLine String & returns handle to object
    WinSetObjectData  Called with above handle and Parm String  'OPEN=DEFAULT'
    WinSetObjectData  Second call needed to give it focus
    DosExit           Exit the Program

    If the command line string is invalid, then after the WinQueryObject
    Call an appropriate Error Message, using WinMessageBoxand, will be
    diaplayed and the program ends.

6 - An available freeware HOT-KEY program is HOOK, a program I have
    written. The latest version is HOOK23.ZIP and it is or will be
    shortly on the Vienna VA Shareware BBS and CompuServe in
    IBMOS2(OS2User). As noted there are quite a few programs of this
    type both Shareware and Commercial.