Powerful palette builder may be the ultimate utility.
Gregory Wasson
Rating: Outstanding (5 of 5 mice)
IF YOU'RE A VETERAN Mac user, chances are your computer is already custom-configured with one or more utilities that tailor the system to your way of working. Maybe you've got an application launcher such as Square One or DragStrip, a menu-and-folder enhancer such as Now Menus, or even a tool such as QuicKeys that lets you build macros to automate tasks in your favorite applications. What if, in the words of pitchman Ron Popeil, you could "throw them all away" and replace them with one versatile, easy-to-use program? What if that utility could save you some time and reduce your Mac's memory requirements? OneClick, from WestCode Software, offers all this and more in one powerful, easy-to-use program.
Sophisticated Palettes
The underlying metaphor of OneClick is the palette: an array of buttons that perform specific tasks. The program comes with prebuilt palettes that launch applications or open files or folders; let you choose among the applications running on your Mac; and perform shortcuts in applications, including ClarisWorks and FileMaker Pro. The company has promised to distribute palettes for additional applications on its Web site. (Custom palettes you create can be saved and shared with other users, and WestCode expects lots of button swapping on its Web site as well.)
Many of the prefab palettes that are supplied with OneClick are enhanced versions of tools already supplied with the Mac. The System Bar, for example, acts much like Apple's Control Strip but adds thoughtful extra features such as icons for your hard disk and System Folder that you can drag and drop items onto and a built-in phone-number list. The Task Bar is similar to the Finder's application menu, in that it shows you all your running applications, but Option-clicking on a program button hides all other running applications and brings your choice to the foreground.
And, as you'd probably guess, the Launch Strip is a replacement for Apple's Launcher. It launches items when you click on iconic application buttons or drag documents onto them but also maintains a pop-down recent-files list for each application.
Add Features to Programs
The supplied palettes and buttons can streamline many everyday tasks, but OneClick really proves its worth with application-specific palettes that let you add functions you've always wished for to your favorite programs. The process is surprisingly easy. Open the application you want to customize, launch the OneClick Editor, and create a new palette. You can then drag buttons from generous libraries supplied with OneClick or create them from scratch. The OneClick Editor, in one tightly integrated window, makes it easy to create or modify any aspect of a button, from its appearance to the script it executes: The scripting tool is linked to a well-annotated library of all OneClick EasyScript macros, which makes for quick orientation with the commands. The Icon Editor includes an easy-to-use icon-drawing and -editing tool. And for the nonartists among us, there's the Icon Search tool, which lets you grab icon resources from your favorite applications and turn them into OneClick palette buttons.
Once you've created a palette and tweaked all its buttons, you close the OneClick Editor and the palette links with the open application. Launch the program, and the palette appears on-screen; quit the application, and the associated palette vanishes.
Among the host of handy buttons supplied with OneClick are ones for Word Count, Auto Save, inserting the date and time in any text file, and inserting any preselected text block or image (such as your name and address or a logo) into text. Other supplied buttons are able to launch a program you specify; show the contents of any folder in a hierarchical list; move files to the Trash; display a font or window selection list; and perform a host of standard application tasks such as Cut, Paste, and Print. (If you're in the market for a no-frills word processor, OneClick could pay for itself with its supplied SimpleText palette, which turns the program into a surprisingly versatile writing tool.)
Power-User Features
The prebuilt buttons are great for doing things you and lots of other people want to do in various applications, but OneClick lets you customize even further, using scripting to automate tasks that only you do every day. You can record macros in show-and-tell fashion or write scripts in AppleScript, OneClick's EasyScript macro language (offering over 200 functions), or any combination of both. You can create a new command you wish for in your favorite program or create a better alternative to a clumsily implemented feature. Generally speaking, we found EasyScript more intuitive to work with than AppleScript, but it's great to have the freedom of using both languages.
The Bottom Line
Combining a macro utility, AppleScript front end, floating palettes, a program launcher, and more into one easy-to-use package is quite a feat. OneClick is one of the most powerful and remarkable utilities we've seen in the last couple of years. Consider yourself warned, however: Use it for a while, and you'll soon find yourself addicted.
OneClick 1.0, $129 (list). Company: WestCode Software, San Diego, CA; 619-487-9200 or 619-487-9255 (fax); http://www.westcodesoft.com/. Reader Service: Circle #417.
The OneClick Editor lets you design palettes, buttons, and icons; create and manage button libraries; write macro scripts; and more.
