MyExplorerBar Help

Copyright (c) 2000, Pitrinec Software, All Rights Reserved. (Developed by Lukas Rovensky.)

 
  1. Overview
    About MyExplorerBar
    Major Features
    Current Version
    System Requirements
    User Interface (Desktop Update) Enhancements by Internet Explorer
  2. How to ...
    How to Select Files
    How to Create Selection Mask Item from Selection Mask Combo-box
    How to Create a Shortcut Item
    How to Create Folder Item
    How to Switch Tabs During Drag and Drop
    How to Change Folders During Drag and Drop
  3. Using MyExplorerBar
    Main Window
    Customizing
    Add Wizards
    Drag and Drop Support
    Automate Tab Selection
    Automate Folder Navigation
    Drop on Folder Button
    Drop on Shortcut Button
    Using Selection Masks
    Using Folders
    Using Shortcuts
    Track Shell Menu
    Change Icon Dialog
    Setting General Properties
    Setting Drag and Drop
    Setting Show Policy
  4. Support
    Support
    License Agreement
    Price List
    On-line Registration
    Home Page

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1. Overview

About MyExplorerBar

Welcome to the MyExplorerBar -- add-on enhancement for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.  MyExplorerBar integrates directly with Explorer window -- it acts as communication band.  MyExplorerBar provides features missed by many users of Windows Explorer, that is, selection masks for selecting files with the same characteristics (e.g., "my*.tx?"), fast access to favorite folders and shortcuts to favorite programs, files or WWW links.  All items are arranged inside fully customizable toolbars, so they can be accessed usually by one or two mouse clicks.  MyExplorerBar supports drag and drop for easy customization as well as set of Add Wizards.

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Major Features

The following list briefly summarizes all major features of MyExplorerar:

Full integration with Windows Explorer -- MyExplorerBar acts as part of Windows Explorer window.
Efficient user interface takes as small portion of Windows Explorer as possible while retaining usability.
Drag-and-drop support makes customization and usage of MyExplorerBar extremely easy.
Selection masks to select files with the same characteristic (like, "*.doc; *.txt", "my*.xls", etc.).
Favorite folders for fast access to the most used folders.
Shortcuts to favorite programs, files or WWW links.
Add Wizards for step-by-step creating of new items (that is, selection mask, folder or shortcut).
Show policy options -- user can define whether MyExplorerBar should appear automatically inside Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer window.

Current Version

Current version is 1.10.  MyExplorerBar is shareware -- it can be evaluated for 30 days and after this period it has to be registered or removed from the system.  We appreciate to hear every user's feedback, comments or suggestions to improve MyExplorerBar and make next versions as useful as possible.

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System Requirements

MyExplorerBar depends on several technologies introduced by Internet Explorer 4.0, so it can run on the following platforms:

Windows 95 with Internet Explorer 4.x or higher.
Windows 98
Windows NT 4.0, service pack 3 or higher with Internet Explorer 4.x or higher.
Windows 2000

Internet Explorer has to be installed with user interface enhancements (Desktop Update).  It is recommended to use Internet Explorer 5.01 service pack 1 or Internet Explorer 5.5 for the best results.

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User Interface Enhancements (Desktop Udpate) by Internet Explorer

Desktop Update is discussed in detail inside an article "How to Add or Remove Windows Desktop Update" (Article ID: Q165695) provided by Microsoft Product Support Services.  This article can be reached by searching Knowledge Base at Microsoft Developer Network web site (msdn.microsft.com) or by following this direct link:

        http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q165/6/95.ASP

User interface (UI) enhancements (Desktop Update) are installed by Internet Explorer (version 4.x).  UI enhancements influence mainly look and feel of the Windows Explorer window and enable technologies used by MyExplorerBar to provide its functionality. User can easily determine if UI enhancements are enabled or not:

Open Windows Explorer and look at the toolbar buttons.
If the toolbar buttons are flat and similar to the Internet Explorer toolbar buttons then UI enhancements are enabled.
If the toolbar buttons have 3D look and they are different from Internet Explorer toolbar buttons then UI enhancements are very likely disabled.

If UI enhancements are disabled you can enabled them following this (tedious) procedure:

Uninstall IE.
Install IE 4.x and enable UI enhancements during the setup.
Install back your current version of IE.

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2. How to ...

How to Select Files

Files are selected using a user defined selection mask.  Selection Mask can contain wild card characters -- '*' for arbitrary string and '?' for arbitrary character.

Enter selection mask in selection mask combo box and press <Enter> or click a button inside selection mask toolbar.

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How to Create Selection Mask Item from Selection Mask Combo-box

Drag selection mask icon from the selection mask combo box and drop it on the toolbar.   Window with selection mask properties will appear.  Modify required properties and click OK to create a new selection mask item.

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How to Create a Shortcut Item

Select Shortcuts tab inside MyExplorerBar window and choose one from the following options to create a new shortcut item:

Invoke tab context menu or item context menu and select Add Item.
Invoke tab context menu or item context menu and select Add Wizard.
Drag a file, folder or WWW link and drop it on the shortcut toolbar.

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How to Create Folder Item

Select Folders tab inside MyExplorerBar window and choose one from the following options to create a new folder item:

Invoke tab context menu or item context menu and select Add Item.
Invoke tab context menu or item context menu and select Add Wizard.
Drag a folder and drop it on the folder toolbar.

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How to Switch Tabs During Drag and Drop

Move mouse pointer over required tab during drag and drop operation.  Wait for a moment until the tab is selected.  Delay time can be set inside drag and drop properties.

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How to Change Folders During Drag and Drop

Switch to folders tab if it is not selected.  Move mouse pointer over folder you want to navigate to.   Wait for a moment until the folder is selected.  Delay time can be set inside drag and drop properties.

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3. Using MyExplorerBar

Main Window

MyExplorerBar window integrates with Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer window -- it acts as communication band.

MyExplorerBar window has the following parts:

Tabs to select required items (Selection Masks, Folders or Shortcuts).
Toolbar with user defined items.
Link to home page.
Main toolbar to easy access MyExplorerBar properties, help and About dialog.

main_window.gif (70157 bytes)

Use right mouse button to open context menus:

Click on item (toolbar button) to open Item Context Menu.
Click on the are between tabs and home page link to open Main Context Menu.
Click on free tab area (behind toolbar buttons) to open Tab Context Menu.

When Windows Explorer window is too small to display all items inside a toolbar then small arrow buttons will appear on left or right side of the toolbar.  Use left mouse button to scroll the toolbar, use right mouse button to open menu with current non visible (or partially visible) items.

pager_menu_descr.gif (24857 bytes)

Customizing

MyExplorerBar is fully customizable.  A user can add, move and delete items inside all toolbars (Selection Masks, Folders and Shortcuts).  There is several ways how to create a new item:

Invoke Item Context Menu or Tab Context Menu and select Add Item -- properties dialog for a new item will open.
Invoke Item Context Menu or Tab Context Menu and select Add Wizard -- a step-by-step wizard for adding a new item will appear.
Drag a file, folder or WWW link and drop it on the MyExplorerBar.

To move item within a toolbar just drag item you want to move and drop it at the desired position.

To delete an item invoke on the item the Item Context Menu and select Delete.

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Add Wizards

Add Wizard provides step-by-step instructions how to create a new item.  A special wizard is provided for each item type (Selection Mask, Folder or Shortcut).  Each Add Wizard has the following pages:

Welcome -- introduction page.
Definition -- on this page user defines the required item, that is, enters selection mask, selects a folder or shortcut target.
Select Icon -- wizard automatically generates default icon for a new item.  User can use this icon or select another one.
Define Toolbar Button Label -- wizard automatically generates default label for a toolbar button that will be created for new item.  User can enter its own label or leave it empty if icon and/or tooltip will be used to distinguish new item within a toolbar.
Completing -- summary page.   Click Finish to add the item inside toolbar, click Cancel to exit wizard without creating an item.

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Drag and Drop Support

Drag and drop can be used to configure MyExploreBar:

Drop a folder from Windows Explorer to folders toolbar to create a new folder item.
Drop a file, folder, or WWW link to shortcuts toolbar to create a new shortcut item.
Drag selection mask form selection mask combo-box to selection masks toolbar to create a new selection mask item.
Drop files or folders on a button inside folder toolbar to invoke shell operation (copy, move, create shortcut) with the dragged data and target folder specified in the button definition.
Drop files or folders on a button inside shortcuts toolbar to launch application specified in the shurtcut button definition and use dragged data as the application parameters.

User can change order of items inside a toolbar by dragging an item (toolbar button) and dropping it at new position.

Automate Tab Selection

When an object (folder, file, etc.) is being dragged over a tab then this tab will be automatically selected after certain time (default time is 0.5 second and user can change it inside Drag and Drop Properties).

Automate Folder Navigation

When an object (folder, file, etc.) is being dragged over a folder item inside folders toolbar then this folder will be automatically selected inside Windows Explorer after certain time (default time is 0.5 second and user can change it inside Drag and Drop Properties).

Drop on Folder Button

If drop on folder button is enabled (see Drag and Drop Preperties) then user can drag multiple folders and files and drop them on a folder button.  The folder button has to define folder using full path otherwise the drop cannot be supported.

When data is dropped on a button a special drop menu appers.  The menu has the following items:

Copy Here -- copy files or folders to the button folder
Move Here -- move foles or folders to the button folder
Create Shortcut(s) Here -- create shortcuts to files or folders isnide the button folder
Cancel -- cancel the operation

All operations are delegated to the shell (Windows Explorer), so undo can be used (go to the Windows Explorer select menu Edit).

Drop on Shortcut Button

If drop on shortcut button is enabled (see Drag and Drop Properites) then user can drag multiple folders and files and drop them on a shortcut button.  The shortcut has to define an application using full path otherwise the drop cannot be supported.

The drop operation is delegated to the shell, so behaviour is the same as the dragged data were drop on a desktop shortcut, etc.

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Using Selection Masks

Selection Masks make possible to select files with the same characteristics.  Selection Mask can contain wild card characters -- '*' for arbitrary string and '?' for arbitrary character.  Each mask can contain multiple patterns, for example:

my*.txt -- select all files with prefix "my" and extension ".txt".
*.doc; *.rtf -- select all files with extension ".doc" or ".txt".
???.??? -- select all files with 3-characters long file name and 3-characters long extension.

select_tab_descr.gif (31083 bytes)

Selection Mask toolbar has two extra controls -- selection mask combo-box for manual entering of selection mask and select button to select files and folders using mask inside the combo-box.

Selection Mask has the following properties (invoke Item Context Menu and select Properties):

Selection mask -- selection mask definition.
Toolbar button label -- text which appears inside toolbar button for this item.
Toolbar button is followed by separator -- check to separate this item (on the right side) from others inside toolbar.
Icon -- icon which appears inside toolbar button for this item.
Default Label -- MyExplorerBar creates label from selection mask definition.
Default Icon -- MyExplorerBar creates icon from selection mask definition.
Change Icon -- open Change Icon dialog to choose another icon.

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Using Folders

Folders makes possible very fast navigation to the most used folders.  Click on folder item and Windows Explorer will switch to it. 

Folders can be also used for copying or moving files from one location to another using drag and drop.  Drag a file, move it over folder item (inside folder toolbar) and MyExplorerBar will automatically navigate Windows Explorer to this folder.  Once the folder is selected move mouse cursor to the list view and drop the file to its new location.

Folder has the following properties (invoke Item Context Menu and select Properties):

Path to folder  -- full path to a favorite folder.
Toolbar button label -- text which appears inside toolbar button for this item.
Toolbar button is followed by separator -- check to separate this item (on the right side) from others inside toolbar.
Icon -- icon which appears inside toolbar button for this item.
Default Label -- MyExplorerBar creates label from folder definition.
Default Icon -- MyExplorerBar creates default icon.
Change Icon -- open Change Icon dialog to choose another icon.

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Using Shortcuts

Shortcuts make possible to launch your favorite programs or files, explore (inside separate Explorer window) favorite folders or browse favorite links.

Shortcut has the following properties (invoke Item Context Menu and select Properties):

Target -- path to the shortcut target -- file, program, folder or WWW link.
Find Executable -- click on this button to ask system to try to find full path to the target application.
Start In -- current folder for the target program.
Toolbar button label -- text which appears inside toolbar button for this item.
Toolbar button is followed by separator -- check to separate this item (on the right side) from others inside toolbar.
Icon -- icon which appears inside toolbar button for this item.
Default Label -- MyExplorerBar creates label from target definition.
Default Icon -- MyExplorerBar creates icon from target definition.
Change Icon -- open Change Icon dialog to choose another icon.

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Track Shell Menu

Track Shell Menu feature is available for shortcut and folder buttons specifying a full path to a folder or file.  If full path is specified then shell can be queried for context menu of given item.  When the shell context menu is available then the Item Context Menu has one more item -- Track Shell Menu.

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Change Icon Dialog

Change Icon dialog extracts icons from specified file and lets user to select an icon to be used with Selection Mask, Folder or Shortcut.

change_icon_dlg.gif (18904 bytes)

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Setting General Properties

To open MyExplorerBar General Properties invoke Main Context Menu or Tab Context Menu and select Options or click on Options button inside main toolbar.

The following properties can be set:

Show toolbar button labels -- check toolbar for which you want to use toolbar button labels.
Tooltips -- select how to display tooltips.
Menu icons -- switch on or off menu item icons.
Default start folder -- define folder to be set after Explorer starts.

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Setting Drag and Drop

To open MyExplorerBar Drag and Drop Properties invoke Main Context Menu or Tab Context Menu and select Options or click on Options button inside main toolbar.   Then click on property page Drag and Drop.

This property page lets user to set required drag and drop behaviour.  The following options are available:

Folder button can accept drop -- check this option if you want to drop files and folders on a folder button.
Show allert message on drop on folder -- check this option if alert message describing the drop operation should be displayed.
Shortcut button can accept drop -- check this option if you want to drop files and folders on a shortcut button.
Show allert message on drop on shortcut -- check this option if alert message describing the drop operation should be displayed.
Automatically select tab under mouse pointer during drag and drop -- this option makes possible to switch current tab (Select/Folders/Shortcuts) during drag and drop operation.
Tab select delay -- time in milliseconds (1 second == 1000 milliseconds) to wait before a tab under mouse pointer is selected.
Automatically navigate to folder under mouse pointer during drag and drop -- this option makes possible switch folders during drag and drop operation.
Navigate delay -- time in milliseconds to wait before a folder under mouse pointer is selected.

 

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Setting Show Policy

To open MyExplorerBar Show Policy Properties invoke Main Context Menu or Tab Context Menu and select Options or click on Options button inside main toolbar.   Then click on property page Show Policy.

This property page lets user to define how MyExplorerBar will be invoked inside Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer window.  The following options are available:

Show always -- open MyExplorerBar inside every Explorer window.
Show for non-virtual folders only -- MyExplorerBar is invoked when a real folder is browsed, e.g., "c:\Program Files", etc.  MyExplorerBar is not invoked when virtual folder is browsed, e.g., Control Panel, Printers, etc.  MyExplorerBar is not also invoked when Explorer is used to browse a WWW link.
Show never -- MyExplorerBar is never invoked when a new Explorer window starts.  MyExplorer bar can be invoked manually -- go to Explorer menu View\Explorer Bar\MyExplorerBar.

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4. Support

Support

Support is provided on myexplorerbar@pitrinec.com and is free for all registered users and users evaluating the MyExplorerBar.

When reporting bugs or problems please include:

Your name:
Registration number:
Operating system (Win95/98/NT/2000/ME, installed service packs, version of Internet Explorer, etc):
PC configuration (Processor, RAM):
Problem description:

Please, keep in mind that more information you provide us about your problem give us better chance to find a solution.

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License Agreement

Upon your acceptance of this Agreement, Pitrinec Software (Author) grants to you a nonexclusive license to use the MyExplorerBar software (Software).

A. Use of the Software.

The Software has been released for distribution as a SHAREWARE and may be distributed at no cost.

You may install the Software on a hard disk or other storage device; install and use the Software on a file server for use on a network for the purposes of (i) permanent installation onto hard disks or other storage devices or (ii) use of the Software over such network; and make backup copies of the Software.

B. Restrictions.

Unregistered use of the Software after the 30-day evaluation period is in violation of international copyright laws.

You are not allowed to modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the Software.

The number of the (licensed) Software instances running at the same time may not exceed the number of licenses purchased.

You are not allowed to redistribute or provide to 3rd party already registered versions of the Software as well as you may not publish the registration number(s) that unlocks the Software.

The Software can be distributed only as the package provided by the Author.This package cannot be changed in any way without written Author's permission.

C. No Warranty.

ALL WARRANTIES ARE DISCLAIMED, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SOFTWARE. THE ENTIRE RISK OF THE USE OR THE RESULT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE REMAINS WITH THE USER.

Unpublished-rights reserved under international copyright laws.

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Price List

As stated in "License Agreement" part of this document, MyExplorerBar is a shareware program and must be registered if user decides to keep it.  There are several ways how to register it.  User can either use on-line registration or send registration form via e-mail or snail mail (in such a case there is a Register.exe program provided with the package allowing user to generate registration form).  User can choose among several payment methods including credit cards, cash, money order, etc.

MyExplorerBar Price List:

License: Price (US $):
1 User (copy) 7.00
5 Users (copies) 24.00
10 Users (copies) 36.00
25 Users (copies) 73.00
50 Users (copies) 110.00
250, 500, 1000-users licenses, unlimited site and corporate licenses On request

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