Introduction
Shared Menus are bookmark menus shown in your browser's menu bar
giving you access to your bookmarks stored in
URL Manager Pro documents.
By default, all bookmarks in your current open URL Manager Pro document will be
shown as extra bookmark menus in your web browser's menu bar. Optionally, your bookmark menus will
also be shown in other Internet applications, like Eudora and Fetch.
When you also have Web Confidential you
will have access to all your confidential information stored in your Web Confidential document.
With Shared Menus you can:
- have access to your bookmarks from within any browser
- store your bookmarks independently from your browser
- store your bookmarks in self-contained documents
- have more bookmark menus in your menu bar
- add notes to bookmarks as you add them
- have access to your confidential information from within any browser*
*when you also have Web Confidential.
To order URL Manager Pro or Web Confidential, go here:
Kagi Online Order Page
When URL Manager Pro is first run, the Shared Menus will automatically be installed.
Shared Menus are provided by the so-called Shared Menus Component. Its location is:
On Mac OS 8 and 9:
- 'System Folder:Extensions:'
On Mac OS X:
- 'Your hard disk:Users:Your name:Library:Components:'
If you wish, you may also move the component to the folder:
- 'Your hard disk:Library:Components:'
To deinstall, just remove the component from the 'Extensions' or 'Components' folder and
move it to your 'Documents' folder. You can also choose the Preferences command from the
Diamond Shared Menu and press the Deinstall button. To keep URL Manager Pro from installing it again,
open Preferences/Shared Menus and also check the 'Disable Shared Menus' preference.
This lists all commands from the Shared Menu with the diamond symbol or password symbol:
- Add Bookmark - lets you bookmark the current web page.
- Help - opens the Apple Help Viewer and the Shared Menus Helpbook
- Grab All - grabs all links of the current web page.
- Explore - lists all your Explore favorites*.
- Favorites - lists all your Favorite favorites*.
- Confidential - lists all your confidential information**.
- Cabinet - lists all your preferred bookmark and password documents.
For your bookmark documents, please create a folder named 'Bookmarks' in your 'Documents' folder
and put your 'Startup Items' and 'Cabinet' folders in your 'Bookmarks' folder of your 'Documents' folder.
Idem dito for your password documents: please create a folder named 'Passwords' in your 'Documents' folder.
- Mac News - opens several Mac News sites concurrently in multiple browser windows.
Using the checkmarks in the menu items of the submenu, you determine which ones you want to read.
- Read Daily - opens all your Daily favorites* concurrently in multiple browser windows.
- URL Manager Pro - launches or switches to URL Manager Pro.
- Web Confidential - launches or switches to Web Confidential.
- HTML Editor - launches or switches to your HTML Editor.
- Email - launches or switches to your Email application.
- WWW - launches or switches to your Web browser.
- Refresh Menus - use this command to update your shared bookmark menus with the latest changes in your bookmark document.
- Preferences - shows the Preferences window.
- Quit - quits your current Internet application and URL Manager Pro with one command.
*You can edit your favorites via the Favorites window (Cmd-T) in URL Manager Pro.
**When using Web Confidential.
This lists all preferences:
In the 'General' tab:
- Add notes when adding bookmarks - lets you add a note while you add a bookmark.
- Always open a bookmark in a new window - when choosing a bookmark from a shared menu, it opens in a new browser window.
- Show Shared Menus only in Web Browsers - Shared Menus are only shown in Web Browsers and not in other applications.
In the 'At Startup' tab:
- Launch URL Manager Pro at startup - automatically launch URL Manager Pro at startup of Internet applications.
- Launch Web Confidential at startup - automatically launch Web Confidential at startup of Internet applications.
You need to use the 'Select' button to specify which copy of the application on your hard disk you actually want launched.
In the 'Appearance' tab:
- Use a small menu font - use a small font in the shared menus.
- Do not put icons in menus - do not put icons in the shared menus.
- Disable all keyboard shortcuts - disable all keyboard shortcuts of the shared menus.
- Use Password icon instead of Diamond icon - show the password icon as the menu title icon.
Almost any Mac OS 8 or 9 Internet application supports the Shared Menus protocol. Currently, on Mac OS X, Explorer, Opera
and iCab show Shared Menus. Please email the developers of BBEdit, Eudora, Fetch, Interarchy, OmniWeb and others to support the
so-called 'Shared Menus Protocol'. Thanks!
When you can't find the answer to your question, please feel free to email me:
Alco Blom.