CONTENTS

Overview

Getting Started

Application Setup

Confinement Area

System Menu


Overview

Task is a small utility that shows all the running tasks on your system.  It is intended to be use instead of the TaskBar.  Non minimized tasks are shown in the order of last use.  When an application is minimized it is placed at the bottom of the list.  A numerical display shows the number of active tasks.

A left click on the button of a task will bring that task to the front.  If the application is minimized it will be restored.  A right click on the task button will display the task's system menu.  You can also drag a file and drop it on the button of a suitable application.

Task allows you launch an application with a single mouse click.  You can Drag and Drop any executable files or folder on the Launch area.  Use a right mouse click on the button to setup the application.  You can also Drag and Drop non executable files on the associated application to launch the application with the file loaded.  A left mouse click launches an application.

The launch bar can be configured to hide and show itself automatically.  This is done from the System Menu.  You can toggle the autohide by right clicking on the App Bar button.

Task allows you to control your desktop.  You can determine a rectangle where applications that do not remember their startup position are confined to.  You do this by defining a Confinement Area.

The position of any on screen feature can be found by starting the Confinement Dialog from the Confinement menu item.  The current cursor position is continuously displayed.  This is useful to help choose a confinement area.  Changes in the confinement area can also be made here.

Task has a user configurable time and date display.  Visibility is controlled from the System Menu.  The time and date can be adjusted from the System Menu or by right clicking on the time and date display.

Task also allows you to hide the Windows 95 TaskBar.  This option is selectable from the System Menu or by right clicking on the Windows button.  Left clicking on the Windows button will display the Windows 95 Start Button Menu.  This can also be done from the System Menu.


Getting Started

Copy all files to a directory of your choice.  All data and configuration files will be created there.  To uninstall just delete the directory.

Drag any exe, com, bat, or pif file and drop it on a button in the launch area.  The application can be launched by left clicking on the that button.  To modify the command line or set several other parameters right click on the button.  You can also drop a folder on the launch area.  When clicked the folder will open.

The Task main window can be sized vertically and horizontally.

Suggestions:

Drag Explorer.exe and drop it onto the Launch area.  Right click and modify the command line to be [c:\windows\explorer.exe /n,/e].  This will launch the explorer when pushed.  Drive and directory should be changed to match your system.

Drag the programs folder and drop it on the Launch area.

Drag drive a:\ and drop it on the Launch area.

Shell32.dll, in the system directory, is a good source of icons.


System Menu

The system menu is accessed by left clicking on the system menu button of the main window.

Display Time - This menu item will toggle the Time and Date display.

Set Time - This will launch the Time and Date control panel to allow change in the time or date.  This can also be done by right clicking in the time and date display.

Quick Show App Bar - The will toggle the Quick Show App Bar Feature.  When enabled the App Bar will display whenever the mouse cursor enters Show App Bar button.

Quick Hide App Bar - The will toggle the Quick Hide App Feature.  When enabled the App Bar will  hide when the mouse cursor is moved off of the Task main window.  This can also be toggled by right clicking in the App Bar button.

Hide System TaskBar - This will hide the Windows 95 Taskbar when Task is running.  This can be toggled by right clicking on the Windows button.

Show Start Button Menu - This will display the Windows 95 Start button menu.  This can also be done by left clicking on the Windows button.

Confinement - This menu selection will start the Confinement dialog.  The confinement dialog shows the current screen resolution, the current cursor position and the current confinement settings.  The confinement settings can be changed from this dialog.

Reload Icons - This will reload all of the Application Icons from the specified files.

Run - This will bring up a Run Dialog with a command line and browse feature.

Help Contents - This menu item starts the on-line help system.

About - Displays the About dialog.


Confinement Area

The Confinement Area is a user defined rectangle that can confine applications that have not been added to the Application Control Database.  This confinement is specified in the Confinement dialog.  The Confinement dialog is started by selecting the Confinement menu item on the system menu.

The position of any on screen feature can be found by starting the Confinement Dialog from the Confinement menu item.  The current cursor position is continuously displayed.  This is useful to help choose a confinement area.  Changes in the confinement area can also be made here.


Application Setup

The application setup dialog allows you to specify various parameters of the application.  You can modify the title for the launch button, the command line, the startup directory and the location of the icon.  You can have the application start when Task starts and you can have the application start minimized.

You can move an application up or down the button bar by using the Move Up or Move Down buttons.  To remove an application from the list you can use the Remove Application button.

You can change the icon displayed on the launch button by using the Next and Previous buttons to navigate the available icons.  You can use the Browse to search for icons in other files.