Microsoft Office Compatible

<Application_Name> is a Microsoft Office Compatible product, which means that its toolbars, menus, and accelerator keys are similar to those used by Microsoft Office. If you are already using Microsoft Office, which includes Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access and PowerPoint, then many of the tasks you have learned to complete in Office can be completed in a similar manner in <Application_Name>. AlphaBlox and Microsoft hope these similarities will make it easier for you to use our products together and with other Microsoft Office Compatible products.

Look for the Microsoft Office Compatible logo when purchasing software. For more information about the Microsoft Office Compatible program, and for a complete listing of Microsoft Office Compatible products, in the United States call Microsoft Customer Service at 1-800-426-9400.  Customers outside the United States should contact their local Microsoft office.

<Application_Name> and the Office Compatible Features

To be completed.

<Application_Name> contains a toolbar which is similar to the ones in Microsoft Office.  For example, you can print a document just by pressing the “Print” button on the standard toolbar, and you can discover each button’s function just by pointing to it with the mouse.  This will activate a ToolTip that displays the name of  the button

Using <Application_Name> with Microsoft Office

To be completed


 ToolBlox: Help Contents

ToolBlox: Start here

ToolBlox: Start here

ToolBlox: About

About ToolBlox

About AlphaBlox OfficeBlox

About OLE

ToolBlox: Commands

ToolBlox Commands

ToolBlox: How to ...

Launching Applications from ToolBlox

Launching Objects from ToolBlox

Launching Templates from ToolBlox

Adding Applications to ToolBlox

Changing ToolBlox Preferences

Editing ToolBlox Contents

Microsoft Office Compatibility

Microsoft Office Compatibility


 ToolBlox: Components

For information on any component of ToolBlox, click on the component in the picture below:


ToolBlox Caption Bar
Caption Bar

Right-clicking on the caption bar displays a pop-up menu which presents all available ToolBlox commands.


ToolBlox Configure Button
ToolBlox Configure

Left-clicking on this button displays the ToolBlox Preferences dialog box which you use to change ToolBlox settings such as the size of icons, the layout of icons, and whether objects embedded directly from ToolBlox are displayed as icons or as content.

Right-clicking on this button displays the Edit Toolbar button which you can use to add and remove items from ToolBlox and to change details (command line, directory, etc.) of individual items.


Templates Button
Templates

Use this button to launch an OfficeBlox application with a particular template in place. Clicking the button displays the Templates dialog box which lists all available templates. Double-clicking on a template launches the associated application and opens the selected template ready for use.


CalcBlox Icon
CalcBlox

Clicking on the CalcBlox icon launches the CalcBlox application.

Dragging the CalcBlox icon into a container document embeds a new CalcBlox in that document. Double-click on the CalcBlox to activate and edit it.


ListBlox Icon
ListBlox

Clicking on the ListBlox icon launches the ListBlox application.

Dragging the ListBlox icon into a container document embeds a new ListBlox in that document. Double-click on the ListBlox to activate and edit it.


NoteBlox Icon
NoteBlox

Clicking on the NoteBlox icon launches the NoteBlox application.

Dragging the NoteBlox icon into a container document embeds a new NoteBlox in that document. Double-click on the NoteBlox to activate and edit it.


WorkBlox Icon
WorkBlox

Clicking on the WorkBlox icon launches the WorkBlox application. The WorkBlox that you were last working with is opened automatically, ready for use.


Application Icons
Applications

You can add any application you want to ToolBlox by dragging its executable file from Explorer onto ToolBlox. Clicking on the application icon in ToolBlox then launches the application. Dragging the icon into a container document embeds a new object from the application into the container [image] double-click on the object to activate and edit it.


 About ToolBlox

ToolBlox is your point of access for creating OfficeBlox objects. It is a powerful, customizable toolbar that provides fast access to AlphaBlox OfficeBlox objects and to other frequently-used applications such as Microsoft Word or Excel. A distinguishing feature is that not only can you use it to launch applications but you can also create objects directly from it with a mouse action.

Note that when ToolBlox is the active task, you can switch between its normal size and a captionized version by pressing ESC.


 About AlphaBlox OfficeBlox

AlphaBlox OfficeBlox is a suite of components from AlphaBlox Corporation which gives you quick and easy access to frequently-used items such as notes, calculations, and lists. Many other components are already available, under development, or planned.

Making full use of OLE functionality, all components integrate seamlessly with each other, with the desktop, and with other OLE-compliant applications [image] they can be combined in whatever way suits your needs, and are available wherever and whenever required.

All AlphaBlox tools are designed to be simple, quick, and easy, as well as adaptable, compact and affordable. A consistent interface style across the components, and the use of common tools for common tasks, contributes to more intuitive interaction with the tools.


 About OLE

OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) is a mechanism that allows applications to integrate seamlessly. Documents can contain objects of many different types, created by different applications, and the objects have associated with them not only the data necessary to display them but also the information needed to edit them. The host document is the container; the application that created the object is the server.

Linking and Embedding

Using OLE you can choose to embed or link an object into a container.

Embedded objects are stored in your document, and can be edited using the tools and controls of their applications. You simply double-click on an object to activate and edit it. When you send an embedded object to other people, they too can view and edit it.

With linked objects, only the display data is included in the container, together with a link to the original data. When the original object is updated, so is the linked object. And when you double-click on the linked object, the original document is immediately launched ready for editing.

In-place (or Visual) Editing

You can edit an embedded object either in place or in a separate window. Simply double-click on the object to activate it. With in-place editing, you edit the object without leaving the container document. The necessary menus and tools temporarily replace or supplement those of the container application. Click back on the container and its menus and tools reappear.

Drag-and-Drop

Drag-and-drop is a fast and intuitive method of moving objects within and across applications. Point to the object, press and hold down the left mouse button while dragging the object into place, then release the button. To move data, first select it and then follow the same steps.

Move an object or selected data	Drag-and-drop
Create a copy of the object or data	CTRL+Drag-and-drop
Create a linked copy of the object or data	CTRL+SHIFT+Drag-and-drop
Icon or Content Display

You can display OLE objects either with their content visible or as icons. To switch modes, right-click on the inactive object; then choose Display Content or Display as Icon from the pop-up menu. When creating an object directly from ToolBlox, you can create it in either mode. Objects displayed as icons are automatically edited in separate windows; objects with content displayed are automatically edited in place.


 ToolBlox Commands

Right-clicking on the ToolBlox caption bar displays a pop-up menu with the following commands:

Preferences	Use to change ToolBlox settings such as the size of icons, the layout of icons, and whether objects embedded directly from ToolBlox are displayed as icons or as content. Choosing the command displays the Preferences dialog box; clicking on the ToolBlox Configure icon also displays this dialog box.
Edit Toolbar	Use to add applications to and to remove applications from ToolBlox, to reorder ToolBlox icons, and to change application details. Choosing the command displays the Edit Toolbar dialog box; right-clicking on the ToolBlox Configure icon also displays this dialog box.
Run	Use to start an application that you use only occasionally or that you have not yet added to ToolBlox. Choosing the command displays the Run dialog box.
Help	Use to access ToolBlox help information.
About ToolBlox	Displays ToolBlox version and copyright details.
Close	Closes ToolBlox. Clicking the Close button in the caption bar has the same effect.


 Run Dialog Box

The Run command on the ToolBlox pop-up menu allows you to run applications not included on ToolBlox. Choosing the command displays the Run dialog box which presents the following options:

Command Line

Specify the path and filename for the application's executable file; include the filename extension.

Run Minimized

Select this option if you want the application to be minimized as soon as it starts.

Browse

If you are unsure of the name or location of the application's executable file, use this button to search for it.

OK

Click OK to start the application.


 Launching Applications from ToolBlox

To launch any application included on ToolBlox, simply click on its icon.


 Launching Objects from ToolBlox

To create an object directly in a container document, drag the server application's icon from ToolBlox to the desired position in the document. You can then activate and work with the object by double-clicking on it.

You can insert the object as an icon or as an in-place object. The default is set in the ToolBlox Preferences dialog box (which you access by clicking on the ToolBlox Configure icon on ToolBlox), but there are also keyboard shortcuts. To create an in-place object, press CTRL and hold down the CTRL key while dragging the object into position; to create an iconized object, press SHIFT instead.


Launching Templates from ToolBlox

To launch OfficeBlox objects with a particular template in place, click the Template icon on ToolBlox and then double-click on the template you want to use. The Templates dialog box lists the available templates for all OfficeBlox applications, organized into categories such as Financial and Home and Leisure.


 Adding Applications to ToolBlox

To add an application to ToolBlox, use Explorer to locate the executable file (WINWORD.EXE for example), click on the filename and then drag it into position on ToolBlox. OfficeBlox objects are automatically added to ToolBlox when you install them.


 Changing ToolBlox Preferences

Click on the ToolBlox Configure icon to change ToolBlox preferences. This displays the Preferences dialog box which presents the following options:

Always on Top

When this is selected, ToolBlox always appears on top of other applications on your desktop.

Tool Tips

When this is selected, a brief description of each ToolBlox icon is displayed when you position the mouse pointer over the icon. You can change the text displayed by entering the new text in the Description box in the EditToolbar dialog box. You access this dialog box by right clicking on the ToolBlox Configure icon, selecting the application whose tool tip you wish to change, and then clicking the Edit button.

Auto Avoid

When this is selected, ToolBlox automatically moves away from the active application to a empty part of the Desktop. If there is insufficient space for to do this, ToolBlox is automatically resized to a caption and displayed at the top right hand side of the desktop.

Drag as Icon

When this is selected, objects dragged from ToolBlox into container documents are displayed as icons. Otherwise their content is displayed.

You can override this setting using keyboard shortcuts. To create an object with its content displayed, press CTRL while dragging the object into position; to create an iconized object, press SHIFT instead.

Toolbar Layout

Use these options to specify the orientation of ToolBlox: horizontal or vertical. When you choose Vertical, the number of vertical columns into which ToolBlox organizes its icons is determined by the number entered in the Specify Number of Buttons box. To change this number, select Specify Number of Buttons and then enter the new number.

You can also change the ToolBlox layout by resizing it using the mouse.

Icon Size

Use these options to change the size of ToolBlox icons. If you select the User Defined option, the number in the associated box represents the width of each icon in pixels.

Template Folder

This specifies the folder (or directory) where OfficeBlox templates are stored.

Edit Toolbar

Displays the Edit Toolbar dialog box which you can use to add applications to and to remove applications from ToolBlox, to rearrange ToolBlox icons, and to change application details.


 Editing ToolBlox Contents

Right-click on the ToolBlox Configure icon to add applications to and to remove applications from ToolBlox, to rearrange ToolBlox icons, and to change application details.

The Edit Toolbar dialog box lists all applications currently included on ToolBlox and presents the following options:

Up / Down

Applications are listed in the order in which they appear on ToolBlox. To move an application up or down one position, click on it and then click the Up or Down button.

Remove

To remove an application from ToolBlox, click on it and click the Remove button.

Edit

To edit details of a particular application, click on it and then click the Edit button to display the Details dialog box.

Add

To add a new application to ToolBlox, click the Add button to display a blank Details dialog box and then enter the details of the new application. You can also add an application by dragging its executable file onto ToolBlox from Explorer.

OK

Click OK to implement any change you have made in the EditToolbar and Details dialog boxes.


 Details Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to add a new application to ToolBlox and to change details of existing applications. You access it by right-clicking on the ToolBlox Configure icon and then clicking either the Add or Edit buttons in the Edit Toolbar dialog box.

Description

This specifies the tool tip text for the application. The default is the name of the application's executable file.

Command Line

The name of the application's executable file. If you are unsure of the file name or location, use the Browse button to search for it.

Directory

The working directory of the application.

Object

For applications which support more than one type of object, use this option to specify which type of object is created when you embed the application directly from ToolBlox.

Icon

Use this option to select an icon for the application.

Ole Server

If the application is an OLE server, select this option.

OK

Click OK to implement any changes you have made and return to the Edit Toolbar dialog box.