Installation

Please note that Default Folder requires a Performa, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, or compatible computer running System 7.  It will refuse to load on Macs running System 6 or lower.  

To install Default Folder:

1)
Drag the Default Folder control panel onto your System folder icon.  Answer "OK" when asked if you want it put into the Control Panels folder.

2)
Restart your Macintosh.

3)
Open the Control Panels folder from the Apple menu.  Double-click on Default Folder and perform any customizations you may want, as detailed in the "Setup" section, below, and in the "Setting Up Link Sets" and "Preferences" chapters. 

Setup

The Default Folder control panel is shown below.  The major functions are all performed in dialog boxes which are displayed in response to your clicks on various buttons.

Default Folder supports balloon help.  Simply select "Show Balloons" from the menu at the right of the menu bar to get a quick explanation about any of the buttons.  More extensive on-line help is also available by clicking on the question mark icon in the upper right corner of the control panel.

How it Works

Default Folder lets you store groups of default folder settings, so different setups can be used for different people or tasks.  These groups are called link sets because they link applications to folders.  

You must have at least one link set defined in order to use most of Default Folder's features.  When it is first installed, Default Folder will automatically create a link set called "Default Set".  The rest of the setup process involves editing link sets or modifying settings based on your preferences.

Quick Start

To get you up and running quickly, Default Folder automatically chooses preferences and creates one linkset for you.  This feature allows you to immediately start using Default Folder without even looking at the control panel, if you like.  

To add a new default folder without using the control panel, simply select the "Use this folder as default" item from Default Folder's pop-up menus in the file dialog box.  To permanently add a folder to the menu, select the "Lock this folder in the menu" item from the pop-up menus.

When you're ready to examine Default Folder in more detail, open the Default Folder control panel.  It gives you more control over settings and link sets, including creating more than one linkset and adding default folders for all applications.   See the "Setting Up Link Sets" and "Preferences" chapters for more details.