About Launch!

Launch! is a fully configurable, tool-box style Windows application.

On the Launch! screen, there are several buttons.  After assigning a program to one of the buttons, Launch! will extract that program's icon and use it as a picture on the button.

The program can then be activated by clicking on the corresponding button on Launch!

Launch! remembers its configuration and automatically restores it when you run Launch! the next time.

Disclaimer:

By installing this program on your system, you indicate your agreement to the following terms and conditions.  If you do NOT agree, you are not licensed to use this program and must delete it from your sytem.

THE PROGRAM LAUNCH!.EXE AND THE HELP FILE LAUNCH!.HLP ARE DISTRIBUTED "AS IS."  THE AUTHOR DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES INCLUDING (BUT NOT LIMITED TO) LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, OR ANY OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.


Configuring the Buttons

There are two different methods you can use to configure buttons on Launch!  Buttons can be configured to run an external program or to perform an internal function.

First Method

Configuring the button to run an EXTERNAL PROGRAM:

Click on an unconfigured button.  A screen will then come up where you define the program that will run when you press the button on Launch!  You can either type the name of the program into the "Program" field, or press "Browse..." and pick the program from the dialog box.  The file name you specify in the "Program" field must have the extension EXE, COM, PIF, or BAT, or it must be a file that is associated with another program.  If you do not specify a path when typing in the program, Launch! will automatically insert the current path.

If you enter a file name that is associated with another program, such as README.TXT, Launch! will automatically place the associated program, such as Notepad, in the "Program" field.  Launch! will then move the file you originally typed in (README.TXT) to the parameters field.

The "Parameters", "Working Directory", and "Description" fields are optional.  Their functions are identical to the Parameters and Working Directory fields located in the Properties of an icon in Program Manager.  (In Launch!, the Working Directory will default to the location of the program in the Program field.)  If you supply a description, it will be placed in the status bar instead of what's in the "Program" field.  (The status bar is only visible if "Status Bar" is checked on the General Options screen.)

You can also specify the program's "Run Style," that is, what state the window is in after the program is launched.  The default value is "Normal" and "With Focus".  If you choose "Minimized," the program will start out in an iconized state.  Likewise, choosing "Maximized" will start the program in a maximized state.  If you do not want the program to have the focus after it is launced, just uncheck the box labeled "With Focus."  (If you choose "Maximized," you cannot uncheck the "With Focus" box.)

The following figure shows a sample configuration:

Launch!, by default, extracts the first icon found in the program to use as the picture on the button.  (If you specified a DOS program, it uses the MS-DOS icon found in PROGMAN.EXE.  All PIF's will default to this MS-DOS icon as well.)

If you want to use one of the other icons in the program, or an icon from a different icon source all together, click on the button "Select Icon...".  You can then specify the name of the icon source either by typing it directly into the "Icon Source File" field, or by pressing "Browse..." and selecting it from the dialog box.  After you specify a new icon source, click on the horizontal scroll bar located inside the "Selected Icon" frame.  If there is more than one icon in the icon source file, you can scroll through them all and pick the one you want.  Press "OK" when you're satisfied, or press "Cancel" to forget about the changes you made to the selected icon.

The following figure is an example "Select Icon" screen:

When you're done configuring the button, press "OK" to go back to Launch!, or press "Cancel" to abort the configuration of the button.

NOTE: If Launch! was unable to extract an icon out of the icon source specified, then the button will display a "NO ICON" picture.  (Versions of Launch! previous to 1.7 would not allow a button to be configured if the specified icon was invalid.)

Configuring the button to run an INTERNAL FUNCTION:

Just as buttons can be configured to run an external program, you can configure any button to run an internal function.  There are currently six internal functions.  They include the ability to exit Windows, save the Launch! configuration, and reboot your computer.

Click on an unconfigured button.  The button configuration screen will come up just as it does when you're configuring the button to run an external program.  Click on the option button labeled "Internal Function" which is located at the top of this screen.  When you click on this, the configuration screen will change to allow you to choose from an internal function to run.

The following figure shows what the configuration screen looks like when configuring an Internal Function:

Configuring a button for an internal function is very simple. Just choose from the list of internal functions.  Here is a list of the internal functions available and what their purpose is:

•	Restart Windows - Safely closes this session of Windows and restarts a new session.  This is useful if you want a change in your Windows' configuration to go into effect, or if you want to reclaim some system resources.  (If you have any unsaved data in other applications, you will be prompted to save it before Windows is closed.)

•	Exit Windows - Safely closes this session of Windows and returns you to the DOS prompt.

•	Reboot System - Safely closes this session of Windows and reboots your computer.

•	Edit Launch! Configuration - Brings up Launch!'s General Configuration screen.  This is identical to selecting "Launch! Config..." from the Popup Menu.

•	Save Configuration  - Saves the current configuration of Launch!  This function is identical to the "Force Immediate Save" button on the Launch! configuration screen.

•	Revert to Last Saved Configuration - Restarts Launch! without saving the configuration.  This is useful if you have made a change to Launch! that you don't want saved.  This function is identical to the "Revert" button on the Launch! configuration screen.

After you select an internal function, you can then specify whether or not you want confirmation.  Check the box labeled "Request Confirmation" if you want confirmation, or unceck the box if you do not want it.  If you check this box you will be always be asked if you're sure you want to perform the selected function before it is performed.

NOTE: Internal functions use built-in icons.  You cannot specify the icon to use for an internal function.  Also, the text inside the status bar will always be in a magenta color when the mouse pointer is over a button configured to run an internal function

Second Method

Another way to configure the button on Launch! is to drag the program from File Manager and drop it on the button you wish to configure.  You can also drag and drop a file that is associated with another program onto Launch!  This method is much faster and easier.  Launch! will use the first icon in the program if it's a Windows program, and will use the MS-DOS icon found in PROGMAN.EXE if it's a DOS program.

Some Windows programs do not have icons embedded in them.  In this case Launch! will display a "NO ICON" picture on the button you dropped the program on.  An example of such a program is the Windows Task Manager: TASKMAN.EXE.

You can also drop the program on a button that has already been configured.  If you do so, you will be prompted wether or not you want to reconfigure the button for the new program.  After you have dropped the program on to a button, you can "fine tune" the configuration by right-clicking on the button that was just configured.  This will bring up the popup menu.  You can then select "Edit..." to adjust the configuration.

Whichever method you choose to configure the button, it can easily be reconfigured by clicking on "Edit..." in the popup menu.

NOTE: You cannot configure or reconfigure buttons when Launch! is in read-only mode.


Configuring the General Options

You can configure Launch!'s general options by clicking on the grey area of the Launch! window.  You can also configure them by right-clicking on one of Launch!'s buttons, then selecting "Launch! Config..." from the popup menu.  (See also The Popup Menu)

The following figure shows the Launch! configuration screen:

The following are the general options that can be configured:

•	Always On Top - Launch! will stay on top of other windows even if it does not have the focus when this box is checked.

•	Save Position On Close - If this box is checked, Launch! will save its current screen position.  Next time you run Launch!, it will be located at that position.

•	Ignore Clicks On Border -  By default the general configuration screen will come up when you click on the grey border on the Launch! form.  Checking this box will disable that.  (You can always bring up the general configuration screen by selecting "Launch! Config..." from the Popup Menu.)

•	Disable Message Sounds -  Checking this box will cause Launch! not to play any sound when a message box comes up.  By default Launch! plays the 'Exclamation,' 'Question,' or 'Critical Stop' sounds as defined by the 'Sound' section of the Control Panel.

•	Show Drag & Drop Guide -  Checking this box will cause a small black window to appear during an "arrange" process.  The black window will show you where the button you're currently dragging will be placed when you drop it.

•	Verify Launch! Close - If this box is checked, Launch! will ask for confirmation before it is closed via the Control Menu.  However, no confirmation will be asked if it is closed by any other means, such as from a Task Manager or from Windows exiting.  This feature may help prevent any accidental closures.

•	Read-Only Mode -  Checking this box will place Launch! in a read-only mode.  No buttons can be configured or reconfigured while Launch! is in this mode.  Most general configuration options cannot be reconfigured while Launch! is in this mode either.  To take Launch! out of read-only mode, just uncheck this box.  Setting Launch! in read-only mode may be useful if you have configured Launch! and you do not want it to change.

The following options are located in the launching section:

•	Minimize On Launch - Launch! will minimize itself after you click on a configured button if you have this box checked.

•	Prevent 'Double-Runs' - Checking this box will help prevent "double-runs," that is, accidentally launching two instances of an application.  If you find yourself accidentally double clicking on Launch!'s buttons, enabling this feature will help.  Launch! will not allow the same button to be clicked within a two second time period.

These options relate to the status bar:

•	Status Bar - If this option is checked, a small text bar appears at the bottom of Launch!  When you move the mouse over any of the configurable buttons on Launch!, the status bar will display the description that the button is configured with.  If no description was defined, the executable that the button is configured with is shown instead.  The following figure shows an example of what the status bar looks like:

•	Show Time If Blank -  If the status bar is blank, the current time and date will be shown.  To use this option, Status Bar must be checked.  This option and Hide If Blank cannot be checked at the same time.  When the status bar is displaying the time, it will always be shown in red text.  The following figure shows what the status bar looks like with this option checked:

Clicking on the status bar will bring up the Time Format screen.  On this scree you can change the format of the time that is displayed.  Here is an example of what the Time Format screen looks like:

See Time Format Codes for details on the various codes that can be used when configuring the time format.

•	Hide If Blank - If the status bar is blank, it will be hidden from view.  To use this option, Status Bar must be checked.  This option and Show Time If Blank cannot be checked at the same time.  The following figure shows what the bottom of Launch! looks like without a status bar.

The following items allow you to define the button configuration:

•	Rows & Columns - The number of rows and columns of buttons that Launch! will show.  Launch! is limited to a maximum of 50 rows and 50 columns.  WARNING: displaying several hundreds of buttons will require a large amount of system resources.  Launch! will close (without saving its configuration) if it cannot allocate the system resources required to display the number of buttons you specified.

•	Rows Visible - If this value is LESS than the Rows value, then Launch! will only show this number of rows of buttons at one time.  The other rows can be viewed by clicking on the scroll bar that will be located on the right side of the Launch! form.  This feature allows you to have the convenience of many configurable buttons on Launch!, without having to sacrifice valuable desktop space.  The following figure shows what the right side of Launch! looks like when the scroll bar is visible:

•	Button Size - Defines the size, in pixels, of the picture in each button.  The smaller the picture, the smaller the button will be.  (The default size is 32 pixels.)

The following items are miscellaneous functions that can be performed:

•	Save Now - Normally the configuration of Launch! is saved when Launch! is closed.  Pressing this button will immediately save it.

•	Revert - Reconfigures Launch! with the last saved configuration.  The current configuration is not saved.  You will be asked for confirmation when you press this button.

•	About... - Displays some information about Launch!, including its version number.  The memory free and system resources free are also displayed on this screen.

•	Help... - Brings up the online help.


Time Format Codes

The following is a list of all the codes you can use when specifying the time format.  The meaning of each code is also given.

Date Codes:

Code	Meaning

c	Display the date as ddddd and the time as ttttt, in that order.

d	Display the day as a number without a leading zero (1-31).

dd	Display the day as a number with a leading zero (01-31).

ddd	Display the day as an abbreviation (Sun-Sat).

dddd	Display the day as a full name (Sunday-Saturday).

ddddd	Display the full date according to the Short Date setting in the International section of the Windows Control Panel.

dddddd	Display the full date according to the Long Date setting in the International section of the Windows Control Panel.

w	Display the day of the week as a number (1 for Sunday through 7 for Saturday).

ww	Display the week of the year as a number (1-53).

m	Display the month as a number without a leading zero (1-12).  If m immediately follows h, then the minute is displayed instead of the month.

mm	Display the month as a number with a leading zero (01-12).  If mm immediately follows h, then the minute is displayed instead of the month.

mmm	Display the month as an abbreviation (Jan-Dec).

mmmm	Display the month as a full name (January-December).

q	Display the quarter of the year as a number (1-4).

y	Display the day of the year as a number (1-366).

yy	Dispay the year as a two-digit number (00-99).

yyyy	Display the year as a four-digit number (100-9999).

Time Codes:

Code	Meaning

h	Display the hour as a number without leading zeros (0-23).

hh	Display the hour as a number with leading zeros (00-23).

n	Display the minute as a number without leading zeros (0-59).

nn	Display the minute as a number with leading zeros (00-59).

s	Display the second as a number without leading zeros (0-59).

ss	Display the second as a number with leading zeros (00-59).

ttttt	Display the full time according to the Time Format setting in the International section of the Windows Control Panel.

AM/PM	Use the 12-hour clock and display an uppercase AM with any hour before noon; display an uppercase PM with any hour between noon and 11:59 PM.

am/pm	Use the 12-hour clock and display a lowercase AM with any hour before noon; display a lowercase PM with any hour between noon and 11:59 PM.

A/P	Use the 12-hour clock and display an uppercase A with any hour before noon; display an uppercase P with any hour between noon and 11:59 PM.

a/p	Use the 12-hour clock and display a lowercase A with any hour before noon; display a lowercase P with any hour between noon and 11:59 PM.

Examples:

Codes	Display

m/d/yy	12/7/58

d-mmmm-yy	7-December-58

dd mmmm	07 December

mmmm yyyy	December 1958

hh:nn AM/PM	08:50 PM

h:nn:ss a/p	8:50:35 p

h:nn	20:50

h:nn:ss	20:50:35

m/d/yy h:mm	12/7/58 20:50


Contacting the Author

If you have any questions or suggestions, you can contact the author by writing to:

U.S. Mail:

Rodney M. Savard

4507 South Kent Street

Kennewick, WA 99337-4510

E-Mail:

America Online:	RodSavard

GEnie:	R.SAVARD

ImagiNation:	Box # 58313

Internet:	r.savard@genie.geis.com

Internet:	rm_savard@pnl.gov

Internet:	rodsavard@aol.com


Contents
Launch! version 1.81

Contents

Introduction

About Launch!

Installation

Using Launch!

Configuring the General Options

Configuring the Buttons

The Popup Menu

Launching an Application

Other Information

Registering Launch!

Contacting the Author

Launch! version 1.8 was written using Microsoft Visual Basic version 3.0 Pro.  It was compiled on March 7, 1994.

Launch! Help (this file) was written using WordPerfect version 6.0 for Windows.  It was compiled on March 7, 1994, using the Microsoft Help Compiler version 3.10.504 (extended).

Copyright © 1993-1994

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


Installation

The installation of Launch! is simple.  Place the following files in the respective locations:

LAUNCH!.EXE	- Any directory

LAUNCH!.HLP	- Same directory as LAUNCH!.EXE

THREED.VBX	- WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

CMDIALOG.VBX	- WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

MSGBLAST.VBX	- WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

CTL3D.DLL	- WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

IMPORTANT:  If these VBX files or the DLL file are already in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, check the dates of the files and use the newest ones.  (The older ones should be deleted.)

Launch! was written using Microsoft Visual Basic version 3.0.  Just like all other Visual Basic 3.0 applications, Launch! requires the file  VBRUN300.DLL to be in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.


Launching an Application

Once one of the buttons on Launch! has been configured, the program you configured the button with can be launched by just clicking on the button.

If for some reason the program cannot be launched, you will be given an error code and message explaining the reason.  The following figure shows an example error message that may come up when a program cannot be launched:


Registering Launch!

Please print this form, fill it out, and mail to:

Rodney M. Savard

4507 South Kent Street

Kennewick, WA 99337-4510

Name: ______________________________________

Address: ___________________________________

City: ______________________________________

State: __________        ZIP: ______________

Phone: ______________    FAX: ______________

E-mail: ____________________________________

Received Launch! from: _____________________

Version you're using: ______

Improvements or changes you'd like to see: _

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

Enclosed is $______ to cover the registration for ____ copies of Launch!  ($15.00* each)

Thank you for supporting the shareware software concept and encouraging the future development of Launch! and other programs written by Rodney Savard.

*If you are ordering more than 4 copies of Launch!, please contact the author for information on multiple-license discounts.


The Popup Menu

This menu comes up when you right-click on one of Launch!'s buttons.  The button that is under the mouse pointer when you right-click on it is the button that will be affected by the following commands.  The items on the menu include:

•	Edit... - This allows you to change the configuration of the button, including the program, parameters, working directory, and icon it uses.  If Launch! is in read-only mode, this menu item will read "View..." instead of "Edit...".  In read-only mode, you are allowed to view the configuration of a button, but you cannot change anything.

•	Clear - This clears the configuration of the button.  You will be prompted to confirm your action if you select this menu option.  This menu item is disabled in read-only mode.

•	Swap - This allows you to swap two buttons around.  If you choose this option, you must then pick the target button (the button to swap with).  The source button will appear flat when you're prompted to select the target button.  If you change your mind about swapping buttons, click on the source (flat) button to cancel the swap.  This menu item is disabled in read-only mode.  The following figure shows an example of how Launch! may appear during the swap process:

•	Arrange - This allows you to rearrange buttons by picking them up and dropping them between other buttons (dragging & dropping them).  This method may be better to use than the swap feature in some circumstances.  If you choose this option, you can arrange as many buttons as you want.  When you are done, you just click on the grey border on the Launch! window.  The following figure shows an example of how Launch! may appear during an arrange process:

Dropping "File Manager" here will insert it between "Notepad" and "Control Panel".

•	Launch! Config... - Brings up the General Configuration screen.

•	Help... - Brings up this online help screen.

•	Cancel - Closes the popup menu.  (Clicking outside of the popup menu will also close it.)


VBRUN300.DLL

This is a dynamic-link library (DLL) required by all programs written in Visual Basic.  If you do not already have a copy of this file, you can get it off of most BBS's and online services.  Most likely you can find it at the same place you found Launch!