Media Launcher Contents
Media Launcher User Guide Contents

Introduction

Media Launcher Overview

Media Launcher Controls

Using Media Launcher

Launching a Program

Controlling System Audio Volume

Playing Multimedia Files Using Drag and Drop

Printing Using Drag and Drop

Getting Driver or Printer Information

Configuring Media Launcher

Adding, Deleting, or Changing Configurations

Customizing Media Launcher


Media Launcher Overview

Media Launcher lets you launch programs quickly from a convenient button bar, raise or lower audio volume, and play multimedia files without separate player applications


Media Launcher Controls

Click on the picture below for more information.

The program icons in the button bar can vary, so your Media Launcher may not appear exactly as shown above.


Control Menu Button
Control Menu Button:  Shows Media Launchers control menu, letting you close the program or specify that it should always be on top of other programs, for example.


Title Bar
Title Bar:  Displays the current time and date.


Volume Control
Volume Control:  Lets you adjust your PCs audio volume.


Button Bar
Button Bar:  Holds programs that can be launched from Media Launcher.  To launch a program, left click on its icon.  To add or edit a program configuration, right click on its existing icon or the blank space where you want to add the program.


Configuration Button
Configuration Button:  Shows a configuration dialog box for user options.


Help Button
Help Button:  Shows an On-line User Guide in the form of a Help file.


Drag and Play Area
Drag and Play Area:  Media Launcher will play multimedia files dragged from File Manager and dropped onto this area, if your PC has the appropriate hardware and multimedia drivers.


Drag and Print Area
Drag and Print Area:  Media Launcher will have the appropriate application try to print files dragged from File Manager and dropped onto this area.


Launching a Program

Media Launcher comes configured to let you control a variety of multimedia applications.  To launch an application shown in the button bar, just click its the button once with you left mouse button.


Controlling System Audio Volume

Media Launchers volume slider and mute button control your PCs overall volume level.  To raise volume, move the slider up.  To reduce volume, move the slider down.  To temporarily shut off audio without moving the slider, click on the Mute button below the slider.  Clicking on Mute again restores audio output.

Tip:	You can move the volume slider using keyboard hot keys, even if Media Launcher is minimized.  Pressing the key combination [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[UpArrow] raises the volume slider.  [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[DownArrow] lowers the volume slider.  [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Spacebar] toggles the Mute button on and off.

As you adjust the volume with hot keys, you see the slider move, even on the minimized program icon.


Playing Multimedia Files Using Drag and Drop

Media Launcher lets you quickly play files without having to use separate player applications.

Typical multimedia file types you can play include those with .WAV and .MID file extensions.  If your system has Video for Windows runtime software installed, you can also play .AVI files.

To play a multimedia file, drag it from File Manager and drop it on the Drag and Play Area.

To stop a file that is playing, press the [Esc] key while Media Launcher is the foreground application.  That is, make sure Media Launcher is on top, perhaps by clicking on its title bar, and then press the [Esc] key.


Printing Files Using Drag and Drop

To print a Windows document, drag it from Windows File Manager and drop it on the Drag and Print Area.  Media Launcher will send a print command to the application that created the document.


Getting Driver or Printer Information

To view a list of audio drivers installed in your PC, click with the left mouse button on the Drag and Play Area.

To view information about the current printer, click with the left mouse button on the Drag and Print Area.


Adding, Deleting, or Changing Configurations

While Media Launcher comes configured to run a variety of applications, you can customize it further.

To change the location of an application in the button bar, just drag its icon to the desired location.  If you drag an icon to an empty space, the icon will simply be moved.  If you drag an icon and drop it on top of an existing icon in the button bar, the positions of the two programs will be switched.

To edit,  delete, or add  a program:

Click with the right mouse button on the program icon or blank space on the button bar to use the Application Options screen.

To delete the program icon from the button bar, click on the Remove button.

To change or add a program at a given location, browse to the desired application or enter the applications path in the File field.  To specify command line parameters for that application (usually not required), enter them in the Parameters field.  A typical Parameter is the name of a data file to be loaded automatically upon launching.  To specify a working directory for the application (usually not required), enter the path to that directory in the Working Directory field.

To change just the icon itself, click on the Change Icon button and locate the icon you want to use (usually located in a .EXE or .ICO file).

You can use the Display area to indicate if you want the application to always run Minimized or Maximized.

When you are finished, click on OK in the Application Options screen.  Your changes will appear on Media Launchers main screen.


Customizing Media Launcher

You can customize Media Launchers shape and behavior by clicking on the Configuration Button and entering your preferences at the Launcher Options configuration box:

Button Rows and Columns values let you specify the overall size and shape (and the number of program launching icons).

Always on Top prevents Media Launcher from being hidden by other applications.

Show Volume Controls lets you choose whether to display the master volume slider and mute button at Media Launchers left edge.

Show Date in Title lets you choose whether to have the current date and time appear in Media Launchers title bar.