HoverBar is Shareware. If you decide to keep it, you must register by paying $5 (or more!) for each copy. You can use the accompanying Register program to make your payment, or you can pay me directly. The Register program lets you pay with non-US currencies, credit cards, checks, virtual cash, etc. It also allows you to send your payment via fax or email. To pay me directly, send cash or a check (US funds only) to my address, which is listed below. If you have paid for a previous version of HoverBar, you may keep this version at no charge.
Thanks to Larry Chen for making me write this, James W. Walker for his public-domain source code, Troy Gaul for his Infinity Windoid WDEF, Matt Slot for unknowingly pointing me in the right direction with his appe Windows source code and allowing me to distribute TSM Fix, and Pierre-Luc Paour for showing me the Layer Manager. Thanks also to everyone who wrote me with praise, comments, and criticism about previous versions!
If you wish to test development and beta versions of HoverBar, please send me your email address. My email address is listed below.
WHAT IT IS:
HoverBar keeps icons and clipboard data at your fingertips by storing them on bars that float over everything, no matter what program you are using.
You can create two types of bars:
Icon Bar - Store the icons of files, folders, and programs for quick access.
Clip Bar - A drag & drop clipboard.
WHAT IT REQUIRES:
Ñ System 7.1 or higher.
Ñ Finder 7.1.3 or higher. Finder 7.1.3 comes with System 7 Pro, and Finder 7.1.4 comes with System 7.5.
Ñ Mac Drag & Drop 1.1. It comes with System 7.5, and you can get it via anonymous ftp (see last item).
Ñ Finder Scripting Extension 1.2. It comes with System 7.5, and you can get it via anonymous ftp (see last item).
Ñ I strongly recommend using HoverBar with System 7.5, since that's what I test it on.
Ñ I also recommend that you use the TSM Fix system extension with HoverBar, since it fixes a system level bug which can make HoverBar ignore some mouse clicks. TSM Fix comes bundled with HoverBar, but you can find the most recent version on an Info-Mac mirror.
Ñ Inline++TSM must be turned off for HoverBar. See the Known Incompatibilities section below.
Ñ You can get Mac Drag & Drop 1.1 and Finder Scripting Extension 1.2 via anonymous ftp at:
ftp.support.apple.com/pub/Apple SW Updates/US/mac/System Software/Other System Software/
HOW TO USE IT:
Application Features:
Ñ Create a new Icon Bar or Clip Bar by choosing 'New╔' from the 'File' menu, clicking on the appropriate radio button, then clicking 'OK'. You will be asked to save your new bar, and then the Bar's settings dialog will appear, allowing you to customize it.
Ñ You can customize a Bar by choosing the Bar's name from the 'Bars' menu. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to change how the Bar behaves.
Ñ When a bar has had its visibility turned off, it's name in the 'Bars' menu is marked by a diamond. You can toggle the visibility flag by holding down the Option key and choosing a Bar's name from the 'Bars' menu.
Ñ You can change HoverBar's settings by choosing 'Preferences╔' from the 'File' menu. Among other things, you can customize all of the hot keys for the application and the different types of Bars.
Ñ If the Bars are blocking your view, press Command-Escape to hide all of them. Pressing Command-Escape again makes them reappear.
Icon Bar Features:
Ñ This bar holds virtually all finder icons; drag a file/folder/application/control panel/etc. onto the Plus sign, and its icon appears on the bar. Note: When installing icons, alias files are resolved by default; you can turn this off via the preferences. I recommend turning it off if when installing an item which exists on a remote server.
Ñ Clicking on an icon opens the application/file/folder/control panel/etc. It will also bring a running application to the foreground.
Ñ Holding down modifier keys and clicking on or dragging an icon can do one of many things:
Command-Click: Quits a running program or closes a Folder or ControlPanel.
Command-Shift-Drag: Lets you reposition an icon on its Bar, or removes it altogether if you drop it on the Minus sign. Note: The Plus sign turns into a Minus when you are Command-Shift dragging. Those items which were installed on the Bar will be uninstalled, while those items which only represent running apps will be prevented from appearing on the Bar. When an item both represents a running app and has been installed on the Bar by dropping on the Plus sign, you must first drop it on the Minus to uninstall it, then drop it on the Minus again to prevent it from appearing as a running app.
Option-Click: Hides the frontmost application, then opens the item that you clicked on. If the item that you clicked on is the frontmost application, then all other applications are hidden.
Command-Option-Drag: Just like dragging the original item that the icon represents. Be careful; dragging this item to the trash puts the original application/file/etc. in the trash.
Shift-Click: Reveals the original item in its Finder window.
Shift-Option-Click: Get the Info for the original item.
Ñ Drag files to applications on the bar, just like you do in the Finder, and the application will try to open the files.
Ñ Drag files to a folder on the bar, and the files will be put into the folder.
Ñ In order for an Icon Bar to show Background Apps, it must be showing Running Apps.
Ñ To re-display those running apps which you have specified should not show up on the Bar (see the results of Command-Shift-Dragging above), click on the 'Clear No-Show App List' button in the Bar's Settings dialog.
Clip Bar:
Ñ Drag text/pictures/sounds/icons/anything onto the bar to store them.
Ñ Drag from the bar and drop it where you want it to go.
Notable Features of all Bars:
Ñ You can change some of a Bar's settings via a popup menu which is revealed when you hold down the Option key and click in a Bar's title bar.
Ñ Since a Bar's title bar is very small, you can hold down the Control key and click anywhere on a Bar to drag it around. Likewise, you can hold down Control-Option and click anywhere on a bar to show the popup settings menu.
Ñ Switch off the Visible flag to hide the Bar indefinitely. Switch it back on and the Bar will appear whenever it can.
Ñ Turning on the Single App flag means that the Bar should only be visible when the application with the specified signature is frontmost. Type in the application's signature, or select the application (via an Open dialog) by clicking the 'Choose╔' button.
Notes:
Ñ You should have the Finder running when using HoverBar. Most features will not work without it.
Known Incompatibilities:
Ñ WindowShade will not collapse HoverBar's Bars. HoverBar uses a JGNE filter which looks at mouse clicks and consumes them before WindowShade even knows they exist!
Ñ Inline++TSM must be set to be inactive for HoverBar, otherwise HoverBar will not start up.
Ñ You cannot click on any of the bars while File Sharing is starting up. I am not sure why this happens.
Ñ Excel will crash when when you click on a Bar when Excel is in Print Preview mode.
Ñ Some of Quicken's windows do not draw themselves properly when there is a Bar over them. This looks like it is Quicken's problem.
Ñ TexEdit Plus's windows do not draw themsevles properly when scrolling a document that contains a PICT.
Ñ Dragging from a Bar over the "About HoverBar╔" window will cause the drag to end abruptly. I think this is a bug in the Drag Manager.
Ñ When Snitch is installed, crashes will occur when adding items to an Icon Bar and the Info window for an alias to the item to be added is open in the Finder.
Ñ Using KeyQuencer to turn on Balloon Help when HoverBar is frontmost can cause crashes.
HOW TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR:
Guy Fullerton
1325 Applecross Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
hedgeboy@kagi.com
http://realm.net/~hedgeboy
Drop me a line if you find any bugs or have any questions, comments or suggestions!
LEGAL STUFF:
HoverBar is ⌐1995 by Guy Fullerton. Guy Fullerton retains absolutely all rights to this piece of software.
The author, Guy Fullerton, makes no warranties, either express or implied, regarding the fitness of this or any version of HoverBar for any purpose. Use it at your own risk. The author claims no liability for data loss or other problems caused directly or indirectly by HoverBar.
You are free to distribute HoverBar, with the following exceptions and notes:
You may upload HoverBar to a bulletin board, ftp site, or other software repository, only if there is no charge for downloading it, apart from any charges incurred for connect time. If you wish to distribute HoverBar on a CD-ROM, or other collection of software, you must get the author's permission in writing. You may not, in any case, distribute a modified copy of HoverBar.
