home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- About Draggin' Viewer
- ---------------------
-
- Welcome to Draggin' Viewer (DV), Shareware Version 2.05! Draggin' Viewer
- is a drag & drop file viewer/program launcher utility for Microsoft
- Windows, Version 3.1 or later. (Sorry, this application will not work
- with Windows 3.0 or earlier.)
-
- DV appears as an icon on the Desktop. Select one or file names in the
- Windows File Manager, or other drag & drop server. Drag the names to the
- Draggin' Viewer icon, and the files will be opened for viewing or editing
- in their originating applications, or in the program "associated" with
- their filename extension in Windows. If there is no associated
- application, the file will be opened in Windows Notepad or Write, depend-
- ing on its size. (Notepad is limited to text files of less than about
- 48500 bytes.)
-
- Executable files are handled as follows: Files with .EXE and .COM
- extensions will "launch", or start-up; files with the .BAT extension
- (DOS batch files) will be opened in Notepad or Write, as above, and .PIF
- files will be opened in the PIF Editor.
-
- Options for Draggin' Viewer are accessed by clicking on the icon and
- selecting an item from the system menu. One option is the ability to
- launch the Windows File Manager at the same time as Draggin' Viewer.
-
- This release is a major update of Draggin' Viewer. The major enhancement
- is the ability to start all applications associated to files, as well as
- Notepad, Write and Pif Editor. Another feature is that DV will warn the
- user if he/she is about to open a Windows library or a file containing
- non-ASCII characters in an ASCII file editor. Since changes to a library
- or any other binary file can be disasterous, VB Expressions recommends
- cancelling the file open.
-
-
- Draggin' Viewer Installation
- ----------------------------
-
- The archive file you just unzipped, DRAGGN.ZIP, contains this file
- and the file DVV205S.ZIP. Copy DVV200S.ZIP to a temporary directory,
- and unzip it. It will create the following files:
-
- Name Size Date Time
- ------------ -------- -------- --------
- DRAGGIN.EXE 19033 02-21-94 11:19p
- SUBEZ.VBX 17408 03-11-93 4:09a
-
-
- Copy DRAGGIN.EXE to your Microsoft Windows default directory, normally
- named \WINDOWS. SUBEZ.VBX is a support file for Draggin' Viewer; copy it
- to your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. We recommend the use of the Windows File
- Manager for these tasks, and would NOT overwrite a file of the same name
- but with later dates.
-
- Windows Write, Windows Notepad, the File Manager and the PIF Editor must
- be in a directory in your DOS path for Draggin' Viewer to function
- properly.
-
- One additional support file is required to use Draggin' Viewer 2.05:
- VBRUN300.DLL, the runtime module for Visual Basic 3.0. If you run any
- other Visual Basic 3.0 programs, you have this file, probably in your
- \WINDOWS or \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. Otherwise, VBRUN300.DLL is
- available from the same BBS, on-line system or software distributor where
- you obtained DRAGGN.EXE.
-
- To execute Draggin' Viewer, add its icon to a Program Manager Program
- Group, or click on DRAGGIN.EXE in File Manager. If you use Draggin' Viewer
- to launch File Manager, you might want to change the Draggin' Viewer icon
- to a File Manager icon. Do this by clicking "Change Icon..." from the
- Program Manager Properties box, and specifying "WINFILE.EXE" in the "File
- Name" input box. Then choose your favorite File Manager icon!
-
-
- NOTES ABOUT THIS VERSION
- ------------------------
-
- 1. The ability to open all registered and associated Windows applications
- is the major enhancement of Version 2.05 of Draggin' Viewer. The
- performance of this feature depends on your applications and their
- programmers.
-
- "Proper" Windows 3.1 apps will register themselves in the registration
- database, along with instructions for Windows on how to start the
- application and load files. For instance, when multiple .SAM or .XLS
- files are dragged onto the DV icon, Version 3.0 of Ami Pro and Version
- 4.0 of Excel know how to load the files as child windows, even if they
- are already active. However, Halo Desktop Imager (a drag & drop
- client like DV, by the way) will load only the first file, then pop up
- a dialog box telling you the application is already loaded.
-
- If your programs allow multiple allow multiple copies (instances,
- really) of themselves to run, like Notepad, Write, PaintBrush and
- Sound Recorder, then DV will start as many copies of the programs as
- files dropped.
-
- If you don't like the way DV works with a particular applications'
- files, I would encourage you to contact the publisher of that app,
- asking them to conform to Windows standards more closely. The
- apparent difference is the DDE support in the application.
-
- It is impossible for VB Expressions to a anticipate all the behaviors
- of your apps. However, we think you will pleased with the behavior
- of DV with most Windows applications.
-
- 2. I believe this version of Draggin' Viewer to have significant
- advantages over its competition. This program support all files
- you have associated in File Manager. You never have to upgrade
- Draggin' Viewer if you upgrade your applications with a new file
- format. When you use Draggin' Viewer, you are ready to edit the file
- you wanted to view.
-
- 3. Draggin' Viewer is a drag & drop client. The Windows File Manager is
- the most available drag & drop server. This version of Draggin'
- Viewer gives you to option to start File Manager with the Draggin'
- Viewer application. Draggin' Viewer defaults to start up the File
- Manager; to change this option, uncheck the "Start File Manager"
- option in the Draggin' Viewer System Menu. Draggin' Viewer will store
- the last setting of "Start File Manager" when closed normally (turning
- off your computer before exiting is bad Windows hygiene!) in the file
- DRAGGIN.INI and restore the setting when restarted.
-
- 4. Draggin' Viewer initially defaults to "Always On Top" mode. This keeps
- it visible when another window covers it. If you are annoyed by holes
- in your maximized documents, toggle "Always On Top" off by clicking
- the System Menu option. Draggin' Viewer will also store the last
- setting of "Always On Top" in the file DRAGGIN.INI, and restore it
- on start-up.
-
- 5. Close Draggin' Viewer by clicking on "Close" from the System Menu.
-
- 6. Help can be obtained by selecting "Help..." from the System Menu.
-
- 7. Adding PIF Editor launching to Draggin' Viewer "corrects" a Windows
- problem: clicking on a .PIF file will launch the DOS program the .PIF
- file describes, rather than the PIF Editor. With Draggin' Viewer's
- ability to launch .BAT files for editing, one can edit both the .PIF
- and the .BAT files needed to control non-Windows programs.
-
- 8. Users of the version 1.00S of Draggin' Viewer have a file named
- SYSMENU.DLL in their \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. You may delete this
- file IF and ONLY IF Draggin' Viewer is the only program you have that
- uses it (which is likely.) SUBEZ.VBX performs the function previously
- provided by SYSMENU.DLL.
-
- 9. The Windows libraries that DV warns about before opening are files
- with extensions: .DLL, .DRV, .VXD, .FON, .CPL, .386, .FOT, .TTF,
- .GRP, .VBX, .2GR and .3GR and .SCR. Note that this last is for
- screen-savers - certain applications may use this extension for
- SCRipt files, which will PROBABLY open as a proper text file.
-
- NOTICE
- ------
-
- Draggin' Viewer is NOT Public Domain or Freeware. Please REGISTER
- Draggin' Viewer if you use it beyond a fifteen day trial period.
- Send your (modest) $5 registration fee to:
-
- VB Expressions
- 64 Burning Brush Drive
- Rochester, NY 14650-4642.
-
- Kindly include the Version number and the source where you got Draggin'
- Viewer. Registrants of Version 1.00S, 1.10S, 1.20S, 1.20SE or 2.00S need
- not re-register; your support is greatly appreciated.
-
- You can also look for other VB Expressions utilities: additional Desktop
- Assistants (like Draggin' Viewer) include Printer's Daemon, a drag-and-drop
- file printing utility, and Trash Free-K!, a drag-and-drop file deletion
- utility. Smartclp is a Windows Clipboard enhancer, PM Fonts allows you
- to change your Program Manager fonts from the Microsoft default to any
- installed screen font and PM Group Sorter allows you to choose the order
- of your Program Manager Groups. Good stuff (if we may say so ourselves!)
-
- We'd be interested in your comments or suggestions on Draggin' Viewer.
- You can reach us by Email on CompuServe, ID 73457,3603.
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Draggin' Viewer - Copyright 1992,1993,1994 by P.M. Chefalo
-
-
- Revision History
- ----------------
-
- Version 1.00S - First Shareware Version
-
- Version 1.10S - Added .PIF file launching of PIF Editor. Updated to Visual
- Basic 2.0. Moved "Help..." to system menu. Corrected
- "bad behavior" when Draggin' Viewer caption was clicked,
- or when Draggin' Viewer was switched to by Task Manager.
- Added .INI file capability to restore last "Always On Top"
- setting. Added Win 3.0 detection and error message.
- Switched to SUBEZ.VBX for system menu support.
-
- Version 1.20S - Added File Manager launching capability. Changed Notepad/
- Write select point to 48500 bytes, due to further
- experience.
-
- Version 1.20SE - Special Edition of Draggin' Viewer created especially for the
- WinOnLine Review, Shareware Edition. The normal DV icon
- was replaced (most of the time) by a WOLR icon.
-
- Version 2.00S - Upgraded to Visual Basic 3.0. Added ability to launch
- programs other than Notepad, Write and PIF Editor. Added
- checking for library or non-ASCII files.
-
- Version 2.05S - Corrected flaws on opening files associated with Notepad,
- in detection of size and non-Ascii characters, and Windows
- libraries with non-File Manager drag & drop servers.