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- SECOND CHANCE TO CLICK ON A FILE
-
- INTRODUCTION
- Do you have a problem deciding which of your word
- processors should handle a given .DOC file ? Can
- you decide which graphics package should handle
- a .PCX file ? Second Chance lets you associate
- multiple candidate application programs with a given
- suffix. Second Chance opens your Windows by spawning
- the application of your choice when you click on a
- given data file.
-
- CONFIGURING SECCHNCE BY MENU
- The easy way to configure Second Chance is to select
- the Associate entry under the Second Chance's Control
- Menu. Enter a suffix of 1 to 3 characters, for
- example, DOC. Next, enter from 2 to 16 application
- names (e.g. notepad.exe) which Second Chance should
- associate with that suffix. If you enter only one
- application, Second Chance associates the application
- directly with the suffix, and the next time you click on
- a file with that suffix, you will bypass Second Chance.
- If you don't enter an application, Second Chance will
- break all associations with the suffix. Click on ""OK"" or
- just press ""Enter"" to immediately activate the
- associations. Second Chance updates your WIN.INI file
- and signals Windows that it has done so.
-
- CONFIGURING SECCHNCE MANUALLY
- To configure Second Chance manually, edit your WIN.INI
- file with an editor such as ""notepad."" Once in the
- editor, move to the [Extensions] section. For suffixes
- which should associate with multiple application
- programs, replace the command field of the [Extensions]
- parameters with secchnce.exe instead of the usual
- application program. For example,
-
- [Extensions]
- doc=secchnce.exe ^.doc
- txt=secchnce.exe ^.txt
- pcx=secchnce.exe ^.pcx
-
- Elsewhere in the WIN.INI file, create a [secchnce]
- section, adding a list of candidate application programs
- for each suffix. Secchnce handles up to 16 applications
- per suffix. For example,
-
- [secchnce]
- doc=notepad.exe write.exe wp51-286.pif
- pcx=paint.exe gcp.exe pbrush.pif
- txt=notepad.exe write.exe wp51-286.pif
-
- Save your WIN.INI file, exit Windows, and re-enter
- Windows for configuration to take effect.
-
- USING SECOND CHANCE
- As usual, double click on a filename displayed by
- MS-DOS or File Manager. The Second Chance menu buttons
- will appear. Click on (or arrow key to) the desired
- application program. On a successful selection,
- Second Chance displays an hourglass while spawning your
- selection then immediately exits. If a problem occurs,
- Second Chance displays a diagnostic message box.
-
-
- WINDOWS RELEASES SUPPORTED
- Second Chance runs under Windows 2.03, 2.1X, and 3.0
- in real, standard, and 386 enhanced modes.
-
- LIMITATIONS
- Second Chance handles filename parameters but no flags
- or switches. Second Chance doesn't work well with Excel
- or programs which manipulate the caller's stack.
- I haven't figured out how to alternately execute and
- edit .BAT files under Second Chance.
-
- LEGAL
- Second Chance's users take all responsibility for using
- it.
-
- TRADEMARKS
- 386 -- Intel Corp.
- MS-DOS, Windows -- Microsoft Corp.
-
- DISTRIBUTION
- I place the Second Chance executable, secchnce.exe, and
- its documentation, secchnce.doc, in the public domain.
- Pass 'em along.
-
- --Robert A. Heath
-