This document contains a brief introduction to setting up and using DragThing, along with some background information about the program and its author. The answers to most questions you have about DragThing should be in here (especially in the troubleshooting section), so have a read through it at least once.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Using DragThing
3. Troubleshooting
4. Secret Tips & Shortcuts
5. Version History
6. About The Author
7. Legal Stuff
8. Cool Stuff
9. Thanks
1. Introduction
DragThing is an application dock designed to tidy up the icons littering your desktop. Simply drag an application from the Finder onto an empty square in a dock and then drag documents onto it as normal. Double-click a docked application to launch it or bring it to the front. In addition, the docks can contain files, folders, disks and servers and there is also a option to display the currently running processes in a special dock.
It requires at least System 7.5 (or 7.1 with Drag & Drop, AppleScript and the Scriptable Finder) and a Macintosh with a minimum of a Motorola 68020 or PowerPC 601 processor. The application is distributed as a fat binary with both regular 68K and native PowerPC versions included.
DragThing may be used and distributed freely - all I ask is that if you really like DragThing and keep using it, you send me something cool in return. There is a list of cool stuff later on to guide you. People who send me cool stuff have a much better chance of getting bugs fixed or requested features added, and can feel good about themselves. People who keep using DragThing and don't send me anything will just have to live with the guilt (and the distinct lack of technical support).
Postcards aren't cool.
2. Using DragThing
Most things in DragThing have Balloon Help - turn it on and point at anything you are unsure about. There are useful tips scattered throughout the Balloon Help messages too. Also, have a look in the Preferences window for a lot of options including showing the process dock.
Installation
To install DragThing, put it in the Startup Items folder inside your System Folder and just double-click to begin. Alternatively, keep it anywhere else on your hard drive and check the 'Open DragThing automatically at startup' option in the DragThing Preferences window - this creates an alias to DragThing in the Startup Items folder and keeps it up to date.
Adding Items to Docks
To add an item into a dock, drag the item from the Finder into an empty square on the dock. The docks will accept any normal files, folders, disks and servers. You can also drag items between docks to move them. If you hold down option while dragging, a copy will be made of the item instead of moving it. If you drag a dock item into the Finder, an alias file will be created at the location you drag to.
Working with Dock Items
Once you have an item in a dock, you can drag files from the Finder onto it as normal. You can select an item by clicking on it, and then open it, find the original item in the Finder, or open the Finder Get Info window using the commands in the File menu. You can also double-click the item to open it.
Removing Items from Docks
To remove an item, either drag it to the Trash or select it and chose Clear from the Edit menu (or just press Delete). If you drag an item to the Trash, an alias file will be created there, so you can drag it back into the dock if you change your mind. If you have added the Trash to a dock, you can drag items to that as well. If you try and remove an item from the process dock, you get the option to quit that process.
Resizing Docks
To resize a dock to create new empty squares, click at the bottom or right hand side of the dock window (the cursor will change to show the right place) and drag the window out the the required size. Docks can be any size with multiple rows and columns limited only by memory. You can also rotate the docks from vertical to horizontal and back using the Rotate Dock item in the View menu.
You can change the size of the icons displayed in each dock using the first two items in the View menu. If you have lots of documents with the same icon, you can either give them custom icons to tell them apart, or choose the Show Names option.
The Minimise menu item allows you to shrink a dock down to a small window containing just the dock title. If you drag onto a minimised dock, it will expand for the duration of the drag and shrink again afterwards. Click on the minimised dock to expand it back to full size again.
The position of the minimised window is remembered separately from the normal dock position so, for example, you can have a minimised dock at the very bottom of your screen that moves upwards to reveal the full dock. Just drag around the minimised dock to where you want it to be.
If you want to rename a dock, select Dock Options from the Edit menu when it is at the front.
3. Troubleshooting
(or "it's not a bug, it's a feature")
If an unexpected error occurs in DragThing, it will bring up an Alert and give you the chance to quit or continue. If you can reproduce the problem, send email to the address below detailing what causes it along with the error ID number and the line number and source file where it occurs.
If you have any problems such as the correct icons not appearing, or the applications not accepting documents when you drag them on, rebuild the desktop on your hard disk (by holding down command and option as the Finder starts up). DragThing relies on a correct Desktop Database for many things, so this is a likely source of problems.
Some files that have icons in the Finder won't have icons in DragThing such as sound files, drag clippings, GX stuff and AOCE stuff - these are all special cases in the Finder and not available through the Desktop Database. Also, some files and folders like the Trash don't really exist at all and are just made up by the Finder to confuse innocent programmers. Icons for stationary files don't show up properly yet.
DragThing requires the Scriptable Finder which comprises the Finder (at least version 7.1.4) and the Scriptable Finder Extension. If you turn off extensions by holding down the shift key at startup, the Finder loses its scriptable nature and DragThing won't work. Also, DragThing uses the Scriptable Finder to do things like open files and applications so if you quit the Finder you won't be able to do much. The one exception to needing the Finder is that if you have the Finder itself stored in a dock, you can double-click to launch it regardless.
If you Mac suffers a really bad crash and writes random memory over DragThing, it's possible the DragThing Preferences file may be corrupted and you will get an error the next time DragThing starts up. I'm working on this, but keep a backup copy just in case for now.
Keep an eye on the memory bar in the About DragThing window to see how much memory DragThing is using - it's best to keep some free memory, and not let it fill it up all the way to the right. If DragThing runs out of memory it should fail gracefully and tell you to quit and increase the memory size from the Finder Get Info window, but problems are likely to occur if it has a very small amount of memory left. Each item you add to a dock uses a couple of kilobytes of memory to store the icon and details about the file, with slightly more for an application.
If you have Optimem installed, the memory bar reportedly claims you aren't using any memory. I believe that one of the things Optimem does is pretend to the application that it has more free memory than normal, so this isn't surprising.
On a similar theme, there are unconfirmed reports of trouble with RamDoubler 1.5.2 involving crashes while dragging from DragThing into the Finder.
If you drag a Trash item to a folder or onto the desktop, you will get an error message from the Finder, even though it makes an alias correctly - this is a Finder bug I think.
If you rapidly toggle on and off the 'Open DragThing automatically at startup' option, you can make more than one alias in the Startup Items folder. This is because I'm sending AppleEvents off to the Finder to create the alias, and it sometimes takes it a while for the Finder to get round to doing it. If you wait a second, and turn it off, they will all vanish again - and they will be cleaned up the next time DragThing starts anyway.
DragThing will probably crash on an original 68000 based Macintosh. Since it requires 32-bit Color QuickDraw, which doesn't work on a 68000 either, DragThing has been compiled for a 68020 processor. Nobody has complained about this one, so I guess nobody uses them any more…
4. Secret Tips & Shortcuts
To open the Finder Get Info window for an item, hold down Control and double-click the item.
To open the surrounding Finder window for an item, hold down Command and double-click the item.
To select an item when the 'Use single-click to open' option is on, hold down Command and click the item.
To adjust the width of view by name dock slots, hold down Option and resize any view by name dock horizontally.
To drag a dock window without using the titlebar, hold down Option and click an empty area on the dock.
To remove an item from a dock, click on it and press Delete, select Clear from the Edit menu, or drag it to the Trash.
To quit an application in the process dock, drag it to the Trash.
Hold down Option when you drag an item between two docks to make a copy instead of moving it.
Hold down Option when you drag a file to a folder or disk item to make a copy instead of moving it.
Hold down Control when you drag a file to a folder or disk item to make an alias instead of moving it.
To make an alias to an item, drag the item into the Finder.
To navigate round a dock, use the arrow keys. Return/Enter opens the selected item.
Tab cycles forwards through the docks and Shift-Tab cycles backwards.
To minimise/maximise the frontmost dock, press Space or Option-click the close box.
5. Version History
1.0.1
You can now drag items in docks onto other items in docks.
Added new large icon with name view.
Dragging multiple items to an empty square in a dock will add them all if there is enough space.
Added experimental ability to lock docks - hold down option and select Dock Options for a checkbox.
Fixed bug in window positioning on multiple monitors.
Fixed crashing bug when opening the Preferences window on some Macs.
Some other minor application and documentation changes.
Recompiled with CodeWarrior 6.
1.0
First public release.
This version of DragThing will expire a year from its release date, on the 1st June 1996. It will start to annoyingly remind you about this a month earlier. There should be a new version available by then from the sumex.stanford.edu ftp archive or from whoever gave you this copy. I've done this to stop old versions floating round for years to come rather than a "pay the shareware fee now" thing. But, having said that, if you send me something cool and include an email address, I'll keep you notified of new versions as they appear and send you them via email if you want. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to send out copies by regular mail, even if you send me blank disks.
The most recent version will always be send to macgifts@sumex-aim.stanford.edu so it should appear on the Info-Mac archive and all other good Macintosh ftp sites and their mirrors automatically. Hopefully it will also be kept up to date on places like eWorld and AOL by people uploading it on my behalf. If you see old versions lying around on these and other sites, you are encouraged to send them the new one. Minor version number changes (1.0.x) are mainly going to be bug fixes for version 1.0.
DragThing 1.0.1 was written and compiled using Metrowerks C/C++ 1.2.2, a component of Metrowerks CodeWarrior.
6. About The Author
The author is currently working as the resident Macintosh guru in the Systems Team at the Computing Science Department of the University of Glasgow. He specialises in Macintosh development and systems management and also has a nice sideline in unix systems administration.
Regular viewers will note that since graduating with a BSc (Hons) degree in Computing Science from the department in July 1994, he hasn't left the building yet. He now makes major purchasing decisions and gets a lot more junk mail. As ever, he eventually wants to work for Apple, but is quite happy working for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in the meantime. Only he doesn't.
E-mail: james@dcs.gla.ac.uk
At Home: 25 Dumbreck Road, Glasgow, Scotland, G41 5LJ, The UK.
At Work: Department of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, Scotland, G12 8QQ, The UK.
7. Legal Stuff
Don't put DragThing on your CD-ROM or magazine cover without getting prior permission. That's not cool. I'll probably say yes if I get sent a copy/subscription, but do ask first. If you want to distribute DragThing with a commercial product, let me know and we'll come to some arrangement. Individuals are encouraged to freely distribute DragThing and upload it to online services but commercial distribution is not permitted. For-profit shareware/PD software libraries are specifically prohibited from including DragThing on their disks, but genuine user groups are allowed to if they get permission first. This documentation and the unmodified application must be included with any distribution. And don't strip out the PPC or 68K code either…
While DragThing may be distributed in the above cases, it is copyright and not in the public domain. I retain all rights to DragThing. DragThing comes with absolutely no warranty at all. It may cause all sorts of horrible things to happen to your Macintosh. You don't have to use it. If you live in a country where my liability for any problems caused directly or indirectly by DragThing cannot be so reduced to nothing, you may not use this software. Have a nice day!
8. Cool Stuff
To help you decide what to send me in return for DragThing, here is a list of some things that are officially considered cool. Frankly, I'm bored getting postcards for my software. I've got a truckload of them and they aren't getting any more exciting. If you work for a cool company send me something they make or some of their promo stuff. If you work for a Macintosh magazine, write me a review. Be imaginative - send me something you'd enjoy finding in your mail in the morning!
Students and others working in education or for non-profit organisations are allowed to just send cool email…
What is considered cool:
Rare pin badges and t-shirts/jackets (medium preferred) - Apple/Dogcow/PSX stuff especially
CDs (black or silver)
Magazine subscriptions/books/media
Movie scripts
Musical instruments
Animation cells
Puzzles
Neat technology
Developer tools
Zip disks
MacOS and PlayStation software (or SNES, Mega Drive, Mega CD, Lynx, GameBoy…)
A really good programmer's calculator (hardware, software calculators are a terrible idea)
What is considered really cool:
A PlayStation development system (will accept Saturn development system too)
A Copland or Gershwin alpha
An autographed photo of Tori Amos (extremely talented, extremely cute, likes Macs… perfection?)
Apple/Sony/Metrowerks shares
An HRP machine running MacOS and Solaris
A really good NTSC to PAL converter or a multi-standard UK TV
A permanent contract
A broken-heart repair kit (never over-analyse)
Not releasing software with an obvious bug in it that all the testers miss and you get email about every single day for the rest of your life and have to keep saying "Yes, it's fixed in version 1.0.1 which should be out next week…"
If you really can't think of anything else, there's always cash, but try and send UK money (or extremely large amounts of anything else), because it costs a lot to convert other currency into something useful to me. Sending actual hard cash is probably a bad idea for obvious reasons…
The "Coolest Things Received So Far Since The Start Of May" List
1. A virtual trip to WWDC'95 (complete with Dylan tattoos)
2. Another virtual trip to WWDC'95 (complete with Open Transport badge with flashing lights)
3. A copy of 'Tekken'
4. An Apprentice 2 CD
5. No postcards
6. Er…
7. That's it
So far in the month since release, four people have sent me physical cool things - and I knew two of those people previously anyway. Don't assume that everybody else will send me something and send nothing yourself!
9. Thanks
Dair for running the first ever version and supplying cool toys.
Pete for insisting on running the early versions and giving initial encouragement.
Iain for never being satisfied with any version but running it anyway and to Mark, the voice of reason.
Naveed and Barbara for running DragThing and not complaining much.
Jonathan for buying lunch occasionally and keeping me right on dereferencing (contractual obligatory thanks).
Mike for not complaining about birthdays too much (blood relative contractual obligatory thanks).
Duncan for finding bad things about the Finder, the Wastebasket and Alias Files that no sane person would.
Jon (our man in Japan) for feeding my PlayStation.
Rick Holzgrafe for much useful help and suggestions (despite being a bitter rival :-)
Michael Hecht for the _IconDispatch bug workarounds.
Troy Gaul for the Infinity Windoid 3.0 WDEF.
Jens Alfke for preferring Malph.
Sak Wathanasin for sending the first bit of cool stuff.
Tonya Engst for writing the first cool review.
The Apple DTS sample code wizards for already writing every function I needed.
Everyone at Apple for making the Macintosh so I didn't have to spend my life hacking Wintel code.
Everyone at Metrowerks for making CodeWarrior and having the best technical support in the business.
Everyone at SCE for the PlayStation - not strictly related to DragThing, but very, very cool anyway.
Finally, thanks to all the testers without whom DragThing would have been released months ago. In no particular order…
Greg Anderson, Thomas Baker, Jonathan Bauer, Phil Barrett, Bengt Baverman, Bob Boonstra, Joel Brogniart, Tim Burrow, Robert Cassidy, Scott Clausen, Jim Correia, Vince Darley, Gilles Dignard, Dave Ely, Phyllis Evans, Lee Fyock, Mark D. Gerl, Scott Gruby, John Hetherton, Sue Honig, Robin Jackson, Duncan Jamieson, Simon Kidd, Gordon Laurie, Marc Liyanage, Colin McKane, Nelson Morris, Barry Nathan, Jim Niemann, Scott Panzer, Mike Pinkerton, Brian Reichow, Kristian Schjelderup, Erik Schwiebert, John Selhorst, Jason Snell, Josh Stratton, Caleb Strockbine, Paul L. Suh, Toshi Takeuchi and Jay Thomas
