Mac Magazin/MacEasy 32/Mac Magazin and MacEasy Magazine CD - Issue 32.iso/Service/Basissoftware/Virtual Desktop 1.9/Virtual Desktop Help (text)

Text File | 1996-03-07 | 72KB | 1,688 lines

Virtual Desktop 1.9

March 6, 1996



Disclaimer and Copyright Notice


Virtual Desktop is a free utility designed to act as a System 7 virtual
desktop manager.  The author, Ross Brown, makes no warranty, either
express or implied, with respect to this software, its performance,
merchantability, or suitability for any particular purpose.  People using
the Virtual Desktop utility do so at their own risk.  The author disclaims
all liability for loss of data, mechanical damage, or other losses suffered
while using the Virtual Desktop utility.

Virtual Desktop is an AWOL Software Production, Copyright © 1994-6
Ross Brown.  All rights reserved.  Permission is granted to make and
distribute copies of this software, provided this disclaimer and copyright
notice are preserved on all copies.  The software may not, however, be
sold or distributed for profit, or included with other software which is
sold or distributed for profit, without the permission of the author.

There are no site license fees for the use of Virtual Desktop within an
organization.  The author encourages you to make and distribute as many
copies of the application as you wish, for whomever you wish, as long as
it is not for profit.  Virtual Desktop is part of a set of cooperating
programs, AWOL Utilities.  The tutorial help you are reading is designed
for handling by the help server application Help on Wheels, which is also
part of AWOL Utilities.



Distribution Policy


New versions of individual AWOL Utilities programs, including Virtual
Desktop, are available by anonymous FTP from popular archive sites
including sumex-aim.stanford.edu, mac.archive.umich.edu, and their
respective mirror sites, and through Usenet news group
comp.binaries.mac.

Support for AWOL Utilities is through Internet mail at address
[e-mail].  The software is not available by FTP from
this site.  The address for paper correspondence is AWOL Software
Productions, PO Box 24207, 300 Eagleson Road, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
K2M 2C3.

Macintosh users who do not have access to electronic sources of free and
shareware software may obtain a copy of AWOL Utilities by sending a
self-addressed stamped envelope and an 800K (or larger) formatted
diskette to the author at the above address.  U.S. users are reminded that
postage from Canada in 1996 is C$0.52 up to 30 grams (1 oz.), C$0.77 up
to 50 grams (1 3/4 oz.), and C$1.17 up to 100 grams (3 1/2 oz.).
US$0.50, US$0.75, and US$1.00 in coin is acceptable in place of stamps
for the respective weights.  People outside the U.S. and Canada may send
an international postal reply coupon instead of Canadian stamps (available
from any post office).  Please use sturdy envelopes, preferably cardboard
disk mailers.  (Mailers over 5 mm (1/5") thick require C$1.17 postage to
the U.S.)
Please do not send return envelopes with non-Canadian
stamps, as Canada Post will not accept them.



About AWOL Software Productions


AWOL Software Productions specializes in custom development of
software for the Mac OS.  Since its inception in 1990, AWOL has
developed a number of programs which enhance the Mac OS user
experience, working in nearly every part of the Macintosh Toolbox.  If
you have a short-term programming task or product idea but lack the
staff to do the expert design, coding, and documentation, we invite your
inquiry.

Virtual Desktop is AWOL’s best-known effort, serving the desktop
expansion needs of thousands of Mac users around the world.  Later in
1996, AWOL will release a new commercial version 2.0 to replace the
freeware version contained in the AWOL Utilities package.  Please contact
us at [e-mail] for feature and ordering information.

Users who want more out of the Mac’s speech capabilities should check
out MacYack Pro, a jointly developed package of speech tools marketed by
Scantron Quality Computers ([e-mail]; 20200 Nine Mile Rd.,
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080).



Purpose


Virtual Desktop is the answer to a growing problem among users of
modern Macintosh computers, who have plenty of RAM to run programs
in, but don’t have the “screen real estate” to handle large numbers of
windows productively.  This problem is especially acute for people using
PowerBook computers, because of their small screen size.

Virtual Desktop, the premier virtual desktop manager for the Macintosh,
is an adaptation of the kind of virtual window manager found on many X
Window System workstations.  Having allocated some memory for
off-screen buffers, they let the user’s screen view move between
several “rooms” where various programs can put their windows.
Usually, these rooms are non-overlapping and arranged in a rigid grid
pattern.  A small-scale window shows the user where all the windows
are, in a stylized form.

On the Macintosh, to date, there have been three successful solutions to
this problem.  The first, a commercial program using software
techniques, extended the desktop by scrolling it away when the user
shoved the mouse against the edge of the screen.  The second, a
shareware program with hardware dependencies, bought the user some
extra real estate by opening up the usually black area at the edges of the
monitor.  The third, an increasingly lucrative business, is the sale of
graphic display stations or expansion cards with hardware-based scroll
and zoom capability.

Virtual Desktop has a number of advantages over these solutions.  First,
it’s free.  Second, it works on all types of monitors.  Third, it has a
sophisticated user interface.  Fourth, it takes advantage of System 7
features to do the whole job in the fewest possible clicks and keystrokes.
And last, it’s free.



Who Can Use Virtual Desktop?


Any Macintosh running System 7.0 or later can use Virtual Desktop.
There is nothing special to install, but the first time you open Virtual
Desktop, it will ask for permission to install its own system extension,
then suggest that you restart your Macintosh.  This system extension is
required in order for the application to operate.
See the section entitled “Virtual Desktop Extension” for more
information.

NOTE:  To work as it does, the program needs intimate knowledge of how
Finder works.  Because of this dependency, Virtual Desktop checks the
system version at startup, and if it finds itself in an unfamiliar version,
it warns you and lets you decide whether to continue.  This version of
Virtual Desktop may someday be replaced by one which takes account of
changes in later versions of Finder.

Virtual Desktop also works on Macintoshes running At Ease instead of
Finder, with the exception of one option which requires Finder.
See the section entitled “The Door Preferences Dialog” for more
information.

Virtual Desktop can be placed on an AppleShare file server, where any
number of users can access it simultaneously.



What Does Virtual Desktop Do?


Virtual Desktop, simply put, puts scroll bars on your screen.  This is the
most intuitive way for most people to operate a desktop which is larger
than their screen.  This “virtual desktop” can be as large as the user
wants it to be, with no additional expense of memory.

It also has a mode where the user can inspect and rearrange the layout of
windows and icons on the entire virtual desktop.

For people who use the same applications every day, Virtual Desktop lets
them build “doors,” which make the virtual desktop scroll to a preset
location when clicked, in the manner of an old push-button car radio, but
more ergonomic.  You can open a door by clicking, by pressing a
Command-digit combination or F-key, by selection from an optional Door
menu, or (if you have a recent PowerBook or are running System 7.5.2 or
later) by using the Control Strip.

Virtual Desktop also has a number of “usage options” which, when
enabled, let you do quick scrolling actions without leaving the application
you’re using.


Scroll Bars

Virtual Desktop puts a horizontal scroll bar along the bottom edge of your
main monitor, and a vertical scroll bar along the right or left edge (your
choice).  In the corner between the scroll bars is a little square anchor
window with the Virtual Desktop icon on it, where you can click to make
Virtual Desktop active.

While Virtual Desktop is active, you can scroll using either scroll bars or
keyboard.  Press the Page Up or Page Down key to scroll vertically (or
horizontally, with the Option key pressed).  Press the Home key to return
to the “home” or startup location.  Press the End key to go back to where
you were when you last pressed Home.

By default, the scroll bars only appear while Virtual Desktop is active,
but you can have them up all the time, losing a bit of the screen area in
exchange for easier scrolling.  You can also suppress them altogether, if
you prefer.
See the section entitled “Usage Options” below.

Reading the scroll bars’ “sliders” tells you where you are on the virtual
desktop in relation to all the other items (windows and desktop icons).
Ordinarily, the extent of the virtual desktop is padded by half a screenful
beyond the most extreme item in each direction.  To grow the desktop,
you can increase that pad factor in increments of half a screenful.  As you
move items farther outward into the pad area, the virtual desktop grows
automatically.

The scroll bars appear on the main monitor (the one with the menu bar).
If you change the monitor resolution, move the menu bar to another
monitor, or turn video mirroring on or off, Virtual Desktop adjusts
automatically, moving the scroll bars to the correct position and
positioning the sliders to reflect the new state of your virtual desktop.


Full View Mode

If you need to see beyond what your monitor or monitors can display at
one time, to get the big picture of all items on the virtual desktop, you can
go into Full View mode.  There are three ways to do it — by menu
command, by keystroke, and by double-clicking on the anchor window.

Full View mode takes over the main monitor, covering everything but the
menu bar and the scroll bars.  It shows a picture of the whole virtual
desktop, scaled down to fit, with color-keyed rectangles showing the
outline of every application’s windows, including the ones that are hidden.
A white area in the background shows what part of the virtual desktop is
currently visible through a monitor.  In this picture, you can get help
balloons to tell you what the windows and icons are, click and drag to
rearrange them, and double-click to scroll and bring them to the front so
that you can see them.  You can also drag the white area to move the
desktop view relative to all windows and icons.

On one side of the picture, Virtual Desktop shows a set of radio buttons
and a list box.  There is one radio button for every application which has a
window open, plus one at the bottom of the heap for all desktop icons.
When you click on a radio button, Virtual Desktop fills the list box with the
names of all the items belonging to that group.  By selecting an item from
the list, you can see where that item is on the virtual desktop.
Conversely, you can click on an item in the picture to see its name and
what group it belongs to.


Doors

At some point, you will begin to imagine a virtually boundless virtual
desktop layout for your applications — mail windows here, word
processor there, and a picture of your spouse and children in the top
corner, in case you forget what they look like.  It would be hard to move
from location to location using scroll bars, and not very efficient using
Full View mode, so Virtual Desktop gives you a better tool for the job:
doors.

To make a door, you scroll to the location you want to work in, and tell
Virtual Desktop to create a new door.  It asks you for a name, and a place
on the desktop where it can drop the little door icon window with the name
on it.  You could build a whole corridor of doors to different places, or use
one of the predefined multiple-door arrangements (row, column, cross, or
grid).  To move from one preset location to another, you just click on a
door.  The door icon “opens,” and you’re there.  Every “room” should
have a trash can alias in the lower right corner, of course, but that’s
your job.

That describes the simplest use of doors.  Beyond that, there are some
useful preference options you can apply to each door.  You can associate
an application with the door, so that Virtual Desktop will make that
application active as you jump to where its windows are.  Better still,
you can have it tell Finder to open any item of your choice (application,
document, folder, or other) when you open the door.  If that application
prefers a specific color depth (“Thousands” of colors, or plain old “Black
& White”), you can tell Virtual Desktop to change the depth when you open
the door.

Even when Virtual Desktop isn’t running, you can use the Door menu,
placed on the right side of the menu bar, to instantaneously launch Virtual
Desktop and open any door.  For PowerBook users and those running
System 7.5.2 or later, the “Virtual Desktop Doors” Control Strip module
does the same thing without clogging your menu bar.  This feature,
combined with its ability to tie any item to the opening of a door, makes
Virtual Desktop an effective application/document launcher.


Usage Options

This version of Virtual Desktop offers five ways to do virtual desktop
scrolling without leaving the active application.

First, you can choose a key combination which scrolls the virtual desktop
up, down, left, or right.  You choose any combination of the modifier keys
(Command, Shift, Option, Control), plus any four keys for the four
directions.

Second, you can tell Virtual Desktop to watch the mouse pointer.  If this
option is on, and you move the mouse while pressing any combination of
the modifier keys, the virtual desktop will “shift” along with the pointer
when you release the keys.

Third, you can tell it to react when you shove the mouse pointer into any
edge of the screen, while pressing any combination of the modifier keys.
The virtual desktop will scroll away in the opposite direction.

Fourth, you can tell it to show the scroll bars at all times, whatever
application is active.  If you operate a scroll bar while using another
application, Virtual Desktop will return you to that application as soon as
it has scrolled the desktop.

Fifth, you can click on a door icon window, or use the Door menu or
Control Strip, to open a door, having set that door to switch back to the
frontmost (active) application.



How Does Virtual Desktop Work?


Virtual Desktop Extension

Virtual Desktop requires a system extension to persuade Finder that the
desktop is larger than your monitors, and to ensure that off-screen icon
positions are recorded correctly.

When you open the Virtual Desktop application, it will check to see if the
“Virtual Desktop Extension” system extension was loaded at startup.  If
not, it will ask for permission to install it in your Extensions folder, if it
isn’t already there.  If you agree, the application will suggest a restart,
then quit, because the extension must be loaded at startup in order for the
application to operate.

If the extension was loaded, but is not the same version as the
application, you will be prompted to replace it.  You must then restart
your Macintosh in order to use the application.

If you remove the extension, or disable it by pressing the Shift key at
startup, Finder will bring any desktop icons positioned off-screen back
into view.  (If you do not reposition them, they will return to their
off-screen positions after the next restart.)  This shows how Virtual
Desktop manages the virtual desktop.  It works not by enlarging the
“real” desktop area using extra memory, but by actually moving
windows and icons around on the desktop.  Part of that trick is to
persuade Finder not to round up the “lost sheep.”


How to Start Up Virtual Desktop

The first time you start up the Virtual Desktop application, you will be
working with a very small virtual desktop, and nothing off the monitors.
If you move some icons off the desktop view using Full View mode, scroll
with the scroll bars, then quit, you will notice that Virtual Desktop has
returned you to the “home” location, and that the items you moved off
the desktop remain out of view.  You must reopen Virtual Desktop to
access them.  Because the extension implements the illusion of a virtual
desktop, the application need only be open when you want to do some
scrolling.

Once you are comfortable with Virtual Desktop, you may want to start it
up by putting it (or an alias to it) in your Startup Items folder.  Another
way is to use door files, Virtual Desktop documents that open the
application and scroll the virtual desktop to a preset location when opened.
You may want to replace some of your current startup items with door
files, having set the preferences for each door so that Finder will open
each item in its own place on the virtual desktop.
See the section entitled “The Door Preferences Dialog” for more
information about door files.

Another way to start up Virtual Desktop is to select a door from the Door
menu or the Control Strip.


Routine Maintenance

Virtual Desktop works by moving windows and icons, not by enlarging the
actual desktop.  Therefore, applications are never aware of where you
are on the virtual desktop.  In a way, this is good, because they will
normally put their windows where you can see them.

You will probably want to dedicate an area of the virtual desktop to some
commonly used application.  However, the application doesn’t know what
that location is, so you have to help it somehow.  One way would be to
move to the location by clicking on a door icon window, then to open the
application using the Apple menu or some desktop icon which you have
placed there for the purpose.  (If you have set the application preferences
for Finder so that Finder’s windows are exempt from scrolling, you can
always find the icon you want through those windows.)

There are several ways to automate the opening of applications and
documents in “preferred” virtual desktop locations.  One way is to set
the door preferences so that Virtual Desktop asks Finder to open the item
just after scrolling to the door location.  (The only problem with this
approach, depending on the application in question, is that later attempts
to open the door, leading to more requests to open the item, may cause
unwanted effects.)  Another way is to use an alias file converted by
Maybe, another AWOL Utilities program, which automatically tells Virtual
Desktop to scroll to this location just before opening the target item.  Yet
another way is to open the items in question, then start up Virtual
Desktop, which (with the application preferences appropriately set) can
shuttle the windows out to their various door locations.
See the section entitled “Suggestions for Use” for more information on
Maybe.


Sensitive Applications

The great majority of applications tolerate Virtual Desktop’s scrolling
behavior with no problems.  There are others, though, and you should be
aware of the symptoms of trouble.

First, some applications may not work right if their windows are
off-screen.  This is especially true of well-programmed applications
which use a “device loop” to compute the right drawing effects for each
monitor their windows intersect, because they typically need to know
which monitor has the greatest color depth, and may get confused if there
isn’t such a monitor.

Second, some applications don’t use the Macintosh’s QuickDraw graphics
model to draw on your monitors.  An example would be any
frame-grabbing video expansion card which addresses screen memory
directly.  Their windows will come apart when Virtual Desktop scrolls the
frames without the contents.  Even HyperCard has a little trouble
sometimes.  QuickTime movie players seem to get along fine with Virtual
Desktop, however.

Third, some applications don’t listen to the operating system when it tells
them to redraw parts of their windows which have been exposed by
scrolling, because they think they know which parts are exposed.  These
applications seem to respond better to door jumps than to manual
scrolling.  Applications built with Apple’s MacApp® framework seem
especially prone to this problem.

Despite these glitches, though, life with Virtual Desktop is arguably better
than life without.


How to Shut Down Using Virtual Desktop

Virtual Desktop has a Special menu which contains Restart and Shut Down
commands, like those in Finder.  If you use Virtual Desktop regularly, it’s
good practice to use this Special menu rather than Finder’s, because it
makes sure that Virtual Desktop gets a chance to clean up and quit before
any other application.

If you have a scriptable Finder (version 7.1.4 or later, or version 7.1 or
later with “Finder Scripting Extension” installed), you may find it helpful
to have the “Quit Virtual Desktop” application in your Shutdown Items
folder.  This will force Virtual Desktop to quit first when you request a
restart or shutdown by any standard method (Finder’s Special menu, the
Power key, or the “• Shut Down” desk accessory).  Note that items in
the Shutdown Items folder may not be opened if you restart or shut down
using any indirect method, such as an installer application.

The first time you open Virtual Desktop, just after you agree to install
“Virtual Desktop Extension,” the application will offer to install “Quit
Virtual Desktop” in your Shutdown Items folder, if you have a scriptable
Finder.  (You may refuse the offer if you don’t want “Quit Virtual
Desktop” installed; if you change your mind later, you can get it using the
Install menu.)

If Virtual Desktop doesn’t clean up before a restart or shutdown, some
applications may record their window positions as off-screen, so the next
time they start up, they may choose a default on-screen position.  This is
quite understandable behavior, actually helpful, except when you are
using Virtual Desktop to manage your desktop.  Virtual Desktop provides
an application preference option to handle this sort by bringing their
windows back into view before they quit.  By practice, you will come to
know which applications need such special treatment.


Using the Control Strip

If you have Apple’s Control Strip control panel, or one of the
“aftermarket” shareware programs that let you use Control Strip
modules on any Macintosh, you should consider using the “Virtual Desktop
Doors” Control Strip module instead of the Door menu.  It gives the same
capability, without taking up space in the menu bar.

The first time you open Virtual Desktop, just after you agree to install
“Virtual Desktop Extension,” the application will offer to install the
Control Strip module in your Control Strip Modules folder, if Control Strip
is available.  (You may refuse the offer if you don’t want the Control
Strip module installed; if you change your mind later, you can get it using
the Install menu.)  The module will appear in your Control Strip after the
next restart, though you may have to drag the tab at the end of the
Control Strip to make it visible.

The menu that pops up from the Control Strip has the same commands as
the Door menu.
See the section entitled “The Door Menu” for more information.

You may find that the Control Strip obscures Virtual Desktop’s horizontal
scroll bar window.  If you do not intend to use the scroll bars, you can set
a usage option to suppress them.  If you do intend to use them, you can
Option-drag the tab at the end of the Control Strip to move it up from its
usual position at the bottom of the screen.



Suggestions for Use


Virtual Desktop is distributed as part of a free set of cooperating
programs, AWOL Utilities.  This section explains how Virtual Desktop can
work in conjunction with the other programs.


Help on Wheels

Help on Wheels is an efficient and full-featured help server which displays
help files on behalf of client applications.  The help file you are reading is
distributed alongside the Virtual Desktop application file as a separate
Help on Wheels document.

You can read this help at any time while using Virtual Desktop, either by
selecting “Virtual Desktop Help” from the Help menu, or by pressing the
Help or Command-? key.  Alternatively, press the Help or Command-?
key while the machine is starting up, and release the key once you see the
Virtual Desktop extension icon with a help balloon on it.  The help server
will open to display the help file after startup is complete.  This version
of Virtual Desktop has some support for the sophisticated features of Help
on Wheels, such as context-sensitivity, casual displays, and “hot”
hypertext buttons.

This help file can be stored separately from the Virtual Desktop
application, archived, or trashed, without affecting Virtual Desktop’s
routine operation.


Maybe

Among the options of Maybe, a Finder alias enhancer, is one which lets
you open any other item just as the target item is being opened or printed.
Virtual Desktop has an option to create a very small document called a
door file, whose name matches the name of a door.  Opening a door file
from Finder is another way to open the door.

If you have an alias to a document or application which you might like to
work on in a preset location on the virtual desktop, Maybe can convert
that alias, attaching the door file as the item to open first.  Then,
whenever you open the converted alias, whose icon looks like the original,
Maybe and Virtual Desktop co-operate to scroll the virtual desktop to the
“right” location for that target item, then open it.


Menu Events

Menu Events is a small, single-purpose system extension which lets any
program send Apple events to most high-level-event-aware applications
having a menu bar.  These “Menu events” let you query the contents and
state of the application’s menus, then select a menu command and tell the
target application to do it.

Virtual Desktop is a useful target for a Menu event, because it has many
menu commands, and no scripting interface.  Any action you can do using
Virtual Desktop menus can be instigated by any application which can send
an Apple event, such as Maybe.

NOTE:  Menu Events is intended for Macintosh programmers and those
familiar with Apple event scripting.  If your favorite archive site does not
have Menu Events and its companion application Menu Grabber, you may
request a copy from the author at the addresses listed above.



Windows and Dialogs


Virtual Desktop operates several windows and dialog boxes, which are
described here.


The Scroll Bar Windows

Virtual Desktop maintains one horizontal and one vertical scroll bar
window.  If you use them while Virtual Desktop is already active, it will
remain active; otherwise, it will return to whatever application was
active before.

Through the Layout Preferences dialog, you can vary the thickness of the
scroll bars, and you can move the vertical scroll bar to the left side if
you wish.  A left-handed arrangement is good for southpaws, but also
worth considering just because Finder tends to use the right side of the
desktop for things with no definite position, like volume icons and new
folders and documents.

Through the Usage Preferences dialog, you can make the scroll bar
windows appear at all times.  By default, they disappear when Virtual
Desktop goes into the background.  You can also decide not to show the
scroll bars at all, if you prefer other means of scrolling.


The Anchor Window

This small window has the Virtual Desktop icon on it.  Clicking once makes
it active, and clicking twice enters Full View mode.  After that, clicking
toggles between Full View mode and the usual see-through mode.


The Full View Window

This window appears only in Full View mode, covering the area not
occupied by the menu bar and scroll bars.  It consists of three parts:
picture, radio buttons, and list box.

•  Picture

The picture is the most interesting part of the Full View window.  It offers
many functions.

°  Backdrop

The Full View picture has a gray backdrop showing the current extent of
the virtual desktop, reduced to fit the area available for the picture
display.  Through the Layout Preferences dialog, you have the option of a
flexible aspect ratio, which distorts images in the picture to fill the
available area, or a true aspect ratio, which scales all images without
distortion, but leaves some unused space in the picture, filled with a
darker gray or black.

The virtual desktop is padded in each direction by a factor which you can
adjust using the “Grow Desktop” and “Shrink Desktop” menu commands.
If you move a window or icon into the pad area, the virtual desktop will
grow automatically the next time the view is refreshed.

°  Desktop View

In the background, a white area describes the part of the virtual desktop
which is currently visible through the monitor or monitors, rather like
those “through the binoculars” shots in bad old movies.  Anything resting
in the white area is the image of a visible window or icon.  You can click
and drag this white area to another point on the virtual desktop, moving
the desktop view relative to all windows and icons.  This is effectively a
diagonal form of scrolling.  If you use the scroll bars, you will see the
white area move accordingly.

°  Window and Icon Images

Every window or desktop icon (collectively known as “items”) appears in
the picture as an outline rectangle with a representative size, shape, and
position.  On a color monitor, the color of the rectangle matches that of
the owning application’s radio button, for easy recognition.

Where images overlap, the outline of the front item is solid, and the
others are hatched (cut diagonally).  On a color monitor, the cursor
changes color as it passes over the images, to help you see which window
is in front at that point.  With balloons showing, you can get detailed
information on what the mouse is pointing to.

The images of windows belonging to hidden applications, as well as
windows rolled up using WindowShade, appear as thin dotted outlines.
They don’t figure in the cursor or balloon behavior described above unless
the Option key is pressed.

The mechanism for selecting and dragging item images is a little unusual.
At any time, there may be only one item selected.  Its image outline is
filled in.  Even if that item is behind other items at some points, the
hand-shaped cursor tells you that you can click and drag that item from
any point to any other point, without making it active.  By contrast, you
can also click and drag a non-selected item, without affecting the
selection, but the item dragged will be the one which is frontmost at the
click point.

An item becomes selected either by clicking on its image, or by actions on
the radio buttons or list box.  The current selection is always reflected in
all three parts of the Full View window — picture, radio buttons, and list
box.

If you double-click on an item image, Virtual Desktop will make that
window or icon active (showing the window if it was hidden or rolled up
using WindowShade), and go into the background.  If the point where you
clicked was outside the white area, the desktop view will scroll
automatically to center the selected item on the main monitor.  Likewise,
you can press the Return or Enter key to make the selected item active,
but scrolling will only occur if the item is completely outside the desktop
view.

The entire Full View window is a static display.  It does not track the
movements, appearances, or disappearances of windows and icons.  If
Virtual Desktop finds that an item has moved, disappeared, or changed its
title, the cursor shows a question mark while over the item’s image, and
you cannot do anything with the item.  The “Refresh” menu command
clears up this situation, redrawing the entire window and repositioning
the scroll bars.

NOTE:  The virtual desktop may sometimes become very large, and the
images very small, because some application has placed a window in a
very remote position.  This is a technique some programmers use to hide
a window.  If this becomes a problem, move the window’s image nearer to
the rest of the items, then use the “Refresh” menu command to rescale
the picture.

•  Radio Buttons

The order of radio buttons from top to bottom is the same as the layering
order of the applications’ windows.  However, applications without
windows do not appear.  A special button labeled “Desktop icons” at the
bottom covers all desktop icons.

Each radio button is given a color to match the images in the picture.  By
default, the color is computed by hashing the application’s signature, but
you can change it through the Application Preferences dialog.

Clicking on a radio button fills the list box with the titles of the
application’s windows (or desktop icons) and selects the front item in the
list and in the picture.  You can use Shift-Up-Arrow and
Shift-Down-Arrow to go up and down the stack of radio buttons without
using the mouse.

When you are selecting items using images in the picture, the radio button
selection changes accordingly.

•  List Box

The order of entries from top to bottom is the same as the layering order
of the selected application’s windows (or desktop icons).

Items without titles appear in the list as “[untitled]”.  If an item moves,
disappears, or changes title, its entry in the list changes to “[moved]”,
“[defunct]”, or “[retitled]”.

You can use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to go up and down the list without
using the mouse.  You can also select by typing the first few letters of an
item’s title.

If you double-click on a list entry, Virtual Desktop will make that window
or icon active (showing the window if it was hidden or rolled up using
WindowShade), and go into the background.  If the item is completely
outside the desktop view, the desktop view will scroll automatically to
center the selected item on the main monitor.

When you are selecting items using images in the picture, the list
selection changes accordingly.


The Door Icon Windows

Every door you define can have a small iconic window on the desktop,
which does not move when the virtual desktop scrolls.  Each door icon
window carries the first few letters of the door’s name for identification,
and can have its own distinctive door and wall colors.

When you create a door, unless the default door preference option is not
to show door icon windows, Virtual Desktop prompts you to place the
window with a special door-shaped cursor.  After you have placed the
window, you can move it by clicking and dragging.  A good practice is to
reserve a small area in one corner of the main monitor, where door icon
windows can congregate and be visible regardless of which door is open.

Clicking once on the door icon window (without dragging) opens the door.
If you press the Option key while clicking, Virtual Desktop will ignore any
option to switch applications or change the color depth after opening the
door, and will remain active.


The About Dialog

This dialog presents Virtual Desktop’s About box.  It is opened by the
“About Virtual Desktop…” command in the Apple menu.

It mentions, by way of a balloon, that Virtual Desktop offers help through
both Balloon Help and Help on Wheels.  If you already have balloons
showing, Virtual Desktop spares you the balloon, figuring that you’ve
probably seen enough recently.


The Layout Preferences Dialog

This dialog appears when you select Layout… from the Preferences menu.
It lets you set options which affect the appearance of Virtual Desktop
windows.

•  Orientation option

Choose a left- or right-handed orientation of Virtual Desktop windows
using the radio buttons.  A left-handed orientation places the vertical
scroll bar at the left edge of the main monitor, and places the list box and
radio buttons at the left side of the Full View window.

The default is a right-handed orientation.

•  Scroll Bar Thickness option

Depending on how much screen area you have to spare, and how accurate
you can be with your clicks, you may want to increase or decrease the
width of the scroll bars.  (If they are taking up too much space, you may
want to suppress them altogether using the Usage Preferences dialog.)
Allowable values are between 4 and 64 pixels, inclusive.

The default is for standard 16-pixel-wide scroll bars.

•  Full View Sidebar Width option

If you have a large main monitor, you may want to give the Full View list
box and radio buttons more width in which to display item titles and
application names.  Allowable values are between 64 and 256 pixels,
inclusive.

The default is for a 128-pixel-wide sidebar.

•  Full View Desktop Aspect Ratio option

Choose a flexible or true aspect ratio for the Full View picture using the
radio buttons.  A flexible aspect ratio distorts item images to maximize
coverage in the picture, while a true aspect ratio preserves the shape of
images and leaves dark gray or black gutters beside the virtual desktop
backdrop.

The default is to use a flexible desktop aspect ratio.

•  Cancel

Click here to cancel the changes made to existing layout options.

•  Use Defaults

Click here to change all options to their default values, the ones described
in this help file.

•  OK

Click here to accept the options and close the dialog.  This will
immediately change the Virtual Desktop window display.

If any options are invalid, you are prompted to correct them.


The Usage Preferences Dialog

This dialog appears when you select Usage… from the Preferences menu.
It lets you set options which affect how you can ask Virtual Desktop to
scroll the virtual desktop while it is in the background.

These options are not effective unless the Virtual Desktop application is
running.  However, using the Door menu does start up the application.

•  Press Key option

If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will react to certain
keystrokes, even if it is in the background.  Use the individual check
buttons to select one or more modifier keys (Command, Shift, Option,
Control) which must be down when the key is pressed.  Click on one of the
four arms of the compass rose to change the key which causes Virtual
Desktop to scroll in that direction.  (In this respect, keys on the numeric
keypad are distinct from the like-labeled keys on the main part of the
keyboard.)

NOTE:  The active application will not see the keystroke if this option has
been set to react to it.  If your key combination choices are obstructing
your use of some application, press the Caps Lock key, and try again.
This will cause Virtual Desktop to ignore the keystroke.

This option is separate from the built-in support for the Home, End, Page
Up, and Page Down keys, which work only while the Virtual Desktop
application is active.

This option usually works even if you are facing a modal dialog, the kind
which you must answer before you can do anything else.  Sometimes you
may need it to get a look at a modal dialog box which has come up outside
the visible desktop area.

The default is a Shift-Control-Arrow combination for all four directions,
but the entire option is off by default.

•  Move Mouse option

If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will track the mouse pointer
whenever the selected modifier keys are pressed, and scroll the virtual
desktop in the direction of mouse movement.  It is as if you have put your
finger on the desktop “blotter” holding all of the windows and icons, and
pushed it across the desk.

A blinking circle on the desktop marks the point where the pointer was
when the modifier keys were pressed.  This marker does not appear until
you have moved the pointer a certain distance, and disappears again if you
move it back.  So, if you didn’t mean to shift the desktop, and you see a
blinking circle, you should extinguish it before releasing any of the
modifier keys (or pressing another).

When you release any of the modifier keys (or press another), if the
pointer has moved significantly, Virtual Desktop will shift the desktop
accordingly.  Whatever was under the blinking circle moves to the new
mouse position, and everything else with it.

Like the Press Key option, this option usually works even if a modal dialog
is posted.

In previous versions, this option worked only with the Shift key, and that
remains the default, though it is not the most practical choice, given that
many applications support Shift-selection and Shift-dragging.

The default modifier key is Shift, but the entire option is off by default.

•  Shove Mouse option

If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will react to the mouse pointer
hitting any edge of the screen whenever the selected modifier keys are
pressed, and scroll the virtual desktop away from that edge.  This is
handy when you need access to something which is just off the visible
desktop in that direction.

The desktop will continue to scroll as long as you hold the mouse pointer
at the edge and press the selected modifier keys, so you can regulate this
form of scrolling by twitching the mouse or by pressing and releasing the
modifier keys.  (The repeat rate is based on the double-click speed which
you select using the Mouse control panel.)

Like the Press Key and Move Mouse options, this option usually works
even if a modal dialog is posted.

Be careful if you assign the Option key as the modifier key for this option,
as it may cause unwanted scrolling when selecting from the menu bar.

The default modifier keys are Option and Control, but the entire option is
off by default.

•  Scroll Bars option

If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will show scroll bar windows at
the sides of the main monitor.

If you select “always,” Virtual Desktop will not hide its scroll bar
windows when going into the background, so that they continue to be
available at all times.  Virtual Desktop will become active while the user
operates the scroll bars, but will return to the background afterwards.

If you select “only when active,” Virtual Desktop will hide its scroll bar
windows when going into the background.

This option does not work when a modal dialog is posted, because you can
only use the mouse within the dialog box.

This option is on by default, with scroll bar windows showing only when
Virtual Desktop is active.

•  Door Menu option

If this option is in effect when the machine is starting up, the Virtual
Desktop extension will place the Door menu in the menu bar alongside the
Help, Keyboard, and Application menus.  A change to this option will take
effect at the next restart.
See the section entitled “The Door Menu” for more information.

This option is on by default.

•  Scroll by option

If you select “half screens,” Virtual Desktop will scroll the virtual
desktop by half a screenful when you use the “press key,” “shove
mouse,” or “scroll bars” usage option, or when you press the Page Up or
Page Down key.

If you select “full screens,” Virtual Desktop will scroll by a screenful
instead.  This may not be apparent when using the scroll bars, because the
default virtual desktop padding is only half a screenful, and you cannot
scroll farther outward until you grow the virtual desktop.

The default is to scroll by half screens.

•  Cancel

Click here to cancel the changes made to existing usage options.

•  Use Defaults

Click here to change all options to their default values, the ones described
in this help file.

•  OK

Click here to accept the options and close the dialog.

If any options are invalid, you are prompted to correct them.


The Application Preferences Dialog

This dialog appears when you select Application… from the Preferences
menu.  It lets you set options which affect the handling of the current
application’s windows (or desktop icons).  The current application is the
one whose radio button is selected in the Full View window.  This dialog is
not available outside of Full View mode.

•  Color option

Click on the colored square to change the color used for the current
application’s radio button and for all of its item images in the picture.

The default is a color computed by hashing the application’s signature.

•  Exempt Application’s Items From All Scrolling option

If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will not move the current
application’s windows (or desktop icons) when it scrolls the virtual
desktop.  They retain their position in the desktop view, that is, they
stick to the monitor(s).  This option is appropriate for utilities which
provide menu-bar-like functions, and for monitor programs like
PrintMonitor.

This option is off by default.

•  Anchor Application’s Items to Door option

This option is not available if the Exempt Application’s Items From All
Scrolling option is on.  It is also not applicable to desktop icons.

If the current application’s windows are usually confined to the home
area, you should choose “none” from the pop-up menu, meaning that
Virtual Desktop will leave the windows where they are on the virtual
desktop when quitting.  If they happen to be outside the home area, they
may be inaccessible until you open Virtual Desktop again.

If the current application is usually associated with one door location, you
should choose that door from the pop-up menu.  When Virtual Desktop
quits, it will move the current application’s windows into the home area,
in the same positions which they occupied relative to that door.  When
Virtual Desktop opens the next time, it will move the windows back to
that door area.  This capability is important if you don’t intend to keep
Virtual Desktop open all the time, because it lets you use doors to
separate the windows of several applications, but then to see all of the
windows stacked up in the home area when you quit Virtual Desktop.  Even
if you do keep Virtual Desktop open all the time, this option is necessary
for applications which remember the positions of their windows when
they quit.  If the application’s windows are off-screen when you restart
or shut down your Macintosh, it may decide to ignore those positions the
next time you open it, instead choosing default positions, probably not
what you want.  By using this option, and by making it a habit to restart
or shut down using Virtual Desktop’s Special menu rather than Finder’s
(or, if you have a scriptable Finder, by placing the “Quit Virtual Desktop”
application in your Shutdown Items folder), so that Virtual Desktop gets to
quit first, you are assured that such applications will remember
meaningful, on-screen window positions for the next session.

NOTE:  If you later rename the door, you should update this option,
because the door you choose is recorded by name.

The default is not to anchor the application’s windows to any door.

•  Cancel

Click here to cancel the changes made to existing application options.

•  Use Defaults

Click here to change all options to their default values, which you may
have changed using Make Defaults (see below).  Click here with the Option
key pressed to change all options to their built-in default values, the ones
described in this help file.

•  Make Defaults

Click here to change the default values for all options (except the Color
option) to those displayed in the dialog.

•  OK

Click here to accept the options and close the dialog.


The Door Preferences Dialog

When you create a new door, its initial options are the defaults.  Its
location on the virtual desktop is the current location of the desktop view.
You can use the Door Preferences dialog to change the location or other
options later on.  To change the name of the door, you must select
“Rename Door…” from the Actions menu.

To change its options, the door must be open, and Virtual Desktop must be
active.  If the door options cause Virtual Desktop to go into the background
after opening the door, you must either press the Option key while opening
the door using its menu command, keyboard equivalent, or door icon
window, or bring Virtual Desktop back to the front after opening the door.

•  View Offset option

These numbers indicate many pixels the door location is away from the
home location, horizontally and vertically.  (Positive numbers indicate a
door location above or to the left of the home location.)

If you change these numbers, the virtual desktop will scroll according to
the new offsets.  This allows you to fine-tune door locations.

•  Graphical Presence options

These options control how the door appears on the desktop, as a door icon
window, or as a door file with a Finder icon.  Both alternatives give you a
way of opening the door quickly from outside Virtual Desktop.

°  Show Window option

When this option is in effect, a door icon window appears on the desktop.
This small window does not move when the virtual desktop scrolls.
Clicking once in the window opens the door.  You may decide not to have a
door icon window for every door you define, especially if you are using
the Door menu or Control Strip to open doors.

This option is on by default.

°  Door and Wall color options

Click on the top or bottom half of the colored square to change the color
used to draw the “door face” or background “wall” in the door icon
window.  You can use color to distinguish between your various doors.  If
the door color is dark, Virtual Desktop will draw the door name in white
instead of black.

The default is a drab brown and gray color scheme.

°  Create File… option

Click here to create a door file, a small document belonging to Virtual
Desktop which gives you a way to open a door through Finder.  The file
dialog which appears asks you not to make the name of the door file
different from the name of the door.  This is because the name is the only
important information in the door file.

You can place door files on the desktop, as an alternative to door icon
windows, or in your Startup Items folder, or in a special Doors folder
inside your Preferences folder, where they can be attached to document
or application aliases by the Maybe utility.
See the section entitled “Suggestions for Use” for more information on
this approach.

NOTE:  If you later rename the door, you should rename these files as
well.

•  Keyboard Binding option

If you don’t have a macro utility which lets you open a door file by
pressing a combination of keys, another way to speed up your use of
doors is to have keyboard bindings for them.  These bindings are valid
only when Virtual Desktop is active.  You can bind any F-key or
Command-digit combination to any door.

As with menu commands and door icon windows, if the Option key is
pressed when you use the keyboard binding to open a door, Virtual Desktop
will ignore the Switch to and Depth options, and remain active.

The default is not to have a keyboard binding.

•  Switch to option

This pop-up menu lists all applications to which Virtual Desktop can switch
as the door is opened.  You may want to choose an application whose
windows are prevalent in the desktop view when the virtual desktop
scrolls to the door location.

NOTE:  If you later rename the application, or replace it with a new
version whose name is different, you should update this option, because
the application you choose is recorded by name.

You have three other choices, “frontmost application”, “stay in Virtual
Desktop,” and “item via Finder…”  If you select “frontmost
application,” Virtual Desktop will return to the background after opening
the door, allowing the application which was active before it to return to
the front.  This makes opening a door similar to clicking on a Virtual
Desktop scroll bar while using another application.  If you select “item via
Finder…,” you must then choose the item (application, document, folder,
volume, alias, or whatever) you want Finder to open whenever you open
this door.  Because this choice is recorded using alias information, it is
unaffected by renaming of files and folders, and you can take advantage of
alias features such as automatic volume remounting and Apple Remote
Access dial-up reconnection.

The default is to stay in Virtual Desktop.

•  Depth option

This pop-up menu lists the color depths to which Virtual Desktop can
switch as the door is opened.  You may want to choose a depth which suits
the application whose windows are prevalent in the desktop view when the
virtual desktop scrolls to the door location.

Virtual Desktop does not know what color depths your monitors can
support, so it offers choices which may not apply to some or all of your
monitors.  If you choose a depth, Virtual Desktop will try to switch all
monitors to that depth when the door is opened.  This will not affect any
monitor which does not support that depth.

If you select “as is,” Virtual Desktop will not attempt to change the color
depth of any monitor.

The default is not to change the color depth.

•  Cancel

Click here to cancel the changes made to existing door options.

•  Use Defaults

Click here to change all options to their default values, which you may
have changed using Make Defaults (see below).  Click here with the Option
key pressed to change all options to their built-in default values, the ones
described in this help file.

•  Make Defaults

Click here to change the default values for all options (except the View
Offset option) to those displayed in the dialog.

•  OK

Click here to accept the options and close the dialog.



Menus


This section describes each of Virtual Desktop’s menus.


The Apple Menu

•  About Virtual Desktop…

This command opens Virtual Desktop’s About dialog, which invites you to
try Balloon Help or Help on Wheels to learn more about Virtual Desktop.


The File Menu

•  Close (Command-W)

This command is only a place-holder, and is never available, because
Virtual Desktop does not keep documents open.  The only documents
Virtual Desktop has are door files, which are only references to doors to
be opened.

•  Quit (Command-Q)

This command quits Virtual Desktop.  This will return the desktop view to
the home location, and if any applications have their windows anchored to
a door, those windows will fall back into the desktop view.  Any other
windows and desktop icons which were outside the home location will
remain off-screen.


The Edit Menu

•  Undo (Command-Z)

This command is not used by Virtual Desktop.  It is present only for desk
accessories.

•  Cut (Command-X)

This command cuts selected text to the clipboard.  It is used only with
desk accessories and dialogs containing text fields.

•  Copy (Command-C)

This command copies selected text to the clipboard.  It is used only with
desk accessories and dialogs containing text fields.

•  Paste (Command-V)

This command inserts the contents of the clipboard at the current cursor
location or replaces the currently selected text by the contents of the
clipboard.  It is used only with desk accessories and dialogs containing
text fields.

•  Clear

This command clears the selected text in a desk accessory or dialogs
containing text fields.


The Actions Menu

•  Full View (Command-F)

This command toggles between Full View mode and the usual see-through
mode.  The check mark indicates the current mode.

•  Refresh (Command-R)

This command re-examines the complete set of windows and icons now on
the virtual desktop, recomputes scroll bar positions and the extent of the
virtual desktop, and redraws all windows accordingly.

•  Grow Desktop (Command-Plus)

This command adds half a screenful to the padding at all four sides of the
virtual desktop, giving you more room to reposition your windows and
icons.  The maximum width or height of the virtual desktop, including
padding, is 32,767 pixels.  Therefore, the padding cannot exceed 32,767
pixels in either direction.  If the padding is already at its maximum, this
command is disabled.

•  Shrink Desktop (Command-Minus)

This command subtracts half a screenful from the padding at all four sides
of the virtual desktop.  In Full View mode, if images seem to be too small,
you should try shrinking the desktop.  If the padding is already at its
minimum, this command is disabled.

•  New Door… (Command-N)

This command prompts you for the name of a new door, which must not
match any existing door name.  The door is created with preference
options set so as to jump to the current virtual desktop location when
opened.  If the preferences file is unwritable, this command is disabled.

The default is create a single door, but by using the pop-up menu, you can
create 3, 5, or 9 doors at once.  The door at the center of these
multiple-door arrangements will lead to the current virtual desktop
location, and the others will lead to nearby locations as indicated by the
pattern.

If the default door preference options allow door windows to show,
Virtual Desktop will prompt you to place the door window with a special
door-shaped cursor.  In a multiple-door arrangement, the other door icon
windows are placed automatically according to the pattern.

•  Rename Door…

This command prompts you to give the currently open door a new name,
which must not match any other existing door name.  If no door is open, or
the preferences file is unwritable, this command is disabled.

NOTE:  When you rename a door, you should update the application
preferences of any application whose items are anchored to that door.
You should also change the name of any door files you had created.

•  Trash Door… (Command-T) or Trash Door (Command-Option-T)

This command trashes the currently open door.  An alert box appears to
ask for confirmation.  If no door is open, or the preferences file is
unwritable, this command is disabled.

With the Option key pressed, before you click in the menu bar, the
confirmation alert is suppressed.

•  Home (Command-H)

This command returns the desktop view to the home location, where it
was when Virtual Desktop started up.

•  Door “Name” (various)

There is one command in this menu for each defined door.  If the door has
a Command-digit binding, it appears in the menu.  Function-key bindings do
not appear in the menu.

Selecting a door command causes Virtual Desktop to open the door, just as
if the user had clicked on the door window.  Press the Option key while
selecting a door command to keep Virtual Desktop active, ignoring the
door preference options to activate a certain application or change the
color depth.


The Preferences Menu

•  Layout… (Command-L)

This command opens the Layout Preferences dialog.
See the section entitled “The Layout Preferences Dialog” for more
information.

•  Usage… (Command-U)

This command opens the Usage Preferences dialog.
See the section entitled “The Usage Preferences Dialog” for more
information.

•  Application… (Command-A)

This command opens the Application Preferences dialog.  It is available
only in Full View mode, and applies to the current application, as shown by
the radio buttons.
See the section entitled “The Application Preferences Dialog” for more
information.

•  Item… (Command-I)

This command is not implemented in this version of Virtual Desktop.

•  Door… (Command-D)

This command opens the Door Preferences dialog.  It is available only if a
door is currently open.
See the section entitled “The Door Preferences Dialog” for more
information.


The Special Menu

•  Restart

This command is exactly equivalent to Finder’s Restart command, but
gives Virtual Desktop the chance to take action on the Anchor
Application’s Items to Door option by quitting before any other application
can quit.

•  Shut Down

This command is exactly equivalent to Finder’s Shut Down command, but
gives Virtual Desktop the chance to take action on the Anchor
Application’s Items to Door option by quitting before any other application
can quit.


The Install Menu

•  “Virtual Desktop Extension” —> Extensions

This command installs an up-to-date version of “Virtual Desktop
Extension” in your Extensions folder, replacing any version already
there.
See the section entitled “Virtual Desktop Extension” for more information
on what this extension does.

•  “Virtual Desktop Doors” —> Control Strip Modules

This command installs an up-to-date version of “Virtual Desktop Doors”
in your Control Strip Modules folder, replacing any version already there.
If the Control Strip is not installed on your Macintosh, this command is
disabled.
See the section entitled “Virtual Desktop Doors” for more information on
what this Control Strip module does.

•  “Quit Virtual Desktop” —> Shutdown Items

This command installs an up-to-date version of “Quit Virtual Desktop” in
your Shutdown Items folder, replacing any version already there.  If you
have a non-scriptable Finder which does not support a Shutdown Items
folder, this command is disabled.
See the section entitled “Quit Virtual Desktop” for more information on
what this miniature application does.


The Help Menu

•  About Balloon Help…

This command, supplied by System software, tells you how to use Balloon
Help.  Virtual Desktop supports Balloon Help.

•  Show/Hide Balloons

This command, supplied by System software, lets you turn Balloon Help
on and off.  Virtual Desktop supports Balloon Help.

•  Virtual Desktop Help

This command asks Help on Wheels to display Virtual Desktop’s help file.
This will start the help server if it was not already running.  If the help
server cannot be found on any mounted volume, Virtual Desktop will offer
to save a readable copy of the help file as a TeachText file, then ask
Finder to open the file.  If the help file is missing or invalid, this command
is disabled.

Pressing the Help or Command-? key at any time does the same thing.
When there is a dialog box on your screen, such as the options dialog, the
menu command is disabled, and the keyboard is the only way to display
help.


The Door Menu

This menu appears alongside the Help, Keyboard, and Application menus at
the right side of the menu bar, whatever application is active.  It appears
only if the Door Menu option was selected in the Usage Preferences dialog
at the time the machine was started up.

•  Home

This command lets you return to the home location while using any
application, without making Virtual Desktop active.  If the Virtual Desktop
application is not running, this will start it up.

•  Name (various)

There is one command in this menu for each defined door.  Selecting a door
command causes Virtual Desktop to open the door.  If the Virtual Desktop
application is not running, this will start it up.

The Option key does not work with these commands, as it does with the
door commands in Virtual Desktop’s Actions menu.



Limitations


You may occasionally find an application which does not work well with
Virtual Desktop, perhaps putting windows in places where you can’t see
them, or not redrawing them when you scroll the desktop.
See the section entitled “Sensitive Applications” for more information on
how to recognize and deal with incompatible applications.

Here is a list of applications whose users have reported problems (not all
verified):
•  Data Desk Professional [version 2.0] — sporadic crashes when using
doors
•  Brown tn3270 [version 2.3d28 or earlier] — crashes if terminal
window goes entirely off-screen
•  ColorSwitch [?] — ?
•  SmartCom II [version 3.3A, 3.4A, or 4.0A] - crashes if Virtual
Desktop Extension is installed
•  Mathematica [version 2.2 Student Edition] - crashes if virtual desktop
is scrolled while calculating
•  StuffIt Deluxe [version 3.0.7] - Magic Menu feature gets confused
about what to stuff
•  Metrowerks CodeWarrior Debug 68K [?] - crashes while
single-stepping through code
•  Empower [all versions] — desktop doesn’t redraw properly when
scrolling if screen cover option is on
•  GraceLAN Server Manager [?] — crashes if window goes entirely
off-screen
•  Logitech MouseKey [version 1.2] — crashes if window goes entirely
off-screen
•  ResEdit [version 2.1.3 or earlier] — color bitmap editors crash if
window goes entirely off-screen
The programs which crash if the window goes off-screen all have the
same programming error.  Even in the absence of Virtual Desktop, they
will crash if you drag the window’s title bar to the very bottom of the
screen.

The Trash can may not always end up where you put it, because its
position is stored in the Finder Preferences file, not like the rest of the
desktop icons.  This is under investigation.

Having the ability to scroll the desktop, it would be nice if users could
keep an eye on a specific part of the virtual desktop at all times.
Currently, you have the option to exempt an application’s windows from
scrolling, which you can use to keep its windows in view at all times.  The
proposed “watch windows” scheme would let you select any rectangular
section of the virtual desktop and keep it in view in a floating window.

Another common request is for a miniaturized Full View floating window
which would offer a bird’s-eye view of the changing virtual desktop
situation.  The current Full View window design forces you to block out
the desktop view to use it.

If you change the door to which an application’s windows are anchored
using the Application Preferences dialog, the windows should be moved
automatically.  Currently, they are not.

You may store the Virtual Desktop Preferences file in a central location
and store aliases to it in various Preferences folders, but avoid storing it
on a server, as the Virtual Desktop extension will attempt to resolve the
alias during startup, and this may cause your Macintosh to hang.

Doors whose names begin with a period ('.') are not listed in the pop-up
menu associated with the Anchor Application’s Items to Door option in the
Application Preferences dialog.



Acknowledgements


One big hug to Toni and the family for enduring a LOT of late nights.

Special thanks to the nearly 200 fine people who beta-tested this
software, and to others who provided useful information.



Revision History


1.9 (March 6, 1996)
•  Public AWOL Utilities 1.3 release.
•  Added alerts offering to install the “Virtual Desktop Doors” Control
Strip module and “Quit Virtual Desktop” application in your System folder
after installing the “Virtual Desktop Extension” system extension, if
appropriate.  These files are now generated from inside the application,
not distributed alongside it.
•  Added the Install menu, to let you install appropriate System folder
components at any time.
•  Added support for the Display Manager, adjusting automatically when
you reconfigure your displays.
•  Changed the Full View display so that windows rolled up using
WindowShade appear the same as hidden windows.
•  Changed the effect of the “Switch to item via Finder…” door option so
that scrolling happens before the item is opened, not after.  This makes it
more likely that the resulting windows will open in the right place.
•  Improved the response to selections from the Door menu and Control
Strip module.
•  Corrected a bug which left an unusable extension file in the Extensions
folder if installation failed due to Gatekeeper virus protection.  The
previous fix (in 1.8) was not completely successful.  This version also
reports the evidence of an earlier failed installation, and how to fix it.
•  Corrected a bug which affected the appearance of menus and color
dialogs on Power Macintoshes.
•  Corrected a bug which caused Virtual Desktop to present some alerts
while in the background.

1.8 (October 17, 1994)
•  Public AWOL Utilities 1.2 release.
•  Added the optional Door menu, allowing easy access to doors from any
application, even if the Virtual Desktop application is not running.
•  Added the “Virtual Desktop Doors” Control Strip module.
•  Added the Shove Mouse usage option, a much-wanted bit of mimicry.
•  Enhanced the usage options for more flexible selection of modifier keys.
•  Added a usage option to suppress the scroll bar windows.
•  Added a usage option to choose between half- and full-screen scrolling.
•  Added a door option to open an arbitrary item via Finder when the door
is opened.
•  Added a door option to change the color depth when the door is opened.
•  Changed minimum virtual desktop padding from half a screenful to zero,
allowing more detail in Full View mode.
•  Corrected a bug which could cause white-on-white or black-on-black
printing of names in door icon windows.
•  Corrected a bug which left an unusable extension file in the Extensions
folder if installation failed due to virus protection.
•  Corrected a bug in the Door Preferences dialog which could cause a
crash on Macintoshes without Color QuickDraw.
•  Added the “Quit Virtual Desktop” application for use in the Shutdown
Items folder to assist Virtual Desktop by making it quit before all other
applications.

1.7 (March 28, 1994)
•  Public AWOL Utilities 1.1 release.
•  Corrected a bug which could cause keystrokes normally trapped by
other system extensions to reach the active application.

1.6.1 (March 27, 1994)
•  Added choice of door arrangements to the “New Door…” dialog.
•  If the Virtual Desktop application crashes and is re-opened, it does not
lose track of the true home location, and refrains from moving other
applications’ windows as it normally would.
•  Corrected a bug which could cause a switch to another application when
placing a new door.
•  Added an optional confirmation alert to the “Trash Door” menu
command.
•  Corrected a bug which could misplace desktop icons if the Exempt
Application’s Items From All Scrolling option were selected for desktop
icons.
•  Improved performance of the Use Key Combination option.

1.6.0 (March 13, 1994)
•  Corrected a bug which caused disk drives to access periodically while
Virtual Desktop Extension was installed.
•  Corrected a bug which could cause the About dialog to crash on
Macintoshes without Color QuickDraw.
•  Added a Help button to the alert which asks for permission to install
Virtual Desktop Extension.
•  Prevented Full View from using white as the color for an application’s
item images and radio button.
•  Added the “Rename Door…” menu command and dialog.
•  Added disabled item to the pop-up menu in the Application Preferences
dialog if the selected door no longer exists.
•  Corrected a bug which prevented default application preferences set by
the user from overriding the built-in defaults.
•  Prevented visible shifting of anchor and scroll bar windows when
opening, due to non-default layout preferences.
•  Added the thank-you hot button under Acknowledgements.

1.5.2 (February 27, 1994)
•  Corrected a Virtual Desktop Extension bug which sometimes prevented
other applications from finding files.
•  Corrected an incompatibility with SpeedyFinder7’s Help menu removal
option which prevented help display.
•  Virtual desktop growth is limited to 32,767 pixels in each direction.
•  Added support for virtual desktop scrolling using the Home, End, Page
Up, and Page Down keys.
•  Improved messages given when Virtual Desktop Extension is missing or
is out of date.
•  Added protection against loading duplicate copies of the extension.
•  Allowed the application to operate without a preferences file (for
example, when startup disk is locked).

1.5.1 (February 7, 1994)
•  Added virus protection removal advice to extension installation alert.
•  Corrected a bug which could cause a crash on exit immediately after a
version check or extension installation alert.
•  Corrected a bug which sometimes caused desktop icons to end up in the
wrong place.
•  Desktop icons are properly handled in Systems whose language is other
than English.
•  Increased minimum and preferred memory sizes to accommodate
PowerBook computers.

1.5.0 (January 30, 1994)
•  Added Virtual Desktop Extension to improve compatibility with other
programs.
•  If the Shift key is pressed on startup, the extension will not be loaded.
If the Help or Command-? key is pressed, the extension will delay up to
one second to let the user release the key(s).

1.4.1 (January 19, 1994)
•  If the help server is absent when Virtual Desktop requests help, and the
user agrees to save the help file as a TeachText document, the file is split
into two parts small enough for TeachText to handle.
•  Improved handling of desktop icons.

1.4.0 (October 2, 1993)
•  Initial AWOL Utilities 1.0 release.