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OS/2 Shareware BBS: 8 Other
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CBSetup.hlp
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OS/2 Help File
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1998-09-27
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24KB
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578 lines
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Welcome to CandyBarZ! ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
CandyBarZ is a titlebar replacement that provides gradient fill patterns.
There are plenty of options available, all accessible through the CBSetup
program that you're currently using. These help pages will guide you through
the installation and personalization of CandyBarZ. Select one of the following
topics for more information.
Installing CandyBarZ
Setting the default colors
Customizing individual programs
Known problems, limitations, and troubleshooting
Registration information
License and disclaimer
The author
Future Plans
Version History
Thanks for using CandyBarZ!
CandyBarZ Version 1.20, Copyright 1997, OS/2 Netlabs. Not to be used for
military purposes.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Installing CandyBarZ ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
New Installations
Since you're reading this help screen, we assume that you've unzipped the
archive and started the CBSetup program. Until CandyBarZ is installed, the
CBSetup notebook contains only the install page. For help with any of the
controls on the Installation page, tab to on the control and press F1 or choose
one of the links below.
Destination directory for CandyBar.dll and PSRT.DLL
Destination directory for CandyBar.ini
Status Window
Install
Uninstall
Note: Whack-A-Mole uses a previous version of PSRT.DLL. If you have
Whack-A-Mole installed, please remove the version of PSRT.DLL that came with
Whack-A-Mole.
Note: CandyBar.dll and PSRT.DLL MUST reside in a directory specified in your
LIBPATH line in CONFIG.SYS.
Upgrade Installations
CAUTION!! The installation process has changed for version 1.20. Do NOT
uninstall before upgrading. If you uninstall, your CandyBar.INI WILL BE
DELETED!
To upgrade your current CandyBarZ installation to the latest release, start
the CBSetup program and turn to the "Install/Uninstall" page. Press the
Install button. Reboot to load the new DLLs.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Destination directory for CandyBar.dll and PSRT.DLL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This dropdown listbox contains the entries from your LIBPATH line in
CONFIG.SYS. CandyBar.DLL and PSRT.DLL MUST reside in a directory referenced by
your LIBPATH. If you have a previous version of CandyBarZ installed, CBSetup
will attempt to find that installation. Otherwise, it will default to <boot
drive>\OS2\DLL.
If you would like to use a directory not contained in the list, take the
following steps:
1. Exit the CBSetup program
2. Create the directory
3. Add the directory to the LIBPATH line in CONFIG.SYS
4. Restart the CBSetup program
After performing these steps, the new directory should be present in the
dropdown listbox.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Destination directory for CandyBar.ini ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This entryfield allows you to choose the destination directory for
CandyBar.ini, the CandyBarZ option file. This file is not contained in the
archive, so don't be alarmed that you don't see it. CandyBarZ will create the
profile with default values the first time it is loaded.
By default, CBSetup will place CandyBar.ini in the same directory as the DLLs.
If you wish to change this, either type in a new destination or press the
Browse... button. A file dialog will appear so that you can choose a
destination.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Status Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Status window allows you to see the progress of the
installation/uninstallation process. If any errors occur, they will also be
displayed there.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Install ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Install button does exactly that, begins the installation process.
CandyBar.dll and PSRT.dll will be copied to the directory displayed in the
listbox. The location chosen for CandyBar.ini (displayed in the entryfield)
will be written to the OS2.INI file (application CandyBarZ, key Profile).
Additionally, the SYS_DLLS application in OS2.INI will be modified so that OS/2
loads CandyBar.dll at boot time.
Note that the CBSetup.exe program and this help file (CBSetup.hlp) are not
copied anywhere. You should place these in a directory of your choice (if not
together, then CBSetup.hlp must reside in a directory listed in your SET HELP=
line in CONFIG.SYS) and, optionally, create a program object on your desktop.
CBSetup.exe is your key to total titlebar domination! Use it wisely.
When the installation is complete, you must reboot. This will allow OS/2 to
load CandyBar.dll. You can then start the CBSetup program again and begin
customizing.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Uninstall ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Should you have the poor taste to uninstall CandyBarZ, the Uninstall will
grudgingly allow you to do so. Simply press the button. The uninstallation
process will remove the modifications that the installation made to the OS2.INI
file and delete the files CandyBar.DLL, PSRT.DLL, and CandyBar.INI. CBSetup.exe
and CBSetup.hlp must be removed manually.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Setting the Default Colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Default Colors pages allow you to set the color scheme that CandyBarZ uses
by default (that is, for all windows that don't have a custom color scheme).
On these pages, you'll see previews of the active and inactive titlebars, as
well as several buttons. For help with any of the controls on these pages, tab
to the control and press F1 or choose one of the links below.
Top... (Left)
Bottom... (Right)
Horizontal
Fill Up (Left)
Fill Down (Right)
3D Text
Draw Border
Use File...
Browse... (if a file is in use)
The Apply and Save buttons
The Undo button
The Enable S3 Fix checkbox
The Enable CandyBarZ checkbox
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. The Top... and Bottom... Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
These allow you to change the color used for the topmost and bottommost
(respectively, you know) rows of pixels in the titlebar.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. The Apply and Save Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Apply button broadcasts the new color set to all open windows. The effect
of this button lasts only until the next reboot. The Save button broadcasts
the change and writes the changes to the CandyBarZ profile so they will be used
until changed again.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. The Undo Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Undo button reverses any changes made since the previous use of Apply
and/or Save (or since the start of the CBSetup program).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. The Enable CandyBarZ Checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Enable CandyBarZ checkbox allows you to disable CandyBarZ altogether.
Though not strictly necessary, we made a conscious decision to require a reboot
upon disabling or enabling CandyBarZ.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. The Horizontal Checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Horizontal checkbox instructs CandyBarZ to use a horizontal, rather than
the default vertical, gradient "like Win 95 does it."
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. The Draw Border Checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Draw Border checkbox instructs CandyBarZ to draw a 3D border highlight, ala
Warp 4. we haven't seen the effect of this on versions of OS/2 prior to Warp 4.
Note that the preview window will not show this border.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. The Fill Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Fill Up and Fill Down cause CBSetup to choose one endpoint of the gradient
itself. If two of three colors are less than half their maximum value, then
all of the colors are doubled in brightness across the gradient. Similarly, if
two of the three color components are greater than half their maximum value,
all of the components are halved in strength across the gradient. For example,
if the top color is red=200, green=60, and blue=240, pressing the "Fill Down"
button will cause the bottom color to become red=100, green=30, and blue=120.
Simple, no?
This scheme may not provide a steep enough gradient. Lemme know at
peter.garner@toward.com.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 16. CandyBarZ File Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use File allows you to choose an image to display in your titlebars. To use a
file, press "Use File" and choose the desired image from the subsequent file
dialog. To choose a different image, press the Browse... button.
Any image format supported by OS/2 is supported by CandyBarZ. For Warp 4, this
means that you can use bitmap, JPG, GIF, TIFF, Targa, and more. Even better,
as support for new file formats is added to OS/2, CandyBarZ will automatically
support them as well.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 17. 3D Text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The 3D Text option causes CandyBarZ to draw a text shadow slightly offset from
the titlebar text, giving the text a 3D appearance. Pressing the color button
displays a dialog which allows you to choose the shadow color. Note that the
preview window, since it does not show text, will not show this effect.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18. The Enable S3 Fix checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Enable S3 Fix checkbox is a workaround for some S3 (and other) cards which
fail to properly display horizontal gradients. Use this option only if
horizontal gradients do not work on your system, as there is some additional
CPU overhead.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 19. The Active/Inactive radio buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Active/Inactive Titlebar Options radio buttons let you switch between
editing the active and inactive settings for your titlebars.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 20. Using Custom Color Schemes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Custom Colors page allows you to customize the titlebars for individual
programs. The customization is based upon the executable name without
extension. If you don't follow this rule, custom colors just won't work. The
listbox lists (go figure) all of the existing custom configurations. For help
with any of the controls on this page, tab to the control and press F1 or
choose one of the links below.
The Add... and Edit... buttons
The Clone button
The Remove button
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 21. The Add... and Edit... Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
These buttons allow you to create new color schemes or edit existing ones. You
may also edit an existing scheme by double-clicking its entry in the list.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 22. The Clone... Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This button allows you to copy the settings of an existing color scheme for use
in a NEW custom color scheme.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 23. The Remove Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This button removes the currently selected scheme from the listbox and
broadcasts the change to the system.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 24. Using the Color Change Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The color change dialog is straightforward. Three sliders allow you to adjust
each of the Red, Green, and Blue components of your color. Spinbuttons next to
the sliders allow somewhat finer control. A preview window allows you to see
the current color. Pressing the Ok button accepts the color, and pressing the
Cancel button returns you to the previous dialog without changing the color.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 25. The Customization Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This dialog is very similar to the Default Colors page. For help with any of
the controls on this page, tab to the control and press F1 or choose one of the
links below.
Title
Top... and Bottom...
Horizontal
The Fill buttons
3D Text
Draw Border
Use File...
Browse... (if a file is in use)
Active/Inactive Titlebar Options
Enable CandyBarZ
Enable Custom Colors
Undo
Save and Cancel
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 26. The Title Entryfield ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This field lets you enter (or change) the name of the executable to customize.
Do not included the .exe extension. Entering PMSHELL will give the custom
scheme to folders, VIO windows, and all other windows created by the system.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 27. The Undo Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
These buttons allow you to undo any changes made since the dialog was invoked.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 28. The Checkboxes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Enable CandyBarZ checkbox allows you to disable CandyBarZ on a
per-executable basis. Hopefully, this will resolve any problems you may
experience with CandyBarZ and certain programs. The Enable Custom Colors
checkbox allows you to use the Default Colors without completely removing the
custom scheme.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 29. The Save and Cancel Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Save button writes the custom configuration to the CandyBarZ profile and
broadcasts the change to the system. The Cancel button dismisses the dialog
without making any changes.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 30. The CandyBarZ Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Pressing the CandyBarZ button causes a menu of options to appear. This menu
contains the following choices:
Top... (Left)
Bottom... (Right)
Fill Down (Right)
Fill Up (Left)
Use File...
Browse... (if a file is in use)
Horizontal
Draw Border
3D Text
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 31. Known Problems, Limitations, and Troubleshooting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When a change is applied or saved, the CBSetup program broadcasts the
message to all windows in the system. On Warp 3, this could cause the
message queue to become filled. The only result seems to be a failing
return code, which prompts CBSetup to display a message box to that
effect. The changes do take effect. We have not yet experienced this
problem on Warp 4.
Hitting escape on FeelX titlebar popup menus causes the titlebar to draw
in inactive colors. It seems that, when we get my redraw message, the
menu still has the focus, so we consider the subject window inactive.
Folders do not display their view in the titlebar. This text is,
apparently, not returned when we ask for the titlebar text.
PMINews LEDs do not redraw when the window is resized horizontally.
We're not sure if this is our problem or their problem, but we will
contact Stardock to see if this can fixed.
WordPerfect 6.2 for DOS requires that VIDEO_SWITCH_NOTIFICATION be set
to ON. Thanks to Ron VanAbrahams for this tip.
Some programs may defy us - i.e., CandyBarZ has no effect on them. If
you experience this, please email us at peter.garner@toward.com, and we
will attempt to contact the author of the program.
A number of other problems have been reported. We fixed many bugs that
could cause system-wide problems, and we have tested with a number of
programs reported as being problematic. However, it is not possible for
us to test CandyBarZ under every possible configuration. If you
previously reported a problem, and this problem still exists using
CandyBarZ 1.20 (and is not listed here), please let us know.
If you are experiencing a problem with CandyBarZ that is not listed here,
please contact us at peter.garner@toward.com. If the problem occurs only with
some programs, you may also attempt to disable CandyBarZ when using that
program.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 32. Registration Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Formerly shareware, CandyBarZ has been released to OS/2 Netlabs and, as a
consequence, is now free.
Enjoy!
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 33. License and Disclaimer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
CandyBarZ Version 1.10, Copyright 1997, OS/2 Netlabs
This software may not be used for military purposes. It may be used by
military personnel in a civilian setting for civilian purposes only.
CandyBarZ is not warranted to be free of bugs. The authors and OS/2 Netlabs
may not be held responsible for data corruption, loss of productivity, or any
other bad thing that results from the use of this software.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 34. The Authors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Peter Garner - Project lead. I have been a contract C++ programmer since
receiving my BS in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin in 1988. I work
exclusively in Unix and OS/2. At those rare times when I get away from the
computer my interests are Hiking, Biking, Camping and Fishing.
You may contact me via email at peter.garner@toward.com
I would like to thank all of you who have supported CandyBarZ and have emailed
me your kind comments, bug reports, and suggestions.
Eric Norman - I am a Senior Computer Science Major at Montana State University.
I'm looking forward to graduating with a degree in the Spring of 1999.
You may contact me via email at warped@cs.montana.edu
I would like to thank Brenda Sondereger, John Paxton, and all the great
Professors at MSU who have given me a solid backround in many aspects of
computer programming. I would also like to acknowledge Jay Dolan, Don
Burkenpas and Brian Weiss for all their coding tips and Mountain Dew.
Matt Wagner - I received my BS in Mathematics from MIT in 1993, and my MS in
Applied Mathematics from the University of Arizona in 1995. I am a contract C,
C++, and SQR programmer on Windows NT (hey, it's hard to find an OS/2 job in
Atlanta). I do not write comic books.
You may contact me via email at erlkonig@alum.mit.edu
I would like to acknowledge the support of Michael Compton and Nick Lemke at
DocuCorp International, Inc. for their willingness to test the first versions
of CandyBarZ. Thanks also go to IBM for producing OS/2 and its development
tools (CandyBarZ was written in C and built with VisualAge for C++), despite
their apparent lack of OS/2 support, and all of the OS/2 developers who have
set for me a high standard of excellence.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 35. Selectively Disabling CandyBarZ ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
CandyBarZ may be selectively disabled on a per executable basis. To do so
Turn to the Custom Colors page and press the "Add..." button.
When the dialog appears, type the name of the executable (without
extension) in the entryfield and uncheck the Enable CandyBarZ checkbox
Press the Save button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 36. Future Plans ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Amazing what can be done with such a simple concept. Here's what we hope to
do.
Fix more bugs. There are a couple of outstanding issues (see Known
Problems) that won't cause problems but are cosmetic flaws.
Drag and drop of colors onto the color change dialog.
WPS integration is in the works.
New gradient options. For example, bilinear (fade from center outward)
gradients are in progress.
Gradient text. The capability is there now, but we haven't added the
code to enable it yet. Gotta save something for later....
Animations? Depends on how resource economically we can do it, but
we've been toying with the idea.
Additional windows. Scrollbars, frames, buttons....
Customizations based on window title. This was the original intent, but
many windows apparently don't have a title when their titlebars are
created. Even if we can't work around this, we may implement it as a hit
and miss type of thing.
Preset schemes. We'll try to come up with some nice combinations to
save you the hassle.
Work on focus issues. Determining when the active colors vs. inactive
colors should be used is pretty twisted. We suspect that we've missed a
few criteria somewhere. It's NOT simply an issue of "if a child of the
frame has the focus, then use active." For instance, if a popup menu
(which is owned by the frame, but is not a child of the frame) has the
focus, then the titlebar should be colored active. However, if a message
box has the focus (which is also owned by, but is not a child of, the
frame), then the titlebar should be colored inactive.
Internationalization.
If there is a feature you would like to see, let us know.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 37. Version History ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
24 July, 1997 1.00 Initial release
02 August, 1997 1.01 Fix lots of
bugs, probably
introduce some
others
02 September, 1997 1.10 Add horizontal
gradients, fill
option, 3D
border
highlight,
clean up
CBSetup some,
fix bugs, some
optimizations
Put Date Here 1.20 Fix bugs, of
course. Add 3D
text, redesign
CBSetup, add
image support,
add PMView and
S3 workarounds