MacFormat 1995 March/macformat-022.iso/Shareware City/Utilities/Virtual Desktop 1.8/Virtual Desktop Help/Virtual Desktop Help.rsrc/STR#_1029.txt

Text File | 1994-10-18 | 28.8 KB | 1,651 lines






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åWindows and Dialogs





Virtual Desktop operates several windows and dialog boxes, which are

described here.










xThe Scroll Bar Windows



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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.








xThe 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.










xThe Full View Window



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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 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, 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, 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.








xThe Door Icon Windows



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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.








xThe 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.








xThe Layout Preferences Dialog



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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.








xThe Usage Preferences Dialog



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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.








xThe Application Preferences Dialog



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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 “Finder Scripting Extension” installed, 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.










xThe Door Preferences Dialog



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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.