If you use a lot of "FKeys" or "HotKeys", you can type in the settings of each of the keys for each of the control panels on the appropriate lines. No more "F1 through F9 switch tracks on the CD player, except that F7 also ejects the ZIP drive..."
Keyboard Shortcuts and "hidden" features:
• Hold down the ⌘ and option keys while opening a Control Commander document from the Finder to immediately see it in "Preview" mode.
• Enter the Return and Tab characters into the editors Find dialog by holding down the option key while typing them.
• Cancel a lengthy Replace All action by holding down command-period.
• Remove descriptions of uninstalled Control Panels from a document by holding down the option key and clicking on the tools button.
• The page up, page down, home, and end keys work for both editing, and moving about in the commands list.
• If you've set up Control Commander to quit when the list window is closed, you can prevent it from quitting by holding down the option key while closing the main window.
• Hold down the ⌘ key to make Control Commander quit when you close the main window.
• If you've set up Control Commander to quit after you open a Control Panel, you can prevent it from quitting by holding down the option key while closing the main window.
• Hold down the ⌘ key to make Control Commander quit when you open a Control Panel.
Keyword names:
Starting a keyword with a non-breaking space (option space) will move a keyword to the top of the keywords list, above the dividing line.
Localizing the Standard Keywords:
If you think the keyword "Network" should be spelled "das Plöttzenlanger des la Morte" you can easily change its spelling to the correct one:
• Choose "Get a Copy of Commands File" from the Edit Menu.
• Change the names of the keywords. Don't alter the reference numbers.
• Click the "Check Syntax" button to make sure everything is OK.
• Fix any problems.
• Open the Tools dialog.
• Choose "Sort the Keywords Lines" and click OK.
• Preview the results using ⌘=, and when you are satisfied,
• Choose "Save Text as Commands File" from the file menu.
The original spellings are not likely to appear again under normal usage.
Using a resource editor, such as ResEdit, to change the names in the program itself is not much more effective.
More Control Panels:
Want to see what sort of Control Panels are out there ?
Open the file "More Descriptions..." in the "Control Commander Files" folder for descriptions of over 100 different Control Panels. Each description comes complete with an address where the Control Panel can be downloaded.
Previewing Documents:
If you hold down the option and ‚åò keys while opening a Control Commander document from the Finder, the text of that document will be used for the commands list. This can be handy if you've got any documents that describe the setup for an application or for personalizing a computer.
Putting Control Commander into the "Control Panels" folder:
Just put the Application, or an Alias to it, into the "Control Panels" folder inside the System Folder. If you just drag it on top of the System Folder, It will not go into the "Control Panels" folder automatically. Given what the application does, the Apple Menu, is probably a better place for it. See the tip on doing that.
Putting Control Commander into the Apple Menu:
Just put the Application, or an Alias to it, into the "Apple Menu Items" folder inside the System Folder. To make an Alias:
• Click on the Control Commander Icon so that it's highlighted.
Either:
• Choose "Add Alias to Apple Menu" from the "Automated Tasks" submenu located in the Apple Menu. -That's it.
or:
• Choose "Make Alias" from the File Menu.
• Find the Alias, and move it into the folder "Apple Menu Items" which is located inside your System folder.
• That's it.
If you are truly dedicated, you could even replace the "Control Panels" Menu item with Control Commander. Here's how:
Open the "Apple Menu Items" folder and find the Alias to the "Control Panels" folder. Its name should be in italics (e.g. "Control Panels"). Drag that out of the "Apple Menu Items" folder. You can throw it away, if you are sure it's just an Alias. Put Control Commander, or an Alias to it, into the "Apple Menu Items" folder, and optionally, change its name to "Control Panels". To make it seem as if Control Commander is simply a window that shows a list of Control Panels, open the Control Commander preferences dialog, and select the "Quit When List Window is Closed" checkbox.
Remembering Control Panel Settings:
Some Applications need to have the Control Panels set in a certain way in order to work properly. You can keep track of these settings with Control Commander.
Here's how:
• Open Control Commander, and choose "Get Control Panel Names" from the Edit Menu. A document will open that will show you the names of all the Control Panels on the Computer.
• Now go through the process of setting up the computer for the Application, but as you set each Control Panel, type a short description of what you did underneath the name of that Control Panel in the Control Commander document. If you need to set the Chooser or any other items, you can type that in too; Control Commander doesn't care what you type after the name of a Control Panel.
• When you are done, remove all the names for Control Panels you didn't have to change from the document.
• Save the document with a descriptive name.
• Choose "Preview" from the Edit Menu.
• That's it.
The Commands List will now show you a complete setup procedure for the Application. And, you can just click on it to get to the right Control Panels ! Look at the tip on previewing documents for any easy way to use your Set up file.
Remembering Mac Settings:
If you've ever had to use someone else's Mac, you know how frustrating it can be to not have it set up the way you like it. Wouldn't it be nice to have a little file, that you can carry around on a floppy, that tells you exactly how to set a Mac to your own personal specifications ? Control Commander makes this possible for the first time. Look at the tip on "Remembering Control Panel Settings" and apply it to setting up a Mac to meet your needs. If you take the file with you when you expect to use an "alien" Mac, you can quickly set the machine up just the way you like it ! If you wish to avoid a squabble, be sure to reset the machine when you're done, some of us "Mac-ophiles" get really testy with people who mess with our Control Panel settings !
This feature is also great for resetting things after crashes, after you update System files, and if you need to set up a bunch of computers in the same way.
There's a file called "My Mac Setup" in the "Control Commander Files" folder that shows an example of what a complete set up file looks like.
Starting Over:
If for any reason you want to get rid of your current Commands List, and start over from scratch, there are (at least) two ways to do it:
The first method isn't very elegant:
Find the "Control Commander Preferences" file in the System folder. Throw it into the trash. Empty the trash. Hide the "Control Commander Files" folder in some folder other than where the application lives. Start up Control Commander. Everything but the names of Control Panels will be gone.
Here's a simpler alternative:
Start up Control Commander, and select "New" from the File Menu. Choose "Save Text As Commands File..." from the same Menu. Ignore the warning, click "OK", and you're done.
Updating your Control Panel Listings:
If you get a bunch of new Control Panels, or update your System Software, you can update your Control Commander listings with out starting over. Simply choose "Add descriptions" from the File Menu, and choose the descriptions files you need. The Files are located in the "Control Commander Files" folder, and current versions are available at http://members.aol.com/halfhill/.
