Cream of the Crop 1/Cream of the Crop 1.iso/WINDOWS/ACCESS21.ARJ/CHANGES.TXT

Text File | 1992-01-10 | 15KB | 364 lines

Finally, Thanks for those who registered or suffered thru the 1st versions
of Accesses.  The holidays made it difficult for me to rush thru decent
fixes.  Because of the holidays, Versions 1.1 and 1.1A were not Beta tested.
Poor excuse and I've learned.  I believe that this version, Version 2.1, is
the first, completely or unbelieveably nearly completely error free version
for all user systems.

Version 1.0 was great until I found out about the Norton Desktop problem.
Norton is so odd I don't feel too bad about that problem except that it
caused a serious problem.  But, the following rushed fixes were incredible
failures and I have more pride in my work than those examples displayed.
Again, Thanks for your efforts, or is it endurance?  I hope I didn't turn
off too many people from Off the WALL Software.  You would realize that
this program is dirt cheap if you knew how much work goes into a windows
program.

Thanks to those who gave me comments and a special thanks to those who
registered.  Registrations keep me in business...

Changes thru 1/8/92        (Version 2.1 and 2.0 versus Version 1.1A)

1.    Added phone calling functions where Accesses now accesses a user
    configured phone list.

2.    Fixed the Esc key switch to other apps.  I fouled this when I
    rushed a fix for Norton Desktop before Christmas.  Sorry...

3.    Completed the Norton Desktop functions for Accesses for the Norton
    Desktop users.  If you need something else, let me know.

4.    Closing Accesses on a WM_ENDSESSION instead of WM_QUERYENDSESSION,
    especially since Accesses is a Task manager.

5.    Eliminated switches from a switch if running statement.  eg
    Winword.exe /n would fail the switch if running statement in the
    prior version of Accesses.

6.    Built a minor function to launch the users menu if it was not
    running when the Popup window is Left Mouse Double Clicked for the
    CMDPOST users and for other menus that can be closed without exiting
    Windows.

7.    Fixed the user defined save window position for Top ╜, Bottom ╜,
    etc.  Worked in Ver 1.0 but fouled in Ver 1.1A.

8.    Allow the user to change the name of the "Show+Middle Right" and
    "Show+Middle Left" menu items of the Task List.  This way the user
    can replace the "Show+Middle Right" with, for example, a
    "Show+Above Icons" menu item.

9.    NOTE, THE FOLLOWING HAS LIMITED DOCUMENTATION...
    (A "semi-undocumented" procedure?)

    Established a primitive "start a program without a filename in a
    user defined directory" function.  The format for starting a program
    in a particular directory is as follows:

        accesses.exe notepad.exe*d:\textfile\

    or when running from Accesses RUN PROGRAMS dialog box or adding to
    Accesses Menu, this same example is as follows:

        notepad.exe*d:\textfile\

        (You don't have to include accesses.exe when running
         the program from Accesses.)

    Where the directory follows the program name and is separated by an
    asterisk.  You cannot enter a filename for this function.  The last
    backslash is required since Accesses will not append the last
    backslash.

    If you enter a filename, Accesses always starts the program in the
    directory of the filename.

    Otherwise, Accesses will always start the program in the directory
    that the program was launched from if you do not use the
    *drive:\directory\   or   enter a filename when launching programs.

    eg. If you launch a program from Program Manager using the following
    command line:

        accesses.exe notepad.exe

    then Accesses will launch that program from the directory specified
    by Program Manager or from the directory that Program Manager is
    currently in depending on what you specified in the Program Manager
    options of Program Manager.

10.    Added an "ExcludeWindowNames" application heading to the
    Accesses.ini file.  This section allows the user to add up to 10
    Window Titles to exclude from all Task List displays.  This is
    especially useful to the Norton Desktop users or to those folks that
    run programs that have hidden windows that the user would never want
    to show.

    Another example, if you get tired of Dr.Watson's dialog box poping
    open when you select the Restore All Windows function from Accesses,
    you can "ExcludeWindowName" from all Task List displays using this
    function.

    And finally, you can even Exclude Accesses Pop up title from showing
    in the Task List display.

    Accesses can show hidden windows on your system and you may be
    surprised by the Hidden Windows you never knew about.  Accesses has
    only one window on your system and this is called "Accesses".  The
    other hidden windows you'll see are from other programs.  One that
    surprised me was Winhelp.exe.  When you close Winhelp.exe it is
    actually hiding itself (my Winhelp Version 3.07 is doing this.)

    The following programs are automatically added to this list:

        [ExcludeWindowNames]
        01="Norton Task Manager"
        02="TheUlitmateMrSlate"
        03="QAddeRegName"

    If you never run Norton Desktop, then you can delete all of the
    above names from this list.

    To save a window to this list press Ctrl+Esc, then select the window
    name from the Task List display, then press Alt+U, V, Alt+F, Alt+S.

    You will have to manually delete the Excluded Window Title from the
    [ExcludeWindowNames] if you ever want to re-include a window that
    was saved to the Accesses.ini file for Exclusion.  To delete a Window
    Title from the ExcludeWindowNames list, select Ctrl+Esc, Alt+U, V,
    then press the 'Edit List' button located at the Lower left of this
    dialog box.

11.    Improved the installation of Accesses for the 1st time user and
    improved the de-installation of the SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI changes
    for the unregistered user.  I was asking too much from the user
    that was "trying out Accesses" in prior versions.

12.    Fixed an infinite loop if a WIN.INI extension was incorrectly
    included Accesses.exe but not another program name following.

    eg.    txt=accesses.exe ^.txt will now open the Run Dialog Box when
        a *.TXT file is double clicked on from another program like
        File Manager or Norton Desktop.

13.    Fixed the "Delete Document from Title" checkbox on the Save one
    Window Position dialog box.

14.    Changed the "Keep dialog box open" checkbox on the Phone Call dialog
    box to always enabled for user input.

15.    Added a "Destroy a Task function" where Accesses can Destroy these
    applications one at a time so you can monitor what is happening.
    However, temporary files, handles etc. may be left open if the
    program does its cleanup work on a WM_CLOSE command verses the
    WM_DESTROY.  It is up to the user to determine if all is going well
    for each case.

    I HIGHLY recommend that you use the 'End Tasks' to normally close
    windows.  Programs will not notify you if you forgot to save a file
    or normally not of anything else if your use the Destroy Task
    function!  Communications programs may leave a port open, etc.

16.    Added a switch that will Maximize the application after it is
    launched and placed in the user defined position.
    (the switch is ignored when launching !folders)

17.    Added a dialog box to edit the DEFAULTSIZE table so you can find
    "almost duplicate" Titles and can discover why something is being
    sized the way it is.

18.    Added a "New and Improved" (sounds like I'm selling soap) dialog
    box to edit the !Folders and the Run User List found on the Run
    dialog box.

19.    Fixed an error in the Phones, where Accesses would terminate if
    the user made a call and the call was busy, then the user tried to
    add a phone # to the list.

20.    Added an "Add/Subtract Pixel Width" and an "Add/Subtract Pixel
    Height" variable to Accesses.  This number will adjust the width
    and height of the popup either + or - pixels for those who want to
    tweek the popup size to absolute perfection.  These numbers can be
    changed only using a text editor like notepad.

    The format for the keyword is:

        PixelUpDown=iTextUpDown,iWidthPopup,iHeightPopup

    and an example is:    PixelUpDown=2,-12,-3

    See Accesses.hlp for more...

21.    The interaction of the 'List Apps on/off', 'List Icons on/off', and
    'List Hidden on/off' is changed and added a 'List All of Above'
    menu selection to the Show Menu of the Task List.  The changes
    should be obvious and considered an improvement in understanding.
    ie. when you select one option, the others are selected or
    deselected automatically to avoid the user from having to keep
    opening this menu item to select or deselect Hidden, or Apps, or
    Icons.

22.    For the Run Program dialog box:
    Fixed the Run User List selection so that you can include sizing
    information for a program in the Run User list and that that sizing
    information is appended to the document selected in the Run program
    with filename list box.

23.    Added a Repeat the Run Dialog box to be used for launching multiple
    programs not in a !folder.

24.    Fixed a fatal error when a document was launched with a program
    that was in the root directory...

25.    Removed the Delete key option to close Accesses to avoid accidental
    closing of Accesses.

26.    Compiled a Version of Accesses that will receive WM_DROPFILES messages
    for Versions of Windows 3.0 where users have SHELL.DLL and to Beta
    test with Windows 3.1 beta.  This version of Accesses is stored in
    ACCESD.ZIP

Changes thru 12/21/91        (Version 1.0 versus Version 1.1A)

1.    Found an error in identifying the Norton DLL Windows that would
    cause the window to be accidentially hidden.

Changes thru 12/20/91        (Version 1.0 versus Version 1.1)

1.    Fixed the problem with Norton Desktop where the User Menu
    name could not be found.  Also prevented a similar problem
    with other "Menu" programs.  NORTON USERS, please read NORTON.TXT.

2.    After buying Norton's Desktop, I Added functions that support and
    greatly enhance Norton Desktop.  These functions are transparent
    although still available to non-Norton Desktop users.  eg.
    displaying only "Children" windows under the Show Window functions
    of Accesses.

3.    Collecting directory information for programs that are launched
    thru Accesses from another application without a document.  When
    a document is launched I am starting that program in the document's
    directory.

4.    Fixed a fatal Windows exit when the user answered NO to the very
    1st question on Startup.

5.    Added an undo to the taskman.exe=accesses.exe line in the SYSTEM.INI
    file.  This question is asked everytime Accesses is closed for
    Unregistered Users.

6.    Added a section to Accesses.hlp covering the Norton Desktop features.

7.    Added a Selection mode for displaying just windows that are
    "Children" on the Task List dialog box.  "Children" include DLL
    windows of Norton Desktop and Popup windows of any program where the
    Parent is Enabled for user input.

8.    Increased the number of Windows that Accesses will process
    from 50 to 100 during a single Windows session after seeing the
    number of Windows that Norton Desktop will open.

        *******************************

Changes prior to First release of Accesses: 11/26/91

1.    Significantly improved the user interface.  Added configuration
    dialog boxes for almost all elements.

2.    Renamed the keywords in the Accesses.ini file to make more sense
    or to simplify the program code.

3.    Raised the maximum allowable default sizes for windows from 128
    to 1024.  I cannnot imagine someone with this many different
    configurations.

4.    Changed the setup for the 1st time user so that Accesses.ini
    is created.

5.    Added the ACCESSES.HLP file and the F1 help from all of Accesses
    dialog boxes.

Changes from Beta Issue #3: 10/24/91

1.    Added 3 versions of a Task List dialog box for the user to choose
    one.  A small text, large text, and the original button version.

2.    Saving the minor user configuration changes automatically.

3.    (Did some work on Archives while waiting on Accesses comments.)

10/8/91    Beta Issue #2

1.    Added Esc key function if the Accesses popup window gets the focus
    and the user wishes to pass focus to the next window.
    Note: Accesses "avoids" passing the focus to another Icon or Popup
    window when the users executes an Accesses function.

2.    Added a HideInactiveMin= keyword to ACCESSES.INI.  This allows
    the Accesses window to Hide if inactive for a period of time.
    Read "Using Screen Blankers with Accesses and Starting Accesses
    without a Popup Display" located in ACCEHELP.WRI.

3.    Improved the avoidance of Accesses' getting the focus as much
    as reasonable without making it impossible for Accesses to get the
    focus.  (Getting the focus is becomming the top level window.)

4.    Decreased the program size.

5.    Added more information to ACCEHELP.WRI.  Explained how to start
    Accesses without a popup window.

6.    Added a little more delay before pasting the Filename into the
    File Open DialogBox for PasteIfRunning Keywords.

7.    Showing the infamous Hourglass cursor where ever needed and possible.

10/8/91    Beta Issue #1

8.    Fixed the problem with selecting Windows from the Task List when
    there were more than one window with the same name.

9.    Gave the user one warning to abort the initialization process if
    they did not read README.TXT before starting the automatic
    ACCESSES.INI initialization process.

10.    Added protection when Accesses is busy.

11.    When selecting more than one window in the Task List, the last
    window selected in the Task List is now always set to the top level
    window unless the last window was deselected.

12.    Improved the ACCESSES.INI file initialization process for the
    first time user.

13.    Deleted the "Auto Align All" button since the Auto Align All button
    and the Default Sizes buttons did basically the same function.

14.    Added a 'Quadrents' button to take the place of the deleted
    "Auto Align All" button.  The Quadrents button places the selected
    apps in the Top Left, Bottom Left, Top Right, and Bottom Right
    positions in the respective sequence.

15.    The x,y,w,h data are now optional for DESKTOPx keywords in the
    ACCESSES.INI file.  The DEFAULTSIZEx keyword is used for the program
    if a default size is listed in the ACCESSES.INI file.

16.    Eliminated the upper right as a default, Default Position for
    applications that were not listed in the DEFAULTSIZEx keywords.

17.    Added a Ctrl+Shift+Esc key combination to bring up a run dialog box.

18.    Changed the cursor to display the Double Mouse Click function to be
    executed when the cursor is over the Popup window.

19.    Add one more variable to the Accesses DEFAULTSIZES to:
    0=Use Max after Run setting
    1=minimize the application after placing
    2=restore the application after placing
    3=maximize the application after placing

    Add this to the folder stuff

    Can be edited from the Edit - RunUserList and Edit- DefaultSize list