--------------- ProgramBar 2.30 --------------- Copyright (C) 1995-97 Ian Jefferies ProgramBar@eudoxus.demon.co.uk Shareware 1. Introduction 2. Features 3. What's new? 4. Installation 5. Troubleshooting 6. About shareware and legal disclaimers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------- Inspired by the task bar found in Windows95, this program has been written so that the same kind of functionality and ease of use can be brought to Windows 3.1 and Windows For Work Groups. Windows was designed so that you might run several programs together. While doing this you quickly find that you run out of screen real estate. Reading a help file while writing and testing an Excel based macro for example, or more. Switching between applications now means using Alt-TAB, more often than not overshooting the application you want - very annoying. ProgramBar will help you switch between applications quickly, easily and with confidence. It's as easy as using the mouse! For most of the time you will not be aware that it is running on your system. It uses very little in the way of system resources and processor time as it sits in the background, quietly noticing when you load and close down programs. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Features --------------------------------------------------------------------- The following main features are implemented in this release: * Fast access menus for your most frequently used programs, documents and help files. * A `Start' button that gives access to much of the functionality of ProgramBar. * Access to, and running of, any program in your Program Manager groups. * A live desktop allowing frequently used documents to appear on the desktop as icon links. Documents may be dragged from File Manager and added to the desktop. A desktop system menu is available by right clicking on the desktop. * Access to all of the Control Panel configuration applets. * Each running application represented on the front panel as a button. A push of the button makes that application active. Iconic applications may be hidden so as to neaten the desktop. * Right clicking on the ProgramBar panel displays a list of active applications that can be closed. * Shutdown Windows, either returning to DOS, restarting Windows again, or rebooting your machine. * Fast search for files on your hard disk. They may be launched or added to the fast access menus or live desktop. * Run a program specifying the command arguments, or a data file with an association known to File Manager. * The current time and date displayed on the front panel. A calendar window helps you plan and set alarms. * Full configuration of ProgramBar via a popup dialog box. * Ability to run as a limited shell. No support for DDE. * Virtual desktop so that you can increase the effective size of your screen and switch between applications quickly and easily. * Right click on the front panel controls for context sensitive menus that add functionality. Other features that will help you use ProgramBar and Windows better: * Colourful icons help navigation through the main popup menu. * Flyby help hints when you let the mouse hover over part of the ProgramBar interface. * Quick access to this help file (click on the ProgramBar logo on the right hand side of the bar.) * Drag and drop of files from File Manager onto ProgramBar. Automatic separation into Applications, Documents and Help files. * The state of ProgramBar is saved between sessions. * When permanently visible maximized windows may be resized to accommodate the reduced desktop area. * Applications may be excluded from the front panel task switching buttons to reduce clogging up of the panel. * Task switching buttons on the front panel may be stacked onto more than one row. * ProgramBar may be triggered from any of the four edges of the screen. A convenient marker can be displayed on the last triggered edge, or all available triggering edges. * Applications/documents and help files added to the fast access menus may be edited to give more appropriate titles, run time arguments, or different working directories. * Better support for people who use cursor screen wrap: the size of the region that can be used to make ProgramBar popup may be adjusted. The time delay before ProgramBar hides again may be increase. Also a time delay before ProgramBar is displayed may be set, avoiding the `overshoot' problem associated with controls near the edge of the screen. * Menu and front panel fonts may be changed from within ProgramBar. A sample box also shows the suitability of the font for reproducing non-standard characters that may be used in titles. * 3D effect on all dialog boxes though the automatic use of CTL3DV2.DLL if present. Tabbed dialog boxes are adjusted to look more like their Windows 95 counterparts when used in conjunction with this DLL. * Better crash protection. ProgramBar interferes with or supersedes much of the functionality of Windows in order to implement its features. Should another application `fall over' or crash ProgramBar should not be affected. Neither should ProgramBar cause another application to crash. In the unlikely event that ProgramBar crashes it removes all of its hooks and cleans up after itself, thus minimizing the chance of another program crashing. * Hidden out of the way when you don't need it. May also be permanently visible on your desktop. * The Control Panel may be inhibited from running in order that a potential clash between ProgramBar and Control Panel is avoided. The clash arises because the same dialog box may be opened by both applications and different values set. This is a precautionary measure only. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. What's new? --------------------------------------------------------------------- Virtual screens --------------- Designed to help you lay out your applications over a larger area, each virtual screen can be assigned a hot-key for quick access through the keyboard. The virtual screens can also be accessed as part of the usual front panel interface. It is possible to hide the layout of the virtual screens on the front panel while still using the hot-keys for access. Context menus for front panel buttons ------------------------------------- Many of the buttons on the front panel now have a context menu that can be accessed by a right click of the mouse on the appropriate front panel area. Three such menus are currently implemented: they complement the task buttons that allow you to switch between applications, the functionality of the clock and alarms, and give faster access into components of the help system. New alarm features ------------------ Several new features have been added to extend the functionality of alarms. A larger range of time intervals can now be set: preset periods of less that one hour are now available (1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, 30 min), as well as several longer periods (3 weeks, 4 weeks). When a program is run by an alarm it's execution can now be confirmed, it can also be run minimized and maximized. Alarms may be tested before the alarm edit dialog is closed. Reduced load time ----------------- ProgramBar now loads more quickly than previous versions. Data from the Program Manager groups is more heavily cached. This performance change should be most noticable for 386 and 486 systems once the cache has been created. Windows 95 visual appearance ---------------------------- This option makes the front panel look more like the Win95 taskbar. Front panel buttons take on a square edged appearance, task buttons are slightly separated from each other, and menus use a similar blue highlight to indicate the selected menu item. Reversing of program titles --------------------------- For those programs that place a filename in their window title in the form "Application name - filename", ProgramBar can now reverse this to show the filename first. Useful for when you have the same application open several times. Click-drag operation of the Start button ---------------------------------------- Many users have requested that the Start button allow a "click, move, then select menu item" as well as the "click and drag" model currently implemented. This has now been implemented (within the restrictions of the Windows 3.1 menu system). Other changes ------------- A more complete list - including bugs fixed - is available by looking at the version release information. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Installation --------------------------------------------------------------------- There are four files required for the correct use of ProgramBar. They are: PROGBAR.EXE The executable that provides all of the functionality of ProgramBar. PBHOOK.DLL A DLL that is used by ProgramBar to monitor system activity. PROGBAR.HLP Help file describing the main features of ProgramBar. CONFIG.HLP Help file for the configuration dialog box. In addition, the following two files should also be present in the archive: README.TXT Text instructions on how to install the program plus additional information (this file). FILE_ID.DIZ A file that assists BBS operators in maintaining their archives. To install ProgramBar follow the steps below: 1. Create a new directory for ProgramBar. (e.g. C:\WINAPPS\PROGBAR) 2. Copy all the files listed above into this directory. 3. Then activate Program Manager and choose the program group that you want to place the ProgramBar launch icon into. 4. From Program Manager's menu chose File|New... 5. Select Program Item, then press the OK button. 6. Fill in the name of the icon and the path where the executable may be found. 7. If you want to have ProgramBar launch when you run Windows, place a copy of the icon in the StartUp group. This may be done by keeping the CTRL key pressed down while clicking on the ProgramBar icon and dragging it to the StartUp group. Clicking on the ProgramBar icon will now run the program. ProgramBar creates an initialisation file called PROGBAR.INI in the windows directory and a file in the same directory as its executable called PROGBAR.DAT. Details on alarms will be stored in PROGBAR.ALM, and information on the live desktop in DESKTOP.DT. The user may create additional desktop related files with the extension .DTL. A cache of icons will be stored in the file ICON.DAT, this will reduce the load time for ProgramBar considerably by storing the small version of each Program Manager icon. ProgramBar assumes that both the Program Manager (progman.exe) and WinHelp (winhelp.exe) executables are available. Some default icons are taken from these files for display purposes. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Troubleshooting --------------------------------------------------------------------- If you experience any compatibility problems with ProgramBar then there are several things you can do to get help: 1) ProgramBar includes a section in the help file that describes several problems that have been experienced in the past, and for which there are workarounds. Have a look there first to see if your problem has already been solved. 2) A log file can be created that displays some useful information on what ProgramBar is doing. It can be created by running ProgramBar using the /d command line option. You may find useful diagnostic information in here. 3) E-mail me with a description of the problem at the following address: ProgramBar@eudoxus.demon.co.uk Give as much relevant detail as you can. I respond to e-mail from all users (whether registered or not) and will do what I can to help. If the problem is severe and does not have a temporary workaround then I may ask you to help test the code that I write. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. About shareware and legal disclaimers --------------------------------------------------------------------- Registration details for individual users and site licences can be found in the help file PROGBAR.HLP. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED FREE AND "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE AUTHOR FURTHER DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION REMAINS WITH YOU. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. DISTRIBUTION You may distribute this software freely on any electronic based medium including but not limited to: uploading to a FTP site, uploading to a BBS, downloadable from a WWW page. May also be distributed as part of a CD-ROM collection of shareware/freeware. Any distribution should not limit my rights (either explicitly or implicitly) to distribute this software using the same medium or any other. The software should be distributed as received in the original archive file. The only charge a distributor may make shall be limited to the cost of the medium by which the software is delivered, and those incurred in handling/distribution. A small shipping and handling charge may be made if this software is distributed as part of a collection. OTHER NOTES ProgramBar is Copyright (C) 1995-97 Ian Jefferies. All rights reserved. All rights not explicitly licensed to the user are reserved to the developer. If you write or publish an editorial about ProgramBar then the author would appreciate receiving a copy via either conventional or electronic mail. Windows, Windows95 and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other product names may be copyrighted and registered or unregistered trademarks/trade names of their respective owners.