Copyright: ® 1993, 1994, Jonathan Carroll


Help Contents
Contents

Welcome

The RIP Family

Introducing RipBAR

About The Author & Registration

New In This Version

Your First Time

Getting Help

Monochrome Support

PC Tools For Windows Note

Things You Should Know

Interface Primer - Folder Tab Dialogs

Installation

Procedures

Adding Applications To The Bar

Adding Documents To The Bar

Adding And Managing Groups

Moving RipBAR Items

Moving ToolBar Items Between Groups

Launching Applications

Launching Applications With A Document

Launching Applications With The RUN Tool

Customizing RipBAR (Preferences)

Minimizing RipBAR

RipBAR Item Menu Popups

Customizing RipBAR Items

Deleting RipBAR Items

Changing The Way RipBAR Looks

Custom Icons

RipBAR Tools

 System Information Tool

 Clock Tool

 Resource Tool

 Memory Tool

 Task Manager Tool

 Resource Tracker

 Notes Tool

 Exit Tool

 RUN Tool

 Print Tool

 Preferences Tool

ASCII Tool

Other / Miscellaneous

Sound Support

Keyboard Usage

The RipBAR Menu


The RIP Family

The RIP family of applications / utilities is a collection of shareware programs written for Windows and Windows NT.  Each is designed to fulfill a purpose in an elegant, easy-to-use fashion.

What you have now is RipBAR.  Others include RipSPACE and the soon-to-be-released, RipFIND.  All RIP applications have a registration fee which you are expected to pay if you continue to use them.  The amounts asked for are reasonable and I ask that you think twice about continuing to use something you haven't paid for.  None of the RIP applications have disabled functions, or annoying "Register Me" reminders-- so I leave it up to you.

To learn more about RipBAR proceed on to the introductory sections of this help file.  Short advertisements for RipSPACE and RipFIND are presented below:

RipSPACE

RipSPACE is an application written for Windows & Windows NT that analyzes a drive and the space that each sub directory on it, consumes.  In other words, you'll now be able to find out how much space your Windows installation is taking up, or how much drive space you'll gain if you delete the WordPounder word processor you installed but never use.

RipSPACE also allows you to define file types that are to be included in a file report.  You can then tell how much total space is being taken up by certain file types-- i.e. Bitmaps, Dynamic Link Libraries and executable files.

RipFIND  (February 1994)

RipFIND is an application written for Windows & Windows NT that simplifies the process of locating files.  RipFIND can be instructed to perform searches based on a variety of criteria or qualifiers.

RipFIND qualifiers include DOS-style file specification, string-based specification,  and file content specification.

Jonathan Carroll


Introducing RipBAR

RipBAR is in some ways, the Swiss Army knife of utilities.  It combines an application toolbar, command line launching, Drag & Drop server, memory and system information display, Post-It style notes, hot key support and more in a package that remains unobtrusive on your screen.

What you have now is Version 5.0 -- the most recent update to RipBAR.  It is the culmination of many months worth of work and updates-- I hope you enjoy it and find a permanent place for it on your system.

RipBAR is available in separate files for both Windows 3.1 and Windows NT.  While the two versions are similar in most respects, differences between them, will be pointed out whenever necessary.  In some cases, pictures in this help file may differ slightly from what you actually see on the screen.

RipBAR is an icon toolbar that you may set up with applications of your choice.  Configuration options include the ability to set up startup directory, and command line parameters.  Additionally, files may be dropped onto the application icons sitting on the bar-- causing the application to launch and open that file automatically.

The Windows 3.1 version displays the time, memory information, and the remaining resources available to the system.  The Resource Tracker (Windows 3.1 only) is included to allow you to monitor an application's use of memory and resources.

The Windows NT version displays the time, along with available physical and paged RAM.

In addition, RipBAR supports attaching sound to certain types of events, HotKey activation, program groups and much more.  Be sure to take some time to review this entire Help file so that you don't miss out on features!

Many thanks to Brad Burns who provided some of the "3D-look" in RipBAR, and Naomi who patiently watched as I spent many a night attempting to get RipBAR "just right".  She is also responsible for the awesome 3-D bar logo.


About The Author & Registration

I want to thank you for trying RipBAR.  It is designed to provide the most convenient access possible to applications without having to remember hot keys and the like.  Even for those who own Norton Desktop or some similar enhanced shell, the resource and memory displays, Post-It style notes, command-line utility etc., are invaluable.

RipBAR is one of a number of applications written for the sheer pleasure of programming.  It was originally designed on Windows NT, where I missed my Norton Desktop!

If you find this program useful, and end up using it on a regular basis, I'd appreciate a $25 registration-- for which I will keep you notified of updates etc.  There are no annoying "Register Me!" screens, and no disabled features-- so I leave it up to you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You may now register your copy of RipBAR via CompuServe.  Simply type GO SWREG at any CompuServe prompt and follow instructions.  You may search for RipBAR there by using the RIPBAR keyword.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If this program doesn't live up to your dreams, let me know-- I'm always open to ideas.  I can be reached in one of four ways :

Conventional Mail

Jonathan Carroll

28 Parkland

Pointe Claire, Quebec

CANADA H9R 2E8

CompuServe

user id : 74017,3242

GEnie

user id : J.H.CARROLL

E-Mail  (Internet)

74017.3242@compuserve.com


New In This Version

Please read the following update notices because there is much that is new or changed.  Taking the time to read about changes now, will free you from frustration later!

Related Topics:

New In Version 5.0

New In Version 4.2

New In Version 4.1

New In Version 4.0

New In Version 3.0

New In Version 2.0

New In Version 1.6

New In Version 1.5

New In Version 1.2


New In Version 5.0

This is version 5.0 of RipBAR.  The following is new or enhanced with respect to earlier versions :

•	Folder Tabs on the bar display group titles.  You can toggle this feature on and off from Preferences.  (Groups may be configured individually to not appear in the tabs.)

•	Dialogs like Preferences and ToolBar Item Info sport the new Folder Tab interface-- allowing a lot of settings to fit nicely into one place.

•	Windows NT users get a new tool -- the Performance Tool.  This tool will display either CPU usage or "CPU Throttle".

•	RipBAR may now be set to automatically size the bar to adjust for the number of items in a group.  If you set this option on in Preferences, drag new items to RipBAR's title bar.

•	Items on the bar may be set to display in all groups-- so you might have something important like a text editor appear in all groups.

•	Items may be set to always prompt for a command line, or parameters before being launched..

•	At long last : there is no limit to the number of icons RipBAR can read from a file.  You can now browse for an icon much more easily-- the icon browser has been improved quite dramatically.

•	The RUN Tool now contains a BROWSE button to go looking for the file you want to run.

•	The RUN Tool may now be used to "run" documents.  See the RUN Tool section for more information.

•	Memory Warnings previously worked only if the Memory Tool was set up to display in graphical form-- this has been fixed.

•	Under rare circumstances, RipBAR reported errors switching to a particular directory-- this has been fixed.

•	A number of people requested that the Escape key would back out of a group--just like the PageUp key did.  This has been implemented.


New In Version 4.2

•	In addition to applications, documents may now be stored on the bar.  Launching a document automatically launches the application that document belongs to.

•	A new tool is now added to RipBAR's growing arsenal-- the Print Tool.

•	Icon Titles may now be longer -- about 40 characters in length.

•	Support for long directory names and directory names with embedded spaces in Windows NT.  Please see the notes concerning this feature in [image] RUN Tool.

•	An ASCII chart is available from the RipBAR system menu.  Double clicking on a character in this chart, copies it to the clipboard for use in other applications. See [image] Preferences Tool)

•	RipBAR's consumption of memory is more modest than that of previous versions-- following a trend set last version.

•	Under certain circumstances, RipBAR didn't always delete all of a group's contents when that group was deleted-- this is fixed.

•	RipBAR no longer forces file and directory names in an icon's Properties dialog to upper case.


New In Version 4.1

•	New Task Manager Tool.  Right-click on the memory display to access a list of all open windows.

•	Popup menus are available for all ToolBar items that allow for more customization and access to features.

•	ToolBar items may now be added manually by typing path name etc. without having to drag files from the File Manager.

•	RipBAR may now be configured to display the name of applications as you click on them.

•	Whether RipBAR's title bar appears half-height or full-height is now an option.

•	ToolBar items may now be moved between groups conveniently.

•	Limited support for monochrome screens.

•	The Preferences Dialog is now available with a single right-click on the Clock Tool.

•	The RipBAR System Menu is more convenient to access for people who use a keyboard rather than the mouse.

•	There was a problem when the startup path of an application was the root directory of a drive -- fixed.

•	Icons for the RUN and Exit tools may now be changed.

•	Some difficulties RipBAR had when trying to read the WIN.INI file (for people using RipBAR as the Windows shell) under certain circumstances have been corrected.

•	RipBAR makes better use of memory-- freeing up more for the other applications you run.


New In Version 4.0

•	RipBAR  now supports groups.  You can now install groups as well as applications on the bar.  Groups hold applications or other groups.

•	RipBAR  now supports keyboard navigation.  Navigation of the bar, application setup, application launching and other operations now have keyboard equivalents.

•	New tool : The Exit tool.  Double clicking on this, permits the user to either quit or restart Windows-- can be installed on the ToolBar.

•	New tool : The Notes tool.  Double clicking on this, displays a new "Notes" window-- a little editor permitting the user to type and edit notes.  Notes Tool includes the ability to choose fonts, auto-arrange Notes Windows and, File Open and Save operations.

•	New RipBAR Activation HotKey.  User can now select a HotKey combination that can be used anywhere in Windows to activate RipBAR.

•	New Application Hot keys.  User can now select a key that will activate a particular application.

•	RipBAR supports Sound!.  Use Preferences to assign customized sound (requires sound card or Windows IBM PC Speaker Driver) to various types of events.

•	RipBAR icons now operate like real buttons-- displaying the active or inactive state of each icon.

•	New customization option for each application installed on the ToolBar allow for initial display state to either be normal, maximized or minimized.

•	A single right mouse button click on an icon on the bar will now display information for the icon-- this used to require a double click on the right mouse button.

•	(Windows 3.1 only) If RipBAR is the windows shell (instead of Program Manager), it will run and load whatever applications are on the RUN= and LOAD= lines in your WIN.INI file.

•	If you occasionally switch video modes in Windows, you'll appreciate that RipBAR always ensures that it doesn't display itself off the screen.  (i.e. if you switch from 1024 X 768 to 640 X 480)

•	(Windows NT only) System Information dialog shows more information.  The two memory tools have been consolidated into one, which may be displayed as a gauge.


New In Version 3.0

•	RipBAR has a new tool : The RUN tool.  Double clicking on this, permits the user to type an application name on a command line along with any command line options and run the application.

•	RipBAR includes new options to display both memory and resource statistics as graphs.

•	(Windows 3.1 only) RipBAR now includes support for those who want it to run as a shell-- instead of Program Manager.

•	RipBAR can now load icons from .ICO files, Norton .NIL icon library files and PC Tools For Windows icon files.

•	RipBAR now sports a new Customized Minimize option that permits the user to determine how RipBAR gets minimized and where it gets minimized to.

•	RipBAR now allows the user to customize the fonts that RipBAR uses for display purposes.

•	RipBAR 's System Info dialog now includes an option to exit or restart Windows.

•	RipBAR occasionally neglected to save settings when a user exited Windows-- this is fixed.


New In Version 2.0

•	RipBAR may now be resized horizontally and vertically, allowing you to place icons in columns.

•	RipBAR items may be reordered according to user's taste.

•	Preferences now include a new option that lets you tell RipBAR to either show or hide icon titles.

•	Preferences now include a new option that lets you set the date format displayed in the Clock/Date pane.

•	Preferences now include a new option that lets you determine alternate means of activating applications.

•	Preferences now include a new option that lets you determine whether RipBAR displays some, all, or none of its tools (memory, clock etc.).

•	Preferences now include a new option that lets you format the time display for either 24hr or 12hr display.


New In Version 1.6

•	When running under Windows NT, RipBAR now saves and loads its setting from the Registry rather than an .INI file.

•	When running under Windows NT, RipBAR will now read .ICO files in addition to the .EXE and .DLL files already supported when browsing icons for an application.

•	Minor display problem that occurred when adding an application to the bar that didn't have an icon is fixed.


New In Version 1.5

•	RipBAR now includes preference or option settings that allow you to determine whether RipBAR stays on top of all other windows, and whether RipBAR minimizes itself when you run an application from it.

•	RipBAR now reports memory statistics in a more reliable fashion -- it will no longer be fooled by virtual memory.

•	RipBAR no longer has a minimize button.

•	RipBAR is able to load up to 120 icons from icon files (EXEs & DLLs) -- up from 40 in previous versions.


New In Version 1.2

•	RipBAR now makes use of threaded processes under Windows NT.  If you're using RipBAR under Windows NT, executing an application will no longer make RipBAR "busy".  In other words, you'll be able to launch many applications from the bar in quick succession.

•	RipBAR now sports a minimize box so that you can quickly and conveniently get it "out of the way".

•	Double clicking on the memory display will now cause a dialog to appear with more system information.

•	The Resource Tracker is now available by double-clicking  on the Resource Display pane.


Your First Time

The first time you run RipBAR, it will warn you that it can't find its setup file.  It will then proceed to fill the bar with default applications that include Help, RUN, Control Panel, Notepad and PaintBrush.  The default items will be arranged in three groups-- Main, Applications and Utilities.  You may delete these items and groups from the bar if you don't want them.

To find out how to add your own applications to the bar, Adding Applications To The Bar.  You can also position and size RipBAR in a way that suits you and your work.  To find out how to do this, see Changing The Way RipBAR Looks.

A note about Windows NT

Under Windows NT, RipBAR needs to know where to store its NOTES data.  Because Windows NT has the ability to protect certain directories, you need to tell RipBAR where your Notes files may be safely saved (i.e. you must have write privileges to the directory you specify).  RipBAR will only ever ask you this once-- it will remember this setting thereafter.  (To change this setting, you will have to edit your Registry File


Getting Help

The first time you use RipBAR, a Help icon is installed.  (The one with the yellow question mark.)  If you remove this icon, you can display help at any time by double-clicking with the left mouse button on the clock pane.


Monochrome Support

RipBAR provides limited support for monochrome screens.  Sometimes it can be hard to make out text and pictures against a grey background on monochrome screens.  RipBAR can optionally set the background colour of the ToolBar to white instead of grey.

To activate this monochrome support, you must start RipBAR and pass it /mono as an argument.  If you set up RipBAR in Program Manager or some other Desktop shell, a typical command line might look like

C:\RIPBAR\RIPBAR16.EXE /mono

If RipBAR is to be your Windows shell, edit the SYSTEM.INI file so that the SHELL= line so that the /mono option appears there-- likewise the LOAD or RUN lines in your WIN.INI file if that is where RipBAR is being started from.


PC Tools For Windows Note

Special Note

The PC Tools For Windows Desktop, supports multiple "virtual screens".  It also includes a "Tag Along" feature for application windows that you want to have appear on every desktop you set up.  You do this by choosing "Tag Along" from an applications System Menu.

RipBAR now checks your SHELL setting in the WIN.INI file to check to see if you are running PC Tools For Windows as your shell.  If you are, and you are using the half-height title bar, RipBAR now includes the "Tag Along" option that normally appears in the System Menu of all windows.  In fact, RipBAR goes one step further and adds the convenient CTRL+T HotKey shortcut to toggle the feature on and off.


Things You Should Know

New And Old Users

RipBAR V5.0 involves enough changes that old or new user alike, should take a few moments to read through this section.  I'll outline features you should take a look at, offer suggestions and point out differences from previous versions.

And for users who never worked with a previous version of RipBAR...

One of the first things you might want to do is set up your preferred activation hot key for RipBAR-- this let's you use a key sequence to bring RipBAR to the front of your screen.  (This assumes RipBAR is actually running)  That way, you don't need to always have RipBAR on top of other windows-- a plus for people with smaller screens.  See HotKey.

As you add applications to the bar, remember that you can add an application  hot key sequence for them too-- this goes for any icon tool on the bar.  You can get  one-key access to things like the RUN Tool for quick access to apps not installed on the bar.  (The Notes Tool is the one exception-- the hot key is CONTROL -N and can't be modified.)  You can also assign hot keys to group icons. (See RipBAR Item Menu Popups )  You'll be pleased to note that the application key works whether the icon is visible or not-- i.e. you can be in any group and quickly access an application from another group.

Remember, there is a lot that may be configured-- so go ahead and set your default Notes font, whether memory and resource tools display in numerical or graphical form, and the shape and size of RipBAR's bar.

If you don't have a mouse, be sure to see Keyboard Usage and please take the time to read a special note in The RipBAR Menu.

Does RipBAR look a little boring when it's minimized?  Turn on the Customized Minimize setting in Preferences.  General)  You can determine where RipBAR will minimize to and what gets displayed when it's minimized.

Old users should know that you can no longer add new apps to the bar by dragging files from the File Manager and dropping them on top of an existing app on the bar.  You must now drag files to an empty space on the bar-- this is so that users with applications that take EXE files as parameters, can launch them in this fashion.

Finally, you can choose between the half-height, customized title bar & System Menu, or the standard height title bar & System Menu.  (The RipBAR Menu)  So, go ahead and fool with RipBAR-- but be sure to come back and read the rest of the documentation-- there's a lot here in a small package!

Jonathan


Interface Primer - Folder Tab Dialogs

It's no secret -- the widespread acceptance of Windows and other graphically-oriented operating environments  has allowed applications to enable the user to do far more things in a wider variety of fashions that text-based systems could ever hope to offer.

One dilemma for those who write software is trying to present information and options to the user without becoming overwhelming.

In the next while, you'll notice the "Folder Tab" interface becoming increasingly popular.  Folder Tabs allow for the logical grouping of options and settings within one dialog-- doing away with millions of nested dialogs or menu items.  It also takes closer to the "desktop" metaphor.

The Folder Tab implementation in RipBAR is designed to closely resemble (both visually and in terms of behavior) those of Microsoft.  (Take a look at Word V6 or Excel V5)

The Folder Tab dialog presents groups of options in pages.  Each page has a number of tabs.  For those with a mouse or similar input device, navigating the dialog is easy-- just click on a tab to bring that folder to the front.

In addition, keyboard navigation is possible.  Pressing CTRL+TAB will cycle forward through the tabs and pressing CTRL+SHIFT+TAB will cycle backwards through the tabs.

In the case of RipBAR the Folder Tab interface has allowed the Preferences dialog to be reduced to almost a quarter of its original size and has reduced the infamous "dialog nesting".  It has also been implemented in the Item Info Dialogs-- allowing for larger panes to browse icons and to fit more customizing options in the same amount of space.

Hope you enjoy the changes.


Installation

By now, you probably have RipBAR installed.  This section is provided as a reference should you ever want to un-install RipBAR or otherwise need to know what files RipBAR needs on your system.  The setup for Windows 3.1 and Windows NT are provided separately.

Related Topics:

Windows 3.1

Windows NT 3.1


Windows 3.1

The following files should be installed in a separate directory, perhaps something called "RIPBAR" or the like.

RIPBAR16.EXE	The main application file.

RIP_BAR.HLP	The on-line help facility.

The following files should reside in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.  They are essential to the proper running of RipBAR.

CTL3DV2.DLL	3D display library.

RIPKHOOK.DLL	HotKey library.

Important Note : More and more Windows applications use CTL3DV2.DLL.  It is possible that an application might install an older version of CTL3DV2.  You will know this is the case when RipBAR can no longer paint the ToolBar or dialogs properly.  RipBAR ships with a version of CTL3DV2 dated August 1993.  You must use this or a newer version.  Please ensure that you only have one copy of CTL3DV2 installed on your system.  Note too that CTLV2 must be installed in the System directory and nowhere else-- or else it will tell you that it isn't properly installed.

Finally, RipBAR creates and maintains the following files in your \WINDOWS directory.

RIP_BAR.INI	RipBAR settings file.

RIP_BAR.NOT	RipBAR Notes file.


Windows NT 3.1

The following files should be installed in a separate directory, perhaps something called "RIPBAR" or the like.

RIPBAR32.EXE	The main application file.

RIP_BAR.HLP	The on-line help facility.

The following files should reside in \WINNT\SYSTEM32.  They are essential to the proper running of RipBAR.

CTL3D32.DLL	3D display library.

RIPKH32.DLL	HotKey library.

Important Note : More and more Windows applications use CTL3D32.DLL.  It is possible that an application might install an older version of CTL3D32.  You will know this is the case when RipBAR can no longer paint the ToolBar or dialogs properly.  RipBAR ships with a version of CTL3D32 dated June 1993.  You must use this or a newer version.  Please ensure that you only have one copy of CTL3D32 installed on your system.

The RipBAR settings are stored in the Windows NT Registry database under SOFTWARE\RIP APPLICATIONS\RIPBAR.  Use REGEDIT to view or remove these settings.

Finally, RipBAR creates and maintains a file called RIP_BAR.NOT in whatever directory you specified when you first installed RipBAR.  To change this directory setting, you must use REGEDIT and change the setting titled "NotesPath".


Adding Applications To The Bar

There are two ways to add items to the bar.  The first involves dragging items to the bar and the second involves specifying the file name and path manually.  Both are discussed separately below.

The Dragging Method

You can add applications to the bar by dragging program names to the bar from the File Manager or other programs that allow you to perform drag operations.  (Such as Norton Desktop)  Simply drag an application file on top of  an empty space on the bar (or RipBAR's title bar if there is no empty space on the bar), and let go.  The new application will appear.  If there is no icon associated with the application (because perhaps it is a DOS app), RipBAR will place a generic Windows icon which you can customize-- see Customizing RipBAR Items for more information.

It is possible that you won't see the new icon or application if there wasn't extra room on the bar before you added the new application-- Just re-size the bar so that you can see what you just added.  (See Changing The Way RipBAR Looks if you don't know how to re-size RipBAR.)

RipBAR will accept files with EXE, COM, or PIF extensions as candidates for a spot on the bar.

The Manual Method

Choose Add New Application from the system menu (you must have the half-height title bar option set in Preferences for this option to appear in the menu) or type the INS key.  RipBAR will display a dialog allowing you to fill in the following fields :

Icon Title

The name that will appear under the icon on the bar if you have the Titles Under Icons option set on in Preferences or in the Title Popups if you have the In Popups option set on in Preferences. (See Customizing RipBAR (Preferences) for more information.)

Command Line

This line should include the name of the application's executable file (i.e. WINWORD.EXE) and a complete drive and directory path name to the executable file.  If you need to pass arguments to the application, type a space after the file name and then type any options after that.  Typical command lines might look like :

E:\PROG\EDIT.EXE

or

E:\PROG\EDIT.EXE C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

Startup Path

This is the path where the application will be started from.  For more information about this parameter, Customizing RipBAR Items.

After you've set up these fields, you can perform further customization (i.e. change the icon etc.) by going into the item's Customization or Properties dialog.


Adding Documents To The Bar

There are two ways to add documents to the bar.  The first involves dragging items to the bar -- this process is easy and fairly automated so that you don't necessarily need to know what application the document belongs to.  The second method involves specifying the document's file name, the application, and path manually.  Both are discussed separately below.

The Dragging Method

You can add documents to the bar by selecting them from the File Manager or a suitable replacement  (Such as Norton Desktop), and dragging them to an empty spot on the bar (or RipBAR's title bar).  A new icon will appear on the bar and double-clicking on that icon will launch whatever application created the document and will open the document for you.  The icon that appears is the icon for the application that created the document. You can customize or change this icon to something you'd prefer-- see Customizing RipBAR Items for more information.

It is possible that you won't see the new icon or application if there wasn't extra room on the bar before you added the new document-- Just re-size the bar so that you can see what you just added.  (See Changing The Way RipBAR Looks if you don't know how to re-size RipBAR.)

When It Doesn't Work (Creating A New Association)

Windows 3.1 associates documents with their applications by comparing the document's file name extension to a list of known applications-- which is stored in the Windows Registry database.  Programs normally add their file types and application name to this list of "known file types" when you install them.  If RipBAR gives you an error message complaining that the document you tried to the bar is of an unknown type, the solution is quick:

Go to the File Manager.  Highlight the document you want to associate with an application and bring up the File menu.  Choose Associate... and the following dialog appears :

Look at the list of applications.  If it is there, select it and choose OK.  Otherwise, choose Browse and find the application.  Once you've finished this, you can try dragging the document to the bar again.

The Manual Method

Choose Add New Application from the system menu (you must have the half-height title bar option set in Preferences for this option to appear in the menu) or type the INS key.  RipBAR will display a dialog allowing you to fill in the following fields :

Icon Title

The name that will appear under the icon on the bar if you have the Titles Under Icons option set on in Preferences or in the Title Popups if you have the In Popups option set on in Preferences. (See Customizing RipBAR (Preferences) for more information.)

Command Line

This line should include the name of the application's executable file (i.e. WINWORD.EXE) and a complete drive and directory path name to the executable file and then type a space and finally the name and path of your document.  Typical command lines might look like :

E:\PROG\WINWORD.EXE  E:\DOCUMENT\MYDOC.DOC

or

PBRUSH.EXE  C:\WINDOWS\ARCHES.BMP

Startup Path

This is the path where the application will be started from.  For more information about this parameter, Customizing RipBAR Items.

After you've set up these fields, you can perform further customization (i.e. change the icon etc.) by going into the item's Customization or Properties dialog.


Adding And Managing Groups

RipBAR supports Groups on the toolbar.  Groups are a collection of applications and possibly other Groups.  Use Groups if you are running out of room on the bar, or want to collect similar applications in one area.

Adding A Group On The Bar

To add a new Group on the bar, simply double-click with the left mouse button on any unused portion of the toolbar or type CTRL+INS.  An icon will appear with a default "Group picture".  Double-clicking on this Group icon will display all applications in that Group, on the bar.  (If you're creating a Group, the bar will initially be empty.)  You can add applications to the Group as you normally would.

Navigating Between Groups

After moving to a particular Group, you may move back by single-clicking with the right mouse button, on RipBAR's title bar.  For very fast navigation, give each group an Application HotKey  (Customizing RipBAR Items).  Using hot keys for groups will move you around faster than an OS/2 screen redraw.

As well, if you have the Group Tabs turned on, you may simply click on a Group Tab to move to that group.  To turn Group Tabs on, see Customizing RipBAR (Preferences).

Deleting Groups

Delete Groups as you would any other icon on the bar.


Moving RipBAR Items

You can change the position of items on the bar by dragging (hold down the left mouse button) the icon representing the application you want to move, to a new location on the bar-- i.e. drop it on top of the icon in the location you want to move the application to.  This way, you can organize icons such that your most-used applications are on top and others below etc.  If you want to move the item to a new group rather than just change its position on the bar, see Moving ToolBar Items Between Groups.

If you have set the Single Left Click Activates App or the Icon Titles In Popups setting in Preferences, then the above method doesn't work because the minute you click the left mouse button to start a drag, you activate an application or display it's title in a Popup.  In this case, simply hold down the CTRL (Control) key as you perform the drag.


Moving ToolBar Items Between Groups

Applications and Groups may be moved to other locations on the bar.   You might for instance add a group after having installed a number of things on the bar.  You then realize that you'd like to move existing items and/or groups to that new group.

Simply activate the item you want to move, and choose  Move Item from RipBAR's menu, from the item's menu Popup, or type Control-M.  A dialog will appear asking you what group you want to move the item to.  The "top" of the bar is known as the Main Group-- the other groups appear according to whatever icon title you assigned them.  (If many groups show up as "Group", it's because you never changed their icon title.  See Customizing RipBAR Items to learn how to change the title.)

If you want to just change the position of an item rather than move it to a new group, see Moving RipBAR Items.


Launching Applications

To execute or launch an application on the bar, simply double click on it with the left mouse button.  (Or use the ENTER key)

Optionally, you can run the application so that it starts in the minimized state, by holding down the SHIFT key while double-clicking the mouse.  To set up an icon so that the application always runs minimized, see Customizing RipBAR Items.

RipBAR's clock pane will turn red to let you know it has begun launching the application.


Launching Applications With A Document

To execute or launch an application with a document, simply drag a document from the File Manager, a drop it onto one of the application icons.  The application will launch and open the document you dragged to the bar-- if the application supports this kind of operation.


Launching Applications With The RUN Tool

When you want to run an application that isn't installed on the bar, you can use the RUN Tool.  For more information, see [image] RUN Tool.


Customizing RipBAR (Preferences)

Clicking with the right mouse button on the Clock pane or choosing Preferences from RipBAR's menu, brings up the following dialog :

Options in Preferences are arranged in folders and are grouped logically according to function.  Titles for these various groups appear in folder tabs.  To activate a group of options (and bring that group to the front), simply click on the appropriate tab, or type CTRL-TAB to cycle through the folders.

Help on the various settings is presented in groups as they appear in the dialog.

Related Topics:

General

Show Tools

Tool Configuration

Titles & Tabs

Fonts

HotKey

Sounds

Chimes

Warnings

Time & Date

Bar Sizing


General

RipBAR Is Windows Shell	(default is No)
(Windows 3.1 only)

When selected, this option causes RipBAR to configure itself as the primary Windows shell-- the replacement for Program Manager.  Choosing this also causes RipBAR to change the SHELL= setting in the Windows SYSTEM.INI file, meaning that RipBAR will be run instead of Program Manager.  When this becomes the case, closing RipBAR causes you to exit Windows.  When RipBAR runs as Windows starts up, it will run and load the applications listed on the LOAD and RUN lines in your WIN.INI file.

While you wouldn't normally set this option, some people with laptops etc. requested this feature.

Always On Top	(default is Yes)
When selected, this option causes RipBAR to always remain on top of any other windows on the screen.

Half-Height Title Bar	(default is Yes)
When selected, this option causes RipBAR's title bar to be half the height of the standard Windows title bar height.  It also means that RipBAR uses its own customized version of the System Menu.  See The RipBAR Menu for more information on this feature.

Minimize On Use	(default is No)
When selected, this option causes RipBAR to minimize itself when you launch an application off of the bar.

Single Left Click Activates App	(default is No)
When selected, you can run an application from the bar by clicking once with the left mouse button.  (Normally you must double click the left mouse button)

Single Right Click Activates App	(default is No)
When selected, you can run an application from the bar by clicking once with the right mouse button.  (Normally you must double click the left mouse button)  Note that if you do this, you will have to press the CONTROL key and click on the right mouse button to display the Properties dialog for the item.

Customized Minimize	(default is No)
Normally, when you minimize an application, the window turns into an icon and goes to the bottom of the screen.  You can tell RipBAR to handle this default behavior differently-- by turning this option on, you are able to determine how small RipBAR shrinks, and what location the bar moves to when you minimize it.  For more details, see General.


Show Tools

Check marks next to items indicate that RipBAR will display the tool.  Uncheck any items you don't want displayed.  If you uncheck the Clock tool, you can still invoke the Preferences dialog (which is normally available by double clicking with the right mouse button on the Clock) by double clicking with the right mouse button on RipBAR's title bar.

Not all options are available in Windows NT because some of them (like the Resource Tool) are not applicable.

For more information about what the various tools do, see the applicable section in this help file.  All tools are described separately -- see Tools in the Table Of Contents.


Tool Configuration

These options let you choose whether Memory and Resource displays will be in numerical or graphical format.  For more information, see [image] Memory Tool and [image] Resource Tool.


Titles & Tabs

Check marks next to items indicate that RipBAR will display the tool.  Uncheck any items you don't want displayed.  If you uncheck the Clock tool, you can still invoke Setups

Show Item Names	(default is In Popups)
This option can be selected via listbox-- there are four values : None,  in Popups, Under Icons and both of the latter.

Show Group Tabs	(default is Left)
This option selects whether group names will be visible on the bar in folder tabs.  These tabs may be set to appear on the left or top of the bar.


Fonts

This brings up a dialog allowing you to set various types of RipBAR fonts.  Large Tool Font is the font that RipBAR uses to display the time in the Clock pane.  Small Tool Font is the font that RipBAR uses to display the date, memory stats in the Memory Tool, and Resources stats in the Resource Tool.  Icon Titles Font is the font that RipBAR uses to display the icon titles if you have this option set (see above).  Finally, Notes Font allows you to set the default Notes font.  Finally, Tab Font is the font used to display group names in tabs on the bar.


HotKey

RipBAR lets you select a key combination that will activate RipBAR, and bring it on top of all other windows on your screen.  Click the HotKey button and you'll be prompted to type the HotKey you want to use.  After you click the Install button, the HotKey is enabled.  Either the Control or Alt key must be used as part of the HotKey sequence.

Because RipBAR is so easy to activate, you don't have to have the Always On Top option set if your screen is often cluttered.


Sounds

See the section titled Sound Support for more information.


Chimes

Choose where a Chime plays every hour, half hour, or quarter hour.  To disable the Chime  entirely, go to the Sounds option and clear the file name for Chime.


Warnings

Choose levels for memory and resources below which, a warning sounds.  To disable the Warning sound entirely, go to the Sounds option and clear the file name for Warnings or set the levels to 0.


Time & Date

RipBAR lets you select from one of three different date formats to be displayed on the Clock/Date pane and whether time is displayed in 12 hour or 24 hour format.


Bar Sizing

RipBAR can be set to resize the bar automatically as you switch between groups-- so that the bar is only big enough to fit the items in a particular group.  You can choose to have RipBAR automatically adjust either the bar height or width.  Note though, that if some groups are very small, you may not see all of the group tabs on the bar.


Minimizing RipBAR

To Minimize RipBAR, simply double-click with the left mouse button on the title bar.

What happens after you do this depends on how the Customized Minimize option was set in Preferences.

If you don't have Customized Minimize set :

When you minimize RipBAR, the window turns into an icon and goes to the bottom of the screen beside all other minimized programs-- just like any other Windows application.

If you do have Customized Minimize set :

By setting the Customized Minimize  option on, you are able to determine how small RipBAR shrinks, and what location the bar moves to when you minimize it.  The first time you minimize RipBAR after it has been installed on your computer, RipBAR will minimize to the top left corner of your screen so that only the Clock Tool is visible.  You can now move RipBAR to wherever you like-- and resize it to display any additional information you want.  Double-click with the left mouse button on the title bar, and RipBAR is restored to its full size and original location.  Hereafter, RipBAR will remember where it was when it was minimized.


RipBAR Item Menu Popups

Click once with the right mouse button to display the menu Popup for a RipBAR item (either application or group).  The menu provides the following options:

(Item Name) (Launch)

This runs the selected application, or opens the selected group.  It is equivalent to double-clicking with the left mouse button on an item.

Launch With Parameters

This runs the selected application, but first opens a dialog allowing you to specify a command line to pass to the application-- i.e. to specify a document to load etc.  You can permanently set a command line to pass to an application in that item's Properties dialog.

Launch Minimized

This runs the selected application as minimized-- .i.e. appears as an icon.  You can permanently set this option in the Properties dialog for an item (see Customizing RipBAR Items) but this is good for a once-in-a-while situation.

Properties...

This opens an application's Properties dialog.  (See Customizing RipBAR Items) You can get to the Properties dialog by double-clicking with the right mouse button on an item.

Move...

This opens the Move dialog-- allowing you to move the selected item to another group on the bar. (See Moving ToolBar Items Between Groups)

Delete From Bar...

This allows you to remove an item from the bar.  RipBAR will request a confirmation.

Cancel

Closes the menu Popup.


Customizing RipBAR Items

To customize certain properties of an item on the bar, double-click on it with the right mouse button or select Properties from the item's menu Popup. (Or use the keyboard and type ALT-ENTER with an item selected)  This will result in a dialog box that lets you set the startup directory, and any command line options you want to set.

(Note : Double-clicking with the right mouse button on an item will not always be possible if the popup menu covers the item once it is displayed.  This will be the case if the item is too close to the bottom of the screen and is forced to extend upwards rather than downwards.)

The dialog contains three groups of options.  See the following sections for more information.

Related Topics:

General Options

Icons

Other


General Options

Application Name (Full Path)

Specify the executable file name along with the drive letter and path.

Startup Directory

This is the path that RipBAR will launch the application from.  Some applications need to be started from whatever directory the executable file is in because they need access to custom files or DLL files there.  Other times, you can set the startup directory to be whatever directory you want the application to save and retrieve documents to/from.  For instance, if your word processing documents are stored in E:\DOCUMENT, you might want to set this as your startup path.  If your application does not launch correctly from RipBAR, try setting the startup path to whatever directory the executable file is in.

Command Line Parameters

Use this field to store any arguments you want to pass to an application.  Consult the documentation that accompanies your application to see what type of arguments you can pass to it.

Icon Title

If you have set RipBAR to display icon names (see Customizing RipBAR (Preferences)) then whatever text is entered in this field shows up as the name.  If you have "Menu Popups" set in Preferences, the name will show up there too.  When adding new applications to the bar, the name defaults to the application's file name.

HotKey

Type one key in this field-- it must be an alphabetic letter or a number from 0 to 9.  Typing this key while RipBAR is active, will launch this application.  If the icon you're setting up is a group, then typing this key will open the group.


Icons

Click on the Icon... tab to browse for an icon you'd like to use as a representation of the item on the bar.  See Custom Icons, for more information about this feature.


Other

Run State

Determines how the application will start up.  Either minimized, maximized or "normal".  (Note : If you only occasionally want to run an application minimized,  -so don't want to permanently set it here- see RipBAR Item Menu Popups)

Show This Item In All Groups

When selected, this toolbar item will be shown in all groups.  When selected, try to keep the item near the top of the bar-- this will ensure that it is displayed in the same location in all groups.

Always Prompt For Parameters

When selected, RipBAR will always pop up a dialog asking you for command line parameters whenever you run this item.

Don't Show This Group In Group Tabs

When selected, this group's name won't be displayed in the Group Tabs on the toolbar.


Deleting RipBAR Items

To delete an item on the bar, bring up the Customizer or Properties dialog for an item by single clicking with the right mouse button, on an icon.  (Or use the keyboard and press the HOME key)  Click on the Delete From The Bar checkbox in the dialog, and click on OK.  The item will be deleted, and RipBAR will resize its window to display any remaining icons.


Changing The Way RipBAR Looks

RipBAR is displayed by default, in a horizontal fashion.  You may resize RipBAR by dragging one of the bar's borders with the mouse.  This way, RipBAR can be positioned vertically, or widened so that icons appear in columns.  RipBAR will automatically arrange the icons so that icons fit properly.  If the size of RipBAR's window is too small, you won't see all of the icons.  See the pictures above for sample RipBAR layouts.


Custom Icons

There are times that you will want to change the icon RipBAR places on the bar when you add an application because you like something else better, or the application has no icon.

Bring up the Item Customizer, by double clicking with the right mouse button on an item icon.  Click on the Icon... button in the dialog.  The following dialog appears :

All icons for the current application are displayed. (Up to 120 icons)  To choose one, just click on it.  If you'd like to select an icon from another file, click on Browse.  This will allow you to choose either an EXE or DLL file from which to display icons.  RipBAR will save this information so that the application on the bar will always come up with the icon you choose.


 System Information Tool

Whether you are running RipBAR on Windows 3.1 or Windows NT, an overview of your system is presented.  You gain access to this information by double-clicking on the Memory Display pane.

The information presented depends on the operating system you are running.  We start with Windows 3.1 and Windows NT information follows.

Windows 3.1 System Info

On the left of this dialog, there are important pieces of information concerning memory.  In Windows Enhanced Mode, these readings include both physical and virtual RAM.  You get Physical Memory (the amount of RAM Windows recognized at startup time), Virtual Memory (the amount of hard disk space Windows is using for virtual RAM), the currently available RAM (Free Memory) , and the total memory currently being used by applications.

At the bottom on the right, the number of currently loaded/running tasks being serviced by Windows is displayed, with a list of these tasks, immediately above.

Tasks are running applications.  This list will be different from what you see in the Windows Task Manager-- which displays a list of open windows on your desktop.  Some applications spawn multiple tasks.

RipBAR lets you shut down a task simply by highlighting it, and clicking on the Kill button.  This can be useful in situations where a program is crashed and has closed its window but has left remnants of itself in memory.  Be careful shutting down tasks, it can sometimes lead to unpredictable behavior on Windows' part.

Exiting And Restarting Windows

Finally, you may choose to exit Windows (back to DOS) or restart Windows by clicking on the Exit Win or Restart Win buttons.  RipBAR will ask you to confirm your choice.

Windows NT System Info

On the top left and right, you have the computer name and user name.  The computer name was set when Windows NT was installed.  The user name reflects who you are logged in as.

Next, total and available levels of Physical, PageFile, and Virtual memory are displayed.  Physical memory is the RAM you have installed in your computer.  PageFile memory is the amount of disk space you've set aside for this purpose in the Control Panel and Virtual memory is the total virtual addressing space available to an application.


 Clock Tool

The Clock Tool displays the time and date.  RipBAR lets you choose between a number of date formats (see Time & Date) and the fonts that will be used to display the information (see Fonts ).

You may choose to not have the Clock Tool displayed on the bar. To do this, see Show Tools.


 Resource Tool

Windows 3.1 Only

The Resource Tool displays information about Windows resources.  Resources are used by programs for storing information about icons, bitmaps and other data.  This space is limited and as you have more applications loaded, there is less available resources.

The Resource Tool in RipBAR can display information in one of two ways : either in numerical form, or in graphical form.  To select the type of display, see Tool Configuration.

You may choose to not have the Resource Tool displayed on the bar.  To do this, see Show Tools.

Numerical Form

These numbers represent GDI, User, and System resources (in this order).  The numbers are presented as percentage remaining -- i.e. when these hit 0, you're out of resources.  Windows will begin displaying odd behavior when these numbers fall too far below 10%.

You can track an application's use of resources with the Resource Tracker

Graphical Form

As you can see, the pane is split into quarters.  Normally, the bars are drawn in blue, but if a resource falls below 25% free, the bar turns red.  In the picture on the left, all resources are somewhere between 50% and 75% free.  In the picture on the right, all resources are below 25% free.


 Memory Tool

You may choose to not have the Memory Tool displayed on the bar.  See Show Tools for information on how to do this.

Double-clicking with the Left mouse button on the Memory Display brings up the [image] System Information Tool.  Alternatively, clicking with the right mouse button brings up the [image] Task Manager Tool.

The Display

The Memory Tool in RipBAR can display information in one of two ways : either in numerical form, or in graphical form.  To select the type of display, see Tool Configuration.

The types of displays depend on whether you are running the Windows 3.1 or Windows NT version of RipBAR.  Both are presented below:

Windows 3.1

Relevant memory information is displayed in one of two ways-- either in numerical form or in graphical form.

Numerical Form   (picture above)

At the top (in highlighted colour) is the remaining free memory, still available for use by Windows.  Second, is the total amount of memory in your machine Windows recognizes plus virtual memory.  (Some memory, like that used by SmartDrive, is not included in this number.)  Third, the amount of memory currently being used by Windows and running applications.  (This number is the difference between the first two numbers.)

Graphical Form

The pane is divided from left to right, in quarters.  Your total memory is the entire length of the graph bar.  The memory in use is displayed in red, while the remaining (unused) memory is displayed in blue.  In the graph above, a little over 25% of our memory is in use.

You may track an application's use of memory with the Resource Tracker.

Windows NT

Numerical Form   (picture above)

Three numbers are displayed.  In order from top to bottom, they are Free Physical Memory, Free PageFile Memory, and Total Free Memory (both Physical and PageFile).  This last number is displayed in highlighted colour.

For a description of these memory types, see [image] System Information Tool.

Graphical Form

The pane is divided from left to right, in quarters.  Your total memory is the entire length of the graph bar.  The memory in use is displayed in red, while the remaining (unused) is displayed in blue.  Three bars are displayed -- Free Physical Memory, Free PageFile Memory, and Total Free Memory (both Physical and PageFile).

For a description of these memory types, see [image] System Information Tool.


 Task Manager Tool

Access the Task Manager by clicking with the right mouse button on the Memory Display pane.  This pops up a menu that lists all open windows on your desktop.  Simply click on whichever one you want to bring to the front.  Keyboard users may type ALT-T to activate the Task Manager.


 Resource Tracker

You can access the Resource Tracker by double-clicking on the Resource Display pane.  Use this feature to track memory and resource consumption by a single or multiple applications.

To use this utility, invoke the dialog whenever you want to begin tracking.  Click on the Reset button so that resources and memory are updated to reflect current system information.  Close the dialog, and start / finish whatever applications you're interested in tracking.  Invoke the Resource Tracker dialog again and you'll get an immediate picture of the resources and memory used by the application(s) you just used.

Many applications are sources of memory and/or resource leaks-- in other words they don't always free up the resources and memory they used.  To check for this, start tracking prior to launching one of these applications.  Launch the application a number of times and then go back to the Resource Tracking dialog to verify that all resource and memory readings match.  If they don't, you've found your leak.


 Notes Tool

What's It For Anyway?

RipBAR provides the Notes tool for those times that you wish you had a place to jot down a quick note about something that you can't afford to forget.  You may create as many Notes as you like.

To use Notes, you must first make sure the feature is enabled.  To find out how to either add the Notes to the bar, or remove it, see Show Tools.

Notes Tool Display

The Notes Tool is pictured above.  It will always display the number of Notes currently opened on the screen.

Creating New Notes

To create a new Note, simply double-click on the Notes Tool.  A window appears and you may type whatever you want into it.  Standard editing functions like Undo, Copy, Cut, Paste etc., are available.

Notes Windows

Notes windows are displayed independently of RipBAR's toolbar.  This means that RipBAR can be on top of the screen with other Notes hidden from view.(See the special notice at the end of this section for information about RipBAR's Always On Top feature.)  They each have menus allowing you set the font the particular Note will be displayed in, read in a text file, save the contents of the note to a file, exit the note, and display information about the note.

Notes As Reminders

Notes windows are perfect for making sure you don't forget something.  All Note windows left open when RipBAR is shut down, are automatically restored in their exact locations, and font settings as before.

Arranging Notes

To quickly bring all Notes to the front of the screen, and to arrange them in cascading fashion, use the Arrange All option from within one the Note windows.  Optionally, you can click with the right mouse button on the Notes Tool and choose Arrange All from the dialog that appears.  You can quickly close all Note windows by choosing Close All from either of these two places as well.

Setting Default Font For Use With Notes

Bring up the Notes Configurator by clicking with the right mouse button and choosing Font from the dialog.  All future Notes will use the font you just selected.  To set the font for a particular Note window, use that Note window's menu.

Notes And RipBAR's Always On Top Feature

RipBAR supports the ability to always remain on top of all other windows on the screen so that it remains in view at all times.  (See General for more information on this feature.)  This option however, automatically disables itself when you start creating Notes.  This is because if RipBAR remained on top while you had Notes on the screen, all the Notes would stay on top as well-- cluttering your screen.  You can still ensure that RipBAR remains accessible by selecting an activation hot key. (See HotKey.)


 Exit Tool

The Exit Tool appears as one of the default tools when you first install RipBAR.  Double clicking on it, will present you with the choice to either Quit or Restart Windows.  It is handy when you need to quickly exit, or reload the Windows environment.

You may choose to not have the Exit Tool displayed on the bar. To do this, see Show Tools.

Should you choose to delete this tool from the bar, you may still exit or restart windows from the System Information Dialog.


 RUN Tool

The RUN Tool is displayed by default when you first install RipBAR.  After that, it can be activated or deactivated by selecting the RUN Tool option in Preferences  (Tool Display Options).

The RUN Tool may be used to launch applications, batch files and documents.

Double clicking on the RUN Tool brings up the following dialog :

You may type in the name of an application you want to run.  If you neglect to include the program's file extension, RipBAR will automatically add .EXE for you.  If the program needs to run from a particular directory and/or drive, include the entire path.

RipBAR will store the 20 most recent applications you have run in this fashion.  You can view these by clicking on the button to the right of the command line.

Also, you can "run" a document from the RUN Tool-- as long as Windows recognizes the file type.  For instance, if you want to edit a particular text file, just type the path of the file and Windows will launch NotePad (or whatever you've set up) and open the document.  This applies to pictures, sound files etc.  If you get an error running a document in this fashion, it is probably because there is no association for this file type.  For help on creating an association so that you can launch the document, see Adding Documents To The Bar.

Note For Windows NT Users

Should you want to run an application that resides in a directory that has embedded spaces in it's name, you should surround the path with quotation marks.  Any command line arguments (i.e. file names etc.) should not be surrounded with quotation marks.  An example might be :

RUN:

"THIS IS A TEST DIRECTORY\NOTEPAD.EXE"  C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

If there are no spaces in any of the directory names included in the path to the application you want to run, you need not type quotation marks.


 Print Tool

The Print Tool is used to print documents that you have saved to disk.  Simply drag a document to the Print Tool (pictured above) and drop it.  The document will be printed by whatever application created it.

When It Doesn't Work

If RipBAR is unable to print the document, it will display a dialog box with an error message.  If you get an error number, chances are you have either run out of memory, resources, or Windows can't locate all of the files necessary to start the application.

If on the other hand, RipBAR claims there is no Association for the file, it is because Windows doesn't recognize the file type of the document you have selected to print.  This kind of problem can be corrected by creating an Association for the document type.  For more information on creating an Association, see the section titled Creating An Association in Adding Documents To The Bar.


 Preferences Tool

This tool is enabled in the Preferences dialog.  It installs a button (pictured above) on the bar that when clicked, opens the Preferences dialog.  By default, it is enabled when RipBAR is first installed.


ASCII Tool

This tool is available only from the RipBAR menu.  (You must have the Half-Height title bar option turned on -- see The RipBAR Menu)

A dialog is presented that lists all of the ASCII character set along with their Decimal and Hex values.

Double-clicking on an item in the list, copies that item to the clipboard.  Also, you may change the font / character set displayed in the list by choosing the Font button.


Sound Support

About Sounds

RipBAR supports attaching sounds to certain events.  To use sound, you must have installed a Windows-compatible sound card and software driver (If you don't have a sound card, you may use the Windows Speaker Driver-- allowing your PC's internal speaker to play sound.  This is available from Microsoft.)

Though more complete support will evolve in future versions of RipBAR, the following events may be configured to "trigger" sounds.

•	Running an application on the bar.

•	Warning situations like low available memory.

•	Clock trigger-- every hour, half hour, or quarter hour.

Enabling & Setting Up Sounds

To enable sound, you must first tell RipBAR what sounds to use for each type of event.  In this case, sounds are files on your hard disk that have the .WAV extension.  To tell RipBAR what sounds to use, select the Sounds button from the Preferences dialog.

RipBAR presents a dialog allowing you to tell it what sound (WAV) file to play when a type of event takes place.  Chime is a sound played either every hour, half hour, or quarter hour.  RUN Sound is the sound played every time you run an application on the bar.  Warnings are sounds played when memory falls bellow a pre-set level etc.

Clicking on any of these buttons brings up a standard file dialog allowing you to choose a sound file.  Use the Clear button on the right of the Sounds dialog to clear the file name for a particular sound type-- thereby disabling that sound.

If you have selected sound files and you want to set how often the Clock chimes, or what types of warning situations will trigger a sound, use the Chimes or Warnings respectively from the Preferences dialog.


Keyboard Usage

RipBAR provides enhanced keyboard access to features for people who find the mouse inconvenient or who don't have a mouse at all.

If you are going to be using the keyboard, please read the special note about Keyboards and the RipBAR Menu -- The RipBAR Menu.

Selecting Items On The Bar

Use the cursor keys (Left, Right, Up, and Down) to move from icon to icon.  Press the ENTER key on an icon to launch it if it's an application or to open it if it's a Group icon.  If you move past the last icon on the bar, RipBAR will wrap back to the top of the bar.  (Note that if you move past the last icon and RipBAR doesn't immediately wrap back to the top, it may be because you have hidden icons that don't fit  on the bar because the bar isn't big enough.)

Accessing Icon Item Popups

Type HOME or SPACE while an icon is activated to bring up an item's Popup menu.

Accessing Icon Item Properties

Type ALT-ENTER while an icon is activated to get to the customization dialog for that application or Group.

Running Applications via HotKey

Every application on the bar may be set up so that it launches when you type a particular key.  See Customizing RipBAR Items for more information.

Moving Items On The Bar

Moving RipBAR items to different groups, is possible by typing CONTROL-M. See Moving ToolBar Items Between Groups for more information.

Adding Items To The Bar

Add items to RipBAR by typing INS.

Adding Groups To The Bar

Add a new Group to the bar by typing CONTROL-INS.

Creating A New Note

Creating a new Note is possible by typing CONTROL-N

See the [image] Notes Tool.

Getting To RipBAR Preferences

Press the CONTROL and HOME keys together to bring up the Preferences dialog.

Quitting RipBAR

To quit RipBAR, press the ALT and F4 keys together to close RipBAR.

Moving RipBAR on the screen

To move the RipBAR bar around on the screen, press the ALT and M keys together.

Minimizing RipBAR

To minimize RipBAR,  press the ALT and cursor DOWN keys together.

Restoring RipBAR

To restore RipBAR after it's been minimized,  press the ALT and cursor UP keys together.

Navigating Groups

To open a group, move to the icon for that group and press the ENTER key.  To move back out of a group, press the PageUp key.


The RipBAR Menu

By setting the title bar to half-height in Preferences(Customizing RipBAR (Preferences)), you can replace the standard Windows System Menu with the customized one supplied with RipBAR.  You gain these benefits by doing this:

•	Convenient access to many commands.

•	Better support for keyboards

•	More room for items on the bar because RipBAR's title bar is reduced in size.

Please read both of the following sections for important information about both types of menus and title bars.

Related Topics:

The Standard Title Bar & System Menu

Half Height Title Bar & Customized System Menu


The Standard Title Bar & System Menu

Unfortunately, the way RipBAR monitors the keyboard for application hot keys, means that the menu needs to be used with a little care.  You should not use the keyboard to navigate them menu-- your keystrokes there will be interpreted as if you were working on the bar-- i.e. using the cursor keys will highlight different RipBAR items and pressing ENTER will launch a RipBAR item.  Every RipBAR menu item has a keyboard shortcut equivalent-- so use that instead.

If you use the mouse to access the menu, you can disregard the above because everything will behave as expected.


Half Height Title Bar & Customized System Menu

With the Half-Height option turned on in Preferences (General), the standard System Menu is replaced with a customized one supplied by RipBAR.

Unlike the standard system menu, this one may be navigated equally well with either the keyboard or the mouse.  It also provides convenient access to a number of RipBAR features.

PC Tools Desktop users in particular will want to run with the customized menu because it provides convenient access to the Tag Along feature by using the CTRL+T HotKey shortcut. (See PC Tools For Windows Note.)


Glossary of Terms

Tabs

Registry

Setup File

executable file

DLL

title bar

System Menu


Tabs

Tabs are used to contain a title that may be clicked on for further action.  In RipBAR, tabs are used to display group names and dialog option titles.


Registry

The Windows operating system uses a system database (called Registry) to store important information.  In Windows NT, RipBAR uses the Registry database to store its settings.


Setup File

In Windows 3.1, setup file refers to the RIP_BAR.INI file that RipBAR uses to save its settings.  In Windows NT, RipBAR writes entries to the system registry database.


executable file

The application's main program file.  Usually has an .EXE file name extension.


DLL

Dynamic Link Library.  These are files that belong to applications.  Sometimes much of an application's functionality is contained in Dynamic Link Libraries.  These files usually have a .DLL file name extension.


title bar

The top portion of a window that displays the window's title.


System Menu

Sometimes called the Control Menu.  It is accessed in most windows by clicking on the button in the top left hand corner of the window.  Provides access to options like Close, Move etc.