Button Works Help Contents

Setup

Getting Started

Configuring Button Works

Automatic Activation

How to Register

Registration Code

How to Contact Us

Options Window

Hot Keys

Trouble Shooting

The shareware version of Button Works may be distributed freely so long as the Copyright notice remains in tact, and that all files and documentation related to Button Works remain unchanged from the original distribution. This specifically excludes the registration code which is non-transferable. Hermco Systems, Inc. assumes no liability and makes no warrantees implied or otherwise regarding the fitness of this product or it's compatibility with other software products. The user assumes full responsibility for it's installation and use.


How to Contact Us

We welcome all questions and comments regarding Button Works and can be reached via Email or at the address listed below. Be assured we will make every effort to respond to your inquiry promptly.

Please note that the operators at PsL take orders only - they cannot answer technical questions regarding Button Works, and are unable to put you in touch with the author. Their job is to process credit card orders and forward them to us. So please, only call the 800 number if you are going to register the product. Thanks.

CompuServe Email Address: 72772,1552

Internet Email Address: 72772.1552@compuserve.com

Hermco Systems, Inc.

P.O. Box 556

New City, N.Y. 10956


How to Register

Thank you for trying the shareware version of Button Works. We at Hermco Systems hope it meets with your approval and provides the kind of functionality you expected prior to downloading. After a free 14 day trial period, we request you register with us. This will entitle you to the enhanced commercial version of the program (the one without the built in sales pitch), as well as 2 free upgrades including Button Works 95. The cost is only $19.95 for a single user license.

Registering by Credit Card

You can now register by credit card through the Public Software Library (PsL). They accept Master Card, Visa, American Express, and Discover.

They can be reached by phone Monday through Thursday from 7:00AM to 6:00PM CST and on Friday from 7:00AM to 12:30PM. The phone numbers are:  800-242-4775  and  713-524-6394.

Please note that the operators at PsL take orders only - they cannot answer technical questions regarding Button Works, and are unable to put you in touch with the author. Their job is to process credit card orders and forward them to us at Hermco Systems, Inc. If you have a problem with, or question about the product, please see the topic on How to Contact Us.

You can also Email credit card orders to PsL at their CompuServe ID at 71355,470 or reach them through the Internet at 71355.470@compuserve.com. Alternatively, you can Fax your order to 713-524-6398. When making an Email or Fax Order you must include the following information:

Name:

Email Address:

Phone:

Mailing Address:

Credit Card Type (Visa, Master Card, Amex, Discover):

Credit Card #:

Expiration Date:

PsL Product #: 14357

Product Name: Button Works

Number of Licenses:

Registering through CompuServe

You can register via CompuServes Software Registration Service - just go SWREG on CompuServe and look for Registration ID 7453, or Button Works.

Registering by Mail

You can  also register directly by mail. Please make your check out to Hermco Systems, Inc. and send it to the address that follows. Be sure to include your own address and/or your Email address.

Hermco Systems, Inc.

P.O. Box 556

New City, N.Y. 10956


Setup

You invoke the Button Works setup program from either the File Manager or the Program Manager  File Menu; more specifically the Run option. You will find it in the same directory  from which you ran btwzip.exe  (for those users who receive a diskette from us directly, the setup program will be on the diskette). Once invoked, setup will prompt you for a source directory specifying the directory it ran from as the default. It will also prompt you for a destination directory which defaults to c:\btworks. Setup will then copy the proper files to your destination directory and your windows\system directory, and automatically create a Program Manager Group for Button Works and the corresponding Group Items. When you are finished, you may want to optionally copy the Button Works icon to your Program Manager Startup group so that the button bar is activated automatically when you start Windows.


Getting Started
Getting Started with Button Works

Welcome to Button Works! When the button bar is first loaded, you will see it appear at the top of  the Program Manager just below the menu bar. To configure it, simply hold down the CTRL key while dragging and dropping icons from the various Program Manager Groups directly onto the buttons you wish. That's all there is to it. A LEFT CLICK activates the application associated with a button, while a RIGHT CLICK displays the Options Window.

This default method of operation is called Program Manager Mode and it is the recommended mode for quick and easy configuration. Note that in this mode, the button bar is visible only when the Program Manager is visible. Thus when the Program Manager is minimized, Button Works is minimized with it.

The other mode of operation that Button Works supports is called Desktop Mode. In this mode, the button bar resides at the bottom of the screen overlaying all other windows regardless of what application is running. It can be temporarily deactivated by moving the mouse to the bottom corners of the screen, and can then be reactivated by moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen (excluding the corners). For a more comprehensive discussion on this, see the topic on Automatic Activation. Note that Desktop Mode does not support drag drop of Program Manager icons and the button bar cannot be configured as easily in this mode. It is recommended that Button Works be switched to Program Manager Mode for configuration, then switched back when done.

You may toggle from one mode to the other by holding down the ALT key and clicking anywhere on the button bar. It also possible to switch operating modes through the Options screen (you must first RIGHT CLICK on a button to display the Options Window).

See the topic on Button Works Configuration for other methods of configuring buttons.


Configuring Button Works

The button bar comes with several of it's buttons already configured with a few common applications such as File Manager, Control Panel, etc. To changes these or to add new applications to the button bar you may use any one of the following methods:

When in Program Manager Mode you can simply drag and drop Program Manager icons directly onto the buttons you wish to configure. Just remember to hold down the CTRL Key while you drag and drop them. Also note that certain behavioral characteristics apply when using this configuration method. If  you drop an icon onto a button that is already configured, the old button will be over written unless there are blank button(s) to it's right. In this case, the button(s) will be shifted to the right before the icon is dropped. Note that this is the recommended method of configuration.

In either Program Manager Mode or in Desktop Mode you can drag and drop files from the File Manager directly onto the buttons you wish to configure. This does however require some knowledge of the executable names of the applications you are dragging and the directories in which they reside. Unlike the previous method, it is not necessary to hold down the CTRL Key before you click and drag. Though the same behavioral characteristics apply.

In either Program Manager Mode or in Desktop Mode you can manually configure a button through the Options Window. Just RIGHT CLICK on the button you wish to configure and you can edit fields such as  description, command line, default directory, and icon path, as well as assign various attributes that control the button's behavior when clicked.


Deleting & Rearranging Buttons

A button which has already been configured can be moved to a new button position or Rearranged simply by holding down the SHIFT Key and dragging the button to it's new position. Note that certain behavioral characteristics apply when shifting buttons around. If  you drop an icon onto a button that is already configured, the old button will be over written unless there are blank button(s) to it's right. In this case, the button(s) will be shifted to the right before the icon is dropped.

Buttons may be cleared or Deleted by holding down the CTRL Key and the SHIFT Key together and clicking on the button you wish to clear. Buttons may also be cleared via the Options Window.


Displaying Button Descriptions

Note that since screen real estate is always at a premium, it was decided to display either the icon or the description, not both. The icon is displayed by default. If you want a text description instead, just make sure the icon field on the Options Window is blank and the text will be displayed in it's place. We suggest no more than four characters or things start to look a bit cramped.


Norm, Min, Max (Window State)
Norm, Min, Max

These options are mutually exclusive and determine the window state that a given application defaults to: Normal (a sizable window); Minimized (an icon); and Maximized (full screen). Note that some applications force the display mode on startup and override this setting. This may be set separately for each button.


Lock Update

This option prevents a given button from being over written accidentally. This may be set separately for each button.


Popup Menu
Popup Menu (multiple instances)

By default, a button may launch only a single copy or instance of an application. This means for example, that you can only launch one copy of the Calculator program from the button bar even though the application itself permits multiple copies running concurrently. Subsequent clicks to the button will just bring the existing instance of the Calculator  to the foreground. For an application like Calculator where it is unlikely that you will need multiple copies, this works fine. However, for an application like Notepad, this may not be the case. There could be times when you want multiple instances of  the Notepad application running simultaneously, displaying different text documents.

When checked, the Popup Menu option will cause a button to behave as follows: a) if there are no instances of the application, and there are no Menu Items defined for the button, then a new instance of the application is launched; b) if there are any existing instances of the application, or if there are any Menu Items defined for the button, then a popup menu is displayed containing the existing instances, any Menu Items, and an additional entry to launch a New instance if so desired. Note that the 'Menu Items' mentioned here refer to favorite file settings in the btwbar.ini  file.

The  following is an example which illustrates use of  Menu Item settings for a button which launches the Notepad application. The first three settings are text files commonly edited by notepad, though not necessarily associated with it via the File Manager. The last setting is blank. There can be up to four favorite Menu Item settings defined for a button. This option may be set separately for each button.

[Button 1]

Name=Notepad

IconPath=C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE

IconIndex=0

DefaultDir=c:\windows

CmdLine=NOTEPAD.EXE

WindowState=0

MultiInstance=1

LockUpdate=1

HideButtonBar=0

Menu1=C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

Menu2=C:\CONFIG.SYS

Menu3=C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI

Menu4=


Hide Button Bar

The button bar is automatically hidden after clicking a button which has this option set. Note that when in Desktop Mode (with the button bar at the bottom of the screen), Button Works is hidden from view completely. When in Program Manager Mode (with the button bar at the top of the Program Manager), the entire Program Manager is minimized and Button Works with it, thus hidden from view. This option may be set separately for each button.


Drag Drop Server

It is now possible to configure a button as a drag drop server. What does this mean?  Well suppose you are in the File Manager and double click a file called data.dat which you would like to edit using Notepad. You know for sure that the file contains text data and you should be able to edit it; however, the File Manager returns an error that says 'No application is associated with this file'. You have to bring up the Notepad application first, and then open data.dat  from within Notepad. When a button is configured as a drag drop server, this whole process is made easy. You simply drag the file onto the button which contains Notepad and it will be opened regardless if File Manager detects an association or not. The same for any other application which is configured as a drag drop server. Just drag a file to the desired button and that file will be opened using the application defined for that button. To set up a button as a drag drop server check off both the Lock Update and the Drag/Drop Server options on the Options Window. This option may be set separately for each button.

Note that the Print Manager is special case of drag drop. Although it can be configured as such, you can only drag files onto it that are already associated with an application (this is unlike other drag drop servers which can accept any file regardless of association). The reason for this is that if there is no association, the Print Manager does not know how to format the dropped file for printing. In effect, the Print Manager configured as a drag drop server behaves like it would if it were minimized on the Windows Desktop. We just carry over that functionality to the button bar for convenience and compatibility.


Narrow, Medium, Wide (Bevel Width)
Narrow, Medium, Wide

This refers to the bevel width of the buttons as a whole and is purely cosmetic and a matter of taste. You may want to set the bevel width to medium or wide, at screen resolutions higher than 600x800. Try the different settings and see for yourself. Note that these options are mutually exclusive.


Desktop Mode At Startup

Checking this option will cause the button bar to go into Desktop Mode automatically on startup. In this mode, Button Works will appear at the bottom of display, overlaying all other applications. Moving the mouse to one of bottom corners of the display will make the button bar temporarily invisible. Then, depending on which Automatic Activation option was chosen on the Options Window, one of two methods may be used to reactivate the button bar.


Automatic Button Bar Activation
Automatic Activation

When in Desktop Mode, moving the mouse to one of the  bottom corners of the screen will temporarily deactivate Button Works, while one of the following two methods may be used to automatically reactivate it.

1. Moving the mouse to the bottom of the display. Note that with this method, the bottom corners are excluded from the activation zone so as not to accidentally activate Button Works when trying to click on  scroll arrows (this only matters if a window is maximized and scroll bars are present). You may find at first that the button bar is activated without you wanting it to be  because you brushed the bottom of the screen with the mouse inadvertently. This is just a matter of getting feel for Button Works and not moving your mouse too fast near the bottom of the display. Still, if after a while it continues to happen, we suggest using the second method of activation, or use Button Works in Program Manager Mode. Also note that sometimes the inverse may be true. Button Works may not activate when you move the mouse to the bottom of the screen on too much of an angle. In this case, make sure to move the mouse down towards the bottom of the display in a straight  line.

2. Holding down the CTRL Key while moving the mouse to the bottom of the display. Note that using this method will always work regardless of which option has been set. Also note that using this method when in Program Manager Mode will force Button Works into Desktop Mode.


Entering the Registration Code
Registration Code

This is the field where you enter the registration code for enabling the commercial version of  Button Works and disabling the shareware banner which is displayed on startup and on exit. Note that all alphabetic characters in the code are upper case and all 0s are zeros. Also note that once the code is keyed in, it will not appear the next time the Options Window is displayed. This is normal.


Hot Keys

RIGHT CLICK - on a button causes the Options Window to be displayed.

ALT + LEFT CLICK - anywhere on the button bar toggles between Program Manager Mode and Desktop Mode. Note that when switching into Program Manager Mode from Desktop Mode, the Program Manager becomes active and visible automatically.

CTRL + LEFT CLICK - (while holding the left button down) allows drag and drop of an application icon from the Program Manager directly onto the button bar. Note that Button Works must be in Program Manager  Mode to do this.

SHIFT + LEFT CLICK - (while holding the button down) allows drag and drop of a button from one location on the button bar to another.

CTRL + ALT + LEFT CLICK - on a given button causes the Options Window to be displayed (maintained for compatibility with older versions).

CTRL + SHIFT + LEFT CLICK - on a given button clears the button.


Prerequisites & Trouble Shooting
Trouble Shooting

If you are running a Windows shell other than Program Manager or are running any other program that alters the title of the Program Manager window, you will need to specify that title in place of the Program Manager title entered in the [System] section of the Button Works initialization file, 'btworks.ini'.

When in 'Program Manager' mode only, there are certain situations where the title bar of a group window will be obscured by the button bar and clicking inside the group does not bring the title to the foreground. In this case simple click on the frame of  the group window in question, or click on another group first and then go back and click inside the group window to make the title bar visible again.

This program requires vbrun300.dll  which we do not distribute with our application. If you don't already have this file in your c:\windows\system  directory, you can download it from the MSBASIC forum on CompuServe, or if you like we can send you a special Button Works distribution which contains it. Also, there are certain other .DLL files which are normally found in the c:\windows\system  directory that are needed by Button Works. They are ddeml.dll, shell.dll, commdlg.dll,  and toolhelp.dll. If for some reason these files are not there, you can restore them from your Windows distribution media, or if you like we can send you a special Button Works distribution which contains them.

A Command Line which contains a .PIF or .BAT file will always allow multiple instances regardless of  how the Popup Menu option is set. Also, having multiple buttons for the same application may produce unpredictable results.


Options Window

This is the window where you set attributes that effect both individual buttons and all the buttons as a whole, as well being the place where you enter the Registration Code for the product; manually enter/edit command lines, icons, directories, and descriptions; change modes, etc. To get to the Options Window, just RIGHT CLICK on a button and it will appear, automatically displaying the settings for that button. To display the settings for the other buttons, you can scroll back and forth inside the Options Window using the  <<  and  >>  command buttons. Help may be obtained for changing the following attributes and options inside the Options Window:

Button Description

Registration Code

Narrow, Medium, & Wide

Drag Drop Server

Hide Button Bar

Popup Menu

Lock Update

Norm, Min, Max

Automatic Activation

Desktop Mode at Startup

Mini-Buttons

Mode Switching


Tiny Buttons
Mini-Buttons

Button Works now supports buttons which are half as high and half as wide, which means twice as many buttons using half the amount of screen real estate. To activate tiny buttons simply check the appropriate check box on the Options Window. Note that when shrinking icons there is sometimes a loss of image quality or some distortion present. The smaller icons may appear a bit rough. This is normal.


Switching Modes

There are two ways to switch between Program Manager Mode and Desktop Mode. The first is holding down the ALT Key while LEFT CLICKING anywhere on the button bar. The second is the Mode Command Button  on the Options Window. Note that when switching between modes using the second method, the Options Window is automatically unloaded without saving any changes.