 File Manager Launch Extension

The File Manager Launch Extension adds a menu to the Microsoft Windows 3.1 File Manager, which allows launching applications with selected files in the File Manager windows, without having to associate an application with a file's extension.

Configuring File Manager Extension

Uninstalling File Manager Extension

Registering hTools

Technical Support and Customer Service

Legal Notices and Disclaimers

© 1994 R2M Software Company 	v1.21


Configuring File Manager Launch

Selecting the Configure... menu item from the Launch menu will display the configuration dialog box for File Manager Launch.  With this dialog box, items may be added to the launch menu, or the properties of existing menu items may be changed.

•	The Menu Title displays the title given to the Launch menu on the File Manager menu.  This may be changed by typing new text in this edit field.  If the text contains an ampersand (&) character, then the following character will be displayed with an underline, and this letter, pressed with the Alt key, will access the menu from File Manager.

•	The list contains all currently defined menu items.  To add a new item to the list, press the Add... button.  To edit and existing menu item, double click on the item with the mouse, or press the Edit... button.  Both actions will display the Program Item Configure dialog box.

•	To remove and existing item from the menu, select the item, and press the Remove button.

•	To change the order which menu items appear on the list, select the item, then use the Up or Down button to change the item's position in the list.

•	After making changes, press the OK button to save them.  To void any changes that have been made since the dialog box was opened, press the Cancel button.


Browse Dialog

The Browse Dialog is used for selecting a program to be used in the command line of a Launch menu item.  This dialog is displayed when the Browse... button is pressed in the Program Item Configure dialog.

•	A file may be selected from the list of files below the file name box in the current directory.  To change directories, click on the directory in the directory list.

•	When the selection is made, press the OK button to place the program name in the command line edit field of the Program Item Configure dialog.  Othewise, press the Cancel button.


Configuring a Launch Menu Item

•	The Menu Text edit field specifies the text which goes into the Launch menu.  To add a menu mnemonic key for the item, precede the character with an ampersand (&).

•	The Command Line edit field specifies the command line to be run when the menu item is selected, or the items short key is pressed in File Manager.  The command line should be the name of a Window's program, a PIF file, or MS-DOS program.

•	The Browse... button will open the Browse dialog box which may be used for selecting an existing application program to be used in the command line.

•	The Startup Directory Edit field specifies a starting directory for the application.  It may be left blank to specify than the current directory be used.

•	The Hot Key field specifies an optional accelerator key for the menu item.  Move to this field an press the key combinations of the hot key you wish to assign for the item.  The name of the hot will appear next to the item in the Launch menu, and can be used to access the item rather than using the menu.

•	The Show As set of option buttons select the way the application should be initially displayed.  Normal uses the default sizing of a window.  Maximized causes the window to use the entire screen.  Minimized causes the application to be displayed as an icon.  Note that not all applications will follow these sizing requests.

•	The File Extension Filters edit field specifies a set of file extension filters to be used with the application.  For instance, the Windows Program Information Editor should have the filter PIF since that is the file type it uses.  When a files are selected in the active File Manager window,  the menu item will only be available when a file matches one of the extensions, if any are used. The application will only be applied to the selected files which match one of these extension.  A multiple number of extensions may be specified by separating the extensions with spaces.

•	The Available when no files are selected checkbox means that the item will be available when no files are selected, or no files are selected which match any of the item's file extension filters.  In this case, the application will be launched with no file name given as an argument.

•	Press the OK button to save the changes made to an existing item, or to add the new item to the list.  Press the Cancel button to void any changes.  Keep in mind that any changes made are not permanent until the OK button is pressed in the Configure dialog box.


Uninstalling File Manager Launch

The File Manager Launch menu may be removed from File Manager by opening the Configure dialog box, and select the Uninstall... menu item from the control menu in the upper left corner of the dialog.

After answering yes to the confirmation prompt, the menu will be removed from File Manager, However, this does not remove the launch module or help file from your disk.  To reinstall the File Manager Launch Extension, run the hTools setup program.