README.TXT: SMILERSHELL 3.11 QUICK START AND INSTALLATION QUICK START / HINTS AND TRICKS Windows is great, but sometimes it can be awkward. Getting to the icon to launch an application isn't always easy. Finding files is difficult at best. There's no good way to keep an eye on important systemwide resources. And even when you have all the pieces, sometimes it'd be faster to just type a command -- but how? That's what SmilerShell is for. SmilerShell is a compact yet powerful Windows control center that takes NO space on your desktop. Until you need it, SmilerShell is just a tiny button that hops into the titlebar of whichever app you're working in. Right-click the button to see your configurable "Apps" list and launch a new program, or switch to a currently-running task. Or left-click the button to reveal the ultimate Windows command line, which supports pipes, redirection, and internal DOS commands (and of course runs Windows programs too). SmilerShell has the best command line you've ever seen, as if the plain-vanilla DOS prompt was enhanced by lots of handy utilities. Here's how to get the most out of SmilerShell. INSTANT INSTALL: You can install SmilerShell automatically, using the enclosed installer. Simply run install.exe from Windows using File Manager or the Run item on Program Manager's File menu, or in whatever other convenient way you choose. Give it the directory to put SmilerShell's files into, and the Program Manager group name for the SmilerShell icons (defaults are suggested). It'll do the rest. The installer will make no changes to system or initialization files. Other than putting Microsoft's ctl3dv2.dll in your Windows system directory if not already there (many programs use this Microsoft systemwide tool), it just copies its own files to the directory you specify, and adds its icons to the Program Manager group you specify. If you decide to uninstall, just delete the specified files and icons. PRESS THE BUTTON: SmilerShell's activation button hops into the title bar of whichever application is currently active. Right-click the button and the Apps menu appears, ready for you to launch one of your listed apps or switch to a currently-running program. Or left-click the button to reveal the commandline window. Then later, hit the SmilerShell menubar's "Hide!" item and the commandline window vanishes again. BUTTON EXCEPTIONS: Have a non-standard Windows application with an unusual titlebar setup? Use the Button Exceptions menu item to tell SmilerShell where in that window you'd prefer the button to go. BUTTON OFFSET: If you have another utility that uses every active app's titlebar, tell SmilerShell how to move its button out of the way by setting up a Button Offset. FAVORITE APPLICATIONS: List your favorite applications on the Apps menu. Then just click on one to either select its name into the command line, or run it straight off (you can set it up either way). The Apps menu also lists all currently-running programs. Click on one to switch to it. BUILD YOUR OWN COMMANDS: You can list all sorts of things on the Apps menu. All Windows or DOS commands and programs, of course. But also SmilerShell aliases, multiple commands on one line, DOS internal commands, pipes and redirection. Your commands can have parameters, too. Want to have a special command to start your spreadsheet program, pre-loaded with specific data, from anywhere in your system, with one click? Here's how to do it! COMMAND HISTORY AND SEARCH: Every time you run a command from the commandline, it is saved. To find a previous command of interest, type the first letter or two of that command, then press the up-arrow (search back) or down-arrow (search forward) key. The last command is connected to the first, so you can search in either direction. Arrows on a blank line show all commands in order. If you've checked Save State in the Settings dialog, all the commands you gave this time will be in the command history when you start next time, handy for searching. To see the full command history list, click the Command History button, or type HISTORY on the commandline. The full history list is also available from the File menu. COMMAND LINE EDITOR: A retrieved previous command, or anything else you type, can be edited to suit. Think of SmilerShell as a one-line word processor. It supports insert mode, overtype mode, and clipboard cut/paste. ALIASES: When you press Enter, the first word of the command is compared to the alias list. If it matches, the alias is substituted for that first word. You can skip the alias testing by starting the command with an equals sign. You can also hang aliases off the function keys F2 through F12; hit the key and the command runs. Both kinds of aliases are set up in the Options menu's Settings dialog, or from the commandline with the ALIAS and UNALIAS commands. A full alias list is also available on the File menu. RUNTIME PARAMETERS IN ALIASES: Runtime parameters (%1, %2, etc.) make it easier to tell aliases what to do when you run them. And if you alias multiple commands on one line, the alias acts almost like a batch file, all within SmilerShell! PERSONALIZE: You can set the command line's font and colors any way you like. HELP: Of course there's full Windows Help. But in addition, you can use the Popup Hints (Alt+F1) to get tips on interesting ways to use SmilerShell. Popup Hints are especially handy for new users. ALTERNATE COMMAND PROCESSORS: Do you use 4DOS or NDOS? Tell SmilerShell to recognize 4DOS/NDOS commands, and set SmilerShell to use the 4DOS/NDOS command processor instead of plain old COMMAND.COM. It's in the Settings dialog. GET SMALL: SmilerShell has a very small window, but you can make it even smaller. Use the Options menu to get rid of the menu and title bar. Or type Alt+M to toggle the menu, Alt+L to toggle the title bar. Then mouse SmilerShell as small as you like. It'll go smaller than an icon! QUICK DIRECTORY CHANGE: Type DC and the first few letters of the directory you want to be in. If it's unambiguous, boom, you're there, otherwise a list box pops up with the first possible match highlighted. If you haven't used DC yet, you'll be asked for permission to scan the drives listed in the Options menu's Settings dialog. If you scan more than one drive, DC can change drive as well as directory to get you where you want to go. SMILERSHELL NEVER FORGETS: Check a box in the Settings dialog and SmilerShell will start up next time in the same directory, same screen position, and with the same settings, as when you shut it down this time. DOS IN A WINDOW: Do you prefer to have DOS commands run fullscreen or in a window? Toggle this on the fly with the DOS In Window menu item. Or to run one command as if DOS In Window is set to the opposite of its current value, start that command with a right-bracket (for example >dir). INACTIVES STAY VISIBLE: After you run a DOS command, do you want the command's inactive window to stick around, or immediately vanish? Toggle this flag, called Inactives Stay Visible, from the Options menu. Or to run one command as if Inactives Stay Visible is set to the opposite of its current value, start that command with an asterisk (for example *dir). REMOVE INACTIVES: Too many inactive windows cluttering your screen? Get rid of 'em with this Edit menu item, or just type Alt+R from the keyboard. DATE AND TIME: Toggle the titlebar date/time clock from the Options menu, or just type Alt+C. Prefer 12-hour or 24-hour time? Various date formats? Set it the way you like it with the Options menu's Settings dialog. ALARM CLOCK AND REMINDER: Use the built-in ALARM command to set the alarm clock. You can even give it a message to display when the alarm goes off. WORK WITH FILES: The built-in command SHOW is often a useful alternative to DIR, since SHOW's file list lets you click on a filename to select it into the command line. FIND FILES: Use the Find File item on the File menu, or the built-in 'find' command to search for files by name or contents, anywhere in your system. It accepts wildcards and can look for files containing specific data. When you find the file you want, you can go to its directory or fetch its full name into the commandline. FILE ASSOCIATIONS: With File Associations simply type in the filename without the program name, and quite often SmilerShell will know which program to run. For example give "FILENAME.WRI" and SmilerShell knows to run Windows Write on this file. This works very nicely with SHOW or FIND: use SHOW or FIND to pick a file, then press Enter to run the proper program with that file. DRAG AND DROP: SmilerShell supports "drag and drop," so you can drop files onto its window from File Manager or any other drag-and-drop server. The filenames will be added at the end of the current command line. CURRENT DRIVE/DIRECTORY IN THE TITLE BAR: Toggle this from the Options menu, or just type Alt+D. SYSTEM RESOURCES: Toggle the System Resources display onto the menu bar from the Options menu, or just type Alt+S, to see a real-time running report of your available Windows memory and resources. If you toggle off the menu, the resources report will appear in the command line. Don't worry, nothing you type will be overwritten by the resources report! Just type, your text will reappear exactly as you left it. INSERT OR OVERTYPE MODE: Toggle this from the Options menu, or just type Alt+O. In overtype mode a flag appears in the title bar. TOPMOST WINDOW: Make SmilerShell a "topmost" window from the Options menu, or just type Alt+T. That way, it's always visible and ready for use, even when you're working in another window. GET RID OF THE MENU: Hit Alt+M to make SmilerShell even smaller. Hit Alt+M again to bring the menu back, or use the Show SmilerShell Menu item on the System menu (the dash thing in the upper left corner). SAVE YOUR STACK: You can save the current command stack to a file and reload it automatically at startup, or at any other time. This gives you a preloaded batch of commands you can search on. The startup loading is set up in the Settings dialog. KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS: SmilerShell has a lot of keyboard shortcuts that can speed things up quite a bit. These SmilerShell commands work immediately, without going through a menu. Alt+C Date/time clock in titlebar Alt+S System Resources report in menubar Alt+D Current directory in titlebar Alt+O Overtype/insert mode Alt+T Topmost window Alt+L Show/hide titlebar Alt+M Show/hide menubar Alt+I Inactive windows stay visible Alt+W DOS commands windowed/fullscreen Alt+F1 Popup Hints You can display any menu, or use any menu item, from the keyboard. To display a menu press its Alt key combination. When in a menu, press any item's underlined key to run that item. Alt+F File menu Alt+E Edit menu Alt+N Options menu Alt+A Favorite Apps menu Alt+H Hide the commandline window Alt+P Help menu These standard Windows commands are available in SmilerShell: F1 Help ALT+F4 Exit Alt+Bksp Undo last action Ctrl+Z Undo last action Shift+Del Cut selected text, send to the Clipboard Ctrl+X Cut selected text, send to the Clipboard Ctrl+Ins Copy selected text, send to the Clipboard Ctrl+C Copy selected text, send to the Clipboard Shift+Ins Paste contents of Clipboard into commandline Ctrl+V Paste contents of Clipboard into commandline Del Clear selected text Esc Clear entire commandline Ctrl+Esc Show task list of all running programs (or use the Apps menu, or right-click the titlebar button) WHY IS THIS A SHELL? The word "shell" is sometimes used for a wrapper that surrounds other applications and hides them. SmilerShell does that. You can set up its Apps menu to run anything you want, quickly and easily, from anywhere. No muss, no fuss. But SmilerShell also does the opposite of that. SmilerShell's commandline lets you "shell out," making all the power of the command line available from an environment in which that power is not otherwise accessible. One word, two meanings. Faster, easier, more powerful. That's what SmilerShell is, and that's why it's a shell. INSTALLING SMILERSHELL SmilerShell includes the following files which are installed to the directory you choose: smishell.exe the program smishell.hlp the documentation, in Windows help file format readme.txt overview and installation instructions sample.stk sample command stack file whatsnew.txt new features and revision history orderfrm.wri SmilerShell's order form / invoice dealers.txt toll-free numbers and SmilerShell vendors worldwide This file is installed to the Windows system directory if not there already: ctl3dv2.dll Microsoft-supplied system file which gives a 3-D look to SmilerShell and many other programs SmilerShell also comes with these files: install.exe automated SmilerShell installer file_id.diz formatted description file, for BBS uploads vendinfo.diz formatted description file for software vendors vendor.txt text description file for software vendors You can install SmilerShell automatically, using the enclosed auto-installer. To do this, simply run install.exe from within Windows. You can run it using File Manager, or the Run item on Program Manager's File menu, or in whatever other convenient way you choose. Give it the directory to put SmilerShell's files into, and the Program Manager group name for the SmilerShell icons (appropriate defaults are suggested). It'll do the rest. The installer will make no changes to your system set-up or to any systemwide files. It copies the SmilerShell files to the one directory you specify, and puts its icons in the one Program Manager group you choose. The only exception is ctl3dv2.dll, a Microsoft-supplied file installed into the Windows system directory if not there already. Optionally, you can set up an initialization file. But if you start SmilerShell without an initialization file, you'll be asked if you'd like SmilerShell to create one and fill it with reasonable values. You can view and change these values with the Settings dialog. Optionally, give a non-default location for the initialization file. Perhaps you're on a network, and want to install SmilerShell on a server, but let everyone have their own local setup. See the section The Initialization File in the documentation. Optionally, you can create a command stack file, having a list of commands that you want loaded into SmilerShell at startup. See the section Command Stack Files in the documentation. UNINSTALLING SMILERSHELL To uninstall SmilerShell, simply delete its files from the directory you chose when installing it, and remove ctl3dv2.dll from your Windows system directory if it wasn't there before installing SmilerShell. HOW TO ORDER SMILERSHELL You are welcome to test the fully-functional evaluation version of SmilerShell for 30 days. The evaluation version of SmilerShell contains all the features found in the actual product. You can try the it under real-world working conditions on your own system, to see if it meets your needs. After the trial period, you must either purchase SmilerShell or remove it from your system. To order, send $29.95 (plus $3.50 for shipping) to: Bardon Data Systems 1023 Key Route Blvd. Albany, CA 94706 Outside North America please add an additional $6 for overseas shipping charges. You can order SmilerShell through Bardon by mail or phone, or through our toll-free telephone order-taking service (800) 242-4775 (weekdays 7 to 6 Central time), or on CompuServe, or through distributors worldwide. Details and addresses are in the file DEALERS.TXT. If ordering through Bardon, you can print and mail orderfrm.wri, the order form that came with this package. It's in Windows Write format. With a MasterCard or Visa you can order by phone, at (510) 526-8470, in which case you'll be given your registration number immediately so you can get rid of those reminder screens right away. Or simply mail in your card number and expiration date. Registered users get a registration number that will turn off the reminder screens, a printed manual, support, update notices, and a disk with the most recent version. Registered users also get a free copy of Reverend Lowell's Treasury of Humor, Volume 1: "He Who Laughs, Lasts!" Reverend Lowell's Treasury contains thousands of humorous anecdotes collected by Reverend Lowell during his long career as an ordained minister. After thirty years of public speaking from the pulpit, the podium, and on television, he has amassed over 200,000 items, and Reverend Lowell's Treasury represents the "cream of the crop." These are Reverend Lowell's favorite funny stories, revealing quotes, interesting anecdotes, and zingy one-liners. And there's nothing that would be unsuitable in any public setting. There are plenty of items to choose from. Each volume of the Treasury covers a different topic, and contains at least as many items as you'd find in a full-size book. Many are illustrated in color or black-and-white. You can search for any item by keyword or first line. Or simply browse through every item page by page. In addition, registered users get these extra FREE bonuses: Two more handy Bardon programs (WHATSNEW lists files not yet backed up, or directories containing such files; PR and PRFILTER format output for printing, and add an informative header), discount certificate for JCSM CD-ROMs at half price, discount on PsL software-by-mail (up to 2/3 off!), free CompuServe startup kit, and whatever other goodies will fit on the disk. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Requires Microsoft Windows 3.1 CONTACT INFORMATION Bardon Data Systems 1023 Key Route Boulevard Albany, CA USA 94706-2321 (510) 526-8470