=============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FileBar -- An OS/2 Application Launch Facility and Shell Replacement Written By Eric A. Wolf - Copyright (C) 1995 - All Rights Reserved Revision History ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== Versions 1.0 through 1.91 - not documented here Version 2.00 - complete rewrite of the previous FileBar. While it retains the same functionality*, it also has a number of new features. - complete rewrite - uses improved memory handling for increased stability while remaining a small application. - possibility of 9 virtual desktops (switch via hotkey or click) - print spooler - much improved startup list handling - system lockup option (and lockup on start option) - support for sub-menus - ability to set background color when FileBar is shell - vastly improved handling of DOS settings - no more messing with ASCII SETTINGS.INI files. Everything is automated through a familiar DOS settings dialog. - improved stability in configuration file handling (no more configuration file corruptions) - revised FileBar menu (to decrease clutter) - ability to specify the configuration file to use on start Great for network environments! Use either on command line or on RUNWORKPLACE= line of config.sys. - ability to open and save different configuration files without closing and relaunching FileBar - support for separate and common seamless WIN-OS/2 sessions - ability to edit menu items by right-clicking them off menu - misc. memory, stability and performance gains *The calendar/scheduler is no longer in FileBar Version 2.01 - Desktop correctly resize when FileBar exits or when FileBar is moved from top to bottom of screen - launching items from popup menu sometimes caused that item to be edited rather than launched, this has been fixed - added option for whether or not to remove FileBar from task list when it is the shell - added accelerators to FileBar menu - revised way menus are drawn on menubar to address an incompatability with OS/2 2.11 - When editing items, specifying a working directory as "X:\" (where X is a valid drive letter) now works correctly. - spooler is disabled when FileBar is not the replacement shell - DOS settings loading and saving revised to avoid system errors - old FileBar 2.00 DOS settings files SHOULD NOT BE used with 2.01 Version 2.02 - Windows in virtual work areas (2-9) are now moved back to work area #1 when FileBar closes if option is set. Option is under the work area option menu. This way, windows aren't "abandoned" after FileBar closes - Launching apps via the keyboard sometimes brought up editing item dialog by mistake. That is now fixed. - items closed from the task list are first sent a WM_CLOSE, then a WM_QUIT, and if that fails, it is killed forcefully. - once again addressed weird problems with DOS settings. Stability looks very good now - all settings are now being written out and DOS_DEVICEs and DOS_AUTOEXEC work ok. - missing Windows DOS settings are now in the settings dialog box - unlocking system no longer shows previously hidden windows - FileBar will now attempt to launch WPS items even if it knows it is the replacement shell - this way, users can launch WPS Shell as a FileBar item and WPS items still work via FileBar. - nag window pops up less often (every hour instead of every 1/2 hour) - added more complete installation instructions for installing FileBar both as a replacement shell and as a normal application - virtual work area control box now has 3 different arragement types (3 x 3 grid, horizontal row and vertical row) - virtual work area control box resizing now has no default minimum size - only c/r stripped from task list menu instead of any char < ' ' (ASCII 32) - toggling Windows standard or enhanced mode in DOS settings will now pass on that change to the edit menu item dialog - "WPS Shell" has now been added as a default item under the OS/2 in both the FILEBAR2.INI and SAMPLE1.INI included files so users can easily launch the WPS from within FileBar - FileBar not being removed from tasklist when shell (even when requested) is now fixed - FileBar no longer dies if an '=' is placed in an item's argument list - nag screens no longer pop up every 1/2 hour. Now, every 10 FileBar functions you engage, the nag will appear. - added (CTRL+SPACE) hot key to bring up FileBar in any application - fixed problem with Spooler not starting under OS/2 2.1 - fixed SYS 3175 errors when editing menu items using FileBar|Edit Menu Version 2.03 - minimizing from FileBar task list now correctly draws minimized icon - User customized colors are now read from OS2.INI and correctly set when FileBar is launched as the shell - cancelling the addition of a new menu item no longer leaves 'New Item' in your menu list (it -really- is cancelled now) - warning added in docs so that users DO NOT have FileBar in their WPS startup folder when using FileBar as their replacement shell AND trying to launch the WPS from inside FileBar (weird results happen!) - using ALT keystrokes to launch items from FileBar now works after locking up system via FileBar and then unlocking - added a Kill option for tasks so that you have the option to either send it a WM_CLOSE message or use the Kill command to forcefully kill the process - multiple registration reminders no longer appear if one is on-screen and the user flips to another virtual work area (via CTRL+#). - registration info now shown in lockup dialog box - added error messages for when specified executable or settings file does not exist - Windows applications specified for a common session now really do start in a common session - Refresh option added so that desktop can be redrawn in the case some app leaves garbage on the screen (usually WIN-OS/2 apps) - selection focus no longer lost when the spooler dialog is refreshed - code changed so that taking focus off modal dialog boxes won't cause input delay - Added to documentation the common question of "What to do when Win-OS/2 sessions are not redrawn correctly" when switching to them from desktop. (Solution, as added, is to set VIDEO_SWITCH_NOTIFICATION to ON in the DOS Settings for that session). - sample DOS settings file now supplied with FileBar (WIN-OS2.SET) for use with Windows/WIN-OS/2 applications - added option so user can select whether to launch WIndows apps via WIN.COM or WINOS2.COM (under general options) - changing orientation of virtual work area window selector now redraws the window correctly (no longer cut off) - revised shutdown code (less code - less possibility for problems!) - menubar flicker removed when time and/or date updates - menubar flicker removed when opening new configuration file - focus no longer taken from active app for long lengths of time when the chime sound plays (top of the hour chime) - added Copy Item to the menu item edit dialog box in order to allow copying individual menu items to different menus/submenus - added Move Item to the menu item edit dialog box in order to allow moving individual menu items to different menus/submenus - due to users' requests, new option added to enable spooler even when FileBar is not the shell - added CONVERT.EXE application to convert 1.xx configuration files to 2.xx configuration file format (menu structure only) - added option to enable/disable CTRL+SPACE hotkey - accelerators added to dialogs to aid users who prefer keyboard traversal - added safeguard to avoid enumeration errors in startup list - added option for virtual work area control box to float on top whenever FileBar does - added option so user can now use the mouse to change virtual work areas. Moving the mouse to an extreme on their desktop will cause the work area to change (relative to their motion) if the option is enabled under the Work Areas... option dialog. Version 2.04 - Dropping a WPS object (whose title has a carriage return in it) to the edit item dialog procedure now is correctly handled and does not throw off the configuration file (CR is stripped out) - added ability to have apps start up in different user specified virtual work areas - work area code now rewritten so that child windows correctly moved - cancelling "Add Item" in a submenu now correctly cancels operation - reduced area of sensitivity for using mouse to jump virtual work areas - focus now correctly returned to FileBar after FileBar lockup - focus remembered and restored when changing virtual work areas - start up list verification now performed to ensure start up list has not been corrupted (list automatically fixed if that is necessary) - OS/2 window list now brought up when a user hits a mouse cord and FileBar is the replacement shell (except when the mouse chord is assigned to the FileBar popup menu) - added general option to redraw windows when maximized for some systems that encounter video corruption when a window is maximized from task list - turning off virtual work areas now disable the feature of changing work areas by mouse movement (was not done so in previous versions) - error detection now implemented to ensure user enters both directory and file name for settings file - menu button sensitivities now correctly set for submenus - switching virtual work areas by selecting items from FileBar task list now switches virtual work areas correctly - added CTRL+TAB access to FileBar task list from WPS and FileBar shell - buglet fixed in FIleBar not being removed from task list in some situations - added better code to ensure working directory is switched into when launching user applications - added ability to start a windowed application as hidden Version 2.05 - Bug fixed in that user's colors are now correctly read in from .INI file when FileBar is loaded as the replacement shell. There was an error on some systems where this was not taking effect. - fixed SYS 3175 after unlocking FileBar from a system lockup - desktop refreshed after the unlocking FileBar from a system lockup - added watchdog timer for apps that are supposed to be hidden but cannot start - added ability to report an error if an item that is trying to be launched cannot be found - all global function CTRL keys are now user definable via a new "Function Keys" option menu - default button changed from Cancel to Ok on shutdown dialog to remain consistent with IBM's WPS shutdown dialog - FileBar "Refresh" code changed via IBM support suggestion - when switching virtual screens, icon text now stays visible in all virtual work areas - FileBar now nags every 15th function use rather than every 10th - OS/2 task list now moved, by default, to middle of screen at start up so that when engaged (via CTRL-ESC), it is completely visible (affects operation only when FileBar is shell) - dragging and dropping a file from the drives object will now correctly set the title (by default) to the object name minus the path's 3-letter extension (if any) (also fixed is if you use the 'Find File' button which had the same former behavior) - Carriage returns now correctly stripped from item titles when item is drag and dropped onto the item drop area and objects with carriage returns in their titles are now rejected (because they are incompatable with the format of the .ini file) - added user configurable option to set the name of the desktop and launch pad. Non-USA versions of FileBar can now enter the names of their desktop and launch pad objects and they will appear in all virtual work areas, if so desired (this was not the case previously, as I only looked for "Desktop" and "LaunchPad"... They are named differently in foreign versions of OS/2!!) - improved integrity of task switching via FileBar task list - added Move To option under task list to move a window (either in the current work area or not) to another given work area (allows you to quickly move a window to you, away from you or to another area) - confirmation no longer necessary when deleting separators from menus - the orientation of the virtual window selection window now dictates how traversal of virtual windows take place (a virtual work area selector box that is displayed as a single row means that the user can only move the mouse left and right to switch virtual work areas, for example, and a selector window that is a vertical column means the user can only switch virtual work areas by moving hitting the top and bottom edges of the screen.