Table Of Contents

Introduction

The Author / Registration

New In This Version!

Your First Time

Getting Help

PC Tools For Windows Users

Things You Should Know!

Adding Applications To The Bar

Adding And Managing Groups On The Bar

Launching Applications

Launching Applications With A Document

Launching Applications With The RUN Tool

Exiting or Restarting Windows

Customizing RipBAR (Preferences)

Minimizing RipBAR

Customizing RipBAR Items

Deleting RipBAR Items

Moving (ReOrdering) RipBAR Items

Changing The Way RipBAR Looks

System Information

Resource Display

Memory Display

Resource Tracker

Using Notes

Sounds In RipBAR

Keyboard Usage In RipBAR


Introduction

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 4.0 -- the biggest update yet 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 virtual 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.


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.

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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.

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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!
New In This Version

Please read the following update notices because there is much that is new or changed.  There was more that I wanted to add to this version, but the pressure was on to release something.  At some point you have to "freeze" features and get on with documentation and testing.  Display of long icon titles etc. will have to wait for the next release.

This is version 4.0 of RipBAR-- the biggest update yet!  The following is new or enhanced with respect to earlier versions

(Note for Windows NT users : RipBAR Version 3.0 was never released for Windows NT, so all enhancements in both versions 3.0 and 4.0 are new to Windows NT users.  Last released version for Windows NT was 2.1)

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.

The following was 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.

The following was 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.

The following was 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.

The following was 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.  See Minimizing RipBAR for more info.

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

The following was 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.  See the section titled System Information for more information-- the display depends on whether you're running Windows 3.1 or Windows NT.

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.  You may delete these from the bar if you don't want them.

To find out how to add your own applications to the bar, see Adding Applications To The Bar

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.


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.


PC Tools For Windows Users

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.  Because RipBAR's System Menu is not standard (customized so that the title bar is half-height) this option doesn't appear.  To invoke the Tag Along feature, bring up any of RipBAR's dialog boxes (i.e. the About box from the System Menu, the Preferences dialog or an application's Customizer dialog and choose "Tag Along" option from their System Menu's.  Doing this once will ensure that the RipBAR toolbar follows you around as you switch desktops.


Things You Should Know!
Things You Should Know

New And Old Users

RipBAR V4.0 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.

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.

As you add applications to the bar, remember that you can add a 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.  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.

Does RipBAR look a little boring when it's minimized?  Turn on the Customized Minimize setting in Preferences.  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.

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


Adding Applications To The Bar

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, 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

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.


Adding & 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.  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 a hot key.  Using hot keys for groups will move you around faster than an OS/2 screen redraw.

Deleting Groups

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


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)

RipBAR's clock pane will turn red to let you know it has begun launching the application.  (See picture above.)


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 Apps With The 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.

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.


Customizing RipBAR
Customizing RipBAR (Preferences)

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

General Behavior options

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.  See the section on Notes for one caveat concerning 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.

Show Names	(default is No)

When selected, this option causes RipBAR to display application names (that you may customize) under each icon.  This makes each icon pane a little longer vertically, but can be useful when icons are not easily recognizable.

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 won't be able to access icon setup for an application on the bar until you disable this feature.

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 Minimizing RipBAR.

Tool Display options

Checkmarks 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.

Tool Configuration options

These options let you choose whether Memory and Resource displays will be in numerical or graphical format.

Setups

This section contains a number of buttons-- each of which activates another dialog with options.

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.

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 Preferences for details.

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 Format options

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.


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.


Customizing RipBAR Items

General Options

To customize certain properties of an item on the bar, single click on it with the right mouse button. (Or use the keyboard and press the HOME key with an app highlighted)  This will result in a dialog box that lets you set the startup directory, and any command line options you want to set.  It also lets you determine whether the application will initially launch minimized, maximized or to the default size.

Custom Icons

Click on the Icon... button to browse for an icon you'd like to use as a representation of the item on the bar.  See Custom Icons

Custom Names

If you have set RipBAR to display icon names (see Preferences), then whatever text is entered in this field shows up as the name.  When adding new applications to the bar, the name defaults to the application's file name.  Keep names short-- space is limited on the bar!

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.

Deleting Entries

Click on the Delete From The Bar checkbox and click on OK.  The item will be deleted, and RipBAR will resize its window to display any remaining icons.


Deleting RipBAR Items

Deleting Entries

Bring up the customizer 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.


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 have the Single Left Click Activates App 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.  In this case, simply hold down the CTRL (Control) key as you perform the drag.


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 below 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

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.


Resource Display

(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.

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 Display

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 MemoryI, 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 System Info.

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 MemoryI, Free PageFile Memory, and Total Free Memory (both Physical and PageFile).  For a description of these memory types, see System Info.


Resource Tracker

(Windows 3.1 only)

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.


Using Notes

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 add the Notes Tool to the bar, you should got to Preferences and make sure the Show Notes is selected.

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 menus.

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 Preferences for more information about 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.  (Again, see Preferences for more information about this feature)


Sounds In RipBAR
Sound In RipBAR

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 In RipBAR

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

There are one or two things you should bear in mind though if you're not using the mouse and we'll discuss those in this section too.

Selecting Icons 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.)  Press the HOME key 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 Applications for more information.

Creating a new Note

Creating a new Note is possible by typing CONTROL-N.

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.