About PM Group Sorter --------------------- Welcome to PM Group Sorter, Shareware Version 1.00! PM Groups (for short) is a Program Manager customization utility for Microsoft Windows, Version 3.1 or later. (Sorry, this application will not work with Windows 3.0 or earlier.) Start PM Groups, and click on your Progman Manager groups in the order you want them to appear in the "Windows" menu. Then transfer the group name (one-at-a-time only) to the new order with the "Transfer Pick" button. Once you have re-ordered the groups, click on "Save", and restart Windows to see your Program Manager Groups in your selected order. If you make a mistake, click on "Restart" to restore the existing order, or "Cancel" to quit PM Groups operations without changes. Installation ------------ The archive file you just opened, PMGRPS.ZIP, contains this file and the file PMGV100S.ZIP. Copy PMGV100S.ZIP to a temporary directory, and "unzip" it. It will create the following file: Name Size Date Time ------------ -------- -------- -------- PMGRPSRT.EXE 14191 01-23-94 9:01p Copy PMGRPSRT.EXE to your Microsoft Windows default directory, normally named \WINDOWS. We recommend the use of the Windows File Manager for this task. One additional support file is required to use PM Groups 1.00: VBRUN300.DLL, the runtime module for Visual Basic 3.0. If you use any other Visual Basic 3.0 programs, you have this file, probably in your \WINDOWS or \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. Otherwise, VBRUN300.DLL is available from the same BBS, on-line system or software distributor where you obtained PMGRPS.EXE. To execute PM Groups, add its icon to a Program Manager Program Group, or click on PMGRPSRT.EXE in File Manager. NOTES ABOUT THIS VERSION ------------------------ 1. We install a lot of Windows software on our computers, and it seems that each package wants to set up its own Program Manager Group. We have a set of Groups that appear open on our Startup Desktops, but we access several more hidden groups during a normal Windows session. This requires that one click on the "Windows" menu item in Progman, then scroll through the list looking for favorites. The order changes as one installs new packages and upgrades and use Windows. We needed a way to reorder the Groups so that my current interests were listed in the first nine Groups shown in the menu drop-down. Thus was born PM Group Sorter. Basically, we have on list of nine groups showing under "Window" and five groups open on the desktop. We find this order extends the power of the Program Manager to its utmost, and PM Groups helps. 2. To accomplish the desired Startup Desktop look: once you setup a preferred open group layout in the Program Manager, you can save the arrangement WITHOUT exiting Windows by holding down the shift key and clicking on "Exit Windows" under the Progman "File" menu. Works like a charm! Then unselect "Save Settings on Exit" under the "Options" menu selection of Progman, and you will see this Desktop every time you start Windows. 3. In PM Groups, it is not necessary to "transfer" all Progman Groups from the "Current" to "New" order listboxes - PM Groups transfers all unselected Groups, in their residual order, when you click "Save". 4. PM Groups will restart Windows for you if you like, giving you the option to save open work in any application, or to cancel the restart. If cancelled, you will see the new Progman order the next time you start Windows. 5. On-line "Help..." will appear on the same dialog as "About..." after about five seconds. We appreciate your patience! NOTICE ------ PM Group Sorter is NOT Public Domain or Freeware. Please REGISTER PM Groups if you use it beyond a fifteen day trial period. Send your (modest) $5 registration fee to: VB Expressions 64 Burning Brush Drive Rochester, NY 14650-4642. Kindly include the Version number and the source where you got PM Group Sorter. You can also look for other VB Expressions utilities: Desktop Assistants Draggin' Viewer, a drag-and-drop file viewer/program launcher, Printer's Daemon, a drag-and-drop file printing utility, and Trash Free-K!, a drag-and-drop file deletion utility. Smartclp is a Windows Clipboard enhancer, PM Fonts allows you to change your Program Manager fonts from the Microsoft default to any installed screen font. Good stuff (if we may say so ourselves!) We'd be interested in your comments or suggestions on PM Group Sorter. You can reach us by Email on CompuServe, ID 73457,3603. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PM Groups Sorter - Copyright © 1994 by P.M. Chefalo Revision History ---------------- Version 1.00S - First Shareware Version