Association Manager  Contents

Overview

Ever wished you had a choice of applications when you ran or double clicked a file from File Manager (or ran a file from Program Manager)?

Association Manager allows you to have a choice.

File Manager normally only allows users to associate one program for each filename extension, like:

Notepad for all 	*.TXT extensions,

Write for all 	*.WRI extensions,

Word for all	*.DOC extensions, and so on

Association Manager is a File Manager utility which allows users to associate several executable files (programs) with any given extension.

Word Processor Example

Programming Example

How to Use Association Manager

More than one Association Manager

Click on the graphic for more help

Groups of Option Buttons

   State

   Application

Command Buttons

   Run

   Cancel

Menus

   File

   Help

Note:

Association Manager requires the file

vbrun300.dll

(available as shareware with the .zip extension).

Shareware Plug:

Association Manager is freely distributable shareware.

If you use it, please contribute $5 U.S (or its equivalent local currency), by way of cheque, draft or international money order, to the surface address given below.

Don't be put off by the lack of postal code, New Zealand is a small country!

Author:   Bruce Levett

email:	trout@central.co.nz

Surface address:

13 Grange Road South,

Haumoana,

Hawkes Bay,

New Zealand.


Run Button

Runs the selected application and saves current settings in the Association Manager's INI file in the Windows directory, if these have changed.

You can also run the selected application by pressing ENTER on your keyboard.


Cancel Button

Exits Association Manager and saves current settings in the Association Manager's INI file in the Windows directory, if these have changed.

You can also exit using the File menu or by pressing ESC on your keyboard.


State Options

Minimised

Normal

Maximised

The application selected will be started up in one of 3 states, when the Run button is clicked.

 	The state and application options are saved in the Association Manager's INI file in the Windows directory.


Application Group

The Application frame shows all the currently available applications.

You can add more or remove the currently selected application from Association Manager, by using the File menu.


File Menu

Add an Application

Opens a dialog box which allows you to add another application to your application group.

Remove an Application

Removes the application which is selected.

Exit

Quits Application Manager. You can also quit by pressing ESC on your keyboard or by clicking the Cancel button.

note:

Adding or Removing applications from Association Manager does not add applications to or remove applications from your hard drive!

Settings are saved in Association Manager's INI file in the Windows directory.


Word Processor Example

A file called SAMPLE.TXT would normally be "associated" in the File Manager with the Windows notepad program (notepad.exe), and when a TXT file is double clicked, the file is opened in notepad.

The SAMPLE.TXT file will not be opened in notepad if its size exceeds the maximum  permitted by notepad...or the user may just prefer to use another word processor with that file.

No problem with Association Manager.


Programming Example

A programmer using various forms of BASIC, say: Visual Basic, Visual Basic for  MS-DOS, QuickBasic, TurboBasic etc may like the choice of these applications when opening a file with a *.BAS extension from the File Manager.

No problem with Association Manager.


How to Use Association Manager

1.  Open the File Manager, if it isn't already.

2.  Click on any file with the extension you want multiple associations for any *.TXT file, for instance.

3.  Select Associate... from the File menu in File Manager.

4.  Use the Browse... button to select this program (Association Manager).

That's it!  You're done.

Now try out Association Manager...

Double click any file in File Manager, with the same extension.

Association Manager will start up, if you haven't used it before it will contain Notepad and Write as the only applications.

You can add to or remove applications from this list using the File menu.

Select Run or Cancel.


More than one Association Manager

You can have several Association Managers:

One for Word Processors, associated with: *.TXT;  *.WRI;  *.WPS;  *.DOC  etc

Another for Picture Editors, associated with: *.BMP;  *.GIF;  *.JPG;  *.PCX  etc

Another for Spreadsheets, another for Databases and so on.

To do this just make a copy of the Association Manager program to another name or another directory.  One copy for each set of applications and file extensions.