Copyright: Registered Copyright ® 1994 Gregory Arias


Index

Welcome To Technetium For Windows 3.1 [only]

QUICK START MOUSE: Click the right mouse button down on any window's title bar or on the desktop to activate Technetium.

QUICK START KEYBOARD: Press <CTRL>+<ALT>+F12 to activate the root menu. Use the arrow keys for navigation. <ESC> closes a menu and <ENTER> launches an item.

TIP : Use a disk cache utility like SmartDrive. It helps Tech to run smoothly, even with a small 256K cache.

Background

These topics discuss the legal terms of the license, registration issues, the concept of shareware, and what you need in terms of equipment to run Technetium.

Install

Features

License And Disclaimer

Registration And Support

System Hardware And Software Requirements

Bugs And Unregistered Feedback

IMPORTANT TOPIC

Run Time Files Created By Technetium

Procedures

These topics address some basic procedures in a step by step format, troubleshooting, and what to do in the event of erratic behavior on the part of Technetium.

Procedures

Panic Button

Root Menu

These topics are listed in the order they appear in the Technetium root menu.

 Active Tasks. Switch tasks using this option.

 Desktop. Arrange the windows and icons on your desktop.

Technetium Options

These topics are listed in order exactly as they appear in the Technetium Options popup menu.

 Resources. Keep track of your system resources.

 Fast Launch. Launch applications and documents.

 Edit Menu. Graphical way to edit your menu.

 Association Manager. Take control of associations between files and apps.

 Global Menu Options. Change the visual format of Technetium.

 System Options. All the stuff Control Panel forgot.

 Exit Options. Choose from a host of shutdown options.

 Exit Windows. Provides a no questions asked quick drop out to DOS.


License And Disclaimer

TECHNETIUM LICENSE AGREEMENT

You should carefully read this license agreement. Using Technetium constitutes acceptance of ALL the terms stated hereafter.

COPYRIGHT

Technetium is composed of these files:

TECHNETIUM.EXE

IXLIB.DLL

GEKKO.HLP

Technetium Registered Copyright © 1994 Gregory Patrick Arias.

All Rights Reserved.

Microsoft ® and Windows ™ are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

X Windows System is a trademark of M.I.T.

Any other names used unwittingly are trademarks of their respective companies.

REGISTRATION

Why should I register ? I mean after all, this guy did not even put nags in his software !

Ask yourself three questions to figure out if you should register :

1. Do I like Tech and do I want to see the idea continue to develop and evolve ?

2. Does Technetium save me time in Windows versus not using Technetium in Windows ?

3. Have I been using Technetium for more than 30 days ?

No. I do not put nags in my software anymore. I hate them. They are a pain to program. I do not ask you to register or annoy you in any way, mainly because one of my pet peeves is software that asks you for money every five minutes. I figure the best way to get you all to register is to let the software do the talking. You are not going to register just because a prog has nag screens, you are going to register because its good software and it works for you. I hope you find Technetium to be that type of program. Thank you for your evaluation and for reading.

SHAREWARE VERSION

You are hereby granted license to use Technetium for an evaluation period of 30 days, after which you must pay the registration fee to continue using Technetium. However, use of Technetium during the 30-day evaluation period is free of charge.

You may make exact copies and distribute these copies of Technetium and its documentation so long as there is no charge applied to distribution of these unmodified copies of Technetium.

You are specifically prohibited from charging or requesting donations for ANY and ALL copies of Technetium or its documentation. You are prohibited from distributing Technetium or any portion of Technetium or its documentation as part of another product (commercial or otherwise) without PRIOR expressed written consent from me personally.

NOTE TO ASP APPROVED VENDORS, DISTRIBUTORS, AND DEALERS : If you wish to distribute and charge a fee for distribution of Technetium, please contact me directly at my mailing address (see register.wri) for an approved permission-to-distribute form, or fax me for a form at 1-303-499-7087. I will be pleased to review your request.

This is copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the software or any copyright rights. You may not sub license, rent, lease, convey, modify, translate, convert to another programming language, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose.

You may make as many copies of this software as you need for backup purposes. You may use this software on more than one computer, provided there is no chance it will be used simultaneously on more than one computer. If you need to use the software on more than one computer simultaneously, please contact me directly for information about site license agreements.

UNREGISTERED USE OF TECHNETIUM AFTER THE 30-DAY EVALUATION PERIOD IS IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS AND THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT UNDER LAW.

WARRANTY DISCLAIMER

THIS SOFTWARE, TECHNETIUM, AND THE ACCOMPANYING FILES, IS SOLD "AS IS." I, GREGORY ARIAS,  DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, TECHNETIUM,  WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER I NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE, TECHNETIUM, SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF I HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL MY LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THIS SOFTWARE, TECHNETIUM, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE, TECHNETIUM.

Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you.

This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado and shall inure to the benefit of Gregory Arias. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or relating to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Boulder County, Colorado. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts.


Registration And Support

Why should I register ? I mean after all, this guy did not even put nags in his software !

Ask yourself three questions to figure out if you should register :

1. Do I like Tech and do I want to see the idea continue to develop and evolve ?

2. Does Technetium save me time in Windows versus not using Technetium in Windows ?

3. Have I been using Technetium for more than 30 days ?

No. I do not put nags in my software anymore. I hate them. They are a pain to program. I do not ask you to register or annoy you in any way, mainly because one of my pet peeves is software that asks you for money every five minutes. I figure the best way to get you all to register is to let the software do the talking. You are not going to register just because a prog has nag screens, you are going to register because its good software and it works for you. I hope you find Technetium to be that type of program. Thank you for your evaluation and for reading.

IMPORTANT:

PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO GREGORY ARIAS.

Send This Form And A Check For The Amount Below To:

Gregory Arias

3235 LongWood Avenue

Boulder, CO

80303

Disk Type (Please check one): [ ] 3 1/2"	[ ] 5 1/4"

**Single User Registration = $29.95 Before July 15, 1994

  = $34.95 After July 15, 1994

  = $19.95 for enrolled BETA TESTERS ONLY

Shipping, Packaging, Handling	  $___5.00_____

SubTotal	  	  $____________

Appropriate Sales Tax On Subtotal	  $____________

____________________________________________________________

TOTAL	  	  $____________

**Site License Breakdown on a per machine basis.

#Copies	Price Per Copy

for 2 - 10 machines	$27.95

for 11 - 20 machines	$23.95

for 21 - 50 machines	$19.95

for 51 - 200 machines	$15.95

for 201 - 500 machines	$11.95

for 501+ machines	$9.95

Prices guaranteed through AUGUST 15, 1994, after which time, prices will be subject to change without notice.

Name:_______________________________________________________

Date:_______________________________________________________

Company: ____________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: _____________________________________________________

Country: ____________________________________________________________

Day Phone: _________________                 Evening:__________________

INTERNET E-Mail address: ______________________________________________

MY POLICY ON PRINTED MANUALS

I do not offer printed manuals for Technetium. The reason for this policy is both practical and philosophical. From the practical standpoint, everything you need in the way of documentation is online. This is part of the reason Technetium is so inexpensive to register. I pass the savings in manuals directly on to you. From a philosophical perspective, it seems illogical to me to kill five trees for one printed manual which you already have an electronic copy of. Technetium is GREEN SOFTWARE. During the entire development of Technetium, only 50 pages of recycled paper were used (for a source listing to be sent to the Library of Congress). I also ship all my diskettes in 100% Recycled and Recyclable mailers. I am commited to preservation of our global environment.

UPGRADES

When you register you will receive the first two updates (major and/or minor) for free. Afterwards, you will  be notified of any updates (major and/or minor) and allowed to update at $12.50 per unit plus shipping and handling. Registration makes sense if you want to receive updates that are not released to the general public.

SEE REGISTER.TXT FOR REGISTRATION FORM

FILL OUT AND PRINT OUT THIS FORM TO REGISTER


System Hardware And Software Requirements

To run Technetium you must have the following computer system :

80286 CPU or higher

VGA with resolutions of 640x480 or better (800x600 resolution highly recommended)

Hard drive with at least 2MB free (5MB recommended)

Disk cache of 1MB highly recommended

Two button Mouse

101-Function Keyboard

Microsoft ® Windows™ 3.1


Bugs And Unregistered Feedback
Bugs And Feedback

Please feel free to contact me regarding Technetium, even if you just want to express an opinion (constructively, please) about Technetium and you don't have any precise technical problem. E-mail me over the INTERNET at:

ariasg@ucsu.colorado.edu

I will be glad to read and respond to your messages.

If you have a technetical problem please write out in order the actions you were taking when the problem arose, the module name and address included in any GPFs, and be prepared to uuencode and send all your Technetium BIN and DAT files via INTERNET e-mail.


Run Time Files Created By Chameleon
Run Time Files Created By Technetium

As Technetium executes, several different file types are created by the program within the directory to which you installed Technetium. IT IS VITAL THAT YOU DO NOT DELETE OR MOVE THESE FILES. TECHNETIUM WILL GET VERY ANGRY AND SAY THINGS LIKE GENERAL PROTECTION FAULT OR ABNORMAL PROGRAM TERMINATION.

Files You Should Not Touch :

1.	Any files with the .BIN extension in Technetium's home directory

2.	Any files with the .DAT extension in Technetium's home directory

These files form the basis of the Technetium menuing system. DO NOT TRY TO EDIT OR MODIFY THEM DIRECTLY. If you have to move Technetium at some point in time, just make ABSOLUTELY certain that all these files end up in the same directory as Technetium. Otherwise it will be bad.


Features

This program is one of a kind. No other menuing system which I have ever seen either commercially or through shareware has the degree of sophistication that Technetium does. Period. This is the program which I always wanted to have but could never seem to find anywhere.

Technetium major features:

A popup menu interface which allows you very fast access to program launching facilities from any application in Windows 3.1, even MAXIMIZED applications, without hogging your desktop. All this power is ONE mouse click away. No more double clicking to open a group. No more sifting through open group folders to find that one program item. No more ALT TABing to find the elusive program launcher. All you do is POINT and SHOOT mahn ! Less mouse clicks = greater productivity.

Open ended group tree structure. Infinitely nest your groups. Add as many items and groups as you please. The only limit is your computer system's memory.

·	Ghost menus allow you to shadow up to 200 files across several different directories dynamically.

A complete, graphical Menu Editor with bitmapped toolbar and helpful status line, to facilitate configuration of your launchable items. No clumsy and cumbersome text files or INI files to edit with Notepad (This is not for us!) The editor also has a fully functional internal clipboard which allows such actions as "cut," "copy," "paste," and "append." The menu tree structure is displayed in a visually pleasing hierarchical format much like File Manager's interface for displaying your disks' directory tree. In a word, the editor is COMPLETE.

Drag and Drop addition of items to your menu makes configuration a breeze.

What You Don't See...Quality engineered internal data structures. Copyrighted system of indexed binary initialization files by a hash table and associative arrays means less memory consumption without sacrificing speed.

What You Do See...Ingenious system for changing the interface format of the menu on the fly. This is object oriented programming at its finest. You may choose from four different menu types, according to your preferences. Choose from an industrial standard menu that's light on system resources, to a 3-D icon based menu with titles. The point is you decide how much or how little resources you care to spend on the utility, and you decide which visual format you prefer (Your menus never looked so good).

Rich launching features that allow you to specify the executable's working directory, arguments to be passed to the executable, and files to be passed to the executable via the Common Dialog Box Library. Specify multiple file extensions to look for when launching an application.

System Options allows you to specify such system attributes as Windows Help Colors, Load and Run lines, Windows Shell, Windows System Font, Icon Title Font and Windows Task Manager.

Resource items give you a great visualization of your system's resource usage, including your default hard drive.

Built-in Task Switching. Forget about <CTRL>+<ESC> just hit the right mouse button, select Technetium Options | Active Tasks you and have a list of all tasks running. Select from the list and Technetium switches to that task.

Association Manager applet allows you to add and remove file associations to increase the flexibilty of program launching.

Window Options gives you power over the desktop. Tile active windows horizontally or vertically, cascade active windows, and arrange desktop icons all with Window Options.

Exit Options affords choices of different ways to exit Windows. Perform a safe reboot from inside Windows 3.1. Exit the Windows 3.1 environment, execute an MS-DOS command like "chkdsk /f" and restart Windows all with one command. You can't do that with a plain vanilla MS-DOS prompt under Windows. Do a fast restart of Windows after changing elements of "system.ini" or "win.ini."

Quick exit from Windows, no questions asked.

Add new Program Manager groups to your menu as you install new software packages. Edit and change these new PM groups to your taste using the graphical Menu Editor.


Install

Follow these simple steps to install the program on your system.

1. Create a new directory (it does not have to be on your path).

2. Copy all the files from your distribution disk to this new directory.

3. Start up Tech by running the TECHNETI.EXE file and youre off!

Technetium will construct your menu within this new directory. It will also create a TECHNETI.INI file in your Windows directory.

Deinstall

To de-install, simply delete the Tech home directory and remove the TECHNETI.INI file from your Windows directory.


Procedures

How to guide on Technetiums most common features. Think of this as an FAQ.

Install Technetium As Shell

1. Select the System Options default menu item the Options menu.

2. Click on the Use Technetium As Shell radio button.

3. The program will tell you to restart Windows. Select YES.

Create a StartUp Group

1. Select the Edit Menu default item in Options menu.

2.Select the group to which you wish to add StartUp in the Group Listbox and click on the Add Group button, fifth button from the left. If you have trouble with what a button does, move the mouse over it and look at the Command Description.

3. The Group Properties dialog will appear. Fill in the Title as StartUp (spell exactly) and give the group an icon if you wish. Select OK.

4. Now select the new startup group and add items to it using the Add Item button, fourth button from the left.

5. Startup groups only work when Tech is the shell which must be set using System Options.

Deleting A Group

1. Launch the Menu Editor using Options | Edit Menu.

2. Select the parent of the group which has been targeted for deletion in the Group Listbox. The targeted group will appear in the Item Listbox along with any other children. If you want to delete a group from the Root Menu, then select the Root Menu group in the Group Listbox.

3. Select the targeted group from the Item Listbox and hit the trashcan icon. The group is now removed.

Configuring the Default Items

1. Select Options | Global Menu Options.

2. From the Global Menu Options dialog, click on the Default Items... button.

3. Double clicking in the listbox on an item allows you to change the title and where the item resides (in root or options menu).

Changing The Menu Font and Other Menu Attributes

1. Select Options | Global Menu Options.

2. From the Global Menu Options dialog, click on the Attributes... button.

3. Select the Change Menu Font button and configure the menu font to your taste. You may also change other menu attributes.

Assigning an Icon to a Group

1. Select Options | Edit Menu and launch the editor.

2. Select the parent of the group whose icon you wish to specify in the Group Listbox.

3. Double click on the group in the Item Listbox to activate the Group Settings dialog.

4. Use the Browse button or key in the icon file.

Fast Drag-n-Drop Menu Additions

1. Launch Menu Editor using Options | Edit Menu.

2. Just drag a selection of files from File Manager or other drag-n-drop server to the Menu Editor and drop. The dropped items are appended to the clipboard.


Panic Button

This topic describes what you should do in the unlikely event that Tech exhibits very strange behavior (a la GPFs). Please contact me if you follow these steps and still receive strange behaviors.

If you consistently get very strange behavior from Technetium there may be several reasons. Most typically, you have received a GPF during creation of Technetium groups from Program Manager groups and then restarted Tech. This sometimes occurs if you have selected over 30 program manager groups to migrate, or if you have many applications open at once and Tech runs out of memory while attempting to migrate PM groups. Usually, you will have to start over.

START OVER

1. Delete the TECHNETI.INI file in your Windows directory.

2. Delete the BIN and DAT files in the directory to which you installed Technetium.

3. Make certain that the only other program running is your shell and that you have around 1 MB of free Windows RAM memory and about 5MB free space on the drive to which you have installed Tech.

4. Restart Tech and install 25 or less Program Manager groups.


Default Items

Use this dialog to configure your Default Items. You may select one item and edit it by double clicking in the listbox or by clicking the Edit button. You may change a default items title, and decide whether to place it in the root or option menu or not inlcude it at all.

WARNING : Do not try to remove the Global Menu Options default item from Technetium, otherwise you will no longer have control over the graphical attributes and default items of your menu. The only reason that you should use this is if you are a system adminstrator and youre locking users out of changing the menu on a network.


 Resources

This Technetium Options submenu displays a graphical readout of your system resources.

User Heap. This meter displays your free USER heap memory. The USER heap is used for storing items that Windows creates dynamically. Everything from windows to menus are stored on this heap. To minimize the impact that Technetium has on this heap, use as few as possible groups and items in your menus. Remember, less is more.

GDI Heap. This meter displays your free GDI heap memory. The GDI heap is used by Windows to store the items that help it paint the screen.

Memory. This meter displays the amount of free kilobytes of RAM available to your Windows applications. This figure will also include virtual address space created by Windows if you have any type of swap file set up. Only works in Enhanced Mode Windows.

Def Drive. This meter displays the amount of free space on your default hard disk in megabytes.


 Active Tasks

This Technetium Options submenu allows you to switch quickly and painlessly to any active task in Windows. Simply click an item in the menu and Technetium will switch to that task.


 Fast Launch

This Technetium Options submenu allows you to launch applications or the documents owned by applications using a Microsoft Common Dialog Box. You use the List Files Of Type drop-down combo box to change the types of files which you may launch. By default, the Fast Launch dialog lists all your program files with the extension *.exe *.com *.pif *.bat. You may also launch documents which are associated with an executable by selecting the Associated Files option in the List Files Of Type drop-down combo box.

See Also

Association Manager


 Edit Menu

This Technetium Options menu item launches the Menu Editor. Using the editor, you may add or delete items and groups, change the settings of an item or group, and move items or groups up or down in the menu. The Menu Editor also features its own internal clipboard so that you can cut, copy, append or paste groups and items to and from other groups. If you have used File Manager before, and understand how to display subdirectories in the Tree Listbox of File Manager, then you should take to the listboxes included in the editor very quickly.

TIP : DRAG-AND-DROP additions to the menu are supported in two different ways. Method One : Simply drag your file(s) over the Technetium desktop icon and drop. The Menu Editor will be launched with your dropped files help in the internal clipboard. Select the group to which you wish to add your dropped files from the Group Listbox and press the Paste button which looks like this :

Your new items will appear in the Item Listbox.

Method Two : if the Menu Editor is already active, then drag your files over the Menu Editor and drop them. The dropped files will be appended to the clipboard.

Interacting with the editor involves using three elements :

1.	Toolbar Buttons

2.	Listboxes

3.	Status Line


Toolbar Buttons

The toolbar buttons and their functions are listed as they appear in the editor from left to right.

TIP: To get a quick summary of the functionality of a button, move the cursor over the button. A description of what the button does appears in the status line at the bottom of the editor window.

 Save Changes And Exit

Commit all changes to disk and reload the menu to reflect your editing.

 Cancel Changes and Exit

Undo any changes made to the menu during this edit session.

 Add Program Manager Groups

Select this button to add PM groups to your menu using a DDE conversation. If you have a third party shell that supports Microsofts Shell DDE protocols then the conversation will involve that shell. Note that the third party shell must be active at the time you start the Menu Editor, otherwise Progman will be used.

 Add Item To Group

Adds an item to the group selected in the Group Listbox. For example, if you wish to add an item to the Root Menu, then select the first line in the Group Listbox, entitled "Root Menu" and click this button. The Item Properties Dialog will appear. After filling out the settings for your new executable item, your new item will appear at the bottom of the Item Listbox.

 Add Group To Group

Add a group to the group selected in Group Listbox. Clicking this button brings up the Group Settings Dialog. After filling out the title of the new group, and clicking OK to dismiss the Group Properties Dialog, your new group will appear at the bottom of the Item Listbox.

 Edit Selection in Item Listbox

Edit the previously entered settings for either and item or a group, depending on which type is selected in the Item Listbox. Clicking this button will bring up either the Item Settings Dialog or the Group Settings Dialog.

 Move Selection in Item Listbox Up

Move the selection (group or item) in Item Listbox up.

 Move Selection in Item Listbox Down

Move the selection (group or item) in the Item Listbox down.

 Destroy Selection in Item Listbox

Destroys all items and groups selected in the Item Listbox. WARNING : You cannot recover the information once you have deleted it.

 Cut Selection in Item Listbox

Removes the items and groups which are selected in the Item Listbox and places them in the internal clipboard. You may subsequently select paste to put the cut items/groups back into a group.

 Copy Selection in Item Listbox

Copies the selected items/groups into the internal clipboard. Any items previously in the clipboard are truncated.

 Paste Clipboard Items To Group Selected In Group Listbox

Pastes all the items/groups in the clipboard into the group selected in the Group Listbox.

 Append Selection in Item Listbox To Clipboard

Copies all items/groups selected in the Item Listbox and adds them to the internal clipboard. All previously entered items on the clipboard are saved.

 Clear The Internal Clipboard

Clears the contents of the internal clipboard. WARNING : You cannot recover from this operation.


Item Properties Dialog

This dialog displays all the salient information for a Technetium executable item.

ITEM TITLE

The title of the item as it will appear in the menu. The limit is 254 characters.

EXECUTABLE FILENAME

The name of the file which will be launched when this item is selected from the menu. Use the Browse button to the right of this field to browse for valid executable file names. The length limit is 254 characters.

WORKING DIRECTORY

The directory which Technetium will switch to before the file specified in EXECUTABLE FILENAME is run. The length limit is 254 characters.

ARGUMENTS PASSED

The list of arguments passed to the item when it is run. This list may contain file names or command line switches depending on the file you specify in EXECUTABLE FILENAME.

ICON FILENAME

The name of the icon file to use for this item. Use the Browse button to the left of this field to find a suitable icon file. The length limit of this field is 254 characters.

ITEM ICON

This area displays the icon which will be used for the item. Use the "<" and ">" buttons to scroll left and right through the icons found in ICON FILENAME.

ITEM LAUNCH OPTIONS

No Prompts On Launch. Specifies that no prompts will be made when this item is run.

Prompt For Arguments. Specifies that Technetium will ask you for an argument line whenever this item is run.

Prompt For File. Specifies that Technetium should display a file browser dialog box and fill it with all the files which match the extension which you specify in the field "File Mask Used." You may specify MORE than one extension by separating each extension in the "File Mask Used" by a semicolon. For example :

Say you have set up an item for the Windows Notepad application and you want to load it with a file which ends in the .TXT, .INI, .BAT or .SYS extension. Just select the "Prompt For File" radio button and specify this file mask :

*.txt;*.ini;*.bat;*.sys

RUN OPTIONS

Normal. Run the application in its normal display mode.

Maximized. Run the application maximized.

Minimized. Run the application as an icon.

HOT KEY

Specify an alphanumeric hot key for this item. Be careful that this key sequence is not used in other applications. The hot key is available to launch the item from within any application so long as Tech is resident.


Group Properties Dialog

This dialog displays all the salient information for a group.

TITLE

The title for this group as it will appear in the Technetium menu.

PARENT TITLE

The title of the parent of this group. You cannot edit this field.

ITEM COUNT

The count of items currently in this group.

ICON FILENAME

The name of the icon file to use for this group. Use the Browse button to the left of this field to find a suitable icon file. The length limit of this field is 254 characters.

GROUP ICON

This area displays the icon which will be used for the group. Use the "<" and ">" buttons to scroll left and right through the icons found in ICON FILENAME.


Listboxes

The structure of your Technetium menu is very much like that of your hard disk's directory system -- it is a tree with one ultimate Root. Keeping this in mind helps you to use the Menu Editor. The responses of both listboxes are consistent with those of File Manager. One listbox shows only the groups it finds in your menu structure, with the Root Menu group always present; while another listbox displays the items and subgroups found in a particular group. This is the same as File Manager's paradigm of Directory Tree with adjoining list of files and subdirectories.

IMPORTANT : It is worth noting here that to take any sort of editing actions, you must use the Item Listbox for these tasks. The Group Listbox simply provides you with a way to easily navigate through your menu tree structure without getting lost. All the real work is performed by the Item Listbox. You'll notice that certain buttons are disabled until you make a selection in the Item Listbox.

TIP : For instance, to delete a Group from the Root Menu, select the Root Menu in the Group Listbox and then select the particular group to be deleted in the Item Listbox. Click on the trashcan and its gone. Menu additions work the same way. Selecting a group in the group listbox gives you all the children of that group in the Item Listbox.

GROUP LIST BOX

This list box shows the hierarchical structure of your menu. When you single click with the left mouse button on a group in this list box, the Item List box is filled with everything which your selected group contains. Double-clicking with the left mouse button on a closed group in this list box will display all the subgroups owned by that group; otherwise left mouse button double clicks will close the opened group. These responses to left button clicks are exactly the same as File Manager's behavior.

ITEM LIST BOX

This list box displays all the items AND subgroups which are contained in the group selected in Group List box. Double-clicking an element of this list box will display the Item Properties or the Group Properties Dialog depending on the element which is clicked on.


Status Line

This is a region at the bottom of the Menu Editor which displays information about what you click on.

HOW TO USE STATUS LINE

1. Click the left mouse button and hold it down over a button.

2. Drag the mouse outside the button and release.

3. The description of the button's command will appear in the bottom region.

or

Just position the mouse cursor over the button.


 Association Manager

The Association Manager makes launching an application loaded with a document easy. Association Manager builds a link between your document (a data file with a specific extension which cannot normally be executed alone) and the application which created that document. So when you add a menu item to Technetium, all you have to do is type in the filename of your particular document, complete with extension, and Technetium will automatically launch the application for which your document is associated, with document all ready to go. Association Manager also allows you to use the Fast Launch utility more effectively, because Fast Launch will list all the associated files in a given directory. All you need to do is point and shoot, and your document is loaded in its associated application.

Extension Box

This drop-down box lists all the currently available extensions for which associations have been assigned. Remember that a given extension may only have ONE executable file associated with it at a time. If you scroll through the list of extensions, the executable is displayed in the adjacent edit control titled, Associated Executable.

Associated Executable

Shows the executable which is associated to the file extension currently selected in the Extension Box. You may change the executable file given by typing in a path to an executable, or you may use the Browse button to search for a file (recommended method).

Add Button

Click the Add button to bring up a dialog prompting you for an extension and an executable file name to associate with that extension. Use the Browse button for easy searching through your disk volumes.

Remove Button

Clicking the Remove button will destroy the association between the currently selected extension in the Extension Box and the executable in the Associated Executable edit control. WARNING: This operation will permanently destroy your association. No recovery is possible.


 Add PM Groups

Use this option to maintain Technetium as you add new software to your system. This dialog operates by starting a DDE conversation with the active shell. If no shell is active or if the active shell does not support Microsofts standard Shell DDE interface, then Program Manager is started and the DDE conversation occurs between Program Manager and Tech.

Groups Found

Lists the groups by filename which Technetium found in your Windows directory. Select individual groups from this list and click "Add->" to add them to your Root Menu.

Groups To Install

Lists the groups by filename which you have selected for installation. Use the "Add All" button for a fast install of all available groups.


 Menu Options

Use this dialog to change the interface format for Technetium. Use the Attributes button to change graphical settings of the X-Windows menu style.

Menu Format

MS-WINDOWS MENU STYLE

This is the plain vanilla Windows standard menu. It's not very exciting graphically, but has the virtue of consuming next nothing in system resources. If you run Windows on a system which does not have a lot of RAM, this interface format may be your best bet. Squeeze out every last byte of free RAM for all you memory misers!

X-WINDOWS MENU STYLE

Using this menu style, you get a chiseled frame around each menu item. You may select three different combinations for the visual format under X-style menus :

Use Titles + Use Icons = Titles and icons appear for every menu item.

Use Titles = Titles only appear for each menu item.

Use Icons = Icons only appear for each menu item.

Attributes

This button is available only when X-Windows style menus are selected. Clicking it brings up the Graphical Attributes settings for the menu. You may configure virtually every aspect of the menu.

Default Items

This button allows you to configure your Default Items.


ATTRIBUTES

This button is available only when X-Windows style menus are selected. Clicking it brings up the Graphical Attributes settings for the menu. You may configure virtually every aspect of the menu.

Menu Frame Type

You may specify the type of frame which all items in a framed menu will receive.

FLAT. Do not draw any frame at all.

LOWERED. Draw a recessed frame which pops up when depressed.

RAISED. Draw a raised frame which is lowered when depressed.

LOWERED BORDER. Draw a bordered frame which is lowered. Bas relief type.

RAISED BORDER. Draw a bordered frame which is raised. Bas relief type.

Menu Fill Type

You may specify the fill pattern to be used as a background for menu items with frames.

NONE. Do not use any pattern.

DOTS. Use a dot pattern.

VERTICAL LINES. Use a vertical 3-D line pattern.

RIVETS. Use a 3-D rivet pattern.

SQUARES. Use 3-D square pattern.

Menu Item Preview

This button is used to give you a preview of the visual format of a menu item. It is not valid for the Simple Menu.

Change Menu Font

Set the font size, color, style, and effects for the text used to draw titles in menus.

Menu Colors

Set the color of various menu elements by clicking on the color buttons to the left of the title of the menu element.

Frame Dark. Click the colored square button to set the color of dark highlight in menu frames.

Frame Light. Click the colored square button to set the color of light highlight in menu frames.

Text Shadow. Color of the shadow behind menu text.

Background. Color of the background for the menu.

Icon Size

Specify the sizing of the icon. Select from a shrunken icon or a normal icon. The shrinking algorithm optimizes for the smallest size icon while retaining icon detail. Typically, this is about 30% reduction in size from the normal 32x32 size.


 Desktop

This menu lets you arrange your desktop windows to your taste.

 CASCADE ACTIVE WINDOWS

Cascades all your active windows.

 TILE ACTIVE WINDOWS VERTICAL

Tiles all your active windows vertically.

 TILE ACTIVE WINDOWS HORIZONTAL

Tiles all your active windows horizontally.

 ARRANGE DESKTOP ICONS

Arrange all your icons on the desktop.


 System Options

This dialog lets you alter certain attributes of the Windows Operating Environment. You can't find these settings in Control Panel.

SYSTEM FONT

This field lets you specify a new font to use as the "System Font" with Windows. See your windows system directory for a list of files with the .FON extension. These are the only valid font files which Windows will accept as the System Font.

ICON FONT

Click the button to bring up a Choose Font dialog. This will allow you to change the font Windows uses for the caption text of an icon. The field displays a sample of the current icon font.

LOAD LINE

Use this field to specify which applications to run minimized on startup of Windows 3.1.

RUN LINE

Use this field to specify which applications to run on startup of Windows 3.1.

TASK MANAGER

Use this field to specify the task manager which Windows 3.1 should use. The task manager is activated whenever you double click on the Windows desktop, or whenever you press Ctrl+Esc.

WINDOWS SHELL

Use this field to specify the shell which Windows will use. Do not use this field to set Technetium as the shell. Use the "USE TECHNETIUM AS SHELL" check box to use Technetium as the shell.

WINDOWS HELP COLORS

These are a series of buttons which run along the bottom of the window. Pressing any one of these buttons will give you a Color Dialog Box which you may use to select a color.

Jump. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext jump to another topic.

Popup. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext popup topic.

Macro. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext macro command.

If Jump. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext conditional jump to another topic.

If Popup. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext conditional popup topic.


 Exit Options

Use this menu to select from a number of exit options. The options are discussed from left to right as they appear in the Exit Options menu.

REMOVE TECHNETIUM

Click here to remove the Technetium program from Windows. This button is disabled if the Technetium program is currently the shell.

RESTART

Click here to restart Windows.

REBOOT

Click here to reboot the system. This is NOT the same as pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL. It is safe and will ask you to save all your opened work.

EXIT EXECUTE RESTART

Click here to exit Windows, execute an MS-DOS executable and then restart Windows. Helpful for running "chkdsk /f" command and disk de fragmentation programs.


 Ghost Menu Properties

Ghost menus allow you to dynamically shadow a series of specific file types in directories which you select. Every time you click on the ghost menu, it will be filled with all the files it finds in the directories you specified, matching a file extension supplied by you.

Ghost Menu Title

The title to assign this ghost menu.

Directory List To Shadow With This Ghost

Lists all the directories and corresponding file extensions to be used to shadow with this ghost. Double clicking an entry allows you to edit it.

Add Entry

Add a directory/file extension pair to the Directory List. This brings up the Add Ghost Entry dialog. If you specify a file extension which does not yet have an association, then click on Associations to start Association Manager.

Edit Entry

Edit the current selection in the Directory List.

Remove Entry

Remove the current selection in the Directory List.

Icon Filename

The path to the icon file to be used for this ghost. Click on the Ghost Icon < button or the > button to scroll through all the icons available in the icon file. Use Browse to browse for icon files.