Documentation of Program IcoShow Version 1.22 Date June 25th, 1994 Register at Harald Pitro Hermann-Wuensche-Strasse 11 D - 02730 Ebersbach / Sachsen Germany Phone +49-3586-5186 CompuServe 100024, 2662 Registration for $35 (incl. shipping and documentation) Table of Contents 1. Overview 2. System Requirements and Limits 3. Start and Command Line 4. INI file 4.1 Application [IcoShow] 4.2 Application [Groups] 5. Menu Commands 5.1 File Menu 5.1.1 Open 5.1.2 Select Files 5.1.3 Print Icons 5.1.4 Exit IcoShow 5.2 Library Menu 5.2.1 New Library 5.2.2 Open Library 5.2.3 Save Library 5.2.4 Delete Library 5.2.5 Undo all changes 5.2.6 Split Library 5.2.7 Split all Libraries 5.2.8 Join Library 5.2.9 Join all Libraries 5.3 Icons Menu 5.3.1 Copy / Move / Default 5.3.2 Rename / Edit 5.3.3 Select 5.3.4 Exclude 5.4 Options Menu 5.4.1 Confirm 5.4.2 Edit with ... 5.4.3 Repair Icons 5.4.4 Exclude bad Icons 5.4.5 Emphasize multiple images 5.4.6 Quick Delete 5.4.7 Quick Search 5.4.8 Basic Settings 5.4.9 Save Settings on Exit 5.4.10 Save Settings Now 5.5 Window Menu 5.6 Help Menu 5.7 Speed Menus 5.7.1 Icon Speed Menu 5.7.2 Window Speed Menu 6. Dialog Boxes 6.1 Open 6.2 Select Files 6.3 Print Icons 6.4 Create Library 6.5 Select Icons 6.6 Exclude Icons 6.7 Basic Settings 6.8 Confirm before... 6.9 Overwrite 6.10 Edit with ... 6.11 Rename Icon 6.12 Select Window 6.13 Registration 6.14 Print Order Form 6.15 About IcoShow 7. Status Line 8. Hints for the use of IcoShow 9. Shareware Version 1. Overview The number of icons in a typical Windows system requires a simple method of management which provides the ability to process icons, to group them by a user-selected method and to write them to icon files or libraries. IcoShow searches for icons and libraries with icons on selected drives and/or directories (in subdirectories also if wished) and shows the icons including their names. Each directory containing icons becomes a new window. After you have started IcoShow you can add directories at any time. Libraries containing icons can hold in these directory windows or in separate windows, each for one library. Copy or move icons from one window to another by dragging them with the mouse. If you minimize a window, all selected icons will be copied or moved with window icon. If you wish to process only some of the icons in windows, you can select/exclude icons by pattern strings that matches the icon names. You can write the selected icons from one window or all windows to a new library. You can hold over 2,700 icons in one library, but if you write more than 1,200 icons to a library, it can not be used in another icon manager or program manager. You can exclude duplicates of icons while writing them to a library. You can choose an icon editor to process icons from IcoShow directly. If the editor chosen is capable of command line processing, the icon will be opened automatically and presented for editing. If you wish to install icons in program manager (Windows 3.1 and newer), you need only drag them from the IcoShow window to the window of the program manager using the mouse. Icons or all icons selected in a window can be deleted by the DEL key (you cannot delete icons from within libraries placed in directory windows, you must open a library window to do this). If you are an experienced user, you can delete icons simply by dragging them outside of screen. Please be careful, IcoShow does not undelete icons! If you delete icons within library windows, they will be saved until you write the library back. To undelete them, close the library window (without saving) and open it again. Some older icon files contains bugs (the program manager shows you a truncated icon image). IcoShow lets repair you this bug. You can print icons with any matrix, ink-jet or laserprinter (postscript also). You may also print in color if your printer can handle the output. IcoShow writes the current status of the options and his desktop in the file ICOSHOW.INI. A status line shows you the most important options (especially the status of drag&drop) and some informations about the processed icons. Click with right mouse button on an icon or a window title within IcoShow to get a speed menu with the proper commands available. If you need help, press F1 at any time. IcoShow will try to find the proper help for you. 2. System Requirements and Limits IcoShow will run under Windows 3.1 in standard mode, as well as in enhanced mode. IcoShow shows the proper image for the display from each icon. If you have a monochrome card, you will not see icons that only contain color images. But IcoShow processes the icon files with all images! The amount of icons you can process depends on the number of displayed windows. IcoShow can display and process up to 16,384 icons. Look at the dialog box "About IcoShow" (Help Menu) to see the use of heap and resources. Check this information. If you see that "Free Heap" is very small, close windows to free local heap. An overflow in local heap stops IcoShow immediately. If there are no windows or dialog boxes displayed, you have too many opened windows. IcoShow supports library types of DLL/NIL/ICL. IcoShow will warn you if you try to write more than 1,200 icons into a library. You can save over 2,700 icons within one library but this library will not be useable by other icon managers (this includes program manager). 3. Start and Command Line You usually will start IcoShow without command line arguments. If you want to use command line processing, the syntax is: ICOSHOW [-d] [-a] [-s] [Directory ...] -d Don't use BWCC.DLL (Borland Windows Custom Controls). Some versions of this library contain bugs. Use this option to exclude it. -a Read all libraries. If you use this option, IcoShow searches all libraries for icons, including drivers a.o. --> This option will slow down the speed of searching directories! -s Include subdirectories (you can type /s for -s). Only for the directories following in the command line. Directory Drive and path including icons possibly. Example : ICOSHOW -s c: d: searches for icons the drives 'c' and 'd', including all subdirectories, and shows all directories with icons. --> If you start IcoShow with command line arguments, the saved desktop information in the INI file will be ignored (see also below). 4. INI file IcoShow saves an INI file with the status of the options and the last desktop, so you can continue with the same environment at the next session. The key names must follow the application names [IcoShow] and [Groups]. All options may be in lower or upper case. 4.1 Application [IcoShow] Example : Application/Key Default [IcoShow] SaveSettings=1 (0) SubDir=On (Off) Libraries=Exe,Dll,Nil,Icl (,,) SearchNames=Off (On) LibName=c:\win\icons.dll (-) Run=imagedit (-) Repair=On (Off) Tool=Default (Copy) Rename=On (Off) QuickDelete=On (Off) QuickSearch=On (On) ExcludeBadIcons=On (Off) ShowMultiImages=On (Off) Select=A* (-) Exclude=AB* (-) ConfirmDeleteIcon=On (On) ConfirmDeleteWindow=On (Off) ConfirmDeleteDirectory=On (On) ConfirmOverwrite=On (Off) Minimize=On (Off) Arrange=Tile (Cascade) IconHorizontalSpacing=-8 (0) IconVerticalSpacing=-8 (0) BackColor=191,191,191 (-) DlgBkColor=128,128,128 (192,192,192) CustomControls=6 (0) Window=0 0 640 480 3 (-) Registered=Gustav Hackendahl (-) Password=1914 (-) Enclosed in brackets are the default values if IcoShow does not find an INI file, or if an option is missing. You can change the settings while IcoShow is running (exception: "BackColor"). Explanation of the example above. "SaveSettings=1" IcoShow will save the settings of the options and his desktop on exit. You can use the keys Alt-Shift-F4 to write the current desktop directly to INI file. "SubDir=On" If you add directories and/or drives, IcoShow will search for icons in subdirectories also. "Libraries=Exe,Dll,Nil,Icl" IcoShow searches for icons in libraries also. If IcoShow searches for ICO files only, this option will be "Libraries=,,,". "SearchNames=Off" Some libraries contain names for the included icons. If this statement is "On", IcoShow will search for the names. If this option is "Off" or if icons have no names, IcoShow will use the library name for the icons. "LibName=c:\win\icons.dll" This statement contains the full name of the last library written and will be the default name for the next. "Run=imagedit" If the option "Rename" is "Off", a double click with the mouse will start the icon editor chosen here (or in Option Menu). IcoShow appends the full icon name and starts the program. "Repair=On" If this option is "On", IcoShow will repair bugs in older icon files on disk. Bugs in libraries will not be repaired. IcoShow always repairs bugs while running. "Tool=Default" Icons will be copied or moved by dragging them with the mouse. This happens as in file manager: Key to Source and Destination on the same drive on different drives Copy Ctrl Move Shift If "Tool=Copy", icons will be copied always. If "Tool=Move", icons will be moved always. "Rename=On" If this option is "On", a double click with the mouse will open a dialog box to rename the current icon. If this option is "Off", IcoShow will start the icon editor selected (see above). "QuickDelete=On" If you press the Del key, the current icon (or all icons in current window if minimized) will be deleted. IcoShow will prompt you to confirm. If you are an experienced user, you can delete icons by dragging them outside the screen. In this case IcoShow will not warn you. Please be careful. Keep this option "Off" until you are sure you want to delete icons. "QuickSearch=On" If this option is "On", you can find icons by names quickly. Type a string simply. IcoShow tries to find matching icons in the current window. IcoShow searches with each character you have entered successively. If no matching icon names have been found, the string will be cleared. You can see the current string in the status line. See point 5.3.5 for more details. "ExcludBadIcons=On" Some ICO files and libraries contain incorrect images. If this option is "Off", IcoShow will show a question symbol instead of the bad icon. If this option is "On", bad symbols will be excluded from displaying. That slows down the speed of displaying. "ShowMultiImages=Off" Some ICO files contain more than one image. Check this option to emphasize these icons so you can find them quickly. IcoShow shows all images within the properties menu of the icon. "Select=A*" Under this statement IcoShow reads the current pattern used to select icons by names for processing. The term A* in the example causes to display only icons which names start with "A" in all windows. You can process only selected icons (the term "*.*" processes all of them)! This entry is readonly. You can change the setting while IcoShow is running but it will not be saved in the INI file. For more details about this pattern see 5.2.3. "Exclude=AB*" Similar to the "Select" statement. IcoShow reads the current pattern used to exclude icons (by name) from processing. This example is most commonly used with "Select=" option. The example here displays icons whose names start with the letter "A" and whose names do not have the letter "B" as the second character. This entry is readonly. You can change the setting while IcoShow is running, but it will not be saved in the INI file. For more details about this pattern see 5.2.4. "ConfirmDeleteIcon=On" If you delete an icon (or a minimized window that contains icons) using the Del key, IcoShow will prompt you to confirm. If this option is "Off", there is no prompt. "ConfirmDeleteWindow=On" Normally if a window doesn't contain any icons after delete or move, IcoShow will close this window automatically. If this option is "On", IcoShow will prompt you before closing the empty window. "ConfirmDeleteDirectory=On" Normally if a directory doesn't contain any file after delete or move, IcoShow will prompt you to delete the directory. If this option is "Off", IcoShow will delete the directory without a warning. "ConfirmOverwrite=On" Normally if IcoShow finds an icon with the same name in the destination directory while copying or moving, it will skip this icon. If this option is "On", IcoShow will prompt you to overwrite this icon (and all the following) or to skip. See point 6 to find the description of the dialog box. "Minimize=On" This statement causes IcoShow to display windows as minimized on creation. "Arrange=Tile" IcoShow displays all not-minimized windows as "Tile". "Arrange=Cascade" shows the windows as "Cascade". "IconHorizontalSpacing=-8" IcoShow changes the horizontal distance of the icons so, that a maximum of icons can be placed on each line, without the names of the icons overlaps. You can increase or decrease (if the value is less than 0) this minimum distance by a constant value. "IconVerticalSpacing=-8" IcoShow changes the vertical distance of the icons so, that a maximum of lines with icons can be placed in the windows, without the names and icons overlap. You can increase or decrease (if the value is less than 0) this minimum distance by a constant value. "BackColor=191,191,191" This statement contains the background color for the displayed icons. If it's missing, the background will be the same as the window background. You can not change this setting while IcoShow is running. "DlgBkColor=128,128,128" Using this option you can change the background colour of the dialog boxes. This runs only if you don't use Borland's Custom Controls. A change of this colour from lightgray makes the displaying of the dialog boxes slower! The example shows the background of dialog boxes darkgray (128,128,128). Default lightgray: red 192 green 192 blue 192 "CustomControls=6" IcoShow lets you display dialog boxes with different custom controls. That depends upon the libraries (DLL's) you have placed within your windows system directory. Borland Windows Custom Controls You need the file BWCC.DLL Microsoft 3D Controls You need the file CTL3D.DLL IcoShow Controls These controls are defined from IcoShow. You can use these controls alternate to the Borland Custom Controls and common with the Microsoft's 3D Controls. The files BWCC.DLL and CTL3D.DLL cannot used both together. "Window=0 0 640 480 3" This statement contains the position and the size of the frame window: position of the upper left corner (0,0) size of the frame window (640x480) style of frame window 1 - normal 2 - minimized 3 - maximized "Registered=Gustav Hackendahl" This statement will contain your name. Please write your name only in this statement if you are a registered user. "Password=1914" The password you get from the author after you registered the program. 4.2 Application [Groups] Example: [Groups] Group1=c:\windows3\icons 4 Window1=10 10 100 100 Group2=c:\windows3 Minimize 0 Window2=20 20 100 100 Group3=c:\windows3\system EXEDLLNILICL 0 Window3=30 30 100 100 Group4=c:\windows3\tools Active 0 Window4=40 40 100 100 Group5=C:\TEMP\ICONS.DLL DLLLIB 0 Window5=50 50 100 100 For each line Groupi there must be a Windowi line. Key words within the lines are separated with Space or Tab. "Minimize" This window will be shown minimized. "EXEDLLNILICL" In this window will be included icons from the library types Exe, Dll, Nil and Icl. This key word is empty if only icons from ICO files will be included. "DLLLIB" This window is a library window, containing a DLL. The name of the library will be displayed in upper cases as window text. "Active" This key word marks the current active child window. It should be appear in one Groupi only. "0" The last value is the number of the current icon in the window. The statement "Windowi" contains the position and the size of the "Groupi" window. 5. Menu Commands 5.1 File Menu In the File Menu you can open directories to select icons, select files from list, print selected icons, create a new icon library or exit IcoShow. 5.1.1 Open If you choose this menu command, a dialog box will open to allow you to browse for the directory and/or drive wanted and to check whether subdirectories and/or icon libraries (Exe/Dll/Nil/Icl) are to be included and whether IcoShow is to look for and display icon names in some libraries. --> If the directory chosen does not exist, you will be prompted to allow IcoShow create it. 5.1.2 Select Files The "Open" command lets you select directories and types of icons, you wish to read. This command shows you a dialog box with all files including icons from the current directory. You can choose all files or a single library to use. 5.1.3 Print Icons This command prints the selected icons in the current window on selected paper with any matrix, ink-jet or laser printer. You may also print in color if your printer can handle the output. The number of printed icons per sheet depends on the printer's resolution. A description of the dialog box may be found in chapter 6. 5.1.4 Exit IcoShow Use Hotkey Alt-F4 to exit IcoShow directly. If the option Save Settings (Options Menu) has been selected, IcoShow will save all settings including desktop in ICOSHOW.INI within the directory of IcoShow.Exe. 5.2 Library Menu This menu contains all commands to maintain libraries. 5.2.1 New Library Transfers the selected icons from either the current window or all windows into a library. Supported library types are DLL/NIL/ICL. You can put more than 2,700 icons into such a library. But if you intent to use the library later with Window's program manager or with some other icon managers, you should not include more than 1,200 icons. IcoShow will issue a warning. For more details see chapter 6. 5.2.2 Open Library Contrary to the "Open" command of the "File Menu" this command opens a single library within a new window. In this library window you can delete and rename icons! All changes of the library will be effective if you save the library. If you close the window, IcoShow will inform you about unsaved changes. All changes will be preserved until you save or delete the library (after closing IcoShow, too). You cannot hold icons from a library within a directory window and a library window simultaneous. If you open a library window and the library exists within an opened directory window, the icons will be moved to the library window. After you have closed the library window, you can refresh the directory window to show the icons again. 5.2.3 Save Library The library within current window will be saved. After this successes, the temporary library will be destroyed. You can change the name of the library within the dialog box to hold the old version. For more details about the dialog box see chapter 6. 5.2.4 Delete Library This command deletes the library and the temporary library, too. 5.2.5 Undo all changes All changes since last save within the current library window will be undone (deleted icons will be undeleted, too). Please note: this runs in library windows only. 5.2.6 Split Library If the icons from the current window comes from a library, this command allows you to move all icons from this directory window to a new library window. 5.2.7 Split all Libraries This command creates for each library from the current directory window a new library window and moves the icons to these windows. They will not be displayed within the directory window. 5.2.8 Join Library The icons from the current library window will be moved to their directory window and the library window will be closed. 5.2.9 Join all Libraries All icons from library windows which belong to the current directory window will be moved to the directory window and the library windows will be closed. 5.3 Icons Menu Use this menu to determine the function of the left mouse button and to select the icons to be used. All commands under this menu are ineffective if you drag an icon to the program manager! 5.3.1 Copy / Move / Default Choose here if you want to copy or to move icons with the mouse. Copy You can drag specific icons, or icons symbolizing a minimized window containing icons, to a destination window with the mouse. Place the cursor on an icon, press down the left mouse button, then drag the icon to its destination and release the mouse button. If this option is checked, the icon(s) will be copied, not moved. Move You can drag specific icons, or icons symbolizing a minimized window containing icons, to a destination window with the mouse. Place the cursor on an icon, press down the left mouse button, then drag the icon to its destination and release the mouse button. If this option is checked, the icon(s) will be moved, not copied. This means that the icon files in the source window will be deleted after copying. Icons from libraries (Exe/Dll/Nil/Icl) within directory windows will not be deleted, but copied. If the source window is empty after moving icons, you will be prompted for deletion of the directory. --> Icons with identical names in the source and destination directories will not be deleted because they will not be moved. Default Copy/Move You can choose if you want to copy or to move while dragging the icon(s). Use the same keys as in File Manager to switch between copy and move: Key to Source and Destination on the same drive on different drives Copy Ctrl Move Shift IcoShow will show you if the symbol is copied or moved within the status line and it will show or hide the source. 5.3.2 Rename / Edit You can also choose the processing of the current icon in this menu: Rename If this option is checked, you can rename icons by double clicking them with the mouse or by pushing the Return key. Icons cannot be renamed and moved at the same time. If you wish to sort the icons in the current window after the renaming is done, check the sort button. You cannot rename icons from libraries within directory windows. Edit If this option is checked, a double click with the mouse or the Enter key will run the command under "Edit with..." in Options Menu. If the editor chosen is capable of command line processing, the icon will be opened and displayed for further processing. If not, you will still have to open the icon you wish to alter. IcoShow displays the current choice within the status line. 5.3.3 Select If you check this command, a dialog box will be presented for you to enter a pattern to select icons from the contents of the Current Window to be displayed exclusively (and for all other windows also). The pattern "A*" lets you display and process only icons whose names start with the letter "A". The following characters may be used in the pattern string: Letter/digit/./_ normal characters, upper and lower case are not distinguished ? any character * a number of any characters [] a class of characters ^ negates the class of characters in [] - a range of characters in [] Examples for pattern: A* all icons, starting with the letter A as ALPHA.ICO A the same as above A[ABCDE] all icons starting with the letter A followed by one of the letters A, B, C, D or E A[A-E] the same as above A[^F-Z] also the same if only letters possible Please watch out for interactions between Select and Exclude. 5.3.4 Exclude If you check this command, a dialog box will be presented for you to enter a pattern to exclude icons from the displayed contents of the Current Window (and for all other windows also). The pattern "A*" lets you display and process only icons whose names do not start with the letter "A". The following characters may be used in the pattern string: Letter/digit/./_ normal characters, upper and lower case are not distinguished ? any character * a number of any characters [] a class of characters ^ negates the class of characters in [] - a range of characters in [] Examples for pattern: A* all icons, starting with the letter A as ALPHA.ICO A the same as above A[ABCDE] all icons starting with the letter A followed by one of the letters A, B, C, D or E A[A-E] the same as above A[^F-Z] also the same if only letters possible Please watch out for interactions between Select and Exclude. 5.4 Options Menu Set options for IcoShow. 5.4.1 Confirm If you click on this menu item, IcoShow will display a dialog box where you can choose the actions you wish to confirm and which ones IcoShow shall perform automatically: Delete icons If you delete an icon (or a minimized window that contains icons) using the Del key, IcoShow will prompt you to confirm. If this option isn't checked, there is no prompt. Delete empty windows Normally if a window doesn't contain any icons after delete or move, IcoShow will close this window automatically. If this option is checked, IcoShow will prompt you before closing the empty window. Delete empty directories Normally if a directory doesn't contain any file after delete or move, IcoShow will prompt you to delete the directory. If this option isn't checked, IcoShow will delete the directory without a warning. Overwrite icons Normally if IcoShow finds an icon with the same name in the destination directory while copying or moving, it will skip this icon. If this option is checked, IcoShow will prompt you to overwrite this icon (and all the following) or to skip. See point 6 to find the description of the dialog box. 5.4.2 Edit with ... Here you can enter a command line to process a chosen icon. Type the complete command line to start the icon editor of your choice without the icon's name. That will be added when you double click the mouse or press the Return key if the Edit option in the Icons Menu is checked. If the editor chosen is capable of command line processing, the icon will be opened and presented for editing automatically. If not, only the program will be started and you will have to open the icon to be edited manually. Further procedure depends on the editor itself. Do not forget to save the changes made! If you select an icon from a library to edit, IcoShow extracts the icon from the library and writes it to a temporary ico file (you see those name within the editor). Only if the icon file has the same size after editing, it can be rewritten to the library. In case you change the number of colours or images, IcoShow prompts you to delete the temporary ico file (if you do so, all changes will be lost). If the icon has been changed by the selected program, it will be reloaded and redisplayed on exit. --> Do not use programs which change file structures on disk. 5.4.3 Repair Icons Older icon files may contain bugs (the icon's upper border is truncated). You can have repaired these icon files by checking this option. Bugs in libraries will not be removed. IcoShow will always correct this bug while running. 5.4.4 Exclude bad Icons Some ICO files and libraries contain incorrect images. If this option is not checked, IcoShow will show a question symbol instead of the bad icon. If this option is checked, bad symbols will be excluded from displaying. That slows down the speed of displaying. 5.4.5 Emphasize multiple images Some ICO files contain more than one image. Check this option to emphasize these icons so you can find them quickly. IcoShow shows all images within the properties menu of the icon. 5.4.6 Quick Delete You normally delete icons with the Del key. After pressing this key you will be prompted to see whether or not you really wish to delete the icon. If you want to delete icons fast, however, check this option. You can then delete icons simply by dragging them out of the screen. You will not be prompted and the icon (or all icons selected in the current window) will be deleted! 5.4.7 Quick Search You can find an icon by using the scroll bar or by cursor keys. If you want to find an icon quickly by name, check this option. Then you may type a name simply to find matching icons. IcoShow will locate these and display successively. If no matching icons are found, the string will be cleared automatically. Otherwise you will have to clear it yourself. You can use the following characters: Letters/digits/./_ normal characters ? stands for any single character * stands for any number of characters Space deletes the string Backspace deletes the last character in the string You can see the current entered string in the status line. 5.4.8 Basic Settings You can change the basic settings of IcoShow within the dialog box which appears if you choose this option. You can reach some settings only at this point. See chapter 6 for a description of the dialog box. 5.4.9 Save Settings on Exit If you check this option, IcoShow saves the current settings of all options and the desktop on exit in the file ICOSHOW.INI in the IcoShow directory. If missing, it will be created by IcoShow automatically. --> A change of this option will always be saved to the INI file on exit. 5.4.10 Save Settings Now Use this option or Alt-Shift-F4 to save all settings including desktop while IcoShow is running (in this case the option "Save Settings on Exit" should not be checked). 5.5 Window Menu Use this menu to arrange and size windows within IcoShow. Cascade If you activate this option, all opened windows within IcoShow will be shown as a Cascade. Hotkey: Shift-F5 Tile If you activate this option, all opened windows within IcoShow will be tiled. You can see all windows displayed now. Hotkey: Shift-F4 Arrange Icons Choose this command to arrange all minimized windows at the bottom of the IcoShow desktop according to Windows' settings. The windows will not be sorted by name. Minimize Windows If you choose this command, all windows within IcoShow will be minimized and arranged in alphabetic order at the bottom of the IcoShow desktop. If you have created many windows, use this command and the command Maximize Windows to rearrange all windows. If this option is activated, new directories and their respective windows will be shown minimized. Maximize Windows If you choose this command, all minimized windows will be shown in default size and arranged in alphabetic order according to the tile or cascade option. Select Window Within the following dialog box you can choose a window quickly and activate it. Close All Use this command to close all open windows at once. Upon closing IcoShow tries to release a maximum of heap space and resources. Refresh Window Choose this option if you wish to read icons and libraries from current directory again. Use this if you have changed the content of the directory with a file manager while IcoShow is running. Hotkey: F5 Refresh all Windows Choose this option if you wish to read icons and libraries from all processed directories again. Hotkey: Ctrl+F5 5.6 Help Menu Look here for information about registration, ordering and the current use of heaps and resources. For more details about the dialog boxes see chapter 6. Contents Choose this menu command for the contents of the help index. If you need help anywhere hit the F1 key. IcoShow will try to find the proper help for you. How to use help General Windows help. Registration The author's hints for registering and how to contact him. Print Order Form If you wish to order a license for IcoShow, you can fill in the form online and print it from here. Switch on your printer! After printing the form is not saved to disk. After you press the OK button you will have to fill it in anew to print another copy. Set Register Information After you register the program, you can input your name and the received password in the following dialog box. If the password contains spaces, please type the spaces too. IcoShow writes the information into INI file and stores it under "Registered=" and "Password=". The password will not be checked to this time! About IcoShow Use this to display copyright information and the current use of heaps and resources. 5.7 Speed Menus Using the right button of the mouse you can call a speed menu of an object as an icon or a window. This menu contains informations about the object and the proper methods. 5.7.1 Icon Speed Menu If you click on an icon with the right mouse button, IcoShow displays the speed menu of the icon. In this menu you can select another image if the icon has more than one. You can select the properties available for this icon, such as exclude, delete, edit or rename. Only the possible Properties will be displayed. For example, the option "rename" is not available within directory windows if you click on an icon from a library. IcoShow tries to position the proper image near the current icon. Click on the image which you wish to use for further processing. Note that you can display only one image from an icon at any time. If IcoShow copies to icon files, all images will be copied. You can choose to write all images if you write icons into a library. Exlude Icon Choose this option if you wish to exclude the current icon from further processing. You can select this icon again if you change the criteria for selecting and/or excluding icons (Select/Exclude within the Icons Menu) or if you choose the option "Refresh" from the File Menu! Delete Icon Choose this option if you wish to delete icons from disk too. Within directory windows you cannot delete icons from libraries. These will be deleted from display only. Exception: the library was created by IcoShow. Then you will be prompted if you really wish to delete the library. Rename Icon If you choose this option, you will be prompted for a new name. Within directory windows you cannot rename icons from libraries directly, however. Check the "Sort" box if you wish to sort the display in the current window after renaming. The icon will be displayed then at its proper place within the window according to its new name. Edit Icon If you choose this option, IcoShow will run the program from "Edit with". Save Library The library within current window will be saved. After this succeeded, the temporary library will be destroyed. You can change the name of the library within the dialog box to hold the old version. For more details about the dialog box see chapter 6. Join Library The icons from the current library window will be moved to their directory window and the library window will be closed. Split Library If the icons from the current window comes from a library, this command allows you to move all icons from this directory window to a new library window. 5.7.2 Window Speed Menu If you click on a title line of a window or an minimized window with the right mouse button, IcoShow displays the window speed menu. This menu contains the methods availabe for the window: Select Files The "Open" command lets you select directories and types of icons, you wish to read. This command shows you a dialog box with all files including icons from the current directory. You can choose all files or a single library to use. Exclude bad Icons Some ICO files and libraries contain incorrect images. If this option is not checked, IcoShow will show a question symbol instead of the bad icon. If this option is checked, bad symbols will be excluded from displaying. That slows down the speed of displaying. Emphasize multiple images Some ICO files contain more than one image. Check this option to emphasize these icons so you can find them quickly. IcoShow shows all images within the properties menu of the icon. Refresh Window Choose this option from System Menu if you wish to read icons and libraries from current directory again. Use this if you have changed the content of the directory with a file manager while IcoShow is running. New Library Transfers the selected icons from either the current window or all windows into a library. Supported library types are DLL/NIL/ICL. You can put more than 2,700 icons into such a library. But if you intent to use the library later with Window's program manager or with some other icon managers, you should not include more than 1,200 icons. IcoShow will issue a warning. Split Library If the icons from the current window comes from a library, this command allows you to move all icons from this directory window to a new library window. Split all Libraries This command creates for each library from the current directory window a new library window and moves the icons to these windows. They will not be displayed within the directory window. Join all Libraries All icons from library windows which belong to the current directory window will be moved to the directory window and the library windows will be closed. Print Icons This command prints the selected icons in the current window on selected paper with any matrix, ink-jet or laser printer. You may also print in color if your printer can handle the output. The number of printed icons per sheet depends on the printer's resolution. A description of the dialog box may be found in chapter 6. Save Library The library within current window will be saved. After this succeeded, the temporary library will be destroyed. You can change the name of the library within the dialog box to hold the old version. For more details about the dialog box see chapter 6. Undo all changes All changes since last save within the current library window will be undone (deleted icons will be undeleted, too). Please note: this runs in library windows only. Join Library The icons from the current library window will be moved to their directory window and the library window will be closed. Join all Libraries All icons from library windows which belong to the current directory window will be moved to the directory window and the library windows will be closed. Delete Library This command deletes the library and the temporary library, too. Sort by Icon Name Activate this option to sort the icons within the current window by the icon names. If an icon from a library has no name, it will be sorted by the library name and the order within the library. This is the default sort order. Sort by File Name Use this option to sort the icons within the current window by their file names. Icons from libraries will be sorted and displayed by the library name and the order within the library. Sort by Image Activate this option to sort the icons from the current window by their images. After sorting duplicate (and some similar) icons will be displayed side by side. Now you can find duplicate icons simply. Use the option "Emphasize multiple images" from "Options Menu" before you delete icons, because icon files can hold more than one image. IcoShow will compare only the current selected image! This option can take a while if you use it the first time within a window. You can see the processing within the status line. --> "Exclude duplicates" within the "Write library" dialog box lets you only exclude duplicate icon files! 6. Dialog Boxes 6.1 Open Add a new window (or new windows) with the icons existing in a given directory. The dialog box allows you to browse for the directory required; to check whether subdirectories and/or icon libraries (...) are to be included; and whether IcoShow is to look for and display icon names found in specific types of libraries. Drives and Directories Browse for the name of a drive and/or directory or enter it in the list box below. If you click the OK button or press the Return key, processing of the directory will start. Subdirectories Select this option if you wish to look for icons in subdirectories. Each directory containing icons will be shown as a separate window. Libraries Check this box if you want to search for icons included in library files, too. You may check all types of libraries supported (Exe/Dll/Nil/Icl) or select specific ones. While searching for files including icons IcoShow displays the processed directory tree within this part of the dialog box. Search for Names Many icon libraries include names for the icons. If you wish to display those names along with the icons, check this box. If this option has not been checked or if there are no names assigned to the icons, the library's name is used. 6.2 Select Files The "Open" dialog box lets you select directories and types of icons, you wish to read. This dialog box shows you all files including icons from the current directory. You can choose all files or a single library to use. 6.3 Print Icons This dialog box will open after you have issued the Print Icons command in the File Menu. If the option "Print Sheet Fact" is marked, IcoShow prints a simple sheet fact on each page (directory/library name and page number). By checking the print names box you will have the names assigned to the icons printed along with the design itself. If printer initialization is succesful, this dialog box will be displayed. Press the Cancel button if you wish to cancel the printing. Look at the status line for a status of the processing. 6.4 Create Library In this dialog box you can set the options to create a library. If the library already exists, you will be prompted to delete it before you go on. IcoShow can put over 2,700 icons (images) in a single icon library. But if you want to use the library later with the program manager, you should not include more than 1,200 icons (images). IcoShow will issue a warning. Only the icons selected will be written to the library. Please check Select/ Exclude in Icons Menu to see if your choice corresponds with your intentions. Library Name Enter the name of the library in this field or select it from the list box below. Default name for the library is ICONS.DLL. IcoShow will write the last name used to the INI file if you have selected "Save Settings" in the Option Menu. Library Type Choose the type of library you wish to create here. DLL, NIL and ICL files are supported. Current Only Check this box if you wish to write only the icons in the current window. Selected Only Check this box if you wish to write only the icons in the windows selected. You can select these windows in the "Select Window Dialog Box" from Window Menu. All Windows Check this box if you wish to write all the icons selected from all windows. Sort Check this box to write all icons selected in alphabetic order. If this box is not checked, the icons will be written successively. --> IcoShow sorts the pathnames of the windows in alphabetic order, ascending if windows are minimized and descending if windows are maximized or normally shown (see also "Minimize Windows" and "Maximize Windows" under Window Menu). Write Names with Icons Check this box to write icons to the library including their names. If icons have no names, IcoShow will build names using up to 5 characters from the library's name and a 3 character index including only letters and digits (363 variants). Exclude Duplicates Check this box to instruct IcoShow, to compare all icons and to exclude duplicates from all the icons to be written to the library. You can use this option to eliminate duplicate icons from your directory even if you want them as .ICO-files. Write all icons to a library while this box is checked, delete icon files and extract them from the library again. Write all Images Some icons include more than one image for displays with different numbers of colors. Normally the image selected for your display will be written to the library. If this box is checked, IcoShow will write all images to the library. That will minimize the number of stored icons! --> If you overwrite an old library, you need disk space for both the old and the new version. 6.5 Select Icons In this dialog box you can enter the pattern used to select icons for processing. For more details about pattern see chapter 5. 6.6 Exclude Icons In this dialog box you can enter the pattern used to exclude icons from processing. For more details about pattern see chapter 5. --> Please watch out for interactions between Select and Exclude. You can write patterns in the INI file manually to select/exclude icons while IcoShow is starting. All patterns you have entered while IcoShow is running will not be written to INI file! 6.7 Basic Settings Within this dialog box you can change the basic settings of IcoShow. You can reach some settings only at this point (i.e. DlgBkColor)! You find the keywords of the INI file within the listbox "Settings". Most of them you can change either within the edit field "Within INI file set to" or by selecting the proper checkbox within "Options". Double click a keyword to set the default value. Please read chapter 4 for the description of the keywords. You can press "F1" to get the proper online help. Although IcoShow uses your changes immediately, these will be fixed after you close the dialog box using the "OK" button. If you close the dialog box using the "Cancel" button, all changes after the last call of this dialog box are lost! 6.8 Confirm before... With this dialog box you can choose the actions you wish to confirm and which ones IcoShow shall perform automatically. Delete Icons If you delete an icon (or a minimized window that contains icons) using the Del key, IcoShow will prompt you to confirm. If this option isn't checked, there is no prompt. Delete empty Windows Normally if a window doesn't contain any icons after delete or move, IcoShow will close this window automatically. If this option is checked, IcoShow will prompt you before closing the empty window. Delete empty Directories Normally if a directory doesn't contain any file after delete or move, IcoShow will prompt you to delete the directory. If this option isn't checked, IcoShow will delete the directory without a warning. Overwrite Icons Normally if IcoShow finds an icon with the same name in the destination directory while copying or moving, it will skip this icon. If this option is checked, IcoShow will prompt you to overwrite this icon (and all the following) or to skip. 6.9 Overwrite If the option "Overwrite Icons" within the dialog box "Confirm before" is checked, IcoShow will display the following dialog box if an icon name is existing while copying or moving of icons. Click "Yes" to overwrite the icon "Help.ico" within the directory "c:\win\icons" with the icon "Help.ico" from directory "c:\win". Click "No" to skip the copy. If you copy a minimized window with icons to a destination, you can click "Yes/No for All" to overwrite respectively to skip all icons in the destination directory which have duplicate names. Click "Cancel" to cancel the copying. 6.10 Edit with ... In this dialog box you can enter the command line used to start icon processing, usually the complete path to start the icon editor of your choice. The name of the icon to be edited will be added when the command is issued, so the editor will open with the icon already displayed. This will work only if the editor is capable of command line processing. If you select an icon from a library to edit, IcoShow extracts the icon from the library and writes it to a temporary ico file (you see those name within the editor). Only if the icon file has the same size after editing, it can be rewritten to the library. In case you change the number of colors or images, IcoShow prompts you to delete the temporary ico file (if you do so, all changes will be lost). 6.11 Rename Icon In this dialog box you can enter a new name for the selected icon. Within directory windows you cannot rename icons from libraries directly, however. Sort Check the "Sort" box if you wish to sort the display in the current window after renaming. The icon will then be displayed at its proper place within the window according to its new name. 6.12 Select Window This dialog box will help you to select a window quickly or to calculate the number of icons which you wish to write to a library. Use the Shift key to select more than one window. If only one window is highlighted this window will be activated if you press the Enter key or click the OK button. 6.13 Registration You will get familiar with this dialog box if you use IcoShow for more than 21 days without registering. 6.14 Print Order Form In this dialog box you may fill in the text for the order form. Printing starts after the print button is clicked. After printing the form is not saved to disk. If you press the OK button you will have to fill it in anew to print another copy. If you fill in the EMail address (or the network path), I will send you a message after I have a new version on CompuServe. Please use payment by VISA or Mastercard if you are not from Germany. If you decide to do so, IcoShow displays the following dialog box to prompt you for the Card Number and the Expiry Date. Enter the correct Card Number and the Expiry Date of your Credit Card. IcoShow checks your entries and will not allow you to enter incorrect statements. If you wish to change or correct a credit card number, you must first close the dialog box "Print Order Form" with the OK button and then open it again. 6.15 About IcoShow Here are copyright messages and some informations on heaps and resources used. Free Heap shows you the minimum of local and global heap. This will be almost certainly the minimum of the local heap. Free Resources shows you the minimum of the local heap from User and GDI. Processed Icons shows you the number of icons read overall. Check this information. If you see that "Free Heap" is very small, close windows to free local heap. An overflow in local heap stops IcoShow immediately. If there are no more windows or dialog boxes displayed, you have too many open windows. 7. Status Line The standard status line offers the following information : Status of the Status of Number of Number of menu commands the menu icons read icons in Copy / Move command and selected current within the Rename / and the window / Icons Menu /. Edit within number of Status bar Help for the Icons opened for speedbar. Menu. windows. processing. If the option "QuickSearch" in Icons Menu is checked and you have entered a search string, the status line offers the following information: Status of the Status of Number of Entered menu commands the menu icons read Substring / Copy / Move command and selected Status bar within the Rename / and the for Icons Menu / Edit within number of processing. Help for the Icons opened speedbar. Menu. windows. 8. Hints for the use of IcoShow Here are some hints about the (more) effective use of IcoShow: 1. If you install ICO files into program manager, create a directory where you save these files together. Than you can see them all at once. 2. If you plan to copy or move many icons, create a temporary directory and copy the icons there. This does not take a long time and you have saved your icons if you make a mistake. If you are ready, delete the directory with the icons. 3. If you wish to use another background colour for your icons, then load control panel and select the color. Then write the RGB values into the INI file of IcoShow under BackColor (see 4.1). You can use the "Basic Settings" dialog box to try different values for the background colour. You will see the colour immediately. 4. Icons or all icons selected in a window can be deleted by the DEL key (you cannot delete icons within libraries). If you are an experienced user, you can delete them simply by dragging them outside the screen. Choose "QuickDelete" from Options Menu to do so. Please be careful because IcoShow does not undelete icons! 5. Please note the difference between "QuickSearch" and the options "Select" and "Exclude". QuickSearch navigates only to a proper symbol in current window while Select/Exclude chooses the icons for display and process in all windows. 6. If you get the message "Overflow in local/global heap", close windows or work in enhanced mode. If you get the message "No more space for resources", IcoShow will not exit. Instead, icons will be displayed as question marks. Minimize windows to free resources. 7. If you need help within dialog boxes or the toolbar, click with the right mouse button on the point you need the help. IcoShow will try to show the proper help for you. 9. Shareware Version You can use the unregistered version of IcoShow 21 days for evaluation. After that time IcoShow will prompts you each time when you start it. If you register the program for $35 (or 60.- DM within Germany), I will send you a printed documentation and the current version on disk. If you need support, write to my address below or send me an email. I will try to help you. My address : Harald Pitro Hermann-Wuensche-Strasse 11 D - 02730 Ebersbach / Sachsen Germany Mail to: Phone +49-3586-5186 CompuServe 100024, 2662 Ebersbach June 25th, 1994 Harald Pitro