LaunchPad Help Contents

LaunchPad Fundamentals

Introduction To LaunchPad

Using LaunchPad

How To Use LaunchPad

LaunchPad's Menu

LaunchPad's Main Window

Reference Topics

LaunchPad Commands

Configuration Options

General Information

Shareware Registration

Installation & Files

Compatibility Issues


Introduction to LaunchPad

What is LaunchPad?

LaunchPad is an application launch manager. It provides the user with a swift and effective means of switching between currently loaded applications, and of loading new applications from a user-specified list, all with a single selection from a pop-up menu.

In addition to specifying a list of commonly used applications, the user can assign a list of documents to any or all of the listed applications.

The LaunchPad menu can be accessed in a variety of ways, and can be tailored to suit your preferences. For more information see the How To Use LaunchPad topic.

Why do I need it?

LaunchPad does not provide you with any functions not already available from the Windows Program Manager and File Manager. However, being frequent Windows users themselves, the designers of LaunchPad saw a need to provide a small but important part of this functionality in a much more convenient way, and LaunchPad was the result. If you often find yourself running several applications at a time, you should find LaunchPad a major boost to your productivity.


How To Use LaunchPad

LauchPad can do three things:

Switch to another currently running application

Launch a new application from a user-defined list

Switch to the Windows Task List or LaunchPad's own window

These tasks are accomplished by making selections from LaunchPad's menu. This menu can be displayed in response to any of the following actions:

Clicking the left mouse button in the Windows desktop area

Clicking the right mouse button in the Windows desktop area

Clicking the right mouse button in the caption bar of the active window

Selecting LaunchPad from the system menu of an application

To see how the menu is arranged, see LaunchPad's Menu. For information on how to edit the application and document lists, and how to configure LaunchPad's behaviour, see LaunchPad's Main Window.


LaunchPad's Menu

This is a typical LaunchPad menu. The main menu is divided into three sections, corresponding to the three types of action LaunchPad can perform. Click on a region of the picture for more information:


LaunchPad's Main Window

Click on a region of the picture for more information:


LaunchPad Commands

Adding an Application

Editing an Application

Adding a Document

Editing a Document

See also

Configuration Options


Configuration Options

Show window on startup

Hide icon when minimised

Show banner on startup

Left-click in desktop

Right-click in desktop

Right-click in active caption

Add to system menus

See also

LaunchPad Commands


Installation & Files
Installation and Files

LaunchPad consists of two executable files, LNCHPD.EXE and LNCH_DLL.DLL. The DLL file should either be in the same directory as the application or in a directory specified in your system's PATH environment variable so that Windows can find it.

Similar rules apply to the help file LNCHPD.HLP.

The other file supplied is README.WRI, a file containing installation instructions and other miscellaneous information. This file can be read by Write, the word processor supplied with Microsoft Windows.

LaunchPad also needs to keep track of the preferences you set, such as the application and document lists and all the check-box settings. LaunchPad stores this information in a file called LNCHPD.CFG which it creates in your Windows directory.


Shareware Registration

LaunchPad (TM) Copyright © Acelong Limited 1993

LaunchPad is a Shareware program. It is not free. You may try the program once, but if you like it and continue to use it you should register your copy. The registration fee is $15 U.S. or £10 Sterling. You can register on CompuServe by typing GO SWREG to access the Shareware Registration Database, or you can write to the address below enclosing your name & address, your registration fee, and details of how you obtained LaunchPad (you can use the Registration Form from this help file).

John Reah

Acelong Limited

PO Box 102

Ipswich IP10 0DA

England

Registering entitles you to free updates of the Shareware version as they become available, and support via mail and CompuServe (ID: 100143,1544).

You may distribute this software as long as the following files are included:

LNCHPD.EXE

LNCH_DLL.DLL

LNCHPD.HLP

LNCHPD.WRI

Beyond a fee for the reproduction and media cost, no fee may be charged for distribution of this software. This software claims no warranty, implied or otherwise. This software is provided "as is". The author claims no responsibility for any damages that might be caused by the use or abuse of this software. This software remains the property of the author. This software may not be modified in any way.


Compatibility Issues

System Requirements

LaunchPad requires Windows 3.1 or higher, which in turn requires a 286 processor or better. A mouse is not necessary, although LaunchPad is designed as a time-saver for people who use Windows a lot, and as a result most of the access methods for LaunchPad involve the mouse.

Compatibility With Applications

The reason for requiring Windows 3.1 is that Launcher uses the Windows TOOLHELP library quite extensively, and TOOLHELP was not made available under Windows 3.0 (although it can be retro-fitted). The use of this library means that no use of undocumented Windows internals was necessary, so LaunchPad should work satisfactorily with any well-behaved Windows application, being a well-behaved application itself. It has been tested with virtually all of the utilities supplied with Windows, and a great many commercially available applications too.

Wherever the unexpected behaviour of other applications has caused problems, a work-around has been put into LaunchPad, except in one or two cases where it was not thought appropriate. For example, Norton Desktop for Windows (TM) uses mouse clicks in the desktop for its own purposes, but by choosing LaunchPad's access options appropriately it can be made to co-exist with NDW quite happily.

Of course no guarantee can be made that LaunchPad will function correctly in all environments. Incompatibilities with certain applications are bound to appear, and during tests one manufacturer's display driver was found not to handle pop-up menus correctly. Nevertheless, it is hoped that LaunchPad will prove extremely useful to most users. After all, if a Shareware program doesn't meet your needs there is no obligation to pay for it, so every effort will continue to be made to keep LaunchPad the best utility in its class.


Registration Form

Note: To print this form, select Print Topic from the File Menu.

To register your copy of LaunchPad, complete this form and send it with a cheque or money order for $15 U.S. or £10 Sterling made payable to Acelong Limited to the following address:

Acelong Limited

PO Box 102

Ipswich IP10 0DA

England

Version:	_______

Where obtained:	_________________________________________________

Name to register:	_________________________________________________

Address:	_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________


Current window list

The top section of the LaunchPad menu lists the top-level windows of the currently loaded applications. In this example, the Program Manager, File Manager and Clock are loaded. Selecting any of these will switch to the corresponding application, restoring it to its normal size if it is an icon. This is the same as clicking Alt-Tab until the required application is selected.

LaunchPad doesn't include itself in this section; it appears in its own private section at the bottom of the menu.


Application launch list

The middle section of the LaunchPad menu contains the user-specified list of applications which can be launched (see Adding an application and Editing an application). Selecting one of these launches the application.

The first item in this section is Browse - this brings up the standard Windows Open File dialog which lets you launch any application, whether or not it is in the list.

If an instance of an application is already running, it can be selected from the top section of the menu. Selecting from this middle section will launch a new instance of the application.


LaunchPad private section

This section always contains two items. The first brings LaunchPad's main window to the front, and the second activates the Windows Task List. LaunchPad doesn't include itself in the current window list; it always appears here instead.


Launch with no document

If an application in the menu has documents associated with it, highlighting it activates a submenu like this. If you don't want to load one of the listed documents, the "No document" option loads the application and lets you choose a document yourself.


Document launch list

If an application has documents associated with it, they appear in a sub-menu like this. In this example, selecting "Address List" will launch the Spreadsheet application which in turn will load the Address List document.

For information on associating a document with an application, see Adding a document.


Minimise Button

Use this button to minimise LaunchPad to an icon.

This has the same effect as clicking the OK button or pressing the Return or Enter keys.


Application List Box

This list box shows the applications that are currently configured to appear in LaunchPad's pop-up menu.

For more information on LaunchPad's menu see The LaunchPad Menu.

For more information on editing this list see LaunchPad Commands or click on the add/edit/delete buttons below the application list.


Document List Box

This list box shows the document files associated with a selected application. When the selected application is highlighted in the LaunchPad menu, these documents will appear as a sub-menu.

For more information on LaunchPad's menu see The LaunchPad Menu.

For more information on editing this list see LaunchPad Commands or click on the add/edit/delete buttons below the document list.


Add an application

This button lets you add a new application to the list. You can also add an application by pressing the Insert key while the application list box has the input focus.

For more details see Adding an application.


Edit an application

This button lets you edit the details of an application in the list. It has the same effect as using the mouse to double-click an application in the list.

For more details see Editing an application.


Delete an application

This button removes an application and all its associated documents from the list.


Add a document

This button lets you associate a new document with the currently selected application. You can also add a new document by pressing the Insert key while the document list box has the input focus.

For more details see Adding a document.


Edit a document

This button lets you edit the details of a document in the list. It has the same effect as using the mouse to double-click a document in the list.

For more details see Editing a document.


Delete a document

This button lets you remove a document from the list.


Show window on startup check-box

Causes LaunchPad's main window to be displayed when LaunchPad is loaded. If this box is left unchecked, LaunchPad will load as an icon.

For more details see Show window on startup.


Hide icon when minimised check-box

Causes LaunchPad's icon to be made invisible when the LaunchPad window is iconised.

For more details see Hide icon when minimised.


Show banner on startup check-box

Displays a banner for a short time while LaunchPad is loading.

For more details see Show banner on startup.


Left-click in desktop check-box

Causes the LaunchPad menu to be activated in response to clicking the left mouse button in the Windows desktop area.

For more details see Left-click in desktop.


Right-click in desktop check-box

Causes the LaunchPad menu to be activated in response to clicking the right mouse button in the Windows desktop area.

For more details see Right-click in desktop.


Right-click in active caption check-box

Causes the LaunchPad menu to be activated in response to clicking the right mouse button in the caption bar of the main window of the active application.

For more details see Right-click in active caption.


Add to system menus check-box

Provides a keyboard interface for LaunchPad by appending the LaunchPad menu to the system menu of every application.

For more details see Add to system menus.


Exit

Saves the current configuration and exits the LaunchPad application.


Help

Loads this help file.


About

Displays a dialog box showing the version of LaunchPad.


Cancel

Undoes any changes made since the LaunchPad window was last activated, and minimises the LaunchPad window. Clicking this button has the same effect as pressing the Escape key.


OK

Saves the current configuration and minimises the LaunchPad window. Clicking this button has the same effect as pressing the Return or Enter keys or clicking the minimise button in the caption bar of the window.


Adding an application

The middle section of the LaunchPad menu contains the user-specified application list. To add new applications to this list, use the Add button underneath the application list box in LaunchPad's main window or press the Insert key while the application list box has the input focus. This displays the standard Windows Open File dialog box, with the filter set to show all EXE, COM, BAT and PIF files.

Once a file has been chosen it is added to the list. LaunchPad keeps track of two pieces of information about each application: its file name and its description. If the application is a Windows executable LaunchPad retrieves the description from within the file itself, otherwise the description string is set to the name of the file. Both the description and the file name may subsequently be edited (see Editing an application).

The same application may not be installed twice.


Editing an application

LaunchPad holds two pieces of information about each application it can launch: the first is the description, which appears in the LaunchPad menu and in the application list in LaunchPad's main window; the second is a command-line which is used to launch the application.

You may edit either of these strings either by double-clicking the application in the application list or by selecting the application and choosing the Edit button under the application list. The following dialog box is displayed.

The description may contain a mixture of upper and lower case characters and spaces, and normal MS-DOS rules apply to filenames. A description string cannot be used more than once.

When you add an application to the list the command-line is initially set to the name of the executable file, but you can use this dialog box to add command-line parameters or switches as necessary. The first parameter or switch should be separated from the end of the filename by a space.


Adding a document

It is possible to associate a list of documents with each of the installed applications. In LaunchPad's menu these lists of documents appear as sub-menus, and when a document is selected its name is passed to the associated application as a launch parameter.

To associate a new document with an application, first select the name of the application in the application list box, then choose the Add button beneath the document list box. If you're not using a mouse, use the Tab key to shift the input focus to the document list box then hit Alt-A or the Insert key. This displays the standard Windows Open File dialog box, with the filter set to show all files.

Once a file has been chosen it is added to the list, and the description and the filename are both set to the name of the chosen file. Either of these may subsequently be edited (see Editing a document).

A document may be associated with more than one application, but may not be associated more than once with the same application.

Why doesn't it work?

Some applications (such as the Windows calculator) do not use document files at all. Others do use documents but have not been written to open documents whose names are passed as command-line parameters. Worse still, they may attempt to open files of the wrong type without bothering to check their format. LaunchPad has no way of knowing this, and lets you assign any document to any application.


Editing a document

LaunchPad holds two pieces of information about each document: the first is the description, which appears in the LaunchPad menu and in the document list in LaunchPad's main window; the second is the name of the document file, which is used as a parameter when an application is launched.

You may edit either of these strings by selecting the application with which the document is associated, then either double-clicking the document in the document list or selecting the document and choosing the Edit button under the document list. The following dialog box is displayed.

The description may contain a mixture of upper and lower case characters and spaces, and normal MS-DOS rules apply to filenames. The same description cannot be used for more than one document , and the same document cannot be installed twice.


Show window on startup

Although LaunchPad's main window must be displayed in order to edit the configuration details, LaunchPad will probably spend most of its time iconised (minimised).

If this check box is left blank, then LaunchPad will iconise itself as soon as it is loaded, so it is as unobtrusive as possible if you place it in your Startup group, for example.

Selecting this check-box will cause LaunchPad's main window to be displayed the next time LaunchPad is run.

The settings are saved when the OK or Exit buttons are pressed.


Hide icon when minimised

Apart from when the application and document lists are being edited, LaunchPad will spend most of its time as an icon. To minimise the obtrusiveness of this icon, you can select this option to make LaunchPad invisible whenever it is iconised. As well as making the icon invisible, this prevents it from appearing in the Windows Task List or in the list of applications you can cycle through using the Alt-Tab key sequence.

There is an option in the bottom section of the LaunchPad menu to bring up the main window again should you need it. The same effect can be achieved by attempting to re-run LaunchPad, as only one instance can be active at a time, and any attempts to load further instances simply result in the first instance being re-activated.


Show banner on startup

As it is possible to load LaunchPad as an icon and to make that icon invisible, it is quite possible for LaunchPad to load without ever being noticed. In case this prospect is a little daunting, clicking this check-box causes a small dialog box to be displayed for a second or two while LaunchPad is loading, simply as visual reassurance of what is happening.


Left-click in desktop

The LaunchPad menu can be accessed in a number of ways; clicking this checkbox causes the menu to pop up in response to clicking the left mouse button in the Windows desktop area.

The desktop is the background area behind all the Windows, and unless you are a devotee of the "Hot Dog Stand" school of screen colouring it will probably either be coloured some shade of grey or covered in bitmapped wallpaper.

There is a slight difference in the way Windows handles left and right button pop-up menus, in that a pop-up menu activated by the left button will not accept any input from the right button, but a pop-up activated by the right button can accept input from both buttons. For this reason you may find it more convenient to use the right button.

Note

If you are using Norton Desktop for Windows, you may find that enabling this option prevents you from dragging disk icons around the desktop. If this is the case, disable the "left-click in desktop" option and use the other access options instead.


Right-click in desktop

The LaunchPad menu can be accessed in a number of ways; clicking this checkbox causes the menu to pop up in response to clicking the right mouse button in the Windows desktop area.

The desktop is the background area behind all the Windows, and unless you are a devotee of the "Hot Dog Stand" school of screen colouring it will probably either be coloured some shade of grey or covered in bitmapped wallpaper.


Right-click in active caption

The LaunchPad menu can be accessed in a number of ways; clicking this checkbox causes the menu to pop up in response to clicking the right mouse button in the caption bar of the main window of the active application.

This is particularly useful if you often run applications "full screen" such that the desktop is obscured.


Add to system menus

The LaunchPad menu can be accessed in a number of ways; clicking this checkbox causes the LaunchPad menu to be appended to the system menu of every active application.

Mouse users will probably find it quicker to click the right mouse button in the active window's caption bar, but this alternative interface is offered so that LaunchPad can be easily accessed via the keyboard.