CEO Index
CEO:Desktop Manager Index

Commands

File Menu

Edit Menu

Special Menu

Run Menu

History Menu

Information

General information

Item procedures

Folder procedures

Keyboard

   CEO Keyboard


General Information

Editing the popup run menu

Global options settings

Group Conversion Utility

Having folders open on startup

Miscellaneous mouse functions

Notes on using icons

Setting the folder icon

Starting Windows

Trashcan Utility

Using the browse button

Using the CommandBar

Using the Run command


Item Procedures

Adding items to a folder

Associating programs with file extensions

Changing an item's icon

Changing an item's name

Changing the properties of an item

Copying items from folder to folder

Deleting a folder item

Deleting a folder's item and its file

Deleting a subfolder

Drag/drop procedures

Executing an item

Launching multiple programs at once

Moving items from folder to folder

Printing a folder item

Setting a default icon


Folder Procedures

Changing the color of a folder

Creating a new folder

Exiting a folder

Linking a folder to a directory

Locking the folder icon position

Opening a folder

Saving a folder

Setting the sort type to be used

Setting the password

Using the Preferences command

Using the up button


Keyboard

The keyboard functions essentially the same as for any windows application.  The only unique features of the keyboard interface involves selecting items and launching applications.  The arrow keys may be used to move from item to item.  Hitting return will execute the selected item.  Note that you may select multiple items by using the mouse only.

Items may also be selected by hitting the first letter of the item's name.  Repeatedly hitting a letter will move you through all item's whose names begin with this letter.  This interface will work only in icon display mode.


CEO:Desktop Manager Commands

To get help with a command, choose the appropriate menu.

File Menu

  New

  Open

  Save

  Run

  Print

  Exit

Edit Menu

  Add item

  Delete item

  Delete file and item

  Delete subfolder

  Move

  Copy

  Properties

  Item icon

Special Menu

  Set default icon

  Arrange icons

  Add association

  Preferences

  Edit run menu (main CEO window only)

  Global options (main CEO window only)

Run Menu

  Popup run menu

History Menu

  Last twelve commands


File Menu

New - This command create a new folder.  Note that you can create subfolders in subfolders with essentially no limit on nesting folders within folders.  Be sure and give each folder an unique name.  Changing the case of a letter will not make a name unique.

Open - This command allows you to open or activate, if already open, any folder on the system, regardless of its location .  This allows you to open a specific folder without having to hunt it up.

Save - This command saves any changes made to the folder.  Note that some commands will automatically perform a save when executed.  They include delete subfolder, rename a subfolder, create a subfolder.   The current configuration of a folder may also be saved using this command.  The configuration includes the size of the folder, the position of the folder and the location of the items in the folder.  Exactly which of these quantities are saved can be set using the Preferences command under the Special menu.

Run - Allows the user to enter a command line to be executed.  The last twelve commands entered are stored for easy access.

Print - Prints all selected items provided the file is associated with a program that allows printing from outside the program.

Exit - Causes the current folder to be closed.  If has not been saved, and changes have been made, you will be prompted on whether or not you want the folder saved.


Edit Menu

Add Item - Adds items to the current folder.  A dialog box is presented from which you may choose any file on the system.  After choosing, a descriptive name for the item must be entered.  This is the name that will show up under the item's icon.  An icon will then appear which represents the item just added.  By double-clicking on this icon, the item may be executed.  Multiple items may be added by clicking on each file in the file listbox you wish to add while holding down the CTRL key.  Clicking again on a selected file will de-select it.

Delete -

Item - This command removes the selected item from the folder.  It does not delete the file associated with the item.  It simply removes it from the folder.  If multiple items have been selected, a prompt to delete or not appears for each item selected.

File and Item - This command removes the item from the folder and deletes the file associated with the item.  As such, use it only when you wish to remove the file completely from the disk.  If you wish to only remove the item from the folder, use the Delete Item command.  This command does not function with subfolders.  If multiple items have been selected, a prompt will appear as to whether or not to delete it for each item selected.

Subfolder - Use this command to delete a subfolder.  Note that this command completely removes the subfolder.  As such, if you have copied it to another folder and wish to be able to still access it from this other folder, use the Delete Item command to remove it from the current folder rather than this command.  Also, any subfolders in this subfolder are NOT deleted.  So be sure and delete these other subfolders, first.

Move - This command moves the currently selected item to the folder specified.  In doing so, it is removed from the current folder.  If multiple items are selected, all items selected are moved.  Items may also be moved by dragging them with the mouse to the desired folder, which must also be open.

Copy - Works the same as move, but does not remove the item from the current folder.  If multiple items are selected, all items selected are copied.  Use this command to link two or more folders to the same subfolder.  Simply create the desired subfolder using the File menu New command.  Then copy the new folder item to whatever other folders you wish to be able to access it.  Items may also be copied by dragging them with the mouse to the desired folder.  The right mouse button must be held down when releasing the left mouse button for the items to be copied, otherwise they will be moved.

Properties - This command displays and allows you to edit all the properties associated with an item.  These properties include the item's descriptive name, its filename, its command line, its working directory and its icon.  In addition, a hotkey may be set for the item and the item may be set to run minimized or maximized.  Also, for programs the file query option may be set to have the program inquire for a file when launched.

Item Icon - Allows you to specify which icon is to be used to represent an item.  Icons may be used located in ICO files, EXE files, DLL files or ICL files (icon libraries).  This command is the same as that provided by using the Properties command described above and selecting the icon button.  It is provided simply so you do not have to go through the Properties command to change the icon.


Special Menu

Set Default Icon - This command allows you to associate an icon with a file extension.  Doing so, will cause the specified icon to be used to display any item with that particular extension unless the item's icon has been set with the Item Icon command.  The new associations will not appear until the folder is closed and reopened.  This is true for any folder that was open when the changes were made.  Once set, any item with the specified extension will appear using the icon associated with that extension.  You should not assign default icons to program extensions (exe, com, etc.).

Arrange Icons - Arranges the folder icons in an orderly manner.

Add Association - This command allows you to associate multiple programs with a single file extension.  Whenever a data file with multiple associations is executed a list box is displayed from which the program to be run may be chosen.

Preferences - This command allow the folder to be customized.  What aspects of a folder that are saved when using the Save command may be set from this command.  Also, the folder can be set to minimize or close on execution of an item in the folder.  Auto arrange of icons can be turned on or off from this command.  Note that if auto arrange is on, the icons will be re-arranged everytime the folder is resized or minimized.  The display mode to be used, icons, text or button, may be set from this command and a password may be assigned to the folder by using the Password button.  Finally, the folder may be linked to a directory and the sort option to be used may be set from this dialog.

Edit run menu - (available only from the main  CEO window) This command allows you to modify the customizable popup run menu.

Global Options - (available only from the main CEO window) This command allows various global options to be set.  These include turning on and off the confirmation of deletes and saves.  If either is turned off, the operation will be performed without requesting confirmation from the user.  Also, CEO may be set to  reopen folders on startup.  Selecting it will cause any folders which were opened on exiting Windows to be reopened on Windows startup automatically.  Finally, the preference settings given to any new folder upon creation may be set from this command and the commands to appear in the system menu when the folders are minimized may be chosen.


Run Menu

Displays the popup run menu to allow you to make a selection from it for execution.


History Menu

Displays the history menu to allow you to make a selection from it for execution.  This menu displays the last twelve applications launched from any folder.


Notes on using icons

CEO allows you to use icons present in ICO files, EXE files, DLL files and ICL files.  ICO files contain a single icon, while EXE's, DLL's and ICL files may contain one or more icons that may be used.  An icon library, ceo.icl, is included with the program for your use.  To use it, simply copy it to the CEO data directory.  Everytime you use the Item Icon, or Set Default Icon command, the icon dialog box will initially present all the icons in the ceo.icl for you to choose from.  If the icon you wish to use is not present, simply select the file which does have the desired icon and hit Read.  Note that you may basically do anything you wish with the ceo.icl file without impacting CEO operation.  It may be deleted, copied over or edited with a program such as Icon Manager or equivalent.  If it is not present, you will simply not have any icons to choose from initially on executing an icon command.

Hierarchy of icons:  There is a hierarchy involved in CEO deciding which icon should be used to represent an item.  At the top-level, if an item has had an icon explicitly set for it using the Item Icon command, this icon will always be used regardless of any other settings made.  Next, if the item does not have an icon set for it, but does have an icon associated with its extension, this icon will be used.  Finally, if neither of the above is true, if the item is an executable or is associated with an executable, the icon for that executable will be used.  If none of the above holds, the item will appear using the default icon..

Limitations: There may be cases where, for some reason, CEO just cannot find the icon in the specified file.  In order to use such an icon, you will need to convert it into an ICO file using some utility such as Icon Manager.  Once this is done, simple specify the ICO file created to use the icon.

Troubleshooting: Should you be using a 256 or 32000 color display and the icons are not displaying correctly, try this fix.  In the CEO.INI file, under [Defaults] should be a line that reads 'Color Mode=0'.  Change the 0 to 256 or 32000.  This should allow the icons to display correctly.  Note that CEO will only work in 256 or 32000 mode now.  To run in 16 color mode, change the number to 16 or 0, for auto-sensing of the color mode.  If your INI does not have the color mode line, simply add it in to the [Defaults] section.

Related Topics

   Changing an item's icon

   Setting the default icon


Group Conversion Utility

The group conversion utility is provided to allow you to convert Program Manager groups to CEO  folders.  This may be necessary at times, specifically after installing a new program into Windows.  While a communication link similar to that used by Program Manager is incorporated into CEO, some install programs will install only into Program Manager.  If you should install such a program, through the use of the group conversion utility the new group created by the install program may be imported into CEO.

To make use of the group conversion utility, follow the steps given below.

1. Run grpconv.exe from Windows.  This file is initially placed in your CEO data directory, but may be moved to any location desired.

2. From the dialog that appears, choose the group to be converted and enter the name for the CEO folder.  Click on OK.

3. Once the conversion process is complete, exit and restart CEO.  Do not save CEO before exiting.  If using CEO as the Windows shell, it will be necessary to exit and restart Windows.  Note that multiple groups may be converted before exiting by repeating these steps.

Once CEO has been restarted, there should be a new folder in the main CEO window containing items equivalent to the items in the Program Manager  group.


Trashcan Utility

A trashcan program is provided for disposing of folder items.  To use the program, execute the file ceotrash.exe.  This file is initially placed in your CEO data directory.  Once executed a trashcan icon will appear on the desktop.

To delete an item from a folder, simply drag the item to the trashcan.  Multiple items may dragged and dropped..

Should you wish to recover a deleted item, double-click on the trashcan icon.  It will open into a window showing all the items that have been dumped into it during the current Windows session.  These items may be dragged out of the trashcan and dropped into a folder to recover them.

The trashcan will automatically empty whenever it is terminated.  The trashcan may also be emptied by executing the Empty Trash command under the Trashcan File menu.  Finally, the can will automatically empty when the number of items in it exceed forty.

Besides deleting folder items, you may also delete the file associated with the folder item by holding down the ALT key when you drop it in the trashcan.  Note that this action is irreversible.  The dropped item will not be available in the trashcan for undeleting.

If you wish, you may also delete files from the File Manager.  Simply select the file you wish deleted and drag them to the trashcan.  Dropping them will cause the files selected to be removed from the system.  Note that you will not have to confirm the delete when you use the trashcan.

Finally, note that subfolders may not be dropped in the trashcan.  Due to the special nature of these items, you must use the 'Delete subfolder' command to remove them.


Using the browse button

Various commands provide a browse button to allow you to select a file easily.  To use the browse button, simply click on it.  A browse dialog essentially identical to the dialog used by the Add item command is provided.  Find the file in the file listbox you wish to make use of and click on it.  The current directory may be changed using the directory listbox on the right.  Once you have selected a file, click on OK and it will appear in the dialog box of the command being executed.


Using the CommandBar

A push button command bar is provided for quick access to various main menu commands.  Buttons are provided for accessing the New, Open, Save, Add item, Properties and Item icon commands.  Clicking on the appropriate button is equivalent to executing that menu command.  In addition, by clicking anywhere on the CommandBar itself, the popup run menu may be accessed.

The CommandBar may be turned off from an option in the Global Options dialog.  An info bar is provided as well as the CommandBar.  The InfoBar displays the actual file name and size of the currently selected folder item.  A -1 for the file size indicates that the file path information is incorrect or, if share is being used, the file is currently lock by an application.  Like the CommandBar, the InfoBar may be turned off from the Global Options dialog.

Note that by left-clicking on the InfoBar the Preferences dialog may be brought up.


Using the Preferences command

1.  Select Preferences from the Special menu.

2.  From the dialog box presented, several options may be set to customize the folder as explained below.

Save Configuration options: When executing a Save command, the choices selected here will govern what information about the folder is saved.  Information that can be saved include the folder size and position.  Any option not selected will not be saved.

Minimize on use, Close on use options: Selecting one of these will cause the folder to be either minimized or closed when an item in the folder is executed.

Open minimized:  Selecting this option will cause the folder to always be opened as an icon on the desktop.

Auto Arrange switch: When this option is activated, the folder item icons will automatically be rearranged whenever the folder is resized or minimized.  If you wish to keep the folder items in specific locations at all times, do not use this option.

Display mode: Each folder may be displayed in one of three different modes.  The normal mode is icon display.  In this mode, each item appears as its own icon with a caption.  The second mode available is button mode.  In this mode, the folder appears as a series of buttons which may be pushed to execute an item.  Note that in this mode, many of the folder commands are not available.  Also, while items may be added to the folder using drag/drop, they may not be deleted while in button mode.  Finally, the folder may be set to text mode which displays the items using only their names.

Show extensions: When in listbox display mode, the item file extensions will be displayed as part of the name if this option is set.

4.  A password may be assigned to the folder through the use of the 'Password...' button.  Clicking on it will produce a dialog box in which you may enter the desired password for this folder.  The next time the folder is opened, this password will need to be entered before you will be able to access the folder.  To clear the password, simple select this function again and enter a blank line for the password.

5.  By clicking on the 'Link to...' button the folder may be linked to a directory.  See Linking a folder to a directory for more information.

6. The background color of the folder may be set using the Color button (see Changing the color of the folder).

7. The sort used to arrange items in the folder may be set using the 'Sort by...' button (see Setting the sort type).  Sorting may also be disabled from this dialog.

8.  Click on OK to return to the folder window.  Note that a Save must be performed for the preferences to be saved.


Adding items to a folder

1. Select Add Item from the Edit menu.

2. From the dialog box that appears, choose the file you wish to add.  Multiple files may be selected by simply clicking on each file to be added while holding down the CTRL key.  To de-select a file, click on it again.  Use the directory list box on the right to change directories.  All highlighted files will be added.  Click on OK.  Note that files may be added from a single directory only.

3. Enter the descriptive name for each item that you wish to have appear under the item icon.  Hitting the Cancel button at this point will cause the current item not to be added.  Any other items selected will still be added.  Note that by double-clicking on the 'File:' field of the dialog, you may display the file name of the item with its extension.

4. After names have been entered for all selected files, the new items should appear in the folder.


Changing an item's icon

1.  Select the item whose icon you want to change  by clicking on it with the mouse.

2.  Select Item Icon from the Edit menu.  The icon browser dialog will appear.

3.  From the dialog box, choose the new icon to be used to represent the selected item.  To use an icon in a specific file, select the file using the file listbox by clicking on the file to be read.  The current directory may also be changed from this listbox.  Use the radio buttons to select the files to be displayed.  Click on Read to display all icons in the selected file.  In the icon listbox, select the desired icon and click on OK.

4.  The item should appear with the new icon.

Related Topics

   Notes on using icons

   Properties command

  Setting the default icon


Changing the properties of an item

1. Select the item whose properties are to be viewed or edited by clicking on it with the mouse.  Select the Properties command from the Edit menu.

2. The item name, file name, command line and working directory may be edited by changing the value in the appropriate edit field.  Note that by entering a blank line for the command line or working directory, the default functionality of the item will be restored.  Also, by entering 'Current directory' (no quotes) the directory will not be changed when executing that item.

3. The item icon may be set by clicking on the icon button provided.  Doing so will bring up the icon browser dialog from which the new icon may be selected.

4. The item may be set to run minimized or maximized by clicking on the appropriate check box.

5.  Finally, a hotkey may be assigned to the item and a file query option may be set from the dialog brought up by clicking on the 'More properties...' button.  To set a hotkey, enter the letter for the hotkey.  Using the checkboxes provided set up the desired combination of keys to be used to active the hotkey.  Programs may be set to prompt for a file by checking the 'File query' checkbox.

6.  Click on OK when all desired changes are complete.

Related topics

Changing an item's icon


Copying items from folder to folder

1.  Select the item you wish to copy by clicking on it with the mouse.  Multiple items may be selected by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on each item.

2.  Select Copy from the Edit menu.

3.  From the dialog box, select the folder you want the item(s) copied to.  Click on OK.

4.  The item(s) will now be copied to the specified folder.

or

1. Make sure the folder you wish to copy the selected items to is open or is a subfolder of the current folder.

2. Select the items to be copied in the same manner as above, but on the last item selected continue to hold down the left mouse button.

3. Drag the cursor to the folder you wish to copy the items to.  The cursor will be a monochrome version of the selected item if only a single item is selected.  If multiple items are selected, it will be a generic drag item cursor.

4. While holding down the right mouse button, release the left mouse button while the cursor is over the folder you want to copy the items to.  If the cursor is a circle with a line across it, you are over an illegal drop point.

5. Once the left mouse button has been release, the right mouse button may also be released.  The selected items will be copied to the specified folder.

Using this command, one can link the same subfolder to two or more other folders.  Simply copy the subfolder to the folder you wish to also have access to it.

Related Topics

  Moving items from folder to folder


Creating a new folder

1.  Select New from the File menu.

2.  Enter the name of the new folder.  This name MUST be unique.  Upper or lower case do not make any difference.  Click on OK.

3.  A new folder icon representing the new folder should appear in the current folder.

The preferences of the new folder will be set to the same settings as those specified in the new folder settings dialog brought up from the global options dialog.

Related Topics

   Deleting a subfolder


Deleting a folder item
Deleting an item

1.  Select the item you wish to delete by clicking on it with the mouse.  Multiple items may be selected for deletion by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on each item to be deleted.

2.  Select Delete Item from the Edit menu.

3.  You will be asked if you wish to delete the selected item.  Click on Yes or No.

4.  If you clicked on Yes, the item will be deleted from the folder.  Note that if you accidentally delete an item, close the folder without saving it.  When you reopen it, the item will still be there.

Related Topics

  Deleting an item and its file

   Deleting a subfolder


Deleting a folder's item and its file
Deleting an item and its file

1.  Select the item you wish to delete by clicking on it with the mouse.  Multiple items may be selected for deletion by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on each item to be deleted.

2.  Select Delete File and Item from the Edit menu.

3.  You will be asked if you want to delete the selected item and its file.  Click on Yes or No.

4.  If you clicked on Yes, the item will be removed from the folder and the item's associated file will be erased from the disk.

Related Topics

   Deleting an item

   Deleting a subfolder


Deleting a subfolder

1.  Select the subfolder you wish to delete by clicking on it with the mouse.

2.  Select Delete Subfolder from the Edit menu.

3.  You will be asked if you want to delete this subfolder.  Click on Yes or No.

4.  If you clicked on Yes, the subfolder will be removed from the system.  Note that if the subfolder has been copied to other folders, it must be removed from those folders using the Delete Item command.

Note that any subfolders contained in the subfolder being deleted will NOT be deleted.  They should be removed through use of this command before deleting the subfolder they are contained within.

Related Topics

    Deleting an item

    Deleting an item and its file


Editing the run menu

A customizable popup run menu is provided from which programs may be run.   A menu editor dialog is supplied to build and maintain this popup menu.  It may be accessed by selecting  the 'Edit run menu...' command under the menu command Special in the main CEO window.  This editor may be used to add items, including separators and submenus, to update item's properties or to delete items from the run menu.

Adding run menu items:

1.  Select the item from the menu listbox you wish the new item to appear under.  By selecting the ---- Top of Menu ---- place holder a new item may be added at the top of the menu.

2.  Select the 'Add' button.  A dialog will appear in which you can set the properties of the new item.

3.  Click on the desired type of item, normal, submenu or separator.

3.  Fill in the name for the new item and its corresponding command line.  If desired, fill in a help line (this will appear in the Infobar when the menu item is selected.  The 'Browse' button will bring up a dialog which may be used to select a file for the command line.  Note that the command line field should not be modified for separator and submenu item types.

4.  The menu item may be set to run minimized or maximized by checking the appropriate checkbox.  In addition, by checking the file query checkbox you will be prompted to enter a file whenever the item is run.

5.  Finally, a hotkey may be set for the item.  Enter a letter for the hotkey and check the key combination you wish to use to activate it.

6.  Click on OK and the new item will be added to the run menu.

Certain special commands are provided for use in the run menu.  These commands may be accessed by clicking on the 'Special...' button.  The commands available include arrange icons, cascade windows, tile windows, exit windows and task list.  The default names for all of these commands except for task list may be changed, if desired.  Do not change the command lines.

Updating an item:

1.  Select the item from the menu list box whose properties you wish to change.

2.  Click on the Update button.

3.  Make any desired changes to the menu item's properties.  Click on OK to set the changes.

Deleting an item:

1.  Select the item from the menu listbox you wish to remove from the run menu.

2.  Click on the Delete button and the item will be removed from the menu.

Cutting and Pasting:

Using the 'Cut' and 'Paste' buttons items may be moved around the menu.  Select the menu item from the menu listbox you with to move.  Click on the 'Cut' button.  Select the item you wish the cut item to appear under.  Click on the 'Paste' button to place the item.  Note that items may be moved to submenus using this procedure.

Creating submenus:

1.  Add a new item for which you have selected the Submenu radio button for the item type.  Be sure not to modify the command line when adding the item.  Only the name for the submenu needs to be specified.

2.  Select the newly added submenu item.  The >>> button will now be enabled.  Clicking on this button will allow you to build the menu to be associated with the submenu item added in step 1.

3.  To return to the parent menu, click on the <<< button.  You may have as many submenus as you desire and the submenus may have submenus of their own.  They may be edited in the exact same manner as the main parent menu.

Once you have made all the desired changes to the run menu, click on the OK button to exit the dialog and save the new menu.  The newly edited popup run menu will now be accessible from the main menu Run command or by clicking on the CommandBar with the left mouse button.


Executing an item

1.  Double-click on an item's icon to execute it.

         or

2.  Click on it with the mouse and hit the enter key.

         or

3.  Use the arrow keys to select the item.  Hit  the enter key.


Exiting a folder

1.  Select Exit from the File menu or Close from the System menu.

2.  If changes have been made to the folder since the last save, you will be prompted for whether or not you wish to save the folder.  Clicking on Yes will save and exit the folder.  Clicking on No will exit the folder without saving.  Clicking on Cancel will cancel the exit operation and return you to the folder.


Global options settings

Various global options may be set using the Global Options command found under the Special menu of the main CEO window.  These options include:

Confirmation settings:

Confirm on delete - checking this box will cause a confirmation box to be presented for the user to confirm the delete.  If not checked, the delete will occur automatically.

Confirm save on exit - normally upon exiting a folder you are presented with the option of saving any changes that have been made to the folder.  If this option is unchecked, the save will be performed automatically upon exit.

Confirm Windows exit - this option controls whether or not to confirm exiting Windows.

Desktop menu:

With the dialog brough by this button you may enable or diable allowing the popup run menu to be brought by clicking on the desktop.  In addition, the mouse button to be used to bring up the menu may be selected.

Display:

The options in this section allow you to show or hide the CommandBar and the InfoBar.  In addition, by clicking on the 'Top down' checkbox, the items in folders will be arranged from the top-down rather than the bottom-up.  Note that it is highly recommend that the auto arrange option in the preference dialog be left on if using top-down arrangement.

Folder icon:

Finally, by clicking on the folder icon button, the icon to be used to represent folders may be set.  Upon clicking on the folder icon button, the icon browser dialog will be presented to allow you to select the desired icon.  See the section on changing an item's icon for a description on how to use the icon browser dialog.  Once an icon has been selected, all folder icons will be changed to the selected icon.

New folder settings:

These settings are accessed by clicking on the 'New folder settings...' button.  All of the options provided in the New Folder Settings dialog are used to set the preferences any new folder will be created with.  These settings are used only when a new folder is created and once the folder has been created, its preferences settings may be changed using the Preferences command.

Startup settings:

Reopen folders - checking this option will cause any folders which were open at the time Windows was exited to be reopened on Windows startup.  Note that the folders will not necessarily be opened in the same position or size they were in when Windows was exited.

System menu:

Various commands may be set to appear in the system menu of a minimized folder.  These include the Open command, the Run command, the run menu and the history menu.  By clicking on the 'System menu...' button, a dialog can be brought to select which of these commands you wish to have appear in the system menu of a minimized folder.

Related topics

  Changing an item's icon

  Using the Preferences command


Moving items from folder to folder

1.  Select the item you wish to move by clicking on it with the mouse.  Multiple items may be selected by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on each item.

2.  Select Move from the Edit menu.

3.  From the dialog box, select the folder you want the item(s) moved to.  Click on OK.

4.  The item(s) will now be moved to the specified folder.

or

1. Make sure the folder you wish to move the selected items to is open or is a subfolder of the current folder.

2. Select the items to be moved in the same manner as above, but on the last item selected continue to hold down the left mouse button.

3. Drag the cursor to the folder you wish to move the items to.  The cursor will be a monochrome version of the selected item if only a single item is selected.  If multiple items are selected, it will be a generic drag item cursor.

4. Release the left mouse button while the cursor is over the folder you want to move the items to.  If the cursor is a circle with a line across it, you are over an illegal drop point.  The selected items will be moved to the specified folder.

Related Topics

  Copying items from folder to folder


Opening a folder

1.  Select Open from the File menu.

2.  Choose the folder you wish to have opened from the list in the dialog box.  Click on OK

.

3.  If the folder selected has not been previously open, it will be opened and appear in a second window.  If it is already open, it will be made the active window.  If is already open and minimized, its icon will be opened into the active window.


Saving a folder

1.  Select Save from the File menu.

2.  All change made to the folder will be saved.   In order to save a folder's size or position, or the position of the items in the folder, a Save must be executed and the appropriate option must be selected in the Preferences dialog.  The exact information saved is determined by the options selected using the Preferences command.

Related Topics

   Using the Preferences command


Setting a default icon

1.  Select the item whose file extension you wish to assign a default icon to.

2.  Select Set Default Icon from the Special menu.

3.  Choose the icon you want associated with the extension from the icon listbox presented.  To use an icon in a specific file, select the file in the file listbox and click on Read.  From the icons presented, select the desired icon.

4.  To see the new icons, close and reopen the folder.

Note that these associations will apply to all folders, not just the one they are set in.  To remove any association previously set the CEO.INI file must be edited.  Open it with a text editor like Notepad.  Under the section [Icon Extensions] delete the line containing the extension you wish to de-associate.  Save the file.  The items should now appear using their old icons.  To clear all default icons assigned, simply delete the file CEO.DFI in your folders data directory.

Related Topics

   Changing an item's icon


Setting the folder icon

This procedure may only be performed from the CEO window.

1. Select the Global Options command from the Special menu.

2. Click on the Folder Icon button.

3. From the icon browse box select the icon to be used as the folder item icon.  Click on OK.

4. All subfolders and minimized folders will now appear using the selected icon.

Related Topic

   Changing an item's icon


Setting the password

1. Select the Preferences command from the Special menu.

2. Click on the Password button.

3. Enter the desired password in the input box.  Click on OK.

4. Once the password is set and saved, every time the folder is opened the password will need to be entered before the folder will open.

To clear a password, perform steps 1 and 2 above, but instead of entering a password, simply leave the line blank and click on OK.  The password will then be cleared.

To lock people out of Windows completely, assign a password to the CEO window.  Everytime Windows is run, the password will need to be entered correctly, otherwise Windows will be terminated.

Note that this password scheme is not unbreakable.  It will keep out most users, but a determined computer professional will be able to break it.

Related Topic

  Using the preferences command


Having folders open on startup

There are three ways in which you may have specified folders open automatically on Windows startup.  The first method is to select the 'Reopen folders' option in the global options dialog.  See Global option settings for information on this option.

The second method involves making use of the startup folder option.  By creating a folder named StartUp and placing the folder icons of the folders to be opened in this folder, either by moving or copying them, selected folders may be opened and available on Windows startup.  To use this option, simply create a folder named StartUp.  Any item, which includes folder and non-folder items, placed into this folder will be run on Windows startup.  To have an item start as an icon on the desktop, simply select the 'Run minimized' option of the Properties dialog for that particular item.  To set the order of execution of items, simply arrange the items from left to right, with left being first, and save the folder.  By using this option, editing the WIN.INI file may be avoided entirely.

The third, and most  awkward method, involves editing the WIN.INI file.  First, open the CEO.INI file with an editor such as Notepad.  Under the section [Folder list] find the folder(s) you wish to have opened on Windows startup.  Make a note of the DOS file name to the right of the equal sign.  Close this file and open WIN.INI.  On  the load= or run= lines add the DOS file name you noted from the CEO.INI file.  Save and close the WIN.INI file.  The next time you start Windows, the specified folders should open.


Associating programs with file extensions

Application programs may be associated with a particular file extension.  For example, Notepad may be associated with TXT files.  Executing a file with a program associated with its extension will cause the associated program to be run using the file as the data file.  For instance, if TXT is associated with Notepad, running the file readme.txt would cause Notepad to run and load the file readme.txt.  Windows normally only allows a single program to be associated with an extension.  However, CEO provides a command which allows multiply programs to be associated with an extension.  Whenever a data file with multiple associations is executed from CEO, a list box will appear from which the desired program to be run may be chosen.

To associate additional programs, follow these steps:

1. Select the folder item whose filename's extension you wish to associate a program with.

2. From the Special menu, select the command Add Association.

3. A dialog box will appear in which you may enter the name of the program you wish to associate or the program may be selected using the Browse button.  Click on OK to set the association.

4. If you wish to view any other associations that have been previously set, click on the down arrow at the right of the input box.  A list of all other associations that have been set will appear.  To close the list, simply click on the down arrow again.

To remove a previously set association, follow steps 1 through 3, but on step 3 click on the down arrow at the right of the input box.  From the list of associations that appear, click on the association you wish to remove.  The program selection should appear in the input box.  Click on OK and the association selected will be removed.


Using the Run command

1. Select Run from the File menu.

2. In the dialog box that appears, type in the command you wish to execute.  Or, use the browse button to select a file to be executed.

3. Click on OK.  The command entered will be executed.  By clicking on the 'Run minimized' checkbox, the program will appear as an icon on the desktop.  By clicking on the 'Run maximized' checkbox, the program will be run in a maximized window.

Notes: The Run command stores the last twelve commands executed, throwing out duplicates.  When the Run command is selected, the last command entered using the Run command will automatically appear in the input box.  To execute it, simply click on OK.  To access the other eleven commands stored, click on the down arrow at the right of the input box.  A list will appear containing the other eleven commands.  Click on the command you wish to execute, and then click on OK.  The command will be run.


Linking a folder to a directory

By choosing the 'Link to...' button in the preferences dialog it is possible to link a folder to a directory on your hard disk.  Doing so will allow the folder to automatically update itself with the files currently in the directory.  Any time a file is added to the directory, a new item will automatically appear in the folder.  Any time a file is deleted the corresponding folder item will be deleted.  To link a folder to a directory, follow the procedure below.

1. Select Preferences from the Special menu.

2.  Click on the 'Link to...' button in the dialog.

3. From the directory listbox on the right, select the directory you wish to link the folder to.

4.  Choose the extensions of the files you wish to have the folder track from the listbox on the left.  Only those files with one of the extensions selected will appear in the folder.  Multiple extensions may be selected by clicking on each desired extension.

5.  Click on OK and then close the Preferences dialog.  The folder should now have items for every file with a selected extension in the directory chosen.

These new items may be treated in the exact same manner as a normal folder item.  Note that if you move an item to a different folder it reverts to a normal folder item.  Also, moving an item or deleting it has no effect on the actual file (unless you use the delete file and item command).

To clear a link, perform the above procedure but at step 3, select 'Clear link', then OK.  This will remove the link to the directory and any items present in the folder due to the link will also be removed.

Related topics

  Using the Preferences command


Changing the color of a folder

The background color of the folder may be changed through the use of the 'Color...' button in the preferences dialog.  To change the color, simply bring up the preferences dialog and select the 'Color...' button.  From the dialog which appears, select the desired color for the folder.  Note that the background color is only used when the folder is displayed in icon mode.  Also, once the folder color is set, it cannot be changed through the use of the Windows Control Panel utility.

Related topics

  Using the Preferences command


Setting the sort type to be used

The way the items in a folder are sorted for display may be selected through the use of the 'Sort by...' button in the preferences dialog.  Four different types of sorts are available, the default sort (all folders use this sort method initially), sort by item name, sort by file name, and sort by file extension.  In addition, an option is available to always force the folders to appear in the corner of the folder.

To set the sort type, simply bring up the preferences dialog and select the 'Sort by...' button.  From the dialog which appears select the desired sort type and whether or not the folders should always appear starting in the corner.  Click on OK.  Note that the new sort will not take effect until the folder is closed and reopened.

If you want to lock in the positions of the items in the folder, sorting needs to be turned off.  To do so, simply click on the 'Disable sorting of items' checkbox.

Related topics

  Using the Preferences command


Locking the folder icon position

It is possible to lock the position on the desktop a folder will go to when it is minimized.  This allows you to arrange the folders on the desktop in the exact arrangement you desire.  To lock a folder's icon position, follow the procedure below.

1.  Minimize the folder you wish to lock the position of.

2.  Move the folder to the desired position on the desktop.

3.  From the system menu of the folder (brought up by clicking on the minimized folder) select the 'Lock icon' command.  The icon's position has now been locked down on the desktop.

To unlock the icon's position, simply perform step 3 but choose 'Unlock icon' (only available if the icon has been locked).  Once a folder icon has been locked, you will not be able to move it from its locked location until it is unlocked.


Using the up button

The up button on the toolbar (the button on the far right) is provided to allow you to go back up the tree of folders.  By clicking on the button, the folder from which the current folder was opened will be brought up.  If the folder was opened using the 'Open...' command, the folder from which this command was executed will be brought up.

When you use the up button, if the current folder's preference is set to minimize or close on use the folder will minimize or close, whichever was specified.


Drag/drop procedures

A number of different drag/drop procedures are provided with the program.  They are as follows.

1.  You may move or copy items from folder to folder by dragging them from the source folder to the destination folder.  Multiple items may be dragged by holding down the control button and clicking on each item to be dragged.  On the last item, the mouse button should be held down and the drag commenced.  To copy items, hold down the right mouse button when you drop them on the destination folder.

2.  You may move or copy items to a subfolder of the current folder by dragging the selected items to the subfolder icon in the current folder and dropping them.  Note that you cannot move items to a subfolder of a different folder using this method.

3.  Data files may be loaded into programs by dragging the folder item to the program item.  The program item may either be another folder item or may be a program already running and present on the desktop.  Note that if dragging to a program on the desktop that not all programs will accept dropped files.  If the no drop symbol is present then the program does not accept dropped files.

4.  You may move items within a folder by dragging them and dropping them in the new location.  Care must be taken as if they are dropped on a subfolder icon they will be moved into the subfolder.  Also, if moved onto a program, the program will be launched.

5.  Items may be added to a folder by dragging files from the File Manager.  To do so, open the folder you wish the new items to be added to.  Select the files to be added from the File Manager.  Drag the files selected to the folder and release the mouse button.  You will then be given the opportunity to give descriptive names to each file which will then be added to the folder.

6.  Items may be printed by dragging the item to the Print Manager.  Print Manager may either be a folder item itself in the current folder or be running on the desktop.


Printing a folder item

Folder items may be printed by simply selecting the 'Print' command under the File menu.  If the item(s) selected is associated with a program that allows printing from outside the program, the file will be printed.  To print multiple items, simply select the items desired while holding down the CTRL key and then execute the print command.


Launching multiple programs at once

It is possible to launch multiple programs with a single action.  To do so, simply select all the items to be launched.  Selection is performed by clicking on each desired item while holding down the CTRL key.  After this, just hit the enter key.  All items selected will be run.

To run everything in a folder without having to select every item, simply hit the enter key while holding down the CTRL key.  Every item in the folder will be run.

All items in a folder may also be launched by double-clicking on the folder icon in the parent folder while holding down the ALT key.

Items are launched in order from left to right.  To have the items launched in a particular order, arrange them in the folder from left to right.  Then go to the preferences dialog and click on the 'Sort by...' button.  Disable sorting from the dialog which appears.  Save and exit the folder.  The items in the folder will now be launched in the order specified from left to right.


Miscellaneous mouse functions

Various special mouse operation unique to CEO are available.  They are as follows.

1.  Clicking and holding the left mouse button while the mouse cursor is over the Commandbar will bring up the customizable popup run menu.  Commands from the run menu may then be executed by selecting the desired command and releasing the mouse button.

2.  Clicking the right mouse button on the Commandbar brings up the run dialog for use.

3.  Clicking the left mouse button on the Infobar brings up the preferences dialog for use.

4.  Clicking the right mouse button on a folder item while in icon display mode brings up the properties dialog of that item.

5.  Clicking the left button while holding down the CTRL key when the folder is in button display mode brings up that item's properties dialog.

6.  To select a folder item, click on the item with the left mouse button.

7.  To select multiple items, click on each item with the left mouse button while holding down the CTRL key.

8.  The popup run menu may be set to come up by clicking the right, left or middle mouse button on the desktop.


Starting Windows

If CEO is being used as the Windows shell, a couple of startup options are available when starting Windows.  First, by holding down the shift key while starting Windows, the items in the startup folder will not be executed.

Second, you may start Windows using different startup folders.  For every startup configuration you desire create a folder named 'StartupX', where X is a number from 0 to 9 (this allows for a total of eleven startup folders).  To start Windows using a different startup folder then the folder Startup, use the following command line to start Windows:

>win *sX

Replace the above X with the number of the startup folder you wish to have used.  When using the above command line, be sure and put the *sX before any program you want executed when Windows start.  For example, the line below would be a legal command line:

>win *s2 notepad.exe readme.txt

If no *s parameter is specified, Windows will start using the folder named 'Startup'.


Special Dialog

Several special commands are provided for use with the popup run menu.  They include:

Task list - displays a list of all the currently running applications.

Arrange icons - arranges the icons on the desktop into orderly rows.

Cascade windows - cascades all open windows on the desktop.

Tile windows - tiles all open windows on the desktop.

Exit windows - exits Windows.  Whether or not a confirmation dialog appears is controlled by the appropriate setting in the global options dialog.

Related topics

  Editing the popup run menu


Recovery Utility

Recover lost folders  - This operation allows you to recover any folders whose icons have been accidentally lost.  Simply click on each folder from the folder list you wish to recover.  New folder icons will be added to the main CEO window for each folder selected.  Note that CEO must be running to perform this operation.

Run Group Convert - This operation simply runs the provided group conversion utility.

Fix corrupt CEO.FL2 file - If you are unable to run CEO at all, perform this operation.  It will rebuild the ceo.fl2 file so CEO may be run.  Note that you will end up with an empty CEO window.  Use the 'Recover lost folders' command to re-add your top-level folders to the window.  Other folders will not be effected by this operation, only the top-level CEO window.

Unable to open subfolders - If you are unable to open any subfolders from the main CEO window, execute this command.  It will re-establish the association between the ceo.exe and the fl2 data files.

Refresh folder list - This operation re-builds the folder list maintained in the ceo.ini file.