@database "LaunchPad" @author "stengle@pico.phys.chemie.tu-muenchen.de" @node "Main" "" @toc "Main" Welcome to the LaunchPad Guide LaunchPad Version 4.5 LaunchPad is @{"Shareware" link "Registration"} or Cookieware :-) Contents: @{"Introduction" link "Introduction" 0} @{"Faststart" link "Faststart" 0} @{"Installation" link "Install" 0} @{"Features" link "Features" 0} @{"Tooltypes" link "ToolTypes" 0} @{"Menus" link "Menu" 0} @{"Editor" link "Editor" 0} @{"Registration" link "Registration" 0} @{"Author" link "Author" 0}       @{"News" link "News" 0}       @endnode @node "Author" "Author" LaunchPad was written by: Martin Stengle Hofmarkstr. 1 82110 Germering Germany You can contact me via e-mail stengle@pico.phys.chemie.tu-muenchen.de       @endnode @node "Registration" "Registration" Just one word to the registration: Here you have LaunchPad in a fully functional version. To support my work as Amiga programmer I want you to register by sending me the shareware fee. There are two possibilities to become a registered user: 1. Money: I want DM 10,- (cash, euro-cheque) or a comparable amount of money in US-Dollar. 2. Cookies: A short story here: I have already released three programs on aminet as cardware. For these an amiga user from denmark sent me two postcards. Instead of sending once more a postcard for the third program he decided to send me a big box of 'danish butter cookies'! I thought that this is a great idea and therefore I decided to release my next program as 'cookieware'. :-) Just send me a box of cookies (hey americans: I like these cookies with chocolate pieces in it, they sell overseas) If you have an e-mail-address, send it too and you will get further updates via e-mail. @endnode @node "Faststart" "Faststart" If you want to use LaunchPad without reading long introductions, use the supplied Installer-script to @{"install" link "Install"} LaunchPad and then start LaunchPad by a double-click on its icon. Drop some icons in the window. Move the window, size it and start the LaunchPad-@{"Editor" link "Editor"} from the menu and try to use it. Everything should be easy to understand and if you have problems you can read the guide-file :-) But please remember: LaunchPad is Shareware. You should support the work of the author by sending a small amount of money (or some cookies). Please read more at @{"register" link "Registration"}. @endnode @node "Install" "Installation" To install LaunchPad you should use the supplied Installer-script. But you can also install the delivered files by hand. The @{"WBStart-Handler" link "WBStart.guide/main"} remains to SYS:l or L: . LaunchPad can be where you want it. Normaly you should put it in the SYS:WBStartup-Drawer. @endnode @node "Introduction" "Introduction" LaunchPad is a commodity where you can put your applications in a window as gadgets and then start them by a mouseclick. LaunchPad supports several possibilities to run programs. More about that you can read in @{"Features" link "Features"}. Here's a short version: Starting of workbench-programs, batch-scripts, arexx-scripts, CLI-Files, usage of Pop-up and Pull-Down-Menus, Drag&Drop in AppIcons. Each Application can be visible as icon, text or both. @endnode @node "Features" "Features" In general, each application in the LaunchPad-Display can be visible as image, text or as a combination of both. In this case the text can be placed under or over the image. The images and texts can be freely configured. It is not necessary to use the icon that belongs to a program. You can use any icon, that is on your system. Also the font and fontsize of the text can be changed via tooltypes. LaunchPad has the following possibilities to launch programs: Workbench-Start: Programs are launched with the aid of WBStart-Handler in the same way as they will be started with a double-click on the icon in the Workbench. CLI-Start: Programs are launched in a CON-window. This is the same as you will start it in a shell-window. Batch-Dateien: Corresponds to a start like: Execute . AREXX-Dateien: The corresponding AREXX-Script ist delivered to RexxMast. AppIcon: If a gadget is defined as AppIcon, you can drop any icon on it and the corresponding program (of the gadget) will be started with the iconname as argument. e.g you can put your favourite icon-editor as AppIcon into LaunchPad and then your editor will be started with any icon for editing. In this way it is not necessary for the program to define itself an AppIcon. A special of LaunchPad are Pop-up and Pull-down-Menus. You can define a button and if you click with the mouse in it there will appear a menu with new applications. With this you can group your applications. If you want to add a new application to launchPad just drop the corresponding icon in the window and it will appear. But be carefully: Don't release the mousebutton if your are above an appicon, otherwise this icon will be given as argument to the appicon program. You can also drop icons in the window of the @{"Editor" link "Editor"}.     @endnode @node "ToolTypes" "ToolTypes" LaunchPad has the following ToolTypes: CX_PRIORITY: Priority of the commodity (Default 0) CX_POPUP: Show the window on startup (Default yes) CX_POPKEY: Hotkey for the commodity to show its display (Default control-alt-7) WINLEFT: left edge of the window (no default) WINTOP: top edge of the window (no default) GADWIDTH: width of one gadget (no default) GADHEIGHT: height of one gadget (no default) FONTNAME: full name of the font to display in the window (defaults to the screenfont) FONTHEIGHT: height of the font (defaults to the screenfont) PREFSFILE: path for the file to save settings (defaults to ENVARC: ) DOUBLECLICK: start applications only with a doubleclick (default is no) USECNC: if you want a CNC: window instead of the CON:-window you must insert this tooltype. (this is not the default) DONOTCLOSE: if the output window should not be closed after a CLI program finished insert this tooltype. (this is the default)    SAFEMODE: if you set this tooltype then LaunchPad will also save changes of the windowsize and if you move the window to another position. (default is no) @endnode @node "Editor" "Editor" The editor of LanchPad offers the possibility to make changes to all parameters of LaunchPad. The editor spilts into three different parts: - Applications - The Listview: You can move up and down with the cursor. In the Application-Parameters field the parameters will be shown. With the button - Subitem: you can add an application to a submenu. But you need of course first a menu. You can see how this works under 'Application Parameters'. - New,Del: With New you can make a new empty application and with Del you can delete the active application of the Listview. If you made a mistake you should leave the editor with 'Quit'. - Up,Down: Moves an application up and down in the listview. - H,V : change the count of gadgets vertical and horizontal. - Vertical/Horizontal: Tells LaunchPad wether the window should expand vertically or horizontally (if nescessary) for new applications. - Application Parameters - Path: the full path of an application. On the right side is a gadget to open a filereuqester. - Arguments: The arguments that should be used for the program. - Icon: The path for the picture to display in the gadget. This need not to be the icon of a program. It can also be any other icon. On the right side is a gadget for a filerequester. You need this filed only if Image or Image+Text is active under 'Show as'. - Gadget-Text: Text to be displayed in the gadget. - Hotkey: here you can define a hotkey to start your application. This work from any screen and also if the LaunchPad window is not displayed. - Place Text: You can select wether the text will be displayed in, over or under the image. - Show as: You can select the representation of an application in the LaunchPad window. There can be display Text, Image or both together. - Start from: see more under @{"Features" link "Features"}. - Textcolor: color of the text in the gadget. - Priority: priority of the program on startup. - Stacksize: stack for the application. Some programs need more stack than 4096 bytes. Here you can give it to them. - Project - Save: Save settings and give them to the LauchPad window. - Use: Only give the settings to the LaunchPad window, don't save them to ENVARC:. This works only of you use ENVARC:LaunchPad.prefs. - Quit: Leave the editor without saving. @endnode @node "Menu" "LaunchPad-Menu" The menu of LaunchPad has the following items: - Project - About - Hide - Quit - Configuration - Edit - Open ... - Save - Save as ... - Special Modes - Inactive - Delete Entries - Swap Entries Here is a description: Under Project: - About: Information about LaunchPad and the author of the program - Hide: hide the window - Quit: quit LaunchPad Under Configuration: - Edit: Enter Editor - Open: Read configuration from file - Save: Save configuration to the file that is named by the tooltype. - Save as: Save configuration to a file. Under Special Modes: - Inactive: No specialmode active - Delete Entries: you can delete entries in the LaunchPad window by selecting the gadget of it. You will be prompted to confirm your deletions by a requester. - Swap Entries: You can swap always two entries. Klick on the first and then the second and they will be swaped in the display. You will be prompted to confirm your deletions by a requester. @{"Registration" link "Registration" 0} @endnode @node "News" "News" Version: - 4.1: first public release. - 4.2: removed bug in the deallocation of memory in the editor. - 4.3: inserted NewLookMenus (> OS3.0) - 4.4: Doubleclick for Menuselction in the editor. shortcut for 'Submenu' in editor now works. - 4.5: Appicons in submenus Drag & Drop in submenus Here you will get back to the @{"Main Menu" link "Main" 0}! @endnode