Australian PC World - Minimise open windows with a single keystroke

Minimise open windows with a single keystroke

Tip
Every touch typist knows it slows you down to take your hands off the keyboard and reach for the mouse. That's why it's so much easier to minimise an open window (in any version of Windows) by pressing <Alt>-<Space> to display the control menu, followed by N (for Minimise). But this key combo can be a bit clumsy and doesn't work with all applications. Wouldn't it be better if you could dispatch a window with a single key?
To the rescue comes Windows Recorder, a macro utility that's free with Windows 3.x and that also works (for the most part) with Windows 95. If you upgraded to Windows 95 from Windows 3.x and don't see recorder.exe in your Windows folder, you can use the DOS expand utility to restore recorder.ex_ and recorder.hl_ from your original Windows 3.x disks. (If necessary, you can get expand.exe from those disks as well.) Just type expand.exe at the DOS prompt and follow the instructions from there.
To create your own window-minimising macro, open a typical window in any application; you'll use it to record your macro. Make sure this is the only window open on the desktop, and size it to let you see minimised applications at the bottom of the screen (Windows 3.x) or on the Taskbar (Windows 95). Next, start Recorder. If you use Recorder regularly, open the file containing the macros you use every day to add this one.
Choose Macro--Record. In the dialogue box, type a name for your macro. Under the Shortcut Key drop-down list, choose an easy-to-press key that you never use (such as <Scroll Lock>). Leave the Ctrl, Shift and Alt boxes unchecked unless you have absolutely no choice. In the Playback section of the dialogue box, select Any Application from the To drop-down list and Fast from the Speed list. Make sure Continuous Loop is unchecked and Enable Shortcut Keys is checked. Set the Record Mouse option to Ignore Mouse. Then click Start to minimise Recorder and start recording your macro.
If all your apps respond to the <Alt>-<Space>-N shortcut, press those keys now. If not, take advantage of Help, which is the last menu for almost all Windows applications. Press <Alt>-h then <Right> and finally N to minimise the window.
Next, click the Recorder icon (Windows 3.x) or button (Windows 95) just once. When prompted, make sure Save Macro is selected and click OK. Restore the Recorder window, and choose File--Save to store your macro in a file. Put this file in your StartUp group, with its properties set to Run Minimised, so your macro will be available every time you start Windows.
Now to minimise a window, just tap your shortcut key. If you have many Windows open, you'll love how easy it is to minimise one after another by pressing your shortcut key repeatedly. If you have one or two applications that don't use Help for their last menu (rendering the macro ineffective), just resort to the old <Alt>-<Space>-N shortcut.

Category: Win95, Windows 3.x
Issue: Mar 1997
Pages: 174