This chapter covers the various special features and application preferences of List Pad.
You now should be very familiar with List Pad lists, items, the List Browser, the Item Editor, and how to create, edit, and manipulate List Pad documents. Now that you know how to make full use of List Pad to keep track of your own lists, it's time to go over the special features and application preferences that are part of List Pad.
In this chapter you will learn about those features, including the following:
If it's not already open, open List Pad.
The first thing we will go over is the Application Preferences window, which allows you to edit all of List Pad's application, or global, preferences. The settings made in this window apply at all times no matter what document is open.
Because there are seven different categories of application preferences we will go over each category in its own section.
This is the category of preferences which specify how List Pad should behave when it is first launched. The Startup Actions subsection allows you to specify what actions List Pad should take, while the Startup Windows subsection allows you to specify what windows should be open every time you launch List Pad.
For instance, if you would like List Pad to create a new, untitled list every time it is launched, check the Create New File box. Likewise, if you would like List Pad to display the Startup Menu window every time it is launched, check the Startup Menu box.
The Startup Options Disable Key field allows you to specify a key combination that, when held down at launch, will cause List Pad to skip the options you've set. This is useful if you don't want List Pad to open the Startup Files you've listed, which you'll learn about in a moment. With the check box checked, click in the field and hold down and release the key combination which you would like to use.
This is where you tell List Pad what files to automatically open at launch. You may want to add a frequently used to do list here, or perhaps a daily goals list.
To have List Pad open the files displayed in the scroll list at launch:
To add a file to the list of startup files:
To remove a file from the list of startup files:
List Pad uses standard Mac OS alias records to find the files. So anything that an alias can find, List Pad should be able to find.
This is where you set various general, or generic, options related to List Pad, such as 3D Windows, Sound, etc. To turn any option on, simply check the check box next to it. To turn it off, uncheck the box.
You may also want to fill in your name and company/organization here.
This is more of a fun category as it lets you set the style of busy cursor you would like to see. A busy cursor is the cursor you see when a program is busy doing something, like the spinning beach ball or the watch cursor. You select the busy cursor you would like to see simply by clicking on it. There are a number of busy cursors available.
In addition there are several options which specify how List Pad handles cursors. You can have List Pad use color cursors by checking the Color Cursors box (users with both B&W and color monitors can leave this on color; List Pad will automatically revert to B&W when necessary). You can have List Pad use a color pointer by checking the Color Pointer box. Check the Random box to have List Pad display a random busy cursor every time it's busy. And, if you have an extension or control panel that lets you set your busy cursor across all your applications, you may have to uncheck Use Busy Cursors in order for it to work with List Pad.
This section allows you to set up List Pad's Auto Save feature. Auto Save automatically saves all open lists at a specified time interval.
To turn Auto Save on, check the Auto Save Documents box. You will also want to specify how often List Pad should save open documents in the text field right below. The bottom text field lets you specify how long List Pad should wait after you've stopped using List Pad (i.e. typing and/or clicking the mouse) before saving. This keeps List Pad from interrupting your work with an Auto Save.
Checking Force Save All makes List Pad save all open lists whether they have changed or not. This usually is not necessary. Save On Suspend will make List Pad save its lists whenever you bring a different application to the front. It's a good idea since another open application is more likely to crash when it's in front being used. And Background Auto Save makes List Pad continue to save open lists even when it's in the background.
Note that you can temporarily (i.e. for the current session) turn Auto Save on or off by selecting Auto Save from the File menu.
Auto Hide allows you to specify what types of List Pad windows should be hidden when List Pad is sent to the background (i.e. when another application, like ClarisWorks, is in front). Check each box next to the types of windows you want hidden. Hide All checks all the boxes, and Hide None unchecks all of the boxes. Using this feature can help keep List Pad tucked out of the way when you're not using it and leave your screen less cluttered.
Hot Activation allows you to bring List Pad to the front, when it's open in the background, in the blink of an eye. Rather than having to go up to the Mac OS application menu to select List Pad, you can simply hold down a key combination or move your mouse to a corner and List Pad will pop up front.
To turn Hot Activation on check the Hot Activation box. Then set the Hot Key by clicking in the hot key field and holding down and releasing the key combination you would like to use. If you don't want to have a Hot Key set, simply uncheck the Hot Key box. You can also check which corners you would like to use for List Pad just below the Hot Key field. Moving a mouse into one of the checked corners will bring List Pad to front.
List Pad checks to see if you are holding down the Hot Key and/or if your mouse is in one of the marked corners when it is in the background. But in order for it to check, it must get processing time from the front application. Because of the way in which Mac OS multitasking works, you may have to hold down the keys or leave your mouse in one of the checked corners for a moment for List Pad to respond. Don't just hit the keys, but hold them down.
Sleep Times is an advanced option normally set by the programmer. In List Pad I have given the user the ability to set these options in order to better adjust List Pad to Hot Activation.
If you don't already know what the sleep times are for, follow these simple rules exactly:
IMPORTANT! Setting the sleep times incorrectly can cause your computer and/or List Pad to become sluggish and/or unresponsive while List Pad is open. Be sure to set the times according to the rules above!
The Startup Menu (Window)
The Startup Menu window has buttons for common actions that you might perform on startup and/or when you first look at List Pad. It also has a scroll list which lists all of your Special Files. To open this window:
This window is pretty much self-explanatory. Click one of the buttons to perform the stated action (i.e. New, Open, Quit).
The Special Files list is a list of your frequently used List Pad lists. You control this list. Special files which you add to this list appear in the Open Special submenu in the File menu.
To add a file to the Special Files list:
To delete a file to the Special Files list:
To open a file in the Special Files list, do any of the following:
Congratulations! You've made it through this manual and now are an expert List Pad user. I hope that you enjoy List Pad and that it serves your needs well. If you have any suggestions, questions, comments, etc., please feel free to contact me using the contact information at the end of this manual (next chapter).
Thank you for using List Pad!