Index

Version 2.2  September 1995

The following is a list of available topics:

Overview

New Features in this release

Other Programs from Bob Dolan

How to Register

by Mail

by Toll-Free Phone Call

through Compuserve

Using the Program

Add Item

Add Menu

Edit Item

Edit Menu

Delete Item

Delete Menu

DeskMenu! Setup

Menu at Bottom/Top

Setting Startup

Running other programs from DeskMenu!

Stay On Top

Exiting from DeskMenu!

Replacing the Program Manager


ProgSetup
Setting Up DeskMenu!

The following dialog will appear whenever you select Setup DeskMenu! from the D! menu. To find out what each control does, just click on it with the mouse.

The changes you make in this dialog will become effective when you close the dialog by pressing the Ok button.  All changes are immediately saved and will be used each time you start DeskMenu! or until you change them again.


Overview

The Menu

DeskMenu! is a Windows program that is small in appearance but large in performance.  If the Windows Program Manager is more than you need, then try DeskMenu!.  DeskMenu! allows you to keep a smaller version of the Program Manager on the screen (freeing up space for more useful things), or it can replace it altogether.

When you run DeskMenu!, it puts a menubar on the Windows desktop.  The leftmost menu in this menubar is referred to as the Control Menu and is the only one DeskMenu! needs.  Other menus can be added and modified by the user.  These other menus are used as categories and can contain the applications you determine should be there.  Compare it to the Program Manager by thinking of the menus in DeskMenu! as the Program Groups and the items within these menus as the icons that you would normally double click on to launch an application.

The Control Menu contains all of the utilities you will need to build and maintain the structure of the other menus.  There are menu items you can select to Add, Delete, and Edit Items and Menus.  You can also set the programs DeskMenu! will startup if DeskMenu! is the Windows shell and is being used in place of the Program Manager.  Other programs can be run directly.

All of these controls are described in their own topics, which are accessible from the Contents or by searching the help list.  However, the best way to learn how to use DeskMenu! is by experimenting with it.  You'll find that most of the commands are obvious, and that the dialogs you will deal with are natural and familiar.

DeskMenu! saves all of the menu information in it's own setup file called DESKMENU.STP.  If this file does not exist, a new one will be created.  The release version of DeskMenu! has one of these files included in it's archive.  It contains links to all of the Windows applications that come with Windows 3.1.  This provides a good starting point for building your own layout.  You can delete or edit any of the supplied items and menus.  Previous versions of the program used an INI file to store all of this data.  If you are upgrading, you can move your current setup over by running the CONVERT utility, which will create an equivalent STP file.

The InfoBar

A new feature in the 2.0 release is the InfoBar.  This is a system status area that shows the condition of Windows and your computer along with the current date and time.  The InfoBar is configurable through the Setup dialog and can show free resources in the following areas:

    GDI memory

    USER memory

    Virtual Memory

    Hard disk space on drives C: through F:

You can set this up anyway that suits your liking or even turn it off if you prefer the original DeskMenu! look.  Restoring it is just a menu click away.


Add Item

There are two ways to add a program item to a menu in DeskMenu!.  Both are described below.

Drag and Drop

The simplest way to add a program item to a menu is to use the drag and drop capabilities of Windows 3.1.  The suggested method of doing this is to use the File Manager application that is provided with Windows.  Start the File Manager and change the drive and directory until the file you wish to add to DeskMenu! is visible.  Move the mouse cursor to this file and click and hold down on the left button.  The cursor will change to a document icon.  While still holding the left mouse button down, move the cursor to a DeskMenu! heading (i.e.  System, Utility, Games) and release the button.

At this point, a menu item definition dialog will be displayed showing the path of the file you selected, the menu heading you released the mouse cursor on, and a suggested name for this menu entry.  The suggested name is derived from the filename.  All of these items can be edited before pressing the Ok button.  To stop this process, press the Cancel button.  It is possible that the wrong menu heading will be shown.  This is due to differences in screen resolution and the lengths of the menu heading names.  However, if you drop the file in the middle of a menu heading, the correct name should be shown.

Manual Add

Selecting the Add Item entry from the DeskMenu! control menu will cause a  menu item definition dialog to appear.  Fill out all of the necessary information, and when you press the Ok button, your new entry will be added.

Once this dialog is closed, a message box will be shown.  This box will show you how it understood the information you provided, and ask for confirmation.  The choices are Ok and Cancel.  Even if you indicate Ok and the information is wrong, you can edit it later.  Once you respond to this message box, the DeskMenu! menubar will now have a new application available in the top level menu that was specified.


Add Menu

This menu selection will present a dialog with one user control: an editbox to type in the name of the new top level menu you wish to install.  When you press the Ok button, the DeskMenu! menubar will be redrawn to reflect the new menu, which will be added at the end of the menubar.  You cannot reorder these menus, so plan ahead if you need a special arrangement. If you select this new menu, you will see that it contains no menu items.  You need to add items using the Add Items command from the control menu.


Delete Item

To delete a menu item entry once it has been created, you must select the item you wish to delete while holding down the Shift key on your keyboard.  Once you have made the selection, another message box will appear confirming your choice.  When you press the Ok button, the menu item entry will be removed from DeskMenu!.


Delete Menu

This menu selection will cause a dialog to be displayed that contains one user control: a combo box which contains all of the top level menus currently in DeskMenu!.  Press the down arrow on this combobox to reveal all of the menus.  Click on the one you want to remove, and then press the Ok button to remove it.  Note that all of the applications contained in this menu will also be removed by this action so be careful!


Edit Item

To change a menu item entry once it has been created, you must open the Edit Item Dialog.  Do this by selecting the item you wish to edit while holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard.

After you make the necessary changes to the definition of this menu item, press Ok and the changes will become permanent.

Note that it is possible to Move a menu item using this dialog.  When the Edit Item Dialog is shown, just select a different menu and select Ok.  The item will now appear in the new menu and not in the former one.


Edit Menu

This menu selection brings up a dialog with two important user controls in it.  The top control is a combobox listing of all of the menus currently in use in DeskMenu!.  Change this combo box to show the name of the menu you wish to edit.  Then press the Tab key to move to the other user control, which is an editbox.  Type in the new name for this menu, and press the Ok button.  DeskMenu! will be redrawn to show the new name in use.


Setup
Set Startup

When you choose Set Startup from the control menu, you will be presented with a dialog allowing you to change the applications that DeskMenu! will load when it is run as the replacement for the Program Manager.

The Set Startup dialog is divided into two parts.  The upper half is the Add section and the lower half is the List section.  In the Add section, you will enter the command to load application when Windows comes up.  In the List section, you can delete entries from the current list and exit the dialog with the option of saving any modifications.

If you wish to add an application to the list, type in it's command line (typically the pathname) and press the Add button to the right of the editbox.  If you are not sure of the command line, press the Browse button to bring up a Common Dialog that will allow you look for the application in it's directory.  When you find it, select it and click Ok (or just double click the item).  The Common Dialog will close, and the command line will be placed in the editbox for you.  To indicate how you want this application to be shown at startup, select the appropriate radio button in the Open As section.

If you wish to delete an application from the list, select it from the list by clicking on it, and press the Delete button.

Once the list looks the way you want it, press the Ok, Save button.  If you wish to abandon the changes made and not save, then press the Cancel button.

Note that this process can be accomplished by using the drag and drop capabilities of Windows 3.1 and the File Manager.  Simply drag a file from the File Manager to the DeskMenu! control menu and release.  That file will be added to the Add editbox.  Then just press the Add button to place it in the Startup list.


Running Programs
Running other programs from DeskMenu!

Other Windows and DOS applications as well as batch and PIF files can be run from this control.  This duplicates a similar function provided in the Program Manager.  The dialog that appears when you select this control is a Common Dialog.   This is a system standard dialog and should look familiar, since it is used in many other programs for the same purpose.  When the Enter key is pressed or the Ok button is selected, the highlighted command will be launched.

If an error occurs as a result of running a program from DeskMenu!, a message box will be displayed to show the cause of the problem.


Exiting DeskMenu!
Exiting from DeskMenu!

The Exit menu item in the D! menu provides four ways to leave DeskMenu!.

Exit Windows

Exit DeskMenu!

Restart Windows

Reboot System

Choosing any of these options will result in a confirmation message box.

The Exit DeskMenu! selection will terminate DeskMenu! and Windows will continue running.  If DeskMenu! is replacing the Program Manager, the Exit DeskMenu! will not be available.

If you select Exit Windows, Windows will terminate and return to DOS.

The Restart Windows menu item will exit Windows and the immediately restart it.  This is helpful when you have made system file changes (WIN.INI or SYSTEM.INI) and you want them to take effect.

Reboot System is the same as pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del and should be used when you have modified your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files.


Reg Compuserve
Register though Compuserve's SWREG

If you have a Compuserve account, you may register instantly by using the SWREG service online. Payments made through this channel are subject to a handling fee.  As always, you can register by check or money order through our PO Box.  This new service has been added to accomodate the needs of some of our customers.  We hope you find this helpful and convenient.

DeskMenu prices using this payment method:

US:           $17

Canada  $18

Non-US: $20

Be sure to mention that you are registering Product Number 7506

To access this system, logon to Compuserve and enter "GO SWREG".  Select Register Shareware.  Then enter the information requested.  They will add the fee to your bill and notify us.  We will then email a confirmation that will include your registration code. A complete registration package will arrive by mail within a week.


Credit Card
Credit Card Payment

We now have a new credit card payment option available.  This is accessable through a toll-free phone line.  In addition, you can access this service by mail, CompuServe or Fax.  Payments made through this channel are subject to a $5.00 handling fee.  As always, you can register by check or money order through our PO Box.  This new service has been added to accomodate the needs of some of our customers.  We hope you find this helpful and convenient.

You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from Public (software) Library by calling:

1-800-2424-PsL

713-524-6394

between the hours of  7AM to 6PM CST (Monday-Thursday) and 7AM to 12:30PM CST (Friday)

Be sure to mention that you are registering Product Number 11812

By FAX to 713-524-6398

By CIS Email to 71355,470.

You can mail credit card orders to:

PsL

at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705.

THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY.

THE AUTHOR OF THIS PROGRAM CANNOT BE REACHED AT THESE NUMBERS.


Registration
Registering DeskMenu!

If you have already registered and would like to validate your copy of DeskMenu!, open the D! menu and select the Register... item.  Enter the number that was provided in your registration letter.  The OK button will become enabled, and you can press it.  When the dialog closes, the program becomes a registered version.  You will no longer see registration reminders.  Thank You for your support!

DeskMenu! is distributed as shareware.  This means that if you regularly use the product and benefit from it, you should register with the author (see name and address below).  The software you now have is not crippled in any way.  This indicates a basic trust of the shareware concept by myself and other shareware authors who provide useful products with the hope of some type of return for their efforts.

Please print the registration form and fill in the requested information.

In addition, you may pay by  credit card

or through Compuserve's SWREG service

You may contact me electronically in the following ways:

GEnie: DOLAN

Compuserve: 102545,1673

Internet: 102545.1673@compuserve.com

Distribution

If you distribute DeskMenu! to friends, associates, or to a computer bulletin board system (BBS),  you may only distribute the compressed file including the copyright and disclaimer.

Disclaimer

The Copyright Owner hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The Copyright Owner will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if The Copyright owner or an agent of The Copyright Owner has been advised of the possibility of such damages.  In no event shall The Copyright Owner's liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use the software, regardless of the form of the claim.  The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software.


Replacing the Program Manager
Replacing the Program Manager With DeskMenu!

DeskMenu! is designed to be used as a replacement of or an addition to the Windows Program Manager.  If you plan to startup Windows with DeskMenu! as the shell, you must do one of the following:

    1. Rename DeskMenu! to the Program Manager

In DOS type the following commands:

    REN   PROGMAN.EXE  OLDPM.EXE

    REN   DESKMENU.EXE  PROGMAN.EXE

Run Windows, and DeskMenu! will show up on your screen first.

                  OR

    2. Set the shell variable to use DeskMenu! in SYSTEM.INI

Use an ASCII editor or SYSEDIT to edit the SYSTEM.INI file

Search for shell=PROGMAN.EXE.

Change it to shell=DESKMENU.EXE.

Run Windows and DeskMenu! will show up on your screen first.

Once DeskMenu! is running as a shell, you may want to use the Set Startup control in the control menu to select some applications to run when the Windows environment comes up.

To reset the Program Manager as your Windows shell just reverse the above process.


Menu Location
Menu at Bottom/Top

This menu item provides the capability to position the DeskMenu! menubar at the top or the bottom of the screen.  To use this feature, select it from the menu.  If the menubar is currently located at the top of the screen, then it will move to the bottom.  If you open the D! menu again, you will see that the text of this menu item has changed to "Menu At Top".  Selecting it again will move the menubar to the top of the screen.  Any selections that you make are retained and will be used the next time you run DeskMenu!.


Temp Title 16
Top Level Menu

Menus on the menubar which represent the categories of applications.


Control Menu

The leftmost menu with the name D!

All of the user controls used in DeskMenu! are found here.


Command Line

A string of characters, representing the drive, directory, and filename

and followed by any necessary parameters to be passed to the program

being called.  Usually typed into a dialog's editbox by the user.

Example:  C:\DOS\COMMAND.PIF  STARTUP.BAT


Reg Form
Registration Form

To print this registration form, open the File menu and select Print Topic.

Mail to:

Bob Dolan

P.O. Box 16514

Rochester, New York 14616-0514

Please register me as a satisfied user of DeskMenu!  (ver 2.2):

Please enclose $15 in US funds.  Make checks or money orders out to Bob Dolan.

Your registration entitles you to receive a disk containing the latest version of  DeskMenu!.  In addition, this disk will include evaluation copies of my other products.  These will be the latest versions available, including programs that were not available when this was written.  The disk will be a 1.4M 3.5 floppy unless you request otherwise.  All files will be in ZIP 2.0 format unless you request otherwise.

For orders from outside of the U.S., please add $3 to cover additional postage.

Name:_____________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________

City:______________________State:_______Zip:__________________

Phone(optional):_____________________________________________

AOL/GEnie/CompuServe/Internet mail address:_______________________

Where did you get this program (include address or phone number if

possible)?__________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Comments:_________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________


Other Titles
Other Products from Bob Dolan Software

Windows Shareware

WRackO -- A number strategy game that is easy and fun

WRackO is a challenging, card type strategy game that you can play against the computer or another person.  It is easy to learn, simple to master.  Quick thinking and risk taking are essential to being a winner in WRackO.

The Spelling Voice -- A learning program that makes spelling fun!

An educational program that is both fun and effective.  Students create and use spelling lists that are spoken to them in their own voice.  An easy to use interface guides spellers from the age of 5 to 50 in improving their spelling skills.  This program requires a sound card for proper usage.  A microphone is also suggested.

DeskMenu! --  A low profile, text based Program Manager for Windows

There is probably no other program you can add to your system that will make better use of its screen and disk space than DeskMenu!  This easily configured program manager and resource monitor speeds access to all your applications.  DeskMenu! places a menubar on your desktop and allows you to setup the menu headings to reflect how you categorize your applications. An optional InfoBar shows time, date and up to six different system resources. DeskMenu! can be used in addition to the Program Manager or it can replace it as the Windows shell.  All of this functionality in a good looking, easy to use package!

Yacht-Z  --  A dice strategy game for Windows

Yacht-Z is a version of the classic dice game.  You can play single or triple scoring varieties of the game.  Up to four players can play at once. This is the original and most often reviewed of all Yacht-Z type dice games.  Several years of constant use and valuable input from users has honed this into one of the most enjoyable and challenging games available ( unless you prefer blowing up things! ).

WinGo! --  The classic Bingo for Windows

Finally, Bingo has arrived for Windows!  You match wits with Rosie, an alert and cunning adversary.  You can play with as many cards as you can handle at the speed you like.  Fully configurable to adapt to your playing style.  The registered version includes digitized voice calling for the most realistic Bingo play possible.

The Joker -- Jokes On Demand

The Joker gives you a laugh whenever you need it. Just as your day is getting completely boring, a window will appear with a joke to break the ice.  If one joke doesn't do it for you, then press the ANOTHER button for more.  The program is easy to use, and once setup to your liking, it will require no maintenance.  You can load different joke files, order more from the author, and even create your own.

BattleGrid -- War in a window -- Battleship for Windows 3.x

BattleGrid is a version of the classic board game.  Play against the computer or another person.  Watch the computer play against itself using different strategies.  Several levels of a computer opponent are available, from idiot to genius.

SCAT -- A strategic and daring card game

Don't get stuck with the lowest hand!  SCAT is a card game involving four players that can be as simple or challenging as you want.  Features include defining strategy levels, setting the game speed, and leaving the cards face up or face down as you play.  This game even includes conversational chit chat between the players!  Very addicting and fun!

WinDial -- A  Windows Phone Book that dials

An easy to use phone book that will automatically dial any selected number as long as you have a modem.  When a busy signal is detected, you can tell WinDial to retry until someone answers.  Other busy attempts can be placed into a queue, and all will be retried in order.

Mister Clean -- Clean up your hard drive

One of the most efficient ways to clean up those hidden but unwanted or unused files that take up needed space.  A slick Windows 3.x user interface makes this utility a must have for your toolbox.  Mister Clean finds files the you specify and sorts them by size.  You click on the ones you want deleted and then off they go, one-by-one (to be safe) or all at once.  Not sure what the file is?  Then run it right from Mister Clean and check it out before dumping it!  Truly a unique way of managing precious disk space.

InstallWare -- An application installer

InstallWare is a small, easy to use application installation program for Windows applications.  It costs nothing to use if you are distributing Freeware.  Registration provides an extended version that enables automated construction of installation disks.

Windows Freeware

16 Tons -- Drop your sound files here!

Simply plays WAV and MIDI files.  Accepts drag & drop operations from the file manager.  Most handy when used it as an icon.

Random Saver -- Variety in savers

Make full use of that collection of screen savers you've got.  Now you can get them out of your WINDOWS directory.  This utility will run them at random from any location when you install it as the default screen saver in the Windows Control Panel.


New Features
New Features in this release

Version 2.2 -- July 1995

Fixed a bug that truncated command line entries for menu items, when defined in the Add Item dialog.

Version 2.1 -- February 1995

Fixed menu limit bug.  The menu functions became unstable at 107 menu items.  This has been fixed and the actual limit of 200 menues functions properly now.

More drive monitors:  Any drive letter can now be assigned to an InfoBar slot.  The limit was previously E:.

Add Item default button:  The default button in the Add Item dialog has been changed from Cancel to OK to  speed up the addition of menu items.

Fixed potential Divide By Zero system error.

Version 2.0 -- July 1994

Startup Enhancements:  You can now Browse for files to include in the startup list.  The window state can now be specified as normal or minimized.

System InfoBar: Shows the time and date and whatever system resources you wish to monitor in a minimum of space.  Disk resources can be shown in Mb or percent.  And the color of the gauges can be green or blue.  The gauges will show as red if they drop below a user specified level.

Easier Editing and Deleting of menu items:  No more 'choose mode'.  Now you can perform these operations in half the time.  Menu items can be moved from one menu to another.

More ways Out:  You can do 4 different exit functions.  Exit DeskMenu! or Windows, restart Windows, or Reboot the system.

Menu item sorting: All menu items can be sorted alphabetically or not at all.

More menu items: Now 500 items can be added to your menues.

A cleaner Menubar:  Several bugs in the handling of the menubar have been eliminated, so that you now add more menubars and the will stay where you put them.

No more INI file:  All setup information is now stored in a binary file.  This allows for the storage of more information and provides better performance.

Common Dialogs:  Microsoft supplied standard dialogs are now used to select files to run or in browse functions.  This means that you can now select COM, PIF, and BAT files, which was not possible in any other version.

General Code Improvements: Several minor bugs have been fixed.  The code has been optimized for better performance and to use less system resources.

Once the program is registered, it will no  longer show the Register... menu item.

Version 1.20 -- April 25, 1993

Drag and Drop:  To help make the process of adding items to DeskMenu! easier, this capability of Windows 3.1 has been added.  Files can be dragged from the File Manager directly to the appropriate menu.  In addition, files can be dragged to the Control Menu to add them to the Startup list.

3-D Look:  In order to improve the look of the dialogs that appear, the CTL3D library from Microsoft has been added.  This addition gives the dialogs a 3-D or chiseled look.

Stay on Top:  You can now select whether DeskMenu! will stay on top of all other windows on the screen.  Previously, other windows would obscure access to the DeskMenu! menubar.

Rename renamed:  The Rename Item and Rename Menu have been changed to Edit Menu and Edit Item.  Many registered users indicated that this made more sense to them.

The program has been recompiled using Visual C++.  Also, the Help system has been rewritten.

The registration cost has been reduced from $15 to $10 in keeping with all of my other Windows shareware prices.

The edge of the menu has been fixed so that screen garbage from other windows doesn't accumulate there.  This was a strange side effect of implementing DeskMenu! as a popup window with no client area and no caption.

The Vertical menu option has been removed.  Hardly anyone ever used it, and it was not supported by the drag and drop additions which really make DeskMenu! much easier to use.

When an error occurs as a result of an attempted program launch, a descriptive error message is displayed.  The previous release showed only the error number returned by Windows.

Version 1.30 -- November 1993

Added option to show DeskMenu! at the bottom of the screen.

Fixed the double entry bug after a menu was added or deleted.


Stay On Top

To prevent other applications from covering up the DeskMenu! menubar, select the Stay On Top menu entry in the control menu.  This will keep DeskMenu! on top of all other windows, even if they are maximized.  A checkmark will appear next to this item to show that it is in the Stay on Top mode.  If this presents a problem with other programs, select it again (turns the checkmark off) to return DeskMenu! to it's normal behavior.


MenuItemDef
Menu Item Definition Dialog

This dialog is used to specify all of the relevant information for a menu item entry.  To see what each control does, just click on it.


EI_NAME
Program Name

This is the text that will be displayed in the menu.


EI_MENU
Menu to Use

A combobox that allows you to select which menu to put the current item into.


EI_PROG
Program Command Line

This is where you type in the command line that is used to launch the program.  In most cases, the command line consists of the program's pathname only.  The command line editbox will allow an entry of up to 80 characters by scrolling left and right to accommodate your typing.


EI_WORK
Working Directory

This is the directory that will be changed to before the selected program is run.


EI_OK
Ok Button

The Ok button will be disabled until a Name has been entered.  Once you press this button, the new menu item information is saved in the STP file and the dialog is closed.


EI_CANCEL
Cancel Button

Press this button to leave the current menu item entry unchanged.  This action will also close the dialog.


EI_HELP
Help Button

Pressing this button will bring up context sensitive help (which is probably how you got here!).


EI_BROWSE
Browse Button

Use this button to bring up a Common Dialog.  This dialog will allow you to move around the directory structure of your hard disk in order to select files.  This is a system standard dialog and should look familiar, since it is used in many other programs for the same purpose.

Once you select a file from the Common Dialog, several fields in the Menu Item Definition dialog are filled in for you based on the filename chosen.


EI_STATE
Window State

Pressing one of these radio buttons will let you indicate how the selected program's window will be displayed.  A Maximized window will take up the entire screen.  A Minimized window will be shown as an icon at the bottom of the screen.  A Normal window will be displayed in whichever manner the application has determined is appropriate.


S_WINDOW
Window

Select the Infobar window number you wish to change in this combobox.


S_TYPE
Type

Select the type of resource to monitor by choosing one of the types shown in this combobox.  If you select None, then this specific Infobar gauge will not be displayed.


S_COLOR
Color

Select the radio button that corresponds to the normal color you wish to view the Infobar gauges in.   Whenever the level of any gauge drops below the Warning Point, it will be displayed in red.


S_FORMAT
Format

Choose one of the resource level formats that you would like to view the disk drive free space in, percent or MegaBytes(Mb).  The GDI, USER, and Memory resources are always shown in percent.  If the Format is set to Mb, the gauge will still show percent in the bar graph.  Only the text showing the actual amount free will use this Format.


S_WARNING
Warning Point

Type in the percent value that will cause any Infobar gauge to show in red.  This will make it more visible, alerting the user to a situation that is possibly headed for a crash.  Set this to zero if you do not want to see a warning indicator.


S_OK
Ok

Press this button to accept all changes and close the Setup dialog.


S_CANCEL
Cancel

Press this button to close the Setup dialog and leave all settings as they were when the dialog was opened.


S_ALPHA
Alphabetical Sort

Check this box to cause DeskMenu! to sort all menu items alphabetically.  This will sort all existing items as well as any newly added items in this way.  Leave the box unchecked to discontinue sorting the menu items.


S_HELP
Help

Select this button to bring up the context sensitive online help.


Infobar
The Infobar

This is the area below the menubar that contains all of the system status monitoring devices.  On the left is the time and date boxes.  These are always shown and are not user configurable.  To the right of these boxes are the Infobar resource gauges.  These are bar graphs that constant measure and display the current state of several important system resources.  In addition, the exact value of each type of resource is shown in percent of the total, or optionally for drives the Mbytes of remaining space.

When any of these values falls below about 20% you should be concerned that there are too many applications running, or that one application is using too many resources.  You can set a warning indicator level in the Setup dialog to alert you to this condition, so that you don't have to constantly monitor these gauges.

If you just don't want to see the Infobar, remember that you can hide it by selecting the Infobar Off menu item in the D! menu.  Selecting this item again will restore it.  This capability is useful for viewing system resources when you feel it is necessary, rather than constantly.