Copyright: 1996 One Guy Coding


Table of Contents
Vern for Win 95 and Win NT 4

Introduction

Vern Menu

Options Menu

Properties Dialog

Acknowledgments

Keyboard Interface

Mouse Navigation

Registering Vern

Vern for Windows 95

Copyright © 1996 One Guy Coding

Windows 95 is © Microsoft Corporation


Vern
Vern for Win 95 and Win NT 4

Introduction

Vern is the Virtual Environment Resource Navigator. With Vern running you can have many programs running each occupying its own Virtual Screen. This makes for a cleaner looking desktop and can actually speed up the look and feel of Win 95; when a program is sitting in an area of Vern Space that is not currently active, the Operating System will not waste any time redrawing that application.  For example, let’s say you have a word processor running in one Vern screen and a spreadsheet running in the next, you can quickly switch between those two screens with the windows Alt-TAB task switching mechanism.

Vern also offers many other features.

To change between Virtual Screens, simply click on any of the Vern cells and Vern will rearrange all of your windows in Vern Space.  You can also drag the miniture icons displayed in Vern from one cell to another and Vern will duplicate the action with your program.

If you right-click on Vern a menu is displayed which allows you to switch between apps as well as set Options and Properties for Vern's behaviour and a flyout menu allowing you to specify the sensitivity used for mouse switching.

Moving Vern is accomplished by dragging its window to a new location (click on an area of vern not occupied by a running program). Vern cells can be resized in the Properties dialog box.  You can expand or contract Vern (thereby increasing or decreasing the number  of Vern cells) by resizing the Vern window as you would any other Windows application.  If you have enable the Freeze Cells option then when resizing Vern the number of horizontal and vertical cells remains the same but the existing cells are resized. If the Proportional option has also been selected resizing is done so that the cells retain the same proportion as the screen.

Hotkeys

Vern can be configured to be raised with the Ctrl-Alt-Cursor keys. Hit Ctrl-Alt-Up to automatically raise Vern and move to the cell above your current cell. Likewise for Ctrl-Alt-Left, Ctrl-Alt-Right and Ctrl-Alt-Down. You can turn this option on and off in the Hotkeys Tab of the Properties dialog box. Vern can be raised above any other running programs by hitting a hotkey. By default this is F12 but can be changed in the Hotkeys Tab of the Properties dialog box.

Auto Activate

If the Auto Activate option has been selected Vern will automatically switch to the cell containing a window that has been selected from the Task bar or the Alt-Tab task list. Turn Auto Activate on and off in the Options menu or in the Options Tab of the Properties dialog box.

Mouse Switching

You can switch between active Vern cells by rubbing the edge of the screen with your mouse. The Mouse Switch Sensitivity is controlled in the Vern menu and can be set to any of five levels from Barely Sensitive to Super Sensitive. If you rub the top edge of the display you will move up one vern cell, similarly for the other edges of the screen.

Vern for Windows 95

Copyright © 1996 One Guy Coding

Windows 95 is © Microsoft Corporation


Vern Menu

 The Main Vern menu is activated by right clicking on Vern or on the tiny Vern icon in the System Tray. Click on a menu item for more details.


Vern Options Menu
Options Menu

 Click on any of the options for details.


Properties Dialog

Click on the tabs for information concerning their functions.


Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments

Thanks to the many users and beta-testers who have helped in the creation of vern.


Virtual Screen

A virtual screen is just like your regular desktop except that the programs you are running can be redistributed over a number of separate desktops.  Each desktop is identical and will display the same desktop icons, the same task bar and the same Start Menu.  When you change virtual screens vern will automatically move to that desktop and restore any programs that happen to be running on that screen.


Vernspace

Vernspace is the area that vern uses for positioning all running programs.  Vern handles all aspects of program switching so you really don’t have to concern yourself with how programs are arranged in vernspace.  But, if you’re curious how vern manipulates things … for example, if your display has a resolution of 1024x768, and you have Vern setup in a single column 5 rows high, the extent of vernspace is from (0,0) to (1023,3839.)


Options Tab


Glue Tab
Glue Tab:  You can glue a program window to the desktop so that it is not moved when you switch vern screens. This tab lists all movable windows and allows you to glue and unglue them to the desktop. The listbox actually shows all window classes but the title of the window is displayed when you click on any of the classes.


Hotkey Tab
Hotkey Tab:  This tab allows you to set any one of several Hotkeys that are available to Vern users.  You can also select the option to cycle through vern windows with the Ctrl-Alt-Cursor keys.  For example, Ctrl-Alt-Up will move you up one vern screen.


Cells Tab
Cells Tab:  Set the vern cell size in this dialog.


Switch To
Switch To: Open the Switch To popup menu


Restore All
Restore All: Restore all windows to the current vern cell.  If a program becomes Lost in Vern Space you can use this option to restore the window.


Next


Previous


Closes Vern and restores all running programs the the current display area.


Click left to change
Click left to change to this virtual Screen.  To open the main Vern menu click right anywhere on Vern.


Click left on this miniature representation of Windows Paint to switch to its virtual screen.


This flyout window identifies the miniature window under the cursor as Calculator. Flyouts can be toggled on and off in the Options menu or the Properties dialog box.


An explorer file list window is running here.


A list of Windows that Vern is responsible for moving through Vernspace


These are the dimensions of each of the Vern cells in pixels.  If you have turned on the freeze cells option these settings will be changed each time you resize the Vern window.


On Top
On Top: Selecting this option leaves Vern on top of all other windows.  The default is off.


Double Click
Double Click: If the Double Click option is selected you must double click in order to change Vern cells.  The default is off.


Show Flyouts
Show Flyouts: To display the small informational flyout windows turn this option on.  The default is on.


Auto Activate
Auto Activate: When a window is brought into the Foreground Vern will switch to that window automatically if this option is selected. For example, if you select a program from the Alt-TAB task list it will be brought into the foreground and Vern will switch to the cell where this window lives. If the window is minimised Vern checks whether the Ignore Minimised option is set before restoring the window. The default is on.


Freeze Cells
Freeze Cells: If this option is selected then cells are stretched or compressed when Vern is resized. If the Proportional option is on the cells will be scaled to screen dimensions. If the Freeze Cells option is off cells will be added or removed when Vern is resized.  The default is off.


Proportional
Proportional: Select this option when using the Freeze Cells option to retain the screen dimensions when resizing Vern.


Ignore Minimised
Ignore Minimised: If this option is selected Vern will skip minimised windows when Auto Activating. The default is off.


Snap To Desktop
Snap to Desktop: When this option is selected Vern ensures that a window is placed entirely within a virtual screen when the miniature representation of that program is dragged through Vern Space.


Restore
Click this button to restore the selected window, from the movable windows list, to the current Vern cell.


Hotkey
Hotkey: To change your hotkey settings click here.


Glue
Glue: Program windows can be glued so that they are always stuck in place no matter which Vern cell is active.  Click this button to indicate which Window Classes are to be glued in place.  For example, you might want to use this function to glue a clock to the desktop so that it won’t move when you switch vern cells.


Help
Help: Open Vern help.  This file.


About
About: Open the Vern about dialog box


Exit Vern
Exit Vern: Move all windows back to the visible screen and exit Vern.


Ok
Ok: Accept all changes and close the dialog box


Cancel
Cancel: Ignore changes and close the dialog box (this does not apply to windows that have been restored or switched to).


Glue list
The gluelist is the list of window classes that are available for glueing. Each window class in the list can be glued or unglued by clicking the glued button above the list box.


Glued button
If this button is checked then all windows of this class will be glued to the desktop.


Function Keys
Select the function key you want to use as a hot key.  There are a number of hotkeys that can be set or unset which are listed in the dropdown listbox below.


Hotkey modifiers
Three modifiers, Ctrl, Shift and Alt are available. Any combination of these three modifiers can be used in addition to the hotkey specified above.


Hotkey List
What the heck


Alt Cursor Hotkeys
Click this button to have vern respond to the Alt-Cursor hotkeys.  For example, if this option is turned on and you hit Alt-Up Vern is raised and the vern cell immediately above the current cell is selected.  Similarly for Alt-Left, Alt-Down and Alt-Right.


Mouse switch
Mouse Switch: If this option is selected you can navigate through vern space by rubbing the edge of the screen in the direction you would like to travel. The sensitivity for this is controlled in the Switch Sensitivity flyout menu.


Wrap
Wrap: Wraps around to the first or last cell when navigating through Vern space with the keyboard or mouse.


Hidden
Hidden: Select this option to hide vern between uses. Vern can be shown with a hotkey or by clicking on the Vern icon in the System Tray.


Priorities flyout
Priorities: This flyout menu allows you to change the Operating System Priorities for any of the processes that Vern is responsible for. If a program is rarely used you may wish to set its priority to Idle to enhance your system performance. Likewise, if you are copying a huge directory tree you might want to give the Explorer window an Idle priority so that you can continue working in another application.  It was reported by one user that by selecting a high priority for Mathematica that his jobs ran five times faster!


Switch Sensitivity
Switch Sensitivity: This option controls the Mouse Switch sensitivity. There are five levels of sensitivity available, from Barely sensitive to Kind of sensitive to Normal Sensitivity then Really sensitive and finally Super Sensitive. With the Barely Sensitive level selected it takes a concerted effort to make mouse switching work. You’ll have to move the cursor around the border (within 5 pixels of any edge of the screen) without drifting from this region. With Normal Sensitivity, simply dragging the mouse cursor along the edge of the screen is enough to change screens.  With Super Sensitive just a slight flick of the cursor near the edge of the screen will do the switch in that direction.


Alt-TAB
One of the fastest methods for switching between applications is the Window System hotkey Alt-TAB. If you weren’t aware of it go ahead, try it!


Registration Code
Your registration code is supplied when you register with One Guy Coding.  Enter the supplied code exactly as given with no spaces before or after.


Registration Name
Your registration name is supplied when you register with One Guy Coding.  Enter the

supplied name exactly as given with no spaces before or after.


Contacting One Guy Coding
One Guy Coding is …

Author:	Steeve McCauley

email:	oneguy@cam.org

Web:	http://www.cam.org/~oneguy


Lost in Vernspace
Very occasionally program windows become lost in vern space. This is annoying and I’ve tried to ensure that programs do not become lost. If this happens with a particular application please let me know. To restore a window that is lost you have several options.

•	Activate the window with the Alt-TAB list or the Task Bar. Hit Alt-Space to open the window’s system menu. Select Move and hit the space bar. You should then be able to drag the window back on screen with the mouse.

•	Use the Restore All option in the Options menu.


Keyboard Interface

When Vern is active:

Cursor	Move upward one cell.  If wrap is on you will move to the bottom most cell if moving up from the top most position.
Cursor	Move downward one cell
Cursor	Move left one cell
Cursor	Move right one cell
Home	Move to the first cell in the current row
End	Move to the last cell in the current row
Page Up	Move to the first cell in the current column
Page Dn	Move to the last cell in the current column
1 through 9	Move to the nth cell.  If there are more horizontal cells than vertical this option will move horizontally, otherwise it moves vertically.
Ctrl-1 through Ctrl-9	Holding down the control key reverses the direction as described above.
When Vern is inactive:

Ctrl-Alt-	Provided that the Alt-Cursor hotkeys are being used move up to the next higher vern cell and activate vern
Ctrl-Alt-	Raise vern and move down one cell
Ctrl-Alt-	Raise vern and move left one cell
Ctrl-Alt-	Rasie vern and move right one cell


Mouse Interface

When Vern is active:

Left click	Change to the cell where the click is registered
Right click	Open the Vern Menu

When Vern is inactive:

Right click	on an MDI child window caption bar, or any minimise, restore or maximise button to raise vern
Mouse Switch	Provided that mouse switching has been activated move the cursor near the edge of the screen in the direction you would like to travel in vern to change vern cells


Registration Information
All in One Guy Coding Registration Code

All shareware by One Guy Coding is covered by the All In One Guy Coding Registration Code, which is a fancy way of saying that if you register for one program you are automatically registered for all other One Guy Coding Shareware.

Credit Card Registration

Registration by credit card costs 20$ US currency.  Credit Card Registration information is also available at my website http://www.cam.org/~oneguy.  See the Registration section for details.

Cheque, Cash or Money Order

If you want to pay by cheque, cash or money order the cost is 20$ US (Canadian funds for Canadian customers.)  Send your cheque or money order, payable to S McCauley, to,

Steeve McCauley

4112 Hotel de Ville

Montreal, Quebec

Canada

H2W 2H1

Be sure to include your return snailmail address or email address so I can send you a registration code.  EMail, of course, is preferred.

Registration Form for Cheque or Money Order Registrations

Full Name	_________________________________________________
Address	_________________________________________________
	_________________________________________________
	_________________________________________________
City	_______________	State / Province	______________
Country	_______________	Zip/Postal Code	______________
eMail	_________________________________________________
#Copies @ 20$ per	_______________
Total	_______________
Please Register today!


Snail Mail
Snail Mail: Standard Internet putdown of Regular Postal Mail.


Credit Card Registration

I am using the Kagi Shareware Registration service to process my Credit Card orders.   You can submit your Credit Card Registration for One Guy Coding shareware to them via eMail, FAX or regular postal mail.

To register by Credit Card you use the register.exe program that came with Vern (or any other One Guy Coding shareware application).  Since all One Guy Coding applications are covered by one registration code (the so-called All in One Guy Coding Registration Code) any of my versions of register.exe will do.  If you don’t have the register.exe program you can download it from my site at http://www.cam.org/~oneguy/Registration.  I can also attach the register.exe program and eMail it to you if you’re having trouble downloading it from that site.

The register.exe program prompts you for the necessary information for submitting your registration to kagi,

•	Registration Name

•	eMail address

•	Postal Address

•	Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard or AmEx) info

This information is then encoded in a format suitable for sending securely via eMail, Fax or postal mail.  The output can be copied to the clipboard (or saved to an ASCII file) and pasted into an email message addressed to sales@kagi.com or it can be printed, faxed or postal mailed.

The Register program was written by  Greg Kochaniak http://www.nb.net/~gregko/winregis.htm).


Kagi eMail

sales@kagi.com


Kagi Fax

+1 510 652 6589


Kagi Postal Mail

Kagi

1442-A Walnut Street #392-LV

Berkeley, California, 94709-1405

USA


Kagi Shareware Registration
Kagi Shareware Registration Service

http://www.kagi.com/