NV's Button Bar (aka NVBar) Version 1.1 Copyright Nick Varacalli, 1994-1995 ========================================= IMPORTANT ========================================= 1) Before proceeding with the installation, please exit any currently running copies of NVBar. If NVBar is your shell, restore the old shell, and restart Windows (with the old shell). Failure to do so may lead to serious problems. 2) If you are installing to a directory that already has a copy of NVBar, be careful not to overwrite your existing NVBar.ini file. I strongly suggest you make a back-up copy, just in case. 3) This program requires VBRUN300.DLL in your windows\system directory to be able to run. If you do not have it you can do either of two things: a) Download it from: ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/vbrun300.exe b) Notify me by e-mail of your problem at n_varac@pavo.concordia.ca 4) A quick tutorial will run once NVBar has finished installing. Even if you are an advanced user, I suggest you read the "NVBar Features" and "*New This Release*" sections. ========================== ****** Introduction ****** ========================== NV's Button Bar, or NVBar for short, is a simple application launcher, aimed at making it easy for you to launch your applications in MS-Windows (compared to Program Manager). It is presented in the form of a row (or column) of buttons, each button having a small drawing (icon) to indicate what it launches. All documentation, order forms, etc. are contained in the main help file, with the exception of this readme.txt file and uninstal.txt. Introducing: ========================== ****** Installation ****** ========================== Intermediate to Advanced users: Run the file install.exe or setup.exe from Windows. Beginners 0) If you are reading this, then you have already un-zipped the software. 1) Start MS-Windows. 2) In the Program Manager or File Manager Select the "File" menu item. 3) From the drop-down menu that appears, select the "Run" item. 4) In the dialog box that appears, type in the full path to the installation program - i.e. the directory name where you unzipped the .zip file in which you found this file, (eg. c:\tempdir\install) or the drive in which the distribution disk is in (eg. b:\install). 5) Soon, you will see a window titled "NV's Button Bar Installation" 6) Unless you want to change the destination directory, press the "Start Install" button. 7) You will see a status display in the middle of your screen. 8) A dialog box may appear that asks you if you want to replace a file already on your system. If the file exists in your windows or system directory (usually C:\WINDOWS or C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM) it is a good rule of thumb to replace the target file only if the source file is newer. If it exists in the directory you chose to install NVBar to (i.e. you probably have an older version of NVBar on your system) then you should choose to replace the file. 9) Once the installation program is finished, it runs NVBar and a short tutorial, which should show you the main features of NVBar. 10) If you want NVBar to start every time you start windows then see the tips section below. Note: The following files are written to the windows\system directory. If you already have similarly named files in this directory, the installation program will ask you if you wish to change the files only if the files currently on your system are newer. CMDIALOG.VBX CTL3DV2.DLL =================================== ***** Philosophy Behind NVBar ***** =================================== When playing around with Windows, and hence, the Program Manager, I found I didn't like hunting through the various group windows of the Program Manager to have to double click on the appropriate icon. I also didn't appreciate the space Program Manager took up, both on my desktop and in memory. I tried various other button bars, but they were either too simple, too complex, or just not my cup of tea. With that in mind, I designed NVBar with a simple philosophy: - One click application launching: The left, right, or even middle mouse buttons can be used to launch an application with a single click of a button. Depressing the Alt or Shift key while clicking leads to even more options. - Ease of Use: Once you are past setting up NVBar (which admittedly takes some work) it is easy and quick to use and configure. NVBar is ShareWare, $10 for commercial use and $5 from personnal use. ============================= ***** Features Include: ***** ============================= * Launch Files From: Buttons Drop-down menu Command line File selector Drag and Drop from File Manager. Launch data files with the associated application. Move/resize launched applications * Configuration Import from Program Manager Always On Top option Position anywhere on screen (fixed or floating) Support for various picture formats Sizable Buttons. * Windows Functions Exit Restart Windows Reboot System Run File outside windows Display system resources Full Shell capabilities * Other Full Context Sensitive Help & Introductory Tutorial Run multiple instances of NVBar using different initialization files. Low disk space/ resource usage. HotKey to bring NVBar quickly to the top. * And more... =================================== ****** Contacting The Author ****** =================================== If you have any problems, I can be contacted at 1) n_varac@vega.concordia.ca 2) (514)-728-8337 (Eastern Time, please be considerate, this is a home number.) ================= ***** Tips: ***** ================= Help can be obtained by clicking on the question mark button, or by pressing . If you want NVBar to run each time you start windows, then edit your win.ini file (in the Windows directory). look for a line near the beginning of the file that starts with "run=" and add the path to NVBar at the end of the line. (eg. run=oldstuff.exe c:\nvbar\nvbar.exe) OR Copy the NVBar icon created in the Program Manager to your startup group. Thank You - Nick Varacalli