TaskMan is an extension which adds the ability to switch between running processes using the keyboard.
WHAT’S NEW?
Probably more on the inside than is visible on the outside. I did add ShowINIT support so that TaskMan’s icon is displayed at startup time. Also, a bug was fixed where no icons were drawn if the process’ icon could not be loaded.
But the greater feat was completing the transition of the INIT code from Symantec C++ to Metrowerks CodeWarrior C++. The main benefit of doing this was to fix the icon drawing bug. However, this will now put TaskMan in a better suited position to make additional improvements, such as assignable keys.
BACKGROUND
When using multiple applications, switching between them becomes tedious when having to repeatedly click on the windows of inactive processes, or use the Application menu. TaskMan adds this same functionality to specific key combinations which quickly switch processes without wearing a hole in your mouse pad. TaskMan does this by adopting a similar interface that has been successfully used on other platforms.
USING TASKMAN
Pressing Command-Tab displays a window which shows the name and icon of the next process that will be activated when the Command key is released. Repeatedly pressing the Tab key while keeping the Command key down will repeatedly cycle through all active processes. Holding down the Shift key while pressing Command-Tab will cycle through them in the reverse direction.
Pressing Command-Esc will immediately switch to the next process. Holding down the Shift key while doing this will switch to the previous process.
Pressing Control-Esc will open TaskMan’s Process List window. Here all of the active processes are listed with their corresponding icon. In this window, you can
…select a process by clicking on it
…click the “Switch To” button, or press the Return key to activate the selected process
…double-click a process to activate it
…use the up and down arrow keys to select the process name above or below the current selection
…select more than one process with the Shift or Command keys held down
…select all processes by choosing “Select All” from the “Edit” menu
…quit the selected process or processes by pressing the “Quit Process” button
…click the “Cancel” button, press the Esc key, or choose “Quit” from the “File” menu to close the Process List window
…activate another process by clicking on one of it’s windows, which also closes the Process List window
INCOMPATIBILITIES
Because TaskMan intercepts keystrokes at the system level, incompatibilities exist when other software is expecting to receive any of the key combinations used by TaskMan. While this shouldn’t cause any problems, it may be quite annoying when using one of these keys cause you to switch to another process. So far, I have only observed this behavior with F/A-18 and also HyperCard, but I’m sure there are others. A future version of TaskMan will support the assignment of the keys TaskMan uses, but in the meantime it may be bothersome enough to make TaskMan undesirable. I promise to resolve this problem as soon as I have the time!
FINDER FUN
Because desk accessories are managed by the Finder, several things happen when the Finder is not running. First of all, items in your Apple Menu Items folder will disappear, making them inaccessible until the Finder is running again. In addition, any desk accessories that were open cannot be quit from the Process List window; they will have to be quit from the desk accessory itself. And because File Sharing is also closely integrated with the Finder, it is disabled anytime the Finder is not running.
Since the Process Manager will not restart the Finder until there are no other processes running, and because of the problems mentioned in the previous paragraph, it is usually not a good idea to quit the Finder. However, this feature is supported for those rare circumstances when keeping the Finder running is not desirable.
POWER TOOL DISCLAIMER
As with all of my other freeware, TaskMan was written with simplicity and elegance in mind. If you are looking for the ultimate-do-everything-task-processor, TaskMan is probably not for you. But if it suits your needs perfectly, then just smile because it’s also FREE.
FORMALITIES
TaskMan is FREE and may be distributed to anyone by any means as long it remains unaltered, is accompanied by this file, and is not sold for profit. Send bugs, questions, and comments to me at:
Paul Cunningham
PO BOX 1923
Mango FL 33550-1923
AOL: TKS Paul
CompuServe: 75020,3540
Internet: 75020.3540@compuserve.com
P.S.
A BIG thank you to all of you who have sent me e-mail showing your support.
