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╩ Virtual Desktop 1.9 March 6, 1996 Disclaimer and Copyright Notice Virtual Desktop is a free utility designed to act as a System 7 virtual desktop manager. The author, Ross Brown, makes no warranty, either express or implied, with respect to this software, its performance, merchantability, or suitability for any particular purpose. People using the Virtual Desktop utility do so at their own risk. The author disclaims all liability for loss of data, mechanical damage, or other losses suffered while using the Virtual Desktop utility. Virtual Desktop is an AWOL Software Production, Copyright ⌐ 1994-6 Ross Brown. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to make and distribute copies of this software, provided this disclaimer and copyright notice are preserved on all copies. The software may not, however, be sold or distributed for profit, or included with other software which is sold or distributed for profit, without the permission of the author. There are no site license fees for the use of Virtual Desktop within an organization. The author encourages you to make and distribute as many copies of the application as you wish, for whomever you wish, as long as it is not for profit. Virtual Desktop is part of a set of cooperating programs, AWOL Utilities. The tutorial help you are reading is designed for handling by the help server application Help on Wheels, which is also part of AWOL Utilities. Distribution Policy New versions of individual AWOL Utilities programs, including Virtual Desktop, are available by anonymous FTP from popular archive sites including sumex-aim.stanford.edu, mac.archive.umich.edu, and their respective mirror sites, and through Usenet news group comp.binaries.mac. Support for AWOL Utilities is through Internet mail at address ab026@freenet.carleton.ca. The software is not available by FTP from this site. The address for paper correspondence is AWOL Software Productions, PO Box 24207, 300 Eagleson Road, Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2M 2C3. Macintosh users who do not have access to electronic sources of free and shareware software may obtain a copy of AWOL Utilities by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope and an 800K (or larger) formatted diskette to the author at the above address. U.S. users are reminded that postage from Canada in 1996 is C$0.52 up to 30 grams (1 oz.), C$0.77 up to 50 grams (1 3/4 oz.), and C$1.17 up to 100 grams (3 1/2 oz.). US$0.50, US$0.75, and US$1.00 in coin is acceptable in place of stamps for the respective weights. People outside the U.S. and Canada may send an international postal reply coupon instead of Canadian stamps (available from any post office). Please use sturdy envelopes, preferably cardboard disk mailers. (Mailers over 5 mm (1/5") thick require C$1.17 postage to the U.S.) Please do not send return envelopes with non-Canadian stamps, as Canada Post will not accept them. About AWOL Software Productions AWOL Software Productions specializes in custom development of software for the Mac OS. Since its inception in 1990, AWOL has developed a number of programs which enhance the Mac OS user experience, working in nearly every part of the Macintosh Toolbox. If you have a short-term programming task or product idea but lack the staff to do the expert design, coding, and documentation, we invite your inquiry. Virtual Desktop is AWOL╒s best-known effort, serving the desktop expansion needs of thousands of Mac users around the world. Later in 1996, AWOL will release a new commercial version 2.0 to replace the freeware version contained in the AWOL Utilities package. Please contact us at ab026@freenet.carleton.ca for feature and ordering information. Users who want more out of the Mac╒s speech capabilities should check out MacYack Pro, a jointly developed package of speech tools marketed by Scantron Quality Computers (qualitycomp@aol.com; 20200 Nine Mile Rd., St. Clair Shores, MI 48080). Purpose Virtual Desktop is the answer to a growing problem among users of modern Macintosh computers, who have plenty of RAM to run programs in, but don╒t have the ╥screen real estate╙ to handle large numbers of windows productively. This problem is especially acute for people using PowerBook computers, because of their small screen size. Virtual Desktop, the premier virtual desktop manager for the Macintosh, is an adaptation of the kind of virtual window manager found on many X Window System workstations. Having allocated some memory for off-screen buffers, they let the user╒s screen view move between several ╥rooms╙ where various programs can put their windows. Usually, these rooms are non-overlapping and arranged in a rigid grid pattern. A small-scale window shows the user where all the windows are, in a stylized form. On the Macintosh, to date, there have been three successful solutions to this problem. The first, a commercial program using software techniques, extended the desktop by scrolling it away when the user shoved the mouse against the edge of the screen. The second, a shareware program with hardware dependencies, bought the user some extra real estate by opening up the usually black area at the edges of the monitor. The third, an increasingly lucrative business, is the sale of graphic display stations or expansion cards with hardware-based scroll and zoom capability. Virtual Desktop has a number of advantages over these solutions. First, it╒s free. Second, it works on all types of monitors. Third, it has a sophisticated user interface. Fourth, it takes advantage of System 7 features to do the whole job in the fewest possible clicks and keystrokes. And last, it╒s free. Who Can Use Virtual Desktop? Any Macintosh running System 7.0 or later can use Virtual Desktop. There is nothing special to install, but the first time you open Virtual Desktop, it will ask for permission to install its own system extension, then suggest that you restart your Macintosh. This system extension is required in order for the application to operate. See the section entitled ╥Virtual Desktop Extension╙ for more information. NOTE: To work as it does, the program needs intimate knowledge of how Finder works. Because of this dependency, Virtual Desktop checks the system version at startup, and if it finds itself in an unfamiliar version, it warns you and lets you decide whether to continue. This version of Virtual Desktop may someday be replaced by one which takes account of changes in later versions of Finder. Virtual Desktop also works on Macintoshes running At Ease instead of Finder, with the exception of one option which requires Finder. See the section entitled ╥The Door Preferences Dialog╙ for more information. Virtual Desktop can be placed on an AppleShare file server, where any number of users can access it simultaneously. What Does Virtual Desktop Do? Virtual Desktop, simply put, puts scroll bars on your screen. This is the most intuitive way for most people to operate a desktop which is larger than their screen. This ╥virtual desktop╙ can be as large as the user wants it to be, with no additional expense of memory. It also has a mode where the user can inspect and rearrange the layout of windows and icons on the entire virtual desktop. For people who use the same applications every day, Virtual Desktop lets them build ╥doors,╙ which make the virtual desktop scroll to a preset location when clicked, in the manner of an old push-button car radio, but more ergonomic. You can open a door by clicking, by pressing a Command-digit combination or F-key, by selection from an optional Door menu, or (if you have a recent PowerBook or are running System 7.5.2 or later) by using the Control Strip. Virtual Desktop also has a number of ╥usage options╙ which, when enabled, let you do quick scrolling actions without leaving the application you╒re using. Scroll Bars Virtual Desktop puts a horizontal scroll bar along the bottom edge of your main monitor, and a vertical scroll bar along the right or left edge (your choice). In the corner between the scroll bars is a little square anchor window with the Virtual Desktop icon on it, where you can click to make Virtual Desktop active. While Virtual Desktop is active, you can scroll using either scroll bars or keyboard. Press the Page Up or Page Down key to scroll vertically (or horizontally, with the Option key pressed). Press the Home key to return to the ╥home╙ or startup location. Press the End key to go back to where you were when you last pressed Home. By default, the scroll bars only appear while Virtual Desktop is active, but you can have them up all the time, losing a bit of the screen area in exchange for easier scrolling. You can also suppress them altogether, if you prefer. See the section entitled ╥Usage Options╙ below. Reading the scroll bars╒ ╥sliders╙ tells you where you are on the virtual desktop in relation to all the other items (windows and desktop icons). Ordinarily, the extent of the virtual desktop is padded by half a screenful beyond the most extreme item in each direction. To grow the desktop, you can increase that pad factor in increments of half a screenful. As you move items farther outward into the pad area, the virtual desktop grows automatically. The scroll bars appear on the main monitor (the one with the menu bar). If you change the monitor resolution, move the menu bar to another monitor, or turn video mirroring on or off, Virtual Desktop adjusts automatically, moving the scroll bars to the correct position and positioning the sliders to reflect the new state of your virtual desktop. Full View Mode If you need to see beyond what your monitor or monitors can display at one time, to get the big picture of all items on the virtual desktop, you can go into Full View mode. There are three ways to do it ╤ by menu command, by keystroke, and by double-clicking on the anchor window. Full View mode takes over the main monitor, covering everything but the menu bar and the scroll bars. It shows a picture of the whole virtual desktop, scaled down to fit, with color-keyed rectangles showing the outline of every application╒s windows, including the ones that are hidden. A white area in the background shows what part of the virtual desktop is currently visible through a monitor. In this picture, you can get help balloons to tell you what the windows and icons are, click and drag to rearrange them, and double-click to scroll and bring them to the front so that you can see them. You can also drag the white area to move the desktop view relative to all windows and icons. On one side of the picture, Virtual Desktop shows a set of radio buttons and a list box. There is one radio button for every application which has a window open, plus one at the bottom of the heap for all desktop icons. When you click on a radio button, Virtual Desktop fills the list box with the names of all the items belonging to that group. By selecting an item from the list, you can see where that item is on the virtual desktop. Conversely, you can click on an item in the picture to see its name and what group it belongs to. Doors At some point, you will begin to imagine a virtually boundless virtual desktop layout for your applications ╤ mail windows here, word processor there, and a picture of your spouse and children in the top corner, in case you forget what they look like. It would be hard to move from location to location using scroll bars, and not very efficient using Full View mode, so Virtual Desktop gives you a better tool for the job: doors. To make a door, you scroll to the location you want to work in, and tell Virtual Desktop to create a new door. It asks you for a name, and a place on the desktop where it can drop the little door icon window with the name on it. You could build a whole corridor of doors to different places, or use one of the predefined multiple-door arrangements (row, column, cross, or grid). To move from one preset location to another, you just click on a door. The door icon ╥opens,╙ and you╒re there. Every ╥room╙ should have a trash can alias in the lower right corner, of course, but that╒s your job. That describes the simplest use of doors. Beyond that, there are some useful preference options you can apply to each door. You can associate an application with the door, so that Virtual Desktop will make that application active as you jump to where its windows are. Better still, you can have it tell Finder to open any item of your choice (application, document, folder, or other) when you open the door. If that application prefers a specific color depth (╥Thousands╙ of colors, or plain old ╥Black & White╙), you can tell Virtual Desktop to change the depth when you open the door. Even when Virtual Desktop isn╒t running, you can use the Door menu, placed on the right side of the menu bar, to instantaneously launch Virtual Desktop and open any door. For PowerBook users and those running System 7.5.2 or later, the ╥Virtual Desktop Doors╙ Control Strip module does the same thing without clogging your menu bar. This feature, combined with its ability to tie any item to the opening of a door, makes Virtual Desktop an effective application/document launcher. Usage Options This version of Virtual Desktop offers five ways to do virtual desktop scrolling without leaving the active application. First, you can choose a key combination which scrolls the virtual desktop up, down, left, or right. You choose any combination of the modifier keys (Command, Shift, Option, Control), plus any four keys for the four directions. Second, you can tell Virtual Desktop to watch the mouse pointer. If this option is on, and you move the mouse while pressing any combination of the modifier keys, the virtual desktop will ╥shift╙ along with the pointer when you release the keys. Third, you can tell it to react when you shove the mouse pointer into any edge of the screen, while pressing any combination of the modifier keys. The virtual desktop will scroll away in the opposite direction. Fourth, you can tell it to show the scroll bars at all times, whatever application is active. If you operate a scroll bar while using another application, Virtual Desktop will return you to that application as soon as it has scrolled the desktop. Fifth, you can click on a door icon window, or use the Door menu or Control Strip, to open a door, having set that door to switch back to the frontmost (active) application. How Does Virtual Desktop Work? Virtual Desktop Extension Virtual Desktop requires a system extension to persuade Finder that the desktop is larger than your monitors, and to ensure that off-screen icon positions are recorded correctly. When you open the Virtual Desktop application, it will check to see if the ╥Virtual Desktop Extension╙ system extension was loaded at startup. If not, it will ask for permission to install it in your Extensions folder, if it isn╒t already there. If you agree, the application will suggest a restart, then quit, because the extension must be loaded at startup in order for the application to operate. If the extension was loaded, but is not the same version as the application, you will be prompted to replace it. You must then restart your Macintosh in order to use the application. If you remove the extension, or disable it by pressing the Shift key at startup, Finder will bring any desktop icons positioned off-screen back into view. (If you do not reposition them, they will return to their off-screen positions after the next restart.) This shows how Virtual Desktop manages the virtual desktop. It works not by enlarging the ╥real╙ desktop area using extra memory, but by actually moving windows and icons around on the desktop. Part of that trick is to persuade Finder not to round up the ╥lost sheep.╙ How to Start Up Virtual Desktop The first time you start up the Virtual Desktop application, you will be working with a very small virtual desktop, and nothing off the monitors. If you move some icons off the desktop view using Full View mode, scroll with the scroll bars, then quit, you will notice that Virtual Desktop has returned you to the ╥home╙ location, and that the items you moved off the desktop remain out of view. You must reopen Virtual Desktop to access them. Because the extension implements the illusion of a virtual desktop, the application need only be open when you want to do some scrolling. Once you are comfortable with Virtual Desktop, you may want to start it up by putting it (or an alias to it) in your Startup Items folder. Another way is to use door files, Virtual Desktop documents that open the application and scroll the virtual desktop to a preset location when opened. You may want to replace some of your current startup items with door files, having set the preferences for each door so that Finder will open each item in its own place on the virtual desktop. See the section entitled ╥The Door Preferences Dialog╙ for more information about door files. Another way to start up Virtual Desktop is to select a door from the Door menu or the Control Strip. Routine Maintenance Virtual Desktop works by moving windows and icons, not by enlarging the actual desktop. Therefore, applications are never aware of where you are on the virtual desktop. In a way, this is good, because they will normally put their windows where you can see them. You will probably want to dedicate an area of the virtual desktop to some commonly used application. However, the application doesn╒t know what that location is, so you have to help it somehow. One way would be to move to the location by clicking on a door icon window, then to open the application using the Apple menu or some desktop icon which you have placed there for the purpose. (If you have set the application preferences for Finder so that Finder╒s windows are exempt from scrolling, you can always find the icon you want through those windows.) There are several ways to automate the opening of applications and documents in ╥preferred╙ virtual desktop locations. One way is to set the door preferences so that Virtual Desktop asks Finder to open the item just after scrolling to the door location. (The only problem with this approach, depending on the application in question, is that later attempts to open the door, leading to more requests to open the item, may cause unwanted effects.) Another way is to use an alias file converted by Maybe, another AWOL Utilities program, which automatically tells Virtual Desktop to scroll to this location just before opening the target item. Yet another way is to open the items in question, then start up Virtual Desktop, which (with the application preferences appropriately set) can shuttle the windows out to their various door locations. See the section entitled ╥Suggestions for Use╙ for more information on Maybe. Sensitive Applications The great majority of applications tolerate Virtual Desktop╒s scrolling behavior with no problems. There are others, though, and you should be aware of the symptoms of trouble. First, some applications may not work right if their windows are off-screen. This is especially true of well-programmed applications which use a ╥device loop╙ to compute the right drawing effects for each monitor their windows intersect, because they typically need to know which monitor has the greatest color depth, and may get confused if there isn╒t such a monitor. Second, some applications don╒t use the Macintosh╒s QuickDraw graphics model to draw on your monitors. An example would be any frame-grabbing video expansion card which addresses screen memory directly. Their windows will come apart when Virtual Desktop scrolls the frames without the contents. Even HyperCard has a little trouble sometimes. QuickTime movie players seem to get along fine with Virtual Desktop, however. Third, some applications don╒t listen to the operating system when it tells them to redraw parts of their windows which have been exposed by scrolling, because they think they know which parts are exposed. These applications seem to respond better to door jumps than to manual scrolling. Applications built with Apple╒s MacApp¿ framework seem especially prone to this problem. Despite these glitches, though, life with Virtual Desktop is arguably better than life without. How to Shut Down Using Virtual Desktop Virtual Desktop has a Special menu which contains Restart and Shut Down commands, like those in Finder. If you use Virtual Desktop regularly, it╒s good practice to use this Special menu rather than Finder╒s, because it makes sure that Virtual Desktop gets a chance to clean up and quit before any other application. If you have a scriptable Finder (version 7.1.4 or later, or version 7.1 or later with ╥Finder Scripting Extension╙ installed), you may find it helpful to have the ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ application in your Shutdown Items folder. This will force Virtual Desktop to quit first when you request a restart or shutdown by any standard method (Finder╒s Special menu, the Power key, or the ╥Ñ Shut Down╙ desk accessory). Note that items in the Shutdown Items folder may not be opened if you restart or shut down using any indirect method, such as an installer application. The first time you open Virtual Desktop, just after you agree to install ╥Virtual Desktop Extension,╙ the application will offer to install ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ in your Shutdown Items folder, if you have a scriptable Finder. (You may refuse the offer if you don╒t want ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ installed; if you change your mind later, you can get it using the Install menu.) If Virtual Desktop doesn╒t clean up before a restart or shutdown, some applications may record their window positions as off-screen, so the next time they start up, they may choose a default on-screen position. This is quite understandable behavior, actually helpful, except when you are using Virtual Desktop to manage your desktop. Virtual Desktop provides an application preference option to handle this sort by bringing their windows back into view before they quit. By practice, you will come to know which applications need such special treatment. Using the Control Strip If you have Apple╒s Control Strip control panel, or one of the ╥aftermarket╙ shareware programs that let you use Control Strip modules on any Macintosh, you should consider using the ╥Virtual Desktop Doors╙ Control Strip module instead of the Door menu. It gives the same capability, without taking up space in the menu bar. The first time you open Virtual Desktop, just after you agree to install ╥Virtual Desktop Extension,╙ the application will offer to install the Control Strip module in your Control Strip Modules folder, if Control Strip is available. (You may refuse the offer if you don╒t want the Control Strip module installed; if you change your mind later, you can get it using the Install menu.) The module will appear in your Control Strip after the next restart, though you may have to drag the tab at the end of the Control Strip to make it visible. The menu that pops up from the Control Strip has the same commands as the Door menu. See the section entitled ╥The Door Menu╙ for more information. You may find that the Control Strip obscures Virtual Desktop╒s horizontal scroll bar window. If you do not intend to use the scroll bars, you can set a usage option to suppress them. If you do intend to use them, you can Option-drag the tab at the end of the Control Strip to move it up from its usual position at the bottom of the screen. Suggestions for Use Virtual Desktop is distributed as part of a free set of cooperating programs, AWOL Utilities. This section explains how Virtual Desktop can work in conjunction with the other programs. Help on Wheels Help on Wheels is an efficient and full-featured help server which displays help files on behalf of client applications. The help file you are reading is distributed alongside the Virtual Desktop application file as a separate Help on Wheels document. You can read this help at any time while using Virtual Desktop, either by selecting ╥Virtual Desktop Help╙ from the Help menu, or by pressing the Help or Command-? key. Alternatively, press the Help or Command-? key while the machine is starting up, and release the key once you see the Virtual Desktop extension icon with a help balloon on it. The help server will open to display the help file after startup is complete. This version of Virtual Desktop has some support for the sophisticated features of Help on Wheels, such as context-sensitivity, casual displays, and ╥hot╙ hypertext buttons. This help file can be stored separately from the Virtual Desktop application, archived, or trashed, without affecting Virtual Desktop╒s routine operation. Maybe Among the options of Maybe, a Finder alias enhancer, is one which lets you open any other item just as the target item is being opened or printed. Virtual Desktop has an option to create a very small document called a door file, whose name matches the name of a door. Opening a door file from Finder is another way to open the door. If you have an alias to a document or application which you might like to work on in a preset location on the virtual desktop, Maybe can convert that alias, attaching the door file as the item to open first. Then, whenever you open the converted alias, whose icon looks like the original, Maybe and Virtual Desktop co-operate to scroll the virtual desktop to the ╥right╙ location for that target item, then open it. Menu Events Menu Events is a small, single-purpose system extension which lets any program send Apple events to most high-level-event-aware applications having a menu bar. These ╥Menu events╙ let you query the contents and state of the application╒s menus, then select a menu command and tell the target application to do it. Virtual Desktop is a useful target for a Menu event, because it has many menu commands, and no scripting interface. Any action you can do using Virtual Desktop menus can be instigated by any application which can send an Apple event, such as Maybe. NOTE: Menu Events is intended for Macintosh programmers and those familiar with Apple event scripting. If your favorite archive site does not have Menu Events and its companion application Menu Grabber, you may request a copy from the author at the addresses listed above. Windows and Dialogs Virtual Desktop operates several windows and dialog boxes, which are described here. The Scroll Bar Windows Virtual Desktop maintains one horizontal and one vertical scroll bar window. If you use them while Virtual Desktop is already active, it will remain active; otherwise, it will return to whatever application was active before. Through the Layout Preferences dialog, you can vary the thickness of the scroll bars, and you can move the vertical scroll bar to the left side if you wish. A left-handed arrangement is good for southpaws, but also worth considering just because Finder tends to use the right side of the desktop for things with no definite position, like volume icons and new folders and documents. Through the Usage Preferences dialog, you can make the scroll bar windows appear at all times. By default, they disappear when Virtual Desktop goes into the background. You can also decide not to show the scroll bars at all, if you prefer other means of scrolling. The Anchor Window This small window has the Virtual Desktop icon on it. Clicking once makes it active, and clicking twice enters Full View mode. After that, clicking toggles between Full View mode and the usual see-through mode. The Full View Window This window appears only in Full View mode, covering the area not occupied by the menu bar and scroll bars. It consists of three parts: picture, radio buttons, and list box. Ñ Picture The picture is the most interesting part of the Full View window. It offers many functions. í Backdrop The Full View picture has a gray backdrop showing the current extent of the virtual desktop, reduced to fit the area available for the picture display. Through the Layout Preferences dialog, you have the option of a flexible aspect ratio, which distorts images in the picture to fill the available area, or a true aspect ratio, which scales all images without distortion, but leaves some unused space in the picture, filled with a darker gray or black. The virtual desktop is padded in each direction by a factor which you can adjust using the ╥Grow Desktop╙ and ╥Shrink Desktop╙ menu commands. If you move a window or icon into the pad area, the virtual desktop will grow automatically the next time the view is refreshed. í Desktop View In the background, a white area describes the part of the virtual desktop which is currently visible through the monitor or monitors, rather like those ╥through the binoculars╙ shots in bad old movies. Anything resting in the white area is the image of a visible window or icon. You can click and drag this white area to another point on the virtual desktop, moving the desktop view relative to all windows and icons. This is effectively a diagonal form of scrolling. If you use the scroll bars, you will see the white area move accordingly. í Window and Icon Images Every window or desktop icon (collectively known as ╥items╙) appears in the picture as an outline rectangle with a representative size, shape, and position. On a color monitor, the color of the rectangle matches that of the owning application╒s radio button, for easy recognition. Where images overlap, the outline of the front item is solid, and the others are hatched (cut diagonally). On a color monitor, the cursor changes color as it passes over the images, to help you see which window is in front at that point. With balloons showing, you can get detailed information on what the mouse is pointing to. The images of windows belonging to hidden applications, as well as windows rolled up using WindowShade, appear as thin dotted outlines. They don╒t figure in the cursor or balloon behavior described above unless the Option key is pressed. The mechanism for selecting and dragging item images is a little unusual. At any time, there may be only one item selected. Its image outline is filled in. Even if that item is behind other items at some points, the hand-shaped cursor tells you that you can click and drag that item from any point to any other point, without making it active. By contrast, you can also click and drag a non-selected item, without affecting the selection, but the item dragged will be the one which is frontmost at the click point. An item becomes selected either by clicking on its image, or by actions on the radio buttons or list box. The current selection is always reflected in all three parts of the Full View window ╤ picture, radio buttons, and list box. If you double-click on an item image, Virtual Desktop will make that window or icon active (showing the window if it was hidden or rolled up using WindowShade), and go into the background. If the point where you clicked was outside the white area, the desktop view will scroll automatically to center the selected item on the main monitor. Likewise, you can press the Return or Enter key to make the selected item active, but scrolling will only occur if the item is completely outside the desktop view. The entire Full View window is a static display. It does not track the movements, appearances, or disappearances of windows and icons. If Virtual Desktop finds that an item has moved, disappeared, or changed its title, the cursor shows a question mark while over the item╒s image, and you cannot do anything with the item. The ╥Refresh╙ menu command clears up this situation, redrawing the entire window and repositioning the scroll bars. NOTE: The virtual desktop may sometimes become very large, and the images very small, because some application has placed a window in a very remote position. This is a technique some programmers use to hide a window. If this becomes a problem, move the window╒s image nearer to the rest of the items, then use the ╥Refresh╙ menu command to rescale the picture. Ñ Radio Buttons The order of radio buttons from top to bottom is the same as the layering order of the applications╒ windows. However, applications without windows do not appear. A special button labeled ╥Desktop icons╙ at the bottom covers all desktop icons. Each radio button is given a color to match the images in the picture. By default, the color is computed by hashing the application╒s signature, but you can change it through the Application Preferences dialog. Clicking on a radio button fills the list box with the titles of the application╒s windows (or desktop icons) and selects the front item in the list and in the picture. You can use Shift-Up-Arrow and Shift-Down-Arrow to go up and down the stack of radio buttons without using the mouse. When you are selecting items using images in the picture, the radio button selection changes accordingly. Ñ List Box The order of entries from top to bottom is the same as the layering order of the selected application╒s windows (or desktop icons). Items without titles appear in the list as ╥[untitled]╙. If an item moves, disappears, or changes title, its entry in the list changes to ╥[moved]╙, ╥[defunct]╙, or ╥[retitled]╙. You can use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to go up and down the list without using the mouse. You can also select by typing the first few letters of an item╒s title. If you double-click on a list entry, Virtual Desktop will make that window or icon active (showing the window if it was hidden or rolled up using WindowShade), and go into the background. If the item is completely outside the desktop view, the desktop view will scroll automatically to center the selected item on the main monitor. When you are selecting items using images in the picture, the list selection changes accordingly. The Door Icon Windows Every door you define can have a small iconic window on the desktop, which does not move when the virtual desktop scrolls. Each door icon window carries the first few letters of the door╒s name for identification, and can have its own distinctive door and wall colors. When you create a door, unless the default door preference option is not to show door icon windows, Virtual Desktop prompts you to place the window with a special door-shaped cursor. After you have placed the window, you can move it by clicking and dragging. A good practice is to reserve a small area in one corner of the main monitor, where door icon windows can congregate and be visible regardless of which door is open. Clicking once on the door icon window (without dragging) opens the door. If you press the Option key while clicking, Virtual Desktop will ignore any option to switch applications or change the color depth after opening the door, and will remain active. The About Dialog This dialog presents Virtual Desktop╒s About box. It is opened by the ╥About Virtual Desktop╔╙ command in the Apple menu. It mentions, by way of a balloon, that Virtual Desktop offers help through both Balloon Help and Help on Wheels. If you already have balloons showing, Virtual Desktop spares you the balloon, figuring that you╒ve probably seen enough recently. The Layout Preferences Dialog This dialog appears when you select Layout╔ from the Preferences menu. It lets you set options which affect the appearance of Virtual Desktop windows. Ñ Orientation option Choose a left- or right-handed orientation of Virtual Desktop windows using the radio buttons. A left-handed orientation places the vertical scroll bar at the left edge of the main monitor, and places the list box and radio buttons at the left side of the Full View window. The default is a right-handed orientation. Ñ Scroll Bar Thickness option Depending on how much screen area you have to spare, and how accurate you can be with your clicks, you may want to increase or decrease the width of the scroll bars. (If they are taking up too much space, you may want to suppress them altogether using the Usage Preferences dialog.) Allowable values are between 4 and 64 pixels, inclusive. The default is for standard 16-pixel-wide scroll bars. Ñ Full View Sidebar Width option If you have a large main monitor, you may want to give the Full View list box and radio buttons more width in which to display item titles and application names. Allowable values are between 64 and 256 pixels, inclusive. The default is for a 128-pixel-wide sidebar. Ñ Full View Desktop Aspect Ratio option Choose a flexible or true aspect ratio for the Full View picture using the radio buttons. A flexible aspect ratio distorts item images to maximize coverage in the picture, while a true aspect ratio preserves the shape of images and leaves dark gray or black gutters beside the virtual desktop backdrop. The default is to use a flexible desktop aspect ratio. Ñ Cancel Click here to cancel the changes made to existing layout options. Ñ Use Defaults Click here to change all options to their default values, the ones described in this help file. Ñ OK Click here to accept the options and close the dialog. This will immediately change the Virtual Desktop window display. If any options are invalid, you are prompted to correct them. The Usage Preferences Dialog This dialog appears when you select Usage╔ from the Preferences menu. It lets you set options which affect how you can ask Virtual Desktop to scroll the virtual desktop while it is in the background. These options are not effective unless the Virtual Desktop application is running. However, using the Door menu does start up the application. Ñ Press Key option If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will react to certain keystrokes, even if it is in the background. Use the individual check buttons to select one or more modifier keys (Command, Shift, Option, Control) which must be down when the key is pressed. Click on one of the four arms of the compass rose to change the key which causes Virtual Desktop to scroll in that direction. (In this respect, keys on the numeric keypad are distinct from the like-labeled keys on the main part of the keyboard.) NOTE: The active application will not see the keystroke if this option has been set to react to it. If your key combination choices are obstructing your use of some application, press the Caps Lock key, and try again. This will cause Virtual Desktop to ignore the keystroke. This option is separate from the built-in support for the Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys, which work only while the Virtual Desktop application is active. This option usually works even if you are facing a modal dialog, the kind which you must answer before you can do anything else. Sometimes you may need it to get a look at a modal dialog box which has come up outside the visible desktop area. The default is a Shift-Control-Arrow combination for all four directions, but the entire option is off by default. Ñ Move Mouse option If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will track the mouse pointer whenever the selected modifier keys are pressed, and scroll the virtual desktop in the direction of mouse movement. It is as if you have put your finger on the desktop ╥blotter╙ holding all of the windows and icons, and pushed it across the desk. A blinking circle on the desktop marks the point where the pointer was when the modifier keys were pressed. This marker does not appear until you have moved the pointer a certain distance, and disappears again if you move it back. So, if you didn╒t mean to shift the desktop, and you see a blinking circle, you should extinguish it before releasing any of the modifier keys (or pressing another). When you release any of the modifier keys (or press another), if the pointer has moved significantly, Virtual Desktop will shift the desktop accordingly. Whatever was under the blinking circle moves to the new mouse position, and everything else with it. Like the Press Key option, this option usually works even if a modal dialog is posted. In previous versions, this option worked only with the Shift key, and that remains the default, though it is not the most practical choice, given that many applications support Shift-selection and Shift-dragging. The default modifier key is Shift, but the entire option is off by default. Ñ Shove Mouse option If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will react to the mouse pointer hitting any edge of the screen whenever the selected modifier keys are pressed, and scroll the virtual desktop away from that edge. This is handy when you need access to something which is just off the visible desktop in that direction. The desktop will continue to scroll as long as you hold the mouse pointer at the edge and press the selected modifier keys, so you can regulate this form of scrolling by twitching the mouse or by pressing and releasing the modifier keys. (The repeat rate is based on the double-click speed which you select using the Mouse control panel.) Like the Press Key and Move Mouse options, this option usually works even if a modal dialog is posted. Be careful if you assign the Option key as the modifier key for this option, as it may cause unwanted scrolling when selecting from the menu bar. The default modifier keys are Option and Control, but the entire option is off by default. Ñ Scroll Bars option If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will show scroll bar windows at the sides of the main monitor. If you select ╥always,╙ Virtual Desktop will not hide its scroll bar windows when going into the background, so that they continue to be available at all times. Virtual Desktop will become active while the user operates the scroll bars, but will return to the background afterwards. If you select ╥only when active,╙ Virtual Desktop will hide its scroll bar windows when going into the background. This option does not work when a modal dialog is posted, because you can only use the mouse within the dialog box. This option is on by default, with scroll bar windows showing only when Virtual Desktop is active. Ñ Door Menu option If this option is in effect when the machine is starting up, the Virtual Desktop extension will place the Door menu in the menu bar alongside the Help, Keyboard, and Application menus. A change to this option will take effect at the next restart. See the section entitled ╥The Door Menu╙ for more information. This option is on by default. Ñ Scroll by option If you select ╥half screens,╙ Virtual Desktop will scroll the virtual desktop by half a screenful when you use the ╥press key,╙ ╥shove mouse,╙ or ╥scroll bars╙ usage option, or when you press the Page Up or Page Down key. If you select ╥full screens,╙ Virtual Desktop will scroll by a screenful instead. This may not be apparent when using the scroll bars, because the default virtual desktop padding is only half a screenful, and you cannot scroll farther outward until you grow the virtual desktop. The default is to scroll by half screens. Ñ Cancel Click here to cancel the changes made to existing usage options. Ñ Use Defaults Click here to change all options to their default values, the ones described in this help file. Ñ OK Click here to accept the options and close the dialog. If any options are invalid, you are prompted to correct them. The Application Preferences Dialog This dialog appears when you select Application╔ from the Preferences menu. It lets you set options which affect the handling of the current application╒s windows (or desktop icons). The current application is the one whose radio button is selected in the Full View window. This dialog is not available outside of Full View mode. Ñ Color option Click on the colored square to change the color used for the current application╒s radio button and for all of its item images in the picture. The default is a color computed by hashing the application╒s signature. Ñ Exempt Application╒s Items From All Scrolling option If this option is in effect, Virtual Desktop will not move the current application╒s windows (or desktop icons) when it scrolls the virtual desktop. They retain their position in the desktop view, that is, they stick to the monitor(s). This option is appropriate for utilities which provide menu-bar-like functions, and for monitor programs like PrintMonitor. This option is off by default. Ñ Anchor Application╒s Items to Door option This option is not available if the Exempt Application╒s Items From All Scrolling option is on. It is also not applicable to desktop icons. If the current application╒s windows are usually confined to the home area, you should choose ╥none╙ from the pop-up menu, meaning that Virtual Desktop will leave the windows where they are on the virtual desktop when quitting. If they happen to be outside the home area, they may be inaccessible until you open Virtual Desktop again. If the current application is usually associated with one door location, you should choose that door from the pop-up menu. When Virtual Desktop quits, it will move the current application╒s windows into the home area, in the same positions which they occupied relative to that door. When Virtual Desktop opens the next time, it will move the windows back to that door area. This capability is important if you don╒t intend to keep Virtual Desktop open all the time, because it lets you use doors to separate the windows of several applications, but then to see all of the windows stacked up in the home area when you quit Virtual Desktop. Even if you do keep Virtual Desktop open all the time, this option is necessary for applications which remember the positions of their windows when they quit. If the application╒s windows are off-screen when you restart or shut down your Macintosh, it may decide to ignore those positions the next time you open it, instead choosing default positions, probably not what you want. By using this option, and by making it a habit to restart or shut down using Virtual Desktop╒s Special menu rather than Finder╒s (or, if you have a scriptable Finder, by placing the ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ application in your Shutdown Items folder), so that Virtual Desktop gets to quit first, you are assured that such applications will remember meaningful, on-screen window positions for the next session. NOTE: If you later rename the door, you should update this option, because the door you choose is recorded by name. The default is not to anchor the application╒s windows to any door. Ñ Cancel Click here to cancel the changes made to existing application options. Ñ Use Defaults Click here to change all options to their default values, which you may have changed using Make Defaults (see below). Click here with the Option key pressed to change all options to their built-in default values, the ones described in this help file. Ñ Make Defaults Click here to change the default values for all options (except the Color option) to those displayed in the dialog. Ñ OK Click here to accept the options and close the dialog. The Door Preferences Dialog When you create a new door, its initial options are the defaults. Its location on the virtual desktop is the current location of the desktop view. You can use the Door Preferences dialog to change the location or other options later on. To change the name of the door, you must select ╥Rename Door╔╙ from the Actions menu. To change its options, the door must be open, and Virtual Desktop must be active. If the door options cause Virtual Desktop to go into the background after opening the door, you must either press the Option key while opening the door using its menu command, keyboard equivalent, or door icon window, or bring Virtual Desktop back to the front after opening the door. Ñ View Offset option These numbers indicate many pixels the door location is away from the home location, horizontally and vertically. (Positive numbers indicate a door location above or to the left of the home location.) If you change these numbers, the virtual desktop will scroll according to the new offsets. This allows you to fine-tune door locations. Ñ Graphical Presence options These options control how the door appears on the desktop, as a door icon window, or as a door file with a Finder icon. Both alternatives give you a way of opening the door quickly from outside Virtual Desktop. í Show Window option When this option is in effect, a door icon window appears on the desktop. This small window does not move when the virtual desktop scrolls. Clicking once in the window opens the door. You may decide not to have a door icon window for every door you define, especially if you are using the Door menu or Control Strip to open doors. This option is on by default. í Door and Wall color options Click on the top or bottom half of the colored square to change the color used to draw the ╥door face╙ or background ╥wall╙ in the door icon window. You can use color to distinguish between your various doors. If the door color is dark, Virtual Desktop will draw the door name in white instead of black. The default is a drab brown and gray color scheme. í Create File╔ option Click here to create a door file, a small document belonging to Virtual Desktop which gives you a way to open a door through Finder. The file dialog which appears asks you not to make the name of the door file different from the name of the door. This is because the name is the only important information in the door file. You can place door files on the desktop, as an alternative to door icon windows, or in your Startup Items folder, or in a special Doors folder inside your Preferences folder, where they can be attached to document or application aliases by the Maybe utility. See the section entitled ╥Suggestions for Use╙ for more information on this approach. NOTE: If you later rename the door, you should rename these files as well. Ñ Keyboard Binding option If you don╒t have a macro utility which lets you open a door file by pressing a combination of keys, another way to speed up your use of doors is to have keyboard bindings for them. These bindings are valid only when Virtual Desktop is active. You can bind any F-key or Command-digit combination to any door. As with menu commands and door icon windows, if the Option key is pressed when you use the keyboard binding to open a door, Virtual Desktop will ignore the Switch to and Depth options, and remain active. The default is not to have a keyboard binding. Ñ Switch to option This pop-up menu lists all applications to which Virtual Desktop can switch as the door is opened. You may want to choose an application whose windows are prevalent in the desktop view when the virtual desktop scrolls to the door location. NOTE: If you later rename the application, or replace it with a new version whose name is different, you should update this option, because the application you choose is recorded by name. You have three other choices, ╥frontmost application╙, ╥stay in Virtual Desktop,╙ and ╥item via Finder╔╙ If you select ╥frontmost application,╙ Virtual Desktop will return to the background after opening the door, allowing the application which was active before it to return to the front. This makes opening a door similar to clicking on a Virtual Desktop scroll bar while using another application. If you select ╥item via Finder╔,╙ you must then choose the item (application, document, folder, volume, alias, or whatever) you want Finder to open whenever you open this door. Because this choice is recorded using alias information, it is unaffected by renaming of files and folders, and you can take advantage of alias features such as automatic volume remounting and Apple Remote Access dial-up reconnection. The default is to stay in Virtual Desktop. Ñ Depth option This pop-up menu lists the color depths to which Virtual Desktop can switch as the door is opened. You may want to choose a depth which suits the application whose windows are prevalent in the desktop view when the virtual desktop scrolls to the door location. Virtual Desktop does not know what color depths your monitors can support, so it offers choices which may not apply to some or all of your monitors. If you choose a depth, Virtual Desktop will try to switch all monitors to that depth when the door is opened. This will not affect any monitor which does not support that depth. If you select ╥as is,╙ Virtual Desktop will not attempt to change the color depth of any monitor. The default is not to change the color depth. Ñ Cancel Click here to cancel the changes made to existing door options. Ñ Use Defaults Click here to change all options to their default values, which you may have changed using Make Defaults (see below). Click here with the Option key pressed to change all options to their built-in default values, the ones described in this help file. Ñ Make Defaults Click here to change the default values for all options (except the View Offset option) to those displayed in the dialog. Ñ OK Click here to accept the options and close the dialog. Menus This section describes each of Virtual Desktop╒s menus. The Apple Menu Ñ About Virtual Desktop╔ This command opens Virtual Desktop╒s About dialog, which invites you to try Balloon Help or Help on Wheels to learn more about Virtual Desktop. The File Menu Ñ Close (Command-W) This command is only a place-holder, and is never available, because Virtual Desktop does not keep documents open. The only documents Virtual Desktop has are door files, which are only references to doors to be opened. Ñ Quit (Command-Q) This command quits Virtual Desktop. This will return the desktop view to the home location, and if any applications have their windows anchored to a door, those windows will fall back into the desktop view. Any other windows and desktop icons which were outside the home location will remain off-screen. The Edit Menu Ñ Undo (Command-Z) This command is not used by Virtual Desktop. It is present only for desk accessories. Ñ Cut (Command-X) This command cuts selected text to the clipboard. It is used only with desk accessories and dialogs containing text fields. Ñ Copy (Command-C) This command copies selected text to the clipboard. It is used only with desk accessories and dialogs containing text fields. Ñ Paste (Command-V) This command inserts the contents of the clipboard at the current cursor location or replaces the currently selected text by the contents of the clipboard. It is used only with desk accessories and dialogs containing text fields. Ñ Clear This command clears the selected text in a desk accessory or dialogs containing text fields. The Actions Menu Ñ Full View (Command-F) This command toggles between Full View mode and the usual see-through mode. The check mark indicates the current mode. Ñ Refresh (Command-R) This command re-examines the complete set of windows and icons now on the virtual desktop, recomputes scroll bar positions and the extent of the virtual desktop, and redraws all windows accordingly. Ñ Grow Desktop (Command-Plus) This command adds half a screenful to the padding at all four sides of the virtual desktop, giving you more room to reposition your windows and icons. The maximum width or height of the virtual desktop, including padding, is 32,767 pixels. Therefore, the padding cannot exceed 32,767 pixels in either direction. If the padding is already at its maximum, this command is disabled. Ñ Shrink Desktop (Command-Minus) This command subtracts half a screenful from the padding at all four sides of the virtual desktop. In Full View mode, if images seem to be too small, you should try shrinking the desktop. If the padding is already at its minimum, this command is disabled. Ñ New Door╔ (Command-N) This command prompts you for the name of a new door, which must not match any existing door name. The door is created with preference options set so as to jump to the current virtual desktop location when opened. If the preferences file is unwritable, this command is disabled. The default is create a single door, but by using the pop-up menu, you can create 3, 5, or 9 doors at once. The door at the center of these multiple-door arrangements will lead to the current virtual desktop location, and the others will lead to nearby locations as indicated by the pattern. If the default door preference options allow door windows to show, Virtual Desktop will prompt you to place the door window with a special door-shaped cursor. In a multiple-door arrangement, the other door icon windows are placed automatically according to the pattern. Ñ Rename Door╔ This command prompts you to give the currently open door a new name, which must not match any other existing door name. If no door is open, or the preferences file is unwritable, this command is disabled. NOTE: When you rename a door, you should update the application preferences of any application whose items are anchored to that door. You should also change the name of any door files you had created. Ñ Trash Door╔ (Command-T) or Trash Door (Command-Option-T) This command trashes the currently open door. An alert box appears to ask for confirmation. If no door is open, or the preferences file is unwritable, this command is disabled. With the Option key pressed, before you click in the menu bar, the confirmation alert is suppressed. Ñ Home (Command-H) This command returns the desktop view to the home location, where it was when Virtual Desktop started up. Ñ Door ╥Name╙ (various) There is one command in this menu for each defined door. If the door has a Command-digit binding, it appears in the menu. Function-key bindings do not appear in the menu. Selecting a door command causes Virtual Desktop to open the door, just as if the user had clicked on the door window. Press the Option key while selecting a door command to keep Virtual Desktop active, ignoring the door preference options to activate a certain application or change the color depth. The Preferences Menu Ñ Layout╔ (Command-L) This command opens the Layout Preferences dialog. See the section entitled ╥The Layout Preferences Dialog╙ for more information. Ñ Usage╔ (Command-U) This command opens the Usage Preferences dialog. See the section entitled ╥The Usage Preferences Dialog╙ for more information. Ñ Application╔ (Command-A) This command opens the Application Preferences dialog. It is available only in Full View mode, and applies to the current application, as shown by the radio buttons. See the section entitled ╥The Application Preferences Dialog╙ for more information. Ñ Item╔ (Command-I) This command is not implemented in this version of Virtual Desktop. Ñ Door╔ (Command-D) This command opens the Door Preferences dialog. It is available only if a door is currently open. See the section entitled ╥The Door Preferences Dialog╙ for more information. The Special Menu Ñ Restart This command is exactly equivalent to Finder╒s Restart command, but gives Virtual Desktop the chance to take action on the Anchor Application╒s Items to Door option by quitting before any other application can quit. Ñ Shut Down This command is exactly equivalent to Finder╒s Shut Down command, but gives Virtual Desktop the chance to take action on the Anchor Application╒s Items to Door option by quitting before any other application can quit. The Install Menu Ñ ╥Virtual Desktop Extension╙ ╤> Extensions This command installs an up-to-date version of ╥Virtual Desktop Extension╙ in your Extensions folder, replacing any version already there. See the section entitled ╥Virtual Desktop Extension╙ for more information on what this extension does. Ñ ╥Virtual Desktop Doors╙ ╤> Control Strip Modules This command installs an up-to-date version of ╥Virtual Desktop Doors╙ in your Control Strip Modules folder, replacing any version already there. If the Control Strip is not installed on your Macintosh, this command is disabled. See the section entitled ╥Virtual Desktop Doors╙ for more information on what this Control Strip module does. Ñ ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ ╤> Shutdown Items This command installs an up-to-date version of ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ in your Shutdown Items folder, replacing any version already there. If you have a non-scriptable Finder which does not support a Shutdown Items folder, this command is disabled. See the section entitled ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ for more information on what this miniature application does. The Help Menu Ñ About Balloon Help╔ This command, supplied by System software, tells you how to use Balloon Help. Virtual Desktop supports Balloon Help. Ñ Show/Hide Balloons This command, supplied by System software, lets you turn Balloon Help on and off. Virtual Desktop supports Balloon Help. Ñ Virtual Desktop Help This command asks Help on Wheels to display Virtual Desktop╒s help file. This will start the help server if it was not already running. If the help server cannot be found on any mounted volume, Virtual Desktop will offer to save a readable copy of the help file as a TeachText file, then ask Finder to open the file. If the help file is missing or invalid, this command is disabled. Pressing the Help or Command-? key at any time does the same thing. When there is a dialog box on your screen, such as the options dialog, the menu command is disabled, and the keyboard is the only way to display help. The Door Menu This menu appears alongside the Help, Keyboard, and Application menus at the right side of the menu bar, whatever application is active. It appears only if the Door Menu option was selected in the Usage Preferences dialog at the time the machine was started up. Ñ Home This command lets you return to the home location while using any application, without making Virtual Desktop active. If the Virtual Desktop application is not running, this will start it up. Ñ Name (various) There is one command in this menu for each defined door. Selecting a door command causes Virtual Desktop to open the door. If the Virtual Desktop application is not running, this will start it up. The Option key does not work with these commands, as it does with the door commands in Virtual Desktop╒s Actions menu. Limitations You may occasionally find an application which does not work well with Virtual Desktop, perhaps putting windows in places where you can╒t see them, or not redrawing them when you scroll the desktop. See the section entitled ╥Sensitive Applications╙ for more information on how to recognize and deal with incompatible applications. Here is a list of applications whose users have reported problems (not all verified): Ñ Data Desk Professional [version 2.0] ╤ sporadic crashes when using doors Ñ Brown tn3270 [version 2.3d28 or earlier] ╤ crashes if terminal window goes entirely off-screen Ñ ColorSwitch [?] ╤ ? Ñ SmartCom II [version 3.3A, 3.4A, or 4.0A] - crashes if Virtual Desktop Extension is installed Ñ Mathematica [version 2.2 Student Edition] - crashes if virtual desktop is scrolled while calculating Ñ StuffIt Deluxe [version 3.0.7] - Magic Menu feature gets confused about what to stuff Ñ Metrowerks CodeWarrior Debug 68K [?] - crashes while single-stepping through code Ñ Empower [all versions] ╤ desktop doesn╒t redraw properly when scrolling if screen cover option is on Ñ GraceLAN Server Manager [?] ╤ crashes if window goes entirely off-screen Ñ Logitech MouseKey [version 1.2] ╤ crashes if window goes entirely off-screen Ñ ResEdit [version 2.1.3 or earlier] ╤ color bitmap editors crash if window goes entirely off-screen The programs which crash if the window goes off-screen all have the same programming error. Even in the absence of Virtual Desktop, they will crash if you drag the window╒s title bar to the very bottom of the screen. The Trash can may not always end up where you put it, because its position is stored in the Finder Preferences file, not like the rest of the desktop icons. This is under investigation. Having the ability to scroll the desktop, it would be nice if users could keep an eye on a specific part of the virtual desktop at all times. Currently, you have the option to exempt an application╒s windows from scrolling, which you can use to keep its windows in view at all times. The proposed ╥watch windows╙╩scheme would let you select any rectangular section of the virtual desktop and keep it in view in a floating window. Another common request is for a miniaturized Full View floating window which would offer a bird╒s-eye view of the changing virtual desktop situation. The current Full View window design forces you to block out the desktop view to use it. If you change the door to which an application╒s windows are anchored using the Application Preferences dialog, the windows should be moved automatically. Currently, they are not. You may store the Virtual Desktop Preferences file in a central location and store aliases to it in various Preferences folders, but avoid storing it on a server, as the Virtual Desktop extension will attempt to resolve the alias during startup, and this may cause your Macintosh to hang. Doors whose names begin with a period ('.') are not listed in the pop-up menu associated with the Anchor Application╒s Items to Door option in the Application Preferences dialog. Acknowledgements One big hug to Toni and the family for enduring a LOT of late nights. Special thanks to the nearly 200 fine people who beta-tested this software, and to others who provided useful information. Revision History 1.9 (March 6, 1996) Ñ Public AWOL Utilities 1.3 release. Ñ Added alerts offering to install the ╥Virtual Desktop Doors╙ Control Strip module and ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ application in your System folder after installing the ╥Virtual Desktop Extension╙ system extension, if appropriate. These files are now generated from inside the application, not distributed alongside it. Ñ Added the Install menu, to let you install appropriate System folder components at any time. Ñ Added support for the Display Manager, adjusting automatically when you reconfigure your displays. Ñ Changed the Full View display so that windows rolled up using WindowShade appear the same as hidden windows. Ñ Changed the effect of the ╥Switch to item via Finder╔╙ door option so that scrolling happens before the item is opened, not after. This makes it more likely that the resulting windows will open in the right place. Ñ Improved the response to selections from the Door menu and Control Strip module. Ñ Corrected a bug which left an unusable extension file in the Extensions folder if installation failed due to Gatekeeper virus protection. The previous fix (in 1.8) was not completely successful. This version also reports the evidence of an earlier failed installation, and how to fix it. Ñ Corrected a bug which affected the appearance of menus and color dialogs on Power Macintoshes. Ñ Corrected a bug which caused Virtual Desktop to present some alerts while in the background. 1.8 (October 17, 1994) Ñ Public AWOL Utilities 1.2 release. Ñ Added the optional Door menu, allowing easy access to doors from any application, even if the Virtual Desktop application is not running. Ñ Added the ╥Virtual Desktop Doors╙ Control Strip module. Ñ Added the Shove Mouse usage option, a much-wanted bit of mimicry. Ñ Enhanced the usage options for more flexible selection of modifier keys. Ñ Added a usage option to suppress the scroll bar windows. Ñ Added a usage option to choose between half- and full-screen scrolling. Ñ Added a door option to open an arbitrary item via Finder when the door is opened. Ñ Added a door option to change the color depth when the door is opened. Ñ Changed minimum virtual desktop padding from half a screenful to zero, allowing more detail in Full View mode. Ñ Corrected a bug which could cause white-on-white or black-on-black printing of names in door icon windows. Ñ Corrected a bug which left an unusable extension file in the Extensions folder if installation failed due to virus protection. Ñ Corrected a bug in the Door Preferences dialog which could cause a crash on Macintoshes without Color QuickDraw. Ñ Added the ╥Quit Virtual Desktop╙ application for use in the Shutdown Items folder to assist Virtual Desktop by making it quit before all other applications. 1.7 (March 28, 1994) Ñ Public AWOL Utilities 1.1 release. Ñ Corrected a bug which could cause keystrokes normally trapped by other system extensions to reach the active application. 1.6.1 (March 27, 1994) Ñ Added choice of door arrangements to the ╥New Door╔╙ dialog. Ñ If the Virtual Desktop application crashes and is re-opened, it does not lose track of the true home location, and refrains from moving other applications╒ windows as it normally would. Ñ Corrected a bug which could cause a switch to another application when placing a new door. Ñ Added an optional confirmation alert to the ╥Trash Door╙ menu command. Ñ Corrected a bug which could misplace desktop icons if the Exempt Application╒s Items From All Scrolling option were selected for desktop icons. Ñ Improved performance of the Use Key Combination option. 1.6.0 (March 13, 1994) Ñ Corrected a bug which caused disk drives to access periodically while Virtual Desktop Extension was installed. Ñ Corrected a bug which could cause the About dialog to crash on Macintoshes without Color QuickDraw. Ñ Added a Help button to the alert which asks for permission to install Virtual Desktop Extension. Ñ Prevented Full View from using white as the color for an application╒s item images and radio button. Ñ Added the ╥Rename Door╔╙ menu command and dialog. Ñ Added disabled item to the pop-up menu in the Application Preferences dialog if the selected door no longer exists. Ñ Corrected a bug which prevented default application preferences set by the user from overriding the built-in defaults. Ñ Prevented visible shifting of anchor and scroll bar windows when opening, due to non-default layout preferences. Ñ Added the thank-you hot button under Acknowledgements. 1.5.2 (February 27, 1994) Ñ Corrected a Virtual Desktop Extension bug which sometimes prevented other applications from finding files. Ñ Corrected an incompatibility with SpeedyFinder7╒s Help menu removal option which prevented help display. Ñ Virtual desktop growth is limited to 32,767 pixels in each direction. Ñ Added support for virtual desktop scrolling using the Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. Ñ Improved messages given when Virtual Desktop Extension is missing or is out of date. Ñ Added protection against loading duplicate copies of the extension. Ñ Allowed the application to operate without a preferences file (for example, when startup disk is locked). 1.5.1 (February 7, 1994) Ñ Added virus protection removal advice to extension installation alert. Ñ Corrected a bug which could cause a crash on exit immediately after a version check or extension installation alert. Ñ Corrected a bug which sometimes caused desktop icons to end up in the wrong place. Ñ Desktop icons are properly handled in Systems whose language is other than English. Ñ Increased minimum and preferred memory sizes to accommodate PowerBook computers. 1.5.0 (January 30, 1994) Ñ Added Virtual Desktop Extension to improve compatibility with other programs. Ñ If the Shift key is pressed on startup, the extension will not be loaded. If the Help or Command-? key is pressed, the extension will delay up to one second to let the user release the key(s). 1.4.1 (January 19, 1994) Ñ If the help server is absent when Virtual Desktop requests help, and the user agrees to save the help file as a TeachText document, the file is split into two parts small enough for TeachText to handle. Ñ Improved handling of desktop icons. 1.4.0 (October 2, 1993) Ñ Initial AWOL Utilities 1.0 release.