2. I ti I • •• tt Al•"" a... I • H I I" t> H I
WIN_DOWS TIPS
&SECfflS
Copyright 1994. Published
every month byMastering
Computers, Inc. All rights
reserved. Reproductionis
forbidden withoutwritten
permission. Direct subscription
inquiries toCustomer Service
at 1-800-800-9686. Windows
is a registered trademark of
MicrosoftCorporation.
Publisher
V.P., Marketing
ManagingEditor
ChristopherMorton
CIS72301,2051
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changes to the address above.
CONVENTIONS-Commands
described in these articles often
containunderlinedcharacters
designating shortcut keys. To
illustrate: in additionto using a
mouse to chooseE1LE-BuN
from a menu, you may press
(Alt]+[F], [RI from the keyboard
(press the first two keys
together, release, then press
the third key). Refer to the
Microsoft Windows User's
�appendix for a listing of
common shortcuts.
Create a Power­
User's Interface
Windows Tips & Secrets has presented
many indispensable tools that are
classified as shareware and freeware.
After reading what we bad to say about these
utilities, many readers have asked us, "Which
do you use all of the time on your desktop?"
Our CEO interface. We forego CEO folders and
icons, preferring to take aminimal amount of
display space. Note integrated SuperBar buttons.
The Base - We found Folders while looking
for a Program Manager supplement that of­
fered nested groups. Still available from Sloop
Software, Folders evolved into Sloop Manager,
a full replacement for Program Manager. Sloop
later released a virtually-identical commercial
twin, CEO Desktop Manager, which provides
the base for our Windows interface. In addition
to Folders, both versions include a command
line that remembers the previous twelve com­
mands and a customizable, popup B.uN menu
that permits command sets to be arranged in
subgroups if desired.
Button Power -
Using the mouse to
repeatedly access
the same menu commands becomes tedious,
especialJy when you have to step through
several dialog boxes to access a single com­
mand. SuperBar is a cross-application, custom­
izable toolbar utility that is equivalent to macro
generators included with applications such as
Word for Windows and Excel. It lets you create
"missing" commands and assign them to but­
tons on a toolbar.
SuperBar macros are created using a simplified
interface to Windows' Recorder engine. Al­
though they aren't editable, it's easy to create
fail-proof macros if you follow the tips pro­
vided in "Icons Allow Easy Access to Foreign
Characters" (page one).
Four things make SuperBar stand out from the
2 THE GRAUNKE REPORT -Vol.4. Number5
application-specific toolbars. First, rather than
learn a unique method of recording macros and
assigning them to buttons for each application,
a single tool can be used for multiple programs.
This simplifies learning and makes it more
likely users will realize productivity gains.
Second, a unique SuperBar may be created
for each application that begs for enhancement
(see illustration below). Third, unlike the
limited button set provided by applications,
SuperBar lets you draw or screen-capture
custom buttons (we also like its unobtrusive
button size). Fourth, SuperBar works with
applications that don't provide any native
macro capability, such as Microsoft PowerPoint
and Windows' own Cardfile and File Manager.
Teaming Up - While CEO Desktop Manager
does offer its own button bar, we prefer inte­
grating a SuperBar with it (see left). We've
created buttons for everyday tasks such as
simultaneously opening the current Windows
Tips & Tricks newsletter project while auto­
mating repetitive (read annoying) dialog box
choices. To illustrate, here are the macro f'vTa
steps enacted when we click this button: wiiiiiil
• Press [ALT]+[RJ to access CEO's B.uN menu,
then [N] to choose our custom CURRENT
NEWSLETTER option. This opens the current
newsletter publication in PageMaker.
• As the publication opens, respond [OK]
(e.g., press [ENTER]) when the PANOSE font
matching results dialog box appears.
• Choose [IGNORE ALL] (e.g., press [ALT]+[A] in
response to the linked graphics dialog.
With theCEO/SuperBar pairing, we don't have
to create a new macro when we start production
of a new edition. Instead, we simply update
CEO's CURRENT NEWSLETTER option to reflect the
new PageMaker file and subdirectory. The
above steps are cruTied out just as before.
Powerhouse - We continue to look at com­
mercial and shareware utilities that offer every­
thing our CEO/SuperBar combo provides. So
far, nothing delivers the power and flexibility.
Both Sloop Manager and SuperBar may be down­
loaded from CompuServe's WINSHAREforum.
SloopManager 1.2d SuperBar2.0
SLPMAN.ZIP $35 SPRBAR.ZIP$20+s/h
Library 9 Library 6