DeposIt

 

V1.1.2

Copyright Laurent COOK - 1997-98

lcook@mail.com

 

 Overview

 Shortcuts & Menus

 Preferences

 Storing documents

 Losing Icons

 History

 Remarks & Known Bugs

 Registration

 Examples

Overview

DeposIt is a pretty desktop launcher with a smart graphic interface. It's designed for BeOSTM system, PR2 version. More informations about Be at www.be.com.

User can drag and drop tracker icons on a document containing cells and re-use them when ever he wants.

At startup a default document is created, it seems like that :

By default, the document is in mode multilayer, i.e. on the same document one or more layer can be selected with indexes. A single mode layer is also available :

Using different capabilities of DeposIt, you can build your own launch bar. Many examples will be given at the end, just one here :

Shortcuts & Menus

DeposIt has no menu bar. All actions are done through a pop-up menu in the layer bar. Thus, here are the list of mouse-key actions available right now.

Click (left button) on a free cell
Unselect all selected items, else nothing.
Click (left button) on full cell
Volume/Folder/Trash -> Open the item on the tracker.
Application -> Launch the item.
Document -> Launch the item with the prefered application.
Click (left button) on selected cells
Like click on single cell, but all the items are launched.
Be careful, Tracker may not support too launch items.
Click (left button) on free cell and drag
Select items in a inverted-box following the mouse movement.
 Shift + Click (left button) on cell
Select item without deselecting others.
Option + Click (left button) on cell
Middle button click
Initiate a Drag and Drop of the item from the cell.
 Command + Click (left button) on cell
Alt + Click
 Move the window. Hand cursor.
 Command + Shift + Click (left button) on cell
Alt + Shift + Click
 Resizing the window. Closed hand cursor.
 Control + Click (left button)
Right button click
Activate the popup menu : explained below.

A menu is composed of 3 parts : a DeposIt menu, a layer menu and a cell menu. For that, where you open the menu decides which menu appears.

  Menu DeposIt, always showed :

 Menu layer, also always showed :

 Menu "Document", when activated from a document cell :

Menu "Application" or "Folder", when activated from an application or folder cell : 

  • "Locate" open on the Tracker the parent directory where the item is come from.
  • "Remove" delete item from the cell (just from the cell, not on the disk ! :).
  • "Set Identity" open a dialogue view where you can choose a new item to set/replace.
  • "Open With..." let's you launch a document with the preferred application or an other.
  • "Compact all" takes all the items in the layer and re-organize them to all display on the current array size. Not yet implemented.

    • Preferences

     

    DeposIt maintains two kinds of preferences : the document prefs and the layer prefs.

    It's quite simple, so no more explanations... just look at the windows !

    Workspaces are not yet implemented because of system problems. So some features are always disable. See the chapter Remarks and Known Bugs, for more explanations.

    To give you an idea of the different kind of cell, here are the same icons in each of these modes :

    Tiny 

    Mini 

    Large

     

     Large & Footer

    XXL 

    Okay, okay, items are my Mac disks, I feel that you wish for getting my Einstein icon. I can give it for who wants !

     

    You can also choose your prefer window :

    Title bar and footer 

    Just footer 

     Nothing

    To move or resize a window which hasn't footer and title bar, you have to use Command key while click on window to move it, and Command Shift key for resizing it. Cursor change for theses keys.

    Storing documents

    DeposIt automatically saves for you all documents in /boot/home/config/settings/DeposIt directory. At launch, the application open all documents present in this folder.

    May be a good idea is to change the user's bootscript to launch DeposIt by setting this command :

    /boot/home/DeposIt &

    And set the application properties in background mode.

    Note that window position, workspace, selected layer, prefs position... all are saved doc by doc.

    Losing Icons

    DeposIt subscribe to the file system for each node changes, i.e. if you move, change a file on the disk, item will change in the document. If you mount/unmount a disk, items from that disk will be valid/non-valid.

    BUT : if changes appear when a document isn't opened, there are no solutions for DeposIt to learn this changes. So probably items won't be valid : you should set each new identity with the "Set Identity" menu.

    Note that DeposIt doesn't save each icon, but save specific icons like my funny icons.

    By example, here is my document state when my disks are unmounted...

    History

    11/10/97 Version 1.00

  • First release.

    •  

    11/24/97 Version 1.10

    New features :
  • Delayed menu click without key pressed.
  • Window with no footer available.
  • Moving and resizing a window directly from cells with modifier key and mouse.

    • Bugs repaired :

  • Confusion in cells beetween the layers, when menu called (in some case).
  • Change a lot of time layers prefs do less bugs...

    •  

    12/15/97 Version 1.11

    Bugs repaired :

  • Save/Restore minimized windows, without losing window (!).
  • Other bugs fixed : appear with the "MALLOC_DEBUG" option in the UserSetupEnvironment (specific developper option).

    •  

    05/06/98 Version 1.12

    Bugs repaired :

  • R3 PPC & Intel compliant.
  • Some times, in very specific cases, one item is changed with an other file.

    • Remarks & Known Bugs

  • You can Drag & Drop a folder, volume, trash, disks within a layer, from a layer to an other, but don't drag & drop a folder, volume, disks or trash to the Tracker. Right now, strange things appear. If I bolt this feature, you couldn't organise your layer, so...

    • I'm working on DeposIt v2. Great things will appear.

     

    If you find a bug, please send me an email at lcook@mail.com with "DeposIt" in the subject. New releases will get out...

    Registration

    I've written this utility to have a good learn of BeOS APIs. It's on the right road, I wish. I've touched all kits (okay, okay not the midi kit...). No innovative ideas are here, but now I can seriously attack great projects !

    Nevertheless i'ts a lot of work...

    Please register your copy, to have a more powerful utility in future. No limitations are put, but an unregistred copy will ask you this fact after 1 month, so...

    ...with your email. I'll send you at this email a key code to register your copy.

    Use the Kagi register form, (US $12). It easy, secure and fast.

    Thanks for your support.

    Examples

    Disclaimer

    The author, Laurent COOK makes no warranties, either express or implied, regarding the fitness of "DeposIt" for any particular purpose. Use "DeposIt" at your own risk. The author claims no liability for data loss or any other problems caused directly or indirectly by "DeposIt", in particular for crashing the system with an abusive use.

     

    Laurent COOK - 1997-98

    BeOS is a trademark of Be Inc. www.be.com