@database "Altabber.guide" @author "Matteo Cortese" @remark "$VER: Altabber.guide 1.5 (1.4.99)" @remark "Created with GoldED 4.7.3 (23.6.97)" @node main "Altabber Guide 1.5" @{b}Altabber@{ub} Version 1.5 (1-Apr-1999) by @{" Matteo Cortese " link Copyright} @{" Introduction " link Introduction} @{" Requirements " link Requirements} @{" Installation " link Installation} @{" Invocation " link Invocation} @{" Usage " link Usage} @{" Copyright " link Copyright} @{" Thanks " link Thanks} @{" History " link History} @{b}Altabber@{ub} [o:l'tębe*] @{i}n.@{ui} he who performs an Alt-Tab action. @endnode @node Introduction If you know what happens on a Windows-equipped PC when you press Alt-Tab, well you have the exact idea of what Altabber does, except that it has different handling of windows and screens and that the hotkeys are fully configurable. @endnode @node Requirements Being a commodity, AmigaOS 3.0+ is required. Obviously, the "-020" version requires at least a 68020 processor. The source will compile happily with the Dice compiler. If you intend to use another compiler, be prepared to some rewriting. @endnode @node Installation Just copy Altabber and its icon where you like. It would be a good idea to put it in the "SYS:WBStartup" drawer (be sure that the ToolType DONOTWAIT is set) in order to have it always running. @endnode @node Invocation Altabber can be launched from the shell (in which case you will want to "Run" it) or from WB. To remove it, send a CTRL-C to its process, or simply re-run it. Being a standard commodity, you can also enable, disable and remove it using Exchange. The options/ToolTypes accepted are: WQ=WIN_QUAL/K WK=WIN_KEY/K The hotkey used to cycle through all open windows. See @{" Usage " link Usage} for more information. Please note that the WIN_QUAL cannot be a @{i}real@{ui} hotkey: it must be a single-key. So you cannot use "Shift"; you must use either "LShist" or "RShift". Example: WQ="RShift" WK="F10" Default: WQ="LAmiga" WK="Tab" SQ=SCR_QUAL/K SK=SCR_KEY/K The hotkey used to cycle through all open screens. See @{" Usage " link Usage} for more information. Please note that the SCR_QUAL cannot be a @{i}real@{ui} hotkey: it must be a single-key. So you cannot use "Shift"; you must use either "LShist" or "RShift". Example: SQ="RAlt" SK="F10" Default: SQ="LAmiga" SK="Shift Tab" COLOR1/N/K COLOR2/N/K COLOR1 is the pen used to write the "normal" titles; COLOR2 is the pen used to write the title of the "currently active" window/screen. Example: COLOR1=1 COLOR2=7 Default: COLOR1=1 (usually black) COLOR2=2 (usually white) AA=AUTOACTIVATE/S If set, when Altabber raises a screen, it attempts to activate its first window. This feature is not currently fully functional, as it somentimes fails to recognize the right window. Example: AA Default: (not set) CX_PRIORITY/N/K Should be set to a low value, especially if you use the same qualifiers in other commodities' hotkeys. Example: CX_PRIORITY=0 Default: CX_PRIORITY=-5 @endnode @node Usage In this section I will assume that you did not change the default parameters, so the cycle-through-windows qualifier/key is "LAmiga/Tab" and the cycle-through-screens qualifier/key is "LAmiga/Shift Tab". Press and keep pressed the left Amiga key. Press the Tab key. A box will open in the center of the screen, showing the title of one of the windows currently open on that screen. You can cycle through all the open windows by pressing the Tab key more times. When the box shows the title of the window you want to bring to the front, release the left Amiga key. Altabber only handles windows which do have a title. So the background Workbench window or your little bank of ToolManager's buttons typically will not be affected by Altabber. If you release the Amiga key when the box shows the title of the currently active window (which is also shown in a different color), it will @{i}not@{ui} be brought to the front. This is because selecting the window which is already selected is considered by Altabber the way to cancel the entire operation. Also, if the currently active window is the only titled window on the screen, Altabber will not even open the box. Altabber lets you cycle though screens instead of windows: just press also the Shift key. The thing you must note, here, is that you confirm your selection by @{i}releasing@{ui} a key. So the LAmiga is treated both as a qualifier and as a physical key. This is the reason why you have to separate the qualifier part from the hotkey (see @{" Invocation " link ToolTypes} and you cannot use such a qualifier as "Shift" (which is in fact @{i}two@{ui} physical keys). You can, however, use "Shift" inside the "key" part of the hotkey, eg: SQ="LAmiga" (one-key qualifier) SK="Shift Tab" (a usual hotkey definition) @endnode @node Copyright This program is ©1999 by Matteo Cortese Send bug reports and comments to: Matteo Cortese str. Torino 65 10024 Moncalieri (TO) ITALY email: s75735@cclinf.polito.it www: http://www.cclinf.polito.it/~s75735 This program (both the binary and the source code) is FREEWARE. The NewReadArgs code is ©1997-98 by Stephan Rupprecht email: stephan.rupprecht@primus-online.de @endnode @node Thanks The following people have contributed to the development and beta-testing of Altabber: Fulvio Brosio Gregory Donner Mike Eraasmus Olivier Fabre Wolfgang Krause Thanks to Stephan Rupprecht for having released the source of NewReadArgs. Thanks to Andreas Kuerzinger for the icon. @endnode @node History 1.3 (22.9.98) ------------- FIX: quitting Altabber caused a guru when launched from wb. ADD: active window shown in different color. ADD: 68020+ version included. 1.4 (11.10.98) -------------- ADD: now can also cycle through screens 1.5 (1.4.99) ------------ ADD: the window is sized after the longest title to be shown. ADD: hotkeys not hardcoded but adjustable w/arguments or tooltypes. ADD: Olivier's Memory Method -- remebers the last selected win/scr so that it's the first to appear. ADD: if AUTOACTIVATE is on activates the first win of the raised scr. @endnode