Welcome to Wayfarer!
Welcome to Wayfarer - the ultimate freeware
program launcher and file browser for Microsoft Windows!

About the Wayfarer product...

Wayfarer is a fully-featured replacement for the Program Manager application.

Wayfarer makes Windows easier to use, by offering better program launching, file browsing and task management facilities than many other Windows "shell" applications.

Wayfarer will accept your existing Program Manager configuration, making the transition from one program to the other much easier.

Wayfarer's user interface is simple, flexible and attractive. In fact, it is so customisable that it can mimic many other kinds of shell application (such as button bars and tool bars).

Wayfarer is a high-quality product, written and tested by professional software developers.

Wayfarer is freeware. That means it may be freely copied, subject to Terms and Conditions of Use.

Essential Information...

Using the Wayfarer on-line help system

Hardware and software requirements

Terms and conditions of use


Using the Wayfarer on-line help system

At the top of the Wayfarer help window you will see a grey area containing a set of five images. Each of these images represents a major section of the Wayfarer on-line help. To jump to the start of one of these sections, simply click on the appropriate image with the left mouse-button.

	Provides overviews of all the major features of Wayfarer. Beginners should start here.
	Contains more detailed information about Wayfarer's "Folder" windows.
	Contains more detailed information about Wayfarer's "Panel" windows.
	Contains a comprehensive reference guide to all Wayfarer features.
	Contains a full text-book style alphabetical index.


Hardware and software requirements

Hardware and software requirements for using Wayfarer

Minimum hardware specification

100% IBM-compatible PC.

386 processor.

2Mb of extended memory.

VGA 16-color graphics.

Hard disk with at least 1Mb free space.

Minimum software specification

Windows 3.1 running in Enhanced mode
(Please note :- Windows 3.0 is not sufficient).


Terms and conditions of use

License Agreement

The Wayfarer product is FREEWARE. Therefore it is licensed for use by all sentient life forms and may be freely used, copied, uploaded, downloaded, distributed, etc, subject to the following conditions :-

The product is always distributed free of charge (does not apply to bulletin boards).

No alterations are made to the software or its accompanying documentation.

Both the software and the documentation are always distributed together.

Copyright Notice

The Wayfarer software and its accompanying documentation remain the intellectual property of the author, and are therefore Copyright (C) Iain Clifford Heath, 1995. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer

The Wayfarer product is supplied "as is", and as such the author cannot accept responsibility for any faults found or loss/damage of data resulting from its use.

Contacting the author

You can contact Iain Clifford Heath by eMail at the following address: 100551,726@compuserve.com

By reading this page, you are automatically agreeing to the above terms and conditions.

Share and enjoy!


Overview

Wayfarer On-line Help :-  OVERVIEW

What to expect :-

Features at a glance

Characteristics of the user interface

Principals of use :-

The Wayfarer desktop icon

Folders - An Overview

Panels - An Overview

Illustration 1

Illustration 2

First steps :-

Installing and running Wayfarer

Migrating from Program Manager

Creating icons

Creating sub-folders

Advanced features :-

The 'Yardstick' desktop manager


Features at a glance

Like Program Manager, Wayfarer allows you to create a personalised front-end for launching your favourite programs and documents under Windows. However, Wayfarer has a lot more to offer :-

Folders - a better way to organise icons

Panels - an even better way to organise icons!

Sophisticated file browsing

Better looking icons

Unobtrusive user interface

Easy migration from Program Manager

The 'Yardstick' - a totally new way to manage your desktop

(Click on any of the above items for further details)


Folders - a better way to organise icons
Wayfarer's folders are similar to Program Manager's "groups", except that folders can be arranged into a proper hierarchy. Each folder may contain several sub-folders, which in turn may contain more sub-folders, and so on. Compare this with rather "flat" structure of Program Manager's groups.


Panels - an even better way to organise icons
The surface of every folder can be divided up into tiles, called panels. Panels are individually resizable and scrollable, offering you a much larger area to spread icons over, thereby avoiding a lot of unnecessary crowding. Several different varieties of panel are also available.


Sophisticated file browsing
Program Manager groups contain fixed icons which have to be added manually, one at a time. These icons tend to go out of date as files are deleted, moved or renamed. Wayfarer overcomes this limitation by allowing you to create File Manager style panels (called Browser panels) which automatically display icons for all files matching a set of predefined criteria. However, unlike File Manager, Wayfarer lets you choose a different appearance and different labelling information for every type of file found. It also offers greater control over what files are shown and what files are not. Wayfarer can even display a Drive Map of available disk drives.


Better looking icons
Wayfarer offers more options for controlling the appearance of individual icons than Program Manager. For each icon you can choose the exact size, color, font and position of the icon's descriptive text. Wayfarer also provides a variety of useful "special effects" such as shadows, 3-D borders and embossing. There is even a selection of smaller-than-usual icon images, called "gadgets".


Unobtrusive user interface
Wayfarer folders only appear as and when you need them, acting more like a system of cascading menus than standard application windows. As soon as you switch to another application, Wayfarer closes any folders that are still open, leaving you with just the Wayfarer desktop icon. Folders are popped up and popped down as you navigate through the folder hierarchy. This popup-popdown behaviour reduces desktop clutter enormously. On the other hand, if you want a particular folder to remain open, you can actually pin it to the desktop, where it will remain until you decide to close it (even between Windows sessions).


Easy migration from Program Manager
Your old Program Manager groups can be imported as Wayfarer folders using a single command, allowing you to move from one program to the other gradually without having to re-create your entire setup.


The 'Yardstick' - a totally new way to manage your desktop
The Yardstick is a separate part of the Wayfarer product that alters the behaviour of your Windows desktop in a way that allows better management of tasks (ie. running Windows applications). While the Yardstick is active, all desktop icons are replaced with buttons on a single toolbar at the bottom of the screen. This toolbar remains visible at all times, allowing you to switch from one task to another with a single click of the mouse.


Characteristics of the user interface

Wayfarer's revolutionary user interface incorporates a number of significant enhancements over standard Windows applications. These enhancements are designed to make Wayfarer as efficient and unobtrusive as possible.

Single click vs double click
Double-clicking is widely regarded as an unnatural, non-intuitive feature intended to overcome the limitations of ancient single-button mice. No part of the Wayfarer user interface requires a double click. All operations can be achieved using single clicks. However, double clicks can be used on certain Wayfarer dialog boxes as "shortcuts" for experienced users.

Left and right mouse buttons
Wayfarer makes full use of both the left and right mouse buttons. This removes the need for extraneous menus, dialog boxes and keyboard commands that would otherwise make Wayfarer cumbersome to use. The effect of each mouse button is consistent throughout Wayfarer, regardless of the type of object you are clicking on.

Left button	Selects the object or action under the mouse pointer, ie. "does something".
Right button	Edits or alters the object under the mouse pointer, ie. "changes something".

The left button is often used for dragging, dropping, selecting and invoking objects.
The right button usually invokes a "property menu" for editing the selected object.

Consistent 3-D "chiselled steel" appearance
Every part of the Wayfarer user interface uses the common 3-D effect, including folders, panels, dialog boxes and property menus. The 3-D effect greatly enhances the appearance of your icons.

Shoot first, ask questions later
Most Wayfarer menu commands simply perform an action without first asking you for any specific details. Instead, Wayfarer makes some sensible "default" decisions about what to do, and offers you other commands to fine-tune the result afterwards. The absence of endless "intruding" dialog boxes greatly simplifies the user interface and speeds up folder creation.

Popup-popdown windows
Wayfarer's windows (called "folders") have all the important features of standard application windows (ie. they are moveable, sizeable, have captions, etc). However, they behave more like a set of cascading popup menus than windows. Open folders are automatically closed when they are no longer needed (for example if you start exploring a different part of the folder hierarchy, or start using some other Windows application). This helps to keep Wayfarer as unobtrusive as possible.


Principles of use
Principals of use

The Wayfarer desktop icon

Folders - An Overview


Panels In Action

Panels - An Overview

Folders - An Overview


The Wayfarer desktop icon

(Click here for an illustration)

Like all Windows applications, Wayfarer has a desktop icon to let you know that it's running.

This icon acts as the access point to your entire Wayfarer layout.

Left-clicking on the Wayfarer icon opens or closes the main folder of your layout. If the main folder is closed, it will be opened for you, and visa versa. Note: If you drag the mouse while still holding down the left button, the Wayfarer icon can be moved around the Windows desktop, just like any other application icon.

Right-clicking on the Wayfarer icon produces a standard Wayfarer "property" menu for the whole Wayfarer application, containing general commands such as Exit, Help, and Save Now (every Wayfarer object has a property menu containing commands that affect that object directly).

With Wayfarer you can create a hierarchy of windows called folders, from which you can launch programs or browse for files. This is called your Wayfarer "layout". Your Wayfarer layout is automatically loaded when you run Wayfarer, and any changes you make to the layout are saved again once you exit Wayfarer (or exit Windows). When you run Wayfarer for the first time, you will be given a simple starting layout to work from. Because Wayfarer automatically takes care of loading and saving your layout, you are free to concentrate on actually building it and using it.

See Also

Folders - An Overview


Folders - An Overview

(Click here for an illustration)

Folders are the windows that Wayfarer provides for all your program launching and file browsing needs. Clicking on the Wayfarer desktop icon opens the main folder of your Wayfarer layout. The main folder always exists and cannot be removed from the layout.

Sub-folders. Any folder can contain any number of sub-folders, allowing your main folder to become the starting point for an entire hierarchy of folders. Each sub-folder appears as an icon on its "parent" folder - clicking on this icon (with the left button) opens the sub-folder.

Panels. The surface area of a folder can be sub-divided into a number of panels. Panels are separated by special dividing regions called splitter bars (which allow you to resize the panels using the mouse). A folder always contains at least one panel (which covers its entire surface).

Standard behaviour. Folders have all the important features of normal windows - they can be moved around, resized, and have title bars. However, they cannot be minimized and do not have System Menus. The icon in corner of a folder's title bar is called the Folder Control Button, and allows you to perform common operations such as closing the folder.

Additional behaviour. Folders are popup-popdown windows. That means they pop up when you need them and pop down again when you're finished with them. As you navigate your way through a particular chain of folders, unrelated folders will automatically disappear. Similarly, if you ignore Wayfarer and start interacting with another Windows application, all your folders will be closed (NB: a folder's popup-popdown behaviour can be disabled if necessary, by "pinning" it to the desktop).

Size and position. A folder automatically remembers its size and position when you close it, and will adopt the same size and position the next time you open it.

See Also

Panels - An Overview


Panels - An Overview

(Click here for an illustration)

The surface area of a folder can be sub-divided into a number of tiled regions called panels. Panels are separated by special dividers called "splitter bars" (which allow you to resize the panels using the mouse). A folder always contains at least one panel (which will cover its entire surface).

There are three different kinds of panel :-

General Panel. This is a Program Manager style panel, containing a predefined set of icons. These icons have to be added individually, and can be positioned anywhere on the panel. Each icon either represents a document (ie. file) or a sub-folder. Left-clicking on an icon launches the document, or opens the sub-folder, as appropriate. Icons have their own property menus (accessed using the right mouse button).

Browser Panel. This is a File Manager style panel, which is automatically filled with icons for all files found to match a predefined set of criteria (specified by you). Every time you open a folder containing a Browser panel, the panel's contents are recalculated. You can control what files are shown, what order they appear, how they are labelled, how they look, and even what happens when you click on them. Browser panels can also display sub-directories and disk drives, enabling you to browse across your entire computer system.

Tab panel. This is actually a group of panels which are stacked one on top of the other. Each panel has a "tab" that sticks out of the top, showing the panel's caption (if any). Clicking on a tab brings the appropriate panel to the top of the stack, allowing you to make use of it.

Panels have their own property menus (accessed using the right mouse button). Using the property menu, a panel can be destroyed, split into two, or replaced by another type of panel. A panel can even have its own title bar and caption.


Installing and running Wayfarer

Installing Wayfarer
Simply copy the software (WAYFARER.EXE) and accompanying documentation (WAYFARER.HLP) onto your computer system. You can use File Manager or MS-DOS to achieve this task. NOTE: You are advised to copy these files to a directory located on your current PATH, such as the Windows directory.

Running Wayfarer
To run Wayfarer, execute the file WAYFARER.EXE. This can be done using Program Manager's File Run... or File New... commands, or by double-clicking on the file from File Manager.

First steps...
Read the on-line help (starting with the Overview) to learn about Wayfarer's many useful features. When you first run Wayfarer, it will create a set of example folders and icons that you can play with. To help you make the transition from Program Manager quickly and easily, you can also import all your Program Manager icons into Wayfarer.

Later on...
Once you are comfortable with Wayfarer, you can choose to use it as your Windows "shell" application, replacing your previous shell (ie. Program Manager). Wayfarer will then be the first application to run whenever you start Windows. See Wayfarer Options dialog for further details.


Creating icons

Like Program Manager, Wayfarer lets you create icons that will represent the programs and documents that you need to access frequently. Here are the steps you should follow to create your first few Wayfarer icons :-

1.	Left-click on the Wayfarer desktop icon
The main folder will appear. A few icons should already be visible.

2.	Right-click on an unused area of the folder
A popup menu will appear, entitled "General Panel".

3.	Select the "Add Document..." menu item
A dialog box will appear, entitled "Document".

4.	Enter the details of the program or document you want to access
The fields of this dialog are almost identical to those of Program Manager's "Properties" dialog.
The "Browse" button will help you locate the file you are looking for.
The "Appearance" button can be used to alter the icon's appearance.

5.	Press the "OK" button to accept the details you have entered
The new icon is added to the folder, at the exact position you chose.
Left-clicking on this icon will now launch the program or document that it represents.

Once you have added a few icons to your Wayfarer layout, you will probably want to learn about the many other features that Wayfarer has to offer. Please refer to the other Overview topics for details.


Creating sub-folders

As well as allowing you to create icons for launching programs and documents, Wayfarer also allows you to create icons which represent sub-folders, ie. folders within folders. Sub-folders help you organise your icons better by breaking them up into logical groups, in much the same way that the files on your computer system are organised into sub-directories. (Click here to see an example)

To create a sub-folder inside Wayfarer's main folder, follow these basic steps :-

1.	Left-click on the Wayfarer desktop icon
The main folder will appear. A few icons should already be visible.

2.	Right-click on an unused area of the folder
A popup menu will appear, entitled "General Panel".

3.	Select the "Add Sub-Folder..." menu item
A dialog box will appear, entitled "Sub-Folder".

4.	Enter the name of the new sub-folder
You can also use the "Appearance" button to alter the appearance of the sub-folder's icon.

5.	Press the "OK" button to create the sub-folder
The new icon is added to the folder, at the exact position you chose.
Left-clicking on this icon will open the sub-folder.

The same steps can be used to create further sub-folders inside the folder you have just created.


Migrating from Program Manager

Making the transition from Program Manager to Wayfarer does not mean that you have to lose all the icons that you created using Program Manager. Wayfarer can "import" all your old Program Manager groups, allowing you to carry on using the same icons until you are familiar enough with Wayfarer to start creating your own personalised Wayfarer layout. To import your old Program Manager groups into your new Wayfarer layout, follow these simple steps :-

1.	Left-click on the Wayfarer desktop icon
The main folder will appear. A few icons should already be visible.

2.	Right-click on an unused area of the folder
A popup menu will appear, entitled "General Panel".

3.	Select the "Import..." menu item
A dialog box will appear, entitled "Import", listing all your Program Manager groups.

4.	Select the groups you want to import and press the "Import" button
Wayfarer will now start importing the groups - this may take a short while.

Once Wayfarer has finished importing the selected Program Manager groups, a new icon will appear in the folder entitled "Program Manager Groups". Left-clicking on this icon will reveal a sub-folder containing additional icons - one for each imported group. Left-clicking on any of these icons will reveal a further sub-folder containing the imported Program Manager icons. Left-clicking on an actual Program Manager icon will launch the relevant program or document.


Folders

Wayfarer On-line Help :-  FOLDERS

Folders are the windows that Wayfarer provides for all your program launching and file browsing needs. Left-clicking on the Wayfarer desktop icon opens or closes the main folder of your Wayfarer layout. The main folder always exists and cannot be removed from the layout.

Folder Features :-

Sub-folders

Window-like behaviour

Popup-popdown behaviour

Pinning folders to the desktop

Folder Components :-

Anatomy of a folder (Illustration)

Title bar and caption

Folder Control Button

Folder property menu

Panels


Anatomy of a folder


Example folder hierarchy


Folders and sub-folders

A folder can contain any number of sub-folders, which in turn can contain more sub-folders, and so on, allowing you to build up an entire hierarchy of folders. Sub-folders give you the same level of control over icons that sub-directories give you over files. Sub-folders let you organise and group your icons in more useful and elaborate ways than was ever possible through Program Manager.

Your main folder acts as the entry point to your entire folder hierarchy.

Your main folder is accessed through the Wayfarer desktop icon.

A sub-folder appears as a Sub-folder icon on its "parent" folder.

Left-clicking on a sub-folder icon opens or closes the relevant sub-folder.

(Click here to see an example folder hierarchy)


Window-like behaviour of folders

For the most part, folders behave like normal application windows, expect that they have a more attractive 3-D appearance and some very useful additional behaviour (see Popup-popdown behaviour).

Folders support the following normal window handling features :-

Resizing. A folder has the usual set of thick borders that allow it to be resized using the mouse. NOTE: There is no way to resize a folder using the keyboard.

Moving. A folder can be moved around the Windows desktop by dragging its title bar with the mouse. If the title bar is hidden (see "Title bar" below), the folder can still be moved around, by dragging the top edge of the sizing border instead. NOTE: There is no way to move a folder around using the keyboard.

Title bar. A folder can have a title bar which shows that folder's caption. The caption is optional and may be turned on or off via the folder property menu. When the caption is turned off, the folder's title bar will be hidden. In this case, the folder may still be moved around the desktop, using the top edge of the sizing border instead of using the title bar.

The following window handling features do not apply to folders :-

System Menu. A folder does not have the standard System Menu in the left-hand corner of its title bar. Instead, a folder has a Folder Control Button. Left-clicking on this button allows you to close the folder instantly.

Minimize button. A folder cannot be minimized into a desktop icon. Folders are intended be opened when you need them and closed when you are finished with them (see Popup-popdown behaviour). Wayfarer's simple yet efficient user interface means that you should be able to locate any icon very quickly, so there should be no need to keep folders "hanging around" as desktop icons.

Maximize button. A folder cannot be maximised to cover the entire desktop. However, this effect can be achieved (if necessary) using the regular sizing borders.


Popup-popdown behaviour of folders

Folders are "popup-popdown" windows. That means they pop up (ie. appear) when you need them and pop down again (ie. disappear) when you're finished with them. This behaviour helps reduce desktop clutter by reducing the number of windows that have to be open at one time.

A folder always remembers its most recent size and position before it is closed, and will appear in the same position with the same size when you next open it. Size and position are also saved when you exit Wayfarer or exit Windows.

How do you open a folder?

The main folder pops up when you left-click on the Wayfarer desktop icon.

A sub-folder pops up when you left-click on the relevant sub-folder icon in the "parent" folder.

How do you close a folder?

By left-clicking on the Folder Control Button in the folder's title bar.

By selecting the Close command from the folder property menu.

The main folder can also be closed by left-clicking on the Wayfarer desktop icon a second time (in other words clicking on this icon opens and closes the main folder alternately).

When does a folder close ITSELF?

When you launch a program or document from Wayfarer, Wayfarer automatically closes all folders which are currently still open.

As soon as you start interacting with another Windows application, Wayfarer automatically closes all folders which are currently still open.

When you open a sub-folder, Wayfarer automatically closes any open folders that are not "ancestors" of that folder (in other words, as you navigate around your folder hierarchy, only a single "chain" of folders is left open at any one time).

When you open a sub-folder that uses the "Close Parent Folder" option, Wayfarer automatically closes the corresponding parent folder. Using this option, you can set up deep folder heirarchies that can be explored without cluttering up the desktop.

NOTE: A folder can be protected from automatic closing, by "pinning" it to the Windows desktop. A "pinned" folder will not pop down until you either un-pin it or deliberately close it (see Pinning folders to the desktop).


Pinning folders to the desktop

Normally, Wayfarer will try to reduce the clutter of your Windows desktop by automatically closing any folders that you may not be using at a particular moment in time (see Popup-popdown behaviour for exact details). Automatic folder closing occurs in the following situations :-

When you launch a program or document using Wayfarer.

When you start interacting with another Windows application.

As you navigate through different parts of your folder hierarchy.

To protect a folder from automatic closing, you can "pin" it to the Windows desktop. A pinned folder can only be closed manually (using the Folder Control Button or folder property menu). You can pin as many folders to the desktop as you like.

To pin or un-pin a folder, simply right-click on the Folder Control Button in the folder's title bar, or alternatively use the Pin/Unpin command on the folder property menu. When a folder is pinned, the appearance of its Folder Control Button changes as follows :-

	Folder is unpinned (normal).
	Folder is pinned.

When you exit Wayfarer or exit Windows, Wayfarer will remember which folders were pinned to the desktop. The next time you run Wayfarer, your pinned folders will re-appear exactly as you left them. So if you make Wayfarer you Windows "shell" application, pinned folders will reappear every time you start Windows.

NOTE: When you open a folder, it is normally unpinned. To force folders to be pinned as soon as you open them, use the Wayfarer Options dialog (accessed through the property menu of the Wayfarer desktop icon).


Folder title bar and caption

Title bar

Folders have title bars similar to those that appear on normal application windows. The title bar appears across the top of the folder. Unlike normal title bars, a folder's title bar has no System Menu, Minimize button or Maximize button - these facilities are not available for folders.

Caption

The folder's caption appears in the centre of the title bar. The caption is determined by the Description assigned to the folder's icon (which appears somewhere in the parent folder). To change the caption, you must change the Description for that icon. The caption for the main folder cannot be changed - it is always "Wayfarer".

Hiding the caption

The caption is completely optional and can be turned on or off. This is done using the Caption On/Off command from the folder property menu. When the caption is turned off, the folder's title bar will be hidden. In this case, the folder may still be moved around the desktop, but by dragging the top edge of the folder's sizing border instead of the title bar. NOTE: If any of the folder's panels have captions, their title bars may also be used to move the folder around.

Folder Control Button

The left-hand corner of a folder's title bar contains the Folder Control Button. Left-clicking on this button closes the folder. Right-clicking on this button pins or un-pins the folder (see Pinning folders to the desktop). The appearance of the button indicates whether the folder is pinned or unpinned.

	Folder is unpinned (normal).
	Folder is pinned.

See Also

Anatomy of a folder (Illustration)

Pinning folders to the desktop


Folder Control Button

The Folder Control Button is the scroll-like feature in the left-hand corner of a folder's title bar.

This button provides two very simple features :-

Left click. Closes the folder immediately.

Right click. Pins or un-pins the folder (See Pinning folders to the desktop).

The button's appearance changes to indicate whether the folder is currently pinned or unpinned.

	Folder is unpinned (normal).
	Folder is pinned.

See Also

Anatomy of a folder (Illustration)

Pinning folders to the desktop

Title bar and caption


Folder property menu

This is a popup menu that allows you to perform the following basic folder operations :-

Close the folder.

Pin or un-pin the folder.

Turn the caption on or off.

A folder's property menu can be accessed in the following ways :-

By right-clicking on the folder's title bar (if the caption is turned on).

By right-clicking on the top edge of the folder's sizing border (if the caption is turned off).

By right-clicking on a panel or icon inside the folder - the property menu of the panel or icon will include the folder's property menu as a sub-menu.

See Also

Anatomy of a folder (Illustration)

Pinning folders to the desktop

Title bar and caption


Folders and panels

The surface area of a folder is sub-divided into a number of tiled regions called panels.

Everything that you see inside a folder (or can do with a folder) is determined by the panels it contains.

A folder starts life with a single panel, which covers its entire surface. Further panels may be added, removed or replaced very easily. Panels are separated by special dividing regions called "splitter bars". Splitter bars can be dragged with the mouse to alter the relative sizes of adjacent panels. A folder always has at least one panel.

Three different types of panel are available :-

General Panel. Program Manager style panel. Lets you create individual icons representing specific programs, documents or sub-folders. This is the default type used for all new panels.

Browser Panel. File Manager style panel. Fills itself with icons representing any files that currently match the criteria you specify. You have full control over the panel's content, layout and appearance.

Tab panel. Allows a group of panels to be stacked on top of one another. A set of "tabs" stick out of the top of the stack, allowing individual panels to be brought to the top and used.

See Also

Anatomy of a folder (Illustration)

Panels in action (Illustration)


Panels

Wayfarer On-line Help :-  PANELS

The surface of a folder can be divided into a number of sub-windows called "panels".

Panels are the key to all of Wayfarer's program launching and file browsing facilities.

Using panels :-

Adding panels

Removing panels

Replacing panels

Splitting panels

Types of panel :-

	General Panel	Program Manager style panel. Lets you create individual icons representing specific programs, documents or sub-folders. This is the default type used for all new panels.
	Browser Panel	File Manager style panel. Fills itself with icons representing any files that currently match the criteria you specify. You have full control over the panel's content, layout and appearance.
	Tab panel	Allows a group of panels to be stacked on top of one another. A set of "tabs" stick out of the top of the stack, allowing individual panels to be brought to the top and used.
(Panels in action - An illustration)


Adding panels to folders

When a folder is first created, it contains a single General panel that covers its entire surface. This means that the folder is immediately ready to have icons added to it (representing programs, documents or sub-folders). However, a folder is not limited to containing just a single General panel.

There are three ways you can add extra panels to a folder in your Wayfarer layout :-

Split an existing panel into two
The surface of a folder can be divided and sub-divided by inserting additional panels. A folder's panels are always tiled; they never overlap. See :- Splitting one panel into two.

Replace an existing panel
An existing panel can be replaced with a new empty panel, of a completely different type (if required). The entire contents of the old panel are destroyed, including any sub-folders. See :- Replacing one panel with another.

Create a new sub-folder
A folder can contain any number of sub-folders, represented by Sub-folder icons. When you create a Sub-folder icon, the new sub-folder will contain an empty General panel. You can either use, split or replace this new panel as required. See :- Sub-folder icons.

Once a new panel has been created, it automatically becomes part of your permanent Wayfarer layout.


Removing panels from folders

There are two ways to remove a panel from a folder :-

Using the Remove command. Any adjacent panels will grow to fill the space left behind by the panel being removed (and any redundant splitter bars will also be destroyed).

Using the Replace command. The panel is removed but immediately replaced with a new, empty panel that covers the same area of the folder (See Replacing panels).

Both commands are accessed through the panel's property menu. All information associated with a panel is lost once the panel is destroyed, including any icons that were added to it.

Note: A folder must always contain at least one panel, which covers its entire surface. This panel cannot be removed (ie. the Remove command will not work), but it can be replaced using the Replace command.

(Note also that a Tab panel must always have at least one panel in its "stack" of panels; when the last panel in the stack is removed, the entire Tab panel will also be removed - unless this is the last panel in the entire folder).


Replacing one panel with another

Any panel can be replaced. This is achieved using the Replace command from the panel's property menu.

The old panel is completely destroyed, along with any associated information and icons.

The new panel will occupy the area left behind by the old panel.

The Replace command has three options :- General, Browser and Tab. These determine what type of panel will appear in place of the old panel (ie. a General panel, Browser panel or Tab panel - please refer to the specific type for further details).


Splitting one panel into two

Any panel can be split into two. This is achieved using the Split command from the panel's property menu.

The Split command creates a new General panel directly adjacent to the old panel. The old panel relinquishes exactly half of the area it occupied to the new panel, and the two panels become separated by a special dividing region called a "splitter bar". Note: No information is lost from the old panel as a result of this operation.

The Split command has four options :- Left, Right, Above and Below. These determine where the new panel will appear relative to the old panel (and also whether a vertical or horizontal splitter bar will be used).

The relative sizes of the old and new panels can be adjusted by dragging the splitter bar with the mouse.

The position of the splitter bar is automatically saved as part of your Wayfarer layout.


Panel property menu

Every panel has a standard Wayfarer "property menu" containing all the commands you need to manipulate and edit the contents of that panel. A panel's property menu is usually accessed by holding down the right-hand mouse button over any unused area of the panel.

The exact method for accessing the property menu - and the exact commands available - will depend on the type of panel in question (General, Browser or Tab - please refer to the specific type for full details). However, here are some panel commands that are common to all panel property menus :-

Split	-	Split one panel into two (thereby creating an additional panel).

Replace	-	Destroy a panel and replace it with a new panel.

Remove	-	Destroy a panel and remove it from the folder.

Edit Caption	-	Change a panel's caption (causing title bar to appear or disappear).

Folder	-	Reveals the property menu for the current folder.


Panel title bar and caption

Like folders, panels may also have title bars with captions.

A panel's title bar differs from a folder's title bar in the following ways :-

- The caption appears in a thinner font.

- There is no equivalent to the Folder Control Button.

- The title bar is automatically hidden until a caption is defined.

The title bar and caption are controlled using the Edit Caption command on the panel's property menu. This command invokes the Panel Caption dialog box, which allows the caption text to be entered or altered. The title bar will only appear if you have provided some caption text for it to display. To hide the title bar, simply erase the entire caption text.

See Also

Folder title bar and caption


General Panels

General panels are Program Manger style panels that enable you to create groups of predefined icons representing programs or documents that you need to access frequently. General panels can also contain icons representing sub-folders.

General panels are the default Wayfarer panel type. When you create a new sub-folder, the sub-folder will contain a single, empty General panel that covers its entire surface area. For details of how to create and manipulate General panels within a folder, please refer to Panels.

Working with icons :-

Document icons

Sub-folder icons

Adding icons

Removing icons

Positioning and arranging icons

Changing the appearance of an icon

Special features :-

Copying and moving icons

Importing icons from Program Manager

Defining a "Startup" panel


Document icons

A Document icon is a graphical representation of a specific file on your computer system.

Document icons can be used to represent both documents (ie. data) and programs (ie. software).

Document icons make your computer system easier to use, by offering immediate access to those files that you need to use most frequently. They are equally useful for accessing files that are not used frequently, because you won't have to waste time hunting them down when you do need them.

Left-clicking on a Document icon "launches" the program or document that the icon represents. Programs must be Windows programs, DOS programs, DOS batch files, or Windows PIFs. Documents must be of a type recognised by your Windows environment (ie. you must have already installed the software needed to edit or view the document).

Right-clicking on a Document icon reveals the icon's property menu, which provides commands for manipulating the icon (eg. editing its details, changing its appearance, deleting it, and so on).

See Also

Step-by-step guide to creating your first Document icon

Adding Document icons to your Wayfarer layout

Other operations involving Document icons

The properties of a Document icon

Importing your old Program Manager icons


Sub-folder icons

A Sub-folder icon is a graphical representation of a Wayfarer sub-folder.

Every sub-folder appears as a Sub-folder icon somewhere inside its "parent" folder.

Sub-folder icons are very similar to Document icons. They have the same general appearance, and both sorts of icon can appear on the same General panel (the surface of a folder is divided up into areas called panels).

Left-clicking on a Sub-folder icon opens the equivalent sub-folder (on top of the current folder).

Right-clicking on a Sub-folder icon reveals the icon's property menu. This menu provides commands for manipulating the icon (eg. editing its details, changing its appearance, removing it from the panel, and so on).

See Also

Step-by-step guide to creating your first sub-folder

Adding Sub-folder icons to your Wayfarer layout

Other operations involving Sub-folder icons

Folders - an overview

Panels - an overview


Adding icons to a General panel

General panels can contain two kinds of icon :-

Document icons, representing individual programs or documents.

Sub-folder icons, representing sub-folders of the current folder.

A General panel starts life completely empty - you have to add the icons you want one-by-one.

To add a new icon to a General panel, you must use the panel's "property menu", as follows :-

1.	Pick a free spot on the panel where you want the icon to go.

2.	Right-click on the panel at that spot - the property menu will appear.

3.	Select Add Document... or Add Sub-folder..., as appropriate.

4.	Enter the icon details into the dialog box that appears.

5.	Press the OK button; the icon will appear at the chosen spot.

Once the icon has been created, you can adjust its position by "dragging" it around the panel with the mouse (see Positioning and arranging icons for details).


Removing icons from a General panel

To remove an icon from a General panel, simply right-click on the icon to access the icon's property menu, and select the menu's Remove command. This technique applies to both Document icons and Sub-folder icons.

NOTE: Removing a Sub-folder icon will destroy the sub-folder and everything contained inside it (including all icons, panels and any further sub-folders).

See Also

Document icon property menu

Sub-folder icon property menu


Positioning and arranging General panel icons

The icons on a General panel can be re-positioned in several ways :-

Drag-and-drop

An icon can be re-positioned manually by dragging it around the panel and then dropping it in a new position. Simply move the mouse pointer over the icon and hold down the left-hand button. Keeping the button held down, move the icon to its new position using the mouse. Finally, release the mouse button to drop the icon in place.

Snap-to-grid

Repositioning icons so that they lie in accurate rows and columns can be very difficult. To make row/column positioning easier, a General panel can operate in "snap-to-grid" mode, in which all drag-and-drop movements are limited to the points on a grid.

Auto-Arrange

If manually positioning all your icons is not your cup of tea, Wayfarer can automatically position your icons for you. When a General panel is operating in "auto-arrange" mode, its icons are automatically arranged into neat rows, and are re-arranged every time an icon is added, altered or removed. In this mode, the only effect of dragging icons is to change the order in which they are arranged.

To use the snap-to-grid and auto-arrange features, simply access the panel's property menu and select the Arrange... command. This opens the Arrange dialog, from which you can control the grid size and method of icon placement.


Changing the appearance of a General panel icon

Wayfarer offers a very rich set of options for controlling the appearance of General panel icons.

Furthermore, each individual icon can be given its own set of appearance characteristics.

To alter an icon's appearance, access the icon's property menu by right-clicking on the icon, and select the Edit Appearance... command. This opens the Appearance dialog, which gives you full control over the icon's individual appearance characteristics.

The following appearance characteristics are available :-

Graphical image to be used.

Position, size, font and color of the description.

Special effects such as shadows and borders.

NOTE: An icon's description is not an appearance characteristic, but is a part of the icon's main details, which are accessible through a different property menu command (Edit Document... or Edit Sub-folder..., depending on the exact icon type).

See Also

Document icon property menu

Sub-folder icon property menu


Copying and moving icons

Icons on General panels can be copied or moved about in the following ways :-

Using the mouse

Using the clipboard

(Click on either of the above topics for further details)

NOTE: Icons can be copied or moved between different panels as well as within the same panel. The two panels can even be in completely different folders. However, if the panels are in different folders you may find it easier to use the clipboard rather than the mouse, since the popup-popdown behaviour of folders may cause the destination folder to close unexpectedly during the drag-and-drop operation.

See Also

Positioning and arranging icons

Copying icons out of Browser panels


Copying and moving icons
Using the mouse...

To move an icon using the mouse, simply position the mouse over the icon and hold down the left-hand mouse button. Keeping the button held down, simply "drag" the icon to the desired location and then release the button to "drop" it in place.

To copy an icon rather than move it, hold down the SHIFT key whilst dragging.


Copying and moving icons
Using the clipboard...

To move an icon using the clipboard, simply right-click on the icon to reveal its property menu, and select the Cut command. The icon will be removed from the panel and stored in the clipboard. Now right-click on the panel itself, over the area you wish to re-insert the icon. This will reveal the panel's property menu. Select the Paste command and the icon will appear at its new location.

To copy an icon rather than move it, use the Copy command instead of the Cut command.

NOTE: A copy of the icon is always left in the clipboard after a Cut or Copy, so by performing repeated Paste operations, you can replicate the same icon many times, in many different locations, with very little effort.


Importing icons from Program Manager

Your old Program Manager icons can be "imported" into your new Wayfarer layout. This means you can migrate from Program Manager to Wayfarer gradually, without having to re-create your entire setup from scratch. You can continue to use your old Program Manager icons until you are familiar enough with Wayfarer to start arranging them into a more sophisticated layout.

How to do it :- Find an unused spot on a General panel, and right-click on that spot to access the panel's property menu. From the property menu, select the Import... command. This opens the Import dialog, from which you can select the icons you want to import.

What you get :- Program Manager icons are organised into "groups". Wayfarer will create a new sub-folder for each group that you choose to import. Each sub-folder will be a complete facsimile of the original group; each icon is reproduced in the same position with the same appearance and details (except the Shortcut Key, which is not supported by Wayfarer).

Importing one group :- The new sub-folder appears as a Sub-folder icon at the chosen spot on the panel.

Importing several groups :- The new sub-folders all appear as Sub-folder icons inside a single collective folder entitled "Program Manager Groups". This folder in turn appears as a Sub-folder icon at the chosen spot on the panel from which you originally started the Import... command.


Defining a "startup" panel

Startup panels are a convenient way to specify which programs or documents should be automatically launched whenever you enter the Microsoft Windows operating environment. For example, you might wish to have useful accessories such as Clock and Calculator launched at the start of every Windows session.

NOTE: This feature is only available when Wayfarer is acting as your Windows "shell" application (ie. the very first application to be run when you start Windows). To make Wayfarer the shell, use the Wayfarer Options dialog.

When you start up Windows, and Wayfarer is your current shell application, every Document icon in every startup panel will automatically be launched.

A "startup" panel defined as :-

Any General panel which has the caption "Startup", or

Any General panel inside a folder which has the caption "Startup".

The caption can be any mixture of upper case or lower case letters, so for example "startup" and "STARTUP" are equally acceptable.

See Also

Changing the caption of a panel

Changing the caption of a folder


Browser Panels

Browser panels are File Manger style panels that enable you to browse through the files on your computer system. The power of Browser panels lies in their configurability; each panel offers precise control over the following :-

Which types of file are shown.

The order in which the files are shown.

The visual appearance of each file.

General features :-

What can a Browser panel do?

Creating a Browser panel

Configuring a Browser panel

Using a Browser panel

Specific features :-

Home Directory

File groups

Layout options

Mouse options

Other features :-

Loading and saving Browser panels

Predefined Browser panels

Copying icons into General panels


Copying icons from Browser panels into General panels

Using the mouse, it is possible to "drag" a file icon displayed in a Browser panel and "drop" it into a General panel. The effect of this action is to create a permanent icon for that file, which will be saved as part of your Wayfarer layout. This icon can be used to access the file again and again, without having to use the Browser panel to locate it each time. This feature is useful if, while browsing for files, you come across a file which you will need to have access to frequently.

NOTE: Due to the popup-popdown behaviour of Wayfarer folders, dragging an icon from a Browser panel into a General panel can only be achieved if both panels are visible and one of the following is true :-

Both panels are part of the same folder.

The folder with the General panel is an ancestor of the one with the Browser panel.

The folder with the General panel has been pinned to the desktop.

See Also

General panels

General panels - Document icons

General panels - Creating document icons

Using Browser panels


Loading and saving Browser panels

A Browser panel's configuration details can be saved to a file with the .BRW file extension. This saved configuration can subsequently be re-used, by simply loading it back into any existing Browser panel at a later date. As well as enabling you to maintain a library of your favourite Browser configurations, this is also a convenient way to quickly create Browsers that all have the same configuration.

To save the configuration of any Browser panel, access its property menu by right-clicking anywhere inside the panel, and then select the Save Configuration... command. A dialog will appear allowing you to enter the filename and specify which drive and directory to save the file to. NOTE: You do not have to add the .BRW extension - this will be done automatically for you.

To load a previously saved configuration back into a Browser panel, access its property menu by right-clicking anywhere inside the panel, and then select the Load Configuration... command. A dialog will appear allowing you to select the .BRW file whose configuration you wish to use. The Browser panel's configuration will then be changed.

See Also

Predefined Browser panels

Configuring a Browser panel

Creating a Browser panel


Predefined Browser panels

To save you having to manually configure every new Browser panel that you create, Wayfarer offers a selection of 10 predefined Browser panel configurations called "presets". Presets are useful in the following ways :-

Presets allow you to make use of Wayfarer's file browsing capabilities without ever having to configure a Browser panel yourself. You simply create a Browser panel and select one of the preset configurations for it to use.

Presets make useful starting points for your own Browsers, by saving you a lot of time setting up all the file groups you need and by determining the overall "look" of the panel.

Presets serve as excellent examples of how to use the many different configuration options that Browser panels offer.

A preset configuration can be applied to any Browser panel, even one that has already been configured. Simply right-click inside the panel to access its property menu, and choose the Select Preset option. This reveals a sub-menu containing the 10 presets.

See Also

Loading and saving Browser panels

Configuring a Browser panel

Creating a Browser panel


What can a Browser panel do?

A Browser panel searches for files on your computer system and displays them as icons. Unlike a General panel, where the icons are permanent and have to be created one at a time, a Browser panel automatically fills itself with icons representing the files that currently match whatever criteria you specify. Every Browser panel is totally re-configurable, and gives you full control over the following :-

Which types of file are shown
Each panel can have a list of file groups. A file group uses a wildcard to describe a set of files that should appear in the panel (eg. WIN*.EXE or *.DOC). File groups usually refer to files in a specific directory called the panel's Home Directory. The contents of a panel change as the Home Directory changes. A panel can display icons for any sub-directories of the Home Directory. Using these it is possible to change the Home Directory and navigate around your computer's entire file system.

The order in which the files are shown
Several layout options are available for controlling the order that files appear in a Browser panel. As well as being able to order files on attributes such as name, date and size, you can also choose whether to keep files from the same file group together. Icons may be arranged either in rows or columns, and you can force each file group to start in a separate row/column.

The visual appearance of each file
The appearance of each icon is determined by its corresponding file group. Each group can be given different icon appearance characteristics. This makes different file types much easier to distinguish. Appearance characteristics include the graphical image and descriptive text. File details such as name, date & size are included in the description using special keywords (eg. {B} for size in bytes).


Creating a Browser panel

To create a Browser panel, you have to replace an existing panel from your Wayfarer layout with a new panel, choosing "Browser panel" as the replacement panel type.

Here are two different ways of adding a Browser panel to your Wayfarer layout :-

Inside a dedicated sub-folder
1. Choose any folder that contains a General panel, and open that folder.
2. Add a Sub-folder icon to the General panel, and use this to open your new sub-folder.
3. Replace the new sub-folder's General panel with a Browser panel.

As part of an existing folder
1. Choose the folder you want to add the Browser panel to, and open that folder.
2. Choose any panel inside this folder, and split that panel into two.
3. Replace the new half of the split panel with a Browser panel.

Once you have created your new Browser panel, you must configure it. In other words, you must tell it what files you want it to display. A Browser panel that has not been configured will not display any files; instead, it will display a large cross to indicate that it needs configuring.

See Also

Configuring a Browser panel

What can a Browser panel do ?

Predefined Browser panels


Configuring a Browser panel

Before you can use a Browser panel, you must configure it. In other words, you must tell it what files you want it to display, and how you want those files to be displayed. An un-configured Browser panel will not display any files; instead, it will display a large cross to indicate that it needs configuring.

A Browser panel is configured using the Browser panel dialog. To access this dialog, simply right-click anywhere on the panel to access the its property menu, and select the Configure... command. The following configuration details can then be specified :-

File groups. These determine which files will appear in the panel. Each one represents a group of files with a similar name and location (eg. C:\WINDOWS\*.BMP). Each group can be assigned its own icon appearance characteristics, allowing different types of file to be easily distinguished.

Home Directory. This determines which directory the panel looks in when searching for files belonging to file groups that do not define a specific directory (eg. *.EXE).

Layout options. These determine how the file icons are arranged across the surface of the panel and exactly what order they appear in.

Mouse options. These determine how the panel reacts when you left-click on a particular icon. Different effects can be defined for sub-directory icons and file icons.

See Also

Creating a Browser panel

Predefined Browser panels


Using a Browser panel

Once you have configured a Browser panel to display the required file information, you can start using its file browsing features. You can interact with a Browser panel in the following ways :-

Scrolling and resizing
If the panel is too small to display all its file icons, a scrollbar will appear along one edge allowing you to scroll through the entire list. Also, the panel will automatically rearrange its icons when its size is changed. This occurs when you re-size the parent folder or re-position an adjacent splitter bar.

Opening files
Files can be opened by left-clicking on the appropriate file icon (depending on the mouse options you have chosen). If the file is a program, it is executed. Otherwise, the file is loaded into the relevant application (eg. Paintbrush for a bitmap file, Notepad for text file, etc).

Changing directory
The panel's Home Directory can be changed instantly by left-clicking on a sub-directory icon (depending on the mouse options you have chosen). NOTE: These icons only appear if you have specified the [Subdirs] file group. This file group includes two special icons :-

If the Home Directory is a sub-directory, the ".." icon appears, representing its parent directory.
If the Home Directory is a root directory, the "::" icon appears, representing the Drive Map.

The Drive Map is a list of all available disk drives on your computer system.


Browser panels :- Home Directory

A Browser panel's Home Directory defines which directory the panel will look in when searching for files to display as icons. The Home Directory can be set using the Browser panel dialog.

The Home Directory must contain the full drive and path of the required directory or subdirectory, eg. C:\JOHN\DOCUMENT, D:\, and so on. Relative paths such as ..\DOCUMENT or \JOHN are not permitted. When a Browser panel is first created, its Home Directory is set to the Windows directory.

A panel's file groups are used to determine exactly which files are displayed. This will be a mixture of files from the Home Directory (relative file groups) and files from other locations (absolute file groups).

When the special [Subdirs] file group is used, the panel will display icons representing sub-directories of the Home Directory. The Home Directory can then be changed simply by clicking on a particular sub-directory icon, and the panel will update itself to show the contents of the new directory. This behaviour is controlled by the panel's mouse options. For further details, see also Using a Browser panel.

When the Home Directory is blank, the panel will ignore its file groups and display a Drive Map showing all the available disk drives on your computer system. Left-clicking on a drive will set the Home Directory to the root directory of that drive. The panel will then use its file groups in the normal manner.

HINT :- Inserting a "~" or "^" in the panel's caption will cause the caption to show the Home Directory. This will change as you move from directory to directory. Use "~" for lower case, "^" for upper case.


Browser panels :- Layout options

A Browser panel's layout options determine the way the panel's file icons are sorted and arranged. Layout options are controlled through the Browser panel dialog. The following options are available :-

Order By
Determines the basic order of the files. Files can be sorted either by Name, Extension, Date or Size. Reverse ordering can be chosen for Date and Size. NOTE: File ordering is also affected by the Grouping layout option (see below).

Layout
Determines the direction in which the icons are laid out across the surface of the panel.
The choices available for this option are :-

Grouping
Determines whether or not files from the same file group are kept together.
When files are grouped, file ordering (see above) is performed separately within each group.
The choices available for this option are :-


Browser panels :- Mouse options

A Browser panel's mouse options determine what happens when you left-click on any icon displayed by the panel. Mouse options are controlled through the Mouse Clicks dialog, which is accessed via the Browser panel dialog. The following mouse options are available :-

Sub-directory
Determines what happens when you click on a sub-directory icon. Sub-directory icons only appear if the Browser panel contains the special [Subdirs] file group. By default, clicking on a sub-directory icon causes the panel's Home Directory to change, thereby enabling you to navigate around your computer's entire file system. Using the Mouse Clicks dialog, you can choose whether these directory changes are saved, or even disable the effect of mouse-clicks completely.

File
Determines what happens when you click on a file icon. By default, clicking on a file icon causes that file to be run (if it's a program) or opened (if it's a document). Using the Mouse Clicks dialog, you can choose whether the file is run in a "minimized" form (ie. as an icon), or even disable the effect of mouse-clicks completely.

See Also

Using a Browser panel

Mouse Clicks dialog


Browser panels :- File groups

File groups determine what files will appear as icons on a Browser panel. Each Browser panel you create can have its own set of file groups. A panel's file groups are defined using the Browser panel dialog (accessed via the panel's property menu).

Each file group uses a "wildcard" to describe a particular set of files that should appear in the panel (for example, WIN*.EXE or *.DOC). Every time you open a folder containing a Browser panel, the panel searches for the files belonging to each file group, arranges the entire set of files using the layout options you have chosen, and then displays an icon for each file, using the appearance characteristics of the corresponding file group.

Using file groups :-

Different types of file group

Creating and manipulating file groups

File group details :-

Wildcard

Wildcard attributes

Label

Label keywords

Width and Depth

Appearance


Different types of file group

There are three types of file group, indicated in the Browser panel dialog by the symbols shown below. A panel can contain a mixture of file group types. NOTE: The type is automatically determined by the file group's wildcard - you do not have to specify the file group type yourself.

	Relative file group The wildcard contains a filename but no path. The file group identifies a set of files from the panel's Home Directory. The files in this group change when the Home Directory changes.
	Absolute file group The wildcard contains a full path and filename (including drive code). The file group identifies a set of files from a specific location on your computer's filing system. Changes to the panel's Home Directory have no effect on the contents of the file group.
	Invalid file group The wildcard is incomplete or contains invalid characters. New file groups, identified  by the [New] wildcard, are initially invalid. Invalid file groups are ignored by Browser panels.

Browser panels also support two special variations of Relative file groups :-

[Subdirs]	Identifies all sub-directories of the Home Directory. This allows you to change the Home Directory and so navigate up and down through sub-directories.

[Others]	Identifies all files in the Home Directory which are not covered by the panel's other Relative file groups. You should always use this file group in preference to a *.* group.


Creating and manipulating file groups

A Browser panel's file groups are controlled through the Browser panel dialog, which allows you to view and edit the entire file group list. Each file group is shown in the list by its wildcard and a symbol indicating the file group type.

The following buttons are provided for manipulating the file group list :-

Add	Adds a new file group to the end of the list; the group's wildcard is initially undefined.

Del	Deletes the selected file groups from the list.

Up	Moves the selected file group one place up the list.

Down	Moves the selected file group one place down the list.

[Subdirs]	Adds the special [Subdirs] file group to the list.

[Others]	Adds the special [Others] file group to the list.

The list may contain up to 50 individual file groups. The order of the file groups will affect the order that files appear in the panel, depending on the exact layout options you have specified for that panel.

To the right of the file group list is a "raised" area showing the details of the currently selected file groups. From here the details of individual groups can be altered, or details can be applied to several groups at once. When several groups are selected, the Wildcard field is disabled and the remaining fields display values that are common to all the selections; values that vary from selection to selection will appear as blank fields. When several groups are selected, any changes you make to detail fields are applied to all the selections at once.


File groups :- Wildcard

Every file group uses a standard DOS "wildcard" to identify the group of files that it represents.

A file group's overall type is determined by its wildcard (See Different types of file group).

A wildcard is basically an incomplete filename, in which the ? and * symbols are used to indicate the unknown parts of the filename. The ? symbol represents a single unknown character. The * symbol represents several unknown characters. For example :-

WIN*.EXE	would include the files	WINTERM.EXE, WING.EXE, WINTER.EXE.

DR?G.DOC	would include the files	DRUG.DOC, DRAG.DOC, DREG.DOC.

STR???.B*	would include the files	STRING.BIG, STRIKE.BM, STRAY.BBC.

README.WRI	would include the files	README.WRI (and no others).

If the wildcard contains no path, the panel will search for matching files in its Home Directory. If the wildcard contains a full path (including drive code), the panel will search in the specified sub-directory instead. For example :- D:\DOCUMENT\JANUARY\*.DOC.

NOTE: To identify files by more than just their name and location, see Wildcard attributes.

HINT: For relative file groups (ie. ones that don't contain paths) you can actually specify more than one wildcard. Simply separate the individual wildcards using semi-colons, for example: "*.DOC;*.BMP;*.WAV". This can help to greatly reduce the number of file groups that you need to define, and makes it easier to apply the same appearance characteristics to several groups of files.


File groups :- Wildcard attributes

A file group uses a wildcard to identify a particular set of files. A wildcard normally identifies files simply by their name and location. To identify files by more than just their name and location, you can use a wildcard attribute. This indicates some extra condition that files must fulfil in order to be included in the group.

The following wildcard attributes are currently supported by Wayfarer :-

Read-only	File must be read-only, ie. un-modifiable (this is an optional feature of MS-DOS files).

Normal	File must not be read-only, ie. it must be a normal modifiable file.

Dos	File must a DOS executable program.

Windows	File must be a Windows executable program.

A file group may include a single wildcard attribute in its overall wildcard. The attribute appears at the very end, separated from the rest of the wildcard by a comma (eg. "*.EXE,Dos"). When entering a wildcard attribute, you only need to provide the first letter (eg. "R" for Read-only).

Example uses of wildcard attributes

1. Create a pair of file groups containing the wildcard *.EXE. Give one group the Dos attribute and one the Windows attribute. Define a slightly different icon appearance for each group. You will now be able to distinuish easily between icons for DOS and Windows programs.

2. When creating file groups for your different document types (eg. *.DOC, *.WRI, etc), apply the Read-only attribute to each group's wildcard. This will cause all modifiable documents to be hidden from the panel, preventing you (or others) from accidentally trying to edit an unprotected document.


File groups :- Label

All the files belonging to one file group are represented as icons with same size and appearance. The only way to distinguish between files from the same group is by their descriptive text. This text is determined by the file group's label.

A label can be any combination of raw text and keywords. Keywords define which parts of the label should contain file-specific details (for example, the file's name, size, date, and so on). Wayfarer provides a wide choice of keywords for use in file group labels (See Label keywords for details).

The Browser panel dialog provides some ready-to-use example labels. To see these, simply click on the Label field's down-arrow button to reveal a drop-down list of example labels. Then click on the label you want to use.

See Also

Label keywords


File groups :- Label keywords

For each file group you can specify the label to be applied to each file icon. The label can include one or more keywords representing file-specific information such as the name, date and size.

A keyword is indicated by a pair of curly brackets containing a letter that identifies the particular keyword being used. Wayfarer ignores any text between this letter and the closing bracket, so it is possible to make the keyword appear more meaningful. For example, the {S} keyword (representing a "short" form of the filename) could be entered as {S}, {Short}, {Short Name}, {Silly} and so on.

Click here to see a complete list of valid keywords

Keywords can be typed directly into the label, or can be inserted automatically using the Keywords dialog (accessed by pressing the Keywords button next to the Label field).

See Also

Labels


List of valid keywords
Keyword	Meaning	Example
{F}	Full Name	C:\DOCS\JOHN\ACCOUNTS.DOC
{S}	Short Name	ACCOUNTS.DOC
{P}	Path	C:\DOCS\JOHN\
{N}	Node	ACCOUNTS
{E}	Extension	DOC
{f}	Full Name	c:\docs\john\accounts.doc
{s}	Short Name	accounts.doc
{p}	Path	c:\docs\john\
{n}	Node	accounts
{e}	Extension	doc
{B}	Bytes	1234567
{K}	Kilobytes	1206
{G}	Megabytes	1.18
{D}	Day	25
{M}	Month	Dec
{Y}	Year	94
{H}	Hours	23
{I}	Minutes	59
{L}	New Line
{T}	Tab
In the above table, the examples shown are for a file called ACCOUNTS.DOC in the directory C:\DOCS\JOHN, last modified at 23:59 on 25-Dec-94, total size 1,234,567 bytes.

NOTE: If the label contains Tab keywords, the tab separation can be controlled using the file group's Appearance options. See Appearance dialog for further details.


File groups :- Width and Depth

The file icons in a Browser panel are arranged in rows and columns (See Layout options). The area occupied by each icon is called a "cell". The size of this cell is determined by the Width and Depth fields of the file group to which the icon belongs.

The Width and Depth fields can be used in conjunction with the file group's appearance options to control the exact size and appearance of that group's icons.

Ideally, the cell size should be made just large enough to hold the icon image and label text.

- If the cell size is too small, the icon will be "clipped" (ie. parts of the icon will not be visible).

- If the cell size is larger than necessary, the icon will simply occupy more space in the panel.

If you have specified a "border effect" (eg. Button or Recess) as part of the file group's appearance, this will appear around the edge of the cell and the icon details will appear in the centre of the cell. To make the borders of icons from different file groups line up better, give each file group the same width and/or depth.

Automatic size calculation: The Browser panel dialog provides an "auto-size" option for each Browser panel. When selected, this option causes the cell size for each file group to be calculated automatically every time the panel is re-configured. The size calculation takes into account the label and appearance settings of each file group. However, if the chosen sizes are not appropriate, you can subsequently turn the option off and adjust the sizes manually.


File groups :- Appearance

All file icons belonging to the same file group are displayed with the same appearance characteristics.

A different set of appearance characteristics can be defined for each file group.

The following appearance options are available :-

Graphical image to be used.

Position, size, font and color of each icon's descriptive text.

Special effects such as shadows and borders.

The above options can be accessed from the Browser panel dialog by simply selecting the desired file group and pressing the Appearance... button, which opens the Appearance dialog.

The overall appearance of an icon is also affected by the following file group options :-

The descriptive text, determined by the file group's Label field.

The cell size, determined by the file group's Width and Depth fields.


Tab Panels

Tab panels provide a way of organising other panels more efficiently. A Tab panel is actually a collection of child panels stacked on top of one another. Each panel has a "tab" which sticks out of the top. This tab contains the panel's name (ie. caption) and clicking on the tab will bring that panel to the top of the stack.

The child panels of a Tab panel behave exactly like other Wayfarer panels. They may be General panels, Browser panels, or even further Tab panels. They may contain sub-folders, and can be split to create sub-panels.

Illustrations :-

Example use of a Tab panel

Anatomy of a Tab panel

Using Tab panels :-

Adding panels to a Tab panel

Removing panels from a Tab panel

Changing the text of a tab

Property menus :-

Tab panel property menu

Tab bar property menu


Example use of a Tab panel


Anatomy of a Tab panel


Adding panels to a Tab panel

There are several ways to add new child panels to a Tab panel :-

EITHER:	Right-click in the unused area around the edge of the Tab panel, to access the Tab panel's property menu. Select the Add Tab command to add a new child panel. The panel's "tab" will appear at the end of the tab bar.

OR:	Right-click between two tabs in the tab bar to access the tab bar's property menu, and select the Insert Tab command. The tab for the new child panel appears between the two existing tabs.

OR:	Right-click in the tab bar, to the far right of the last tab. The tab bar's property menu will appear, but this time the only available command will be Add Tab. The tab for the new child panel appears after the last existing tab.

The new child panel will always be a General panel. However, this can be replaced with a different kind of panel, or split up into several sub-panels, as required.

NOTE: The very first child panel is created when the actual Tab panel itself is created.

See Also

Anatomy of a Tab panel

Tab panel property menu

Tab bar property menu


Removing panels from a Tab panel

To remove a specific child panel from a Tab panel, simply right-click on the child panel's "tab", to access the tab bar property menu. Then select the Remove Tab command. The child panel and its tab will be destroyed. NOTE: Any icons owned by the child panel will also be destroyed, including those representing sub-folders.

Removing the last child panel causes the Tab panel itself to be removed from your Wayfarer layout.

See Also

Anatomy of a Tab panel

Tab bar property menu


Changing the text of a tab

Each child panel on a Tab panel is represented by a "tab" sticking out of the top. The panel's caption is shown in the tab (instead of inside the panel itself, as would occur elsewhere in your Wayfarer layout).

When a new child panel is added to the Tab panel, it's caption - and therefore its tab - will initially be blank. To give the panel a caption, simply right-click on the tab (to access the tab bar property menu) and select the Edit Caption... command. This causes the Panel Caption dialog box to appear, allowing you to enter the text to be displayed inside the tab.

See Also

Anatomy of a Tab panel

Tab bar property menu


The 'Yardstick' desktop manager

Wayfarer On-line Help :-  THE YARDSTICK

Wayfarer's Yardstick offers you a totally new way of managing your Windows desktop.

The Yardstick alters the behaviour of the Windows desktop in a number of ways. Firstly, it displays all your current "tasks" (ie. running Windows applications) not as desktop icons but instead as a set of toolbar buttons spread along the bottom of the screen. Secondly, it slightly reduces the size of the desktop so that the toolbar remains visible at all times, ie. is not obscured when windows are maximized. Thirdly, it allows you to use this toolbar to switch between tasks instantly and to more conveniently manage the arrangement of windows on the desktop.

When activated, the Yardstick looks something like this (click on each part for an explanation) :-

The Yardstick is activated using the Wayfarer Options dialog. To access this dialog, simply right-click on the Wayfarer desktop icon to reveal the icon's property menu, and select the Options command. The Yardstick can be activated or deactivated using the special Desktop Yardstick dialog option.

See Also

Task Appearance dialog

Default Task Appearance dialog


Yardstick - Wayfarer access button
Wayfarer access button

This button behaves exactly like the Wayfarer desktop icon, offering instant access to your Wayfarer layout and full control over the Wayfarer application while the Yardstick is activated.

Left-click on this button to access your main folder.

Right-click on this button to access the Wayfarer icon's property menu.


Yardstick - Task buttons
Task buttons

These buttons represent the individual tasks currently running on your Windows desktop. Task buttons will appear and disappear as you open new applications or close existing ones.

Left-click on a task button to switch to the corresponding application.

Right-click on a task button to change its appearance, using the Task Appearance dialog.

NOTE: For a minimized application, left-clicking with the SHIFT key held down will reveal the application's System Menu (equivalent to left-clicking on a normal desktop icon). This feature is useful for those applications which remain permanently minimized and only provide commands via the System Menu.


Yardstick - Unused region
Unused region

Right-click on this region to access the Default Task Appearance dialog. This dialog allows you to change the general appearance of task buttons. Variations in general appearance can also be specified for each individual task button, by right-clicking on the button to access the Task Appearance dialog.


Yardstick - Minimize All button
Minimize All button

Minimizes all application windows on the desktop that can be minimized. Typically, this will leave you with a completely bare desktop (apart from the Yardstick at the bottom). NOTE: An application cannot be minimized while it has a modal dialog box open.


Yardstick - Maximize All button
Maximize All button

Maximizes all application windows currently visible on the desktop. Minimized applications are unaffected. NOTE: An application cannot be maximized while it has a modal dialog box open. Note also that some applications can never be maximized, because they use windows of a fixed size.


Yardstick - Desktop Tile button
Desktop Tile button

Re-arranges all application windows currently visible on the desktop so that they tile the entire desktop.


Task Appearance dialog

This dialog can be accessed by right-clicking on any task button displayed on the Yardstick. It allows you to make the appearance characteristics of the button vary from the default appearance characteristics (controlled through the Default Task Appearance dialog).

The appearance of a task button is determined by the application which that button represents. Therefore, two buttons representing two instances of the same application (eg. PaintBrush) will always share the same appearance characteristics.

Any changes you make in this dialog are recorded, for use the next time you start Wayfarer.

The Task Appearance dialog contains the following options :-

Module	Identifies the application that this task button represents (using the application's internal "module name").

Caption	Determines what text is displayed in the task button.

None	Stops the button from showing any text whatsoever. The button will consist solely of a "gadget" (see below).

Window Caption	Makes the button display the same text visible in the title bar of the application's main window. The task button's caption will change as the window's caption changes. This is the normal caption setting.

Fixed Caption	Makes the button display a fixed caption of your choosing.

Gadget	Determines the graphical image used by the task button (displayed to the left of any caption text).

Use Default	Makes the button use the default gadget (see Defaults... below).

Select Gadget...	Allows you to select a new gadget for the button to use.

(gadget image)	Shows the gadget you have selected for this button.

Caption Color	Determines the color to use for the button's caption text.

Use Default	Makes the button use the default color (see Defaults... below).

(color selector)	Allows you to select a new color for the button to use.

Emboss	Makes the button's caption appear "embossed", ie. outlined.

Defaults...	Opens the Default Task Appearance dialog, which allows you to change the default gadget and color settings used for all task buttons (except those for which you have explicitly chosen to ignore the defaults).


Default Task Appearance dialog

This dialog can be accessed by right-clicking on the unused region of the Yardstick. It allows you to define the default appearance characteristics to be used for all task buttons (except those for which you have explicitly chosen to ignore the defaults, by using the Task Appearance dialog).

Any changes you make in this dialog are recorded, for use the next time you start Wayfarer.

The Default Task Appearance dialog contains the following options :-

Gadget	Determines the graphical image to be used by task buttons.

Select Gadget...	Allows you to select a new default gadget.

(gadget image)	Shows the current default gadget.

Caption Color	Determines the default color to use for caption text in task buttons.

(color selector)	Allows you to select a new default color.

Emboss	Makes captions appear "embossed", ie. outlined.


Reference

Wayfarer On-line Help :-  REFERENCE GUIDE

Property Menus :-	Dialog Boxes :-	Miscellaneous :-

Wayfarer desktop icon	Appearance	Files used by Wayfarer

Folder	Arrange	Colors used by Wayfarer

General Panel	Browser Panel	WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI options

Browser Panel	Document	Known faults and limitations

Tab Panel	Gadget	The 'Yardstick' desktop manager

Tab bar	Icon

Document icon	Import

Sub-folder icon	Keywords

Mouse Clicks

Panel Caption

Run

Sub-folder

Wayfarer Options

List of topics by subject :-


List of topics by subject
»	WELCOME!	»	PANELS	»	FILE GROUPS

Using the on-line help system	Adding	Different types

Hardware/software requirements	Removing	Creating and manipulating

Terms and conditions	Replacing	Wildcard

Splitting	Wildcard attributes

»	OVERVIEW	Property menu	Label

Features at a glance	Title bar and caption	Label keywords

User interface characteristics	Width and Depth

The Wayfarer desktop icon	»	GENERAL PANELS	Appearance

Folders - An Overview	Document icons

Panels - An Overview	Sub-folder icons	»	TAB PANELS

Installing and running Wayfarer	Adding icons	Adding panels to

Migrating from Program Manager	Removing icons	Removing panels from

Creating icons	Positioning and arranging icons	Changing text of a tab

Creating sub-folders	Changing appearance of icons

Copying and moving icons	»	YARDSTICK

»	FOLDERS	Importing Program Manager icons	Task Appearance

Sub-folders	"Startup" panels	Default Task Appearance

Window-like behaviour

Popup-popdown behaviour	»	BROWSER PANELS

Pinning to the desktop	What can they do?

Title bar and caption	Creating them

Folder Control Button	Configuring them

Property menu	Using them

Folders and panels	Home Directory

Layout options

Mouse options


Files used by Wayfarer

The Wayfarer product is comprised of several files. These are listed below. Click on individual files for more detailed information :-

WAYFARER.EXE	-	Main software.

WAYFARER.HLP	-	On-line help.

WAYFARER.DAT	-	Saved layout.

WAYFARER.INI	-	Saved options.

WAYFARER.DLL	-	Additional software.

CTL3D.DLL	-	3D-effects software.

When copying and distributing the Wayfarer product, you only need to worry about the first two files in the above list. The other three files are created automatically the first time you run Wayfarer on a particular machine (and even if Wayfarer cannot create them, it will function adequately without them).

See Also

Installing and running Wayfarer

WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI options

Terms and Conditions of Use


Wayfarer file WAYFARER.EXE
WAYFARER.EXE

Description

This is the main Wayfarer software. Execute this file to start the Wayfarer product. This file can be stored in (and executed from) any directory on your computer system. The file may also be selected as your Windows "shell" application (replacing Program Manager, for example). See Wayfarer Options for details.

Copying this file

You may freely copy and distribute this file, subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use. However, you are obliged to copy the file WAYFARER.HLP as well, so that other Wayfarer users will have access to the full on-line documentation (ie. the documentation which you are reading right now).


Wayfarer file WAYFARER.HLP
WAYFARER.HLP

Description

This is Wayfarer's on-line help system. You are reading this right now. The documentation in this file can be accessed either using Wayfarer's "Help" command, or by opening the file with the Windows Help application.

Copying this file

You should always include a copy of this file with every copy of the main software (ie. WAYFARER.EXE) that you distribute, so that other Wayfarer users can benefit from the same level of documentation that you have. This is stipulated in the Terms and Conditions of Use.


Wayfarer file WAYFARER.DAT
WAYFARER.DAT

Description

This is your current Wayfarer "layout". All the folders, panels and icons that you create are stored in this file. The file is updated in the following situations: (a) when you exit Wayfarer; (b) when you exit Windows; (c) when you use Wayfarer's "Save Now" command.

Creating this file

When you run Wayfarer for the first time on a particular machine, a default WAYFARER.DAT layout file will be created in the same directory as the main Wayfarer software (WAYFARER.EXE). This contains a few essential icons and some example folders to help you get started. If at a later date you want to discard your current layout and revert to the default layout, simply exit Wayfarer and delete the WAYFARER.DAT file; the default layout will reappear the next time you run Wayfarer.

Copying this file

Since this file contains your entire Wayfarer layout, you are advised to make regular backup copies, in case of computer system failure. NOTE: Layouts can be copied from machine to machine, but you should be aware that the icons in a layout will only work if the same files and directories exist on both machines.

Specifying a different layout

To make Wayfarer use a layout from a file other than WAYFARER.DAT, specify the file's name when you execute Wayfarer, eg. "WAYFARER.EXE c:\windows\other.dat". If the file does not yet exist, it will be created for you, but it will only contain a single empty folder.


Wayfarer file WAYFARER.INI
WAYFARER.INI

Description

Used by Wayfarer to record any special options you have chosen. Currently, the only information stored in this file are custom Task Appearance options you have defined for use by the Yardstick.

Creating this file

When you run Wayfarer for the first time on a particular machine, a default WAYFARER.INI file will be created in the Windows directory. This contains a few pre-defined Task Appearance options for common Windows applications, such as Paintbrush and Notepad. If at any time you decide to discard your custom Task Appearance settings, simply exit Wayfarer and delete the WAYFARER.INI file; the default version will reappear the next time you run Wayfarer.

Copying this file

Since Wayfarer is capable of creating this file, there is no need to include it when copying and distributing the Wayfarer product.


Wayfarer file WAYFARER.DLL
WAYFARER.DLL

Description

This file contains some additional (non-essential) software components of the Wayfarer product.

Creating this file

Wayfarer automatically creates this file if it is not present on your computer system. The file will be created in the Windows directory (although you can safely move it to any directory on the PATH, provided Wayfarer is not running at the time).

Copying this file

Since Wayfarer is capable of creating this file, there is no need to include it when copying and distributing the Wayfarer product.


Wayfarer file CTL3D.DLL
CTL3D.DLL

Description

This is the Microsoft "3D Control" library. It provides the 3D shading effects used extensively by Wayfarer and many other Windows applications.

Creating this file

Wayfarer automatically creates this file if it is not present on your computer system. The file will be created in the Windows System directory. Wayfarer will not overwrite any existing version of CTL3D.DLL it finds on your machine, provided that the version it finds is in a directory on the PATH.

Copying this file

Since Wayfarer is capable of creating this file, there is no need to include it when copying and distributing the Wayfarer product.


Colors used by Wayfarer

Wayfarer tries to match your Windows color scheme by drawing all its three-dimensional shading effects using standard Windows system colors. These colors can be accessed using the Control Panel application.

Wayfarer uses the following system colors :-

System Color	Used for...

Button Face	All surfaces

Button Highlight	Top and left edges (3D shading effect)

Button Shadow	Bottom and right edges (3D shading effect)

Button Text	Borders and captions


WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI options

Wayfarer uses these standard Windows INI files to record important settings that affect its behaviour. These settings are described below. This information is provided for reference purposes only. Inexperienced users are advised not to tinker with these files unnecessarily.

WIN.INI settings - [Wayfarer] section

Yardstick=	Records the setting of the option in the Options dialog with the same name.
Values: 1=On, 0=Off, Default=Off

FoldersPinned=	Records the setting of the option in the Options dialog with the same name.
Values: 1=On, 0=Off, Default=Off

SYSTEM.INI settings - [boot] section

shell=	This setting tells Windows which application to use as its "shell" (ie. the one that is first executed when you enter Windows). The entry will be set to WAYFARER.EXE if you have used the Options dialog to make Wayfarer your shell. Otherwise, the entry will identify your normal shell (eg. PROGMAN.EXE for Program Manager).

WayfarerOldShell=	If you use the Options dialog to make Wayfarer your shell, Wayfarer records the name of your previous shell under this heading. This allows you to use the same Options dialog to restore the previous shell at a later date, if required.


Known faults and limitations

General faults and limitations

Wayfarer hangs when sub-folder icon dragged into a different folder
This occurs only when the destination folder actually belongs to the folder being dragged, since the operation is basically a meaningless one (ie. you are trying to drag a folder into one of its own sub-folders)

Bad positioning of label text in Browser panels
Only occurs when a file group's Appearance contains the settings Clear, Below, and Word Wrap, and the label text is more than one line deep. The text is positioned too low in each cell, and may even spill off the bottom.

Poor positioning of property menus when mouse near edge of screen
If you right-click on a Wayfarer object which is near the edge of the screen, the property menu appears in an inconvenient position. This can often result in accidental selection of a menu command if the mouse button is released immediately. Always keep the button held down until you are ready to select a command.

A window can be temporarily lost behind theYardstick
When re-positioning a window on the Windows desktop, it is possible to place the window at the bottom of the screen so that it lies completely behind the Yardstick, which makes the window invisible and inaccessible. To get the window back, simply use the Yardstick's "Desktop Tile" button.

Limitations, when compared to Program Manager

No support for Shortcut-keys.

No way to control the icons used for DOS applications.

Limitations of Browser panels

Drive Map not available when Absolute file groups are defined.

Label keyword {L} only works when Word Wrapping is turned on.

Scroll bar buttons do not scroll in whole rows/columns.

No easy way to force contents of the panel to be "refreshed".

No way to scroll using the keyboard.


Wayfarer desktop icon property menu

To access this menu	Right-click on the Wayfarer desktop icon.

[Alternatively, if the Wayfarer icon is the active application, press Escape]

Save Now	Saves your entire Wayfarer layout to disk immediately. Normally, any changes made to your layout are only saved when you exit Wayfarer or exit Windows. The Save Now command provides security against machine failures (eg. from power loss), by allowing your layout changes to be explicitly saved at any time.

Help	Invokes the Wayfarer on-line help system which you are reading right now.

About	Displays version and licensing information about the Wayfarer product.

Options...	Opens the Wayfarer Options dialog. Allows access to options that affect the behaviour of the entire Wayfarer product. You can also use this dialog to undo layout changes or make Wayfarer the Windows "shell" application.

Run...	Opens the Run dialog, allowing you to launch programs by directly typing the appropriate command line.

Exit	Closes down Wayfarer. Your layout is automatically saved to disk first. This command is not available if Wayfarer is the current Windows "shell" application.

Exit Windows	Closes down Wayfarer and exits Windows. Your layout is automatically saved to disk first. This command is only available if Wayfarer is the current Windows "shell" application.


Folder property menu

To access this menu	Right-click on the title bar of the desired folder.

Close	Closes the folder immediately.

Pin/Unpin	Changes the state of the folder from "pinned" to "unpinned", or visa versa. A pinned folder will stay open after use, rather than automatically closing itself. See Popup-popdown behaviour and Pinning folders to the desktop for more information.

Caption On/Off	Alternately shows or hides the folder's title bar.

NOTE: Some of the above commands can also be performed using the Folder Control Button.


General Panel property menu

To access this menu	Right-click on an unused space within the General panel.

Add Document...	Opens the Document dialog. Allows you to add a new Document icon to the panel, at the chosen position.

Add Sub-Folder...	Opens the Sub-folder dialog. Allows you to add a new Sub-folder to the panel, at the chosen position.

Paste	This command is only available if you have previously copied or moved an icon into the clipboard. The Paste command inserts a copy of that icon at the selected position.

Arrange...	Opens the Arrange dialog. Controls the positioning of icons within the panel, using features such as the placement grid and the "auto-arrange" facility.

Import...	Opens the Import dialog. Imports icons from your old Program Manager groups, making the transition from Program Manager to Wayfarer much easier.

Split	Splits the panel into two, by inserting a new empty General panel, and separating the two panels by a splitter bar. A sub-menu controls the relative position of the new panel :- Left, Right, Above, or Below.

Replace	Replaces the entire panel with a new empty panel. A sub-menu controls which type of panel is used as the replacement :- General, Browser or Tab.

Remove	Removes the panel from the current folder, unless it is the very last one in the folder. Neighbouring panels grow to fill the unused space, and redundant splitter bars are removed.

Edit Caption...	Opens the Panel Caption dialog. Allows you to change the panel's caption, as displayed in its optional title bar. Note: The title bar remains hidden until a caption is provided.

Folder	Allows access to the Folder property menu for the folder that owns the panel.


Browser Panel property menu

To access this menu	Right-click anywhere on the Browser panel.

Configure...	Opens the Browser Panel dialog. Lets you configure or adjust the panel's many file browsing facilities, to suit your exact requirements.

Load Configuration...	Allows the Browser Panel to be given a previously saved configuration. Browser configurations are normally stored in files with the .BRW extension, and are created using the Save Configuration... command (below).

Save Configuration...	Stores the current configuration details of the Browser Panel in a file with the .BRW extension. A saved configuration can be re-used at a later date, by simply loading it back into any Browser Panel in your Wayfarer layout, using the Load Configuration... command (above).

Select Preset	Changes the configuration of the Browser Panel to match one of several predefined layouts. Presets are useful in several ways: they allow you to use Browser Panels without ever having to actually set one up; they make good starting points for creating your own specialised Browsers; and they serve as excellent examples of how to use the many different configuration options that Browser Panels provide.

Split	Splits the panel into two, by inserting a new empty General panel, and separating the two panels by a splitter bar. A sub-menu controls the relative position of the new panel :- Left, Right, Above, or Below.

Replace	Replaces the entire panel with a new empty panel. A sub-menu controls which type of panel is used as the replacement :- General, Browser or Tab.

Remove	Removes the panel from the current folder, unless it is the very last one in the folder. Neighbouring panels grow to fill the unused space, and redundant splitter bars are removed.

Edit Caption...	Opens the Panel Caption dialog. Allows you to change the panel's caption, as displayed in its optional title bar. Note: The title bar remains hidden until a caption is provided.

Folder	Allows access to the Folder property menu for the folder that owns the panel.


Tab Panel property menu

NOTE: Commands affecting individual "tabs" are accessed through the Tab bar property menu.

To access this menu	Right-click in the unused border area of the Tab panel.

Add Tab...	Adds a new "tab" (and corresponding child panel) to the end of the tab bar.

Split	Splits the panel into two, by inserting a new empty General panel, and separating the two panels by a splitter bar. A sub-menu controls the relative position of the new panel :- Left, Right, Above, or Below.

Replace	Replaces the entire panel with a new empty panel. A sub-menu controls which type of panel is used as the replacement :- General, Browser or Tab.

Remove	Removes the panel from the current folder, unless it is the very last one in the folder. Neighbouring panels grow to fill the unused space, and redundant splitter bars are removed.

Edit Caption...	Opens the Panel Caption dialog. Allows you to change the Tab panel's caption, as displayed in its optional title bar. Note: The title bar remains hidden until a caption is provided.

Folder	Allows access to the Folder property menu for the folder that owns the panel.


Tab bar property menu

NOTE: A different menu will appear depending on where you click in the tab bar.

To access this menu	Right-click beyond the right-hand end of the very last tab.

Add Tab...	Adds a new "tab" (and corresponding child panel) to the end of the tab bar. The new panel will be a General panel, which can subsequently be replaced or split as required.

To access this menu	Right-click between two existing tabs, or to the left of the very first tab.

Insert Tab...	Inserts a new tab between the two tabs, or in front of the very first tab.

To access this menu	Right-click over a specific tab.

Edit Caption...	Opens the Panel Caption dialog. Allows you to change the caption of the panel attached to the specified tab, which is what is displayed on the tab itself.

Remove	Removes the tab from the tab bar, together with its associated child panel. If this was the very last tab left, then the entire Tab panel will be removed from the current folder.

Move Left	Swaps the specified tab with the one to its immediate left.

Move Right	Swaps the specified tab with the one to its immediate right.


Document icon property menu

To access this menu	Right-click on any part of the Document icon.

Edit Details...	Opens the Document dialog. Allows you to change the details of the program or document that will be launched when you left-click on the icon. Details include the filename, the working directory, and the description the appears as part of the icon itself.

Edit Appearance...	Opens the Appearance dialog. Allows you to change every aspect of the icon's appearance, including the actual icon image, the font used to display the description, and use of "special effects" such as shadows and borders.

Cut	Removes the icon from the panel and places it in the clipboard.

Copy	Places a copy of the icon in the clipboard.

Remove	Removes the icon from the panel and deletes it.

General Panel	Allows access to the General Panel property menu for the panel that contains the Document icon.

Folder	Allows access to the Folder property menu for the folder that owns the panel containing the Document icon.


Sub-folder icon property menu

To access this menu	Right-click on any part of the Sub-folder icon.

Edit Details...	Opens the Sub-folder dialog. Allows you to change the sub-folder's description, which appears in the Sub-folder icon and also in the sub-folder's title bar whenever the folder is opened.

Edit Appearance...	Opens the Appearance dialog. Allows you to change every aspect of the icon's appearance, including the actual icon image, the font used to display the description, and use of "special effects" such as shadows and borders.

Cut	Removes the sub-folder from the panel and places it in the clipboard.

Copy	Places a copy of the sub-folder in the clipboard.

Remove	Removes the sub-folder from the panel and deletes it.
The sub-folder and everything inside it is destroyed as a result of this command.

General Panel	Allows access to the General Panel property menu for the panel that contains the Sub-folder icon.

Folder	Allows access to the Folder property menu for the folder that owns the panel containing the Sub-folder icon.


Appearance dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To define the appearance of a particular icon in your Wayfarer layout.
On General panels, affects a single Document icon or Sub-folder icon.
On Browser panels, affects a single file group.

NOTE: The dialog displays an example of what the current appearance settings look like. As you change the settings, the example is updated to reflect the new appearance.

Graphic	Group of settings that control the graphical image used by the icon.

Icon...	Opens the Icon dialog, which allows you to select a full-sized Windows icon image to use as the graphical component of the icon.

Gadget...	Opens the Gadget dialog, which allows you to select a miniature image (called a "gadget") to use as the graphical component of the icon.

Clear	Removes any existing graphical component from the icon appearance. The icon's appearance will consist solely of the Description and Effects.

Effect	Group of settings that control the use of "special effects".

None	Removes any existing special effect.

Shadow	Applies a 3D shadow to the icon.

Button	Surrounds the icon with a border resembling a protruding 3D button.

Recess	Surrounds the icon with a border resembling a 3D recess.

Description	Group of settings that control the layout of the icon's description text.
On General panels, the text is taken from the icon's Description field.
On Browser panels, the text is derived from the file group's label field.

Beside	Description appears to the right of the Graphic (and text is left-justified).

Below	Description appears underneath the Graphic (and text is horizontally centered).

Word Wrap	Turns word wrapping on or off. With word wrapping turned off, the description always occupies a single line, no matter how long it is. With word wrapping turned on, the description is broken up into several lines to keep it within the defined Wrap Width (see below).

Wrap Width	Defines the width (in screen pixels) that the description must fit into when word wrapping is turned on. When word wrapping is turned off, this field becomes the Tab Width field (see below).

Tab Width	(Browser panels only). Defines the distance (in screen pixels) between tab positions, for use by file groups that use the "{T}" label keyword. This option is only available when word wrapping is turned off. When word wrapping is turned on, this field becomes the Wrap Width field (see above); tab positions cannot be controlled when wrapping is turned on.

Font...	Opens a standard Windows font selection dialog, allowing you to select the description's exact typeface, size and color.

(Color selector)	This is a combo-box that allows you to change the description color without having to open the Font... dialog.

Emboss	Description is embossed (ie. given an outline), making the text much easier to read.

Useful hints	The Beside / Below setting still affects the appearance of the description even when no Graphic is defined. On General panels, this setting determines whether grid positioning uses the top-left or centre of the description. On Browser panels, the setting determines whether the description appears in the top-left or centre of each cell.

(Browser panels only). Wayfarer can calculate a new cell size to match apperance settings you have chosen. Simply hold down the SHIFT key when you press OK, and the file group's Width and Depth fields will be updated automatically.

Embossing looks is more effective when combined with a lighter text color and a larger font size.


Run dialog

Purpose of this dialog	Lets you launch programs by directly typing the appropriate command line.

Simply enter the command, including any optional command-line parameters, and hit OK.

NOTE: The Run dialog remembers your last 10 commands. These commands can be re-used via the Command field's drop-down list (see below).

Command	Enter the full path and file name of the desired program or document into this field. When running a program, any optional command-line parameters should be included after the file name. This field offers a drop-down list of the last 10 commands you have run, allowing these commands run again and again with ease.

Run Minimized	Determines whether the program or document you have chosen should be run "minimized" (ie. as an icon on the Windows desktop).

Browse...	Opens a standard Windows file selection dialog, allowing you to search for the exact file you want to run.


Arrange dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To control how the icons on a specific General panel are arranged.

Behaviour	Group of settings that control the basic method of icon arrangement.

None	Icons must be positioned manually using the mouse, and can be placed anywhere on the surface of the panel, to within an accuracy of 1 screen pixel.

Snap To Grid	Icon positions are restricted to the set of points defined by the current Grid settings (see below). As an icon is moved about, it will continuously "snap" to the nearest available grid position.

Auto Arrange	Icons are automatically arranged across the panel by Wayfarer. Manual positioning is not possible, and the only effect of dragging icons with the mouse is to control their relative ordering within the arrangement pattern. NOTE: The Grid (see below) can be used to fine-tune the separation between icons.

Instant	Allows you to perform a one-off rearrangement of all the icons in the panel.

Snap Now!	Forces every icon to snap to the nearest Grid position.

Arrange Now!	Rearranges all the icons, using the Auto Arrange method.

Grid	Group of controls for defining the placement grid used by the dialog options described above. The current grid dimensions are displayed as a set of points inside a mock-up panel. The exact Grid width and depth values (in screen pixels) are shown at the edges. To alter the width or depth, simply slide the appropriate scroll-bar. The check-box in lower right corner controls the starting point of the grid; this can be either the top left corner of the panel, or a point exactly half a grid position in from that corner.


Browser Panel dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To configure a Browser panel to display the required file information.

To find out more about this dialog, click on any of the following...

Home Directory	File Group list	File Group details

Mouse	Add	File Group

Order By	Del	Label

Layout options	Up, Down	Keywords

Grouping options	[Subdirs]	Width, Depth

Auto-size	[Others]	Appearance

See Also

About browser panels

About file groups


Browser Panel Dialog - Home Directory
The Home Directory field defines which sub-directory the panel should look in when searching for files.

Usually, a panel will only display files from the Home Directory. This field must contain the full drive and path of the required sub-directory. If the field is blank, the panel will display a Drive Map instead.


Browser Panel Dialog - Mouse
The Mouse button opens the Mouse Clicks dialog, which allows you to define what should happen when you left-click on either a sub-directory icon or a file icon.


Browser Panel Dialog - Order By
The Order By option determines what order files appear in the panel. Files can be sorted by Name, Extension, Date or Size. For Date and Size, reverse ordering is also available.

NOTE: File order is also affected by the Keep In Groups option (see Grouping options).


Browser Panel Dialog - Layout
The Layout option defines the pattern used to lay files out across the surface of the panel.

The following layouts are available :-

Rows	Row by row, starting from the top left and working towards the right.
A new row is started once the right-hand edge of the panel is reached.

Columns	Column by column, starting from the top left and working towards the bottom.
A new column is started once the bottom of the panel is reached.


Browser Panel Dialog - Grouping
The Grouping options define how files are grouped together when they appear in the panel.

The following options are available :-

Keep In Groups	Determines whether to keep files in their original groups (ordering them by group and then ordering them separately within each group), or whether to ignore file groups and order all the files as one large group.

Group Breaks	Determines whether to start each group of files in a new row or column. This option is only available if the Keep In Groups option (above) is turned on.


Browser Panel Dialog - Auto-size
If you find it inconvenient to set up cell sizes for file groups manually, you should select the auto-size option. This option appears underneath the file group details and is labelled "Calculate width and depth automatically".

The auto-size option disables the Width and Depth fields, and instead calculates the width and depth for each file group once you press the OK button. The size calculated for each group takes into account the group's exact Label and Appearance settings.

If the calculated sizes do not turn out to be suitable, simply re-open this dialog and turn off the auto-size option. The Width and Depth fields will be re-enabled and the previously calculated cell sizes can then be adjusted manually.


Browser Panel Dialog - File Group list
The File Group list defines exactly which files from the Home Directory should appear in the panel. Each entry in this list is a file group which identifies a particular set of files using a standard filename wildcard such as WIN*.EXE or *.DOC and assigns them their own unique display characteristics.


Browser Panel Dialog - Add
The Add button adds a new file group to the File Group list. The new group's wildcard is initially undefined. If any existing groups are selected, then the new group is inserted just after the first of these; the new group will also adopt any common Label, Width and Depth settings from these groups and adopt the Appearance settings of the first selected group.


Browser Panel Dialog - Del
The Del deletes the selected file groups from the File Group list.


Browser Panel Dialog - Up, Down
The Up and Down buttons move the selected file group up or down the File Group list by one position.


Browser Panel Dialog - [Subdirs]
The [Subdirs] button adds the [Subdirs] file group to the front of the list.
This group represents all sub-directories of the current Home Directory.


Browser Panel Dialog - [Others]
The [Others] button adds the [Others] file group to the end of the list.
This group represents all files in the Home Dir not covered by other groups.


Browser Panel Dialog - File Group details
The "raised" area of the dialog displays the details of the file groups (or groups) currently selected in the File Group list. NOTE: If more than one group is selected, only details that are common to all groups will be shown; inconsistent details will appear as blank fields.


Browser Panel Dialog - File Group
The File Group field shows the name (ie. wildcard) of the selected file group.

If more than one group is selected, this field is disabled.
If the [Subdirs] or [Others] group is selected, this field is disabled.

Wildcards
If a file group's wildcard contains an explicit path to a drive and directory (eg. c:\docs\*.doc), the file group is treated as an absolute file group. If the wildcard does not contain a path (eg. *.doc), the file group is treated as a relative file group. Relative file groups always refer to files in the current Home Directory. NOTE: A relative file group can also contain multiple wildcards (eg. *.doc;*.txt;*.bmp).


Browser Panel Dialog - Label
The Label field defines the descriptive text to use for each file in the selected file group(s).

A label can be any combination of raw text and keywords.

NOTE: If the label contains tabs, the tab separation can be controlled using the Appearance option.


Browser Panel Dialog - Keywords
The Keywords button opens the Keywords dialog.

This allows you to select valid keywords for insertion into the Label field.


Browser Panel Dialog - Width, Depth
The Width and Depth fields determine the cell size for the selected file group(s), ie. the size (in screen pixels) of the area occupied by each file when it appears in the actual panel.

HINT: To make Wayfarer automatically calculate the cell size for you, press the Appearance button whilst holding down the SHIFT key.


Browser Panel Dialog - Appearance
The Appearance button opens the Appearance dialog.

This allows you to define the exact icon appearance to be used for files in the selected file group(s). This dialog can also be accessed by double-clicking on a file group in the file group list.

NOTE: If more than one group is selected, you will be given the appearance details for the first selection, and any changes you make to these details will be applied to all the selected groups.

HINT: Double-clicking in the file group list has the same effect as pressing this button.


Document dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To define the details of a Document icon on a General panel.

Description	Text used to describe the program or document that this icon represents.
This text appears as part of the overall icon image.

Filename	Defines the exact drive, path and filename of the program or document which this icon will represent. The Browse... button can be used to locate the file, if required.

Optional Params	Defines any command-line parameters you wish to send to the program
(does not apply to document files).

Working Dir	Defines the working directory to be used by the program. For document files, the working directory will be used by the application that Windows launches to edit or view the document. This field is optional.

Run Minimized	Determines whether the program or document should be run "minimized" (ie. as an icon on the Windows desktop) when you left-click on the Document icon.

Browse...	Opens a standard Windows file selection dialog, allowing you to search for the exact file you want to represent.

Appearance...	Opens the Appearance dialog, which allows the exact appearance of the Document icon to be defined. NOTE: Changes made to the icon appearance via this button are not made permanent unless you close the Document dialog with the OK button.

Useful hints	If you create a new Document icon without specifying any Appearance options, Wayfarer will automatically choose an appropriate icon image for the file. For example, Wayfarer will use the Paintbrush icon if the selected file is a bitmap.

To force Wayfarer to automatically choose an appropriate icon image for an existing Document icon, simply hold down the SHIFT key when pressing the OK button.


Gadget dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To select the "gadget" to be used in an icon's appearance (see Appearance dialog). Gadgets are miniature images exactly half the width and depth of normal Windows icons.

How the dialog works	Wayfarer offers a selection of 120 predefined gadgets.

Left-click on the gadget you wish to use.
The current selection is indicated by a flashing box.

Press the Select button to use the chosen gadget.
Press the Cancel button to leave the icon's appearance unchanged.

SHORTCUT: Double-clicking can be used to select a gadget immediately.


Icon dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To select the image to be used in an icon's appearance (see Appearance dialog).

How the dialog works	The dialog can display a single "bank" of icons at any one time.
If the current bank contains more than 60 icons, a scroll-bar will appear.
The icon image can be selected from the currently displayed bank.

Left-click on the image you wish to use from the current bank.
The currently selected image is indicated by a flashing box.

Press the Select button to use the chosen image.
Press the Cancel button to leave the icon's appearance unchanged.

SHORTCUT: Double-clicking can be used to select an image immediately.

Icon banks available	Bank A	Displays a bank of 60 built-in Wayfarer icons.

Bank B	Displays a bank of 60 more built-in Wayfarer icons.

ProgMan	Displays the icons normally provided by Program Manager.

Extract...	Extracts icons from other applications. A standard Windows file selection dialog appears, allowing you to select the application whose icons you wish to view. Press the OK button to extract all the icons from the selected application. These appear as a new bank of icons, from which you can select any icon image you choose.

Useful hints	To extract all the icons from all the applications in a specific directory, select the directory first, then select any file from that directory, then press the OK button while holding down the SHIFT key. This creates a special bank of icons called a "Catalog". Warning: This feature may take a while to complete, and requires a large amount of memory.

When looking for files to extract good icons from, don't just try files with the EXE file extension. Other files that may contain icons include files with the extensions DLL, DRV and ICO.

Using Wayfarer's two banks of built-in icons (rather than just using extracted icons) will make your Wayfarer layout require less memory, be faster to use, and eat up less disk space. However, do not let this put you off extracting icons from other files. NOTE: When you import a Program Manager icon, the icon's image will be an extracted image.


Import dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To let you import Program Manager icons into a General panel.

NOTE: Program Manager does not have to be running for this dialog to work.

How this dialog works	The dialog displays a list of all the icon groups that you have previously created using Program Manager. You may select as many groups as you like from this list. Only the groups that you select will be imported.

Press the Import button to import the selected groups.
This may take a short while.

When the importing process is finished, the panel will contain a new Sub-folder icon containing the imported Program Manager icons.

The icons and groups are reproduced exactly as you would expect to see them in Program Manager itself. Every icon detail is preserved, except for the Shortcut key, which Wayfarer does not support.


Keywords dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To insert valid keywords into the Label field for one or more file groups selected from the Browser panel dialog.

How this dialog works	The dialog displays a complete list of valid keywords, including a description of each keyword and an example of its use.

Select the keywords you want to use and press Insert to insert them into the Label field.

NOTE: The previous contents of the Label field are overwritten by the selected keywords.


Mouse Clicks dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To define what happens when you click on files in a Browser panel.

Sub-directory	Defines what happens when you left-click on a sub-directory or disk drive.

No Effect	Nothing happens.

Change Directory	The selected drive or sub-directory becomes the panel's new Home Directory. The panel will now display the contents of that drive or sub-directory. However, when the folder containing the panel is closed, the panel will forget any changes and revert to the original Home Directory the next time it is used.

Change & Save	As Change Directory, but the panel will remember directory changes.

File	Defines what happens when you left-click on a file.

No Effect	Nothing happens.

Open File	The file is opened. If the file is a program, this means that the program will be run. If the file is a document, Windows will try to launch the application necessary to view or edit that document. Therefore this feature only works if the document type is recognised by your Windows environment (ie. you have installed the necessary application software).

Open Minimized	As Open File, but the file is immediately "minimized" (ie. displayed as an icon on the Windows desktop).


Wayfarer Options dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To control the behaviour of the entire Wayfarer application.

Behaviour	Options that affect the behaviour of Wayfarer's windows and icons.

Desktop Yardstick	Activates or de-activates the Yardstick desktop manager. The Yardstick replaces the notion of desktop icons with a single toolbar that occupies the bottom edge of the screen.

Folders always pinned	Causes folders to automatically pin themselves to the desktop when opened, thereby suppressing their normal popup-popdown behaviour. This option is useful when you need to make a complex series of changes to your Wayfarer layout.

Layout	Options that affect your current Wayfarer layout.

Undo Changes!	Discards any changes made to your layout since Wayfarer was loaded or since you last used the Save Now command.

Windows Shell	Options that allow you to change the Windows "shell" application.

Wayfarer	Makes Wayfarer the new shell application.

(other application)	Restores your original shell application (eg. Program Manager).

CHANGING THE WINDOWS SHELL
The "shell" application is the one that is loaded when you start Windows. This is normally Program Manager or File Manager. Wayfarer can also act as the Windows shell. The change of shell does not take effect until the next Windows session. When you press the OK button, Wayfarer will give you the opportunity of restarting Windows immediately with the new shell. Otherwise, the new shell will take effect the next time you start Windows.


Panel Caption dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To define the caption that appears in a specific Wayfarer panel.

How the dialog works	The Caption field defines the text that appears as the caption in the panel's title bar. The panel's title bar will only be visible if there is some text defined for it. To hide the title bar, simply delete any existing caption text.


Sub-folder dialog

Purpose of this dialog	To define the details of a Sub-folder icon on a General panel.

Description	The text used to identify the sub-folder. This appears as part of the Sub-folder icon, and also appears as the caption in the title bar when the corresponding sub-folder is opened.

Close Parent Folder	Causes the sub-folder's "parent" folder to be closed whenever the sub-folder is opened. Using this option, you can set up deep folder heirarchies that can be explored without cluttering up the desktop.

Show Caption	Turns the sub-folder's caption on or off. When the caption is turned on, the sub-folder will have a title bar containing the Description and a Folder Control Button. When the caption is turned off, the sub-folder will have no title bar, and certain title bar features have to accessed via the folder's upper sizing border.

Appearance...	Opens the Appearance dialog, which allows the exact appearance of the Sub-folder icon to be defined. NOTE: Changes made to the icon appearance via this button are not made permanent unless you close the Sub-folder dialog with the OK button.


Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Adding

file groups, to a Browser panel

icons, representing programs or documents

icons, to a General panel

panels, to a folder

panels, to a Tab Panel

sub-folders, to a folder

Appearance

dialog box

of file groups

of icons, in Browser panels

of icons, in General panels

of task buttons, on Yardstick

Applications

running, from a Browser panel

running, from a General panel

Arguments, for a Document icon

Arrange dialog box

Arrange Now, Arrange command

Arranging

icons, within a General panel

folders, on the Windows desktop

panels, within a folder

Attributes, of file groups

Auto-arrange, Arrange option

B

Batch files, creating icons for

Below, Appearance option

Beside, Appearance option

Browser panels

Browser panel dialog box

configuring

creating

features of

loading configuration details

predefined configurations of

property menu

saving configuration details

using

Browsing for files

Bugs, known about

C

Caption

folder

panel

Cell size, in Browser panels

Changing

appearance of icons, in a General panel

directory, in a Browser panel

text of a tab, in a Tab panel

Windows shell

Clear, Appearance option

Clipboard operations, for General panel icons.

Closing

folders

Wayfarer

Color

icon description text, changing

system colors, use of

Columns, Browser panel layout option.

Command line

for Document icons

when executing Wayfarer

Commands, Wayfarer. See Property menus.

Configure command, for Browser panels

Copying icons between General panels

Creating

icons, to represent programs or documents

file groups, for a Browser panel

folders and sub-folders

panels, inside a folder

panels, inside a Tab panel

D

Default layout, Wayfarer

Deleting

icons, from a General panel

file groups, from a Browser panel

panels, from a folder

panels, from a Tab panel

sub-folders

Depth, Browser panel option

Description

Document icon

Sub-folder icon

Desktop

positioning folders on

Wayfarer desktop icon

Wayfarer "Yardstick"

Dialog boxes

Appearance

Arrange

Browser panel

Document

Gadget

Icon

Import

Keywords

Mouse

Options

Panel Caption

Sub-folder

Directory

browsing contents of

changing, in Browser panels

current directory, in Browser panels

displaying as icons, in Browser panels

Home Directory, in Browser panels

working directory, for Document icons

Disk drives, displaying in a Browser panel

Document dialog box

Document icons

creating and using

properties of

property menu

Documents

opening, from a General panel

opening, from a Browser panel

representing as icons

DOS programs

creating icons for

"Dos" file group attribute

identifying, in a Browser panel

Double-click, mouse operation

Drag and drop, mouse operation

icons, between General panels

icons, from Browser to General panel

folders

splitter bars

Drive map, displaying in a Browser panel

E

Editing

Browser panel configuration

Document icon details

Sub-folder icon details

folder caption

General panel layout

icon appearance

panel caption

Tab panel layout

Emboss, Appearance option

Effect, Appearance option

Examples

a folder hierarchy

anatomy of a folder

panels in action

user interface elements

Exiting

from Wayfarer

from Windows

Extract, Icon option

Extracting icon images

when creating new Document icons

from Program Manager

from other applications

F

Faults, known about

Files

browsing, across directories

opening, from a Browser panel

opening, from a General panel

representing as icons

used by Wayfarer

File groups

creating and manipulating

different types of

properties of

using, in Browser panels

File Manager, similarities with Wayfarer

Folders

anatomy of

and panels

and sub-folders

behaviour of, normal

behaviour of, special

creating

destroying

example uses of

main folder

moving

overview

Folder Control Button

Font

Appearance option

of icons in General panels, changing

Freeware

G

Gadgets

Appearance option

as part of an icon's appearance

dialog box

General panels

adding icons to

as "startup" panels

creating

overview

property menu

Grid, for positioning icons in a General panel

Group Breaks, Browser panel option

Groups, importing from Program Manager

Grouping, of icons in a Browser panel

H

Hardware requirements

Help, accessing from Wayfarer

Hiding folder captions

Hiding panel captions

Hierarchies, of folders and sub-folders

Home Directory, Browser panel option

I

Icon images

Appearance option

as part of an icon's appearance

built into Wayfarer

extracting from other applications

Icon dialog box

Icon, Wayfarer

overview

keeping on top of other applications

Icons

adding to General panels

changing the appearance of

copying

Document icons

importing from Program Manager

launching

moving between panels

positioning and arranging

Sub-folder icons

Import dialog box

Importing icons from Program Manager

INI files, use of by Wayfarer

Installing and running Wayfarer

Invoking applications

from a General panel

from a Browser panel

JK

Keep In Groups, Browser panel option

Keywords

dialog box

full list

using in file group labels

L

Labels, for file groups

Labelling of files in a Browser panel

Launching programs and documents

from a Browser panel

from a General panel

Layout, Browser panel option

Layout, of Wayfarer folders

overview

saving changes to

undoing changes to

Left mouse button, use of

Browser panel

Document icon

folder

General panel

Sub-folder icon

Tab panel

Wayfarer desktop icon

License information, Wayfarer.

Loading Browser panel configurations

MN

Main folder

Maximizing folders

Menus. See Property Menus.

Migrating from Program Manager

Minimizing

files opened from a Browser panel

files opened from a General panel

folders

Mouse

Browser panel options

copying and moving icons with

use of within Wayfarer

Mouse Clicks dialog box

Moving icons

around a General panel

between panels

[New] file group

O

Opening

files from a Browser panel

files from a General panel

Options. See Wayfarer Options dialog box.

Optional Parameters, Document icon option

Order

of auto-arranged icons in a General panel

of file groups in a Browser panel

of icons in a Browser panel

[Other] file group

Overview

folders

panels

Wayfarer features

Wayfarer user interface

PQ

Panel Caption dialog box

Panels

adding icons to

adding to folders

caption

Browser panel

General panel

overview

removing from folders

replacing

splitting

Tab panel

title bar

types of

Parameters, passing to programs

Pasting icons into General panel icons.

Pinning folders to the desktop

Popup-popdown behaviour, of folders

Position

of folders, on the Windows desktop

of icons, on a General panel

Preset Browser configurations

Programs

launching, from a Browser panel

launching, from a General panel

representing as icons

passing parameters to

Program Manager

extracting graphics from

importing groups and icons from

replacing with Wayfarer

Property menus

Browser Panel

Document icon

Folder

General Panel

Sub-folder icon

Tab bar

Tab Panel

Wayfarer desktop icon

Properties

of Document icons

of Browser panels

R

Read-only files, displaying in Browser panels

Removing

icons from General panels

panels, from folders

panels, from a Tab panel

Replacing panels

Requirements, for using Wayfarer

Resizing

file group icons

folders

panels

Right button, use of

Rows, Browser panel layout option

Run Minimized, Document icon option

Running programs

from a Browser panel

from a General panel

from the Run dialog

S

Saving Browser panel configurations

Saving your Wayfarer layout

Scrolling

in Browser panels

in General panels

Shadow, Appearance option

Shell, changing

Shift key, use of

to calculate cell size, Browser panel dialog

to copy an icon, in a General panel

to extract icons from several files at once

to reset icon appearance, Document dialog

Single-click, use of in Wayfarer

Size, changing

cells, in a Browser panel

folders

panels

Snap To Grid, Arrange option

Snap Now, Arrange option

Software requirements

Splitting panels

Splitter bar

Startup panels and Startup folders

Starting applications

automatically when Wayfarer starts

from a Browser panel

from a General panel

Sub-directories. See Directory.

browsing contents of

Sub-folders

creating and destroying

inside other folders

representing using Sub-folder icons

[Subdir] file group

SYSTEM.INI, use of by Wayfarer

TUV

Tab bar

Tab, changing the text of, in a Tab panel

Tab panels

adding new panels to

removing panels from

changing text of a tab

Tab Width, Appearance dialog option

Task buttons

on Yardstick

changing general appearance of

changing individual appearance of

Terms and conditions of use

Title bar. See Caption.

Types of file group, in a Browser panel

Types of panel

Undo Changes, Options dialog

User interface, Wayfarer

WXYZ

Wayfarer

as the Windows shell

desktop icon

files used by

layout

overview of features

user interface

Wayfarer Options dialog box

Width, Browser panel option

Wildcards, in Browser panels

Wildcard attributes, in Browser panels

Windows shell, changing

WIN.INI, use of by Wayfarer

Working Directory, Document dialog option

Word Wrap, Appearance dialog option

Xylophone

Yardstick


Please choose a specific item under this heading...


Xylophone

A xylophone is a musical instrument constructed from a series of acoustically undercut, graduated wooden bars suspended in keyboard arrangement on a frame. The musical range of a xylophone is typically three and a half octaves. The xylophone is similar in design to the marimba, which is tuned one octave lower. Modern xylophones additionally employ a set of sympathetically tuned, tubular metal resonators, one below each bar. A xylophone player produces sounds by manipulating two to four mallets, the exact choice of which can produce tones ranging from a brilliant, brittle sound to a mellow throbbing.

The xylophone originated in prehistoric Asia, spreading into Africa and South America well before the arrival of European explorers and the beginning of the slave trade era. The instrument was introduced into Europe during the 15th century, where it was initially developed with four rows of bars, mounted on rolls of straw.


Copyright (C) Iain Clifford Heath, 1995. All rights reserved.