InBasket Notifier is a simple Control Panel that will display a notification window (and flash an icon in the menu bar) whenever files are put into specified folders.
It can be used, for instance, to monitor the contents of folders shared over the network (using Personal Fileshare). If you choose to share one folder for outgoing documents and another for incoming ones (let's call them "Out Basket" and "In Basket"), you can then have InBasket Notifier notify you whenever someone puts a file in your "In Basket" folder over the network. You can also have it monitor your "Out Basket" to avoid leaving shared files in it longer than needed.
How to install InBasket Notifier?
1) Make sure you are using System 7. InBasket Notifier is NOT compatible with System 6.
2) Drag InBasket Notifier to your System Folder (it will automatically go into the Control Panels folder) and restart your Macintosh.
3) From the Finder, create one folder for incoming files (call it for example "xx In Basket", where 'xx' stands for your initials), and, optionally, one folder for your outgoing files (your "Out Basket"). Share both folders (using the "Sharing…" Finder menu item).
4) Open the InBasket Notifier control panel (in the Control Panels folder), click "Add folder…" and select your "xx In Basket" folder. Repeat step 4 for each additional folder you want InBasket Notifier to monitor.
5) That's it!
From then on, every 30 seconds (or any other time interval you may have entered in the first text box of the control panel), InBasket Notifier will scan each folder. If it finds some files in it, a notification window pops up and the InBasket Notifier icon starts flashing at the left of the menu bar.
When you dismiss the window, the icon continues to flash until you remove all files from the folder. Furthermore, every 15 minutes (or any other time interval you may have entered in the second text box), and until the folder is emptied, a notification window will remind you that you must move the files out of the folder.
If you need additional help, simply turn Balloon Help on.
Note: InBasket Notifier will continue to flash the Apple menu icon until it scans the folder and finds nothing in it. This means that you must move the items OUT of your In Basket if you want to stop the notifications.
Distribution
InBasket Notifier is provided free of charge. It may be distributed freely, provided that both the software and this documentation are always distributed together, in whole and unchanged. InBasket Notifier may not be sold or offered for sale, or included with another software product offered for sale or for free. Companies that distribute public domain/freeware/shareware software for profit are expressly prohibited from distributing InBasket Notifier. This restriction does not apply, however, to bulletin boards and commercial on-line services such as America Online, CompuServe, CalvaCom and GEnie.
Disclaimer
InBasket Notifier has passed limited testing and is given “as is” without any warranty of any kind, especially regarding its reliability or performance. Apple will provide no support for it. However, bug reports and suggestions can be sent to 'FISCHER.D' on AppleLink, 'df21' on CalvaCom or 'FISCHER.D@APPLELINK.APPLE.COM' on the Internet, and I will try to address them.
Credits
Thanks to Eric Simenel, Developer Support, Apple Computer France, for his expertise (and a small piece of code).
