ColorKey is an FKEY (function key) that you install in your System file (or open by using Suitcase). When you press Command-Shift-5 (or whatever # you give it), it will cycle through the screen depths you select. This is a major overhaul of version 1.0, which I released about a month ago. If at all possible, use this version over 1.0. Also, if you see 1.0 anywhere else (BBS, Compuserve, America On-Line (I hope!), etc...), please replace it with this version.
When you first run ColorKey, you will see the configuration dialog. This allows you to immediately jump to any color depth, and to select the colors you’d like to cycle through. If you would like to see this dialog EVERY TIME you activate ColorKey, check the “Always Show this Dialog” button at the bottom of the dialog. If you don’t, you must press the ***COMMAND*** key (as you press Cmd-Shift-#) to see it again. ColorKey looks in the System Folder for the presence of a file called “ColorKey File.” If it doesn’t find it, it creates one (about 2K in size) and automatically shows the config dialog.
The four checkboxes at top determine what colors are cycled through with repeated uses of the FKEY. To cycle through all of them, select all of them. If you don’t select any (why I’d never know, kinda’ defeats the purpose), the FKEY will automatically select the Black And White check box. What most people will find useful is selecting the 2-bit and the 8-bit boxes. This allows you to switch between these 2 depths with ease (no trips to the Control Panel!!!).
The 4 radio buttons at the bottom allow you to immediately jump to any depth you wish. If the “Switch Now to:” button is checked when you click OK, that depth will immediately be jumped to. This ignores the cycle altogether. If you want to cycle to the next depth you’ve checked from the dialog, you have to disable the “Switch Now to:” feature which is automatically enabled every time you open the config dialog.
There are also two buttons near the top that let you choose between gray scale and colors. This is fairly self explanatory.
To allow my dialog to be in full color, I tell the monitor to switch to 256 colors before it puts it up. This normally blanks the screen except for the config dialog, but if you have any menubar clocks (SuperClock, JClock) the time and/or date will show through in a funny color. This looks kinda’ strange, but it doesn’t hurt anything. If you click OK, your settings are saved and you go to whatever color you select. If you click Cancel, the screen depth you were at before you invoked the FKEY is restored.
<<< Example of use >>>
Ok. Lets say that you normally use 8 bit mode (256 colors), but you do a lot of text processing, and you have some games that don’t like color. Switching back and forth every time would be a pain in the rear *IF* you used the Control Panel every time. With ColorKey, you open the Config dialog (Control-Command-Shift-#), select the “1 bit (BW)” and the “8 bit (256 colors)” checkboxes and click OK. Every time you invoke the FKEY (without the Control key, of course!!!) your monitor will now quickly switch between 2 and 256 colors! Wow!
Let’s complicate the matter a bit. Let’s say you also play SimCity™ frequently (all work and no play...). Since SimCity requires 16 colors (4 bit color), you have to switch every time you want to play. On top of all this, you do a lot of text editing and you play other games that don’t like color. You have two options. One, you can select the “1 bit (BW)”, the “4 bit (16 colors)”, and the “8 bit(256 colors)” checkboxes and click OK. This would then let you cycle through 1 bit, 4 bit, and 8 bit as you repeatedly invoked the FKEY. Your other option would be to select the two you use most often (lets say black and white and 256 colors) in the checkboxes and then use the “Switch Now to” feature to jump to 16 colors whenever you wanted to play SimCity.
One last note. The screen depth is not saved anywhere and will revert to whatever is specified in the Control Panel on the next startup. If you want to make any permanent changes to the monitor depth, you have to use the Monitors cdev.
One really last note. This program is not Shareware, its Freeware. This means that I’m not charging for it, but I still retain all the rights to the program and its documentation. The reason that this isn’t Shareware is that the idea behind Shareware sets out to make people feel guilty about not paying for software - almost a “Big Brother Is Watching You” type of deal - I don’t want to do this to people! I want people to feel good about using my software!
I have spent a lot of time and effort on this so if you like it (or anything else with my name on it for that fact), I’d appreciate it if you sent me what you think it is worth - a better name would be Pay-If-You-Like-It-Ware. If you don’t want to give me money, send me your ideas about the FKEY and any problems you have and I will try to send you updates on further versions as they come out.
Mike Pinkerton
2136 Owls Cove Lane
Reston, VA 22091
Thank you for helping me to test this software. If I ever upgrade it, the price of upgrade will only be the postage for me to send the disk back to you. I'd appreciate any comments - no matter how bad or good they may be. I want to know how to make these programs better. Either leave me a message on Prodigy (my # is HBJX46A) or write me at the above address.
The StuffIt file on here is for distributing these files anywhere you please under the following conditions:
1. This document accompanies ANY OR ALL files
2. My name is not removed from any program IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM
3. The code is not changed, fiddled with, or eaten.
4. You tell me how you like it and how well it works.
5. You MAY decompile these cdevs to see how they work, but you may not alter the code or any of the resources. I learned how to do the FKEY from poking through the Monitors cdev. You learn a lot that way.
