Thank you for taking the trouble to try this module out. I hope you like it.
Note: this file is formatted and is best read with SimpleText and not TeachText. I know this is a long Read Me but I couldn't delete any more text...
Description and Instructions
Control Strip Menu is a module for Apple’s Control Strip that lets you have a hierarchial menu on the control strip. You can select items from its own set or from the Apple menu. This is handy if you have files or folders spread out everywhere and you hate going up to the menu bar to get at them (I do). It's neat and handy to have. It doesn't patch anything. If you don't know what the Control Strip is, see "About control strip modules" below.
This module requires Apple's control strip software to be installed and requires System 7 or later. It has been tested on systems 7.1 to 7.5 running on a Quadra (yes that's right, I haven't tried it on a PowerBook, but I see no reason why it shouldn't work). In future systems, Apple has hinted at changing the way menus work. If they do change it, this module will probably not work and may crash/freeze/bomb. Currently it does not check which system it is running under. It has not been tested on black-and-white Macs so use at your own risk! (although I see no reason why it shouldn't work on these machines). When At Ease is running, the control strip is not active so you can't use this module with At Ease.
As with all hierarchial menu utilities, Control Strip Menu is limited to a depth of 5 menus. This is due to a limitation in the menu routines on the Mac so there isn't much that can be done about it. :-( If an item in the deepest menu is a folder, a bullet '•' will appear next to the item.
Clicking on this module's icon will bring up a popup menu that contains the items in "Control Strip Menu Items" - a special folder created by Control Strip Menu in your System folder. From this menu, you can navigate into folders to get at files or folders. Select your desired folder or file and it will be opened by the Finder.
To reposition this module in the Control Strip, hold down the 'option' key and click on the module's icon. Then drag it to a new location. (I've been told that this does not work in Desktop Strip. If you don't know what DS is, well... good).
To see invisible items, hold down the 'control' key and click on the module's icon. Note that if you select an invisible item, it probably won't open and instead you'll see an error message from the Finder.
To use the Apple Menu Items instead of the Control Strip Menu Items, hold down the 'shift' key and click on the module's icon.
Be sure to read installation and setup below so that you set it up correctly.
Cost/Fee
In the same spirit as most of the other modules currently available online, Control Strip Menu is freeware. As such, the author (me, Vincent Tan) retains the copyright. You can use it without having to pay me anything but you can't modify it or make money from it, ie, you can't sell it. By the way, do you know of any other free hierarchial menu utilities that don't patch the system at all? I don't. So enjoy!
However, I ask that you consider doing a few things:
1) please send me a postcard! I'd love to see some interesting ones from places I've never heard of but would like to see - c'mon, you know where the good spots are! :-) See below for the address.
2) if you want to send me money* or a gift, you're welcome to do so. *You can send any type or amount. :-)
Warning: blatant plug ahead!
3) please try out my Jigsaw. It's a cool shareware program that lets you play jigsaw puzzles on your Mac and has many options and features to keep you engrossed for hours. It's certainly better than the one you get with System 7.5 - "You call that a puzzle?" :-) It's currently available in English and soon there'll be Dutch, French, German, and Italian versions. (If you want to translate it, I can give you a registration for your efforts.) The latest version is 1.5 and I hope to finish v2.0 soon. To play games, you'll need pictures. Jigsaw can open PICTs, JPEGs, GIFs, and several other formats.
Installation and setup
To install and set up this module:
1) place it inside the Control Strip Modules folder which is inside the System Folder (assuming Control Strip is already installed),
2) restart your Macintosh,
3) open your System folder. In it will be a new folder called "Control Strip Menu Items". It should have the Control Strip Menu's icon on it. Put into this folder all your favourite files or folders (or better yet, aliases of your favourite files or folders).
You are now set to use the Control Strip Menu. Enjoy!
Tip for Power Users: a user was smart enough to note that the module's 'STR ' 256 resource contains the name of the folder that CSM looks in, ie "Control Strip Menu Items". By duplicating the module and editing this resource in the copy, you can put multiple different CSMs on your Control Strip! [I guess it helps to change the icons too so that you know which is which :-) ]. To be honest, I made it a resource so that it would be easier to localise for other languages but this is an ingenious use for it so I mention it here.
Desktop Mac users, read this!
The Control Strip usually only works on PowerBooks. However, there is a patcher available, that will also make it work on desktop Macintoshes. This patcher is written by Robert Mah, and you can probably find it in wherever you got this utility. I believe that latest version is 2.0. Note, however, that use of this patcher is not sanctioned in any way by Apple.
If you can use ResEdit, you can also patch it yourself. Delete the 'sdev', -4064 resource in the Control Strip control panel (v1.0 and v1.1 only). Of course, you should edit a copy of the control panel in case anything goes wrong...
Hopefully, Apple will release a new version of the Control Strip that works on any Macintosh (and is PowerPC native - oh for a .xcoff to link with!). After all, it's very useful on any Mac. Why there should be this restriction is beyond me...
About control strip modules
The Control Strip control panel is a control panel from Apple that installs a small floating window on your desktop. It currently functions only on PowerBooks but see "Desktop Mac users, read this!" above to get around this limitation.
On this floating window are various control strip modules. Modules are basically small programs that you install into the "Control Strip Modules" folder inside your System folder and which then appear on the Control Strip. They can tell you useful (and sometimes not so useful*) information and they can do handy things. They usually don't patch your system so you won't usually encounter extension conflicts or crashes because of them. (And yes, Control Strip Menu does not patch anything.) If you haven't tried the other modules that are available, then you should do so! There are modules that can change monitor bit depth (Monitor Bitdepth), tell you the time (Infinity Clock), let you switch applications with a single click (Process Switch), tell you how much free memory each application has (FreeMem), and there's even one to play your audio CDs! (Audio Strip GH 1.0) Very cool! All of these are freeware.
* the thermometer strip for PowerBook Duos comes to mind but that's my opinion :-)
Version history
1.0 — Initial release (Jan 16, 1995). Written for the challenge of writing it. My first effort at this sort of programming.
1.0.1 — Released Feb 10, 1995. Will now correctly display items beginning with a "-". Should have fixed a bug that caused the first item's sub-menu not to appear.
Distribution
Control Strip Menu may be distributed freely but it must be distributed in its entirety, that is, with this Read Me, and neither it nor this Read Me may be modified. It can be put on disks and CD-ROMs.
Contacting the author
Please, if you have a problem with this module, read this document first to see if the answer is already here!
Comments, problems (no personal ones please), postcard(s) or money (hey, I couldn't resist asking) can be sent to:
Vincent Tan
42 Waratah Avenue
Randwick NSW 2031
Australia
If you want to send an e-mail message, send it to this (internet) address:
victort@extro.ucc.su.oz.au
Note that there is a T after "victor" (it's probably best to copy/paste it straight out of this file). Since this is Victor's address and not mine, please put "Control Strip Menu" or "CSM" in the Subject line so that you don't make him read unnecessary mail. Thank you.
"hey wait a sec! isn't he...?" yes yes, Vic wrote SpeedyFinder7. I happen to be his brother. We're both reasonably good at using computers. Yeah yeah yeah. :-)
Disclaimer
I hate these. Anyway, it's the usual stuff:
Use at your own risk. The author accepts no liability for any damage caused. Blah blah blah.
'Told you I hate them. ;-)
Aren't you glad I don't bore you with a License Agreement? :-)
