Peter Hardman @ Redpoint Software. February 1998. Email redpoint@kagi.com
For more information about Redpoint Software visit our website at http://sodium.ch.man.ac.uk/pages/redpoint.html.
What is HelpLess.
"What exactly is HelpLess?" We hear you cry.
HelpLess is a System Extension and Control Panel that helps people with extended keyboards avoid the annoying delay that occurs when the Help key is hit by accident instead of the delete key. In addition on machines running Mac OS8 HelpLess will allow you to restore the Help menu to the same location as it had on machines running System 7.x.
Without HelpLess installed there can be quite a long delay while the current application launches it's help system in response to the "help" key being pressed. For example in the Finder there is a delay while Apple Guide is launched.
With HelpLess installed hitting the "help" key causes nothing more that a simple beep to be played. This alerts the user to their mistake and they can then just carry on typing without waiting for the help system to swing into action. If you want to bring up the help system then you just need to press a modifier key and HelpLess will tell the system that you pressed the help key, thus activating the available help.
Please note HelpLess is a Shareware product with a registration fee of $10. You may use HelpLess for a trial period of 14 days. After 14 days you must either register HelpLess or remove it from your computer.
HelpLess Features.
•Native:
The HelpLess Control Panel and extension are both fully native on both 68K and PowerPC machines.
•Configurable:
Fully configurable using the Control Panel. Options for setting the sound, modifier keys, activity, and excluded applications.
•Helpfull:
Full balloon help is provided for the Control Panel interface.
Installation Instructions.
Installation is simple. Just drag the file called !HelpLess Extension to your system Folder and it will be installed in the Extensions Folders. The file called HelpLess Control is actually an application and can live anywhere on your machine. However we suggest that the best place to put it is in the Control Panels folder. Because it is an application you will need to place it there yourself. You won't be able to drag it onto your system folder. When you have moved these items you should restart your mac to install the extension.
Note:If you have used a previous version of the extension you should remember to remove the old extension as the name of the new extension is slightly different so that it loads nearer the start during bootup.
Benefits of Registration.
HelpLess is a Shareware product with a registration fee of US$10. You may use HelpLess for free for a trial period of 14 days. After 14 days you must either register HelpLess or remove it from your computer. When you register HelpLess you will receive a registration code. You enter this code to remove the annoying message that appears each time you start your computer, that tells you that you are using an unregistered version.
Registration Instructions.
For more information on registering HelpLess please see the information in the Registration Bits folder. When you register you will receive a registration code. When you have this code you need to open the Control Panel and press the 'Enter Code' button.
Packing List.
In this archive there should be the following files.
• Whats New in HelpLess v1.x (A document containing a version history for HelpLess.)
• About HelpLess (This document!)
• Registration Bits (A folder with stuff to help you register HelpLess, and send in your Shareware fee.)
• HelpLess Control (The Control Panel. This will need putting into Control Panels Folder in the System Folder.)
• !HelpLess Extension (TheExtension. This will need putting into Extensions Folder in the System Folder.)
• SIVC Query Engine (This is a faceless background application that is used to query the Redpoint Software SIVC server.)
If you find that any of the files listed above are missing then you should contact Redpoint Software. Email redpoint@kagi.com
Frequently Asked Questions.
Here are some answers to questions that we have been asked about regarding HelpLess.
• Can I change the name of the !HelpLess Extension?
Yes. Extensions load in roughly alphabetical order. The '!' at the start of the name helps it load near to the beginning of the startup process. However other extensions may not load correctly after HelpLess so you can change the name to rearrange the loading order. If you still have problems getting HelpLess to load then contact redpoint software.
• Does HelpLess Control have to be in the Control Panels folder?
No. In fact it can be anywhere on the machine. It knows how to locate the HelpLess Preferences file and communicate with the !HelpLess Extension wherever it is located.
• Why, when I choose to exclude an application does it not appear in the list with the correct name?
To make the exclusion of applications as fast as possible HelpLess tracks the applications it wants by the Creator stored in the desktop database. For example SimpleText has a creator of 'ttxt'. If HelpLess didn't add your chosen application to the list of excluded applications then if probably couldn't find that applications creator in the desktop database. This means that you may need to rebuild your desktop database. The easiest way to do this is to restart your mac and hold down the command and option keys while the mac is booting up. After the sequence of icons has stopped you should then be presented by a dialog asking if you would like to rebuild the desktop. Say yes and then try excluding the application again. If the application has a generic icon then it is most likely that it doesn't have a unique creator and HelpLess would then not know how to exclude this particular application without excluding others. You can also use utilities such as Norton Disk Tools to add files to the desktop database.
• Why does a different name for the application appears in the list from the one I chose?
HelpLess uses the desktop database to get the icons for the application that you are choosing to exclude. It asks the database for the most recent information about an application with the creator the same as the application that you have chosen. The most likely reason for the name being different is that you have multiple copies or versions of the application installed on your machine, and that you chose an earlier version. The name you see in the list will always be the name of the most recent application. It is not possible to exclude only one version of an application if other versions have the same creator.
• Why don't some of the items in the Help menu work when I move it under Mac OS8?
When the Help menu has been moved to the system 7.x position then menu items related to Apple Guide files may not work as expected. Usually either nothing happens when you choose that menu item, or the default Help provided by the Finder appears instead! You can work around this problem by using the keyboard shortcut for that menu item instead. If the item doesn't have a keyboard shortcut then I'm afraid you will not be able to select it while the menu is moved.
The workaround to this is not to move the Help menu if there are Apple Guide items in the menu that are essential to you.
•What is SIVC. How does it help me?
SIVC (pronounced civic) stands for Simple Internet Version Control and is a wonderful creation from Chris Johnson "mailto:chrisj@mail.utexas.edu" at the University of Texas. What SIVC does, is tell you when a new version of HelpLess has been released, and then gives you an option to easily download the new version at the click of a button. It does this by periodically contacting my SIVC server, when HelpLess Control is open, which knows the latest version of HelpLess, as well as the homepage and the directory where it's located. When HelpLess Control contacts the SIVC server, it also allows us to keep an accurate account of the number of people who are using it. There is also a facility for you to check the current version information too. It will contact the server, and then display a dialog with information and buttons to download the latest version and visit the webpage for more information. Clicking on a "Download" button downloads the latest version for you and a "Product Information" button opens the HelpLess homepage. Both these features requires you to have Internet Config 1.1 installed on your computer. This is needed so it can find out what Web Browser and FTP Client you prefer to use.
It's important to note that SIVC doesn't send us any private information about you. We never see your email address, name, type of computer, or what other software you might be using. The only thing the SIVC server receives from HelpLess is the time of first access, and the domain name of the machine on which HelpLess is running. It uses the domain name to keep an accurate account of how many people are using it.
If you still feel uncomfortable about using SIVC, or you don't want the extra TCP activity, you can disable it by unchecking the checkbox in the Internet Control Preferences Dialog accessed from the File Menu.
Legal Stuff.
You may not distribute this software on CD-ROM or other media without our prior permission. It's not that we mind having this stuff distributed. In fact we're all for it. We'd just like to know about it first! Individuals are encouraged to freely distribute HelpLess provided that all of the files listed above in the packing list are included in the distribution. HelpLess is copyright and not public domain. We retain all rights to HelpLess. HelpLess comes with no warranty whatsoever. It may cause nasty things to happen to your Macintosh. So if you are unable to relinquish us from all liabilities for any damage so caused then you may not use it!
Contact Information.
Please send all comments and bug reports to redpoint@kagi.com.
If you find something that you don't understand or that is not explained correctly in the documentation then drop us a line and we'll try and enlighten you and also make sure it gets explained for the next release.
