Documentation of Program IcoShow


       Version             1.15

       Date                March, 15th 1993

       Register at         Harald Pitro
                           Hermann-Wuensche-Strasse 11
                           O - 8705 Ebersbach / Sachsen
                           Germany

       CompuServe          100024, 2662

       Registration for    $35 (incl. shipping and documentation)



                    Table of Contents

    1. Overview                                           
    2. System Requirements and Limits                     
    3. Start and Command Line                             
    4. INI file                                           
         4.1 Application [IcoShow]                        
         4.2 Application [Groups]                         
    5. Menu Commands                                      
         5.1  File Menu                                   
         5.2  Icons Menu                                  
              5.2.1 Copy / Move                           
              5.2.2 Rename / Edit                         
              5.2.3 Select                                
              5.2.4 Exclude                               
         5.3  Options Menu                                
              5.3.1 Edit with ...                         
              5.3.2 Repair Icons                          
              5.3.3 Save Settings                         
              5.3.4 Quick Delete                          
              5.3.5 Quick Search                          
         5.4  Window Menu                                 
         5.5  Help Menu                                   
         5.6  Properties Menu                             
    6. Dialog Boxes                                       
         6.1  Open                                        
         6.2  Print Icons                                 
         6.3  Create Library                              
         6.4  Select Icons                                
         6.5  Exclude Icons                               
         6.6  Edit with ...                               
         6.7  Rename Icon                                 
         6.8  Select Window                               
         6.9  Registration                                
         6.10 Print Order Form                            
         6.11 About IcoShow                               
    7. Status Line                                        
    8. Hints for the use of IcoShow                       
    9. Shareware Version                                  



1. Overview

The  number  of icons in a typical Windows system  today
requires a simple method of management which povides the
ability  to  process icons, to group  them  by  a  user-
selected  method  and to write them  to  icon  files  or
libraries.

IcoShow  searches for icons and libraries with icons  on
selected  drives  and/or directories (in  subdirectories
also  if  wished)  and shows the icons  including  their
names.  Each  directory containing icons becomes  a  new
window.  After  you  have started IcoShow  you  can  add
directories at any time.

You can copy or move icons from one window to another by
dragging them with the mouse. If you minimize a  window,
all  selected icons will be copied or moved with  window
icon.  If you wish to process only some of the icons  in
windows, you can select/exclude icons by pattern strings
that matches the icon names.

You  can write the selected icons from one window or all
windows to a new library. You can hold over 2,700  icons
in  one library, but if you write more than 1,200  icons
to a library, it can not be used in another icon manager
or program manager. You can exclude duplicates of  icons
while writing them to a library.

You  can  choose  an icon editor to process  icons  from
IcoShow  directly. If the editor chosen  is  capable  of
command  line  processing,  the  icon  will  be   opened
automatically and presented for editing.

If  you  wish  to install icons in program manager,  you
need  only  drag  them from the IcoShow  window  to  the
window of the program manager using the  mouse.  IcoShow
doesn't more support  the installation  of icons  within
Windows 3.0 and Norton Desktop for Windows 1.0.

Icons  or all icons selected in a window can be  deleted
by  the  DEL  key (you cannot delete icons  from  within
libraries).  If  you are an experienced  user,  you  can
delete  them simply by dragging them outside of  screen.
Please be careful, IcoShow does not undelete icons!

Some older icon files contains bugs (the program manager
shows  you a truncated icon image). IcoShow lets  repair
you this bug.

You  can  print  icons  with  any  matrix,  ink-jet   or
laserprinter  (postscript also). You may also  print  in
color if your printer can handle the output.

IcoShow writes the current status of the options and his
desktop in the file ICOSHOW.INI.

A  status line shows you see the most important  options
and some information about the processed icons.

If you need help, press F1 at any time. IcoShow will try
to find the proper help for you.



2. System Requirements and Limits

IcoShow  will run under Windows 3.0 and 3.1 in  standard
mode,  as well as in enhanced mode. It will not  run  in
real mode, because there is not enough heap space.

IcoShow shows the proper image for the display from each
icon.  If you have a monochrome card, you will  not  see
icons  that  only  contain  color  images.  But  IcoShow
processes the icon files with all images!

The  amount  of  icons you can process  depends  on  the
number  of  displayed windows. IcoShow can  display  and
process up to 16,384 icons.

Look  at  the dialog box "About IcoShow" (Help Menu)  to
see   the   use  of  heap  and  resources.  Check   this
information. If you see that "Free Heap" is very  small,
close  windows to free local heap. An overflow in  local
heap stops IcoShow immediately.
If  there are no windows or dialog boxes displayed,  you
have too many opened windows.

IcoShow  supports library types of DLL/NIL/ICL.  IcoShow
will  warn you if you try to write more than 1,200 icons
into a library. You can save over 2,700 icons within one
library  but this library will not be useable  by  other
icon managers (this includes program manager).



3. Start and Command Line

You  will  usually  start IcoShow without  command  line
arguments.  If you want to use command line  processing,
the syntax is:


    ICOSHOW [-s] [-d] [Directory ...]


  -s       Include  subdirectories (you can type /s for -s).
  
  -d       Don't use BWCC.DLL
  
  DirectoryDrive and path including icons possibly.


Example :       ICOSHOW -s c: d:

searches  for icons the drives 'c'  and  'd',  including
all  subdirectories,  and  shows  all  directories  with
icons.

Hint:   If   you   start   IcoShow  with  command   line
        arguments, the saved desktop information in  the
        INI file will be ignored (see also below).



4. INI file

IcoShow saves an INI file with the status of the options
and  the last desktop, so you can continue with the same
environment  at  the next session. The  key  names  must
follow the application names [IcoShow] and [Groups]. All
options may be in lower or upper case.


4.1 Application [IcoShow]

Example :

Application/Key                             Default
[IcoShow]
SaveSettings=1                              (0)
SubDir=On                                   (Off)
Libraries=Exe,Dll,Nil,Icl                   (,,)
SearchNames=Off                             (On)
LibName=c:\win\icons.dll                    (-)
Run=imagedit                                (-)
Repair=On                                   (Off)
Tool=Move                                   (Copy)
Rename=On                                   (Off)
QuickDelete=On                              (Off)
QuickSearch=On                              (On)
Select=A*                                   (-)
Exclude=AB*                                 (-)
Minimize=On                                 (Off)
Arrange=Tile                                (Cascade)
BackColor=191,191,191                       (-)
Window=0 0 640 480 3                        (-)
Registered=Gustav Hackendahl                (-)
Password=0815                               (-)

Enclosed  in brackets are the default values if  IcoShow
does  not  find an INI file, or if an option is missing.
You  can  change the settings while IcoShow  is  running
(exception: "BackColor").


Explanation of the example above.
           
"SaveSettings=1"   IcoShow will save the settings of the
                   options and his desktop on exit.  You
                   can  use  the  keys  Alt-Shift-F4  to
                   write  the  current desktop  directly
                   to INI file.

"SubDir=On"        If you add directories and/or drives,
                   IcoShow  will  search  for  icons  in
                   subdirectories also.

"Libraries=Exe,Dll,Nil,Icl"  IcoShow searches for  icons
                   in   libraries   also.   If   IcoShow
                   searches  for  ICO files  only,  this
                   option will be "Libraries=,,,".

"SearchNames=Off"  Some libraries contain names for  the
                   included icons. If this statement  is
                   "On",  IcoShow  will search  for  the
                   names. If this option is "Off" or  if
                   icons  have  no names,  IcoShow  will
                   use the library name for the icons.

"LibName=c:\win\icons.dll"     This  statement  contains
                   the  full  name of the  last  library
                   written and will be the default  name
                   for the next.

"Run=imagedit"     If  the  option "Rename" is "Off",  a
                   double  click  with  the  mouse  will
                   start  the  icon editor  chosen  here
                   (or  in Option Menu). IcoShow appends
                   the  full  icon name and  starts  the
                   program.

"Repair=On"        If  this option is "On", IcoShow will
                   repair  bugs in older icon  files  on
                   disk.  Bugs in libraries will not  be
                   repaired.   IcoShow  always   repairs
                   bugs while running.

"Tool=Move"        Icons will be moved by dragging  them
                   with the mouse.
                   If "Tool=Copy", icons will be copied.

"Rename=On"        If  this  option  is "On",  a  double
                   click  with  the mouse  will  open  a
                   dialog  box  to  rename  the  current
                   icon.   If  this  option  is   "Off",
                   IcoShow  will start the  icon  editor
                   selected (see above).

"QuickDelete=On"   If you press the Del key, the current
                   icon  (or all icons in current window
                   if   minimized)  will   be   deleted.
                   IcoShow  will prompt you to  confirm.
                   If  you are an experienced user,  you
                   can  delete  icons by  dragging  them
                   outside  the  screen.  In  this  case
                   IcoShow will not warn you. Please  be
                   careful.   Keep  this  option   "Off"
                   until  you  are  sure  you  want   to
                   delete icons.

"QuickSearch=On"   If  this option is "On", you can find
                   icons  by names quickly. Simply  type
                   a   string.  IcoShow  tries  to  find
                   matching   icons   in   the   current
                   window.  IcoShow searches  with  each
                   character     you    have     entered
                   successively.  If  no  matching  icon
                   names  have  been found,  the  string
                   will be cleared.
                   You can see the current string in the
                   status  line.  See  point  5.3.5  for
                   more details.

"Select=A*"        Under  this  statement IcoShow  reads
                   the  current pattern used  to  select
                   icons  by  names for processing.  The
                   term  A*  in  the example  causes  to
                   display only icons which names  start
                   with  "A"  in  all windows.  You  can
                   process  only  selected  icons   (the
                   term "*.*" processes all of them)!
                   This  entry  is  readonly.  You   can
                   change  the setting while IcoShow  is
                   running  but it will not be saved  in
                   the  INI file. For more details about
                   this pattern see 5.2.3.

"Exclude=AB*"      Similar  to  the "Select"  statement.
                   IcoShow  reads  the  current  pattern
                   used  to exclude icons (by name) from
                   processing.  This  example  is   most
                   commonly used with "Select="  option.
                   The   example  here  displays   icons
                   whose  names  start with  the  letter
                   "A"  and whose names do not have  the
                   letter "B" as the second character.
                   This  entry  is  readonly.  You   can
                   change  the setting while IcoShow  is
                   running, but it will not be saved  in
                   the  INI file. For more details about
                   this pattern see 5.2.4.

"Minimize=On"      This  statement  causes  IcoShow   to
                   display   windows  as  minimized   on
                   creation.

"Arrange=Tile"     IcoShow  displays  all  not-minimized
                   windows  as "Tile". "Arrange=Cascade"
                   shows the windows as "Cascade".

"BackColor=191,191,191"  This  statement  contains   the
                   background  color for  the  displayed
                   icons.    If   it's   missing,    the
                   background  will be the same  as  the
                   window   background.  You   can   not
                   change this setting while IcoShow  is
                   running.

"Window=0 0 640 480  3"   This  statement  contains  the
                   position  and the size of  the  frame
                   window:
                          position  of  the  upper  left
                          corner (0,0)
                          size   of  the  frame   window
                          (640x480)
                          style  of frame window     
                                           1 - normal
                                           2 - minimized
                                           3 - maximized

"Registered=Gustav Hackendahl"     This  statement  will
                   contain your name.

"Password=0815"    The  password you get from the author
                   after you register the program.



4.2 Application [Groups]

Example:

[Groups]
Group1=c:\windows3\icons                                 4
Window1=10 10 100 100                                    
Group2=c:\windows3        Minimize                       0
Window2=20 20 100 100                                    
Group3=c:\windows3\system          EXEDLLNILICL          0
Window3=30 30 100 100                                    
Group4=c:\windows3\tools                          Active 0
Window4=40 40 100 100                                    


For  each line Groupi there must be a Windowi line.  Key
words within the lines are separated with Space or Tab.

"Minimize"         This window will be shown minimized.

"EXEDLLNILICL"     In this window will be included icons
                   from the library types Exe, Dll,  Nil
                   and  Icl.  This key word is empty  if
                   only  icons  from ICO files  will  be
                   included.

"Active"           This   key  word  marks  the  current
                   active child window.

"0"                The  last value is the number of  the
                   current icon in the window.

The  statement "Windowi" contains the position  and  the
size of the "Groupi" window.



5. Menu Commands

5.1  File Menu

In  the  File  Menu you can open directories  to  select
icons,  print selected icons, create a new icon library,
refresh a directory window or exit IcoShow.

Open             If  you  choose  this menu  command,  a
                 dialog  box will open to allow  you  to
                 browse  for the directory and/or  drive
                 wanted    and    to    check    whether
                 subdirectories  and/or  icon  libraries
                 (Exe/Dll/Nil/Icl) are  to  be  included
                 and  whether IcoShow is to look for and
                 display icon names in some libraries.

                 Hint : If  the  directory  chosen  does
                         not   exist,   you   will    be
                         prompted   to   allow   IcoShow
                         create it.

Print Icons      This  command prints the selected icons
                 in   the  current  window  on  selected
                 paper  with  any  matrix,  ink-jet   or
                 laser  printer. You may also  print  in
                 color  if  your printer can handle  the
                 output.  The  number of  printed  icons
                 per  sheet  depends  on  the  printer's
                 resolution.
                 A  description of the dialog box may be
                 found in chapter 6.

Create Library   Transfers   the  selected  icons   from
                 either   the  current  window  or   all
                 windows   into  a  library.   Supported
                 library types are  DLL/NIL/ICL.

                 You  can put more than 2,700 icons into
                 such  a  library. But if you intent  to
                 use  the  library later  with  Window's
                 program  manager  or  with  some  other
                 icon  manager, you should  not  include
                 more  than  1,200 icons.  IcoShow  will
                 issue a warning.

                 For more details see chapter 6.

Refresh Directory Choose this option from System Menu if
                 you  wish  to read icons and  libraries
                 from  current directory again. Use this
                 if  you have changed the content of the
                 directory  with  a file  manager  while
                 IcoShow is running.

Exit IcoShow     Use  Hotkeys  Alt-F4  to  exit  IcoShow
                 directly.

                 If  the  option Save Settings  (Options
                 Menu)  has been selected, IcoShow  will
                 save all settings including desktop  in
                 ICOSHOW.INI  within  the  directory  of
                 IcoShow.Exe.



5.2  Icons Menu

Use  this  menu to determine the function  of  the  left
mouse  button  and to select the icons to be  used.  All
commands under this menu are ineffective if you drag  an
icon to the program manager!


5.2.1 Copy / Move

Choose  here if you want to copy or to move  icons  with
the mouse.

Copy             You  can drag specific icons, or  icons
                 symbolizing    a    minimized    window
                 containing   icons,  to  a  destination
                 window   with  the  mouse.  Place   the
                 cursor on an icon, press down the  left
                 mouse  button, then drag  the  icon  to
                 its  destination and release the  mouse
                 button.
                 If  this option is checked, the icon(s)
                 will be copied, not moved.

Move             You  can drag specific icons, or  icons
                 symbolizing    a    minimized    window
                 containing   icons,  to  a  destination
                 window   with  the  mouse.  Place   the
                 cursor on an icon, press down the  left
                 mouse  button, then drag  the  icon  to
                 its  destination and release the  mouse
                 button.

                 If  this option is checked, the icon(s)
                 will  be moved, not copied. This  means
                 that  the  icon  files  in  the  source
                 window  will be deleted after  copying.
                 Icons  from libraries (Exe/Dll/Nil/Icl)
                 will not be deleted, but copied.
                 If  the  source window is  empty  after
                 moving icons, you will be prompted  for
                 deletion of the directory.

                 Hint : Icons  with identical  names  in
                         the   source   and  destination
                         directories   will    not    be
                         deleted  because they will  not
                         be moved.


5.2.2 Rename / Edit

You  can also choose the processing of the current  icon
in this menu:

Rename           If  this  option  is checked,  you  can
                 rename  icons  by double clicking  them
                 with  the  mouse  or  by  pushing   the
                 Return  key.  Icons cannot  be  renamed
                 and moved at the same time.

                 If  you  wish to sort the icons in  the
                 current  window after the  renaming  is
                 done, check the sort button.

                 You cannot rename icons in libraries.

Edit             If  this  option is checked,  a  double
                 click  with the mouse or the Enter  key
                 will   run  the  command  under   "Edit
                 with..."  in  Options  Menu.   If   the
                 editor  chosen  is capable  of  command
                 line  processing,  the  icon  will   be
                 opened   and   displayed  for   further
                 processing.  If   not, you  will  still
                 have  to  open  the icon  you  wish  to
                 alter.

IcoShow  displays the current choice within  the  status
line.



5.2.3 Select

If  you  check  this  command,  a  dialog  box  will  be
presented  for  you to enter a pattern to  select  icons
from  the contents of the Current Window to be displayed
exclusively  (and  for  all  other  windows  also).  The
pattern  "A*"  lets you display and process  only  icons
whose names start with the letter "A".

The  following  characters may be used  in  the  pattern
string:

 Letter/digit/./_ normal  characters,  upper  and  lower
                   case are not distinguished
 ?                any character
 *                a number of any characters
 []               a class of characters
 ^                negates the class of characters in []
 -                a range of characters in  []

Examples for pattern:

 A*               all icons, starting with the letter  A
                   as ALPHA.ICO
 A                the same as above
 
 A[ABCDE]         all  icons starting with the letter  A
                   followed by one of the letters A,  B,
                   C, D or E
 A[A-E]           the same as above
 A[^F-Z]          also   the   same   if  only   letters
                   possible

Please  watch  out for interactions between  Select  and
Exclude.



5.2.4 Exclude

If  you  check  this  command,  a  dialog  box  will  be
presented  for  you to enter a pattern to exclude  icons
from  the displayed contents of the Current Window  (and
for  all other windows also). The pattern "A*" lets  you
display and process only icons whose names do not  start
with the letter "A".

The  following  characters may be used  in  the  pattern
string:

 Letter/digit/./_ normal  characters,  upper  and  lower
                   case are not distinguished
 ?                any character
 *                a number of any characters
 []               a class of characters
 ^                negates the class of characters in []
 -                a range of characters in  []

Examples for pattern:

 A*               all icons, starting with the letter  A
                   as ALPHA.ICO
 A                the same as above
 
 A[ABCDE]         all  icons starting with the letter  A
                   followed by one of the letters A,  B,
                   C, D or E
 A[A-E]           the same as above
 A[^F-Z]          also   the   same   if  only   letters
                   possible

Please  watch  out for interactions between  Select  and
Exclude.



5.3  Options Menu

Set options for IcoShow.


5.3.1 Edit with ...

Here  you  can enter a command line to process a  chosen
icon.  Type the complete command line to start the  icon
editor of your choice without the icon's name. That will
be  added  when you double click the mouse or press  the
Return  key  if  the Edit option in the  Icons  Menu  is
checked.
If   the  editor  chosen  is  capable  of  command  line
processing,  the icon will be opened and  presented  for
editing automatically. If not, only the program will  be
started  and you will have to open manually the icon  to
be  edited.  Further procedure depends upon  the  editor
itself. Do not forget to save the changes made!
If  you  select an icon from a library to edit,  IcoShow
extracts the icon from the library and writes  it  to  a
temporary  ico  file  (you see  those  name  within  the
editor).  Only if the icon file has the same size  after
editing, it can be rewritten to the library. In case you
change  the number of colors or images, IcoShow  prompts
you  to delete the temporary ico file (if you do so, all
changes will be lost).
If the icon has been changed by the selected program, it
will be reloaded and redisplayed on exit.

Hint  :  Do not use programs which change
         file structures on disks.


5.3.2 Repair Icons

Older  icon  files  may contain bugs (the  icon's  upper
border  is truncated). You can have repaired these  icon
files  by  checking this option. Bugs in libraries  will
not be removed.
IcoShow will always correct this bug while running.


5.3.3 Save Settings

If  you  check  this option, IcoShow saves  the  current
settings of all options and the desktop on exit  in  the
file  ICOSHOW.INI in the IcoShow directory. If  missing,
it will be created by IcoShow automatically.

Use  Alt-Shift-F4 to save all settings including desktop
while  IcoShow is running (in this case the option "Save
Settings" should not be checked).

   Hint  :    A  change of this option  will  always  be
              saved to the INI file on exit.


5.3.4 Quick Delete

You  normally  delete  icons with  the  Del  key.  After
pressing this key you will be prompted to see whether or
not you really wish to delete the icon.

If  you  want to delete icons fast, however, check  this
option.  You  can then delete icons simply  by  dragging
them out of the screen. You will not be prompted and the
icon  (or all icons selected in the current window) will
be deleted!



5.3.5 Quick Search

You  can  find  an icon by using the scroll  bar  or  by
cursor  keys.  If  you want to find an icon  quickly  by
name, check this option. You may then simply type a name
to  find  matching icons. IcoShow will locate these  and
display  successively. If no matching icons  are  found,
the  string will be cleared automatically. Otherwise you
will have to clear it yourself.

You can use the following characters:

 Letters/digits/./_    normal characters
 ?                stands for any single character
 *                stands for any number of characters
 Space            deletes the string
 Backspace        deletes  the  last  character  in  the
                   string

You  can  see the current entered string in  the  status
line.



5.4  Window Menu

Use this menu to arrange and size windows within IcoShow.

Cascade          If you activate this option, all opened
                 windows  within IcoShow will  be  shown
                 as a Cascade.
                 Hotkey:  Shift-F5

Tile             If you activate this option, all opened
                 windows  within IcoShow will be  tiled.
                 You can see all windows displayed now.
                 Hotkey:  Shift-F4

Minimize Windows If you choose this command, all windows
                 within  IcoShow will be  minimized  and
                 arranged  in  alphabetic order  at  the
                 bottom  of the IcoShow desktop. If  you
                 have  created  many windows,  use  this
                 command   and   the  command   Maximize
                 Windows to rearrange all windows.
                 If   this  option  is  activated,   new
                 directories   and   their    respective
                 windows will be shown minimized.

Maximize Windows If   you   choose  this  command,   all
                 minimized  windows  will  be  shown  in
                 default    size   and    arranged    in
                 alphabetic order according to the  tile
                 or cascade option.

Select Window    Within the following dialog box you can
                 choose  a  window quickly and  activate
                 it.

Close All        Use  this  command to  close  all  open
                 windows  at once. Upon closing  IcoShow
                 tries  to  release a  maximum  of  heap
                 space and resources.

Arrange Icons    Choose  this  command  to  arrange  all
                 minimized windows at the bottom of  the
                 IcoShow  desktop according to  Windows'
                 settings.  The  windows  will  not   be
                 sorted by name.



5.5  Help Menu

Look  here for information about registration,  ordering
and  the  current use of heaps and resources.  For  more
details about the dialog boxes see chapter 6.

Contents         Choose   this  menu  command  for   the
                 contents  of  the help  index.  If  you
                 need  help  anywhere hit  the  F1  key.
                 IcoShow  will  try to find  the  proper
                 help for you.

How to use help  General Windows help.


Registration     The author's hints for registering  and
                 how to contact him.


Print Order Form If  you  wish  to order a  license  for
                 IcoShow,  you  can  fill  in  the  form
                 online  and print it from here.  Switch
                 on your printer!

                 After printing the form is not saved to
                 disk.  After  you press the  OK  button
                 you  will  have to fill it in  anew  to
                 print another copy.

Set Register Information     After  you   register   the
                 program,  you can input your  name  and
                 the  received password in the following
                 dialog  box.  If the password  contains
                 spaces, please type the spaces too.
                 IcoShow writes the information into INI
                 file  and stores it under "Registered="
                 and  "Password=". The password will not
                 be checked to this time!

About IcoShow    Use    this    to   display   copyright
                 information  and  the  current  use  of
                 heaps and resources.



5.6  Properties Menu

If  you  click  on an icon with the right mouse  button,
IcoShow  displays the properties Menu. In this menu  you
can  select another image if the icon has more than one.
You  can select the properties available for this  icon,
such  as  exclude,  delete, edit  or  rename.  Only  the
possible Properties will be displayed. For example,  the
option "rename" is not available if you click on an icon
from a library.
Last  but  not  least  you can  change  the  options  to
determine the function of the left mouse button.

IcoShow  tries  to position the proper  image  near  the
current icon. Click on the image which you wish  to  use
for  further processing. Note that you can display  only
one image from an icon at any time. If IcoShow copies to
icon files, all images will be copied. You can choose to
write all images if you write icons into a library.


Exlude Icon      Choose  this  option  if  you  wish  to
                 exclude  the current icon from  further
                 processing.  You can select  this  icon
                 again  if  you change the criteria  for
                 selecting   and/or   excluding    icons
                 (Select/Exclude within the Icons  Menu)
                 or  if  you choose the option "Refresh"
                 from the File Menu!

Delete Icon      Choose  this  option  if  you  wish  to
                 delete  icons from disk too. You cannot
                 delete  icons  from  libraries.   These
                 will be deleted from display only.

Rename Icon      If  you choose this option, you will be
                 prompted  for  a new name.  You  cannot
                 rename  icons from libraries  directly,
                 however.

                 Check  the  "Sort" box if you  wish  to
                 sort  the display in the current window
                 after   renaming.  The  icon  will   be
                 displayed  then  at  its  proper  place
                 within the window according to its  new
                 name.

Edit Icon        If you choose this option, IcoShow will
                 run the program from "Edit with".

Copy             You  can drag specific icons, or  icons
                 symbolizing    a    minimized    window
                 containing   icons,  to  a  destination
                 window   with  the  mouse.  Place   the
                 cursor  on  the  icon, press  down  the
                 left  mouse button, then drag the  icon
                 to  its  destination  and  release  the
                 mouse button.
                 If  this option is checked, the icon(s)
                 will be copied, not moved.

Move             You  can drag specific icons, or  icons
                 symbolizing    a    minimized    window
                 containing   icons,  to  a  destination
                 window   with  the  mouse.  Place   the
                 cursor  on  the  icon, press  down  the
                 left  mouse button, then drag the  icon
                 to  its  destination  and  release  the
                 mouse button.

                 If  this option is checked, the icon(s)
                 will  be moved, not copied. This  means
                 that  the  icon  files  in  the  source
                 window  will be deleted after  copying.
                 Icons  from libraries (Exe/Dll/Nil/Icl)
                 will not be deleted, but copied.
                 If  the  source window is  empty  after
                 moving icons, you will be prompted  for
                 deletion of the directory.

                 Hint :     Icons  with identical  names
                       in  the  source  and  destination
                       directories will not  be  deleted
                       because they will not be moved.

Rename           If  this  option  is checked,  you  can
                 rename  icons  by  double  clicking  on
                 them  with the mouse or by pushing  the
                 Return  key.  Icons cannot  be  renamed
                 and moved at the same time.
                 If  you  wish to sort the icons in  the
                 current  window after the  renaming  is
                 done, check the sort button.
                 You cannot rename icons in libraries.

Edit             If  this  option is checked,  a  double
                 click  with the mouse or the Enter  key
                 will   run  the  command  under   "Edit
                 with..."  in the Options Menu.  If  the
                 editor  chosen  is capable  of  command
                 line  processing,  the  icon  will   be
                 opened   and   displayed  for   further
                 processing.  If   not, you  will  still
                 have  to  open  the icon  you  wish  to
                 alter.



6. Dialog Boxes

6.1  Open

Add  a  new  window  (or  new windows)  with  the  icons
existing in a given directory. The dialog box allows you
to  browse for the directory required; to check  whether
subdirectories  and/or icon libraries (...)  are  to  be
included; and whether IcoShow is to look for and display
icon names found in specific types of libraries.

Drives and Directories  Browse for the name of  a  drive
                 and/or  directory or enter  it  in  the
                 list  box  below. If you click  the  OK
                 button   or   press  the  Return   key,
                 processing   of   the  directory   will
                 start.

Subdirectories   Select this option if you wish to  look
                 for   icons  in  subdirectories.   Each
                 directory  containing  icons  will   be
                 shown as a separate window.

Libraries        Check  this box if you want  to  search
                 for  icons  included in library  files,
                 too.   You  may  check  all  types   of
                 libraries  supported  (Exe/Dll/Nil/Icl)
                 or select specific ones.

Search for Names Many  icon libraries include names  for
                 the  icons.  If  you  wish  to  display
                 those   names  along  with  the  icons,
                 check this box.

                 If  this option has not been checked or
                 if  there are no names assigned to  the
                 icons, the library's name is used.



6.2  Print Icons

This  dialog  box  will open after you have  issued  the
Print Icons command in the File Menu.
By  checking the print names box you will have the names
assigned  to  the  icons printed along with  the  design
itself.

If  printer initialisation is succesful, this dialog box
will  be displayed. Press the Cancel button if you  wish
to cancel the printing.



6.3  Create Library

In  this dialog box you can set the options to create  a
library.  If  the library already exists,  you  will  be
prompted to delete it before you go on.
IcoShow  can put over 2,700 icons (images) in  a  single
icon  library. But if you want to use the library  later
with  the  program manager, you should not include  more
than 1,200 icons (images). IcoShow will issue a warning.
Only  the icons selected will be written to the library.
Please check Select/Exclude in Icons Menu to see if your
choice corresponds with your intentions.

Library Name    Enter  the name of the library  in  this
                field  or  select it from the  list  box
                below.

                Default   name   for  the   library   is
                ICONS.DLL. IcoShow will write  the  last
                name  used to the INI file if  you  have
                selected  "Save Settings" in the  Option
                Menu.

Library Type    Choose  the type of library you wish  to
                create here. DLL, NIL and ICL files  are
                supported.

Current Only    Check  this  box if you  wish  to  write
                only the icons in the current window.

Selected Only   Check  this  box if you  wish  to  write
                only  the icons in the windows selected.
                You  can  select  these windows  in  the
                "Select  Window Dialog Box" from  Window
                Menu.

All Windows     Check this box if you wish to write  all
                the icons selected from all windows.

Sort            Check   this  box  to  write  all  icons
                selected  in alphabetic order.  If  this
                box  is  not checked, the icons will  be
                written successively.

                Hint: IcoShow  sorts  the  pathnames  of
                       the  windows in alphabetic order,
                       ascending    if    windows    are
                       minimized   and   descending   if
                       windows    are    maximized    or
                       normally    shown    (see    also
                       "Minimize  Windows" and "Maximize
                       Windows" under Window Menu).

Write Names with  Icons    Check this box to write icons
                to  the  library including their  names.
                If  icons  have no names,  IcoShow  will
                build  names  using up to  5  characters
                from   the  library's  name  and   a   3
                character  index including only  letters
                and digits (363 variants).

Exclude Duplicates    Check this box to instruct IcoShow
                to  compare  all  icons and  to  exclude
                duplicates  from  all the  icons  to  be
                written to the library.

                You  can  use  this option to  eliminate
                duplicate   icons  from  your  directory
                even  if  you  want them as  .ICO-files.
                Write all icons to a library while  this
                box  is  checked, delete icon files  and
                extract them from the library again.

Write all Images Some icons include more than one  image
                for  displays with different numbers  of
                colors. Normally the image selected  for
                your  display  will be  written  to  the
                library.   If   this  box  is   checked,
                IcoShow  will  write all images  to  the
                library.  That will minimize the  number
                of stored icons!

Hint:If  you  overwrite an old library,  you  need  disk
     space for both the old and the new version.



6.4  Select Icons

In  this  dialog box you can enter the pattern  used  to
select  icons  for  processing. For more  details  about
pattern see chapter 5.



6.5  Exclude Icons

In  this  dialog box you can enter the pattern  used  to
exclude  icons  from processing. For more details  about
pattern see chapter 5.

Hint:              Please  watch  out  for  interactions
     between  Select and Exclude. You can write patterns
     in  the  INI file manually to select/exclude  icons
     while  IcoShow is starting. All patterns  you  have
     entered  while  IcoShow  is  running  will  not  be
     written to INI file!



6.6  Edit with ...

In  this dialog box you can enter the command line  used
to  start icon processing, usually the complete path  to
start  the icon editor of your choice. The name  of  the
icon  to  be  edited will be added when the  command  is
issued,  so  the editor will open with the icon  already
displayed. This will work only if the editor is  capable
of command line processing.

If  you  select an icon from a library to edit,  IcoShow
extracts the icon from the library and writes  it  to  a
temporary  ico  file  (you see  those  name  within  the
editor).  Only if the icon file has the same size  after
editing, it can be rewritten to the library. In case you
change  the number of colors or images, IcoShow  prompts
you  to delete the temporary ico file (if you do so, all
changes will be lost).



6.7  Rename Icon

In  this  dialog box you can enter a new  name  for  the
selected  icon.  You cannot rename icons from  libraries
directly, however.

Sort            Check  the  "Sort" box if  you  wish  to
                sort  the display in the current  window
                after  renaming. The icon will  then  be
                displayed  at  its proper  place  within
                the window according to its new name.



6.8  Select Window

This dialog box will help you to select a window quickly
or  to  calculate the number of icons which you wish  to
write  to  a  library. Use the Shift key to select  more
than one window.
If  only  one window is highlighted this window will  be
activated  if  you press the Enter key or click  the  OK
button.



6.9  Registration

You  will get familiar with this dialog box if you  have
not registered by June 30th, 1993.



6.10 Print Order Form

In this dialog box you may fill in the text for the order
form. Printing starts after the print button is clicked.

After  printing the form is not saved to disk. After  you
press  the OK button you will have to fill it in anew  to
print another copy.

If  you fill in the EMail address (or the net-work path),
I  will send you a message after I have a new version  on
CompuServe.

Please use payment by VISA or Mastercard if you are  not
from  Germany. If you decide to do so, IcoShow  displays
the  following  dialog box to prompt you  for  the  Card
Number and the Expiry Date:

Enter  the  correct Card Number and the Expiry  Date  of
your  Credit Card. IcoShow checks your entries and  will
not allow you to enter incorrect statements.
If  you  wish to change or correct a credit card number,
you  must first close the dialog box "Print Order  Form"
with the OK button and then open it again.



6.11 About IcoShow

Here  are  copyright  messages and some  information  on
heaps and resources used.

"Free Heap"    shows you the minimum of local and global
               heap.  This  will be almost certainly  be
               the minimum of the local heap.

"Free Resources"     shows you the minimum of the  local
               heap from User and GDI.

"Processed Icons"    shows you the number of icons  read
               overall.

Check  this information. If you see that "Free Heap"  is
very  small,  close  windows  to  free  local  heap.  An
overflow in local heap stops IcoShow immediately.

If  there are no more windows or dialog boxes displayed,
you have too many open windows.



7. Status Line

The   standard   status   line  offers   the   following
information :

Status of  the Status of the Number     of Number      of
menu  commands menu  command icons    read icons       in
Copy   /  Move Rename / Edit and  selected current
within     the within    the and       the window.
Icons Menu.    Icons Menu.   number     of
                             opened
                             windows.


If the option "QuickSearch" in Icons Menu is checked and
you have entered a search string, the status line offers
the following information:

Status of  the Status     of Number     of Entered
menu  commands the      menu icons    read Substring.
Copy   /  Move command       and  selected
within     the Rename      / and       the
Icons Menu.    Edit   within number     of
               the     Icons opened
               Menu.         windows.



8. Hints for the use of IcoShow

Here  are some hints about the (more) effective  use  of
IcoShow:

   1.      If   you   install  ICO  files  into  program
     manager,  create a directory where you  save  these
     files together. Than you can see them all at once.
   
   2.     If  you  plan  to  copy or  move  many  icons,
     create  a  temporary directory and copy  the  icons
     there. This does not take a long time and you  have
     saved your icons if you make a mistake. If you  are
     ready, delete the directory with the icons.
   
   3.      Be  careful  when  moving  Icons  to  program
     manager  if there are bad program icons, especially
     in  windows 3.0, because errors in this  case  will
     not  reported  from IcoShow but  from  the  program
     manager.  Windows could hang. If that happens,  try
     to  use  Alt-ESC to change to the task manager  and
     then back to IcoShow.
   
   4.     If  you  wish to use another background  color
     for  your icons, then load control panel and select
     the  color. Then write the RGB values into the  INI
     file of IcoShow under BackColor (see 4.1).
   
   5.     Icons  or  all icons selected in a window  can
     be  deleted by the DEL key (you cannot delete icons
     within libraries). If you are an experienced  user,
     you   can  delete  them  simply  by  dragging  them
     outside  the  screen.  Choose  "QuickDelete"   from
     Options  Menu  to do so. Please be careful  because
     IcoShow does not undelete icons!
   
   6.       Please    note   the   difference    between
     "QuickSearch"   and   the  options   "Select"   and
     "Exclude". QuickSearch navigates only to  a  proper
     symbol   in  current  window  while  Select/Exclude
     chooses  the icons for display and process  in  all
     windows.
   
   7.      If   you   get   the  message  "Overflow   in
     local/global  heap",  close  windows  or  work   in
     enhanced mode.
    If   you   get  the  message  "No  more  space   for
     resources",  IcoShow will not exit. Instead,  icons
     will  be  displayed  as  question  marks.  Minimize
     windows to free resources.
   


9. Shareware Version

You  can  use the unregistered version of IcoShow  until
June, 30th 1993 for evaluation. Please do not patch  the
program and especially do not change my name.

If  you  register the program for $35 (or 60.- DM within
Germany), I will send you printed documentation.

If  you need support, write to my address below or  send
me an email. I will try to help you.



My address :     Harald Pitro
                 Hermann-Wuensche-Strasse 11
                 O - 8705 Ebersbach / Sachsen
                 Germany

Mail to:         Phone       +49-3586-5186
                 CompuServe  100024, 2662





Ebersbach March, 15th 1993






                                     Harald Pitro

