Help Index
Holder for Windows

Help Index

Holder is a Windows application to launch other applications from icon-like buttons placed anywhere on the Windows desktop.  Each instance of Holder appears as a button, with an icon displayed on the face and the title for the application displayed below the button.  For example, a Holder button for Holder itself could look like this:

Double-clicking on the button with the left mouse button (or hitting the Enter key when the button has the input focus) launches the corresponding application set up on the button.  Double-clicking on the title with the left mouse button brings up the Holder system menu.

The following topics provide more information on Holder setup and operation:

System Menu Commands

Command Line Parameters

Holder accepts command line parameters to make it especially useful in your Windows startup group.  See the following topic for more information:

Using Holder in the Windows Startup Group

For information on using Help, press F1 or choose Using Help from the system menu.

Holder is shareware, Copyright © 1991-1992 by Barry Press.  Support to registered users is available from the author [CompuServe 72467,2353].


Using Holder in the Windows Startup Group

Holder is particularly effective when added to the Windows Startup Group in the Program Manager, using command line parameters to specify the Holder buttons to be displayed.  For example, placing a program item with the this command line:

holder.exe *

into the Startup Group in the Program Manager will cause all defined buttons to be displayed when Windows starts.  Specific buttons can be selected by using their tags on the command line.

If you setup Program Manager to have the "Minimize on Use" option checked (and do not run Holder minimized), then when Windows starts you'll end up with a clean desktop having the Holder buttons displayed where you positioned them and the Program Manager neatly stowed as an icon at the bottom of the screen.

See Also:

Command Line Parameters


System Menu Commands

The following menu items appear on the Holder system menu in addition to the usual Windows system menu items:  For information on the commands in one of the menu items, mouse on the corresponding menu item name.

Options

Font

New

Delete

Help Index

Using Help

About


Command Line Parameters

Holder supports command line parameters to enhance its use in the Startup group of Program Manager as shown in the following table:

Command Line Parameters	Interpretation
None	Holder displays a list of known application tags, displaying buttons for the selected one.
List of defined application tags	Holder displays a button for each tag.  This may be mixed with undefined tags as desired.
List of undefined application tags	Holder displays an Options dialog box for each one, then displays a button for each.
*	Holder displays a button for all tags defined in the "press.ini" file.


Options
Options Menu Item

The Options command provides access to a dialog box with controls on the operation of Holder for launching a specific application.  Options are available to control the Holder button title, the application launched, the launch working directory, startup parameters, and the icon displayed on the Holder button for the application.

The Program Setup group of controls specify how the application is to be launched, along with the title to appear below the Holder button for the application.

Control	Function
Description	Specifies the title shown below the Holder button for this application.  The title may also be changed by making the specific button the active window and typing the new title.  Complete the new title with Enter; cancel the change with ESC.
Command Line	Specifies the command line to be executed to launch the application, including any command-line parameters.  You cannot use the double-quote (") character in the command line.
Working Directory	Specifies the directory to be current when the application is launched.
Browse	Opens a file browse dialog box to permit selection of the application executable file.
Radio Buttons	Allows selection of how the window should appear when the application is launched. Normal The application window is opened normally, as with File Run from Program Manager or File Manager. Minimized The application window is opened as an icon at the bottom of the screen Maximized The application window is opened full-screen. Hidden The application window never appears.  This option should not be used for Windows programs or for DOS applications that can ever require user input; it is intended for applications that simply do some function invisibly and exit.
The Icon Setup group of controls specify the icon to appear on the face of the Holder button for the application.

Control	Function
Current	Displays the icon currently displayed on the button face.
Icon File	Specifies the full path of the file from which the icon is to be loaded.
Choices	Displays the icons found in the specified file and allows selection of a specific one.
Browse	Opens a file browse dialog box to allow selection of the file from which the icon is to be selected.
Options information is saved in the file "press.ini" stored in the Windows directory.


Font
Font Menu Item

The Font command invokes a dialog box with which you can select the font and text size used in the Holder title area.  The font change applies globally to all instances of Holder.  Although the dialog box shows options for bold or italic text, these selections are ignored.

Confirming the dialog box ("OK") changes the font in all running instances of Holder as well as setting the font choice for future invocations.  Font selections are saved in the file "press.ini" which Windows places in your Windows directory.


New
New Menu Item

The New command invokes a dialog box you can use to enter the Holder tag for a new application launch setup.  The listbox below the edit field shows the existing tags.  Each application setup requires a unique tag.

Once a unique tag is entered, the Options dialog box appears and the setup for the application can be completed.  After the dialog is complete, the Holder button for the tag will appear in the upper left corner of the display.  You can move it by holding down the left mouse button in the title area and dragging the button to the desired location.


Delete
Delete Menu Item

The Delete command allows you to delete a previously-defined application setup for Holder.  A dialog box similar to that for New appears listing the known applications tags.  A confirm dialog box appears to verify your selection before the delete is performed.


Index
Index Menu Item

The Index command activates the Windows Help application and displays the help index for Holder.


Using Help
Using Help Menu Item

The Help on Help command activates the Windows Help application and displays help information on using Windows Help.


About Holder Dialog Box

The About Holder command displays a dialog box for Holder.  The dialog box includes the version number of the program and the date the executable file (holder.exe) was created.