DragStrip® Additions

How can you increase DragStrip's functionality? DragStrip Additions are plug-in modules for DragStrip. They allow you to add functions to DragStrip without requiring an update to the main application. Additions can encompass many functions that you use all the time. However, by installing them on your strip, you can access a variety of functions from only one application, which makes your desktop easier to manage. Developers using languages such as C and Pascal can write their own DragStrip Additions. A technical note about writing DragStrip additions is in the DragStrip folder on your hard drive.

New Additions are being created all the time. While several Additions are documented on this page, there may be even more Additions located at ftp sites on the web.

Using Additions

DragStrip Additions reside as files on your hard disk. DragStrip Additions can only be activated by dragging them onto your strip; they will not work by double-clicking on Addition documents in the Finder. Additions can behave in many different ways; Some Additions are popup menus, some respond to single clicks, some just display information, and some do all of the above. Below are short descriptions of some of the Additions that came bundled with this version of DragStrip.

The Additions described in this chapter can be found in your DragStrip folder. There may be more additions located in the folder due to Poppybank Software updating the number of additions, and the additions themselves from time to time. A technical note will be provided with each addition located within the DragStrip folder.

Audio CD Player

If an audio compact disc is currently mounted, clicking the Audio CD Player icon on your strip will alternately play and pause the audio CD. Clicking and holding the mouse button down will display the Audio CD Player window giving volume controls, track controls, and an eject button. Just drag your cursor over the appropriate controls to activate a function. Note: the Audio CD Player only works with SCSI CD Rom drives. IDE CD Rom drives, like those in PowerBooks are not currently supported.

Set Volume

Clicking and holding the mouse button down on this icon displays a menu letting you change the system volume on your Macintosh. Clicking once on the Set Volume Addition brings up the Sound Control Panel.

Set Monitor Depth

Clicking and holding the mouse button down on this icon displays a popup menu allowing you to change the monitor depth on any monitor connected to your Macintosh. Choose the monitor by checking one of the "monitor #" choices at the bottom of the popup menu. The number of monitors will not appear if you only have one monitor. Clicking once on the Monitors Addition will bring up the Monitors Control Panel.

Calendar

Clicking and holding the mouse button down displays a calendar window. This window allows you to navigate to any month in any year, see the position of the day within the year, and view the phase the moon will be in on that day.

Moon Phase

The Moon Addition constantly displays the current phase of the moon.

Show Memory Usage

The Show Memory Usage Addition graphically displays the current status of used and unused memory. Clicking and holding down the mouse button displays a memory status window for all of the currently running applications. Clicking once on the Show Memory Usage Addition will bring up the Memory Control Panel.

Grouped Items

Grouped Items is an addition that allows you to add many items to a single DragStrip button, and open them all with one click. You can add items to the Grouped Items Addition by dragging any combination of files and folders onto its icon. The Grouped Items Addition will remember these items, even after DragStrip quits. To see the list of currently configured items, click and hold on the button containing the Grouped Items Addition and a list will pop up. Selecting an item will open just that item. Holding down the Delete key while selecting an item will remove that item from the list. If you just click on the icon, the Grouped Items Addition will attempt to mount and open all of the items in its list.

You can have multiple copies of the Grouped Items Addition on a strip. To differentiate between them, you paste a different icon on them and/or change the icon's name using the Rename Item command in the Options menu.

File Router

File Router is an Addition that allows you to copy files or folders to a destination with one simple drag and drop. You can add destination folders to File Router by holding down the Option key while dropping a folder or folders onto its icon. File Router will remember these folders, even after DragStrip quits. You can send a document, etc. to each destination folder by dropping it on that icon on the strip. To see the list of currently configured folders, click and hold on the button containing File Router and a list will pop up. Selecting an item will open that folder on your desktop. Holding down the Delete key while selecting an item will remove that folder from the list. If you just click on the item, File Router will attempt to mount and open all of the folders in its list.

Whenever you drop files, folders, applications, etc. on File Router without holding the Option key down, it will attempt to copy the items you are dropping to all of the destination folders in its list. If DragStrip is the frontmost application at the time of the drop and one of the destination folders is on an unmounted volume, File Router will ask you to connect to the server or mount the volume. If DragStrip is not the frontmost application in this situation, that folder will not have the items copied to it.

You can have multiple copies of the File Router Addition on a strip. To differentiate between them, you can paste a different icon on them and/or change the icon's name using the Rename Item command in the Options menu.

International Clock

International Clock is an addition that displays the current time in many different cities around the world.

When you add International Clock to a strip, it will show you the current time for wherever you currently are. If you click and hold on it, it will present a menu with many different cities around the world. When you select a city, International Clock will show you the name of that city and the time current time there. The International Clock addition will remember the chosen city, even after DragStrip quits.

Notes: The menu can take a long time to pop up since there are so many cities. Be patient :-)

International Clock looks best with either a small named icon or no icon with name view. Some city names require the grid items to be very wide. You can have multiple copies of the International Clock addition on a strip.

TickTalk

TickTalk is an addition that displays the current time in many different languages from around the world...and beyond. Languages include English, French, Japanese, Spanish, Finnish, Babytalk, Klingon, C, Pig Latin, and others!

When you add TickTalk to a strip, it will show you the current time in English words (like "Nine Fifty-Two"). If you click and hold on it, it will present a menu with many different languages. When you select a language, TickTalk will show you the current time in that language. The TickTalk addition will remember the chosen language, even after DragStrip quits.

Notes: TickTalk looks best with either a small named icon or no icon with name view. Some languages require the grid items to be very wide.

You can have multiple copies of the TickTalk addition on a strip.

TickTalk is based on the unix and X Windows program of the same name originally written by Art Mellor. Many other people on the internet have contributed languages to it. The latest version of TickTalk for unix and X Windows systems can be downloaded from Midnight Networks ftp site.

Analog Clock

Yeah, another clock. This one is analog showing you the current time with a bunch of different clock faces. To switch clock faces, click and hold on the addition once its on a strip and choose a different face from the popup menu.

Control Strip Modules

Control Strip is a desktop utility from Apple Computer. Control Strip has modules that perform certain functions much in the same way that DragStrip Additions do. Unlike DragStrip however, Control Strip does not have a drag and drop launcher interface. In addition, unlike Control Strip, DragStrip does not require restarting to install modules. Many Control Strip modules are available from third party developers (especially over the Internet). In order to allow you to take maximum advantage of all available extensible modules, DragStrip lets you use Control Strip modules with strips as well as DragStrip Additions.

Install Control Strip modules as you would DragStrip Additions by dragging and dropping the Control Strip module document onto an empty button on your strip or option-clicking on a blank strip button.

DragStrip buttons are of a fixed size. Some Control Strip modules may try and draw themselves larger than a DragStrip button. In this case not all of the modules' graphics will be visible. To compensate for the size of the graphics, use the Variable icon style to make a button large enough to fit the Control Strip module.

Writing Additions

One of DragStrip's most powerful features is its extensibility through DragStrip Additions. Additions are stand-alone code resources that allow special behavior when they are clicked or when items are dropped upon them. Creating Additions is a very simple process.

A technical note about writing DragStrip Additions is located within the DragStrip folder on your Macintosh hard drive. This technical note includes some sample Addition code and information on how to write additions.

If you write a DragStrip addition, please let us know so we can let DragStrip users know about it.