DragStrip Menus
DragStrip Preferences
You can access the DragStrip Preferences dialog box from the Edit menu. Choose Preferences... to access a list of different preference categories. Choose a category by clicking on its name in the scrolling list in the lower left corner of the window. The options list to the right changes depending on which category you choose.
Clicking the Cancel button exits Preferences without saving your changes. Clicking the OK button exits Preferences and saves your changes.
General
Play click sound
When clicking on a button on a strip, you will hear an audible click from your Macintosh. You can achieve this function by clicking the Play click sound checkbox.
Single click actions
DragStrip actions on a strip are usually initiated by a single click. This is DragStrip's default behavior. You can have DragStrip respond to clicks from the mouse much like the Finder. Single- clicks will select items, while double-clicks will launch items. Choose this option with the Single click actions checkbox.
Allowing multiple copies of an application
The Allow multiple copies of same application preference lets you launch a second copy of an application that is already running, rather than automatically sending dropped documents, etc, to the running copy.
Automatically mount volumes
When you click on a shared volume on a strip, DragStrip will try to mount (i.e., make files available in) the volume. In addition, when you click on an unmounted volume to see its hierarchical file menu or move an unmounted volume on a strip, DragStrip will also try to mount the volume automatically. You can choose this option by clicking the Automatically mount volume checkbox. Automatically mounting volumes can be useful when you want to remount a server drive or remote drive.
Resolve alias files when adding
When dragging an alias file onto a strip, you cannot store an alias to an alias. Instead you can have DragStrip automatically resolve alias files by checking the Resolve alias files when adding checkbox.
Hide empty buttons
Empty buttons on a strip appear as blank buttons. You can make these empty buttons disappear by choosing the Hide empty buttons checkbox.
Dim items on unmounted volumes
In the Finder, items from unmounted volumes are dimmed. DragStrip can also dim items located on currently unmounted volumes. You can have DragStrip dim these items by choosing the Dim items on unmounted volumes checkbox.
Allow drags to other applications
The Allow drags to other applications preference allows you to turn on and off the ability to drag items off of strips and drop them in the Finder. If you often accidentally drop things in the Finder, you may want to keep this preference turned off.
Draw clipping contents on buttons
Because you can store data on strips, you have the option to not draw the text or pictures on a button when the button contains text or picture data. This can make drawing your strips faster.
Jump windows to front when obscured
Sometimes there are other windows in front of a strip window when you want to drag a something onto one of the items on the strip. When this option is on, DragStrip will make the strip jump in front of other applications when you drag on it, then it will go back behind when you finish the drag or drag out of the window.
Only drag icon outline
On Macs that support it, DragStrip will drag a translucent version of the icon when you drag an item that is on the strip. If you turn this option on, DragStrip will only drag the outline of the icon, not the translucent image.
Hot Spots
If you are in another application, you may find that you want to access a file or function on a strip that is hidden behind other windows. You can quickly bring the DragStrip application to the foreground by touching your cursor to one of the Hot Spots you configure in the Preferences screen. You may choose one or many of the four corners of your main monitor as DragStrip Hot Spots.
Hot Keys
Hot keys allow you to switch between processes, bring DragStrip to the front, or toggle the visibility of all of DragStrip's windows.
To set your Hot Keys:
- First, click the enable Hot Keys button.
- Choose which Hot Key process you want to use.
- Click the Set button.
- Hit the key combination and the dialog will show you what keys activate that Hot Key(s).
When using the Hot Keys to switch between processes, a window will appear and show the processes you can switch to one at a time. Holding the keys down allows you to switch between processes. Letting go of the keys will switch you to the process shown in the window.
If you set function keys (for example, F1 or F2), you can switch between processes without having to hold down the keys. Hitting return or enter will switch you to the process shown in the window.
Toggling DragStrip's visibility will either hide all of DragStrip's windows or show them each time you hit the configured key combination.
You can also disable the hot key to quit DragStrip. This can keep you from accidentally hitting Command-Q and quitting DragStrip.
Processes Strip
New in 3.5 - Hide other processes when switching
A process is something that is currently running on your Macintosh. This can be a process such as the File Sharing Extension. The Processes strip shows all of the currently active processes on your Macintosh on one strip. This is similar to the Applications menu in the upper right hand corner of the Macintosh menu bar, but more versatile. The name of the active process appears in the Status Bar of the Processes strip. As you saw in the previous section, you can set your Hot Keys to switch between processes on your Processes strip.
By clicking once on a process, you will make that process the frontmost application. If you are in one application and click on another application on the Processes strip, the one you clicked on will become active. Option-clicking on a process item will hide that processes windows and option clicking on the process again will show that processes windows.
Show processes strip at startup
If you would like the Processes strip to show up automatically when you launch DragStrip, check Show Processes strip at startup.
Show only applications
The Processes strip (as its name indicates) shows more than just running applications. It also shows running processes, such as the File Sharing Extension. Check Show only applications to limit the types of processes that appear in your Processes strip.
Always keep window on screen
Many users like to maintain their Processes strips in a specific location on their screen. The Processes strip constantly resizes itself depending on which applications are currently running. Checking the Always keep strip on screen option moves your Processes strip up on the screen when it runs out of room to place new active applications. Leaving this option off will ensure that your Processes strip always stays in the same location. When it runs out of room, active processes will continue to be placed, but off screen.
Alphabetize Process List
You can configure the list of the processes on the Processes strip to make the items appear in alphabetical order.
Hide other processes when switching
When this option is on and you click on a process in the processes strip, DragStrip will switch to the process you chose and hide all other processes so that only the chosen application and DragStrip are visible.
Hidden Processes
Hiding processes can be helpful in keeping your Processes strip less cluttered.
To hide a process:
- Click Add item...
- Select the process you don't want to show in your Processes strip.
Removing hidden processes to make them visible again is just as easy as hiding them.
- Click on the process you want to show on your Processes strip.
- Click Remove Item.
Startup Actions
Startup actions are helpful because when you startup your Macintosh you will want to see all of your strips so you can get to your files.
Reopen strips automatically
Click on the Reopen strips automatically checkbox if you want DragStrip to open the strips that were active when you last quit DragStrip.
Finder to front
Essentially, after DragStrip is done launching, it will bring the Finder to the front and make it the active process.
Document Lists
DragStrip stores references to each document that has been dropped on an application on a button in a strip. These are seen as popup menus when you click on an application or folder button and hold down the mouse button.
Documents to remember
You can modify the number of document references DragStrip will hold for each application by using the Documents to remember popup menu. Your choices for this modification are None, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and Unlimited.
Folder Menu
The Folder menu is hierarchical up to five levels deep. On color monitors, items in the popup menu will appear in the color of their Finder labels.
Hide invisible items in popup menus
Your Macintosh stores certain files on your hard drive that are invisible. Files such as the Desktop and File Sharing documents are invisible in the Finder. You can decide whether or not you want to see these items in DragStrip's hierarchical menu function by checking the Hide invisible items in popup menus checkbox.
Pop up when dragging over folders
This item ensures that when dragging an item onto a folder located on a strip, the popup menu will appear. You can then put the item within the folder.
Menu Font and Size
You can change the default font and size of the popup menus here for folders and volumes. It is a good idea to keep the font size small and pick a font that is easy to read.
Options For Strips
As you have seen, DragStrip has many configurable options. Some of these are set as global options for all strips and the DragStrip application, while others are options set specifically for the currently active strip.
Strip Options for "Active Strip"
Anchoring a strip
Strips can be anchored to the bottom of the screen or to the right of the screen. This means that when a strip changes size (e.g., button sizes, Processes strip grows/shrinks) it will remain the same distance from the bottom or right side of the screen that it did when it was originally placed. This is really handy for things such as the Processes strip. For example, you can anchor it to the bottom of the screen when it is set to draw vertically and it will grow up and down again as processes are launched and quit.
Show name when cursor hovers over item (Tool Tips)
When a strip is configured to have only icons showing and no status bar, it is sometimes convenient to be able to see the name of the item that the cursor is over. When this option is turned on, you a small box will appear below the item that the cursor is over showing the name of the item. These boxes are often referred to as "Tool Tips".
New in 3.5 - Floating Strips
Float this window above all applications
When this checkbox is checked, the strip will remain in front of all windows, even in other applications. This makes it possible to click on the strip without first bringing DragStrip to front. When enabled, the strip will always cover windows in other applications so it is best to do this with smaller strips or strips that are placed on your monitor where it will not interfere with the content or scrollbars of other windows.
Variable buttons
The variable button style is configurable in the "Active strip" Options dialog box. Variable options are only available for the following icon styles: Large Icon With Name, Small Icon With Name, No Icon With Name, and of course Variable. If your strip icon style is variable you can configure both its height and width. On the icon styles Large Icon With Name, Small Icon With Name, and No Icon With Name, you can only change the width of the icon. Click here to see the different icon styles.
To change the size of a button, click in the "button" area and pull. You will be able to change the size vertically and/or horizontally according to what type of button style you have chosen.
Strip Colors for "Active Strip"
New in 3.5 - Background Patterns
For the Current page color, Status bar color, Status text color, and Button color click the colored box next to the item. This will bring up the Macintosh Color Picker. Note that if apply page color to buttons is turned on, Button color will be overridden with the current page's color.
The popup menu lets you choose which page you're configuring. You can choose any of the pages from the popup and the current pattern and page color will show up within the box. The strip will also switch to that page so that you can see what your changes will look like if you apply them. Clicking the checkbox next to the pattern box enables the drawing of patterns on the page background and optionally the buttons. You can choose a different pattern by clicking the up or down arrows next to the pattern swatch. Even when the pattern is on, the page's tab color is drawn in the page color, so it is a good idea to make your page color a complementary color to your pattern.
You can apply colors to particular items on a strip from the Labels menu in DragStrip. The Apply label color options on the preferences screen allow you to determine whether the strip button, the icon, both, or neither receive the color chosen from the Labels menu.
Apply page pattern/color to buttons lets you use whatever the page's color (or pattern, if that is selected above) as the background for buttons too. If you have one of the button styles that has a name on it, like large icon with name, then the text will be drawn in a box that has the page or button color behind it. This makes it easier to read the text on some patterns.
The patterns that DragStrip uses are stored in a file called "DragStrip Patterns" in the same folder as DragStrip. When DragStrip is not running, you can add patterns to this file using a resource editing program such as ResEdit. These patterns will then be available in the list of patterns. When you first run DragStrip version 3.6, it will attempt to import the patterns from the Desktop Pictures control panel. If that control panel is not available, you will not have very many patterns to choose from.
NOTE: Patterns require MacOS version 8.0 or later. Users running MacOS versions earlier than 8.0 will not be able to configure patterns for pages.
Button Font for "Active Strip"
Set the font and font size for the text that appears in the buttons and the status bar by selecting them from the popup menus.
Processes Strip
Since the Processes strip can be set as either an active or default strip, the processes dialog box is the same as the preferences dialog box. The processes dialog will only appear in the "Active Strip" Options dialog when the processes strip is selected. Refer to the processes strip in the Preferences section.
Item Options Dialog
New in 3.5 - Hot keys to open items
The Item Options dialog allows you to enter some text that is associated with an item and to set a hotkey that will open the item at any time. This is a convenient way to launch frequently used applications, or open common URLs, documents or folders. To set the hot key, click the Set... button, then type the key combination and the dialog will show you what keys will open that item. You can clear a hot key by clicking Set... and then hitting the delete key.
DragStrip Menus
Many of the configurable options on strips are availble directly from menus.
Options menu
The options menu has so many options that you can apply directly to the frontmost strip window that there are two modes, Simple Mode and Expert Mode. The only real difference is the number of items that appear in the Options menu.
"Active Strip" Options
"Active Strip" Options (where "Active Strip" is the name of the frontmost strip window) lets you access the strip options dialog for the indicated strip.
Item Options
Item Options opens the Item Options dialog, allowing you to set a hot key to open an item and some comments that are associated with the item.
Strip Styles
DragStrip comes with several predefined strip styles. Styles are groups of settings that are remembered and can be applied to other strips. The "Default" style is the one that is used whenever you create a new strip. You can create other styles based on the settings in the frontmost strip by selecting "Create Style From Current Strip...". You can apply a style to any strip by selecting that style's name from the Strip Styles submenu. If you hold down the option key, you will apply all of the stored strip settings for that style. Without the option key, DragStrip only applies color information.
You can redefine the "Default" style by creating another style called "Default". This way, you can set a strip up the way you like it then create a style called "Default" and all new strips will then appear just how you configured them.
Icon Style
DragStrip has six different icon styles for your strips. These are Large Icon, Large Icon With Name, Small Icon, Small Icon With Name, and Variable. Click here to see the different icon styles.
The Variable button style is configurable in the "Active strip" Options dialog box. Variable options are only available for the following icon styles: Large Icon With Name, Small Icon With Name, No Icon With Name, and of course Variable. If your strip icon style is Variable you can configure both its height and width.
On the icon styles Large Icon With Name, Small Icon With Name, and No Icon With Name, you can only change the width of the icon.
Button Style
You can change the look of the buttons that appear on your strip. There are several types to choose from, including Raised, Beveled, Tiled, Embossed, Embossed Rounded, and None. Click here to see the different button styles.
Status/Title Bar
Using these options, you can hide or show the status or title bar, date, time, and seconds for the active strip. You can also choose to draw the strip vertically or horizontally.
Rotate Strip
Selecting this menu item will rotate the strip 90 degrees counter clockwise. Selecting Rotate Strip again will return the strip to its normal position.
Clean Up
Clean Up allows you to shift the items on your strip around without having to move them each individually. You can access these Clean Up options from the Options menu under Clean Up.
Clean Up choices are:
- Normal, which will move all your items in a strip to be next to each other.
- Slide items left, which will move all of your strip items to the left.
- Slide items up, which will move all of your strip items up.
- Alphabetically, which will sort the items by name
Iconizing a strip
You can Iconize a strip down to the size of one button by clicking the zoom box in the upper right hand corner of the strip or by choosing this menu item.
DragStrip Pages
Strips can be broken down into multiple pages. Each page has its own page color and can contain as many items as the strip can hold. Pages are a great way of organizing your strips based on the projects you are working on or the applications you use frequently. When page tabs are visible, you will see the page's name in a tab along one edge of the strip. Page tabs can be drawn along the top, bottom, left and right side of the strip, or they can be hidden entirely. Even when page tabs are hidden, you can switch between pages by pressing the option-tab key combination.
Add Page...
Add Page allows you to add a new page to the strip. It will prompt you for a name for the page, then add it and switch to it so you can begin adding items.
Rename Page...
Rename Page allows you to change the name of the current page. You can also rename the current page by double clicking on a page tab.
Change Page Color...
Change Page Color lets you change the color that is associated with a page. You can also change the page color but option double clicking on a page tab or using the DragStrip Color Picker.
Remove Page
Remove Page deleted the current page and all of the items on it.
Renaming Items
You can rename items on the strip by selecting the item, then choosing Rename Itemä from the Options menu.
Document List
The Document List dialog is available after shift-clicking on a strip item. You edit the list of items associated with the strip item and add, remove, make default, temporary, or make them permanent. Permanent items are items that you want to always be associated with the item on your strip.
If you make an item a default item, each time you launch that application with DragStrip the default document will be opened.
To add a document to the popup menu:
- Shift-click on a strip item that has documents associated with it.
- Choose Document list... from the Options menu.
- Choose the items you want to Remove, Add, Make Default, Temporary, or make Permanent.
- Click Done when you are finished editing the list.
You can also add items to the document list by clicking on them in the Finder and dragging them to the Document List dialog window.
Insert Row and Insert Column
You can also insert rows and columns into a strip by choosing Insert Row or Insert Column from the Options menu and clicking the location where you wish to insert on the currently active strip.
Actions menu
DragStrip allows the user to perform certain actions on one or many currently selected items on a strip. Items on the Actions menu will be dimmed if there are no selected items on the currently active strip. You can shift-click items on a strip to select them. You can also choose Select All or Select by Label from the Edit menu to select items on a strip. (Selecting Reverse from the Edit menu will unhighlight the current selection of the active strip and will select those items that were not selected.) Selected items appear as "pressed" buttons. Choosing Select None from the Edit menu will deselect all items on the active strip.
Type ahead
You can select an item in a strip by typing the first few characters of its name. You can also use the Tab key and Shift-Tab key combinations to go to the next and previous item alphabetically. You can also use the arrow keys to move around on a strip.
Open Selection
Choosing Open Selection opens or launches the selected item(s) on the active strip.
Reveal In Finder
Choosing Reveal In Finder opens the enclosing folder for the selected DragStrip item(s) and selects them.
Get Info
Choosing Get Info will open the Finder Info box for the selected items on the active strip.
Verify Strip/Selection
When you delete a file that is represented on a DragStrip, the strip icon does not automatically update. Choosing Verify Strip checks the legitimacy of all the items on the active strip. If items on the active strip are selected, Verify Selection checks the legitimacy of the selected items on the active strip. These commands check to see if the actual documents, folders, and applications referenced still exist on your hard drive. If an item or items no longer exists, DragStrip will alert you with something like the message below.
Labels and Colors menu
The labels menu lets you apply a label to individual items on a strip. To do this, select an item or items by shift clicking them, then select one of the labels from the menu. Once an item has a label, you can select items with any label and perform actions on the selection.
Windows menu
The Windows menu shows the currently running strips. You can switch between strips that are open by using the Command key and the strip number or by selecting the strip name from this menu.
Contextual Menus
MacOS 8 adds support for contextual menus, which appear when you control click on an item. DragStrip has extensive support for contextual menus. This is often a quicker way of changing things on your strip than using the Options menu or the strip preferences dialog. There are contextual menus for buttons, page tabs, process items, empty buttons and more. When the control key is held down, the cursor will change to a contextual menu cursor to let you know you can click now to get a contextual menu.
The DragStrip Color Picker
The Windows Menu also lets you open the Color Picker tool. The DragStrip Color Picker is a window that opens and displays an array of colors. You can click on any of these colors and drag them to a part of a strip. When you do this, the part of the strip you dropped the color on will use that color. For example to change the color of a page tab, you can drag a color from the DragStrip Color Picker and drop it on the page tab you want to change.
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