-----------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES in APP LAUNCHER v8.0  (4/00)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Download Data
    (for applications associated with buttons)

    Store data showing where an application that a
    button launches was downloaded from: shareware
    site, zip file name, size, date, author's web site,
    program registration code, etc. Navigate to those
    sites at the push of a button to check for program
    updates.

2) Create Buttons to Open Internet Addresses
   
3) Home button added to menu bar.

    Press the home button in the menu bar to change
    to the button category that is displayed when
    App Launcher starts up (i.e. your favorite category).
    
4) Configurations and Categories Menus

    These menus now display a list of the available
    configurations and categories in the current
    configuration, and the menu items activate a
    new configuration or switch to the selected
    category.
   
5) Setup Menu
 
    All functions that are associated with setting
    up or modifying App Launcher are now
    accessible through the Setup menu. These
    include: configurations, categories, buttons,
    scheduled launches, alarms, and items in the
    favorites menu.
    
-----------------------------------------------------------
BUG FIXES in APP LAUNCHER v8.0  (2/99)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Several bugs in the Window Placement dialog of
    the Settings menu were identified and fixed.
    The radio buttons in that dialog, which were
    used to specify the main window layout, were
    replaced with push buttons for ease-of-use.
    
2) Problem with hidden menu bar fixed.

3) Problem with menu bar graphics not appearing
    in the proper order following changes in the menu
    bar options dialog has been fixed.
   
-----------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES in APP LAUNCHER v7.0  (1/99)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Buttons can contain text in addition to icons.

    Add up to two lines of text to each button to help you
    identify the application or file that the button
    launches. This is especially useful for buttons that
    open folders or documents that display the icon of the
    program that opens them.

-----------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES in APP LAUNCHER v6.0  (11/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Favorites Menu can have Submenus

    Submenus can be created in the Favorites menu, and menu
    items can easily be moved from one submenu to another.

2) New User-Interface

    The user-interface has been simplified and improved.

3) Better Method for Assigning Icons to Buttons

    The method for assigning icons to buttons has been
    simplified.

-----------------------------------------------------------
BUG FIXES in APP LAUNCHER v6.0  (11/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) A bug that caused the main window to always be positioned
    at the upper left of the computer screen (if the window
    layout had been customized) was identified and fixed.

-----------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES in APP LAUNCHER v5.0  (9/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Configurations

    Multiple configurations can be created so that different
    people using the same computer can customize App Launcher
    just the way they like it. A configuration includes the
    following data: categories, buttons, scheduled launches,
    alarms, and settings. It is easy to switch from one
    configuration to another. All configuration-related
    functions can be accessed via the "Configs" menu in the
    menu bar.

2) Configuration Backup

    Configurations may now be backed-up using the
    "Configs -> Backup" command. This will create a copy
    of the state of the current configuration. This copy
    can later be loaded via the "Configs -> Reload Backup"
    command.

3) Options Menu

    All App Launcher settings and options have been placed
    in categorized property pages which can be accessed via
    the "Options -> Options" menu. This has served to group
    related options together for easier access, and to
    substantially improve the menu structure.

4) Super Auto-Hide

    The default auto-hide feature now displays the main window
    as a thin strip when the window goes into auto-hide mode.
    In previous versions of the program, the title bar remained
    visible when auto-hiding activated. That behavior is still
    possible via the "Display Caption on Auto-Hide" option in
    the "Windows Options" tab of the "Options -> Options" menu.

5) Context-Sensitive Help

    Context-sensitive help has been added to each dialog box.
    To get help on the function of a component in a dialog
    box, left-click on the "?" symbol in the upper-right
    corner of the dialog, and then on the component for which
    you want help. A short description of the function or
    purpose of the component will be displayed.

6) Additional Menu Bar Graphics

    Arrow buttons have been placed at the far right of the
    menu bar to enable traversal through the category list,
    on category at a time. These arrows provide the same
    functionality for switching categories as do the arrow
    keys on the keyboard.

    An image of a diskette labeled "A" now appears on the
    menu bar. Left-click on this image to open your 3.5"
    diskette drive (generally labeled as drive "A" on most
    Windows-based computers).

7) Customize Menu Bar Graphics

    Any of the four menu bar graphics buttons can be rendered
    invisible using options in the "Menu Bar" tab of the
    "Options -> Options" menu.
    
-----------------------------------------------------------
BUG FIXES in APP LAUNCHER v5.0  (9/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Menu Bar Graphics

    When App Launcher is started, the background of the
    menu bar graphics objects is set to be transparent.
    In previous versions of the program, the background
    color of the menu bar graphics was light gray, which
    conflicted with monitors displaying 3D objects in any
    color other than light gray.

-----------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES in APP LAUNCHER v4.0  (7/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Right-Click on a Button to Access Button Functions

    The following button functions can now be accessed via a
    pop-up menu obtained by right-clicking on a button:
    Add application, add folder, delete scheduled launch,
    delete, move, copy, copy icon, properties, schedule launch,
    and add to favorites. The button "modes" for executing
    these can still be accessed via the "Buttons" menu.

    The new right-click functionality is useful when minor
    modifications need to be made to the button layout. The
    button modes still prove to be very useful when setting
    up button categories, when many buttons are likely to
    be added and modified.

2) Alarms

    Alarms can now be set to go off at one specific future
    time, or daily, weekly, or monthly at a prescribed time.
    Alarms are set using a user-interface that is very
    similar to the one used for scheduling application
    launches. Up to 50 alarms may be set. The default alarm
    sound may easily be replaced with any sound ("wav") file.

    Alarm data is stored in the file "Alarms.txt", and button
    data is stored in the file "Buttons.txt". Both files are
    located in the folder in which you installed App Launcher.

3) Select Icons for Buttons from Icon Library Files

    All of the icons in an icon library ("icl") file (or "exe", "dll,
    or "ico" file) can be displayed in a dialog box. Select the
    icon files via a file selection dialog, or simply drop a file
    onto the icon display dialog box. To associate an icon with a
    button, simply click on the icon, and then click on the button.
    This feature facilitates the use of large icon collections
    that are available on the web in the form of icon library files.

4) Add a URL File (an Internet favorites file) to an App Launcher
    button to enable it to connect directly to a web site.

5) Button Layout Modes

    There are three button layout modes in this new version of
    APP LAUNCHER for rows and columns of buttons:

	Number of Rows of Buttons:

	1) Variable -- APP LAUNCHER will set the number of rows
	   so that all buttons in a category are displayed.
	2) Automatically adjust for the current frame height
	3) Specify the number of rows

	Number of Columns of Buttons
	(i.e. number of buttons per row)

	1) Variable -- APP LAUNCHER will set the number of columns
	   so that all buttons in a category are displayed.
	2) Automatically adjust for the current frame width
	3) Specify the number of columns

	There are a total of 8 combinations of settings for
	the button layout -- 3 for rows X 3 for columns = 9,
	however option 1-1 is not possible (make both the # rows
	and # columns variable).

	The default button layout is 1-2 -- APP LAUNCHER computes
	the number of buttons per row for the current frame width,
	and adjusts the number of rows so that all buttons in a
	category are on display. Although button layouts couldn't
	be explicitly set in previous versions of the program,
	this was the default layout in those versions.

6) Special Frame Placements

    The main APP LAUNCHER window can now be placed along any side
    of the computer screen. The default placement is across the top
    of the screen (as in previous versions).

7) Stay-on-Top

    The App Launcher main window can be set to "stay-on-top",
    i.e. it will be always be the top-most window on your
    computer screen (unless some other program subsequently
    is set to be the top-most).

8) Lock the Position of the Main Window

    Use this feature to prevent the main window from being moved.
    User's sometimes inadvertently move the main window when
    right-clicking in the caption bar to invoke the system menu.

9) Hide/Restore the Menu Bar

    The App Launcher menu bar can be hidden in order to
    create more space on your computer screen when the
    program's main window is visible. A click on
    the menu bar restore command in the system menu
    (obtained by clicking on the caption bar of the main window)
    will restore the menu bar.

    The entire contents of the App Launcher main window menu
    is contained in the system menu (this menu is obtained when
    the user clicks the right mouse button when the cursor is
    positioned on the caption bar. This enables the user to access
    all App Launcher functions when the main window menu bar has
    been hidden.

10) Graphics on the Menu Bar

    Push-Pin

    A push-pin has been added to the menu bar to enable
    quick toggling of App Launcher's auto-hide feature.
    When auto-hiding is enabled (push-pin out), the program's
    main window will contract when not in use. A quick click
    on the caption bar displays the buttons again. When the
    push-pin is "pressed in", then the auto-hide feature
    is not active.

    Bell

    A bell will be visible at the right end of the menu bar
    when alarms have been scheduled.

    Schedule

    A schedule icon will be visible at the right end of the
    menu bar when application launches have been scheduled.

11) Launch Sounds

    A sound file ("wav") may be associated with each button,
    and will be played whenever the button is pressed.
    Sounds can be temporarily disabled or re-enabled easily
    via a command in the "Options" menu.

12) Action Sounds

    Sound files may be associated with various button actions
    (add, delete, copy, move, etc.) and are played whenever the
    actions occur. Sounds can also be associated with the alarm
    and the periodic chimes. The playing of the action sounds
    can be disabled/re-enabled at the press of a button.

13) Chimes

    A chime (default or user-specified sound) may be specified
    to play every quarter-hour, half-hour, and/or hour. The
    playing of the chimes can be disabled/re-enabled at the
    press of a button.

-----------------------------------------------------------
ENHANCEMENTS to APP LAUNCHER v4.0  (7/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Application Open Modes

    Applications may now be opened in a minimized state,
    as well as in normal or maximized states as in
    previous versions of App Launcher.

2) Calendar in the Schedule and Alarm Dialogs

    A calendar is accessible when scheduling application
    launches or alarms in order to facilitate the
    selection of the date on which an event is to occur.

3) Undo Feature Now Undoes Category Functions

    Previously, only button functions (add, delete, move,
    copy, etc.) could be undone using the "Undo" dialog
    box. Now, all category functions can be undone also.
    The Undo feature is available for all button and category
    commands that are issued during an APP LAUNCHER session.

4) Maximum Number of Buttons per Category is now 100

    The maximum number of buttons per category has been
    increased from 50 to 100. A maximum of 30 categories
    may be created as in previous versions.

-----------------------------------------------------------
BUG FIXES in APP LAUNCHER v4.0  (7/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Shortcut Properties now Correctly Identified

    When a shortcut was dragged and droped onto a button
    in previous versions of App Launcher, the working
    directory and the command-line parameters specified
    associated with the link were not correctly
    obtained and associated with the button. Fortunately,
    that did not affect many buttons, and the information
    could be specified in the button properties menu after
    the button was created via the drag-and-drop operation.
    That problem has been fixed.

    In addition, the "name" of the button is now initially
    set to the display-name associated with the shortcut
    (i.e. the name that you see displayed with the shortcut,
    not the name of the file associated with the shortcut).

-----------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES in APP LAUNCHER v3.0  (4/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) App Launcher now installs via an InstallShield (TM)
    set-up program.

2) Schedule launches of applications ("exe" files).
    Tell APP LAUNCHER when to run your programs.
    Four scheduling methods are available: one-time launch,
    daily, weekly, and monthly.

3) View a list of the scheduled application launches and
    double-click on an item to make changes.

4) Favorites menu: Add buttons that you frequently use to
    launch applications or open documents and folders to the
    Favorites menu. This gives the user access to those buttons
    without having to change categories.The applications on the
    Favorites menu can be launched by clicking on the name
    of the button from the favorites menu.

5) Shift groups of buttons left or right within
    a category of buttons.

6) The APP LAUNCHER icon is placed in the system area of
    the taskbar, and not as a larger button on the taskbar
    itself. The icon can be used to toggle the visibility
    of the program's main window, and to exit the program.

7) A tutorial is available to help user's learn
    about APP LAUNCHER's basic features. The tutorial guides
    user's through the process of creating, using, deleting,
    moving, and copying buttons. Adding buttons to the
    Favorites menu is also covered.

8) Choose from among 6 formats for the display of the
    category name in the caption bar of the main window.

-----------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES in APP LAUNCHER v2.0  (1/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Change categories using the UP and DOWN arrow keys
    or the PAGE UP/DOWN keys.

2) Deselect the button selected in the Move, Copy, or
    Copy Icon mode using the ESC key.

3) Exit out of the Move, Copy, Copy Icon, Delete, or
    Properties mode using the ESC or HOME keys.

4) Specify the default (or "working") directory
    associated with an application.

5) Specify a string of command-line parameters to pass
    to an application when launching it.

-----------------------------------------------------------
BUG FIXES in APP LAUNCHER v2.0  (1/98)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1) Problem with help files not appearing properly
    has been fixed.

-----------------------------------------------------------
REGISTRATION of APP LAUNCHER Update Versions
-----------------------------------------------------------

Your registration code will work with all future releases
of App Launcher.

A new version of App Launcher will automatically register
itself if it detects that any previous version of the
program has been registered.

A version will expire after 30 days if it is unregistered.

Please read the README.txt file for additional information
about App Launcher, and information about how to register
the program.

Enjoy using the program.

LeMonds Software
