BR Button Pusher Version 2.0 for Windows95
Copyright Bill Reid, 1995, 1997
breid@ebicom.net
Home: http://www.ebicom.net/~breid		
App:  http://www.ebicom.net/~breid/pfd.htm
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Function Summary:

Program requires a data file specifying programs to be run and style to
run them in and runs them, batch style.
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Requirements:

The standard Visual Basic 5.0 runtime files, available from several net locations 
and not included in this archive to minimize size.
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Description:

One day as I prepared to connect to the net for a round of surfing I sat
back with a scowl and realized I spent WAY too much time loading up all
the necessary apps.  Click menu, load email client.  Click, load web browser.
Click, load FTP.  Click, load news reader. Etc, etc, click, click.

Immediately after said session I updated my web sites.  Click menu, load browser.
Click menu, load editor, load files 1-10.  Click menu, load graphics editor.  
And again.  It got old quick.

And so was born the BR Button Pusher.  At the time of this writing, there are several
excellent freewares that will launch user defined apps at connection time (which weren't
available when the program was first conceived).  In spite of their superior user
interfaces and convenience, there are a lot of times I still need similar functionality
that isn't connected to web connections.
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Usage: 

To use the application, you must first create a text file (your "batch"; you can refer to
test.brs, in this archive for reference) consisting of your command line, parameters,
working directory and a 4 character code identifying the way you wish the program to run,
seperated by commas:

      MINI = minimized		MAXI = maximized
      NORM = normal style	HIDN = hidden (not appearing on taskbar)

Be sure and include the commas even if you don't need to specify data for a variable.

Typical commands would be:

	notepad, c:\windows\win.ini,,MINI
	calc,,,NORM
	command, /c dir, c:\windows, NORM

Comments are identified by a single quote before the line:

	'This is a comment...

Errors are pretty blatantly ignored, so if your test file does not run all the
commands you inserted into it there's probably an unannounced problem with the
program specified or the line you typed.  This is mainly because I wanted this
to run as quietly as possible and to give you the option to exercise commands on
a file only if it existed.

Best use of this program is to make up an extension for your new "Button Pusher batches" 
creations and declare them as a file type.  This way you can run these batches 
just like any other program.
 
To do this; under an Explorer window's View - Options - File Types press "New Type",
fill in a description and the associated extension you just made up.  Under the 
"Actions" box click "New", type in "Open" (without the quotes), then click the
"Browse" button and indicate the Button Pusher program (wherever you installed it).
OK everything and it should be set.  You can choose an icon for it also on the first
page of the "New Type" dialog - preferably the brain from the Button Pusher program :)  
Now all your little batches should be executable and decorated with your own choice of
lovely iconification.

The program you have in your hands is the culmination of several minutes' worth
of concentrated effort, thrown together to fulfill a one-afternoon need that
I've never managed to get around to feature-izing.  Please treat it as such.
I've never seen it be unstable, but it's not very user-friendly either. If you
are a novice user, you may well decide that this program is too much trouble to
configure to be really useful.  But if you're like me, and looking for a simple
and cheap solution, you might be pleased.
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Licence:

BR Button Pusher is offered as freeware for non-commercial uses.  This means that 
although I retain the copyright to this program, you are free to use and distribute 
it without making payment of any sort to me as long as you're just using it for your
own personal enjoyment and not to fulfill the goals of a business or business venture.  
You are also not licensed to resell the product by itself or as part of a larger package.
This is because while I enjoy sharing my creations with others who can use them, if 
anyone gets paid for the use of this program it should be me :)

I would appreciate your comments by email.  Email is cheap enough that it
won't inconvenience you and I'd just like to know how many people actually 
got some use out of this program.  And I'd really like to know how many other
users still like little command-line gizmos like this that aren't overly impressed
with multimedia interfaces and brushed-metal backgrounds on everything...  Plus your 
input on how you use the program greatly guides my direction for future development, 
as my usage of the app has slacked off in the past year.
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Support Policy:

As I receive no payment for this program, I guarantee no support of any
kind.  You may send questions via email, and I will attempt to answer 
them at my leisure, but use of this program in no way guarantees technical
support of any kind.  It is known to be quite funky in places, so you blaze forth
at your own risk.  I generally try to respond as quickly as possible (I've got a 
reputation to keep up, after all :P), but understand that other obligations may
receive priority to your message.
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Disclaimer:

I do not guarantee (expressly or implied) that this program is suitable for
your use or free from bugs.  Every effort has been made to properly test it
for my own use, but this is not to be seen as a statement of quality.  You
use this program at your own risk; I will not be held responsible for any
losses incurred as a direct or indirect result of using this program.

