nTerm v2.2.3

*** Registration ***

For registration information, visit www.iosome.com, and thank you for your support!
Suggestions for this or other software products are always welcome. (nathan@iosome.com)


*** OVERVIEW ***

nTerm is a command-based toolbar application that allows you to easily control and launch all of your applications, URLs, documents and directories. It can be used as a universal internet bookmark holder, a toolbar, or a developers tool (automatically open a window of prompt to that obfuscated directory and remember it for later).

nTerm takes up a small amount of desktop real-estate unlike Icons or Icon-based toobars, can hide itself when not in use. It fully supports drag and drop for creation of launchable "macros". Just drag a URL, folder or application to it and be able to call it up quickly with a few keystrokes.

nTerm is rich with features, and I'm sure you'll find it an indespenable part of your desktop in no time.


*** Controlling the nTerm window ***

The nTerm window can be togled on and off by pressing the selected key combination. To set "the key", type param key, then type a key "F1" or a combo "CTRL-~". I like "CTRL-~" because I find that it does not conflict with anything. This will then be the key that controls nTerm.

When nTerm is in the background, press the key to bring it to the foreground.

When nTerm has focus, press the key to hide nTerm

When nterm is hidden, press the key to show nTerm

To make the window disappear after running a command sucessfully, toggle autohide to 1 (type "param autohide")

The "active" param controls if the key controls the window when the window is visible. If active is "0" the key only works when the window is hidden or has focus. Otherwise, the key brings the window to focus when it's visible but in the background.


*** Usage Overview ***

* Remember to save changes with "save". Changes are also saved when exiting with "exit"

* SPACE is the delimiter in this program. Use double quotes to type a single command with spaces in  it. For example: 
	notepad c:\program files\text.txt 
would be incorrect. Type:
    notepad "c:\program files\text.txt"
However:
    notepad c:\files\text.txt 
is OK.

* ESC will auto-complete a command and cycle through commands. If you have a macro called notepad, and also one called notemaker, type "note" and press ESC. "note" will be replaced with "notemaker" since it comes first alphabetically. Press ESC again and "notemaker" will be replaced with "notepad", since it also starts with "note". Once nTerm finishes scrolling through MACROs it will then scroll through the HISTORY. History contains all of the commands that you have executed in nTerm.

* Use ! in front of a command name to execute it literally. Normally, if you type "calc" at the prompt and "calc" is not a macro, it will get run from the Path (like using the Run dialog from Start). If calc is a macro, however, the command contained in the macro will be run, UNLESS you type !calc, in which case the macro will be ignored and the command will be run ::literally:: from the Path.


*** Command Overview ***

SAVE
save all current settings at any time"

EXIT
save and quit.

LIST x
list all macros and their settings or "list x" where x is a string that equals the beginnign of the macros you want to list. IE Type "list n" to show all macros starting with n.

LISTPARAMS
list the parameter settings.

PARAM x
where x is a parameter name to TOGGLE or SET a parameter. These are as follows:

    key - set the activator key that hides and shows the window. IE type "param key" then press CTRL ~ to set the "activator" key to CTRL ~
    
    autohide - toggle this to 1 to make the window hide (as if you pressed the activator key) after a comman is executed. Press the activator key to get it back.
    
    active - toggle to 0 to make the program ignore the activator key when it does not have focus.

FIND x
where x is a string to search for in all macros and their values. For instance, to find all of your URL macros, type "find http://" or "find www".

DELETE x
where x is a macro to delete a macro.

MACRO name value
where name is the macro name and value is the target that the macro will execute.

RENAME oldname newname
to rename a macro.

SHELL x
where x is a macro name that contains a path as it's value (ie: c:\winnt\system32). SHELL x will open a command shell to that path, whereas just exexuting the macro (x) will open a window to that path.

MAX
isntantly enlarge the window to the screen size to allow for viewing a query, etc

MIN
return to normal window size


*** Adding macros to nTerm

You can add a macro in one of 4 ways:

* Drag an icon to the nTerm window. This will create a macro with the same name as the icon. If it has spaces, you must surround it with quotes when you type it.

* Drag an icon to the nTerm window while holding the CTRL key. This will prompt you for a macro name. This is the name that will be assigned to that macro.

* Type "macro [name] [value]". This creates a macro to run the program or store the information typed in action. Remember to enclose "name" or "value" in quotes if there are spaces.

* Drag a URL by grabbing the Icon in the URL window from your browser into the nTerm window. This will add the URL by name if the URL has http:// in front of it and it's a normal URL (http://www.iosome.com will be added as "iosome"). If nTerm can't figure out what to name the URL or you hold down CTRL while dragging, you will be prompted for the name.


*** Running a macro

* To run a macro, just type it's name. If you have a macro called "notepad" that points to "c:\winnt\system32\notepad.exe", typing "notepad" will execute notepad. If the default application for the macro (Internet Explorer for macro "google" that contains to "www.google.com") is not what you want to open it in, type "netscape google" to launch a macro in another application. "netscape" can be a macro or just a literal program name.

* You can pass arguments to macros. For instance, typing "notepad c:\text.txt" will edit or create the file called text.txt on c:\.

* You can pass macros as arguments to other macros. If you have a macro called "file" that equals "c:\files\file.txt", type "notepad file" to edit it.
