
			  PinManagr V0.02 text manual.
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     (This file is shown when a copy of the !StrongHelp application cannot be found.)

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What is PinManagr?
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PinManagr is a small desktop utility to store andaccess a collection of Pinboard Obey files such that (for my own requirements at least) a consistent layout can be automatically maintained across display mode changes.

For instance, when changing to a smaller display mode, any icons along the top or right-hand edges will most likely disappear completely off screen.

For changes to a larger display mode, icons along the top or right-hand edges will move inboard on the screen.

PinManagr can hold different Pinboard files for each and every display mode it encounters, and loads them automatically according to the mode in use.
It does NOT modify in any way any existing Pinboard arrangements that may already exist on your machine, as all operations are to its own internal store of Pinboard files.

It can cater for any display mode, not just the standard 640x480 .... etc. ones.
I have tried to keep the operation as simple and transparent as possible.

It *should* work on both 26 and 32-bit systems. Perhaps someone could confirm the latter case?

A minimal demo using a handful of application icons from Resources::$.Apps is already installed into PinManagr as supplied, to demonstrate my own particular use for it.

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Using the Demo
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The demo contains just one Pinboard setup, using app icons from Resources::$.Apps, which everyone should have. It will work across 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, and 1280x1024 modes. You will need to be in one of these modes to begin with.

Simply run PinManagr and click on the icon. Select the entry in the Pinboards menu and there should be a handful of icons round the edge of the display.

If you now change to one of the other above modes, the icons should stay in the right place.

When you have got the idea, you will need to delete the demo to give a clean start so you can start saving your Pinboard setups proper.

SHIFT-double click on !PinManagr in its Filer window to open the application directory and delete the subdirectory 'PinBoards' and all its contents. These directories will be recreated as required by PinManagr.

You are now ready to start using PinManagr in earnest.

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Using PinManagr
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Ideally you will have now tried the supplied demo and deleted it once satisfied.

Clicking MENU on the icon will show an iconbar menu. The only items that will need further explanation will be the 'Choices' and 'Open directory' items.
The Open directory item opens the subdirectory holding Pinboard files that you have saved for the current display mode. This is so you can get in to delete any of them if needs be,as PinManagr has no built-in delete capability.

Clicking SELECT on the icon will show a menu entitled 'Pinboards'.
Initially this menu will have just a demo so you can see the idea. The menu title bar will show the display size currently in use.

Saving and accessing Pinboard setups
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Set up your Pinboard with the icons and backdrop how you want them to be, and choose 'Save' from the Pinboard menu.

DO NOT simply click on 'OK', but instead drag the SaveAs icon onto the PinManagr iconbar icon, having edited the default leafname as required.

If you now click SELECT on the PinManagr icon, the previously empty Pinboards menu will have an entry corresponding to the leafname you specified.This will however only be true when the current display mode matches the display mode that was in use when the Pinboard was saved.

If you want the same arrangements of icons in other display modes, you should now change to the new mode, jiggle the icons/backdrop till they suit and save again to the PinManagr icon in the new mode and with the same leafname. You will be warned if you try to overwrite an existing file of the same leafname within any particular display mode.

When you change display mode from the Display Manager
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Providing the appropriate Pinboard setups have been defined and saved via the PinManagr iconbar icon, then the Pinboard setup used will automatically change to the same leafname, but loaded from the subdirectory corresponding to the new mode. If no Pinboard file of the same name can be found for the new mode, you will get a warning box and the Pinboard will remain unchanged.

Manually-edited Pinboard files
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If you do edit anything manually, take care that you leave the first line of the file as "Pinboard", as PinManagr uses this as a crude validity check on all its Pinboard files.
Put any manual alterations further into the body of the file.

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PinManagr Choices
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Save display mode details on exit
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If set, then when you quit PinManagr or perform a desktop shutdown, the display mode details (X-res, Yres, Colours) will be saved.
When the application is next run, the saved mode details are compared to the current mode details and, if different, PinManagr will change mode to the saved one.
It will not however run any of the PinManagr saved Pinboard files and none will be ticked when the menu of available Pinboards is shown, unless the 'Save Pinboard filename on exit' option is set.

Save Pinboard filename on exit
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Setting this option will cause the Pinboard file in use at exit to be run when PinManagr is next started. The relevant entry in the Pinboards menu will now be ticked when first shown.

Other considerations
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If for any reason the requested (previously saved on exit) combination of display mode and Pinboard setup is not yet defined, you will get a warning box informing you of the shortfall when you start PinManagr. None of the Pinboards menu's entries will be ticked when it is first shown in this case.

If you have PinManagr in your Boot sequence, and set to restore either display mode or Pinboard setup as above, you ought to remove any existing Pinboard file from your Tasks directory or wherever, as this will only cause an extra file load, which will only extend the Boot time.

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How it Works
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Saving Pinboard setups
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When you drag a Pinboard SaveAs icon to the PinManagr icon, PinManagr first checks that the source of the save message is the Pinboard task, and if so reads the current display mode size. It then routes the Pinboard data to an internal directory, whose name is determined by the display mode size.

If no such directory exists yet for the current mode, then one is created automatically before the data is saved.

Accessing saved Pinboards
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When you click on the icon with SELECT, PinManagr reads the current X-Y display size from the OS and looks in the appropriately named directory for saved Pinboard files.
Again, if no directory exists for the current mode, one is created automatically.

PinManagr now enumerates the files inside this directory and builds the Pinboards menu from the file leafnames found, before finally showing the menu.

When you click on an entry in this menu, PinManagr simply *Runs the requested Pinboard file.

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PinManagr - Upgrade History
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V0.01 - Initial release.

V0.02 - Cosmetic appearance improved during mode changes. (Previously showed wrong Pinboard for a split-second.)
Pinboard menu now shown in correct position, rather than  tight against bottom of screen.

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Contact Info
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Any problems/bugs/ideas or wibni's to : hsdawson@argonet.co.uk

Freeware - may be redistributed freely.

Future updates will be made available at www.argonet.co.uk/business/hsdawson/soft.html

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