
Windows 3.1 Tips #7



*1. HEY, LEFTIES!          
          
May 10th, 1999          
          
If you're right-handed, you probably don't think anything of using the
 Ctrl + X, Ctrl + C, and Ctrl + V keyboard equivalents for Cut, Copy,
 and Paste. While your right hand sticks close by the mouse, your left
 hand is free and in close proximity to the X, C, and V keys. But think
 about the people who operate the mouse with their left hand. They have
 to drag their right hand all the way over to the left side of the
 keyboard to access those same combos (unless they want to pick their
 left hand up off the mouse). Not very comfortable. 

Left-handers, you'll be happy to know there are alternative keyboard
 combos on the right side of your keyboard that let you cut, copy, paste,
 and undo with the ease of a right-hander. The following CUA (common user
 access) commands are supported by most applications: 

Cut: Shift + Delete 
Copy: Ctrl + Insert 
Paste: Shift + Insert 
Undo: Alt + Backspace


*2. I AM A KIND, GIVING, BEAUTIFUL PERSON          
          
May 11th, 1999          
          
Do you believe in positive thinking? How about affirmations? (Inspiring
 statements you repeat to yourself continuously so that you actually come
 to believe them.) If so, why not configure your PC to say something nice
 to you every time you start Windows? What a great way to start your day! 

1. Open Notepad. (It's in Program Manager's Accessories group.) 
2. Type @echo, followed by a space, followed by the message you want to
 appear on screen at start-up. For example, your Notepad file might
 look like this: 

@echo I'm going to have a great day no matter what! 

3. Choose File + Save; in the resulting dialog box, navigate your way
 to the Windows directory (if you aren't there already). 
4. Under File Name, type 

winstart.bat 

5. Click OK and close Notepad. 
6. Exit and restart Windows. 

>From now on, whenever you start Windows, you see your message just before
 the desktop appears (after the logo screen). And who knows--if you start
 Windows often enough, you may actually start to believe what you read!


*3. NO ON-SCREEN LOITERING, PLEASE          
          
May 12th, 1999          
          
Ever notice that when you open a file or application from inside File
 Manager, the File Manager window hangs around on-screen, behind the
 window you just opened? If you want some space, you can get File Manager
 to dash out of sight when you're done with it: 

1. Open File Manager. (It's inside Program Manager's main group.) 
2. Choose Options + Minimize On Use. 

To test out your new setting, double-click a file or application inside
 File Manager. Instantly, File Manager shrinks to an icon at the bottom
 of the screen. If and when you want it back, just use Alt + Tab to select
 it. (Hold down Alt as you press Tab continuously to rotate through all
 open windows; let go when you see File Manager in the gray box.)


*4. SEND YOUR FILES STRAIGHT TO THE TOP          
          
May 13th, 1999          
          
Have you ever noticed that in the yellow pages, lots of businesses begin
 with AA or AAA (as in AAA Plumbing and Heating), just so they appear
 at the top of their category? Actually, this isn't such a bad idea.
 In fact, you can use this same technique when naming important files,
 to make sure they top a directory's file list. (By default, File Manager
 lists items in alphabetical order.) For example, you might name an
 important letter AALETTER.DOC or even AAALETTR.DOC. 

In our next tip, more naming tricks.


*5. SPACE: THE FILE MANAGER FRONTIER          
          
May 21st, 1999          
          
Thinking of buying a new monitor for no other reason than that every time
 you view a directory listing in File Manager, you can't see as much as
 you'd like? Rather than invest all that money, first try getting rid of
 all those File Manager space hogs--three toolbars, to be exact. 

1. Open File Manager, if it isn't already. 
2. Choose Options and deselect Drivebar. (Tip-in-a-tip: To select a
 drive without this bar, choose Disk + Select Drive.) 
3. Choose Options and deselect Toolbar. (You can always use menu commands.) 
4. Choose Options and deselect Status Bar. 

Ahh . . . I can actually breathe in here now! (Note: To redisplay any
 of these bars, just choose Options and reselect the ones you want.)


*6. INTERLOCKING WINDOW PIECES          
          
May 24th, 1999          
          
Do you have three or four windows open on-screen? Wish you could see
 them all at once, side by side? Before you start wasting your time
 sizing and moving these windows by hand, try this: 

1. Press Ctrl + Esc to open the Task List dialog box. 
2. Click the Tile button. 

All windows fall into perfect formation. (Note: The formation will vary,
 depending on the number of open windows. For example, with three windows
 open, the windows appear side by side across the screen. With four
 windows open, each one takes a corner.)


*7. WIN A TRIP TO THE CASCADES          
          
May 25th, 1999          
          
In our last tip, we showed you how to tile three or four open windows so
 that they appear in perfect formation on-screen, without overlapping one
 another: Press Ctrl + Esc and then click the Tile button. The downside
 to tiling, of course, is that you end up with smaller versions of each
 window. Another option--cascading--provides you with one-click access
 to every open window--without sacrificing size. 

1. Press Ctrl + Esc to open the Task List dialog box. 
2. Click the Cascade button. 

It's a title bar staircase! To move any window to the top of the open
 window pile, simply click its title bar.


*8. WHICH WAY'D THAT ICON GO?          
          
May 26th, 1999          
          
Ever been messing around, rearranging your Program Manager icons, when
 you suddenly realize something is missing? Uh-oh. Did you just
 delete an icon by mistake? 

Actually, there's nothing to worry about. You can re-create any Program
 Manager icon by following the same steps you take to create a
 brand-new item: 

1. Select the Program Manager group that should contain the missing icon. 
2. Choose File + New. 
3. In the New Program Object dialog box, select Program Item and click OK. 
4. Click the Browse button. 
5. Navigate your way to and select the *.exe file that represents the
 program the missing icon started. (For example, if you deleted the
 Notepad icon, you can find its *.exe file in the Windows directory.) 
6. Click OK. 
7. Back in the Program Item Properties dialog box, type the icon label
 in the Description box. 
8. Click OK. 

So easy, it makes you want to delete items, just so you can re-create them.


*9. GROUP CTRL          
          
May 27th, 1999          
          
As you're working your way around Program Manager, using all sorts of
 keyboard shortcuts to avoid using the mouse, you may come across one
 task for which a keyboard equivalent isn't that obvious. Exactly how
 do you switch to a new program group? 

One solution is to Press Alt + W (to pull down the Window menu) and then
 type the number that represents the group you have in mind, but here's
 an even easier way: Press Ctrl + F6 to shift the focus from one program
 group to the next, open or not.


*10. TAKE YOUR BUTTONS OVER THE RAINBOW--PART 1 OF 2          
          
May 28th, 1999          
          
Don't you feel sorry for buttons? I mean, they're so drab. Even with the
 wildest color scheme selected, those buttons are STILL gray. 

At least, that's the case if you choose one of Windows' ready-made color
 schemes. But if you're willing to change an existing scheme, those
 buttons can have a little color all their own. 

1. Inside Program Manager's Main group, double-click Control Panel. 
2. Double-click Color. 
3. Click the Color Palette button. 
4. Under Screen Element, select Button Face. 
5. Click a color in the palette. (To see the effect of your change,
 watch the OK button in the preview.) 
6. Under Screen Element, select Button Text. 
7. Once again, select a color in the palette. 
8. Click OK. 

On behalf of your buttons, thank you. In our next tip, making this
 change a permanent part of the current scheme.
