MorphDock by Grovin Thewer
21.12.2006 - Version 1.0 Beta
--------------------------------------------------


IMPORTANT: 
-----------------
This is BETA - so there are still some small issues (see below)
This is for the latest version of AveScripter!
--------------------------------------------------



Hi there,

this is a (tabbed) launch dock (similar to ObjectDock Plus).

There is of course a lot of this stuff out there (Rocket-, Aqua-, Moby-, Yz'Dock, RK Launcher, ObjectDock), but only ObjectDockPlus has Tabs (to switch between different sets of icons) so far -
still I made this because:

- AveDesk can a lot more than just launching stuff of course - and if I use it anyway, why run a lot of other progs as well...

- need for tabs

- this little app is easy skinnable, too (see later), and - unlike YNA other dock -
  can have any design/form you like.
  If you make own skins/mods, please post a link at the official Aqua forum thread! :O))

- the setting up with OD+ I find a bit complicated - adding shortcuts is easy, but I hate this:
rightclick icon, wait... "change image" - default folder for OD (wait for wrong folder/images loading)... choose other folder... click, click, click...
(note, that I don't have OD's latest version, so maybe this'll change in future). That's why I choose a different method for this! Easy Drag'n Drop for both icon images and shortcuts...

- Also all the launchers have better mouseover effects, the only "tabbed" version (at least the latest version I have) uses just a slight "magnify" effect - this got more...

- you can place the dock anywhere on the screen

- comes to front (on top of all open windows) when pressing a "hotkey" (selectable) or - if you use the "hotspot desklet": http://www.deviantart.com/view/33382825/ -
when you hover with your mouse over a "hotspot"

- If you don't use the hotkey feature, you can set it "Always on top" with the AveDesk "desklet properties" dialog and use the "Slide" effect to slide on your desktop from the edge of the screen

--------------------------------------------------

ISSUES:
-------
- Show/Hide of running desklets does not work in this Beta version.
- If switching to a skin, where the tabs width/height changes, some layers seem to be slightly cut off: This only applies to the "angler" skin
  so far and happens only directly after skin switching. On next start of AveDesk/if you duplicate the desklet, the bug is gone.
- If you use the hotkey to bring the desklet on top of everything and then send it to the back again by DESELECTING it instead of pressing the hotkey again,
  you have to press the hotkey twice the second time. This is due to the fact, that I didn't found a command to find out in which position the desklet is.
  A way to fix it would be, to bring the desklet to the top always on keypress and sending it back with deselecting it - if you prefer that way.
- there seems to be a conflict between AveDesk/AveScripter and some other program(s): You normally can start a program directly via pointing to its path or make
  by pointing to a shortcut of it. After an installation I couldn't launch it anymore by pointing to shortcuts... WITHOUT changing any of the desklets code or the other program running...
  Really can't say way, but as there seems to be a problem anyway, I made the desklet "read out" the shortcut/link and start the program direcly.
  If you have problems with launching a program this way, you can always try to start it via a shortcut by using the lnk/exe switch in the options dialog and after that pointing to the shortcut.
--------------------


INSTALL:
------------
Doubleclick the downloaded "MorphDock.aveinst" while AveDesk is running (Latest Avescripter has to be installed)...
(You can alternatively rename the *.aveinst to *.zip and unzip the file in your C:\programs\??... ...\AveDesk\Desklets\ folder)
If there are problems with the install by doubleclick, go to your AveDesk folder and run the "register.bat" to associate AveDesk file extensions... 
that should do the trick.
--------------------------------------------------


HOW TO:
-----------
- DRAG and DROP icons/images or files onto an empty socket/placeholder: A shortcut will be created/the icon 
will be changed (note that PNG-images look best, get them e.g. at deviantArt.com or wincustomize.com: "Dock Icons").

So I set up the dock like this:
- Got an explorer window showing my folder with downloaded PNGs (from wincustomize.com or deviantArt.com). I then drag'n drop these images for the programs I want onto the dock.
- Got another explorer window showing my "Programs" folder(s) - I drag'n drop the files onto the dock, too... 


- RIGHTCLICK an icon for advanced options for each shortcut: Set Arguments, Label, ... there 
(Press ENTER after changing the name!!!). You can also drag and drop images or files on this window for changing the icon's 
appearance/shortcut or press the two buttons on the right to select a file.

- LEFTCLICK an icon to 
  - launch the chosen program or
  - import a desklet again (launch it with its saved settings included): You can save a single desklet configuration by opening the AveDesk Control panel, 
    rightclick the desklet in the preview there and choose "Export" (e.g. export the picture viewer - it'll show up in the same position with the same folder set).
  - launch a desklet (not SysStats or AveScripter - can't access them so far)
  - show/hide DOES NOT WORK YET...

- LEFTCLICK the "tabs" to switch between groups of each 10 icons. Drag 
and Drop icons/images onto the tab for changing its appearance. 


- If you set up a "HOTKEY", the window behaviour MUST be set as "Normal window"! 
(Rightclick the desklet background image - not an icon - and choose the "desklet properties" or select these options via the AveDesk control panel.
 Right on top of the "effect" drop down menu there should be another drop down menu entitled "style".
Here you can set the desklet as "normal window" instead of "on desktop", "showcase", ...)
You set a hotkey by chosing a "Shift" key (Alt, Shift,...) and a normal key, represented by its ASCII code - 
the ASCII codes for the keys (standard keyboard!) can be found below - press ENTER after changing a value! (e.g. 032 = "Space")

- The "LABEL" for the names of the shortcuts, the font, position etc. can be changed with the "desklet properties" dialog of AveDesk as well.

- Choose between different EFFECTS on mouseover or program launch

- SAVE your desklets settings (Hotkey, mouseover/launch effect, chosen skin, icon set) by saving the whole AveDesk theme. 
  The icons setteings (shortcut, image, etc. are saved automatically in a settings file, which can be switched easily).

--------------------------------------------------


ISSUES:
----------
- Sometimes the "XtraMag" effect gets stuck when leaving the desklet - this is rather strange as I made a function that'll reposition the icons when you leave 
the desklet area or deselect the desklet (click something else). For some reason, if you leave its area at the bottom of the desklet, it works. 
If you leave it at the top - won't!? Hover over the desklet with your mouse again or click something else should help... 
If it's too disgusting or to slow, choose the "Magnify" effect instead - similar and should work...
- Regarding speed and flickering of the hover effects it seems that with the upcoming(!) version of AveDesk this desklet will run a lot smoother... as all others of course, too...
- The "rotate" effect seems to work in the upcoming version, too - with AveDesk 1.3 at least I experienced some icon images to get "cut off"
- When changing the hotkey, the old one will not be deleted before AveDesk restarts - I can change this with next version of AveScripter
--------------------------------------------------


Last but not least:
-------------------------
- If you've got some nice SKINS (background/label pics) for that desklet, please post a link/the PNGs here. I'll do 
so too, if I got some new ideas...

- This desklet was only possible cause PCM gave me a lot of lessons in js... I'm not a naturally born 
programmer and never will be, so that it got this far is mostly owing to him and his patience to help me out 
every time I got stuck! 

- Making new skins/mods:
Besides new graphics it's easy to change the position of the icons and tabs. Once mostly bugfree, I'll release a version of my "Curvedbar" (SysStats) as well...
 If you open the "TabbedDock.xml" with an editor, you'll find pretty at the top the lines:

    <parameters>
	  <param name="ylab" default="116" save="0"/>  
	  <param name="x0" default="20" save="0"/>  
	  <param name="x1" default="107" save="0"/>  
	...
	 <param name="y0" default="42" save="0"/>  
	...

"ylab" is the height of the tabs, x0, y0 the coordinates of the icons (top left corner, 0-9 from left to right)
--------------------------------------------------


Links:
---------
AveDesk:
http://avedesk.aqua-soft.org/

AveScripter:
http://avedesk.philc.ca/

Official Forum:
http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/forumdisplay.php?f=82

More stuff of mine at my deviantArt page:
http://spider4webdesign.deviantart.com/
--------------------------------------------------



Key ASCII Codes
--------------------------

Dec-Code	Description/Glyph
0	Null character
1	Start of Header
2	Start of Text
3	End of Text
4	End of Transmission
5	Enquiry
6	Acknowledgment
7	Bell
8	Backspace
9	Horizontal Tab
10	Line feed
11	Vertical Tab
12	Form feed
13	Carriage return
14	Shift Out
15	Shift In
16	Data Link Escape
17	Device Control 1 (oft. XON)
18	Device Control 2
19	Device Control 3 (oft. XOFF)
20	Device Control 4
21	Negative Acknowledgement
22	Synchronous Idle
23	End of Trans. Block
24	Cancel
25	End of Medium
26	Substitute
27	Escape
28	File Separator
29	Group Separator
30	Record Separator
31	Unit Separator
32	(blank) space
33	!
34	"
35	#
36	$
37	%
38	&
39	'
40	(
41	)
42	*
43	+
44	,
45	-
46	.
47	/
48	0
49	1
50	2
51	3
52	4
53	5
54	6
55	7
56	8
57	9
58	:
59	;
60	<
61	=
62	>
63	?
64	@
65	A
66	B
67	C
68	D
69	E
70	F
71	G
72	H
73	I
74	J
75	K
76	L
77	M
78	N
79	O
80	P
81	Q
82	R
83	S
84	T
85	U
86	V
87	W
88	X
89	Y
90	Z
91	[
92	\
93	]
94	^
95	_
96	`
97	a
98	b
99	c
100	d
101	e
102	f
103	g
104	h
105	i
106	j
107	k
108	l
109	m
110	n
111	o
112	p
113	q
114	r
115	s
116	t
117	u
118	v
119	w
120	x
121	y
122	z
123	{
124	|
125	}
126	~
127	Delete