readme.lyx

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\begin_body

\begin_layout Title
Launchy 2.0 Documentation
\end_layout

\begin_layout Author
Josh Karlin
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
Please Read This First!
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
When Launchy runs it disappears to the background.
 You have to press ‘alt+space’ in order to see Launchy.
 If Launchy is new for you please read the rest of this short manual.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Section
Welcome
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Launchy was initially created for personal use but thanks to the encouragement
 of my friends I decided to distribute it.
 Launchy is completely free and open software so you should never pay for
 it and you should feel free to pass it on to your friends.
 The official homepage for Launchy is http://www.launchy.net/.
 If you need help using Launchy or would like to leave any comments/suggestions
 please feel free to post on the forums at http://www.sf.net/projects/launchy/.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
-- Josh Karlin
\end_layout

\begin_layout Section
Basic Usage
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Launchy's primary function is to bring hard to reach objects on your computer
 quickly within your grasp.
 It does so by scanning your computer for interesting files (e.g.
 programs on your computer and bookmarks) and then makes them searchable
 with queries.
 For instance, if you would like to run 
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\end_inset

notepad
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\end_inset

, you might invoke Launchy and type 
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\end_inset

note
\begin_inset Quotes erd
\end_inset

 and then hit enter to launch it.
 To invoke Launchy, press and hold down the alt key and then press the space
 key.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
By default, Launchy is able to perform a number of useful tasks:
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize

\emph on
Web searches
\emph default
 - Try typing 
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\end_inset

google
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\end_inset

, then hitting tab, and then entering your search
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize

\emph on
Bookmarks
\emph default
 - Try typing the name of one of your bookmarks
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize

\emph on
Calculator
\emph default
 - Try typing 
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\end_inset

4 + 3
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\end_inset


\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize

\emph on
File Browsing
\emph default
 - Try typing 
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\end_inset

c:
\backslash
windo
\begin_inset Quotes erd
\end_inset

 hitting tab, and then typing 
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\end_inset

system
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\end_inset

 and hitting tab.
 This will autocomplete to c:
\backslash
windows
\backslash
system
\backslash

\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize

\emph on
Control Panel
\emph default
 - Try typing 
\begin_inset Quotes eld
\end_inset

sound
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\end_inset


\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection
Exiting Launchy
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Simply right click on Launchy and press the 
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\end_inset

exit
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\end_inset

 button.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Section
Advanced Usage
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
All of Launchy's options can be reached by right clicking the mouse on Launchy
 and pressing the 
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\end_inset

Options
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\end_inset

 button.
 Many of Launchy's options are self-explanatory (changing skins and the
 hotkey) while some others are not.
 In this section I discuss the advanced options.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection
Scanning additional directories
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
The directories and file types that Launchy scans are configurable.
 The following discussion refers to the 
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\end_inset

Catalog
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\end_inset

 tab of the options menu.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Let's begin by adding your music files.
 Press the big 
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\end_inset

+
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\end_inset

 button and direct Launchy to your music folder.
 After pressing okay, enter 
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\end_inset

*.mp3
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\end_inset

 into the file types entry box and press the smaller 
\begin_inset Quotes eld
\end_inset

+
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\end_inset

 button directly below.
 You might also want to add 
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\end_inset

*.aac
\begin_inset Quotes erd
\end_inset

, 
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\end_inset

*.wma
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\end_inset

, and 
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\end_inset

*.ogg
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\end_inset

 as well.
 Now, Launchy will scan all of your music.
 You can tell Launch to rebuild its index right now by pressing the 
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\end_inset

Rescan Catalog
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\end_inset

 button.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection
Using Launchy on a USB stick
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Please follow this procedure to run Launchy from a USB stick.
 It will configure Launchy to store its configuration files in the application
 directory.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Enumerate
Install Launchy normally
\end_layout

\begin_layout Enumerate
Exit Launchy
\end_layout

\begin_layout Enumerate
Copy the Launchy directory to your usb stick
\end_layout

\begin_layout Enumerate
Run Launchy from the usb stick
\end_layout

\begin_layout Enumerate
Select 
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\end_inset

portable mode
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\end_inset

 in the general options tab
\end_layout

\begin_layout Enumerate
Exit Launchy
\end_layout

\begin_layout Section
Contributors
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Launchy would not be where it is today without community support.
 I would like to add special thanks to the following people:
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
Graphic Designers
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Tyler Sticka - For Launchy's beautiful new icon and skin
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Sean (=gakuseisean) - For the use of his icons in the plugins
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Peter Wooley - For the web page's current design
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Juan Ignacio Serra - The first artist to offer assistance.
 He created some of Launchy's first skins, including work on the Mercury
 skin.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
Testers
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Amadawn - The first to contribute significant testing work.
 I'm sorry that you ever had to see such unusable versions of Launchy!
\end_layout

\begin_layout Section
Change log
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
1.98 (2.0 Alpha)
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy has been completely rewritten, it is now all in QT (was in MFC)
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Options glued together into one cohesive dialog
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Skin selection now shows previews of skins
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
No longer have to restart Launchy to use a new plugin or skin
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Plugin options are integrated into the options dialog
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy can automatically hide when it loses focus
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy can now shallow scan a directory (customizable depth)
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Much better plugin customization
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Bug fixes
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Unfortunately there are too many to list!
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
1.2.5
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
New control panel plugin (indexes control panel apps) 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Runny plugin (customizable commands) 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Notification of new Launchy Releases (can be turned off) 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Command line argument support (hit tab and type the arguments) 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Can use ‘.*’ as a filetype for directories 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Plugins can be enabled/disabled (right click on launchy, go to plugins)
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Plugins can now have configurable options 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Always on top is now configurable 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Bug Fixes: 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Removed startup crash bug 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Fixed Weby bug (it was hard to select Google) 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Fixed mouse disappearance in dropdown menu 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy no longer jumps when you change skins 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy no longer flashes on startup 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Calcy took priority over files with numbers, fixed 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy can now be placed in the corner of the screen
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
1.0.0
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy now supports plugins! Check out the “Plugins” folder inside your
 Launchy directory, you can add and remove plugins from there when Launchy
 is not running.
 Following are the plugins that come with Launchy by default, I expect many
 others to be developed by myself and the community.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Explory Plugin: A file explorer for Launchy! Now you can use launchy to
 navigate your filesystem.
 Try typing “c:” then hitting tab, keep on typing and hitting tab! 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Weby Plugin: Supports launching of url’s and adds quick launches for “Google”
 “MSN” “Amazon” and many others, try typing “google” then hit tab then type
 in a search query 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Foxy Plugin: With foxy your Firefox bookmarks will be added to the Launchy
 index.
 Even better, your firefox keywords are added to Launchy and behave like
 quick launches do for Weby.
 Not sure what firefox keywords are? Go here: http://www.mozilla.org/products/fire
fox/smart-keywords.html (Note some firefox quick searches are currently incompati
ble and will not be indexed) 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Calcy Plugin: Never have a calculator handy? With Calcy, Launchy knows when
 you’re trying to do math and will display the result in the suggestions
 box.
 For instance, try typing in “(4 + 3) * 12” and 84 will result in the suggestion
s box.
 Support for + - * / ()’s currently exists.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Now Ctrl+Backspace deletes a word at a time and Alt+Backspace clears the
 text 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Too many bug fixes to count or remember, good riddance! 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Special thanks to Sean Poon http://gakuseisean.deviantart.com for the use
 of his wonderful icons for the plugins
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
1.0.0 Beta
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy displays the full path and icon to files in the dropdown suggestions
 box.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Filetypes can now be specifically set for each directory to index 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Always on top mode added 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
USB Mode added 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Configurable index scan interval 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Configuration files moved to docs and settings
\backslash
username
\backslash
Applications
\backslash
Launchy
\backslash
 which is friendlier to users with limited access accounts.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Bug Fixes: 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
The Launchy startup on auto-login crash should be gone 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
No longer presumes icon index is located in C:
\backslash
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Hotkey window now initializes with current hotkey 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Configuration files now less likely to be corrupted due to restart during
 saving
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.9.6
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy can now index directory names as well as files! 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
A utilities folder with useful shortcuts is now included, it adds standard
 control panel programs, system shutdown / logoff/ reboot, and special folders
 such as My Documents, and My Music.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Unicode now fully supported.
 All character sets should work.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
The old style of matching by association is completely removed, it’s now
 entirely based upon frequency of use 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Now has a “please donate” dialog that appears only once, sorry but I’ve
 got to make a living! 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Bug Fixes: 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Fixed up/down keys causing a dropdown when there are no matches 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Saves settings to ini directly after changes are made in case of system
 crash 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Spaces are now ignored in user input, making it possible to search for “Johnny_c
ash.mp3” with “john cash”
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.9.3
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Once again, Launchy is prettier.
 The combobox has vanished.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
New skins! Please see the Author.txt file in each skin’s directory to give
 credit where credit is due.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Standard
Bug Fixes: 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Sometimes windows shutdown prevented the database from being saved.
 Now it saves more frequently just in case.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Arbitrarily long file extensions are now allowed, so you can filter on .mpeg
 for instance and not just .mpg 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
A couple of minor graphical glitches have been fixed 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Development Environment: 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
The Boost library is no longer needed to compile Launchy, I’ve copied the
 necessary Boost header files for smart pointers into the project.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.9.2
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Frequency sorting took priority over exact matches, fixed.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.9.1
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Search results sorted by frequency of use now.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Configuration files moved to the Users subdirectory of your installation.
 This means that your configuration file will start fresh..
 sorry! It also means that Launchy can be run from a memory stick.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
You can now remove the start menu from the directories you scan if you so
 desire.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Bug fixes, hooray!
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.9
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Alpha channel support! Launchy is sexier now.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
New skinning options.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Lots of skins! 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Minor bug fixes.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Ability to rescan index on demand.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
This is a feature complete version of Launchy 1.0 From now until then I will
 only post bug fixes.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.81
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
New installer, after this release upgrades should be much better.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Added icon support.
 Now icons are shown as well as the file name.
 The visual cue of the icon makes for faster launching.
 (It’s also prettier) 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
The combobox is now a bit more sane.
 It won’t steal your focus away when it drops down.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy will rescan directories on startup as opposed to waiting a couple
 of minutes.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.8
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy now scans user specified directories and stores the results in a
 compressed file to make startup faster.
 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
You can now change the hotkey that activates Launchy 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
You can now create/select skins for Launchy 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy searches *much* faster than before, enabling indexing of thousands
 of files
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.7
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy has memory! It will associate your input with applications.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.61
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
Launchy no longer opens all programs maximized.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.6
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
This is the first C++ release.
 As I became frustrated with C#’s large .NET framework requirements and users
 lack of desire to install it, I decided to switch back to the faster language.
 This release is functionally and visually equivalent to the 0.5 C# release.
 The C# CVS version had some new features that I will soon add to the C++
 branch.
\end_layout

\begin_layout Subsection*
0.5 
\end_layout

\begin_layout Itemize
This was the first public release.
\end_layout

\end_body
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