NV's Button Bar 1.1 ( aka NVBar )
Application launcher for Windows 3.1 in
the form of a row/column of icons.
Features include: Launch menus, Import
from Program Manager, Command Line, File
Selector, Drag and Drop launch, Multiple
instances, Move/Resize launched apps,
Always on Top, and more...

NV's Button Bar 1.1 ( aka NVBar )
Application launcher for Windows 3.1 in
the form of a row/column of icons.
Features include: Launch menus, Import
from Program Manager, Command Line, File
Selector, Drag and Drop launch, Multiple
instances, Move/Resize launched apps,
Always on Top, and more...
NV's Button Bar (aka NVBar) Version 1.1
Copyright Nick Varacalli, 1994-1995
=========================================
IMPORTANT
=========================================
1)Before proceeding with the installation, please exit any
currently running copies of NVBar. If NVBar is your shell,
restore the old shell, and restart Windows (with the old shell).
Failure to do so may lead to serious problems.
2)If you are installing to a directory that already has a copy of
NVBar, be careful not to overwrite your existing NVBar.ini file.
I strongly suggest you make a back-up copy, just in case.
3)This program requires VBRUN300.DLL in your windows\system
directory to be able to run. If you do not have it you can
do either of two things:
a)Download it from:
ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/vbrun300.exe
b)Notify me by e-mail of your problem at
[email protected]
4)A quick tutorial will run once NVBar has finished installing.
Even ifyou are an advanced user, I suggest you read the
"NVBar Features" and "*New This Release*" sections.

==========================
****** Introduction ******
==========================

NV's Button Bar, or NVBar for short, is a simple application launcher,
aimed at making it easy for you to launch your applications in MS-Windows
(compared to Program Manager). It is presented in the form of a row
(or column) of buttons, each button having a small drawing (icon) to
indicate what it launches.

All documentation, order forms, etc. are contained in the main help
file, with the exception of this readme.txt file and uninstal.txt.
Introducing:

==========================
****** Installation ******
==========================

Intermediate to Advanced users:

Run the file install.exe or setup.exe from Windows.

Beginners

0)If you are reading this, then you have already un-zipped
the software.
1)Start MS-Windows.
2)In the Program Manager or File Manager Select the "File" menu item.
3)From the drop-down menu that appears, select the "Run" item.
4)In the dialog box that appears, type in the full path to the
installation program - i.e. the directory name where you unzipped
the .zip file in which you found this file, (eg. c:\tempdir\install)
or the drive in which the distribution disk is in (eg. b:\install).
5)Soon, you will see a window titled "NV's Button Bar Installation"
6)Unless you want to change the destination directory, press the
"Start Install" button.
7)You will see a status display in the middle of your screen.
8)A dialog box may appear that asks you if you want to replace a
file already on your system.
If the file exists in your windows or system directory
(usually C:\WINDOWS or C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM) it is a good rule of
thumb to replace the target file only if the source file is newer.
If it exists in the directory you chose to install NVBar to (i.e.
you probably have an older version of NVBar on your system) then
you should choose to replace the file.
9)Once the installation program is finished, it runs NVBar and a
short tutorial, which should show you the main features of NVBar.
10)If you want NVBar to start every time you start windows then see
the tips section below.

Note:

The following files are written to the windows\system directory.
If you already have similarly named files in this directory, the
installation program will ask you if you wish to change the files
only if the files currently on your system are newer.
CMDIALOG.VBX
CTL3DV2.DLL

===================================
***** Philosophy Behind NVBar *****
===================================

When playing around with Windows, and hence, the Program Manager, I found
I didn't like hunting through the various group windows of the Program
Manager to have to double click on the appropriate icon. I also didn't
appreciate the space Program Manager took up, both on my desktop and in
memory. I tried various other button bars, but they were either too simple,
too complex, or just not my cup of tea.

With that in mind, I designed NVBar with a simple philosophy:

- One click application launching:

The left, right, or even middle mouse buttons can be used to launch an
application with a single click of a button. Depressing the Alt or Shift
key while clicking leads to even more options.

- Ease of Use:

Once you are past setting up NVBar (which admittedly takes some work) it
is easy and quick to use and configure.

NVBar is ShareWare, $10 for commercial use and $5 from personnal use.

=============================
***** Features Include: *****
=============================

* Launch Files From:
Buttons
Drop-down menu
Command line
File selector
Drag and Drop from File Manager.

Launch data files with the associated application.
Move/resize launched applications

* Configuration
Import from Program Manager
Always On Top option
Position anywhere on screen (fixed or floating)
Support for various picture formats
Sizable Buttons.

* Windows Functions
Exit Restart Windows
Reboot System
Run File outside windows
Display system resources
Full Shell capabilities

* Other
Full Context Sensitive Help & Introductory Tutorial
Run multiple instances of NVBar using different initialization files.
Low disk space/ resource usage.
HotKey to bring NVBar quickly to the top.

* And more...

===================================
****** Contacting The Author ******
===================================

If you have any problems, I can be contacted at
1)[email protected]
2)(514)-728-8337
(Eastern Time, please be considerate, this is a home number.)

=================
***** Tips: *****
=================

Help can be obtained by clicking on the question mark button, or
by pressing .

If you want NVBar to run each time you start windows, then edit your
win.ini file (in the Windows directory). look for a line near the
beginning of the file that starts with "run=" and add the path to
NVBar at the end of the line. (eg. run=oldstuff.exe c:\nvbar\nvbar.exe)

OR

Copy the NVBar icon created in the Program Manager to your startup group.


Thank You

- Nick Varacalli