Coolbarz Documentation

Description

Coolbarz provides you with desktop toolbars for quick and easy access to your most commonly used programs. With it, everything is just a single click away. While Coolbarz was developed for Windows 7, it was also designed with previous versions of Windows in mind. It's currently in beta version.

System Requirements

Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0

Features

Provides up to 4 familiar looking toolbars for any or all sides of the screen.
Multiple display support. Choose which screen you want to use for each coolbar.
Conveniently customizable to suit your functional and visual needs, including fading effects and transparency.
User profile support so each user can have their own configuration.
Standalone tool with no installation required.
Intuitive user interface with update notifications.

Usage

Simply run the program, then drag and drop your shortcuts to the preferred coolbar at any edge of the screen. By default, Coolbarz initially configures itself to start with Windows by creating a shortcut in your start menu startup folder, so you don't need to run it again manually. This option along with many more can be managed through the settings dialog, accessed with the system tray icon or the right-click context menu of any coolbar. All features and options provide tooltips explaining them.

Adding Files:
Any type of file can be added to a coolbar. Files are opened with their associated application. The coolbar button will point to the file directly so you'll need to avoid moving or renaming the original file.

Adding Shortcuts:
When shortcuts are added to a coolbar, the button will point to the shortcut file itself as well as parse its target information. Once you've added your shortcuts you can usually remove them from your computer and Coolbarz will execute the target path directly. However, sometimes a shortcut will point to its target in a special way that requires the shortcut to be executed. In this case you'll need to avoid moving or renaming the original shortcut.

Adding Internet Shortcuts:
When internet shortcuts are added to a coolbar, the button will point to the internet shortcut (.url) file directly to ensure the button is displayed and can open the url properly. As a result you'll need to avoid moving or renaming the original internet shortcuts. An effective practice is to place them in your Favorites folder first, then add them to Coolbarz.

Adding Separator Buttons:
Separators are technically still a coolbar button like any other, but they look and are treated differently. Add an item that has no shortcut or target path and you'll be asked to create a button separator. Separators can have a text value, but it will only be displayed for horizontal separators (those on the left and right coolbars only). Separators with a text value to display will be a bit thicker than those without it. Due to the coolbar orientation, top and bottom coolbar separators will always be a thin vertical line. You can, however, customize the style of all separators in the same way as normal buttons.

Command Line Parameters:

-m: Starts Coolbarz minimized to the system tray, hiding the settings dialog initially.
-local: Force Coolbarz to use local user setting files for all settings as normal. Use this parameter to ignore existing portable setting files.
-portable: Force Coolbarz to use portable setting files for all settings. Portable setting files are always stored in the same location as the executable file. More information about portable settings can be found in the Setting Files section.
-debug: Enables some additional features for informational and debugging purposes.

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Settings and Options

Coolbarz contains a number of settings and options to customize functionality and visual experience. This section will cover these items in detail and in the same order in which they would be encountered in the program from top to bottom and left to right.

Coolbars

Enabled: Each coolbar can be enabled or disabled, but at least one coolbar must be enabled at all times. When a coolbar is disabled it will not be accessible.
Target Display: Choose which screen to use for each coolbar when multiple displays are available. The Primary Display is used by default, and also used alternatively if a selected display becomes unavailable. Note: A display's index number can change when displays are connected and diconnected. Coolbarz shows a display's index number based on the order that the display appears to Coolbarz in the collection, which is not necessarily the same number that Windows will show in your display properties.
Position: Also referred to as Dock Position, this determines which side of the target display to show the coolbar. The bottom coolbar is disabled by default because it could interfere with an auto-hiding taskbar.
Style: Each coolbar can have a user defined style which consists of visual appearance settings such as color for the coolbar background, button background, button text, and separators. You can easily change the style for all coolbars by clicking the Style label.
Border: Displays a fixed single border that outlines the coolbar.
Large Icons: Displays coolbar buttons with large icons 32x32 pixels in size. Otherwise small icons 16x16 pixels in size are used. Checkboxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Text: Displays text for coolbar buttons. Checkboxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Scrollable: Enables scrolling the coolbar when it exceeds the width or height of the screen, rather than displaying more rows or columns. Checkboxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Stretch: Stretches the coolbar the width or height of the screen, depending on its location. Stretch is mutually exclusive to Center and R-Align settings. Checkboxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Center: Centers the coolbar on the screen. Center is mutually exclusive to Stretch and R-Align settings. Checkboxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Reverse Align: Reverse aligns the coolbar opposite of normal alignment. This allows the top and bottom coolbars to be aligned to the right of the screen, and left and right coolbars to the bottom of the screen. Reverse aligns is mutually exclusive to Stretch and Center settings. Checkboxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Always Visible: Shows the coolbar at all times so it doesn't hide. Use with care as coolbars will interfere with workspace. Note: The Topmost option modifies Always Visible behavior.
Topmost: Applies only to coolbars that are always visible. This allows you to disable the default topmost behavior, allowing other windows to appear on top of coolbars.
Show Delay: Time interval in milliseconds to wait before showing the coolbar when activated. Number boxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Hide Delay: Time interval in milliseconds to wait before hiding the coolbar when deactivated. Number boxes are arranged to visually indicate the target coolbar by location.
Max Button Width: Maximum width in pixels that coolbar buttons can grow to. Note that coolbar buttons grow automatically based on the button's text.
Pointer Distance: Distance in pixels from the edge of the screen at which the mouse pointer will activate the coolbar. Note that the actual value used will not exceed coolbar dimensions.
Preview Coolbars: Temporarily displays all enabled coolbars for viewing.

Options

Start with Windows: Creates a shortcut to Coolbarz in your start menu Startup folder. If this shortcut becomes invalid then Coolbarz will recreate it automatically, pointing to the current location of the program.
Always Hide Main Window: Starts Coolbarz minimized to the system tray, hiding the settings dialog initially without having to provide a command line parameter.
Check Updates: Coolbarz will check for a new release one time at startup. If an update is available you will be prompted to download it. Once downloaded, Coolbarz can optionally update itself to the new version automatically.
Check Now: Manually check if a newer version of the program is available.
Clear Ignored Versions: If you are prompted for an available update at startup, you will have the option to ignore future notifications for that specific version. This option clears the list of versions you've chosen to ignore. Updates are not ignored when checking for them manually.
Always Activate Coolbars: When enabled, coolbars can be activated all the time. This will interfere with full screen applications so it's disabled by default. When disabled, coolbars are conveniently activated, which means the desktop or taskbar must be active or visible under the mouse cursor in order for coolbars to open. This prevents interference with maximized windows and full screen applications. Tip: Clicking on the Windows taskbar will make the taskbar active. This allows coolbars to be accessible while a window is maximized.
Folder Parsing Coolbar Menu: Enables the parsing of folder structures through a Browse Path context menu item. Only the most necessary functionality is available for folder parsing at this time. Left click on a file in the Browse Path menu to open the file with it's associated application, or Right click to browse directly to the file. You can browse to a folder in the structure by double-clicking the folder menu item. The current folder parsing feature was only being experimented with, but has been provided as an option for those that desire it.
Launch Shortcuts Before Targets: This setting specifies how to configure the executable path of new shortcuts that are added to a coolbar. When enabled, shortcuts added to a coolbar will be configured to point to and execute the shortcut (.lnk) file itself. When disabled, shortcuts added to a coolbar will be configured to point to and execute the target path of the shortcut. If you choose to execute the shortcut file itself (the default and recommended setting) and the shortcut is removed or cannot be found, then Coolbarz will use the target path of the shortcut automatically. When changing the value of this setting, you will be prompted with the option to change this value for all existing coolbar shortcuts as well.
Protect Top Left Corner: Prevents coolbars from being displayed when the mouse cursor is detected in the top left corner of the screen.
Protect Top Right Corner: Prevents coolbars from being displayed when the mouse cursor is detected in the top right corner of the screen. This is particularly useful to ensure you always have immediate access to the close button of a maximized window.
Show System Tray Icon: Shows an icon for Coolbarz in your system tray. A single click on the tray icon will display the settings dialog. A right-click context menu for the tray icon functions as the Help menu in the program.
Show Tooltip Descriptions: Provides tooltip descriptions for settings and options.
Data Polling Interval: Time interval in milliseconds that Coolbarz retrieves mouse cursor data. This value ultimately determines how responsive coolbars are and how much processor time the program uses in the background. Coolbarz has been tested as very responsive and very efficient with the default interval of 100 milliseconds.
Force Reduced Memory Usage: Coolbarz has already been optimized to reduce the amount of memory it uses, but this option will force Coolbarz to use even less by paging its working set of memory to disk. Using this option will result in Coolbarz consuming much less physical memory, but comes with a performance loss which you may or may not notice. This feature is purely experimental and recommended for advanced users only.
Log Information Events: Available only when Debug mode is enabled. This option logs information events in addition to any application errors. Currently, only a few major information events are logged such as Coolbarz startup and shutdown procedures, as well as when coolbar settings are saved. More information events are planned to be added in the future, and the intended purpose (other than informational of course) is to assist with debugging issues.
Log Max Size: Available only when Debug mode is enabled. Specify the maximum size in bytes that the application log can grow to.
Log Max Size Action: Available only when Debug mode is enabled. Specify the action to perform once the log file has reached its maximum size.
- Clear existing log file: When the log file reaches the specified maximum size, it will be cleared and logging will continue.
- Date log file and start a new one: When the log file reaches the specified maximum size, the file will be renamed to reflect the current date and logging will continue.

Fading

Fade coolbars in and out: Enables fading and transparency effects. These settings apply to all coolbars.
Timer Interval: Amount of time in milliseconds between each opacity interval in the fading process.
Opacity Interval: Amount of transparency to change at each timer interval. Use this setting to adjust your fading speed: A lower value creates a slower fading effect while a higher value creates a faster fading effect.
Maximum Opacity: The transparency level of all coolbars.

Debug

When Debug mode is enabled by using the -debug command line parameter, this tab will appear on the main settings dialog and provide some useful monitored information such as mouse cursor position, current and active window handles, logging options, number of detected display devices, etc.

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Setting Files

Application settings are stored in the current user's application data location, allowing each user of a computer to have their own Coolbarz configuration. Each coolbar has two setting files: one for storing its configuration and one for storing shortcut information. Coolbarz stores global application settings in a separate file as well. It's recommended that users avoid modifying these setting files directly.

Settings and Portability:
Due to its dependency on the .NET Framework Coolbarz cannot be truly portable. However, portability can be achieved if certain conditions are met. To use all setting files in a portable manner use the -portable command line parameter. Additionally, you can avoid using the -portable parameter and Coolbarz will now use any setting files that are placed in the same location as the executable file automatically. This allows you to pick and choose which setting files (and effectively which coolbars) you want to be portable. To ignore portable setting files that exist you can launch Coolbarz with the -local command line parameter. The following conditions must be met in order to achieve portability:

The .NET Framework 2.0 must be installed on any target machine. This is already included in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
The Coolbarz executable file must reside on a writable portable device, such as an external hard disk or USB flash drive.
You must assign the same drive letter to your portable device for each target machine because Coolbarz shortcuts currently use absolute paths.
Launch Coolbarz with the -portable command line parameter or place any setting files you want to be portable in the same location as the executable file.
Any shortcuts added to a portable coolbar should point to a shortcut or target located on your portable device.

You can easily access local user setting files with the Browse Application Data item in the File menu. If you want any of these files to be portable, simply copy them to the same location as the program. You will need to exit and restart Coolbarz for changes to setting file locations to take effect.

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Notes

Coolbarz is a single instance application, meaning only one copy of it can run at a time. Executing Coolbarz while it is already running will open the settings dialog for the current running instance. You must exit the program before launching it again or from another location.
Coolbarz no longer modifies its startup shortcut to always point to its current location. It only updates the shortcut if it becomes invalid. This allows you to run Coolbarz from a portable location without changing the startup shortcut for the local machine.
Due to changes made to settings throughout the development process, running an older version of Coolbarz after you run a newer version may cause some settings to restore their default value.

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License

This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software. This software is free for personal use only, and is also subject to the following restrictions:

The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software.
This notice may not be removed or altered from any distribution.
This software may not be sold for profit, and may not be used for profit making purposes.

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Version History

v1.2.0.0

Updated references for new website domain. Automated update process and notifications no longer work for previous versions because my website domain has changed (not by choice).
Fixed transparency setting changes not being applied to always visible coolbars in real-time.
Minor improvements to list item and coolbar button selection when arranging items.

v1.1.0.1

Fixed issue with Show and Hide Delay that could cause the settings file to save unnecessarily.

v1.1.0.0

Added a separate thread for launching shortcuts to prevent potential temporary freezing of Coolbarz.
Added Arrange Items dialog for managing a custom selection or range of coolbar buttons.
Added option to apply coolbar fading effects to the settings dialog.
Added shortcut icon to the Edit dialog.
Fixed an issue with multiple displays where the coolbars would only show on the primary display if the primary display was not screen number 1.
Fixed issue where invalid or corrupted main settings file could prevent Coolbarz from starting. If this happens you are now prompted to optionally force Coolbarz to create a new default settings file at next startup.
Fixed application log not creating application data path if it does not already exist.
Fixed logging settings not being restored with default values action.
Fixed settings file getting saved unnecessarily after a previous update. Now properly saves only when changes have been made.
Removed the Sort by Name context menu option as alphabetical sorting is now easily accomplished via the new Arrange Items dialog.
Minor code and user interface improvements.

v1.0.0.2

Fixed Show and Hide delay settings not being applied initially at startup.

v1.0.0.1

Fixed an issue with the command to remove the application and any associated files.
Updated application information logging for coolbar settings and shortcuts.

v1.0.0.0

Added multiple display support. You can now specify which display you want to use for each coolbar.
Added option to display a coolbar at all times. This was added by popular demand even though desktop dimensions will not be changed in any way. Always Visible coolbars will still overlay desktop workspace. Refer to documentation for more detail on this setting.
Added option to disable a coolbar from being topmost when it is always visible. This prevents it from always appearing on top of other windows.
Added button separators. Create a button with no shortcut or target to create a separator. Separator buttons can be customized in the Style dialog (formerly known as Color settings).
Added a context menu option for browsing folder structures through a Browse Path context menu item. This feature must be enabled on the options tab first.
Added a context menu option for browsing to physical location of a shortcut or target.
Added a context menu option for sorting coolbar buttons alphabetically.
Added a Debug mode command line parameter that can be used to access additional information and features.
Added application error and information logging, with a few options that will only be accessible in Debug mode.
Added alternative keys to rearrange buttons. Ctrl + Arrow keys can now move the active button as well.
Increased Show and Hide delay setting max value to 2000 milliseconds.
Renamed Color settings category to be henceforth known as Style.
Fixed shortcut name that is generated when dragging a drive onto a coolbar. The volume label and drive letter are now used instead of an empty value.
Fixed issue where coolbar would stay open when cursor goes to a secondary screen.
Fixed button icons so they are better positioned on the button when visual styles are disabled.
Fixed font for Edit Item menu entry on coolbar context menu for XP.
Fixed an issue with the text value assigned to folder shortcuts that are exactly 3 characters in length.
Rearranged some of the options.
Various code and user interface improvements.

v0.1.6.7

Fixed bug where coolbars would not open while using the auto-changing desktop themes in Windows 7.
Fixed incorrect max value for button width setting for the right coolbar.

v0.1.6.6

Added option to specify the maximum width that coolbar buttons can grow to.
Fixed bug where user could enter an invalid Show/Hide Delay value and cause an error.
Fixed bug where a coolbar shortcut to a folder would not work if it contained certain characters in the path.
Fixed bug where rearranging buttons in a certain way could generate an error.

v0.1.6.5

Fixed an error introduced in the previous release that prevented setting files from being created when they didn't exist.
Fixed an error introduced in the previous release when changing the dock position of a coolbar.

v0.1.6.4

Added show and hide delay options for coolbars.
Improved efficiency when refreshing coolbars after the screen resolution has changed.
Fixed an error that could occur at startup if a settings file had somehow become corrupt or blank.
Minor user interface adjustments. Corner protection and accessibility settings have been moved to the Options tab.

v0.1.6.3

Fixed an error that could occur at startup if part of a setting file path was not available. For example, settings stored on an uninitialized RAM drive. Coolbarz now waits up to 30 seconds for any setting file paths to become available.

v0.1.6.2

Fixed bug where an invalid path in the Add Shortcut dialog could cause an error.

v0.1.6.1

Reduced button height and top padding by one pixel so buttons without text are now more square.
Fixed bug where button width could be calculated a few pixels too small for button text.

v0.1.6.0

Added option to use large or small icons for coolbar buttons.
Added option to enable scrolling on coolbars that contain more items than can fit in one row or column.
Improved performance when displaying coolbars.
Moved some coolbar context menu items to a sub menu as it was becoming too large.
Reduced initial physical memory usage.
Added option for advanced users to force Coolbarz to reduce physical memory usage significantly, but comes with a performance loss which may or may not be noticed. This feature is experimental.
Fixed User Account Control prompt when exiting Coolbarz on a limited user account.
Fixed bug when editing item text on the right coolbar. If button width needed to be changed it could cause the coolbar to be positioned incorrectly and potentially make it inaccessible.

v0.1.5.1

Improved starting minimized so the settings dialog is not temporarily displayed or flashed.
Coolbarz no longer modifies its startup shortcut to always point to its current location. It only updates the shortcut if it becomes invalid.

v0.1.5.0

Added portable settings capability for advanced users (certain conditions must be met).
Added option to control the internal data timer which determines how often mouse cursor data is processed. This gives you control over required processor time and desired responsiveness.
Added option to reverse align coolbars on the screen. Top and Bottom coolbars can be aligned to the right, and left and right coolbars can be aligned to the bottom.
Reduced unclean movement even more when changing a coolbar's dock from one location to another.
Eliminated slight flicker that could occur when displaying a coolbar for the first time when fading effects are off.
Various code and user interface improvements throughout the program.
Improvements to program documentation.

v0.1.4.1

Fixed tooltip descriptions for Text setting.

v0.1.4.0

Changed coolbar Text option to be location specific rather than coolbar specific, as this seems to be more logical.
Reduced unclean movement when changing a coolbar's dock from one location to another.

v0.1.3.2

Added option to center coolbars on the screen.

v0.1.3.1

Fixed message when Feedback cannot generate an email because no application is associated with the operation.

v0.1.3.0

Added system tray icon which can be disabled in program options if preferred.
Added option to start Coolbarz with the settings dialog hidden initially.
Added ability to automatically extract and install update (at user discretion) once downloaded, providing a more convenient and seamless update process.
Added program version number to the default update filename so you won't be prompted to overwrite an existing file every time.
Changed the default value of coolbar fading to disabled for slower computers.
Minor user interface improvements.

v0.1.2.0

Added color setting improvements. Coolbars, buttons, and text can each have custom colors.
Added context menu items for quick access to coolbar settings.
Added option to disable tooltip descriptions.
Added option to preview coolbars while settings dialog is open.
Added option to ignore automatic update notification of specific versions when prompted.
Added option to send user feedback through the Help menu.
Improved efficiency of displaying coolbars.
Minor user interface improvements.

v0.1.1.0

Added update notifications.
Added context menu option to refresh a coolbar and all of its items.

v0.1.0.11

Added option to set maximum opacity for coolbars. Fading must be enabled for this setting to apply.
Reduced double click threshold to 250 milliseconds.

v0.1.0.10

Attempt to fix issue where coolbar might be shown behind other windows on rare occasions.
Fixed issue where changes to some settings might not be saved if Windows exited the program (ex: Log Off or Shutdown).
Now detects accidental double clicks with a 500 millisecond threshold.
Now retrieves file description (if available) as name when adding executable files. Shortcuts always use the shortcut name.

v0.1.0.9

Added option to protect top left and right corners from activating coolbars.
Improved corner protection logic.

v0.1.0.8

Fixed bug where coolbar button would attempt to load an icon from a path that doesn't exist.

v0.1.0.7

Improved efficiency when changing visual settings like Dock Position, Text, and Buttons.

v0.1.0.6

Added option to show text on coolbar buttons.
Improved prompt when changing LaunchShellShortcuts option.
Fixed issue where a coolbar could open overtop another coolbar that is open.
Removed force showing coolbar when CTRL key is down.
Minor user interface improvements.

v0.1.0.5

Improved how icons are retrieved from shortcuts.
Fixed flickering of coolbar fading on XP.

v0.1.0.4

Added program icon.
Fixed a minor issue with fading out.

v0.1.0.3

Added option to change border and color setting of all coolbars by clicking the respective title label.
Fixed issue where coolbar would sometimes not open because the mouse cursor could not reach the very edge of the screen at some resolutions.

v0.1.0.2

Improved range for the Opacity Interval setting.
Improved how coolbars are displayed according to desktop work space.

v0.1.0.1

Coolbars no longer take input focus unnecessarily.
Fixed issue where button tooltips might not be displayed.

v0.1.0.0

Initial Beta Version.

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