Introduction
Using the Universal Shipment Tracker (UST) is really quite easy, and there isnt very much you need to know, so lets dive right in.


Console Buttons
There are only two buttons visible on the main console; the Add Shipment button, and the Expand/Collapse Button
Add Shipment
This is the Add Shipment button. Clicking on it will open a dialog prompting you to add a shipment.

The Add Shipment dialog is pretty self explainatory, you select what carrier you are using, and enter the tracking number and a short description, then click okay. Dont worry if you make a mistake, you can come back and correct any mistakes you may make, as detailed later in this help document
Expand/Collapse
This is the Expand/Collapse button. Clicking on it will cause the main display of the tracker to either be shown or hidden, depending on its current state. This was implemented so the UST can remain running (and thus keep updating), but take up less screen real estate.


Toolbar Buttons
Track All Shipments
This is the Track All Shipments button. Clicking on it will cause the UST to begin tracking all of your packages, just as if it were time for an automatic update.
Show/Hide Buttons
These are the Show/Hide buttons. Each uses the same color coding for carriers as the shipment listings do (Brown = UPS, Blue = FedEx, Yellow = DHL, Red = USPS, Purple = Purolator). Clicking on one of these will either hide or show all shipments related to that carrier. When the button is lit up, the shipments are shown, when the button is dimmed, they are hidden.
Hide All Others
Holding down the Alt key (Option on the Macintosh) while clicking on any of the Show/Hide buttons, will cause all shipments for carriers other than the one you clicked on to be hidden, and will show only the shipments for carrier you clicked on, regardless of the show/hide state of the button when it was clicked.
Show All Others
Holding down the Shift key while clicking on any of the Show/Hide buttons will cause all shipments for carriers other than the one you clicked on to be shown, while the shipments for the carrier your clicked on will become hidden, regardless of the show/hide state of the button when you clicked on it.
Tracking Alert
When this icon is visible, it means that the UST is currently in the process of tracking your shipments.
Help Button
Clicking on the help button displays this help webpage.


Shipment Listings
These are a few sample listings.
Status Light
These lights located on the left of each shipment let you know at a glance the current shipping status of a shipment.
Description
The Description is the same description you enter when adding a shipment. Use this description to help you quickly reference individual shipments. The background color of a description indicates what carrier the parcel was shipped with. (Brown = UPS, Blue = FedEx, Yellow = DHL, Red = USPS, and Purple = Purolator)

Context Menu Items
Right click on any shipment to bring up the following menu.


Widget Preferences
Actions Tab
Double Click Action This setting determines what happens when you double click on a shipment. Setting this option to "None" obviously causes nothing to happen. Setting this option to "Silently Update Info" causes the shipment details to be updated, but not displayed to you, only the status light will be updated if necessary; functioning exactly the same as if an automatic update had just occured for that shipment. Setting this option to "Display Details" causes the widget to update its information and display the information back to you in a self contained window. Setting this option to "Visit Tracking Webpage" causes the carriers webpage to open straight to the shipment details for that shipments tracking number.
Color Tab
Bezel Color: Changing this color will change the color of the entire widget.
Font Color: If you change color of the bezel, you may wish to change the color of the font so some items can be read more easily.
Startup Tab
Update on Startup: Enabling this option causes the widget to immediately update the tracking status for all shipments when the widget is started.
Expand on Startup: Enabling this option causes the widget to start up in the expanded position. Turning this option off causes the widget to start up in the collapsed position.
Timers Tab
Update Frequency: This setting determines how frequently the widget should check the status of your packages. Most websites are only updated once or twice a day at most, so a setting around every 4-6 hours is fairly appropriate.
Toggle Frequency: Your shipments are updated in order, one at a time. These are done one at a time to save your CPU and bandwidth. If a response isnt recieved from the carriers website within this settings time frame, that attempt is canceled, and the widget will attempt to track the next shipment. A setting of around 5 seconds should be suitable for a broadband connection, while those on dial-up may wish to increase this setting to 15 seconds or higher.