ControlCenter - Usage Tips

line-brk.gif (1350 bytes)

Moving the Control Center

The ControlCenter can be moved to different locations on the screen by holding down Shift+mouse button 1 (typically the left mouse button) anywhere on the ControlCenter and dragging it to another location. Alternatively, if the clock is displayed, the left mouse button can be used alone by clicking on the clock and dragging the ControlCenter to a new position. Note that if the Dock/Snap to Edge options are enabled, the ControlCenter can only be moved between the four different edges of the screen.

New ControlCenter Wizard cc_new_icon.gif (1413 bytes)

Located in the Object Desktop folder, the New ControlCenter Wizard will walk a user through the creation of a ControlCenter with various basic options. These ControlCenters can then be further modified by the user by the addition of new objects or customized for appearence and location on the screen.
 
Each ControlCenter stores its configuration information in a .CCTR file located in the directory where Object Desktop was installed (typically x:\Program Files\Object Desktop\ControlCenter). To learn about some of the options for customizing .CCTR files, see the Custom Tricks section of the documentation.

Task Browser

cc_taskbrowser.gif (6070 bytes)

The Task Browser provides a convenient means to switch between running applications and folders through the ControlCenter while taking up less space than the Windows Taskbar.

Using the Memory Meter

cc_memmeter.gif (2978 bytes)

The Memory Meter displays the amount of physical RAM currently free on your system. This meter does not take into account virtual memory that is allocated in your swap file. Moving the pointer over the memory display will also indicate the total amount of physical RAM on your system. The meter will tend to fluctuate a little, even if "nothing" is apparently happening on the system. This is normal as things are happening in memory even if there is no apparent indication or input from the user.

Using the Drive Meter

cc_drivemeter.gif (2254 bytes)

The Drive Meter shows the amount of free space on each attached drive, including network drives.
 
To select the drives that you wish to monitor, open the Sections page of the Properties notebook. Refer to the Multiple Sections segment of this document for details.
 
Clicking on a Drive Meter object will open the Windows Explorer in the root directory of the appropriate drive.
 
Clicking mouse button 2 (generally the right mouse button) on a Drive Meter object will bring up the standard list of actions for that object, exactly like if you had clicked the RMB on a drive object in My Computer.
 
Note that folders dragged from the Windows desktop or Explorer and added to the ControlCenter will behave in the same manner as drive objects (with the exception of displaying the remaining free space). A single-click will open them, while clicking the RMB on the object will bring up a menu with the available actions that can be performed.