The previous figure shows the Tab LaunchPad with four named tabs. The buttons on the Tasks tab are created automatically and represent all tasks that are currently running.

You can define the number and name of tabs on the Tabs page of the Tab LaunchPad's Settings notebook.

To add a new tab to the Tab LaunchPad, type a name in the Section Name field and click the Add button.

To change the name of an existing tab, click the name in the listbox and edit the name. Click the Modify button to save the change.

To remove a tab, click a name in the listbox and click the Remove button.
Configuring Tabs

A dialog asks you to confirm the removal.

To change the order of tabs, highlight a tab name, then click the Up or Down button to change its location.

Page 2 of the Tabs page is used to set up objects which should appear on all tabs.

A list of available objects, taken from the existing tabs, is displayed. Select one or more objects by clicking them. To deselect an object, click it again. To deselect all objects, click the Unselect All button.

After these objects have been selected, switching to a new tab will cause the objects to appear first in the list of object buttons. For example, select a Command Prompts object to be able to access a command prompt no matter which tab is active.

To add objects to the Tab LaunchPad, drag and drop any object from the Workplace Shell to the tab that is currently displayed. Any type of object, including programs, palettes, and data files, can be placed on the Tab LaunchPad. Shadows of the original objects are created and appear as buttons on the Tab LaunchPad.

The buttons are shadow objects which can be manipulated through the pop-up menu. For example, button objects can be moved or opened. Note that the pop-up menu cannot be displayed for buttons on the Task tab.

To remove a button from the Tab LaunchPad, drag it to the Shredder.

To launch an object, click a button on one of the tabs. To change tabs, click a tab name.

The Tab LaunchPad can be resized using the mouse. If additional buttons exist beyond the current perimeter of the LaunchPad, click the scroll arrow to view the additional buttons.

Adding Object Buttons
Removing Buttons
Launching Objects

Scrolling the Tab LaunchPad
Scroll arrow

To move a button from one tab to another, drag the button to the destination tab page. Note that buttons which automatically appear on the Tasks tab cannot be dragged to a different tab.

To reorder the buttons on a tab, drag each button to a new location.

By default, the font used to display button titles is Helv 8 point. To change the font, open the OS/2 font palette and drop a new font on the current tab page. The font is changed for all tab pages.

By default, the tab names appear horizontally at the top of the Tab LaunchPad. To change the tab orientation, open the Options page of the Settings notebook and click a radio button in the Tab Orientation section.

Display Tasks Tab.

The Tasks tab displays a button for every object that is currently running on your system. To disable this feature, unmark the checkbox. The Tasks tab then displays only the object buttons that you create.

Minimized/Hidden Tasks Only.

Mark the checkbox to automatically display buttons for only those tasks that are minimized or hidden. This reduces the number of buttons on the Tasks tab and shows you only the tasks that are not visible on the Workplace Shell. Unmark the checkbox to display all running tasks.

Switch to Tasks Tab after Launch.

Mark the checkbox to automatically switch to the Tasks tab after launching an object on any tab. This ensures the Tasks tab is always displayed when you access the Tab LaunchPad.

Display Hints.

Mark the checkbox to display hints, which are labels that identify the Workplace Shell object represented by each tab button. When you rest the mouse pointer on a button for a few seconds, the hint is displayed in a small pop-up window. To suppress hints, unmark the checkbox.

Customizing the Tab LaunchPad

Show Title Bar.

Mark the checkbox to display the Tab LaunchPad title bar. Unmark the checkbox to remove the title bar. Alternately, you can toggle the title bar on and off by double-clicking the background of the Tab LaunchPad window.

Objects are Drop Targets.

To enable buttons that appear on the tabs to act as OS/2 Workplace drop targets, mark the checkbox. If you drag and drop an object from the OS/2 desktop or from a Workplace Shell folder to a button on the Tab LaunchPad, the drag and drop operation is routed through the button object itself.

For example, if the OS/2 Shredder is a tab button and you drop an object on this button, the object will be shredded.

Customizing Buttons

To change the button size, style, or functionality open the Button Style page of the Settings notebook.

Button Size.

To change the button size, click a radio button in the Button Size section:

Small - Buttons are 40 x 40 pixels, and do not display object titles.

Medium - Buttons are 60 x 60 pixels (square), and include titles.

Wide - Buttons are 80 x 60 pixels, and can display longer titles.

Narrow - Buttons are 50 x 70 pixels, and can display titles that wrap.

Custom - Any custom size can be configured from 20 to 140 pixels. If any dimension is less than 40 pixels in size, small icons will be used.

Button Activation.

Determines the mouse behavior that launches objects from the Tab LaunchPad.

Normal.

By default, a single left-click of a button launches an object. The button appears depressed when you click it and then appears unpressed when you release the mouse button. The object is launched when you release the mouse button.

Hot.

Like normal mode, a single left-click launches an object. However, the button does not appear depressed and the object is launched as soon as you click the left mouse button.

Cold.

A double-left click of a button launches an object.

Button Appearance.

The button appearance determines the appearance of the buttons on the Tab LaunchPad. The default, Normal, displays flat buttons. Round and Chiselled options provide a more sculpted, two-dimensional look. Click each radio button to see the difference on the Tab LaunchPad itself before closing the Settings notebook.

Using the Mouse to Activate the LaunchPad

While working in other windows, you can bring up the Tab LaunchPad by moving the mouse to a particular area of the screen. To define the area, open the Activation page of the Settings notebook.

To display the Tab LaunchPad while working in other applications, mark the checkbox beside Activate on Mouse Event. Then choose an edge or corner of the screen. For example, if you choose Top Left, the Tab LaunchPad is surfaced whenever you move the mouse to the top left corner of the screen. If you define multiple Tab LaunchPads, each one can have a different activation area.

To disable mouse activation, unmark the checkbox beside Activate on Mouse Event.

Once you access the Tab LaunchPad using the mouse activation feature, you can choose to keep the Tab LaunchPad visible by unmarking the Auto Hide checkbox. To automatically hide the Tab LaunchPad as soon as you move the mouse away from the Tab LaunchPad, mark the checkbox beside Auto Hide.