On Starting Applications

[Info-Mac]

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From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: fa.info-mac
Subject: On Starting Applications
Message-ID:
Date: Thu, 1-Nov-84 22:36:37 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.2072
Posted: Thu Nov 1 22:36:37 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Nov-84 01:44:05 EST
Sender: yenbut@uw-beave
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
Lines: 36

From: "Kevin W. Laurent"
There are two common ways to start a Mac application--opening the
application itself (via File menu pick or double-click) or opening a
document ``wedded'' to the application. On the Xerox Star there is
another way of starting an application (of course, they don't call it
such) and I'm wondering whether this method is implemented on the Mac.
Let's call this third application start up method the Drag-Icon-Outline
method. Here's how Drag-Icon-Outline works on the Star (to start
printing a document on the laser printer):

1. The user selects a document icon to be printed and pushes either MOVE
or COPY from the keyboard (this is similar to the click-and-hold
process on the Mac).
2. The user moves the small version of the icon (icon outline on the
Mac) over top of the Printer icon.
3. The user clicks the mouse, dropping the small document icon on top
of the printer icon (same as releasing the mouse button on the Mac).
4. The application begins.

A similar effect occurs on the Mac. For instance, selecting a file icon
and dragging its outline on top of the disk icon until its image inverts
causes the dragged file to be copied to the now selected disk. Two
other cases exhibit similar characteristics--putting an icon-object in a
folder, and using the trashcan to discard an icon-object. So, again,
the question I have is...Can an *application* (suitably crafted) be
started using the Drag-Icon-Outline method or are the uses of this
method restricted to Finder functions?

The idea behind using this method is that it alleviates the need for
going through the open file sequence once inside the application (i.e.
selecting Open from the File menu, scrolling through a list of files in
an Open Dialog Box, and double-clicking the name of the file).

Any ideas?

KLaurent@DENVER