Q-Dock

Last updated: 19/08/2017

A new program dock system

Q-Dock is an example of a program dock system, which is a kind of "tray" in which programs are parked and represented by icons. You can just click on these icons to start a program - it makes life so much easier than having to manually type in EXEC commands.

The dock panel itself is a simple graphics file, which looks like a shelf, a tray, or similar item. Q-Dock uses standard QL sprite graphic files of a given size. A selection is included withthe program, many more can be downloaded from this page free of charge, and of course you can design your own if you have a QL sprite editor able to create sprites of the required size (512x64 pixels).

Sample alpha-mask translucent menu

The icons used to represent programs are also standard QL sprites of size 32x32 pixels. You can use bitmap or alpha-mask sprites if your system supports them (most GD2 systems do nowadays). Alpha-mask sprites allow a kind of 'see-through' effect where you can see some of the background through the graphics, in a way very similar to looking through tinted glass.

Requirements

Expanded memory (minimum 512K RAM)
Pointer environment and Window Manager v2.00 or later on QDOS, or SMSQ/E v3.00 or later (e.g. QPC2).
Toolkit 2, whichis built into SMSQ/E and some floppy disk systems

Desirable (but not essential)

High colour systems - 8 bit or 16 bit colours (e.g. Aurora, QPC2...)
Hard disk system

Features

Up to 14 icons per program dock, up to 9 docks - select dock just by pressing 1-9 keys or clicking on indicator icon
Auto-hide option - program 'wakes up' when you hold the pointer at the top or bottom of the screen (distance and edge configurable) and hides when the pointer is held outside the Q-Dock window for a short time.
Icon shadow and reflection options for enhanced graphical effect
Dock may be moved around to preferred screen location
Optional pop-up bubble helps
Store programs, or data files (if File Info II used), or command entries - many options
Auto-add option, allowing Q-Dock to scan your hard disk and add all executables found (space permitting)
Auto-add icons associated by name, e.g. if myprog_exe and myprog_spr are present, myprog_spr is used as the default icon (can be changed later if required)
Exec screen allows rarely used programs to be started manually to save on dock space
Choice of dock and icon graphics supplied, more available from this website
Optional transparent program window, allowing transparent or alpha-mask graphics to be used, subject to operating system limitations
Uses Window Manager 2 colour themes for program menus
Front end command menu can be turned off when you are used to the controls
Can use Home Directory thing
Extensive commands and settings menu
Simple to use

Sample fully transparent menu, without the command buttons

Availability

Here you can download Q-Dock. It comes as three zipped DSDD floppy disks, but all three can be installed in the same directory on a hard disk or any media with enough free space.
Disk 1 (344K)
Disk 2 (326K)
Disk 3 (454K)

The manual is included in the disk 1 zip file as a Quill or Xchange DOC file. If you prefer you can download the manual as a PDF or Word document.
Click here to download as a PDF file (132K)
Click here to download as a Word DOCX file (47K)

Sample Menus

Here are some sample menus from the program, to show the extent to which the program can be customised and the options and settings available.

Sample translucent dock without command icons

Q-Dock action (right click) menu for the program icons

Q-Dock settings menu

Q-Dock programicons settings form, here showing an icon for Quill being set up

SPRV Sprite Viewer

Hundreds of icons are supplied with Q-Dock - you may find a sprite viewer useful. Here's a free one called SPRV (did I mention I wrote it?). Includes a tiled view mode (click on the chequerboard icon at the top), directory list individual fiel click-to-view and can view quite large sprites. Facilities to stuff filenames of sprites, view their details and make use of the Scrap system if your QL-compatible includes that.
Download SPRV (60K)

Extra Docks and Icons to Download

Here's those supplied with Q-Dock itself in case they prove useful for use with other QL programs. All of these are standard 32x32 QL sprites, mostly in mode 32, with a few mode 4 ones included. All can be viewed in SPRV or any other QL sprite viewer able to display high colour icons. Note that as they stand, they can't be used with my other front end program Launchpad simply because Launchpad uses 32x24 sprites - you would need to resize these to allow them to be used. The original public domain .PNG graphics are available - I doubt they will be useful but can be supplied as an emailed zip file on request to anyone really wanting them!
Download Q-Dock icon sprites (454K) - all in QL sprite 32x32 pixel format.

Icons for Launchpad

Ian Burkinshaw has kindly converted the above icons into 32x24 pixel GD2 sprites for use with Launchpad version 2.02 or later (earlier versions of Launchpad do not support GD2 sprites). Launchpad can add up to 126 sprites to its third page of icons, and the procedure for adding such icons is described in the history_txt file supplied on Launchpad disk 1 under the notes for v2.02. Basically, create a plain text file called LP2SPRITES_dat, make the first line contain the 4 characters "LP2S" (without the quotes) then add the filenames of up to 126 of these sprites (you will have to choose no more than 126 of the 500 supplied!), one per line. You will need to include the full drive name, directory name and filename for each one - the easiest way probably is to put the sprites into a directory somewhere on the hard disk, and create the text file with a command such as DIR \RAM1_LP2SPRITES_DAT,win1_dir_ (change win1_dir_ to the location where you stored the sprites). Load the LP2SPRITES_DAT file into a QL plain text editor (programs like QD or S-Edit or QED will do fine) and add LP2S as the first line. Then, save the LP2SPRITES_dat file in the directory where you have installed Launchpad and Launchpad should (famous last words!) find and load the content next time it starts.
Launchpad2spr.zip (387K) - 500 32x24 pixel GD2 sprites for Launchpad, _spr format
32x24Sprites.zip (602K) - .png versions for anyone wanting to use these sprites on a PC.

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