DXLab Launcher Online Help Contents
Using the Launcher's Configuration window, you can
Specify the pathname of the log file to be opened by DXKeeper after startup
Specify non-DXLab applications to be started before DXLab applications are started
Specify non-DXLab applications to be started after DXLab applications are started
Specify Main Window Captions for non-DXLab applications to enable their termination by the Launcher
Indicate whether or not you want the Launcher's main window to always be "on top"
Indicate whether the Workspaces window should be displayed on startup
Direct the Launcher to immediate check for new versions of installed applications
Specify the web site or local folder from which applications will be installed or upgraded
Indicate whether the Launcher should automatically shut down after you click the Terminate button
To display the Launcher's Configuration window, click the Config button in the Launcher's Main window. The Configuration window contains two panels: the DXLab Applications panel, and the Other Applications panel. Each of these panels provides a row of controls for each application.
To specify a DXLab application's pathname, locate the application's row in the DXLab Applications panel, and click the Sel button in this row. The Launcher will display an Open dialog box that makes it easy to select the application's executable file, such as
C:\Program Files\DXLab Suite\WinWarbler\WinWarbler.exe
or
D:\Program Files\SpotCollector\SpotCollector180.exe
The pathname of the file you select will appear in the application's Program Path textbox.
If on startup, the Launcher finds an installed DXLab application whose Program Path textbox is empty, it will initialize this textbox with the pathname of the installed executable. If you have downloaded a later version of this application's executable to a different pathname, use the Sel button to select that pathname.
To specify the pathname of a log file to be opened by DXKeeper after startup, click the Sel button in the DXLab Application panel's Startup Parameters sub-panel, and choose the desired log file. If no log file pathname is specified, DXKeeper will open log in use during the previous operating session.
Specifying non-DXLab applications to be started before DXLab applications are started
The Launcher allows you to specify up to 8 non-DXLab applications that can be started in a specified order before you start a group of DXLab applications. Initially, these are depicted on the Apps Started Before Other Applications tab as Before App 1 through Before App 8. To specify the pathname of such an application, click the Show Paths button, then click the Sel button associated with an unused Program Path textbox, and use the Open dialog box to select the application's executable file, e.g.
C:\Program Files\DX Atlas\DxAtlas.exe
When you select an executable file, the Launcher updates the Application column with the executable file's simple name. Using the preceding example, the entry in the Application column would be DXAtlas.
Check the Enab box associated with any non-DXLab application that should be started when you click the Start button on the Launcher's Main window. Check the Start Minimized box associated with any application that should be started with its Main window minimized; note that not all applications obey this directive.
To delay the start of subsequent non-DXLab or DXLab applications for a specified interval after a non-DXLab application is launched, specify the duration of that interval in seconds in the Delay box associated with this application.
If you want a non-DXLab application to terminate when you click the Terminate button on the Launcher's Main window, you must specify the "caption" displayed in the title bar of its Main window. To do so, click the Show Captions button, and enter the caption in the application's Main Window Caption textbox. Note that the specified caption must exactly match the caption shown on the Windows Task Manager's Applications tab, including upper/lower case characters, spaces, and punctuation. Non-DXLab applications whose Main Window Caption changes over time cannot be terminated via the Terminate button.
Specifying non-DXLab applciations to be started after DXLab applications are started
he Launcher allows you to specify up to 8 non-DXLab applications that can be started in a specified order after you start a group of DXLab applications. Initially, these are depicted on the Apps Started After Other Applications tab as After App 1 through After App 8. To specify the pathname of such an application, click the Show Paths button, then click the Sel button associated with an unused Program Path textbox, and use the Open dialog box to select the application's executable file, e.g.
C:\Program Files\DX Atlas\DxAtlas.exe
When you select an executable file, the Launcher updates the Application column with the executable file's simple name. Using the preceding example, the entry in the Application column would be DXAtlas.
Check the Enab box associated with any non-DXLab application that should be started when you click the Start button on the Launcher's Main window. Check the Start Minimized box associated with any application that should be started with its Main window minimized; note that not all applications obey this directive.
If you want a non-DXLab application to terminate when you click the Terminate button on the Launcher's Main window, you must specify the "caption" displayed in the title bar of its Main window. To do so, click the Show Captions button, and enter the caption in the application's Main Window Caption textbox. Note that the specified caption must exactly match the caption shown on the Windows Task Manager's Applications tab, including upper/lower case characters, spaces, and punctuation. Non-DXLab applications whose Main Window Caption changes over time cannot be terminated via the Terminate button.
The Launcher's Main window lets you start or stop DXLab applications individually. It also allows you to start or stop a group of applications with a single mouse click. Each member of this group is designated by checking the associated Enable box in the DXLab Applications and Other Applications panels. If the CTRL key is depressed when the Terminate button is clicked, applications are terminated whether or not their associated Enable box is checked.
If you want the Launcher to automatically start the specified operations without waiting for you to click the Start button, then check the Configuration window's Auto Start box.
If you want the Launcher's Main window to be visible even when another window is placed atop it, then check the Configuration window's Always On Top box.
Automatically minimizing the Launcher's Main window after starting the specified applications
If you want the Launcher's Main window to automatically minimize after the specified applications are started (either by your clicking the Start button or by having the Auto Start box checked), then check the Configuration window's Minimize After Start box.
Indicating whether the Workspaces window should be displayed on startup
If you want the
Launcher to display the Workspaces
window on startup, then check the Configuration window's Workspaces On
Startup box.
Automatically check for new versions of installed applications on startup and daily thereafter
If you want the Launcher to report the availability of new versions of installed DXLab applications on startup and daily thereafter, then check the Check for New each day box.
Immediately check for new versions of databases and installed applications
To immediately check for new versions of databases and installed DXLab applications, click the New ? button. To see what versions of the DXCC, IOTA, USAP, LOTW, and eQSL AG databases are presently installed and available, click the Databases button.
Specifying the web site or local folder from which DXLab applications are installed or upgraded
Several web sites host DXLab development versions. Specify the site from which the Launcher will download new version via the Distribution Site selector. You can direct your web browser to navigate to the select Distribution Site's download web page by clicking the Visit button.
Alternatively, you can set the Distribution Site selector to local folder and set the Install folder pathname to designate a folder containing
a file named FullInfo.txt that enumerates the available full (archive) releases formatted as shown in this example
a file named ReleaseInfo.txt that enumerates the available update releases formatted as shown in this example
a folder for each DXLab application, each of which contains the application's archive and update self-extracting executables; these folders must be named
Commander
DXKeeper
DXView
Pathfinder
PropView
SpotCollector
WinWarbler
DXLabLauncher
Automatically shutting down the Launcher after terminating the specified applications
If you want the Launcher to automatically shut down after you click the Terminate button and all applications have terminated, then check the Configuration window's Shutdown After Terminate box.
Automatically terminate all specified applications when the Launcher is shut down
If you want all specified applications to be terminated when the Launcher is shut down, then check the Configuration window's Terminate on Shutdown box.
Resetting application windows to the primary monitor
The Configuration window's Reset button directs all running DXLab applications to arrange their windows on the primary monitor. This operation is useful if you have switched from a dual-monitor configuration to a single-monitor configuration and need to regain access to windows previously resident on the second monitor.
When checked, the Configuration window's Log Debugging Information box produces a file named errorlog.txt that captures diagnostic information.
Other Settings
Use Dual Monitors: when checked, windows that resided on the secondary monitor during the previous session will be restored to the secondary monitor on startup
Log Debugging Info: when checked, debugging information will be recorded in the file errorlog.txt
Browser pathname: lets you specify the pathname of the HTML browser that's used to display online documentation; click the associated Sel button to display a file selector window that lets you choose the desired browser.