Favorites Menu Help

Name:	Favorites Menu
Version:	1.4
Last update:	2019-08-08 10:22:25

This package allows you to open designated files, folders, applications, and web pages from within Alpha. You can assign a custom keyboard shortcut for each item.
Select Alpha ↣ Global Setup ↣ Features to turn this feature on to add items to the new File ↣ Favorites menu.
Click here to display the Features Preferences dialog and activate this package.

Adding New Favorites

Select File ↣ Favorites ↣ New Favorite, which will open a series of dialogs that look like this. You must first choose what type of Favorite this will be, i.e. a file, folder, application, or web page. Open windows that exist as local files can be selected, as well as the list of files collected by the package Recent Files , and your collection of folders collected by the package Recent Folders . Once you have selected an Item Type, the next dialog allows you to name the Favorite, and specify its location.
You must enter a unique name for the Favorite Item; this could be the tail of the file, folder, or application, but because there might be some ambiguity if you have several items on your disk with the same name this isn't used automatically. (See also the Power User Tip below for additional naming strategies.)
You must also select a location for the Favorite Item. If you fail to do so, the dialog will keep re-appearing until you either choose a location or press the Cancel button.
The list of Favorites has nothing to do with any System Favorites, by the way, and changing Alpha's menu does nothing to your System Prefs.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Each Favorite can also be assigned a unique keyboard shortcut that will appear in the menu and that will be available in any mode, even if there are no open windows. Two options are available here: the shortcut can be defined when you first create a New Favorite Item, or added later by selecting File ↣ Favorites ↣ Edit Favorite.
It can be created with a prefix so that a shortcut such as Control-C Control-F (⌃C ⌃F) can be used to open a Favorite Item. You should always confirm that a proposed shortcut is not already in use before assigning it.

Opening Favorites

Favorites are opened by selecting them from the Files ↣ Favorites menu, or by pressing their associated keyboard shortcuts.

Files are always opened in Alpha.
Folders open an Open File dialog using the specified folder as the default location. The chosen file will then be opened in Alpha.
Applications will be launched if necessary, and then brought to the front.
Web Pages will be sent to your View URL helper application.

Click here to display the viewURL Helpers Preferences.
If any of your non-web-page Favorites have been renamed or moved on your local disk, Alpha will not be able to locate it. You must edit the item with the new location (File ↣ Favorites ↣ Edit Favorite) or select File ↣ Favorites ↣ Delete Favorite to remove it from the menu.

Power User Tip

If the name of a Favorite Item ends in "*", as in "Readme *", then the default opening behavior is changed.

Files will be sent to the Finder to be opened using whatever default application is deemed appropriate by the OS.
Folders will be displayed in the OS Finder.
Applications will be launched in the background.
Web Pages will be launched using your System browswer, ignoring the current View URL helper application setting.

Favorites Utility Items

After you have created a list of Favorites, you can select any of the various utilities to Edit/Rename/Delete any saved Favorite Item. When you Delete them you are only affecting this submenu, and you're not actually deleting them from your local disk.
Once you have created a Favorite Item that is a File, Folder, or Application, however, you cannot change that item's type.

Contextual Menu Module

This package also creates a new Favorites Contextual Menu module that can be activated after if this package has been turned on. Click here to display the Contextual Menu Preferences panel.
This CM menu will offer the same options as File ↣ Favorites.

Known problems

Please report any problem or bug you encounter to Alpha's Bug Tracker.

License and Disclaimer

Copyright (c) 2004-2019, Craig Barton Upright.
All rights reserved.
The favoritesMenu package is free software and distributed under the terms of the new BSD license:
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
Neither the name of Craig Barton Upright nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL CRAIG BARTON UPRIGHT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.