KC Menu II
About
KC Menu II is a customizable desktop for the Casio
BE300.
KC Menu II is a free upgrade to KC Menu.
You can use the trial version of KC Menu II free of charge
however, the trial version has limited functionality.
For purchase information, scroll to the end of this file.
Overview
(top)
KC Menu II is designed to help you organize your files and
applications on your BE. KC Menu II also lets you personalize the
look of your BE by using the desktop "skins". The skin determines the
look and layout of your desktop - similar to desktop themes in
Windows.
The KC Menu II desktop is divided into several pages. Each page can contain different files and applications. Most KC Menu II skins have pages for General, Media, Utilities, Games and Misc. Some skins provide additional pages.
To use KC Menu II, you first load a desired skin and then place files and applications on the pages as you please. Once you have placed files and applications on a page, you can change skins without having to reassign your files.
Every skin has several similar components. They are:
Hotspots
Hotspots are areas on the desktop that perform some action. There are various kinds of hotspots. These include (to name just a few):
- Hotspots which can link to files or directories
- Hotspots which can show calendar or task information
- Hotspots which link to other pages
Options Menu.
The Options Menu is used to access the various utilities in KC Menu II. You can activate the Options Menu by tapping on the Options Menu hotspot for the skin you are using. If you don't know where that hotspot is, press on the UP button on the silver cursor pad on the bottom center of your BE. The Options Menu will appear. Select "Show Hotspots". This will color code the hotspots for you. The coding is
Green
The Options Menu
White
User assignable links
Yellow
User assignable global links (these links are shared by all pages) Not all skins use global links
Red
Links to other pages
Blue
Other functions, such as Quit or Show PIM window
Pages - Each page can hold different user assignable links
Changing
Skins (top)
Select "Load Skin" from the Options Menu
then select the desired skin. Additional skins can also be downloaded
from the Web.
To transfer skins you have downloaded onto your desktop PC to your BE, you can use the SkinManager . The SkinManager is installed on your desktop PC when you install the KC Menu II utilities for your PC. The SkinManager lets you archive skins on your PC and then transfer them to your BE when you want to use them. You can activate the SkinManager by selecting SkinManager from the KC Menu II program item on your Start menu. If you want to store skins on your PC you should place them in the skin Archive directory. This directory is also available from the KC Menu II program item on your Start menu.
You can keep multiple skins stored on your BE, but if you have a large collection you will want to archive some of them to your PC to conserve storage space on your BE.
Making
KC Menu II the Default Menu (top)
If KC Menu II is the default menu, then it will be automatically
loaded and run when you reset your BE. To make KC Menu II the
default, select "Utilities" from the Options
Menu. Then select "Set Default Menu". Choose "KC Menu II" and tap
Change Settings.
Normally the Set Default Menu utility will not change the priority of KC Menu II. Under heavy memory use by another application, KC Menu II may quit to free up additional memory. Once memory is available KC Menu II can be restarted - if it is the default menu this will happen automatically when you tap the screen. You can optionally "up" the priority of KC Menu II so that it will never quit, even when memory is needed.
NOTE: If you store your skins on a CF card, KC Menu II may occasionally be unable to initially find that skin after a reset. KC Menu II allows the BE a few seconds to recognize the CF card after a reset. If the BE can not find the card in that amount of time, KC Menu II will revert to the default skin stored on the NAND disk instead of making the user wait for the CF card. If the CF card is installed you can simply press one of the page links on the default skin after the CF icon has appeared on the task bar and KC Menu II will return to the skin on the CF card.
Assigning
Files (top)
You assign files to user assignable hotspots by
tapping and holding the mouse on a hotspot. This brings up the
"Assign Item " dialog box. Select the desired file using the
[...] button. You can change the displayed name of the file
by editing the name in the provided box.
Alternately, you can use the Assign Links utility from the Options Menu. This utility lets you select from all available programs on your BE and assign them to different pages. Remember to SAVE each page before moving to a new page.
If you find that your desktop has become corrupt, or you want to clear all of your assigned links, you can force KC Menu II to clear all of your page files and "start fresh". See the section on Aborting KC Menu II
Assigning
Directories (top)
You assign directories to user assignable
hotspots by tapping and holding the mouse on a hotspot. This brings
up the "Assign Directory" dialog box. Select a file in the desired
directory. using the [...] button. You can change the
displayed name of the file by editing the name in the provided box.
You must have at least one file in the directory to assign a
directory using this method.
When you tap on a directory link, the file browser window will open, showing the files in the directory.
Start
Menu (top)
The Start Menu lets you switch to and open up applications without
having to return to the KC Menu II desktop. To activate the
StartMenu, tap on the small black down arrow at the bottom of the
screen (the graphic may be different if you are using a different
skin). The lower portion of the menu displays the amount of memory
used and lets you close all but the currently open application. The
center portion of the menu shows a list of currently open
applications. You can switch to any of these applications by tapping
on the name of the application. You can close any of these
applications by tapping on the X next to the name. The top portion of
the menu is reserved for user assigned applications.
The X next to the Start Menu down arrow on the task bar closes the currently opened application and returns you to the KC Menu II desktop.
To assign a file to the Start Menu, you place a shortcut to that file in the "start menu" directory. First, select "Show Start Menu Files" from the Options Menu. This opens up the file browser window and displays the contents of the StartMenu. Tap and hold on a blank location in the file browser window. Then select "Create Shortcut" and add a shortcut. When you close the file browser window the new item will appear on the Start Menu.
You can add one level of subdirectories to the Start Menu by creating a directory inside the start menu directory.
The Start Menu will only show shortcut files. So you must place a shortcut (*.lnk) file in the start menu directory if you wish it to appear on the Start Menu.
Also see the file browser .
File
Browser (top)
The file browser is a simple file manager that lets you move, delete
and rename files on your BE. The file browser window automatically
opens whenever you tap on a directory hotspot, or when you select
"Show Start Menu Files" from the Options Menu. File browser functions
include:
Closing
Tap on the close box at the top right of the browser window title bar.Changing the window size
Tap and hold in the title bar.Moving the window
Tap and drag in the title bar.Filtering the contents
Tap on the title bar and select a file filter from the bottom portion of the dropdown menu. The currently selected filter is listed in ( ) on the title bar.Changing directories
Tap on a directory to open that directory. Tap on the Up directory to go up one level. Tap on the title bar and select a directory to go up an arbitrary number of directory levelsRunning programs
Tap on a file or application to run the application. If a file is associated with an application, that application will be automatically run. See the section on file association.Deleting/Renaming files
Tap and hold on the file name. Select Delete or Rename.Adding Directories
Tap and hold on a blank location. Select Add Directory and enter a directory name.Adding Shortcuts
Tap and hold on a blank location. Tap on the [...] button and select a file. You can change the name of the file in the box provided. Shortcuts have the "lnk" extension. You can also add a shortcut by using the Paste Shortcut option. This creates a shortcut of the item currently in the clipboard. See below.Copy
Tap and hold on a file name and select Copy. This copies the file to the internal clipboard. If you delete the file, the copy will also be invalid. You can copy and paste between directories and between the file browser and the KC Menu II desktop.Paste
Tap and hold the pen and select Paste. This pastes the contents of the clipboard to the currently viewed directory. You can copy and paste between directories and between the file browser and the KC Menu II desktop.Paste & Delete
Tap and hold the pen and select Paste & Delete. This pastes the contents of the clipboard to the currently viewed directory and then deletes the original file or directory.
PIM
Window and PIM Information (top)
The PIM Window is opened when you tap on the PIM window hotspot or
select the PIM window from the Options
Menu. The PIM window displays your Appointments and ToDo items
for the currently selected date.
You can change the size and location of the PIM window just like you do in the File Browser
To change the date of the PIM window, tap on the PIM window title bar and select a date. KC Menu II remembers the date you just selected when you close and reopen the PIM window. The PIM window date is reset to the current date when you turn off your BE
ToDo items are sorted and color coded by priority. High priority items are listed first.
Some skins also display your upcoming Appointments and ToDo items right on the KC Menu II desktop. If you make a change to the schedule you can update the desktop item by tapping on them.
Associating
Files (top)
Use the file association utility to assign an application to a file
type. From the Options Menu select
Utilities, then Associate File When you tap on the file, the
application will open and load the file. Not all companies enable
file loading in their application, and some companies automatically
associate files when their software is installed.
Assigning
Buttons (top)
Use the Set Hard Icon utility to assign the functions of the hard
icons and rocket button. From the Options
Menu, select Utilities then Set Hard Icon, then assign files or
applications to the hard icon buttons.
AutoStart
Files (top)
Any file or application (or link to that file or application) can be
placed in the Autostart directory. These files will be automatically
run when KC Menu II is started. Select AutoStart from the Options
Menu. This opens the file browser and displays
the autostart directory. You can then copy/paste or place a shortcut
in the directory. Files and applications placed in this directory
automatically run before KC Menu II is started.
System
Status (top)
Use the System Status utility to view the status of your storage card
and NAND disk. This utility also lets you view and terminate
processes running on your BE. From the Options Menu, select
Utilities, then System Status.
Aborting
KC Menu II (top)
Tap and hold the pen on the upper half of the display while KC Menu
II is starting up. This interrupts the KC Menu II booting process and
lets you select from several options. Selecting NO will abort KC Menu
II and return you to the original Casio menu. Selecting YES will
erase all your assigned links and restart KC Menu II. Use this option
if your desktop is corrupted or you want to remove all your assigned
links. CANCEL continues booting KC Menu II.
Creating
Your Own Skins (top)
You can create your own skins for KC Menu II. The complete skin
specification is provided in the SkinFormat.doc file. SkinFormat.doc
is installed on your desktop PC when you install the KC Menu II
utilities for your PC. SkinFormat.doc can be found in the KC Menu
files directory. You can access this directory from the KC Menu II
program item on the Start menu of your PC.
Purchase
Information (top)
If you keep KC Menu II, you should purchase the software from the
Casio's web site:
Go to: http://cassiopeia.software.casio.com
Then visit the PocketManager store, and look for KC Menu II in the Personal Productivity section
Click here for a direct link to KC Menu II at the Casio store
The cost of the software is $5.00
You can register KC Menu II one of two ways.
Contact
(top)
Email suggestions and questions to
StatsNOW at: gmason@tscnet.com