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Deskbar Builder
::
Deskbar features
:: Deskbar
Manual ::
Download
Deskbar Trial |
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Deskbar FAQ: |
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Please, read our advanced manual here. |
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| Q. |
Can we have buttons text and menus text in different languages? |
| A. |
Yes two-byte (UTF characters) sets are fully supported. In addition to Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian and others, the deskbar supports double byte languages, such as Korean, Chinese and Japanese. |
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| Q. |
How can I organize news or advertising via the deskbar? |
| A. |
Just include a <BANNER> tag in your deskbar and redirect it to an HTML page which can be refreshed periodically.
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<TOOLBAR name="Deskbar Sample" icons="icons.bmp" hot_icons="icons.bmp" dllname="deskbar">
<!— News banner (HTML approach) -->
<BANNER caption="news" href="http://www.yoursite.com/deskbar_news.html"
width=”200” expire=”3”/>
<!— News include (XML approach) -->
<INCLUDE_XML filename="http://www.yoursite.com/deskbar.asp" expire=”10”/>
</TOOLBAR>
Another way: Use <INCLUDE_XML> tag with a server side XML file.
Included XML file (placed at URL http://www.yoursite.com/deskbar.asp ):
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<TOOLBAR>
<% ‘ ASP script (generates XML for deskbar)
Randomize
MyValue = Int((4 * Rnd()) + 1) ‘
Generate a random number for advertisement
advText = "Advertisement #" & MyValue ‘ Image name%>
<BUTTON href="http://www.yoursite.com/advert.asp?adv=
<%=MyValue% >" command="redirect" hint=""
caption=" <%=advText% >" />
</TOOLBAR>
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| Q. |
How can I refresh the mini web page in the banner periodically? |
| A. |
You should use the expire attribute of the <BANNER> tag to specify a time interval at which the banner should be reloaded.
<BANNER caption="news" href="http://www.yoursite.com/deskbar_news.html"
width=”200” expire=”1”/>
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| Q. |
How can I have news, short jokes or ads scroll across the deskbar?
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| A. |
Use the <BANNER>. The below will create a 200 pixel wide HTML banner inside the deskbar that is downloaded from your site page (for example, jokes.html).
<BANNER id=”Jokebox” caption="Jokes"
url="http://www.yoursite.com/jokes.html" width="200" expire=”1” />
Please see an example jokes.html below:
<html>
<head>
< META HTTP-EQUIV="PRAGMA" CONTENT="NO-CACHE">
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Cache-control" CONTENT="NO-CACHE, must-revalidate">
<style>
a.ticker { color:#FFFFFF; font-weight:bold; height:10px;
filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.dropshadow(OffX=1, OffY=1, Color='#666666', Positive='true')}
</style>
<script language="javascript">
started = true;
</script>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#D5D2CD" leftMargin=0 topMargin=0 marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0>
<marquee scrollamount=3 direction=left onMouseOver="if (started) { this.stop() }" onMouseOut="if (started) {
this.start() }" onClick="if (started) {started=false; this.stop();}
else {started=true; this.start();}">
<table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0>
<tr>
<!-- TICKER TEXT 1 -->
<td width=12><img src="ticker_icon.gif" border=0></td>
<td width=200><a href= http://www.yoursite.com/jokes1.html class="ticker">
A funny joke</a></td>
<!-- TICKER TEXT 2 -->
<td width=12><img src="ticker_icon.gif" border=0></td>
<td width=200><a href= http://www. yoursite.com/jokes2.html class="ticker">
A very funny joke</a></td>
<!-- TICKER TEXT 3 -->
<td width=12><img src="ticker_icon.gif" border=0></td>
<td width=200><a href= http://www. yoursite.com/jokes3.html class="ticker">
Another funny joke</a></td>
<!-- TICKER TEXT 4 -->
<td width=12><img src="ticker_icon.gif" border=0></td>
<td width=200><a href= http://www. yoursite.com/jokes4.html class="ticker">
And yet one more funny joke</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</marquee> </body> </html>
The jokes.html can also be a script like jokes.php or jokes.asp. |
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| Q. |
I need the ability for multiple, unrelated users, to enter and store their passwords to the html links on menus. Is that possible?
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| A. |
Yes it should be possible using server side scripting and <INCLUDE_XML> command in the deskbar that will call to a server side script. |
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| Q. |
How do I know if the update feature is working?
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| A. |
Normally you need to verify that your serverpath and updateurl inside the <SETTINGS> </SETTINGS> are correctly configured like below:
<URL id="serverpath" default="http://yoursite.com/deskbar/"/>
<URL id="updateUrl" default="http://yoursite.com/deskbar/deskbar.cab"/>
Please make sure that they correctly point to existent folder on your website and the deskbar.cab file is there. Plus, please make sure that the version.txt file is there. It should be accessible as http://yoursite.com/deskbar/version.txt
The deskbar will upgrade itself either manually (when UPDATE command is triggered by button or menu item) or automatically (see automatic update).
It will only update itself if the version.txt file on your server has greater version number then the existent. |
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| Q. |
How does it know in general to update
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| A. |
It pulls version.txt file from the server after each X hours (where X is defined using the scope attribute of the SETTINGS tag). And if it founds that the version number has changed it performs an upgrade. |
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| Q. |
Why do we need to sign this cab file?
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| A. |
The .cab files are signed for security reasons. Unless Internet Explorer security level (available at Internet Options menu) is set to LOW, Internet Explorer will not install an unsigned .cab file.
For security purposes, you must register the deskbar's CAB file to make sure it will be accepted by browsers with a confidentiality level.
You may obtain a Code Signing Certificate by contacting an authorized organization such as Verisign ( www.verisign.com ) and Thawte ( www.thawte.com ).
Once registered, you will receive two files:
A certificate (.spc file). The certificate informs users that the software is secure.
An official registering key (.pvk file). The registering key is used to lock the software. During the installation, users need to accept to install the key on their desktop in order to be able to install the software.
Pricing for a certificate application vary from one company to another. Upon request, your key should be sent to you in approximately two days.
The Code Signing Certificate guarantees users that the software does originate from you and that the software is free of alteration or corruption. It is then safe for users to install it.
We also can sign your .CAB file with our own certificate.
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Q.
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How can I make a digital sign for the deskbar?
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| A. |
After you purchase the code signing certificate from Verisign.com or Thawte.com, they will send you the email with instruction for how to use the certificate. Following their instruction, you will download two files:
mycredentials.spc
myprivatekey.pvk
To make the .cab signed you need to run the following commands:
signcode -n "name of product" -i "Additional info(usually URL)" -spc mycredentials.spc -v myprivatekey.pvk -t http://timestamp.verisign.com/scripts/timstamp.dll deskbar.cab |
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Q. |
How can I obtain a certificate to sign the deskbar with?
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| A. |
We can offer you 3 options for digital certificate.
- You can purchase the certificate from THAWTE.com and use it at your website. You need to order "code signing certificate", it costs $199 per year. This certificate will be issued on your own business name and will contain this name inside. Or You can purchase the certificate from Verisign. According to Verisign (http://www.verisign.com/products/signing/code/), the certificate name is Microsoft Authenticode Digital ID: In conjunction with Microsoft's Authenticode technology, this enables you to digitally sign 32-bit .exe (PE files), .cab, .dll and .ocx, files.
- We can sign the deskbar with SOFTOMATE.COM (our company) certificate for $20.
- .EXE installer (no digital certificate is required). You can use the Cab2exe utility from our site http://www.besttoolbars.net/download.php to convert .cab into setup.exe application. This setup.exe once downloaded and executed will install the deskbar. To use cab2exe: Unzip cab2exe.zip archive into a folder where your .cab file is and run cab2exe.bat. You'll get the self extracting archive called deskbar.exe. Upload it to your website and give your customers a link to download it.
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| Q. |
How can I sign the deskbar with the Softomate's certificate? |
| A. |
Signing with our certificate is the cheapest way to have your deskbar signed. Signing with our (SOFTOMATE) certificate works as follows:
- You send us your .cab file.
- We analyze if it is ok.
- We sign it with our certificate (issued on Softomate/BestToolbars)
- We send you .CAB file back.
The whole procedure takes about one day. |
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| Q. |
I would like to know how can we change the test certificate from Softomate to our company name. |
| A. |
You can use test certificates to sign your deskbar. The test certificate will display a warning to your users. You can download test certificate signing utility from our website at: http://www.besttoolbars.net/download.php
Please take a look over sign_code.bat inside the signing.zip archive you'll find the following line:
makecert -sv test.pvk test.cer
Please change it to:
makecert /sv "test.pvk" /n "CN=YOUR COMPANY NAME" test.cer |
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| Q. |
Do I need to sign the .cab file that is used for updates
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| A. |
You do not need to sign the .CAB file that is used for the update functionality. The deskbar will download this .CAB and unpack transparently for the user. |
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Q. |
Is it possible to change the default install directory in the .exe installer? |
| A. |
Yes that is possible. You need to get into the nsisdesk directory that you had extracted from the package you got from us and edit the deskbar.nsi file. In particular you need to change the line:
!define ZIP2EXE_INSTALLDIR `$PROGRAMFILES\Deskbar' to e.g.
!define ZIP2EXE_INSTALLDIR `$PROGRAMFILES\YourDeskName'
While you are there, you can also change name of the software being installed. It is defined in a following line:
!define ZIP2EXE_NAME `Deskbar` |
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| Q. |
How can I change the message that asks user to reboot during installation? |
| A. |
There is a file named deskbar.nsi file in the nsisdesk directory that you had extracted from the package you got from us. You need to change the following line:
!define RESTART_MESSAGE `The Deskbar has been installed.$\nIt will start
working after reboot.$\nWould you like to reboot now (recommended)?` |
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| Q. |
Is there any ways to add or edit .EXE? I want to add "Terms of use" of the deskbar, and let users choose to "Accept" or "Do not Accept" before they continue installation. |
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Yes that is possible using CAB2NSIS utility we have. You'll find a couple of .nsh files right after you've unzipped cab2nsis. You can modify those .NSH files as it is explained here: http://nsis.sourceforge.net/home/ to achieve what you require.
As an alternative (if you do not have a time to do this yourself), you can explain to us what exactly you are looking for and we'll do this for you. It will cost $25 additional, which you can pay here:
http://www.2checkout.com/cgi-bin/sbuyers/cartpurchase.2c?sid=80323&total=25.00&cart_order_id=44445 |
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| Q. |
What type of commands can I use with the "Shell command on the User PC" ? |
| A. |
You can launch any programs (such as word.exe, notepad.exe) or execute any commands that are accessible from the Start->Run menu (like tracert and cmd). |
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| Q. |
How can I include an .EXE into my deskbar's .CAB and make this .EXE file to be executed when someone presses a button or clicks menu item in my deskbar?
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| A. |
To achieve this, you should add the following lines to the <COMMANDS> section:
<LOCALHTML name="prog" href="progname.exe"/>
<SHELLEXECUTE name="Prog" command="progname.exe"
options="/s %combo1" not_found="Can't open Prog application..."/> |
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| Q. |
Could you create a new GUID or CLSID for us? We do not want it to conflict with others. |
| A. |
Yes, we can provide unique GUID DLLs for you. |
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| Q. |
Do you use MFC or WTL for the deskbar? Will it require additional DLL's or downloads?
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| A. |
We use Visual C++, ATL and WTL. It does not require any additional DLL's to be downloaded. That is why our deskbar is only 180KB in size and very fast. |
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| Q. |
Opening a page in a new or modal browser window. |
| A. |
To do this, define a new WEBJUMP command. The command has to be defined between <COMMANDS></COMMANDS> tags in the configuration file. The syntax is as follows:
<WEBJUMP name="newcommand1"
href=”http://yourdeskbar.com/somepage.html”
newbrowserwindow="true" />
<WEBJUMP name="newcommand2"
href=”http://yourdeskbar.com/somepage.html”
newbrowserwindow="modaldialog" options="status:no;help:no;dialogHeight:600px;
dialogWidth:600px;dialogHide:yes;scroll:auto;" />
'options' parameter defines options of the modal dialog or the new window. It is the same as in javascript: window.open() function. This command can then be added to any button or menu item. |
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| Q. |
Can I set up deskbar to rotate multiple banner HTMLs in the same space on deskbar?
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| A. |
You can use local HTML file that you mention in your BANNER and that local HTML file has to contain Java Script used to redirect to different files. |
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| Q. |
Sending POST requests via the deskbar. |
| A. |
To do this, define a new WEBJUMP command. The command has to be defined between <COMMANDS></COMMANDS> tags in the configuration file. The syntax is as following:
<WEBJUMP name="newcommand1"
post=”var1=%combo1&var2=%domain”/> |
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| Q. |
I'm trying to edit the basis.xml file to contain a listbox. Clicking on each list item needs to redirect to a different site. |
| A. |
You can use the following code:
<COMBO id="se_search_option" name="se_search_option" hint="" limit="45" command="goSite">
<WIDTH>100</WIDTH>
<VALUE display="Site1">http://URL of site1</VALUE>
<VALUE display="Site2">http://URL of site2</VALUE>
</COMBO>
And the below WEBJUMP command:
<WEBJUMP name="goSite" href="%se_search_option"/> |
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| Q. |
How to use multiple search sites in the deskbar? |
| A. |
If you need to search on multiple search sites like google.com and your own site with your own site being the default, define the following commands:
<WEBJUMP name="search1"
href="http://www.yourdeskbar.com/search.asp?q=%combo1&
Searchtype=from_deskbar"/>
<WEBJUMP name="search2" href="http://google.com/search?q=%combo1"/>
In the above lines %combo1 symbol shows the position into which the search string will be substituted. “Combo1” here is a name of the combo box, from which deskbar should get the search terms.
To specify that by default the search will be performed on your site you'll have to specify that the Search combo box uses the search1 command as shown in the fragment below:
<COMBO name="combo1" caption="search" hint="enter text to search"
command="search1" limit="40" histmax="10">
<WIDTH>10</WIDTH>
<WIDTH>15</WIDTH>
<WIDTH>20</WIDTH>
</COMBO> |
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| Q. |
Disabling the down arrow shown beside buttons.
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| A. |
You have to change the menu type from Split to Single. So that it will not show the down arrow near the button.
<MENU img="logo.bmp" type="Single">
...
</MENU> |
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| Q. |
Providing news/information. |
| A. |
You can insert the following lines:
<BANNER width="100" url= http://www.yourserver.com/news.html expire=“60“/>
That will insert a mini web browser window into the place. By defining the url= http://www.yourserver.com/news.html you can achieve that the current news from your website will be displayed each time the new browser window is open. You can insert any html code into that page so that you can provide scrolling lines, flashing items and so on. |
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| Q. |
How can I make some buttons disabled by default?
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| A. |
The BUTTON tag has the visibility attribute. Setting he value to 0 disables a button until it's enabled in the options page.
<BUTTON id="btclrcnt" caption="CLEARCOUNT" img="4"
command="clearcount" visibility="0" /> |
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| Q. |
What will happen if I set two or more buttons with the same id? Will this mean that the checkbox for this id will be controlling the button with the same id?
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Each id must be unique. But you can use Java Script inside your options.html to link two checkboxes together (that means, clicking on one should also trigger another). You can even hide these checkboxes on html page but Java Script to switch them on/off. |
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| Q. |
Does the deskbar include any types of spy ware?
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| A. |
We do not contain any spy ware components inside our software. They have never been a part of it and never will be. The problem is that a lot of people either create spy ware using the source code they purchased from us or just erringly mark our software as spy ware. |
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| Q. |
What will be the cost of the extra feature set implementation? |
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Yes we do custom implementation in our offshore development center. The rate is $20 per man hour. Whenever the changes are needed you can ask us. |
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