By Matthew Hershberger
www.macinsearch.com/users/mjh
What is MultiPrefs?
MultiPrefs is an application that lets you have many
preference sets for individual applications. This is
especially useful on family computers that many people
use. Each user can have their own personal settings
for every program they use, even if others use the
same program and prefer different settings. Simply
launch MultiPrefs, select which application you want
from the popup menu, and select the user you want.
MultiPrefs will then load the appropriate program,
with the desired preferences.
How do I use it?
When you first load MultiPrefs, you will be given a
dialog box to enter an Application:
Click on the "Choose App..." button and you will be presented with a standard Open dialog asking which application this entry should load when you use it. Then click on the "Choose File..." button to select the preferences file that this program uses. Since some programs use entire folders to store preferences rather than a single file, if you press the option key "Choose File..." will change to "Choose Folder...", and you will be asked to select a folder instead of a file. The names of the chosen application and preferences file/folder will be displayed to the left of the buttons. Then click "Add". The entry you just set will now appear in the popup menu at the top of the main window.
At first the only user will be Anonymous. This is the current preferences file/folder for that application. Select which user you want from the list on the left, and click the "Choose" button. MultiPrefs will then load the program, and quit itself. You can add and rename users with the buttons on the right. When you first create a new user, the application will have its default settings, as if you just installed it. You can then load MultiPrefs and choose between any number of users you have set.
You can add additional applications by selecting "Add
Application Entry..." from the "File"
menu. You will be presented with the same dialog box
you saw when you first launched MultiPrefs. After you
have entered more applications, you can choose which
one you want from the popup menu at the top of the
MultiPrefs window.
If you have many applications to choose from, you may
wish to save shortcuts to each one. By selecting "Save
Application Shortcut..." from the "File"
menu, you can create a file that will load MultiPrefs
and automatically select the application you are currently
on. You can also save shortcuts to individual users.
Just select the user you want to make a shortcut to
in the list box, and choose "Save User Shortcut..."
from the "File" menu. Now when you open that
file, MultiPrefs will automatically load the chosen
program with the selected preferences, just like selecting
that user and clicking the "Choose" button,
only faster and more convenient.
If you ever want to delete a user or application entry, select the appropriate command from the file menu.
You can also drag icons onto the MultiPrefs application icon in the Finder, and MultiPrefs will then open those files/folders in the application you select, so you can put aliases of the MultiPrefs application in place of other applications, and have the full advantage of multiple users with the convenience of Drag and Drop.
Contact information:
Please send any feedback regarding this product to mhershberger@mac-addict.com.
Version History:
Changes made in this version:
* MultiPrefs now launches with the last application
used already selected.
Changes made in 1.2:
* Added ability to change preferences sets without
automatically loading the parent application. These
settings are also saved into shortcuts, so you can
change preferences sets for many applications simply
by opening a group of files at once.
* Added ability to rename application entries.
* Various bug fixes.
Changes made in 1.1.2:
* Fixed bug where MultiPrefs would crash if an
audio CD was inserted.
Changes made in version 1.1:
* Added ability to save shortcuts to specific users
of specific applications, in addition to saving shortcuts
to application entries. Opening these shortcuts will
transparently launch the desired program with the desired
preferences.
Disclaimer:
In no event will the author of this software be liable
for any special, incidental, or consequential damages
resulting from possession, use, or malfunction of this
product.
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