Control Strip

This utility, originally introduced for PowerBooks, but now part of System 7.5.2 , is a collapsible floating palette that enables you to have one-click access to a variety of commonly used items through a series of pop-up menus.

On PowerBook models, the control strip also displays the PowerBook's battery status using a bar graph showing the estimated time left on the battery’s charge. PowerBook users can access a wide range of controls from this floating palette including: your system's sound volume; the spin- down feature of your PowerBook to save battery life; a file-sharing switch to enable or disable file sharing across a network; an AppleTalk on/off switch (AppleTalk uses considerable battery power); an instant sleep feature; and a video mirroring switch.

For desktop users, you can configure the Control Strip to add a variety of options, like screen depth or sound volume, from the Control Strip Control Panel. To add an item to the Control Strip, you must add a control strip module to the control strip modules folder, in the System Folder. (Shareware and freeware control strip modules are available from online services and the Internet).

To extend the control strip, click the tab on the left and it will extend to its full length. To hide the control strip, leaving just the tab visible, click the tab again or the close box at the other end of the control strip. If you have more items on the control strip than can be displayed at its current size, click the arrows at the end of the strip to scroll through items.

To move items that are in the control strip, hold the Option key while dragging the item to its new location.

Tip: if you option click on the "Current hot key" box, the window title changes to the author's name. NOTE: Control Strip sometimes causes problems with certain screen savers. If you have problems with it, be sure to use the on/off "hot key" to turn the control strip off when you aren't using it.

See Also

• Apple Computer