Revision History

3.14e (Release)

• Fixed the command-line disconnect and scheduled disconnect bugs.
• Corrected the mangled exe's that come with NetLaunch.  They were compressed with the wrong program when I created the archive.

3.14e (Beta 4)

• Fixed a bug which caused the first item in the second column of a multiple-column context menu inoperable.
• Corrected the links in the About Box to reflect the current webpage location.

3.14e (Beta 3)

• Changed libraries to use the new Microsoft SDK linker libs (found out why the first 3.14D release failed to load the Prefs screen with the new SDK libs, and fixed it)
• Streamlined NetLaunch's usage of the registry by cleaning up several redundant checks and moving some settings to memory
• Created some registry buffer code (much like a "smartdrv" for the Windows Registry).  The end result is that you will see much less registry activity, and NetLaunch now no longer polls the registry at ALL.
• Fixed a beta 1 bug which caused the low-traffic disconnect to fail
• Fixed a beta 1 bug which caused an exception error when disconnecting (the exception was handled, but an exception is an exception!)
• Finally nailed down the low-traffic disconnect bug.
• Moved several language-specific strings to the resources, so they can be easily edited.   This is in preparation for the possibility of releasing different language versions of NetLaunch.
• Went through all the code in order to make it compilable in both UNICODE and ANSI formats.  Previously NetLaunch was strictly ANSI.  Currently only Windows NT implements a complete UNICODE environment, so a UNICODE version of NetLaunch would only run on NT.

3.14d (03-30-1998)

• Recompiled all the executables, including the installer and uninstaller, using a runtime library I made as a subset to the standard runtime library that is compiled with normal apps.  The end result is that all exe's are much smaller.
• Altered the registry cleanup code to fix an infinite loop occurring on some systems
• Fixed a notification bug in the Launch List.  When NetLaunch was first run after a fresh install in which a previous Launch List was not found, NetLaunch would fail to recognize any new items in the Launch List until NetLaunch was closed and re-started.
• Fixed a problem NetLaunch was having executing .PIF files.  It seems that the PIF file settings were not being used when the DOS program opened up.
• NetLaunch no longer stores online information in its registry key, but keeps it in memory instead.  Basically it means that NetLaunch no longer polls the registry every second to get dial-up networking status.

3.14c (03-25-1998)

• Fixed a bug in the low-traffic disconnect option, which caused NetLaunch to sometimes drop the line immediately after connecting.
• Added code to "flush" the system tray after closing programs.  This will effectively clean out any icons that a program may have left in the system tray after NetLaunch has shut it down.
• When preparing to launch a program automatically, NetLaunch will re-verify the proper qualifications after the specified time delay has elapsed to see if it should still launch the program.  In a nutshell, if you specify a time-delay launch on connect, and the connection is dropped before the program has launched, NetLaunch will not launch the program.
• Corrected some potential notification bugs that can happen if the Launch List is updated while the Preferences screen is on display.
• Fixed an icon display problem if a shortcut either was invalid, or did not have an icon associated with it.
• Fixed a startup bug which sometimes caused multiple instances of NetLaunch to start, and/or caused programs launched through NetLaunch at startup to not properly close later on.

3.14b (03-20-1998)

• Added support for showing/hiding sub-directories (submenus) in the Launch List
• Added enviornment variable support for assigning the launch list directory.  (i.e. "%windir%\Start Menu\Programs\Internet")
• Added registry clean-up code to keep the NetLaunch registry key from getting cluttered with unused stuff
• Fixed a command-line bug which caused NetLaunch not to launch programs/connections from the command line.
  If you are using NetLaunch to execute a program from the Launch List from the command line, you must include the shortcut's extension in the command line parameter or it will not work!  This is a change in behavior from the previous versions of NetLaunch, but was necessary to avoid possible filename problems and mismatches when trying to identify the program you are attempting to launch.
• NetLaunch can now detect the closing of DOS applications, including batch files!
• Minimum connection speed and low-traffic disconnect are now working for Win95 users who have not upgraded to MSDUN1.2 -- I highly recommend upgrading to MSDUN1.2 anyway!
• Updated several outdated items in the helpfile
• Slightly altered my hook procedure (NT4/5 only) which may have been causing a problem if other hooks were installed.  (An example would be RTVReco v5.x, which uses hooks to catch windows and dialogs as they appear)

3.14a (03-15-1998)

• Fixed a GP fault when loading schedules into memory under certain conditions
• Fixed a display bug where DUN connection names with period "." characters were truncated
• Reverted the tray icon back to the original, and made a new Disabled tray icon that looks better (in my opinion)
• NetLaunch sometimes didn't redial after disconnecting a connection that failed to meet minimum speed requirements.
• Fixed a GP fault that sometimes occurred while dialing an ISP, just after the connection is made.  Usually happened on NT only.
• When entering a timeout value for a program in the Preferences screen, if you clicked on another item, it would inherit the previous item's settings.
• Fixed a "divide error" when bringing up the Preferences screen.  Only happened to users on Win95 with COMCTL32.DLL version 4.00.950.
• Removed the Exit button in Preferences if the system tray icon is visible.  If the tray icon is not in the tray, the Exit button will be there so that you can exit NetLaunch completely.
• NetLaunch was pretty stupid about locating the helpfile...Fixed!
• NetLaunch failed to shut down or detect previous instances of programs in the launch list that contained period "." characters in the filename (other than the extension)
• NetLaunch sometimes wouldn't let NT4 shut down properly, instead you had to exit NetLaunch manually before NT4 would shut down
• Fixed a GP fault in Dial-Up Networking that happened when NetLaunch was started, a connection was made and then broken, then NetLaunch was closed and restarted, and a connection was made again.  (This one was a bit difficult to fix!)

3.14 (03-13-1998)

• Sorted the Launch List and Connections in the context menu
• Netlaunch can now start disabled.
• Netlaunch can now launch just about anything in the Launch List. In order to do this, I had to make some changes to the way it stores program launch preferences in the registry. THIS MEANS YOU HAVE TO RECONFIGURE YOUR PROGRAMS IN NETLAUNCH. Sorry, but the feature was worth the inconvenience...at least *I* thought so...
• Changed the way it waits for the Reconnect dialog to appear--this should fix everyone having problems with Netlaunch not reconnecting on disconnect.
• Added minimum connection speed checking, so Netlaunch will disconnect and redial if the minimum connect speed is not met.
• Fixed a problem with retrying a connection if you are using MSDUN1.1 or above and had the "Prompt for information before dialing" un-checked in the DUN settings.
• Some minor internal changes in preparation for beta testing to begin on NetLaunch version 4.0
• Added hyperlinks to the About Box so people could send me e-mail and go to my webpage easily.
• Moved the Schedules to memory, so Netlaunch no longer bothers the registry every second.
• An improved Idle Disconnect.  Microsoft relies on the modem's "S-Registers" to drop the connection after it's been idle, but often the modem either doesn't use it, or will maintain the connection because of intermittant usage.  Netlaunch can now check the percentage of use, and can disconnect the modem when it's really idle, or when the usage drops to a user-defined percentage over a user-defined period of time.
• The context menu now appears quicker, especially in NT4/NT5.
• Added sub-directory support for the Launch List.  Now you can have submenus within the context menu!
• Created my own custom self-extracting executable installer/uninstaller.  I got tired of dealing with the Windows Setup API DLL's and that INF file I was using before.
• Added several files to the archive, including the NLUNLOAD.EXE program.   This program can unload NetLaunch, and I've had many requests for it.  You can even put this file in the Launch List and have NetLaunch run it.

3.13a

• Fixed the "Disconnect after connected for xx" scheduled event. It was disconnecting after a minute regardless of the setting.

3.13

• Added PIF file support for launching MS-DOS programs and batch files. NetLaunch cannot close down or sense the closing of DOS programs, but it can at least launch them for you now.

3.12

• Up to this version, NetLaunch was getting the verbage for the "Connect to" dialog from the dialog box in RASAPI32.DLL in Windows 95. What I have come to find out is that Windows 95 uses the "Connect to" stringtable entry to give that dialog box its title, and ignores the original dialog box resource's default title. The Brazilian-Portuguese version of Windows 95 has a slight discrepancy that caused this to become an issue. The dialog box title said "Connectar A" and the stringtable entry said "Connectar a" ... so NetLaunch was not pressing the button because it was looking for a capital A and not a lowercase A. This may also fix some problems NetLaunch was having with the Japanese/Chinese versions of Windows 95.

3.11

• NetLaunch now expands error dialogs that cannot fit the "retry" and "cancel" buttons, so that they will fit.
• No longer repeatedly minimizes the "Connected to" dialog over and over. It only does it once now.
• Fixed a menu bug in the left-clicked menu that would cause the menu option not to be activated when clicked if the default ISP connection was set to not show in the context menu. The right-clicked menu was unaffected.

3.10

• Fixed a problem with connections scheduled to begin on startup. Sometimes it was opening several connection windows and trying to connect.
• For programs set to close "just prior to" a connect/disconnect, NetLaunch will now wait until the program is completely closed before continuing. This could cause an infinite loop if the program does not close after NetLaunch tells it to. Closing the program manually is the only way to make NetLaunch continue after that.
• Added full support for the NetLaunch API! The API is completely finished, but as of May 9, 1997 I have not completed the API documentation. Contact me or keep checking my webpage for availablility. It will be available free of charge for anyone who wants it.

3.10 Beta 5

• Fixed a GP fault with manually-launched programs (this was actually fixed in a second upload of beta 4, so you may not have seen this error)
• Slight alterations to the helpfile & the Program Prefs dialog to make room for future additions.
• Added a very tiny .WAV file player (PLAYWAV.EXE) to the archive. This will let you play any .WAV file on a connect/disconnect event. It gets installed to your WINDOWS directory along with NetLaunch.

3.10 Beta 4

• Broke the scheduler in beta 3. Fixed! Sorry.
• Fixed a reconnect bug. NetLaunch was minimizing the "Connected to" dialog when it appears underneath the "Reconnect/Cancel" dialog, and it should not have been. It was causing all sorts of problems.

3.10 Beta 3

• Fixed the left-clicked menu problem when you've selectively hidden DUN connections. It would either not launch the connection or would launch the wrong one.
• Added minimize Internet News & Mail to the software. It now will check if it is launching Explorer, and will adjust its method of minimizing the application accordingly. To auto-minimize either Internet News or Mail, open the Launch List, right-click on the icon, and select Properties. Select the Shortcut tab, and change the run mode to "Run minimized". NetLaunch will take care of the rest.
• Added no-focus launching, so apps can be started without giving them the window focus. This doesn't work for all apps, only those written properly. (Internet News & Mail do not pay attention to the NoFocus param...losers!)
• Altered the GUI behavior for the Launch Options. You may now select the "Only one instance" and "No focus" checkboxes for manually launched applications.

3.10 Beta 2

• Added "just prior to" options for launching/closing programs prior to a connect or disconnect
• Fixed the context menu bug introduced in beta 1

3.10 Beta 1

Added a lot of new features! Things like:

• Retry on error like Windows NT...this is WAY cool!
• Can now press either "Reconnect" or CANCEL on a DUN disconnect
• Can minimize or hide the "Connected to" dialog
• Can prevent program icons and connection icons from showing up in the context menu

Fixed some of the problems preventing me from enabling all the compiler optimizations, so now the program is even smaller than it was before!

3.06c

• Fix for Spanish version of Windows 95. Seems there was a trailing space on the "Connectar Con" string in the RASPI32.DLL which is trimmed when the window is opened, and NetLaunch was unable to "see" the window.
• Fixed an unhandled exception error when disconnecting from an ISP in Windows NT.

3.06b

• Added disable support. NetLaunch can now be enabled and disabled

3.06a

• Fixed a small GUI bug

3.06

• More tweaking on the GUI, specifically the Launch List launch and close settings for programs.
• Fixed the Destroy Window. It was not working at all.
• Changed the methodology of how NetLaunch looks for windows to send close or destroy messages to. Previously, NetLaunch would simply enumerate the windows of the main thread of an application. However, this was not working on many programs that create windows in spawned threads (other than the primary thread). NetLaunch now enumerates all the windows and matches them with their Process ID's to determine which apps own which windows. It can now send messages to windows no matter which thread of an app opened it.

3.05d

• Fixed an unhandled exception in NT when dealing with the context menu change I put into 3.05c (grin)
• Added a new checkbox to remove the connection entries from the context menu when you are already connected.

3.05c

• Changed the context menu to handle huge amounts of programs in the Launch List. Previously if you were in 640x480 and had a lot of programs in the list, the menu would keep going down vertically, even past the end of the visible display area. Added logic to allow it to do multiple columns.

3.05b

• When I reworked the disconnection detection code for NT a while back, I accidentally broke the "press redial button" code. FIXED!
• Fixed a very tiny GUI bug when you've added a new connection to DUN. It would sometimes show the "Apply" button when you hadn't changed anything in the "Connections" tab.

3.05a

• Removed "push buttons for all dialup connections". It is now automatic and can not be disabled. Most of the "dialog skipping" routines required this feature enabled and would not work otherwise.
• Fixed long dial-up names. If the name of the dialup connection is longer than 18 characters, Windows95 truncates the name and appends "..." to it. This was throwing off NetLaunch, especially since the behavior in OSR2 is different than old Windows 95.

3.05

• Small tweaks. Fixed a couple small bugs when trying to press buttons for the "Connect To" dialog.
• Messing with the optimization settings for my compiler. Some of the features are causing inconsistencies between my debug and release builds and are causing a lot of problems. Unfortunately it means the executable is a little bigger now.
• I was leaving some handles open when it launched/closed programs. Fixed!
• The Launch List in the Preferences screen is updated properly when you chang the Launch List directory. You no longer have to exit Prefs and come back in
• Changed the way I resolve links and ask for a pathname/filename from the system. I was asking for the shortpath (8.3 format) instead of the UNC path, and some programs...well, ONE program didn't like it. It was Agent 1.0.
• Separated the INF file into two versions, one for NT and one for 95. Why can't Microsoft name their setup API DLL's the same in NT and 95? It'd make the uninstall process SO much easier!
• Fixed the "Hide connected dialog" button...was not updating properly
• Fixed a long ISP name bug...The "Connect To" dialog was truncating the name in the static control I was looking at--fortunately there's a hidden on in the dialog with the full name.

3.04

• Fixed a major bug that could cause your system to get seriously unstable after running NetLaunch for a long time. I kept opening the registry key every 2 seconds and not closing it...so each time it would open another handle, then another, then another...you get the point. I didn't catch it until I ran NT's task manager. (Thank God!)
• Fixed a small registry cleanup bug
• Added a time-delay launch so a program can launch after a designated period of time after a connect. That way it doesn't totally cripple your system by launching all the programs at the same time.
• Can now hide the "Connected" dialog...None of this minimizing crap. It's GONE! (I always hated having that window in my taskbar!)
• Added left-click support and a new "Connections" hotkey. Left-clicking on the NetLaunch icon now brings up an abbreviated Connections menu, allowing you to connect and disconnect. The hotkey does the same thing, only with the keyboard of course.

3.03

• Fixed a bug when executing command-line params that caused programs to be launched in the Launch List.
• The program now reports when it cannot resolve a link.
• NetLaunch can press the "Connect" button and override username/password in NT. Of course, this only works if the dialog pops up.

3.02

• Fixed the fix to scheduling
• Fixed disconnect detect problem in NT
• Will no longer try to connect to a connection already established

3.01

• Fixed the Windows NT support. It was WAAAY broken. (I had to install NT to do this however...sigh)
• Fixed the Launch List directory defaults...it was broke, too.
• Fixed the scheduling bug for connections with an underscore.
• Fixed numerous incorrect registry access functions that NT is more picky than 95 about.

3.00 Released 04-25-1997

• Fixes from the most recent beta:
• Fixed a dumb (but elusive) bug that erased the "program" tab preferences when you were in the Launch Opts screen (and had not switched to "Prog opts") and changed one of the "Apply to all/each" radio buttons. Duhh!
• Made the Prefs screen a little smarter. It doesn't give you the "Apply" button now unless you really CHANGE something.
• Removed the multimedia timer I was using for scheduling, and made the schedule timing code smarter so it didn't require the kind of accuracy I needed before.
• Fixed a bug that caused the helpfile to be repeatedly shown when you had no items in the Launch List. Oops!
• It now disables the functions that do not work on Windows NT, namely the button-pressing options.
• Small cosmetic changes. Fixed incorrect tab orders, fixed a font bug that caused the entries in the context menu not to reflect the current menu font if you changed it while NetLaunch was running. Centered text and icons in my owner-draw stuff so it looks better with non-standard fonts and sizes.
• Added some more information about the "Only one instance" checkbox and its limitations in the current release.
• NetLaunch tries to put your default Dial-Up connection first in its menu, but it sometimes put a bogus name there if you changed the name of your connection but had not used it yet.
• Put the LAUNCH.INF back in the ZIP file. Oops!