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 GBIC >> Software >> gbMultiViewer
gbMultiViewer

gbMultiViewer is a freeware utility for displaying multiple text or image files - all on the same screen! A list of files is built by dragging one or more file names onto the gbMultiViewer screen, then displayed in a separate window using a variety of settings made by the user. gbMultiViewer provides several features for managing the list, including selection of which files on the list are to be displayed.

Just drag files from Windows Explorer onto gbMultiViewer to build a list of file, then Press the toolbar Display button to show all images on a separate dialog.

Programmers can integrate gbMultiViewer into their own applications. The source code is available as a PowerBASIC include file. Also, both SLL and DLL versions of the viewer are provided.

Key Features

gbMultiViewer provides a wide range of features, all focused on making it easier to select and view multiple files at a time, including both text for format images.
  • View multiple files in same screen
  • Text and image file support
  • Customization of file viewer
  • Integration into custom applications (SLL, DLL)
  • Drag and drop files to create display list
  • File list management
  • Manual or auto-sizing of file viewer
  • Session save/restore
  • Online Help

Alternate Displays

gbMultiViewer allows you to display files of different types on the same screen. The image below has an ico, gif, bmp, and txt file displayed:

Or, you might display all images, as in this image:

And, you could choose to display all text files:

Mix and match images as you choose!

Toolbar

gbMultiViewer's search commands are found in its toolbar (no menu is used). So going through it first will cover the main features of gbMultiViewer. Each of the toolbar buttons are described here.

    Display Display the selected files
    Clear Remove all files from the list
    Delete Remove the highlighted/selected file (not checked) from the list
    Check Check all files in the list
    UnCheck Uncheck all files in the list
    Settings Opens the settings dialog
    Online Help   Opens the gbMultiViewer online Help page

Settings

The toolbar Settings button dropdown menu displays the following menu options:
    Viewer Caption Text to display in the file viewer dialog
    Viewer Logo Name of resource icon (from parent) to display in the system menu of the file viewer dialog
    Unsupported Image Name of resource icon to display when a files is not supported by gbMultiViewer
    Dialog XY Position Location of viewer dialog, relative to parent
    Dialog Width/Height Size of viewer dialog
    Columns/Rows Grid size of file viewer dialog
    Starting Control ID Viewer control IDs start at this number. If zero, the viewer starts at 5000.
    Image BG Color Color used behind each image. Applies only to images. Text controls use white backgrounds.
    Stretch Mode When set, images are stretched to fill the control area. Aspect ratio is maintained. Images are centered in the control.
    Show Names Toggles display of label which contains the name of the file
    Use INI When set, allows the viewer dialog to maintain an INI file of its own. The first time the viewer is called, the calling parameters are used. After that, the viewer INI parameters are applied each time the viewer is displayed.
    Show Image Borders Displays borders around the image controls (not around just the images themselves)
    Show Paths in File Names When set, the full path of the file is shown. If not set, only the filename and extension are shown.
    Transparent Background Uses the dialog color at the background for the image control
    AutoSet Row/Columns Allows the viewer dialog to calculate the image grid size. When set, this overrides the explicit grid size discussed above.
    Periodic File Refresh Refresh all files at specified refresh rate
    Refresh Rate Sets the number of seconds between refresh of all files
    Save & Exit Closes the settings dialog and saves any changes made by the user
    Cancel Closes the settings dialog without saving any changes made by the user

Viewer Context Menus

The viewer dialog provides two context menus:

Right clicking on a textbox displays this context menu:

Right clicking anywhere else on the viewer dialog displays this context menu:

These settings are the same as those provided on the gbMultiViewer main screen, but are also kept in the independent viewer INI for use as the user chooses.

Accelerator Keys

These accelerator keys are supported:
  • F1 - Online Help
  • Ctl-M - Opens Viewer Dialog
  • Ctl-S - Opens Settings Dialog

Other Comments

This sections contains miscellaneous additional information about using gbMultiViewer.

INI File
gbMultiViewer saves all of it's options in an INI file, which is placed in the same folder as the EXE. Optionally, the viewer dialog can also save an INI. The user can choose which INI to use. The gbMultiViewer INI explicitly determines viewer settings, whereas the viewer INI maintains session settings (such as keeping track of the position/size of the viewer dialog).

Comments and suggestions are welcome!