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CoLauncher FAQ


What is CoLauncher?

CoLauncher is a handy launcher utility. It can launch apps and perform other commands without the need of "big" launcher. The whole launching process is much faster and more convenient. You do not need to wait until your launcher draws app icons and then search to find the right one. Using CoLauncher, you can immediately launch any app you want. Plus, CoLauncher can perform other actions as well. It can launch specific built-in preferences panel, toggle backlight, switch back to previous app, open graffiti help etc. Even more actions will be available in future versions.

CoLauncher can work together with your launcher but as you use it more and more you may find out that you do not use your old big launcher anymore. Unlike some other utilities which work as so called hacks, CoLauncher does not bypass the operating system of your device and therefore its operation is safer. There are no drawbacks inevitable for hacks such as system slowdown or possible conflicts with other hacks or apps. When you are not using it, CoLauncher justs sits in the memory and waits to be activated as any other app you have. See also: Does CoLauncher need HackMaster?


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How does CoLauncher work?

CoLauncher is a small application optimized for fast launching. You can launch apps and perform other commands via graffiti shortcuts or hardware buttons. To use these shortcuts more easily, you should assign CoLauncher to one of the four hardware buttons and/or to the silkscreen Calculator button. See also: How can I assign CoLauncher to the Calculator button?

Then you can easily launch apps and perform other commands. For instance, in any app you can tap the Calculator button and immediately write C character into the graffiti area and you will get to Calculator app. Or you can tap Calculator button and enter P character and you will get into system preferences. Or you can tap Calculator button and enter 1 and you will switch to the previous app launched by CoLauncher.

You can also use the hardware buttons. For example, if you assign CoLauncher to the first hardware button (i.e. DateBook by default) you can then press the 1st button (this will turn your device on if it is off) and then press the 4th button and you will get to Calculator. Or you can press the 1st button and then press PageUp and you will get to previous app. Or you can press the 1st button and PageDown and your backlight will turn on.

You can even use more complicated button shortcuts if you want. For example, you can press the 1st button, then the 4th button and then PageUp to launch your favorite game. Or you can press the 1st button twice and then the 2nd button once to launch yet another app. There are many available setups.


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How can I assign actions to buttons and shortcuts?

Activate CoLauncher using the assigned button (see also: How can I assign CoLauncher to the Calculator button?) and instead of entering graffiti or hardware button shortcuts, wait for two seconds.

You will then enter CoLauncher setup mode where you can assign desired actions to your shortcuts (see also: What actions can CoLauncher perform?).


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How can I exit the setup mode?

You can simply go to another app or you can relaunch CoLauncher using the button assigned in the built-in Prefs app (see also: How can I assign CoLauncher to the Calculator button?).


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How to install CoLauncher?

CoLauncher can be installed as any other Palm application. First you need to download Colauncher package. The file you download to your desktop computer is a ZIP archive that needs to be unzipped by some of the many unzip utilities. If you do not have any, you can download WinZip for instance.

Once you have the files unzipped they can be installed as any other PalmPilot program. Palm apps are not .exe but .prc files so you can simply double-click the unzipped colaunch.prc file and follow the on-screen instructions. After that the app will be automatically installed at the next HotSync.


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How can I assign CoLauncher to the Calculator button?

Preferences It is very easy. You can use the built-in Prefs application. When you launch it, switch to Buttons in the upper right hand list and you will see pictures of five buttons with apps that are assigned to them. Assign CoLauncher to the desired button/buttons and you are done.

When you launch CoLauncher for the first time or when you use menu Help / Instructions, CoLauncher will show you brief instructions and then it will launch the built-in Prefs app and open the Buttons setup page for you.


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What actions can CoLauncher perform?

In the current version, there are 5 actions available:
*  application
This action allows you to launch any application that you have installed on your device. This is probably the most often used action.

*  backlight
Using this action, you can toggle the backlight on your device. It may be faster for you to use this command than to hold the power button for 2 seconds. You have options to toggle the status of your backlight or to turn it on or off no matter what the current status is.

*  graffiti help
This action opens the graffiti help. Use it when you are not sure how to write certain characters. You can specify the initial page on which the graffiti help will be opened.

If you have problems with writing extended characters, you can assign graffiti help action to letter 'g' for instance and it will open on the extended characters page. You can still scroll the help screens using the PageUp/Down keys or the on-screen arrows.

*  preferences
This will open the built-in Prefs application. You can also use the application action to open Prefs but here you can also choose a specific page of system preferences. You can have an action to open General settings to instantly access the controls of System, Alarm and Game sounds or you can have an action to instantly open Digitizer calibration if you have to use it often.

*  previous app
Using this action you can easily switch back to previous application launched by CoLauncher. This action is handy when you need to switch between two apps repeatedly. See also: Previous app command does not work for me. Is this a bug?


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Previous app command does not work for me. Is this a bug?

Probably not. Without using some hack there is no way to find out what apps were launched by other applications so this command only works for apps launched by CoLauncher. See also: Does CoLauncher need HackMaster?


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How can access the instructions shown when I launched CoLauncher for the first time?

Launch CoLauncher again and wait for 2 seconds to enter the setup mode. Then you can use the bottom left silkscreen menu button to open CoLauncher menu and then choose Help / Instructions.


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Can you give me some example of hardware buttons setup?

Sure. There are many possible setups and this is only one of them:

Step 1 Step 1: Choose one of the four hardware buttons as the "Shift" key. Let's pick the first button, normally assigned to DateBook app. Using the built-in Prefs app, assign this button to CoLauncher (see also: How can I assign CoLauncher to the Calculator button?). Use the built-in Prefs app to assign the most often used apps to the remaining 3 hardware buttons.
Step 2 Step 2: Launch CoLauncher, wait for two seconds to enter the setup mode and switch to Buttons page if you are not there yet. In the upper Button bar, choose button 2, set Mode to 1x and assign desired action to this button. Repeat this step for the remaining buttons (Up, Down, 3 and 4).
Step 3 Step 3: On the same page, choose button 1 in the upper Button bar and set its Mode to 2x. Then you can assign desired actions to each of the 6 hardware buttons.

That's it. Now you can launch the three most often used apps by pressing hardware buttons 2, 3 and 4 assigned in step 1. Or you can press and release (do not keep it pressed as the Shift key on your PC keyboard) the "Shift" key once and then launch another five apps using hardware buttons 2, Up, Down, 3 and 4 assigned in step 2. Or you can press the "Shift" key twice and launch another 6 apps using any of the all six hardware buttons assigned in step 3.

App to launch Buttons to press Comment
App 1
App 2
App 3
Btn2
Btn3
Btn4
assigned in Step 1
No shift needed
App 4
App 5
App 6
App 7
App 8
Btn1   Btn2
Btn1   Up
Btn1   Down
Btn1   Btn3
Btn1   Btn4
assigned in Step 2
Shift (i.e. Btn1) pressed once
App 9
App 10
App 11
App 12
App 13
App 14
Btn1   Btn1   Btn1
Btn1   Btn1   Btn2
Btn1   Btn1   Up
Btn1   Btn1   Down
Btn1   Btn1   Btn3
Btn1   Btn1   Btn4
assigned in Step 3
Shift (i.e. Btn1) pressed twice

This simple setup gives you total of 14 different apps launched instead of the original four. More complicated setups can give you up to 39 different actions. Note that you do not use the silkscreen Calculator button with the hardware buttons. Unlike graffiti shortcuts, you can use buttons even if your unit is off.


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Does CoLauncher need HackMaster?

No, CoLauncher is a stand-alone application, not a hack. This is a big advantage of CoLauncher over some other launching utilities as hacks are always more risky than applications.

If you use many hacks, they can slow down your device and cause some problems and conflicts with other apps. Hacks bypass the operating system of your device, PalmOS. For this they have to place themselves into the operating system itself and you are in fact running all activated hacks even if you do not use them at the moment.

On the other hand, CoLauncher is a stand-alone app that just sits in memory like all other non-running applications and waits until the OS calls it so it is much safer and it does not slow down your system at all.


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What is planned for future versions of CoLauncher?

It depends on the feedback from you. We will add some more actions and other features that our registered users might suggest. If you have any ideas, let us know!


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