Distributing your program as a SKY Index Add-in

All documentation is preliminary and subject to change

Overview

Distributing your program as an add-in is easy. Here is the basics

  1. Compile your program as an executable program (with a .exe extension)

  2. Create a text file with the same name as your program that contains the instuctions that SKY Index needs to successfully integrate your program with SKY Index's menus and toolbars.

  3. Optionally create an icon with the same name as your program. Your program's icon will appear on both the SKY Index menu and toolbar (if the user adds it to a toolbar).

  4. When installing your program on the end user's computer, put the files in the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\SKY Software\Addins" folder.

SKY Index will search for add-ins when the program starts and if it finds any, will add them. It is really that easy.

The Text File's Format

There are only a few entries to be made in the text file. The name of the text file must be identical to the name of your program. The only difference will be that it has a .txt extension. The file has the following entries:

Program=SI7
InterfaceLevel=1.0
Name=<the text you wish to appear as the menu item>
Menu=<the desired menu>
Shortcut=<the desired keyboard shortcut>
Description=<a short description of what the add-in does which will appear as a tool tip>

Notes:

  • Case DOES matter
  • No space before or after the equals sign
  • Keep the name of the menu item to 30 characters or less

Name - Can be any name you wish, but should be as short as possible while still conveying what your program does. If you add and ampersand (&) before a letter, it will appear underlined in the menu and will act as a shortcut to that menu item when the menu it visible. If you want an ampersand to appear in the menu's name, put two ampersands next to each other. Example: First && Second, will appear as First & Second in the SKY Index menu.
Menu - Can be one of the following: FileBand, EditBand, FormatBand, UtilitiesBand, SearchBand, GroupBand, LabelBand, IndexBand, ToolsBand, ViewBand
Shortcut - The keyboard shortcut that you recommend for your program. It must use one or more of the following modifiers: Alt, Control, Shift plus an alphabet character or function key such as F1, F2, etc. The following are also legal:   Examples: Alt+Control+I; Control+Shift+T; Ctrl+Z
Description - A description that is more detailed than your program's 'Name' that will appear if the user allows the mouse cursor to hover over a toolbar icon assuming that the user adds your program to a toolbar.

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