By Dale Farris, Secretary
Golden Triangle PC Club
June 2002

Overview

Would you like to view and organize all sorts of documents, applications, and projects with just one click?

Well, with InstaFiles!, you can. This neat utility is the first visual document and project browser for the PC! Everyone who runs more than one program at a time on their PC will find that InstaFiles! makes their life easier. With InstaFiles! you will never lose track of an open window again.

InstaFiles! is a graphical browser for all currently open documents, applications, and web pages, and allows you to easily navigate between documents. Patent-pending technology in InstaFiles! lets you see every open window as real-time, oversized thumbnails, which allows for instant access to many different open documents, projects, applications, or files with just one click of the mouse!

With InstaFiles! you can save time by grouping related documents, files, and applications, in order to later launch them together by just opening a single InstaFiles! saved project! Now, that's what I call clever!

Never again wonder "where did that file go?" InstaFiles! lays out all open windows, side-by-side, using graphical thumbnails.

Features

View every open window, file or app as real-time oversized thumbnails!

Have instant access to many different open documents, projects, applications or files!

Improve your productivity and performance!

With a single click, open every document, file or project at once!

View every open document or project as oversized thumbnails.

Save time and energy to open applications and documents

Multi-task many open windows and apps easily

See every open window as real-time oversized thumbnails

Group related documents, files and applications to be launched together

Easily find active files

Lays out all open documents in one place, side-by-side, using real-time oversized thumbnails

Installation and Setup

When installing InstaFiles! you can opt to have the program run when you start Windows (not personally recommended). Once you have loaded the program, you can right click the thumbnail of an open document to refresh the image, move it to a project, move it to a document tab, move to others tab, move to web browsers tab, move to front, move to end, keep this view, or do not show.

The File, New Project, command sets up a new project that contains links to documents you move to this project. You would do this in order to quickly open various different application files that may all relate to the same type of project, such as in a sales office.

The program's settings allow you to activate on double click, to not load images on start up, and the frequency of image update. The program also has its own set of toolbar options, such as new project, open project, save project, update image, to project, from project, and refresh project.

The program's system tray icon provides a quick drop-down list of all open documents.

Creating a New Project

When you first launch InstaFiles, the Project tab opens with a new untitled project in the 2-tab view. You move at least one document into the project folder in order to create a new project. You can then save the project with a filename you specify.

For example, to create a report, you might use several applications, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, and graphics software. As you open these applications, a thumbnail representing the document displays on the InstaFiles desktop in the Document tab.

To create a project containing all the files and applications you have open, you right click on a thumbnail of the document you want to move into the project folder. Click Move to Project, click the Project tab and notice that the thumbnail appears as part of the unnamed project. Then you just File, Save, and name the project. The project now contains a list of applications and files you have moved into the project folder. Each time you open the project, all applications and files associated with that project automatically open. You do not need to open each application manually, and then open the files associated with the project.

You can move between applications and add applications to the project, and then save the project again.

Now, you can see how important this project building program can be to very busy folks that work with many applications and various types of files all the time. With its ability to instantly open any document in any application saved in project, you can see how much more efficient your time can be.

Recommendations

I can see how valuable InstaFiles! can be to computer users who find themselves constantly at their computer, working on all sorts of files for all sorts of different projects all the time. I also suggest customers consider running this neat utility on high-end machines, at least systems with maybe at least 256MB RAM, since the program is in effect going to allow you to open at once more than one file in more than one application all at the same time. You will want to be sure your system has the horses to support this utility that can easily be considered essential to more harried computer users.

Price:

$29.95 downloadable and physical shipment

System Requirements:

Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4 (SP 4 and later), 2000, XP
16MB of RAM

These are the minimum system requirements recommended by the company, but I suggest users be sure and understand how this program works, and to be sure they have as much RAM as they can afford on their machine, before they begin to challenge InstaFiles! The more RAM and the faster the CPU, the better this important program will function.

About Casady & Greene, Inc.

The mission of Casady & Greene, Inc. is to strongly support, intentionally appreciate, and personally empower their customers and one another through their efforts to provide the highest quality software possible. In August 1988, Casadyware (1984) and Greene, Inc. (1986) merged to unite the diverse talents of two innovative software companies. Along with bestsellers Conflict Catcher 8, Spell Catcher for both the Mac and Windows platforms, Origami: The Secret Life of Paper, and InfoGenie 2, Casady & Greene, Inc. has published a wide array of award-winning utility, font and entertainment software titles. The company is renowned for its "firsts!"

Casady & Greene, Inc. also has a very strong commitment to their user group program. The company offers a wide array of opportunities for computer groups across the country. After signing up your group, your name will be put on their mailing list so that your group receive updates on all of their products and hot news about what is happening at C&G.

C&G also has a review program in which they will supply a user group with a product, in exchange for a written review. In addition, when possible, the company will also try to provide someone to actually come to your group to give presentations. Last but certainly not least, C&G also has OUTSTANDING user group pricing in their user group store.

Contact:

Bonnie Mitchell
Vice President of Public Relations and User Group Liaison
Casady & Greene, Inc.
22734 Portola Drive
Salinas, California 93908-1119
831-484-9228
FAX 831-484-9218
bonnie@cassadyg.com
www.casadyg.com