This article is the Apple Location Manager Read Me file that comes with Mac OS 8.0.

This document provides late-breaking news about the Apple Location Manager control panel. You may want to print this document to keep with the user's manual for your computer.

Additional modules for Apple Location Manager
Additional modules for Apple Location Manager are being developed. Check the Web address http://www.apple.com/powerbook regularly for more information.

Quick start for Apple Location Manager
To assure that Apple Location Manager recognizes all the modules you can add to locations, follow these steps the first time you use the Location Manager control panel.

1. Before you open the Location Manager control panel, open and close the Extensions Manager control panel.

2. Open both AppleTalk and TCP/IP control panels and create a new configuration in each control panel. (Save the configuration with a name other than Default.) For instructions, see "How do I change AppleTalk settings all at once?" in the Networks section of Mac OS Guide.

3. Open the Location Manager control panel and create the locations you want to use.

Name to avoid when naming a location
To avoid confusion, do not use the name "None (off)" for a location you create with Apple Location Manager. This is the phrase you use to turn off Location Manager or to select none of the existing locations in the control panel's pop-up menu.

Setting a startup location
Apple Location Manager only changes system settings when you tell it to; it does not automatically change settings at startup (although you can use Preferences in the Edit menu to have the program prompt you to change settings). If you want Apple Location Manager to switch to a specific location each time the computer starts up, you can create an AppleScript script that performs that task. Put the script in the Startup Items folder and the location you want will be set at startup. Open the location you want to use at startup, then create the script below. Using the Script Editor application, type the following lines:

tell application "Finder"

open file ((control panels folder as string) & "Location Manager")

tell application "Location Manager"

set current location to location "snd"

end tell

end tell

Copy the script above exactly and substitute the name of your location for "snd;" for instance, type Sample if you want the Sample location to be used each time you start up. When finished typing the script, launch Location Manager and then compile the script.

Using Auto-Open Item to open folders or mount servers
You can set Apple Location Manager to open one or more items automatically when a location becomes active. These items can be documents or programs. To open a folder or mount a server, you must first create an alias to the item, then choose that alias when adding Auto-Open Item to a location. (You create an alias by selecting the item and choosing Make Alias from the File menu.)

Deferred switches when switching at startup
If you switch locations as the computer is starting up, Apple Location Manager may defer changing some settings such as sound level or auto-opening a document, until the computer's startup procedure is complete. Usually you will see a message reporting that the switch to the new settings is being deferred.

If you switch locations during startup and then switch again before continuing with the startup process, the deferred settings will only occur for the last location chosen. If there were deferred settings in the first location, they will be skipped.

Installing Apple Location Manager
Always use the installer program to install Apple Location Manager. The software may not work correctly if you try to copy or drag it to the System Folder. (You install Apple Location Manager by locating its folder in the Install Applications folder on the CD that came with your computer and double-clicking the install document.)

Using existing locations on a different computer
You can export and import locations you create with Apple Location Manager. To use a location on a different computer, follow these steps:

1. Export the location you want to use on the other computer. (To export a location, select it in the Location Manager control panel, choose Export Location... in the File menu, and specify where to save the exported location.)

2. Install Apple Location Manager on the other computer, using the installer program.

3. Open Apple Location Manager and import the location you exported previously. (You import a location by choosing Import Location... from the File menu and selecting the location file you want to use.)

Importing may not install all software
Importing a location from another computer does not guarantee that all the software required to use the location is installed. (Apple Location Manager does not install software.) For example, you may import a location that specifies LaserWriter 300 as the default printer, but the location cannot switch to that printer unless you have the printer's driver software installed. Therefore, it is a good idea to check all the settings in a location you import to verify that they are available on the new computer.

Selecting and setting up a LaserWriter
If you import any location that includes settings for a LaserWriter as the default printer, you must reselect and set up the printer in the Chooser. (Otherwise the location you imported will use the generic printer information for your LaserWriter instead of the specific information for the model identified in the original location.) You select and set up a LaserWriter by:

1. opening the Chooser

2. selecting the LaserWriter icon

3. selecting the printer's name

4. clicking the Setup button

5. clicking Auto Setup. When the printer's model name appears, click OK.

Note: your computer must be connected to the network the printer is on to update the LaserWriter correctly.

Incompatibility with At Ease's Protect System Folder option
If you are using At Ease on your computer and you establish locations for Apple Location Manager, you may see an error message when a module for Location Manager interacts with part of the system software to which access has been restricted by At Ease. You may need to turn off the Protect System Folder option so that Location Manager operates correctly.

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Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Macintosh, and PowerBook are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. AppleScript and At Ease are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Mention of non-Apple products is for informational purposes and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of these products.