Montage Shortcuts are the principal objects within a Montage Desktop window.  Similar in a number of respects to Windows shortcuts (aka links) on the Windows desktop, Montage Shortcuts have icons and titles representing documents and executable programs that can be opened or launched by double-clicking.  Just as one uses Windows Explorer to manipulate Windows shortcuts, you can use Montage to arrange, move, and copy Montage Shortcuts by dragging and dropping, right-click to invoke the Shortcut context menu, or open a Shortcut Properties dialog.  Also, the global Shortcuts dialog allows you to perform actions and control options affecting all Shortcuts within a montage.

Shortcuts can be created either via the New Shortcut command or by dragging and dropping files, folders, links, and hyperlinks from Explorer, or from another instance of Montage.  While Shortcuts are similar to their familiar Windows counterparts, there are a number of fundamental differences between Montage Shortcuts and Windows links.  For example, Shortcuts support unique monitoring and highlighting features, and whatever Shortcut changes you make are saved and restored from the montage that contains them.

Tip: "Shortcut" (with a capital "S") always refers to a Montage Shortcut, as opposed to a Windows "shortcut" (lower case), for which the preferred terminology is a "link".  Similarly "Desktop", with a capital "D", refers to a Montage main window, whereas "desktop" in lower case means the Windows desktop.

Anatomy of a Shortcut

A "standard" Montage Shortcut has an icon, and below it a title consisting of one or more lines of text, similar in appearance to what you might see in Explorer's "Large Icons" view mode.  When you move a Shortcut by dragging it across the Desktop, the icon and title move together.  Also, as with a Windows link, a Shortcut can be selected by clicking on it, it displays a Shortcut tip when you hover the mouse over it, and you can edit the title in place.

Transparent Shortcuts

An alternative style of Shortcuts is available for use in graphical montages, where the Montage Desktop contains a background image (wallpaper) over which "transparent" Shortcuts are superimposed.  To maximize background visibility, transparent Shortcuts have no icon and avoid the standard opaque highlighting modes, using a different, but functionally equivalent scheme.  Options are provided to control the degree of visibility of transparent Shortcuts, ranging from being completely hidden to being visible at all times, by virtue of displaying their borders and/or titles.  The color of Shortcut titles and borders is user-selectable, to assure good contrast against the chosen wallpaper.  When borders or titles are hidden, a handy mouse-over option (Shift+F4) highlights each Shortcut as the mouse passes over it, so it behaves like an invisible "hot spot" on the background graphic.

Highlighting modes

Montage supports a number of standard and transparent highlighting modes to indicate each Shortcut's current status.  (Also see the Miscellaneous, Standard Style and Graphical Style commands for more about settings pertaining to these modes.)  Shortcut highlighting relates to the following aspects, which may occur in various combinations:

Drag-and-drop

You can drag and drop Shortcuts into or out of Montage from or to another Windows application, or between two different instances of Montage.  Either the left or the right mouse button works in conjunction with a drag-and-drop; when using the right mouse button, a context menu appears upon releasing the mouse button (the drop), giving you an opportunity to choose an action or cancel the operation.  (Also see more about drag and drop issues in the Montage Knowledge Base.)

• Within a Montage
  Use drag-and-drop to move Shortcuts around inside the Montage Desktop window.  For more precise control, you may also use the cursor keys or Position settings in the Shortcut Properties dialog, or use the Format menu to move and arrange multiple Shortcuts in a single action.
  
  Tip: Use the Miscellaneous, Lock Shortcut Position option to prevent accidental dragging of precisely positioned Shortcuts.
  
  
• Into Montage
  The quickest way to create a new Shortcut is to drag a file, folder, link, or hyperlink from an Explorer window into a Montage Desktop, or drag a Shortcut from one montage into another.  You can make any further adjustments to the new Shortcut as necessary, via its Properties dialog.  (Alternatively, you could use the File, New Shortcut... command, which immediately opens the Properties dialog.)  The initial form of a new Shortcut's target and starting directory path is governed by the setting of the Advanced, Relative Paths option.
  
  
  • Files and Folders
    If the drag source is a file or folder, e.g. from Windows Explorer, its path becomes the new Shortcut's target, and the title is just the file or folder name without the path (except for root drive cases).  When the target is a document or executable file, the Shortcut's initial directory is set to the target's containing directory.
    
    
  • Links
    When the source of the drag is a link, i.e. a Windows .LNK or .URL file, Montage extracts some additional information in order to initialize the new Shortcut.  Instead of pointing to the link, Montage obtains the link's target, and uses this as the new Shortcut's target.  The Shortcut's title, however, is taken from the name of the link file.  Additional properties obtained from the link, if applicable, are used to initialize other Shortcut properties, including arguments, initial directory, and description.
    
    
  • Hyperlinks
    You can also create a new Shortcut by dragging a hyperlink into Montage, e.g. from the contents of a web page or Internet Explorer's address bar.  In such cases, the Shortcut's target is the URL, and the title is just derived from the last portion of the URL.
    
    Tip: Instead of dragging a hyperlink directly into Montage, try dragging it first into the Windows desktop, and then drag the resulting link from the Windows desktop into Montage.  This allows you to capture the web page title or hyperlink text as the new Shortcut title.
    
    
• Out of Montage
  When you drag and drop a Shortcut outside of its Desktop window, the effect depends on where you drop it (i.e. the "drop target").  This behavior varies according to the destination application, and not all applications will allow you to drag-and-drop into them.  The cases where a drop is permitted generally do one of two things: create an equivalent link, or open the Shortcut's target with the designated application.
  
  
  • Create a link
    If the destination is a filing system Explorer window or the Windows desktop, a new link is created in the specified folder or on the desktop.  Montage copies various Shortcut properties into the corresponding link properties, and this generally accomplishes what you'd expect.  However, since Montage supports a number of extensions over Windows' native features, one should be aware that some of the original Shortcut properties may be lost in the resulting link.  For example, the Shortcut's title may violate Windows file naming restrictions, the description may be longer than Windows supports, and Windows does not support relative paths, dynamic Shortcut properties or Montage's advanced launching options.
    
    
  • Open with
    Dropping a Shortcut onto an executable program or a link to an executable program will, for applications that support it, launch that program against the document pointed to by the Shortcut.  For example, you can see this with the more recent versions of Paintbrush (MSPAINT.EXE) and Word (WINWORD.EXE).  Similarly, in some cases you can drop a Shortcut into an open application window in order to navigate to the document specified as the Shortcut's target.  This behavior is especially useful in conjunction with Internet Explorer (IE).
    
    Tip: Instead of launching most of your Internet Shortcuts by opening them directly (e.g. via double-click), just use one or two primary IE Shortcuts to launch your preferred primary and secondary IE window layouts.  Then you can simply drag-and-drop URL Shortcuts directly into an open IE window to navigate to those pages.  In this way Montage also serves as an alternative method of organizing and using your personal "Favorites".
    
    
• Between separate instances of Montage
  You can drag and drop a Shortcut from one montage into another, causing a copy of the original Shortcut to be created in the destination.  All of the source Shortcut properties are carried over into the new Shortcut except for its position, which is determined by where you drop it.  This also copies some properties that have no Windows counterpart, i.e. which cannot be represented in normal Windows links.  The form of the target and initial directory path specification in the resulting Shortcut may not be identical to the original, however, as these are governed by the setting of the Advanced, Relative Paths option, and they may be further adjusted to account for differences between the source and destination directory.  Also note that any dynamic Shortcut properties in the source will have been evaluated before they are copied to the destination, so they will no longer be dynamic expressions in the destination Shortcut.

Icons

Every Shortcut has a corresponding graphical icon that is displayed in a Desktop window.  (For transparent Shortcuts there is an associated icon, but it is not visible because it is sized to 0 pixels.)  The default icon size for standard Shortcuts is 32 X 32 pixels, but this can be adjusted to a different value (over a continuous range, unlike Windows) for each montage.  Montage automatically selects a default icon when you create a new Shortcut, and you can change the choice of icon via the Icon specification in the Shortcut Properties dialog, or with the Icon... command in the Shortcut context menu.  (The Icon, Reset Icon to Default command restores Montage's default icon choice.)  Supported image file types for Montage icons include: .ANI, .BMP, .CUR, .DIB, .GIF, .ICO, and .JPG.  The image is scaled, if necessary, to fit into a 32-pixel square, or whatever other default icon size has been specified for this montage.

Icons are not actually stored in Montage metafiles: they are only referenced.  Montage extracts icons as needed from programs and other files residing on your computer, and it stores these extracted icons in its icons subdirectory.  This directory serves as a cache to speed up subsequent references, but icons may be absent (or deliberately deleted, e.g. via Clear Icon Cache), forcing Montage to re-determine and obtain the icons it needs.  If a Shortcut's designated icon is found to be missing, it is automatically re-initialized to an appropriate default icon.  This dynamic icon initialization logic allows montages to be compact, portable, and distributable free of copyright restrictions.

Default icons

In most cases, Montage will automatically find and extract the most appropriate default icon for each Shortcut on your particular machine, based on the Shortcut's target, information from the Windows Registry, and installed application programs.  For Shortcuts to image files, the global Image is Icon option causes a thumbnail of the target image itself to be used as the default icon for each image, or the more selective Icon is Target option can be applied to individual Shortcuts.  Otherwise, Montage uses one of the following built-in default icons, which are located in the Montage program directory.

Keyboard Actions

Montage supports the following actions that can be performed by pressing certain special keys, in addition to various main menu actions and their corresponding hot keys.

• Deleting a Shortcut via the Delete key
  Use the Delete key to remove the currently selected Shortcut from the Desktop.  You will be prompted to confirm the deletion, unless you hold down the Ctrl key when you press Delete, in which case the prompt is bypassed.  Alternatively, you can delete the current Shortcut via File, Delete Shortcut from the main menu, or the Delete Shortcut command in the Shortcut's context menu.
  
  
• Editing a Shortcut's title
  You can edit the title of a Shortcut in place, without using the title field in the Shortcut Properties dialog, by entering into edit mode.  Simply click the left mouse button on the title of an already selected Shortcut, or use the Rename command of the Shortcut context menu.  When you finish typing into the space provided for editing, e.g. by pressing Enter or clicking elsewhere, the title automatically will be resized appropriately.
  
  Tip: Turn off the global Edit on Click option if you find this feature annoying, especially if there is no separate icon to click on (i.e., for transparent Shortcuts).  This setting is assigned automatically (ON or OFF) when you select either the Standard Style or Graphical Style Montage options, respectively.
  
  
• Launching a Shortcut via the Enter key
  Pressing the Enter key launches the selected Shortcut, producing the same effect as double-clicking on it, or using File, Open.
  
  
• Moving a Shortcut via cursor keys
  Use the cursor keys (Up, Down, Left, Right) to move the currently selected Shortcut one pixel at a time, or hold down the Shift key to move 10 pixels at a time.  You can also move a Shortcut by dragging and dropping it with the mouse, or by adjusting the position spinners in the Shortcut Properties dialog.  Also see the Format menu for commands and hot keys to move and arrange entire columns and rows of Shortcuts in a single action.
  
  
• Resizing a Shortcut via Ctrl + cursor keys
  When a Shortcut is selected you can adjust its size by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing one of the four cursor keys, to increase or reduce its title width or height.  When the Shortcut's Autosize option is turned ON (the default), changes in width are in units of whole words, delimited by spaces, and the title height is determined automatically.  Otherwise, when autosizing is OFF, changes to title height and width are made one pixel at a time.  Simultaneously holding down the Shift key adjusts the size in 10 pixel increments, instead of 1 pixel increments.
  
  Adjusting the height via cursor keys (with or without Shift) automatically turns off the Autosize option.  When adjusting the width (Ctrl + left or right arrow) without Shift key, the Autosize setting is not changed, allowing you to continue adjusting the title width in whole word increments.  Resizing also can be done through various commands in the Title submenu of the Shortcut context menu, or using the width and height spinners on the Layout page of the Shortcut Properties dialog.
  
  Tip: The fastest way to resize a Shortcut's title is to use Ctrl + left or right arrow without the Shift key, with autosizing turned ON.  This immediately goes to the next narrower or wider available format, breaking for line wrap at a whole-word boundary.  If desired, you can insert spaces into the title to provide more choices of width.  (With autosizing enabled, you don't manipulate the height directly, just the width.)
  
  
• Selecting the next or previous Shortcut via Tab key
  To cycle through Shortcuts in z-order, use the Tab key, or Shift + Tab to go in reverse.  Note that the sequence of Shortcuts is not determined by their layout, but by the sequence in which they were last selected.  When you select a Shortcut, it is brought to the front of the z-ordering.  You can also send a Shortcut to the back of the z-order by using the context menu, which is useful when dealing with overlapping transparent Shortcuts.

Differences between Montage Shortcuts and Windows links

Although Montage Shortcuts are in many ways similar to Windows links (.LNK and .URL files), there are a number of differences.  The fundamental difference is that Windows links are separate files, whose internal format is known to Windows, whereas any number of Montage Shortcuts may reside within a single Montage metafile, whose internal organization is understood by Montage, not Windows.  The differences in behavior between Montage Shortcuts and Windows links are as follows:

• Each Montage Shortcut represents a particular instance and configuration of an application.
  A Windows link stands for a disembodied program or document, with no persistent connection to the application window that it launches.  On the other hand, a Montage Shortcut maintains an active association to the particular instance of the application that it launches.  Each Shortcut remains "aware" of the state of its associated application window, including window sizing, placement, and whether it is currently open.
  
  
• Every Shortcut automatically saves and restores its application window state.
  Windows is inconsistent and heavy-handed in the way that it sizes and positions the application window launched by double-clicking on a link.  The problem is that Windows, uses global, per-application defaults (stored in the Windows Registry), often resulting in a somewhat unpredictable or undesired configuration when a link is closed and re-opened.  On the other hand, each Montage Shortcut keeps track of the layout of its own application window (stored in the montage), and the most recent window layout is automatically restored when the application is next launched through that Shortcut.  Multiple Shortcuts to the same target can be created, each with its own distinctive window arrangement.  Montage's modular, fine-grained approach provides a more flexible and consistent way of launching applications, without requiring you to waste time repeatedly rearranging windows.
  
  
• Open Shortcuts are detected, tracked, and highlighted.
  When a Montage Shortcut is open, it is highlighted by surrounding its icon with a conspicuous red box (or other color for various zoom states).  In Windows, you can only tell that a link has been opened by finding a corresponding button in the Windows Task Bar, or by recognizing the window itself.  In any case, Windows does not make it clear which link, options, or configuration were used to launch a given application window.  Montage also supports a unique auto-detection feature, automatically highlighting certain types of Shortcuts if their target is known to be already open.
  
  
• Double-clicking an open Shortcut always activates its associated application window.
  Windows' behavior is not consistent when you double-click on a link that has already been opened: sometimes it launches another instance of the application, and sometimes it activates a previous instance.  Montage, on the other hand, consistently makes the associated opening become the active window when you double-click on an already-open (highlighted) Shortcut, rather than launching an additional instance.  This gives you a simpler, more dependable way to control multiple instances and jump to a particular opening.
  
  
• You can close or control an open Shortcut from its highlighted icon.
  Not only can you tell that a Shortcut is currently open, you can also close it or manipulate its target window directly from the Shortcut by right-clicking and using the Shortcut context menu.  In Windows, you must first locate the target window by finding it on the screen, or via the Windows Task Bar.  Those methods are still available, but a Montage Shortcut also adds capabilities not provided by any of the standard Windows interfaces, for example sending the associated target window to the back.
  
  
• Montage Shortcuts overcome numerous restrictions and limitations of Windows links.
  Because Windows shortcuts (links) are stored as files, they are subject to the general naming restrictions of the Windows Shell and filing system, i.e. they must avoid the use of special characters and duplicate file names.  Montage Shortcuts are not so restricted in the text that can be used for their titles, and they offer greater flexibility in the formatting and sizing of individual Shortcut titles (contrasted to the rigid truncation rules of Windows icon captions).  Each Montage Shortcut can have its own, customized title formatting.  Montage also allows a continuous range of icon sizes, and it supports a variety of standard image file types, not just ICO files, for its scalable icons.  In addition, Montage supports much longer Shortcut descriptions, more flexible Shortcut tips, transparent Shortcuts, dynamic Shortcut properties, relative paths, and additional portability features not provided by Windows.
  
  
• Montage can automatically fetch missing files across the the Internet
  A Windows link requires that the target and icon specifications designate existing files.  Montage relaxes this restriction, with a unique dynamic fetching mechanism that allows a Shortcut's target and/or icon to be automatically fetched across the Internet, if missing.  This capability enables Montage to serve as a vehicle for efficient, secure distribution of content.  For example, this is the basis for distributing Montage samples, on demand.

Shortcut Options context menu

Right-clicking on a Montage Shortcut brings up the Shortcut context menu, which presents the following commands and options pertaining to that Shortcut.  (Menu options appearing in dark green apply only when built-in viewers are enabled.)

• Open Target: opens the associated target, restoring its previous configuration.
  This launches the target application, as does double-clicking or pressing the Enter key on the Shortcut.  (For Explorer cases, this opens a single-paned Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer window.)  If the target Explorer window is already open in TreeView mode, this closes it and reopens it in single-paned mode, with the same window sizing and placement.  Also see the File, Open command.
• Explore Target: opens the target folder in a dual-paned Explorer window, with TreeView at left.
  (This command only applies to Shell Explorer cases for which TreeView mode is supported.)  If the target Explorer window is already open in single-paned mode, this closes it and reopens it in TreeView mode, i.e. with folders navigation pane at the left.
  Tip: Double-click (or press Enter) on a closed Explorer Shortcut to accomplish the same thing as Open Target or Explore Target, whichever one corresponds to its previous TreeView mode.
• Activate Target: brings forward the already-open target and makes it the active window.
  This menu option only appears when the Shortcut is already open, which you can also tell from its highlighting.
  Tip: Just double-click (or press the Enter key) on a highlighted Shortcut to activate its already-open target window.
• Close Target: closes the associated target window, retaining information about its final configuration.
  Shortcut Properties are retained in the corresponding Shortcut, but these are not actually saved to the metafile until you save the view or Save Configuration for this Shortcut.  If the target is another montage, however, it will implicitly save its own state upon closing, in its own separate metafile.  Also see File, Close, View, Close Children, and the Actions, Close command of the global Shortcuts dialog to close all open Shortcuts.
• Abandon Target: closes the associated target viewer, without saving its configuration.
• Normalize Target: restores the target application window to its normal zoom state.
  This menu option only appears when the Shortcut is already open, as indicated by its highlighting.  If the target window is currently minimized or maximized, this returns it to the normal mode, and makes it the active window.  Also see View, Normalize Children and the Actions, Normalize command of the global Shortcuts dialog to normalize all open Shortcuts.
• Minimize Target: zooms the target application window down to an icon on the Windows Taskbar.
  This menu option only appears (disabled if already minimized) when the Shortcut is already open.  Also see View, Minimize Children and the Actions, Minimize command of the global Shortcuts dialog.
• Maximize Target: zooms the target application window to full-screen mode.
  This menu option only appears (disabled if already maximized) when the Shortcut is already open.  When you maximize the target window, it covers everything on the Windows desktop, except the Window Task Bar.  Also see the Actions, Maximize command of the global Shortcuts dialog.
  Tip: Use Send Target to Back to put a maximized window behind everything else, except for any icons on the Windows desktop.
• Send Target to Back: puts the target application window behind all other windows.
  This menu option only appears when the Shortcut is already open.  See INFO: how Montage determines the sequence of state restoration steps for more about controlling the window stacking sequence (z-order).  Also see View, Send Children to Back and the Actions, Send to Back command of the global Shortcuts dialog.
• Delete Shortcut: removes this Shortcut from the Montage Desktop.
  If the Shortcut was open, this implicitly closes it, as well as its Properties dialog (if that was open).  You can also use the equivalent File, Delete Shortcut command when the Shortcut is currently selected.  Also note that you can simply use the Delete key to delete the current Shortcut.  The Miscellaneous, Clear View command deletes all Shortcuts.
  Tip: You can undo the deletion of one or more Shortcuts simply by using View, Restore View, so long as you haven't yet saved the view since the deletions were done.
• Fetch Missing Target: obtains the absent target file by fetching it from a known URL across the Internet.
  This menu option only appears if the Shortcut's target file is not found, but there exists a corresponding Internet shortcut from which it can be retrieved by dynamic Internet fetching.  If the global Fetch On Demand option is enabled, you don't need to use explicit Fetch Missing Target commands, because the fetch will be done automatically when it's needed.
• Send Shortcut to Back: places this Shortcut behind all others (in case of overlap), and de-selects it.
  In a graphical montage it can be useful to create overlapping transparent Shortcuts, for example where a larger region entirely covers one or more sub-regions of the background image.  Use Send Shortcut to Back to force the larger Shortcut to the back of the z-order, so that the underlying smaller Shortcuts also can be accessed.
  Tip: Also try using Tab or Shift+Tab to select a different Shortcut without having to use the mouse.
• Properties: opens or activates this Shortcut's Properties dialog, detailing various settings and options.
  Each Shortcut has its own set of properties and a corresponding dialog for viewing and changing them.  If the Properties dialog is already open, this command just activates that form.
• Title submenu - options for the title (caption) of this Shortcut.
  • Copy Title: places a copy of this Shortcut's title on the Windows Clipboard.
  • Autosize: toggles title autosizing ON/OFF. (Embedded spaces enable automatic word wrapping.)
    This option is enabled by default.  You can still adjust the width (within whole-word limits) when autosize is checked, but the height will be determined automatically.  Note that autosizing is implicitly turned OFF when you use Ctrl + cursor keys to change the height of a Shortcut, but not if you change its width (without the Shift key).
  • Wider: increases title width (behavior depends on word wrapping and autosizing).
    When Autosize is checked, this is a quick way to widen the title to the next available whole-word width.
    Tip: Also try using Ctrl + cursor keys to resize a Shortcut.
  • Narrower: reduces title width (behavior depends on word wrapping and autosizing).
    When Autosize is checked, this is a quick way to narrow the title to the next available whole-word width.
    Tip: Insert spaces in the title to permit more choices of width, since automatic word wrapping will only break the line at spaces between words.
  • Taller: increases title height by 10 pixels  (Available only when Autosize in OFF.)
    When Autosize is checked, you can't change the title height directly, because it is determined automatically.
  • Shorter: reduces title height by 10 pixels  (Available only when Autosize in OFF.)
  • Rename: edits the name of this Shortcut, i.e. its title, in place.
    Tip: Simply click on the selected Shortcut's title to edit the title directly (if the global Edit on Click option is enabled), or use the title textbox in the resizable Shortcut Properties dialog if you need more room.
• Icon submenu - options for the icon of this Shortcut.
  • Copy Icon Path: places a copy of this Shortcut's icon path (relative or absolute) on the Windows clipboard.
  • Icon...: selects an image to use as the icon for this Shortcut.
    This is equivalent to pressing the Icon button in the Shortcut Properties dialog.  The resulting icon path will be expressed as either a relative path or an absolute path, according to the current setting of the global Advanced, Relative Paths option for this montage.
  • Reset Icon to Default: resets the choice of icon for this Shortcut to the appropriate default.
    Montage automatically determines a default icon based on the Shortcut's target.  If you deliberately changed the icon, or if your Windows setup has changed, this command re-determines the default, respecting the current settings of the Advanced, Relative Paths, Image is Icon, and Pre-Fetch Icons global options.  Also see Reset All Icons to Default for performing this operation across all Shortcuts in the montage.
  • Icon is Target: toggles whether to maintain this Shortcut's icon as the target image file itself.
    When this option is unchecked, a default icon is automatically supplied, or you can specify a different icon path via the Shortcut Properties dialog.  Otherwise, when Icon is Target is checked, the icon is taken to be the Shortcut's target file, and there is no separately editable icon path specification (the Icon path field in the Shortcut Properties becomes read-only).  If the target file happens to be missing or not a valid image type, it is is displayed as an X-ed out gray box.  The default setting of this option is normally OFF (unchecked), unless the global Image is Icon setting is ON and the target appears to be a recognized type of displayable image file.  Bear in mind that displaying very large images as scaled-down icons may cause a noticeable degradation of performance, so this option should be used judiciously.
    Tip: The Icon is Target option can be useful in conjunction with dynamic Internet fetching, to provide an immediate indication as to which images have already been fetched, and which are still missing.  Also, using the Icon is Target option in combination with Pre-Fetch Icons mode, you can force fetchable target file(s) to be automatically retrieved (if not already locally present) as soon as the montage is opened, rather than deferring those fetches until each such Shortcut is actually launched.
  • Show URL for Fetching Icon: displays the URL from which to fetch this Shortcut's icon.
    The Internet address from which this Shortcut's icon can be retrieved is displayed in a wait window.  (Click the mouse or press a key to close the message window.)  This command option is shown only if the icon is fetchable, i.e. if a corresponding Internet shortcut exists.
  • Copy URL for Fetching Icon: places a copy on the Windows Clipboard of the URL from which to fetch this Shortcut's icon.
    Instead of displaying anything, this simply puts a copy of the icon's original URL onto the clipboard, so you can then paste it into any application.  This command option only is displayed if the icon is fetchable.
  • Fetch Icon from URL: retrieves this Shortcut's icon across the Internet, from the source whose URL is specified.
    This command, shown only if the icon is fetchable, downloads a copy of the icon image file from its original source to the designated local file path for this Shortcut's icon.  If the icon file already exists, it is replaced by a fresh copy, which may have been obtained from Internet Explorer's cache (unless you deliberately clear the browser cache to prevent this).  A gray box with an X will be displayed if the icon file is missing or invalid.  Also see the Icon is Target setting and the global Pre-Fetch Icons option.
• Internet submenu - actions relating to fetching the target of this Shortcut from across the Internet.
  (This submenu appears only if the Shortcut's target is fetchable.)
  • Show URL for Fetching Target: displays the URL from which to fetch this Shortcut's target.
    Displays the Internet address from which the target of this Shortcut can be retrieved.  (Click mouse or press a key to close the message window.)
  • Copy URL for Fetching Target: places a copy on the Windows Clipboard of the URL from which to fetch this Shortcut's target.
    Puts a copy of the URL for fetching the target file onto the clipboard, so you can then paste this text into any application.
  • Fetch Target from URL: retrieves this Shortcut's target across the Internet, from the source whose URL is specified.
    Downloads a copy of the target file from its original Internet address to the designated local target file path for this Shortcut.  If the target file already exists, it is replaced by a fresh copy.  If the global Fetch on Demand option is enabled, a missing target automatically triggers dynamic fetching when the Shortcut is opened, so you wouldn't normally issue an explicit Fetch Target from URL command, unless you have reason to think the original file may have been updated.  (To be assured of downloading the latest available version of a file, you should also clear Internet Explorer's cache.)
• Miscellaneous submenu - assorted Shortcut options and commands that are less frequently used.
  • Copy Target Path: places a copy of this Shortcut's target path on the Windows Clipboard.
    This copies the absolute path, after expanding any relative path, environment variables, or dynamic Shortcut properties in the original target specification.
  • Refresh: re-determines and displays the latest properties and highlighting for this Shortcut.
    Also see the global View, Refresh (F5) command.
  • Lock Shortcut Position: toggles the option to prevent accidental movement of this Shortcut via drag-and-drop.
    This setting is useful when dealing with transparent Shortcuts that have been carefully positioned against a background image in a graphical montage.  When the position of a Shortcut has been locked, you can't drag it within its Montage Desktop by using the left mouse button, but you can still move it by any of the other available mechanisms (move via right-click drag-and drop, cursor keys, or use the position setting in Shortcut Properties), and you can still drag-and-drop it outside of its montage, e.g. into Explorer.
  • Save Configuration: saves the current state of this individual Shortcut.
    Permanently updates the record of this Shortcut's configuration in the metafile for the Montage Desktop that contains it.  (If this Shortcut's Properties dialog is open, its arrangement is also saved.)  An individual Shortcut's complete state includes its placement within the Desktop, various settings that are displayed in the Properties dialog, and the state of the associated external application (including sizing, placement, zoom, and whether open).  Saving the entire montage saves the configurations of all of the Shortcuts it contains.  Save Configuration (for an individual Shortcut) only updates the portion of the montage that pertains to this particular Shortcut.
    Tip: Use Save Configuration before experimenting on tricky changes to a Shortcut's properties, so you can easily revert to the previous clean configuration (via Restore Configuration) without having to restore the entire view.
  • Restore Configuration: restores the last saved state of this individual Shortcut.
    If the Shortcut is currently open (but not auto-detected) this first closes it, and then its previous configuration is restored, using information stored in the montage.  (See Save Configuration for more about the complete state of an individual Shortcut.)  Use Restore View to globally restore all Shortcuts.
  • Disconnect: disassociates this Shortcut from its open external application window.
    Each Shortcut normally monitors a target window that it has launched or auto-detected, as indicated by the Shortcut's highlighting.  When you Disconnect, the Shortcut relinquishes its ownership or detection of the application window, leaving it open, but behaving as if it hadn't been detected.  (If you disconnect an auto-detected Shortcut to another montage, the built-in timer generally will re-detect it shortly thereafter, i.e. it won't stay disconnected unless you temporarily turn off auto-detection.)  The Disconnect command is disabled if the target window is not currently open.
    Tip: Use Disconnect if, for some reason, you wish to close the montage without closing one of the applications you launched through it.  Otherwise Montage automatically will close all Shortcuts that it opened (but not those that were auto-detected).  Also you can globally disconnect all Shortcuts in a single command.
  • Help about Shortcuts: displays help about Montage Shortcuts (i.e. this page).
  • Help for this Menu: goes directly to help about the Montage Shortcut context menu.
  • Control submenu - generic Montage Control Options submenu for advanced users.
    Commands under this submenu apply to the Shortcut control itself, which includes the state of the associated external application window.