What is OneClick?

Given CE Software's longstanding neglect of QuicKeys and the current popularity of launch strips, the appearance of Westcode Software's OneClick — a full-fledged, button-based macro program — is no surprise. OneClick offers floating button palettes for virtually every purpose: Launch Strips for quick file, folder, and application opening; a Task Bar for switching among or quitting app1ications; and button palettes for performing almost any task with a single mouse-click.

OneClick’s Task Bar automatically lists all open applications, can hide background programs when you switch applications, and can “dock” in any corner of the screen. Launch Strips automatically expand to hold buttons created by dragging files, folders, or programs onto the strip. Conveniently, you can drag and drop a file onto an application button to open that file, and you can select folder contents or application documents from Launch Strip pop-up menus.

But OneClick is much more than a full-featured file launcher; with its customizable palettes and scriptable buttons, it can add versatile tool bars to any application. The bad news is that OneClick provides script-averse users far too few ready-made buttons and palettes. Altogether, OneClick’s current offerings cover only common system and Finder functions, basic commands for just six applications — QuarkXPress, Canvas, ClarisWorks, MacWrite Pro, FileMaker Pro, and SimpleText — and a handful of useful utilities-in-a-button (a pop-up calendar and a glossary, for example).

Script-savvy users will appreciate OneClick’s power... You can create, resize, and color palettes; specify background patterns or graphics; add title bars; and arrange buttons, You can copy predefined buttons from OneClick’s button library; create them from scratch; or rework existing ones by resizing, coloring, or redrawing them. You can give buttons names instead of — or in addition to — icons, specify popup help captions, and assign keyboard equivalents,

To make buttons do your bidding, you use EasyScript, OneClick's scripting language. For straightforward tasks, OneClick’s “watch-me” recording mode is easy and effective; for complex tasks, some scriptwriring experience is a must. Fortunately, OncClick’s script editor is kinder and gentler than most. EasyScript's macro and button skills run the gamut, from selecting menu commands and dialog-box options to creating pop-up menus, status boxes, toggle buttons, and rear-off palettes. AppleScript aficionados, take note; EasyScript can launch independent AppleScripts, or you can embed AppleScript code into an EasyScript routine.

As with many initial releases, OneClick has some shortcomings: collapsed and expanded palettes sometimes don’t stay put (and the number of collapse/expand options is confusing); status bars on narrow, vertical palettes uselessly display only two or three letters. And the bugs aren’t limited to aesthetics: Undo rarely works in the OneClick Editor; screen redraw problems sometimes occur; and on one occasion OneClick completely lost track of several palettes.

The Last Word

Despite some rough edges, OneClick is an inventive combination of launcher and macro utility. With the addition of comprehensive palette and button libraries and some fine-tuning, it could he a real winner.

Eckhardt, Robert C. (May 1996). OneClick 1.0.1. Macworld. (pg. 67).

Download OneClick for Mac

Architecture

68K + PPC (FAT)

Compatibility notes

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II