Schedules Version 2

Why a new version?

Primary reason: to make the main information small enough so that it can sit on the side of your screen always visible. Like in the picture below:

In order to make that happen, you may need to do two additional things, which we'll cover below, after the Special Keys Guide:

Special Control Keys Guide (quick reference for keys covered below):

Ctrl n	Ctrl key and "n" key	creates an entirely new browser window
Ctrl -	Ctrl key and minus key	reduces size of text in the window
Ctrl +	Ctrl key and plus key	increases size of text in the window
Ctrl F12	Ctrl key and F12 key	when DeskPins is loaded, will "pin" or "unpin" the selected window

1. You want a very small window to contain this schedule. Unfortunately, all browsers will fight you on this. None of them allow you to squeeze their windows smaller than a particular size that each of them dictates (each enforces a different minimum width).

Chrome is not very hospitable at this (unfortunately). Curiously enough, Internet Explorer seems to allow the smallest window. So, for you Windows users, you're in luck -- you already have Internet Explorer on your computer. Even if you're not currently using it, you can launch it for just the purpose of displaying the schedule. To launch it, press the Start button located on the lower-left corner of your screen, and just type the words: Internet Explorer and hit the Enter key.

If you don't have InternetExplorer, or have an aversion to it, and want to use another browser -- no problem. Everything will still work, but you just might not be able to reduce the size of the window containing the schedule to as small a size as you like.

Then go to the address: http://bert.stuy.edu/pbrooks/schedules/schedules.py or just: tinyurl.com/stuyschedules (note: tinyurl.com/stuyschedule, without the trailing "s" is incorrect -- it was a student project)

You can also make either address the "home" address on IE, and it will always start there when you launch IE.

In you are already using IE, then just bring up a separate window using Ctrl-n, and then go to the address above.

1b. You want to reduce the size of the lettering. You can do this in browsers, in general, by using the Ctrl-minus keys to make things smaller, and Ctrl-plus (that's Ctrl,and Shift, and the + key) to make things larger.

2. You want to make sure that this schedule window remains "on top" of all other windows, independent of what the other windows are doing. Otherwise, every time you click on some other window to get any work done, the schedule window will disappear, and you'll have to make it appear again by clicking on its icon on the task bar at the bottom of your screen.

To do this, you'll have to download and install (easy) a free utility program. This is different for Windows folks vs. Mac folks.

Windows: There are several available free utilities to do this:

- The one I have experience with is called DeskPins, located at https://efotinis.neocities.org/deskpins/.

- Once downloaded and installed, try to make sure that it appears in your system tray (where the teeny icons are that display your sound icon and WiFi connection etc on the bottom-right of your screen).

- Then, to make any window stay "on top", click on that window and then hit the combination keys: Ctrl-F12. A small red pushpin should appear on that window indicating that you've pinned it "on top". You can press Crtl-F12 again and the red pushpin will disappear.

Mac: I am told that the free "Helium" utility, available on the Mac store will do the job: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/helium/id1054607607?mt=12 It's a browser itself, and can be made small and "on top" of all other windows..

Please send comments, bug reports, offers of kingdoms to: pbrooks at stuy.edu