I see FKEY folders on old shareware discs. What�s that and why
use it?
Unlike what you might think at first, this has nothing to do with
the F1 to F12 keys on your Extended Keyboard. Instead, FKEYs are
the tiny house equivalent of a program. Small in size (just a few
kb) and created for a single purpose - to enhance System 7�s
capabilities.
How is that different from e.g. a System Extension?
The main difference is that FKEYs will only load by the time you
invoke them. Thus, they do not cause conflicts the same way
control panels or extensions may. (Hi RAM Doubler!)
So what does a FKEY look like? System 7 already comes with a few
- Shift + Command (Apple) + 3 takes a screenshot, right? That�s a
FKEY. Or Shift + Command + 1 that will eject a floppy from an
internal drive.
Over the years many FKEYs have been written and distributed on
BBSes and shareware discs. Since they are very specialized in
what they do, chances are that 99% will be useless to you. It�s
really the 1% you�re looking for.
Found an interesting FKEY. How to install it?
This used to be a bit of a nerdy process involving ResEditing the
System File. With System 7 it's just enough to copy the FKEY to
your Fonts folder within the System Folder. Fonts? That's right -
for practical purposes FKEYs are usually distributed within font
suitcases. By the way, you do not need to reboot, they work right
away.
There�s even an install utility for FKEYs named FKEY Manager in
case you'd rather use a utility for managing them.
See our Goodies section for FKEY related downloads!
