KillOK – Utility for closing useless messages

Utility for closing useless messages with OK button and another work with windows.

Some programs show set of “useful” windows with messages. It is windows with so-called “errors” more often.

Internet Explorer – “It is not possible to open the search page”, “It is not possible to open page” etc.
Windows 2000 – At safe extract flashes-drives and other USB-devices “Now the device can be extracted” (in Windows XP at extract of devices is shown the balloon hint in system tray).
Microsoft Word – “Review of the document is finished. The required unit is not retrieved.” etc.
Total Commander – The leader on show of unnecessary messages “Error! Direcory not created!”, “Error! Drive not found!”, “No files selected” and still set similar.
Even more than such messages in the game Civilization II, but unfortunately, to close them program it is impossible.

With the help of KillOK utility you will save of superfluous dialog boxes and superfluous pressing unique button OK. All messages appear in the window of the program which is closed automatically. You can look once again any message, copy the text of the message. Thus you can continue the operation as though this message was not, i.e. to press OK it is not necessary.

KillOK program is my answer to programmers who create the necessary programs with unnecessary and useless messages, with not clear interface and help, with the fastidious ratio to the user using their products. If your program calls ShowMessage function or MessageBox, make kind business – delete similar messages or even do not prevent KillOK to do for you your operation.

You can see any previous messages – KillOK saves texts of all closed messages.

You can use black and white messages lists.

KillOK can close, maximize, minimize, hide any windows or send click to any button of this window, check/uncheck checkboxes. NEW!

You can close messages with YES/NO buttons by Esc key.

Only MS Office knows how to close similar windows on Esc. Not clear, why it is impossible to provide such option at a system level.

You can change case of current word or selected text to UPPER (Also First Only) or lower and inc/dec numbers – use Alt+Up, Alt+Down in Edits and Memos.

You can select all text – use Ctrl+A in Edits and Memos.

You can change caption of any windows to your text, i.e. “Total Commander 7.0 public beta 1 – NOT REGISTERED” to “Total Commander 7.0 – Motorocker”

Could not receive the text from Delphi messages, for example “Code Insight™ features are disabled while debugging”. Variants – to receive the text through the clipboard or OCR. Mailme.

Download KillOK 3.2 (zip, 131 Kb) Russian forum topic

Jef Raskin When you try to write the text of error message, please, stop and alter the interface so that a condition at which this error message is called, did not arise.

Citations and main idea are borrowed from Jef Raskin's book – The Humane Interface: New directions for designing interactive systems.

Jef Raskin If the buyer spends time for the careful analysis of your product and makes constructive sentences for its improvement, necessarily consider this with attention! It cannot be considered{examined} as attempt to reprimand you or to insult. Such person is not your enemy. It he shows the loyalty and interest to your product.

Jef Raskin
“Unnecessary dialog boxes, probably, are a main reason of useless expenditure of a time and cause irritation of the user”. The question is those dialog boxes which intended for the message to the user about a volume that has taken place, and for the closing demanding button clicks or press Enter key. It is not necessary – to continue other choice is possible, only having clicked on the window. It is other special case of an above mentioned principle (if the user further can fulfil only one-unique operation, let it will be fulfilled with a computer).
As author writes in the other place of the letter: “it is important, that every time when the user should react with any dialog box, this interacting gave useful result.” It can be generalized before the following assertion: each time when the user should enter interacting with a computer, this interacting should assume obtaining of useful result. Moving to the following step in-process in itself is not useful result.