Creating and managing taskpads
Any console tool that has at least one snap-in can have an
associated taskpad. To create a taskpad, you must open the console
in author mode, and then follow these steps:
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In your custom MMC, press and hold or right-click the
folder or console item you want to work with, choose Action, and
then choose New Taskpad View to start the New Taskpad View Wizard. Keep in mind that a
single taskpad can be used to manage multiple console
items.
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In the New Taskpad View Wizard, tap or click Next, and
then configure the taskpad display. (See Figure 17 for an
example.) Select the style for the details page as Vertical
List, Horizontal List, or No List, and set the task description
style as Text or InfoTip. You can also choose to hide the
Standard tab (which only limits the tasks that can be performed
if you also select the No List style). As you make selections,
the wizard provides a depiction of what the results will look
like as a finished taskpad. Tap or click Next to
continue.
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On the Taskpad Reuse page (shown in Figure 18), you must decide whether
to apply the taskpad view to the selected tree item only (the
item you press and hold or right-click) or to any other tree
item of the same type. If you choose the latter option, you also
have the option to change the default display for any items used
in the taskpad to the taskpad view. Typically, you’ll want to do
this to standardize the view, especially if you’ve hidden the
Standard tab and don’t want users to have other options. Tap or
click Next.
Note
Basically, all snap-ins are of the same type. So, if you
apply the taskpad to any other tree item of the same type, the
taskpad view can include any snap-in that you have added to
the console.
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Next, you set the name and description for the taskpad.
The name appears at the top of the taskpad and on the tab at the
bottom of the taskpad. The description appears at the top of the
taskpad under the taskpad name. Tap or click Next.
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On the final wizard page, you can tap or click Finish to
create the taskpad. The Add New Tasks To This Taskpad After The Wizard Closes
check box is selected by default, so if you tap or click Finish
without clearing this option, the New Task Wizard starts and
helps you create tasks for the taskpad.
If you want to create multiple taskpads, you can repeat this procedure. For the
example console, you might want to have a taskpad for each folder;
in that case, you would create three additional taskpads. Any
additional taskpads you create can be placed at the same place in
the console tree or at a different part of the console
tree. You access multiple taskpads placed at the same part of the
console tree by using the tabs provided in the details
pane.
As long as you are in author mode, any taskpad you created can easily be
edited or removed. To edit a taskpad view, press and hold or
right-click the item where you defined the taskpad, and then select
Edit Taskpad View from the shortcut menu. This opens a Properties dialog box containing two tabs:
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General Use the options in
the General tab, shown in Figure 19, to control
the taskpad style as well as to display or hide the Standard
tab. Tap or click Options to specify to which items the taskpad
view is applied.
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Tasks
Use the Tasks tab to list current tasks defined
for the taskpad. Use the related options to create new tasks or
manage the existing tasks.
