Q: Can an application, file or folder be in more than one category?
A: Yes, an application can be in as many categories as you like.
Q: Do I have to go into a category to launch an application in the heads-up display?
A: No, with voice command you can launch any application from anywhere in the heads-up display. For example, you would hit your hot key, and when the Heads-up Display appears you could say "Valet Safari" to launch Safari, without having to enter the category that contained Safari. (This assumes that you have configured your speech preferences to use the keyword "Valet" before executing commands.) Or you can launch an application in one category when you are in another category not containing the application you wish to launch.
A: Make sure that you have chosen a valid sound input method in the Speech Panel of System Preferences.
You should see this symbol on the screen if the voice recognition software is properly configured:
If you have the preferences set to use a different keyword or hold down a key to activate speech recognition, you will see that word or the name of that key ( for example "esc" or "Computer") in the window above.
We have also noticed that children and others with high voices may have trouble being understood correctly by the computer. If you click the "calibrate" button to the next of the drop-dow menu of microphone choices, you can speak the trial phrases and see if they are properly interpreted. If they are not, its unlikely that Valet will respond to voice commands properly either.
A: Absolutely, if you have an Apple™ Mighty Mouse you can configure on of the 4 buttons to launch Valet. In the mouse and keyboard pane of System Preferences, select the button you want to use. Then select "Open application …" from the menu for that button and choose "Valet" in the resulting dialog.
A: Absolutely, Valet is as equally adept at switching you to a running application as it is to launching a new application.
Q:Valet can be kind of slow when I enter the Heads-up Display, what gives?
A: Unfortunately, Apple forces us to recreate the voice recognition module in memory each time you enter the Heads-up Display. On slower machines, or those with a large list of applications in Valet, this can lead to a minor delay when entering the Heads-up Display. If you turn off voice recognition in Valet's preferences it will speed up the Heads-up Display. We are hoping to work with Apple to make this better in future versions.
Q:Does Valet's voice recognition work for languages other than US English?
A: Unfortunately, Apple hasn't really localized the voice recognition software in MacOS X for languages other than English at this point. But the rest of Valet works and is going have a French localization as of version 1.0.1. If you are interested in providing other translations please contact us at info@94-west.com.
Q: I moved an application after I entered it in Valet, what happens now?
A: If the application is still on your computer somewhere (or available via a mounted volume), Valet will find it and all will be well.
Q: Can I use the heads-up display without voice commands? I don't have a microphone on my Mac.
A: Yes, you can use your mouse or you can use the arrow keys to navigate the heads-up display. With your mouse, just point and click as you would expect. To use the keyboard, use the directional arrow keys to move around and the return key to enter a category or launch an application. You can also type the first few characters of an application or category name and hit return to launch or enter it, respectively. Command-up-arrow will move you up a level from inside a category to the category index. Command-down-arrow will move you into a category or will launch a file (same as the return key). You can also use the escape key (esc) to exit the Heads-up Display.
Q: Valet just started nagging me to buy it, why is that? And when will it stop?
A: Valet isn't freeware, so in order for us to improve it (and so we can eat!), please consider buying a license. Valet does provide a "nag-free" grace period, but after that you will be nagged until Valet expires or purchase a key.
Q: Why isn't my hot key working to bring up the Heads-up Display?
A: You may have assigned F8 to another application. Or you may be on a laptop, in which case you need to hit fn-F8 for it to be recognized by MacOS X. Also, if you are running Parallels your hot keys won't launch the Heads-Up Display as Parallels traps all keyboard commands. Which is why you also can't use Exposé or enter Dashboard via F12 when in Parallels either.
Q: Why doesn't Valet see certain applications when I launch them?
A: To date we have discovered that certain older Carbon applications based on the Code Fragment Manager (CFM) frameworks are troublesome. Applications with improperly crafted 'info.plist' files and those without bundle identifiers will not appear in Valet. Classic applications (MacOS 9) may not appear in Valet either.
A: Growl is a notification system for Mac OS X: it allows applications that support Growl to send you notifications. You can get Growl at http://growl.info.
A: Yes, you can drag applications into Valet's Organize window.
Q: Can I always enter the Heads-up Display in a specific category, rather than at the index level?
A: Yes, you can. In Valet's preference screen, set the Default Category preference to the category you want displayed in the Heads-up Display each time.
