Use Armchair to control your home theater PC using its infrared remote control.
Armchair allows you to perform light-duty computing tasks from across the room
without a keyboard or mouse. Armchair works best when your PC is connected to
a widescreen television.
When navigating the PC file structure these remote control buttons may be used:
Divider to Left | Make the file panel slightly narrower
and the information panel slightly wider. |
Divider to Right | Make the file panel slightly wider
and the information panel slightly narrower. |
Font Larger | Make the font slightly larger. |
Font Smaller | Make the font slightly smaller. |
Window Larger | Make the Armchair window slightly
larger. |
Window Smaller | Make the Armchair window slightly
smaller. |
Slideshow Settings | Show the slideshow settings menu. |
Enable Window Control | Control windows other than the
Armchair application window. This option requires that AutoHotkey is
installed and takes effect the next time Armchair starts. See notes
about window control below. |
Disable Window Control | Do not control windows other than
the Armchair application window. If the Armchair AutoHotkey script is
already running, you must stop it with the Window Control Exit command.
See notes about window control below. |
Start Logging | Start recording Armchair activities
and errors to ArmchairLog.html in the user's home directory. This may
be helpful in diagnosing Armchair defects. |
Stop Logging | Stop recording activities to
ArmchairLog.html. |
No Captions | Do not show metadata captions during a slideshow. This is the default setting. |
Captions Above | Show metadata captions above the image. |
Captions Below | Show metadata captions below the image. |
Captions Left | Show metadata captions to the left of the image. |
Captions Right | Show metadata captions to the right of the image. |
Longer View Time | Show individual slides for a slightly longer time. |
Shorter View Time | Show individual slides for a slightly shorter time. |
More Caption Space | Use slightly more screen space for captions. |
Less Caption Space | Use slightly less screen space for captions. |
Choose Metadata | Enter the name of a metadata tag to be used as a caption. An on-screen keyboard will be used to enter the name. |
Add to Quick Picks | Add the selected item to the list
of Armchair Quick Picks. Quick Picks are also used as destinations of
the Move menu command. |
Close | Close the file that is being displayed.
Restore the file panel. |
Delete | Delete the selected item. |
Magnify | Make an opened PDF or HTML file slightly
larger. (Note that Some HTML files do not magnify well.) |
Move | Move the selected item (a folder or
file) to one of the items (a folder or disk) in the list of Quick Picks.
|
Open | The Open action depends on the file type.
o Executable: Launch the program in a new window.
o Media: Start to play the file.
o Text, PDF: Display the file.
o HTML: Display the file in an embedded web browser.
o Word 97-2003, Excel 97-2003: Display the text content of the file
without formatting.
o Unrecognized file types are displayed as if they were text.
Encrypted files cannot be opened.
Files are opened in full window mode; the file panel is hidden.
Use the Close menu command when finished. |
Print | Print the selected file on the default
printer using the application associated with the file's type. In
general, if right clicking on the file in Windows Explorer shows a
Print option then you can print the file from Armchair. |
Refresh | Re-read the current folder from disk
and update the file panel. Use Refresh if another program has added
or deleted files. |
Rename | Rename the selected item. An on-screen
keyboard will be used to enter the item's new name. |
Shrink | Make an opened PDF or HTML file slightly smaller. |
UP |
After a Position Pointer command, move the crosshairs cursor upwards
half way to the top of the focus rectangle. |
DOWN |
After a Position Pointer command, move the crosshairs cursor downwards
half way to the bottom of the focus rectangle. |
LEFT |
After a Position Pointer command, move the crosshairs cursor leftwards
half way to the left of the focus rectangle. |
RIGHT |
After a Position Pointer command, move the crosshairs cursor rightwards
half way to the right of the focus rectangle. |
OK |
After a Position Pointer command, display the menu of available
commands. |
Add to Favorites |
Add the current HTML file to the web browser's Favorites list.
The favorites list
is in the user's home directory. You may need to use the Refresh menu
command to see the new favorite in the files list. |
Back |
Navigate to the previous URL in the browser history. |
CLEAR |
Close full screen mode and either activate Window Control (see below) or immediately
return control to Armchair. A second CLEAR will deactivate Window Control.
(If you put a web video into full screen
mode Armchair will be suspended until you press the CLEAR button or the
Esc key.)
|
Enter Text |
After a Position Pointer command, left click the mouse at the cross
hairs position. Enter text at that screen position, typically an input
field. An on-screen keyboard will be used to enter the text. |
Enter URL |
Navigate to a different URL. An on-screen keyboard will be used to
enter the new URL. |
Esc |
Close full screen mode and either activate Window Control (see below) or immediately
return control to Armchair. A second Esc will deactivate Window Control.
(If you put a web video into full screen
mode Armchair will be suspended until you press the CLEAR button or the
Esc key.) |
Forward |
Navigate to the next URL in the browser history. |
Left Click |
After a Position Pointer command, left click the mouse at the cross
hairs position. This is typically used to click on a hyperlink or
on inner scrollbars. (The arrow buttons only scroll the outermost
scrollbars.) Left Click is
also used to give focus to the web browser by clicking on a blank area
of the web page. If you have a wireless keyboard or mouse you can then
interact with the web page as in a standard browser. When the web
browser has focus Armchair is inoperable. When you type the ENTER key
or OK button control will return to Armchair. |
Left Click Again |
Left click the mouse at the position of the previous click. This may be
useful when clicking on play/pause video controls. |
Position Pointer |
Position the mouse cursor before executing a Left Click or Enter Text
command. This command displays a "focus rectangle", initially
encompassing the entire window, and a crosshairs cursor in the
middle of the window. Use UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT to position the cross
hairs cursor to a point on the screen where you wish to left click
the mouse or enter text into an input field. With each
UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT, the focus rectangle reduces its size by half.
In this way you can position the cursor to the point of interest
with a minimum of button presses.
|
Reload |
Reload the current HTML file. |
Undo |
After a Position Pointer command, retract the previous
UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT command. The crosshairs cursor and focus
rectangle will return to their previous states. |
UP |
Move the crosshairs cursor upwards
half way to the top of the focus rectangle. |
DOWN |
Move the crosshairs cursor downwards
half way to the bottom of the focus rectangle. |
LEFT |
Move the crosshairs cursor leftwards
half way to the left of the focus rectangle. |
RIGHT |
Move the crosshairs cursor rightwards
half way to the right of the focus rectangle. |
OK |
Display the menu of available commands. |
CLEAR |
Alternately activate Window Control or send Esc to the active window.
Two consecutive CLEAR presses will send Esc to the active window.
Activating Window Control has the side effect of terminating full
screen mode in some applications. |
Esc |
Alternately activate Window Control or send Esc to the active window.
Two consecutive Esc presses will send Esc to the active window.
Activating Window Control has the side effect of terminating full
screen mode in some applications. |
Exit |
Disable Window Control. Window Control will remain disabled at least
until Armchair restarts. To keep Window Control disabled you must
execute the Disable Window Control menu command in
Settings. |
Left Click |
Left click the mouse at the crosshairs position. |
Left Click Again |
Left click the mouse at the position of the previous left click. |
Left Double Click |
Left double click the mouse at the crosshairs position. |
Right Click |
Right click the mouse at the crosshairs position. |
STOP STOP STOP |
(3 STOP button presses within 2 seconds.) This is an alternative to
CLEAR for remote controls lacking that button. |
Undo |
Retract the previous
UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT command. The crosshairs cursor and focus
rectangle will return to their previous states. |