ESS-Code 7.6
Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, Michel Forget
Electric Storm Software

     The documentation for this archive is located in ESSCODE.TXT, which
should be located in the same directory as this document.  This list of
bug fixes and changes made to ESS-Code is in chronological order; the new
information appears at the end of the document.

May 30, 1995:  ESS-Code 6.4a
[These problems have been solved.]

BUG #1:  ESS-Code 6.4 inserts an "extra" backslash in the
         filename of the program manager item created by the
         installation program.  This would prevent ESS-Code
         from executing properly.

BUG #2:  ESS-Code does not prevent the user from executing
         the client modules directly.  The only module that
         can be executed directly is "eshell.exe".

June 4, 1995: ESS-Code 6.4b
[These problems have been solved.]

BUG #3:  When things go wrong, they rarely do so in an insignificant                   way.  ESS-Code would not operate properly on many system
         because it could not execute the server modules correctly.  An
         extra backslash was mistakenly inserted into the filename at
         execution time, thus causing an error.  This problem did not
         affect Windows95 users or OS/2 Warp users.  For those that it
         did affect, though, ESS-Code would not work at all.

July 2, 1995:  ESS-Code 6.6
[These problems have been solved.]

BUG #4:  The status display was not being updated correctly.
         Old information, such as parts of words or numbers,
         was not being erased before the new information was
         drawn.

BUG #5:  The MIME-Decode file conversion method was capable of
         corrupting the address space of ESS-Code, which would cause
         a system crash.  This problem did not seem to affect anyone,
         but it is now fixed.

BUG #6:  The "Split File" & "Join File" commands did not update the status
         display after completion.

NEW:     ESS-Code now allows the user to drag a file from the program
         manager (or explorer) and drop it on the ESS-Code application
         window.  If such an action is taken, ESS-Code will display a
         dialog box asking how the file should be processed.

July 7, 1995:  ESS-Code 6.7
[These problems have been solved.]

There are days when nothing happens the way it should; the days the
previous version of ESS-Code was released was apparently one of those
days.  The drag & drop support did not work in the previous version,
and there were a number of "empty" alert boxes in the installation
program.  This release solves those problems.  I apologize for any
inconvenience my error might have caused you.

MIME-Encoding has also been fixed.  This problem only affected the 16-BIT
version, so users of the 32-BIT version were never troubled by it.

July 25, 1995:  ESS-Code 6.8

NEW:  The Windows95 user interface has now been applied to ESS-Code.

NEW:  ESS-Code now has an installation wizard to automate the setup
      process.

NEW:  ESS-Code can now be uninstalled automatically by Windows95.

July 27, 1995:  ESS-Code 6.9
[These problems are now solved.]

BUG #7:  There were several small typographical errors in the setup wizard
         and the application itself.

July 29, 1995:  ESS-Code 7.0 (BETA)
[These problems have been solved.]

BUG #8:  The CTL3D32.DLL dynamic link library was not being installed
         correctly for Windows95 Build #501 -- it worked fine for previous
         builds, apparently.

August 5th, 1995:  ESS-Code 7.1 (Release Version)
[These problems have been solved.]
[ESS-Code has now been tested with Windows95 b490c - no problems were found.]
[ESS-Code has now been tested with WindowsNT 3.51 - no problems were found.]

BUG #9:  In some situations, ESS-Code would not be able to locate the
         second and subsequent segments of a multi-part UUEncoded
         file.

BUG #10: The F1 key will now actually open the online help instead of
         generating a spurious warning.

NEW:     ESS-Code now allows you to view the LOG file.

NEW:     ESS-Code now allows you to print the LOG file.

NEW:     The setup utility has been improved.

August 8th, 1995:  ESS-Code 7.2 (Maint. Release)
[These problems have been solved.]

NEW:     The ESS-Code LOG now shows the date and time of each entry.

BUG FIX: The "Split File" function now works with Windows95/NT.  When a file
         is split, an extension is appended to the end of the original
         filename.  The original extension is not lost.

         EX:  This Is A Long Name.ZIP = This Is A Long Name.ZIP.1

BUG FIX: The "Join File" function now works with Windows95/NT.

BUG FIX: The "Split File" & "Join File" features now identify themselves
         correctly in the ESS-Code LOG.

If you have any problems with ESS-Code, please contact mforget@planet.eon.net
as quickly as possible.  This application is a work-in-progress at all
times, and will continue to be updated frequently as new features are added
and problems are solved.  The more quickly you make your problem known,
the more quickly it will be resolved.

ESS-Code has been tested with the latest builds of Windows95 & WindowsNT
without any apparent trouble.

September 17th, 1995:  ESS-Code 7.3 
[These problems have been solved.]

BUG FIX:  There have been various problems with the "Setup" module; this
          time, it the registry handling has been improved and error
          reporting capabilities have been added.  There is also a manual
          installation method that you can use if the "Setup" module still
          does not work for you.

October 24th, 1995:  ESS-Code 7.4

NEW:      ESS-Code now supports a complete batch language.  This
          language is documented in the online manual included in this
          archive and is meant to act as an aid to system automation
          for users with specialized needs.

NEW:      The online manual has been revised; it now has a much more
          attractive "look & feel", in addition to providing more
          information than previous version of the online manual provided.

BUG FIX:  The ESS-Code LOG will no longer be corrupted as it is written.
          Previous versions of ESS-Code did very strange things to the
          formatting of the log file as it was being created.

BUG FIX:  Error messages will now be displayed properly on high resolution
          monitors; previously, message boxes would be extremely small.

December 25, 1995:  ESS-Code 7.5

NEW:      The UUEncode file conversion method allows a destination name to be
          inserted into the encoded data.  At the request of many users, I
          have enabled ESS-Code to automatically detect that name when
          decoding.  If a destination name is found in the encoded data,
          it will be displayed in the "destination" field when you are asked
          to select a destination name.

NEW:      If you discover a conversion method that ESS-Code does not
          support, you can now incorporate it directly (and seamlessly)
          into ESS-Code through a new feature known as an extensible menu
          system.  Extensions are menu entries that are displayed at the
          bottom of the file menu.


          There are two steps involved in creating an ESS-Code extension:

          1) In the ESSCODE.INI file (located in c:\windows) add a new line
             using the following format:

             EXTENSION = <menu entry name>,<script>

             Example:  EXTENSION = "View .&ZIP Contents",c:\viewzip.ess

             This command MUST be typed exactly as it appears, since case
             and spacing is expecially important.

             In the <menu entry name> field, you may specify a keyboard
             shortcut by typing a "&" immediately before the letter you
             want to be able to press to activate the menu entry.

          2) Create an ESS-Code extension script that has the same name
             and location as the <script> specified above.

             An example script is shown below, followed by a detailed
             dicussion of all the script commands available.

             ' Extract .ZIP File USING PKUNZIP.
             ' This script could be improved by using the "ASK INPUT FILE"
             ' and "ASK OUTPUT FILE" commands.
             SET TEMPLATE C:\PKUNZIP.EXE %RESPONSE %RESPONSE %RESPONSE
             SET YES -d
             SET NO -e
             ASK YN Do you want to preserve the directory structure of the ZIP file?
             ASK INFORMATION What is the name of the ZIP file to extract?
             ASK INFORMATION What folder do you want to extract the ZIP file to?
             ASK CONTINUE Proceed?
             GO
             TELL The file has been extracted.

          Extension Script Commands
          -------------------------

          Command                 Explanation
          -------                 -----------
          '                       This is the symbol used for a comment.
                                  Any extension script commands or text
                                  that appears on the same line as this
                                  symbol will be ignored.

          SET TEMPLATE <text>     This command is required.  It describes
                                  what the final command line passed to the
                                  tool the script is being written for will
                                  look like.  As the other extension script
                                  commands obtain information from the user,
                                  the "%RESPONSE" fields are replaced (from
                                  left to right) with the actual information
                                  supplied by the user.  Several example
                                  templates are shown below:

                                  SET TEMPLATE c:\z.exe -%RESPONSE $RESPONSE

                                  In this case, the user might be expected to
                                  enter a one letter command switch, which
                                  ESS-Code would then insert immediately
                                  after the "-".

                                  SET TEMPLATE type %RESPONSE

                                  In this case, the user might be expected to
                                  enter the name of the file, which ESS-Code
                                  would then insert after the text "type "
                                  (including the space).

                                  The template is requried because it
                                  determines where the information will be
                                  placed on the command line.

          ASK CONTINUE <text>     This command will cause a message box to
                                  appear containing <text>.  If the user
                                  responds by clicking on the "No" button,
                                  the extension script will end.  The most
                                  command use of this command is to ask the
                                  user "Do you really want to proceed with
                                  this operation?".

          ASK YN <text>           This command will cause a message box to
                                  appear containing <text> (a question).  The
                                  user can either click on the "Yes" button or
                                  the "No" button in response to the question.
                                  This command must be used in conjunction
                                  with the "SET YES" and "SET NO" commands
                                  discussed below.

          SET YES <text>          This command must appear BEFORE the "ASK YN"
                                  command.  It determines what text will be
                                  placed on the command line if the user
                                  clicks on the "Yes" button in response to
                                  an "ASK YN" command.

          SET NO <text>           This command must appear BEFORE the "ASK YN"
                                  command.  It determines what text will be
                                  placed on the command line if the user
                                  clicks on the "No" button in response to
                                  an "ASK YN" command.

          SET YES ABORT           This command must appear BEFORE the "ASK YN"
                                  command.  It will cause the extension
                                  script to end if the user clicks on the
                                  "Yes" button in response to an "ASK YN"
                                  command.

          SET NO ABORT            This command must appear BEFORE the "ASK YN"
                                  command.  It will cause the extension
                                  script to end if the user clicks on the
                                  "No" button in response to an "ASK YN"
                                  command.

          TELL <text>             This command will cause a message box to
                                  appear containing <text>.  it is used to
                                  inform the user of information that you
                                  feel they should be aware of.

          SET DISPLAY MODE <mode> This command is used to determine how the
                                  tool the script is being written for will
                                  look when it is executed.  There are four
                                  display modes available:

                                  Mode            Explanation
                                  ----            -----------

                                  HIDDEN          The tool will not be
                                                  visible.  This allows
                                                  seamless integration with
                                                  ESS-Code.

                                  MINIMIZED       The tool will not be
                                                  visible, but can be
                                                  made visible by clicking
                                                  on the desktop icon that
                                                  represents it.

                                  BACKGROUND      The tool will be visible,
                                                  but only a a background
                                                  window (portions of the
                                                  window may be obscured by
                                                  other windows).

                                  FOREGROUND      The tool will be visible,
                                                  and it will execute in the
                                                  foreground (the entire
                                                  window can be seen).

          ASK INFORMATION <text>  This command will cause a dialog box
                                  containing <text> (a request for
                                  information) to appear on the screen.
                                  The user can type a response, which
                                  ESS-Code will insert into the template.

          ASK INPUT FILE <title>  This command will cause the standard file
                                  selection dialog box to appear, with the
                                  title bar set to <title>.  This command
                                  should be used to request the name of a
                                  file from the user.  It should only be used
                                  for requesting source (input) files, since
                                  it requires that the file selected be a
                                  valid, existing file.

          ASK OUTPUT FILE <title> This command will cause the standard file
                                  selection dialog box to appear, with the
                                  title bar set to <title>.  This command
                                  should be used to request the name of a
                                  file from the user.  It should only be used
                                  for requesting destination (output) file
                                  names, since it does not require that the
                                  name selected be an existing file.

          GO                      This command instructs ESS-Code to
                                  execute the command line.  This does
                                  not automatically end the script, but
                                  the only command that it would make sense
                                  to use after the tool has been executed is
                                  "TELL".

April 26, 1996:  ESS-Code 7.6

BUG FIX: The "Join File" command now works properly.  ESS-Code will no
         longer cause an "illegal operation" error when this command is
         used.

BUG FIX: When MIME-Encoding, the subject will no longer be placed in
         quotation marks.

BUG FIX: The ESS-Code .LOG file will now format information written to
         it correctly.

BUG FIX: The setup module has been fixed (yet again).  This time, the
         problem was that it was overwriting the ctl3d.dll file instead
         of the ctl3d32.dll file.  If you discovered in the past that
         one of your applications no longer worked after installing
         ESS-Code, you should be able to restore the application to
         good working order by:

              a) replacing ctl3d.dll with a known good copy

              b) installing the application in question again

         The second method may not always work, but the first
         method is guaranteed to work (if the problem you are
         experiencing was caused by ESS-Code).

NEW:     You can now decode directly from the clipboard.  To do this,
         select "Decode From Clipboard" from the "File" menu, and
         (when prompted) select the appropriate decoding method.

NEW:     After a conversion operation, ESS-Code will now display a list of
         files that were affected.  The list is composed of two sections,
         which are files read/opened and files created/written.  This list
         will also be written to the ESS-Code .LOG file to make it easier
         to track information over time.

NEW:     ESS-Code now has a conversion wizard, which allows users to encode
         or decode a file using a wizard style interface.  The user is asked
         questions, and then ESS-Code makes intelligent decisions about how
         to proceed.  The conversion wizard is particularly useful for
         new users, because it makes decoding extremely painless and encoding
         very easy.  To use the conversion wizard, select "Conversion
         Wizard" from the "File" menu.

NEW:     The menu layout and overall visual appearance of ESS-Code has
         been improved.