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PIXREAD.ME
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PixFolio - Windows Image Viewer and Catalog Manager (Shareware)
(c) Allen C. Kempe, 1991. All rights reserved.
Portions (c) Microsoft Corporation, 1985-1991. All rights reserved.
PixFolio (formerly ShowGif) is a Microsoft Windows program that can view a
variety of bitmapped graphics formats and maintain multiple catalogs of
images. Version 1.04 is being distributed as Shareware for $35.00 plus $4
Shipping and Handling ($7 outside of US and Canada) by the author,
Allen C. Kempe. You are free to use PixFolio for a 30 day period. After that
time, you are expected to register your copy and pay the $35.00 registration
fee (plus shipping & handling).
The graphics formats currently supported are:
BMP - Windows Bitmap
CLP - Windows clipboard file
DRW/GRF - Micrografx draw and graph files.
EPS - Encapsulated Postscript with imbedded TIFF preview images.
FLI/FLC - Autodesk Animator and Animator Pro (tm) files.
GIF - CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format
ICO - Windows Icon
IFF - IFF/LBM (Amiga) used by Computer Eyes frame grabber.
IMG - GEM/IMG (Digital Research).
MAC - Macintosh MacPaint files.
PCX - Microsoft Paint & PC Paintbrush
RLE - Windows Run Length Encoded
TGA - Targa
TIFF- Tag Image Format. Most formats including 24 bit color
are supported.
WMF - Windows Metafile.
WPG - WordPerfect Graphics
Note: Not all variations that may be possible in the above file formats have
been tested due to lack of suitable test files.
The major feature of PixFolio is the ability to build catalogs of
images, that may reside on different disks. The catalog can then be searched
and images can be easily located. Provisions are made for saving a primary and
backup location for the image concurrently. To enhance searching for a
particular image the program can display postage stamp images in a matrix.
The ability to read an image in one format and to save it in another allows
the program to be used as a file conversion utility.
PixFolio version 1.04 is Shareware (see the accompanying file "PIXREGST.ME").
PixFolio may be freely distributed on Bulletin Boards so long as all files
are included along with this file.
THE AUTHOR RESERVES ALL RIGHTS TO THIS PROGRAM. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT WARRANT
THIS PROGRAM'S FITNESS OR SUITABILITY FOR ANY PURPOSE. ALL USERS SHOULD USE
IT AT THEIR OWN RISK.
The author will make a reasonable effort to correct problems and software
bugs relating to documented features of the program for registered users.
The author intends to make continuing improvements to the program including
supporting additional file formats. To this end, comments and suggestions are
welcomed.
Users may contact the author, Allen C. Kempe on CompuServe (71220,23) or
in writing at:
Allen C. Kempe
298 W. Audubon Drive
Shepherdsville, KY 40165-8836
USA
The Author is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals.
GERMAN Version.
A German version will soon be available. Read the accompanying file
"DEUTSCH.TXT" with Windows Notepad.
Main Features
File Menu:
New File - create a blank image suitable for pasting from the
clipboard.
Open File - Open a new file for viewing.
Save File - Save an image, possibly in a different format.
Move/Copy file - Move or copy a file.
Delete - Delete a file.
Print - print all or part of an image.
Export - Export the contents of a catalog for input to a database
or spreadsheet.
Select Printer - select a printer
Close
Catalog Menu:
Select catalog: Create, delete, select or rename an image catalog.
Catalog. Create or update a catalog entry for a displayed image.
Browse Catalog. View catalog entries one by one; select a subset
for viewing.
Build Catalog. Create catalog entries for groups of images.
Print Catalog Entries. Two formats are provided.
Rebuild Catalog Index. Recover lost space in file and compact it.
Edit Menu:
Paste palette and image from clipboard.
Copy all or part of an image to the clipboard.
Cut a selected area from an image.
Crop an image.
Expand an image to fill the dimensions of the current window.
Resize an image by a percentage amount or fit to a given dimension.
Options:
Set background color used when image is expanded.
Set whether to use a solid or pattern background color.
Display DIB or Bitmap format.
Control whether warning messages will be displayed.
Establish default operating options.
View Options:
Palette manipulation (Brightness and contrast).
Convert to gray scale.
Dither to Black & White
Dither to a lower color resolution.
View thumbnails of catalog entries.
Play a GIF animation sequence.
Single step through a GIF animation sequence.
Change the speed of a GIF animation sequence.
Other:
Using the mouse in the main viewing window, a marquee can be
selected for copying or cutting to the clipboard. The right mouse
button can be used to draw a stretch marquee where the selected
image rectangle is copied.
Help:
Context sensitive help is included for all menu items.
******** Equipment Requirements **********
While PixFolio will execute in a minimal Windows installation, for example, a
286 with 2 megabytes of memory, program operation will be severely inhibited
by a lack of memory. On such a configuration, large bitmaps, especially 8 or
24 bit images may fail. Other applications could be adversely affected as
well and fail with unexpected UAE's. Actual results will vary depending upon
the amount of memory used by other applications running concurrently.
PixFolio was developed and tested on a 20-MHz 386 with 8 megabytes of memory.
It is recommended that PixFolio be run on a machine with at least 2 and pre-
ferrably, 4 megabytes of memory. Running in 386-Enhanced mode will also
make available the benefits of virtual memory.
The display of images containing more than 16 colors requires that you have
a Super VGA or better video display and a 256 color Windows device driver in
order to display the full range of colors in the image. However, PixFolio
incorporates dithering functions that will allow display of a 256
color image using a 16 color driver such as the standard VGA driver. Such
operations are slow and the results are not as good as if you have a video
display capable of displaying 256 colors.
********** Program Limitations *************
PixFolio has no limit on the number of catalogs that can be created or the
size of these catalogs except those restraints imposed by your file system
and te amount of available memory. However, the following points should be
noted:
1. The size of a catalog is limited by the amount of disk space where it
resides or 2,048 index entries. Catalog records are variable length and
depend upon the type of image and how big the comments are.
2. PixFolio may encounter difficulty with extremely large images, those in
excess of 1024 x 768 pixels. This is particularly true of color images
and even more so by 24 bit color or gray scale images. This is primarily
due to the increased memory requirements.
3. While PixFolio and Windows supports 24 bit color and gray scale images,
the display of such images using a video driver that only displays 256
colors, can result in some lengthy delays whenever windows has to realize
the 24 bit RGB data to an 8 bit palette. It may take 15 to 20 minutes to
realize a 640 x 480 image depending upon the speed of your machine.
Dithering a 24 bit image to 256 colors can take more than an hour in some
cases. If you plan to work with 24 bit images, you may wish to invest in
a video board that supports "high color". One such board that appears to
work quite well is the ATI VGASTEREO F/X card.
4. The support for GIF animation in PixFolio requires large amounts of free
memory. GIF animation files with a large number of frames or overlays may
unexpectedly fail if PixFolio runs out of memory.
Autodesk FLI/FLC animation files likewise require large amounts om memory.
To provide maximum performance, the entire image is loaded into memory to
reduce delays caused by reading from disk. A lack of physical memory that
requires Windows to utilize paged virtual memory (in 386 Enhanced mode)
can result in "jumpy" animations. In addition a high performance video
board and driver is recommended to optimally display animation files
without pauses that destroy the effect.
5. PixFolio has not been rigorously tested in a network environment. The
affect of network operations and more than one user accessing PixFolio
files concurrently cannot be predicted.
6. Not all graphics formats are supported equally with respect to reading and
saving a file. For example, not all of the compression options are
currently supported for saving TIFF images. GIF images can only be saved
in GIF87a format. Likewise, some of the more obscure or obsolete formats
such as 4 color CGA formats for PCX cannot be written although they can be
read.
CCITT Group 3 and Group 4 TIFF file comprssion formats are not supported at
this time.
7. The author has not been able to successfully test PixFolio with printers
that print in color in Windows 3.0. The new HP LaserJet "Intellefont"
driver does produce good quality halftones from color images without
dithering.
One user has reported that PixFolio give very good results printing color
images on Start Micronics NX-1000 Rainbow and NX-1020 printers but you must
obtain the OEM driver from Star Micronics.
Printer performance when running under Windows 3.1 is much improved. It is
both faster as well as of higher quality. Changes to the printer drivers
also enable printing to color printers such as the Epson LQ-2550.
8. The rendition of Windows Metafile (.WMF) images has not been extensivly
tested with a variety of files. Use at your own risk.
9. The implementation of Micrografx .DRW and .GRF files is not rigorous. Some
features of these files are not supported. Unless you have Adobe Type
Manager or scalable typefaces, the rendition of fonts used in these files
may not be optimal when Windows matches fonts.
10. Other program limitations, if any, can be determined by accessing the
online context-sensitive help.
******** NOTE **********
If you have previously loaded Showgif (the former name of this program), you
should edit your WIN.INI file changing the section name [Showgif] to
[PixFolio]. Catalog file names, e.g. SHOWGIF.CAT need not be renamed but if
you do, be sure to rename the index file, SHOWGIF.CIX also!
****** Installation and Getting Started*******
If your copy of PixFolio was received on a distribution diskette, the
installation must be done from within windows by running "SETUP" from drive
A: or B: (whichever is appropriate). This is important as the files on a
distribution diskette are compressed. Otherwise, the following installation
procedure should be followed:
It is suggested that the files which constitute PixFolio be placed in their
own subdirectory on your hard disk. These files are:
PIXFOLIO.EXE
PIXFOLIO.HLP
SPIN.DLL
METER.DLL
PIXDLL.DLL
PIXIODLL.DLL
PIXHELP.DLL
PIXCATLG.DLL
PIXTIFF.DLL
PIXGIF.DLL
PIXFLIC.DLL
PIXWPG.DLL
The following file is a Microsoft supplied DLL that provides common
dialog services and other functionality. You should place this file in
your Windows\System directory. Future versions of Windows may contain
newer versions of this file.
COMMDLG.DLL
Not necessary for program operation are this file PIXREAD.ME, PIXREGST.FRM
and PIXREGST.ME. PIXPACK.LST is a list of files included in this zip file.
The user guide is USRGUIDE.WRI. It can be printed with Windows Write and
formatted for your particyular printer.
Once the above files have been located in the subdirectory of your choice,
start Windows and then use the Program Manager "Add" command to add PixFolio
to the desired program group.
When PixFolio runs for the first time, it will establish a section in
your WIN.INI file with program variables. These default options should enable
you to start using PixFolio immediately. Once PixFolio is running you may
access the online Help command for specific instructions and explanation of
PixFolio menu commands.
A quick review of PixFolio features and operating procedures can be gained by
reviewing the user guide.
****** Credits ******
The author of PixFolio would like to recognize the efforts of Mr. Paul Hachey,
(CompuServe Id 76247,3716) who performed an invaluable service by getting
deeply involved in the extensive testing that went on over a period of months.
Paul is responsible for the design of the PixFolio cover page, Icon and
"About" dialog box and his many suggestions greatly influenced the "look and
feel" of PixFolio.
****** Known Bugs in Version 1.01a that have been corrected ******
1. Saving an uncompressed PCX file does not create a file that can be
read by other programs such as Windows Paint. Try the compressed
option.
2. The save IFF file format is not working; the resulting file cannot
be read.
3. PixFolio does not properly interpret the image origin bit for
TGA images. Some TGA images may display upside down.
4. There is a memory allocation problem. After viewing a GIF file,
an attempt to view a TGA file will result in a "Local Alloc" error.
It may be necessary to stop and restart PixFolio to read a TGA file.
5. The "DIB to Screen" radio button on the default Options dialog does
not work. The option can still be changed from the Options menu.
6. If you uncatalog a slide that is displayed in Slide View, the slide
is not erased from the screen and subsequent attempts to access it
will result in a UAE.
7. You may experience UAE's after attempting to read a corrupted TIFF
file.
8. PixFolio would fail when attempting to create a thumbnail of a large
image.
9. The File Open/Save dialog wil now allow direct entry of a pathname in
lieu of selecting from the listbox.
10. PixFolio "hangs" when the only item in a Catalog is Uncataloged.
11. Windows crashes after exiting PixFolio. (This problem was introduced in
version 1.02.) This problem could occur if global memory was compacted
because while PixFolio was running.
***** What's new in Version 1.02 *****
New features in version 1.02 include:
1. Print contents of a catalog, including the thumbnails or print selected
entries.
2. Read MACPAINT .MAC files.
3. Read imbedded TIFF preview images in Encapsulated Postscript .EPS files.
4. Dither 256 color images to 16 colors when using a standard VGA driver
which only supports 16 colors. Or dither 24 bit images to 256 colors.
An "Auto Dither" option has been added which provides for automatically
dithering an image for display if it's color resolution is greater than
your display driver's.
5. Cut and paste different images with different palettes and/or number
of colors.
6. File and record locking needed for running in a network environment.
7. Separate, printable user manual.
8. The file list in the Build function can now optionally display only
those images that are not cataloged.
9. Support has been added for users of PixFolio using Bernoulli boxes or
other high-capacity removable media. See the User Guide for details.
10. "Slide View" has been renamed "Thumbnail View".
11. PixFolio will maintain the original color information. Previous
versions would reduce color resolution to that of the display whenever
editing operations took place. For example, you can cut and paste 24
bit images even if you don't have a 24 bit video display and retain the
24 bit color data in the image. Likewise, PixFolio will not lose color
information when working on 8 bit color images and using the standard
VGA, 16 color driver.
12. The contents of a catalog, less the thumbnail image, can be written to
a standard ASCII comma-delimited file which can be read by many
database programs or spreadsheets.
13. Another application can be launched from the Thumbnail view using a
selected image file.
14. Support has been added for the Windows MetaFile clipboard format.
15. Date and time in catalog entries will now be formatted per WIN.INI
(Control Panel - International) settings rather than customary USA
usage. (See the special note below).
16. Support added for reading GEM ".IMG" files.
17. Added a "Slide Show" for sequentially viewing selected images in full
screen mode.
18. Added support for reading Windows Icon ".ICO" files.
19. Added support for Windows clipboard ".CLP" files.
***** Changes in Version 1.02.1 ****
20. Added support for user defined scaling parameters for printed images.
21. Add support for labeling a backup volume that has no label.
22. Correct bug in DLL's that caused Windows to crash in some instances
when memory was low after PixFolio ends.
***** Changes in Version 1.02.2 ****
23. Add option to print catalog entries by reading in original image for
better print resolution as opposed to printing the thumbnail from the
catalog entry.
24. Keep print options in WIN.INI file associated with a given printer. Allow
setting print options in Select Printer dialog.
25. Correct bug that prevented printing 2 color images when printing catalog
entries.
26. Corrected operation of Select Catalog dialog.
27. Correct thumbnail of 2 color image; black and white reversed.
28. Correct decoding of Primary Drives and Backup Drives WIN.INI options.
****** Changes in Version 1.02.3 *****
29. Add volume label checking for Catalog files.
30. Correct bug in Thumbnail view where the last thumbnail disappears after
another thumnail is moved or uncataloged.
31. Add Save As to View's File menu.
32. Provide for alternative "PixFolio.INI" file to hold program options.
See note below!
33. Added display of current catalog in window title bar in addition to
file name and format info.
**** Changes in Version 1.02.4 *****
34. Corrected bug in print catalog routine causing 2 color images to not
print and causing various UAE's, hangs, etc.
35. Added subset of Edit menu to View window's menu.
**** Changes in version 1.02.4 *****
36. Correct mismatch on Volume labels greater than 8 bytes long.
37. Correct bug in Re-index that caused "deleted"items to be re-instated.
**** Changes in Version 1.02.5 *****
38. Add ability to select font to use for catalog printout.
39. Retain user defined sequence when changing catalogs.
40. Fix bug in TIFF processing routines that caused UAE's when the
TIFF image does not have Stripbytecounts per TIFF specs.
41. Eliminate UAE that occurs when moving a thumbnail to a blank position.
42. Correct scaling of images printed on catalog listing.
43. Correct UAE that occurs when an inactive printer is selected.
**** Changes in Version 1.02.6 *****
44. Correct bug causing various UAE's and inability to select catalogs or
create new ones.
45. Change File Open/Save/Move to use common dialog dll (COMMDLG.DLL).
**** Changes in version 1.02.6a *****
46. Change background color dialog to use common dialog.
47. Change font selection to use common dialog.
48. Add "ICN" as valid file extension for Windows ICON file.
49. Correct error "Cannot Open Catalog" when moving or copying marked slides.
50. Correct bug in Launch where profile options could not be found.
**** Changes in version 1.02.6b ****
51. Correct bug in establishing color palette for PCX files.
***** Changes in version 1.02.7 *****
52. Modify Build dialog to use common dialogs.
53. Correct bug in which prevented Catalog Export from executing.
54. Correct UAE that occurred when saving a TIFF file.
55. Include new version of COMMDLG.DLL
56. Add Browse option to File - Launch. (1.02.7a)
***** Version 1.03 *****
57. Fix version 3 PCX file's palette.
58. Create PIXGIF.DLL
59. Correct bug in Select Catalog Delete function.
60. Increase stack size.
61. Add support for symbol rotation in Micrografx .DRW files.
62. Correct display of metafiles for .WMF & .DRW/.GRF files.
63. Eliminate "hang" when cancelling Catalog dialog in Build function.
64. Include new version of COMMDLG.DLL.
65. Eliminate spurious "File Locked" message whe performing a catalog
operation in a network environment.
****** Version 1.03.1 ******
66. Correct palette generation for PCX version 5 2 color files.
67. Correct "hang" when "building" single catalog entry in Build function;
also, correct display of Status bar and inappropriate message that GIF
file format is invalid.
68. Correct UAE which occurred when catalog volume label error message is
cancelled when starting Thumbnail View.
***** Version 1.03.2 *****
69. Correct date search when date format is different than US standard.
70. Eliminate "This may take a while message" when displaying a 24 bit image
on a video display that displays greater than 256 colors.
**** Version 1.03.3 *****
71. Fix palette for PCX version 2 - 2 color files.
**** Version 1.03.4 *****
72. Fix another PCX palette problem resulting in images being displayed in
reverse video.
73. Fix HELP button in File Open, Move/Copy and Catalog Export.
74. Widen directory display listbox in File Operation, et. at. to display long
pathnames without clipping.
75. Correct copy to clipboard from a View Window. Also, remove "crop" from
View window Edit menu. Fix UAE that occurs when using the COPY command
from a view window.
76. Eliminate empty main window which appears temporarily while doing a
build operation.
77. Revamp Catalog print format to more consistently print 4 images per
page.
**** Version 1.03.5 *****
78. Correct UAE caused by error in formatting window title when catalog
titles were more than approximately 15 bytes.
79. Correct truncation of last character of volume id in catalog information
when volume name was 11 characters long.
80. Correct erroneous "Save" after selecting File - New.
81. Correct UAEs involved in Cut and Crop operations.
82. Correct Bug in Thumbnail ProcessThumnails, uncatalog. Would only
uncatalog part of those thumbnails selected.
**** Version 1.03.6 ****
83. Correct bug in date formatting for Catalog function when YYYY/MM/DD
date format is selected in WIN.INI Intl section.
84. Correct bug in Search function of Catalog Browse.
***** Version 1.03.7 ****
85. Correct display of Windows Metafiles.
86. Modify display of fonts in Micrografx DRW files to provide for better
matching of font sizes.
87. Correct error reading in WMF files > 32,768 bytes long.
**** Version 1.03.8 ****
88. If a primary location is on a removable volume such as a WORM drive or
Bernoulli box, check and prompt for the correct volume.
89. Make changes to reduce "Out of Memory" error when building a large catalog
in excess of 1000 entries.
***** Version 1.03.9 ****
90. Add support for Autodesk Animator FLI & FLC files.
91. Add option to Thumbnail recatalog to move or copy marked files.
***** Version 1.03.10 ****
92. Add support for WordPerfect Graphics
***** Version 1.03.11 *****
93. Correct bug in creation of new catalog that caused extension string to
be truncated.
94. Add check for available space before updating a catalog entry. This will
reduce the probability of corrupting the existing catalog.
95. Add check for valid catalog before opening thumbnail view to avoid
multiple "Can't open catalog" error messages possibly followed by a UAE.
***** Version 1.03.12 *****
96. Correct bug in Select Catalog - Delete function where the wron catalog
gets deleted.
97. Correct bug in LBM/IFF decoding for 2 color images resulting in a UAE.
98. Eliminate "Drive not ready" messages for CD_ROM drives when starting
PixFolio.
99. Correct bug in Default Options where the default catalog was being assigned
to the wrong catalog.
100. Correct error when reading PM (OS/2) style bitmaps.
***** Version 1.04 *****
101. Correct UAE that occurs when cataloging new entries. Caused by Alternate
user-defined index not being updated after index is recreated.
102. Changed catalog format to allow for thumbnail bitmaps > 65k bytes.
****WARNING**** Previous versions of PixFolio may have problems
with catalogs containing thumbnails larger than 65k.
103. Corrected bug which resulted in thumbnails being corrupted during a
Build.
**** Special Notes for users updating from a prior version ****
If you are upgrading from a previous version of PixFolio, you may wish to
update the default extensions (via the default Options command) or the
extensions defined for each catalog (via the Select Catalog command) to add
the new extensions for file types ".EPS", ".ICO", ".IMG" and ".MAC" if you
plan to use these file types. Alternatively, you may change these options
by editing the PixFolio section of your WIN.INI file.
If you are not using the US standard date and time formats, PixFolio will not
convert dates and times in existing catalogs to the format specified in your
Windows WIN.INI file. However, all new catalog entries will use these formats.
PixFolio defaults to WIN.INI for storing program options. All options will be
stored following a [PixFolio] header. If you do not want to store program
options in WIN.INI, PixFolio can save its options in a file named
"PIXFOLIO.INI" which can be located in the Windows directory, the PixFolio
program directory, or any directory listed in your PATH statement. If you want
to excercise this option, use NotePad to delete the entries for PixFolio in
your WIN.INI file and paste them into a new file named "PIXFOLIO.INI".
Subsequently, if PixFolio finds a file called "PIXFOLIO.INI" it will use it
instead of WIN.INI.