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Software Vault: The Gold Collection
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Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
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README.TXT
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1993-06-11
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ForeWarn version 1.0
beta test version
Beta Version limitation:
MMPM is not supported in this release. Selection of
sounds for a record will be stored but no sound will be
played. The final release is anticipated to have this
feature completed.
Like a publication for a conference, I have worked with
the text and code of this program for many late nights
and I know that I have overlooked numerous cosmetic
flaws in the program. Spelling of various embedded messages
will probably be found to be in error. After you stare
at a user interface for just so long, the errors cease to
exist. Please report all cosmetic flaws to the author.
Installation:
To install the OS/2 version of ForeWarn you must have os/2
version 2.1 (beta or GA release) installed on the target
system. The following system variables must be set:
FOREWARN_INI
FOREWARN_DAT
These two variables can be set in the system config.sys
so that they will be available to all OS/2 sessions by
adding the following lines:
set FOREWARN_INI=d:\driectory\forewarn.ini
set FOREWARN_DAT=d:\directory\forewarn.dat
and replace the "d:" with the drive to store the respective
files and "directory" with the target directory. The file
referenced by the variable FOREWARN_INI is the file to store
initialization information between sessions. The file
FOREWARN_DAT is used to store the data used by the program.
The names of the files can be anything legal to the file
system used on the particular disk. If the file system is
of type FAT, the file name specification must be limited to
the 8.3 FAT format. If the file is HPFS the filename can be
anything legal to OS/2 HPFS format.
If the destination for the data file is on a FAT
formatted partition the file cannot have an extension if
the option for creating backup files is selected.
ForeWarn will not lose data, it will simply warn the
user of the problem and stop. In this case, select the
Options dialog and turn off backups.
Starting ForeWarn:
Like its DOS counterpart, ForeWarn uses command line
options to tell it whether it should simply check the
dates or if it should enter the edit mode. Unlike the
DOS version (which had a multitude of options) the OS/2
version has only two parameters:
-e: enter edit mode
-c: check dates only (default)
Forewarn does not run as a background task and only
checks the data at the time that the program starts. It
is not meant to replace a pop-up calendar. This may
change in future versions when the author learns how to
use threads. It is easiest to simply add the following
line to the startup.cmd file:
start d:\directory\forewarn.exe
The ForeWarn.HLP file must be located in the help path
or an error will be displayed when the program starts.
Upgrading from the DOS version of ForeWarn
Some noticable differences will be found between
ForeWarn for OS/2 and DOS. These are listed in the
following sections.
Data File Format
In order to allow for selective sounds a new field
has been added to the ForeWarn data file. This
field has been added just before the message text.
In the event that the DOS versio loads the data file
for the OS/2 version, this will simply appear as a
number before the text of each message.
The data file can be maintained in the DOS format by
selecting the Options dialog and turning on the DOS
compatibility. This will eliminate the additional
field but will force ForeWarn to ignore all sound
specifications in the Edit Dialog box.
User Interface:
The DOS version of ForeWarn utilized a Text based
grouping of windows to allow for separation of
displayed data and edit fields. This necessitated
doubling up the use of the function keys which
proved to be awkward. To remedy this, the OS/2
version has a full edit dialog feature that leads
the user through the setting of dates.
Additionally, the edit dialog box has been set up to
be as close to the OS/2 Application Design Guide as
possible.
To further enhance the user interface, Forewarn does
not go through normal checks to display the warnings
in dialog boxes when the edit mode is chosen.
ForeWarn now utilizes colors to indicate the status
of events. There are three colors that are used:
red: Active dates which meet the criterion
for advance notice (i.e. the current
date plus the advance is greater than or
equal to the target date)
blue: Expired events. If the option to delete
expired events has been specified in the
options dialog box, these lines will be
deleted when the data is saved. Expired
events are events in which the deadline
includes a specific year and that year
or the actual date has passed.
black: Normal data that meets neither of the
above.
Future planned enhancements:
Sounds using MMPM or the DOSBEEP functions.
Multiple threads
User selectable colors for events
Window size and position recall
Contacting the author:
This product has been developed in the author's spare
time and not as a result of any funding or cooperation
by the author's employer. All tools (including the
compiler, development environment, and equipment)
necessary to develop this system were purchased by the
author.
Comments for corrections and enhancements are welcomed
by the author and can be sent to:
William Scott Hiles
2 Savannah St.
King George, VA 22485-9331
or via email at:
whiles@relay.nswc.navy.mil
Terms of agreement:
Like the DOS version of ForeWarn, the OS/2 version of
ForeWarn has been developed by WiSHware Inc. and may not
be distributed as part of another product without
written permission by the author. This product is
distributed as FreeWare and the author does not expect
monetary compensation. Donations are welcomed to
support the development of FreeWare products; but is not
required.