MacFormat 1995 June/MacFormat 25.iso/Shareware City/Applications/The Recipe Box/Recipe Box Documentation

Text File | 1994-12-14 | 27.1 KB | 615 lines | [TEXT/ttxt]

1 - Introduction

   The Recipe Box is Copyright 1994 by Anthony Watson, all rights reserved.
Any unauthorized duplication of the programs or documentation is a violation
of federal copyright laws!

   The Recipe Box has been tested extensively and to the best of our knowledge
will not cause problems of any kind. However, neither Mountain Software nor
the author (Anthony Watson), will be held responsible for any damage occurring
to your system or other software. We also make no guarantees as to
compatibility with other software or hardware configurations.

1.1 - Installation

   The recommended minimum setup for The Recipe Box is 4 Meg RAM, a Hard
Drive, System 7.0, a 68030 processor, and a 640x480 256 color graphic mode.
While the program may work on machines with less RAM, older processors, or
lesser graphics modes, we make no guarantee as to it's compatibility.

   To install The Recipe Box on your hard drive, simply copy all the files on
this disk to your hard drive. Then place the original master disk in a safe
place. We also suggest that you flip the write-protect tab on the master disk
to guard against accidental erasure and computer viruses.

1.2 - Registration

   Please fill out and mail in the product registration card. This will
provide us with vital information about you and your system and will allow us
to inform you of program updates, upcoming products, etc.

1.3 - Getting Help

   The Recipe Box has been designed for ease of use. Please take the time to
read this manual and consult it when you have problems. Most program
operations are rather straightforward, and those that are not are discussed in
greater detail in this manual.

   If you are still having difficulties, or have a comment regarding The
Recipe Box, please feel free to contact us via electronic mail on GEnie:
A.WATSON6, or on the Internet: [e-mail]. You may also
write us at:

Mountain Software
6911 NE Livingston Road
Camas, Washington  98607  USA

2 - Getting Started

   Many people love to cook. One person may restrict their cooking to the
basic "Meat and Taters". While another may be a certified chef who has
elevated cooking to an artform. But whatever your cooking level, you most
likely use recipes to prepare your meals.

   If you are like most families, you have collected a large number of
recipes. These probably include 3x5 index cards, newspaper clippings,
cookbooks, and anything else you could scribble your favorite recipes on.
Though these collections are seldom organized into any usable format, and
locating the specific recipe you wish to make is often a time consuming and
difficult procedure.

   The Recipe Box attempts to end all that by providing easy entry, storage,
and access to all your favorite recipes. In addition, The Recipe Box allows
you to do things like resizing a recipe that would be difficult to do with any
of the standard recipe storage methods. You will soon wonder how you got along
without it!

2.1 - Basic Setup

  Before you begin using The Recipe Box, please take a few minutes to
configure the program to your preferences, by clicking on the 'Setup' button
or pressing the 'S' key at the main menu. The program will take a few seconds
to scan your fonts, then the setup menu will appear.

  If the 'Verify Delete Operations' option is turned on, any delete operation
will bring up an alert box, asking you to verify the delete. If this option is
turned off the delete will take place immediately without any notification.

  If the 'Reformat Recipe after Editing' option is on, recipe ingredients will
be reformatted to fractional amounts, whether they were entered as decimal or
fractional amounts. If this option is off, ingredients will remain in whatever
format you enter them.

  If the 'Print One Recipe Per Page' option is on, only one recipe will be
printed on each page. Since this greatly increases paper usage, we generally
recommend that you leave this option turned off.

  On the left side of the setup menu is a list of all available fonts. To
select the fonts for the recipe title and text when printing, simply click on
the desired font in the font list, then click on 'Title' or 'Text' as desired.
Your font choice will be displayed under the appropriate heading. The font
point size is computed automatically based on the resolution of your printer.

  The 'Page Setup' button allows you to select your printer settings for
recipe printouts.

  When you have set all options to your preferences, click on the 'Quit'
button. Your preferences will be saved and you will be returned to the main
menu.

3 - Chapter Functions

  The Recipe Box handles recipes by dividing them into various categories,
also known as 'Chapters'. You may create as few or as many chapters as you
wish, up to the programs limit. Chapters should be fairly general in nature,
but not so general that the chapter fills up too fast. Performance is much
better with several small chapters than it is with a few large ones, as large
chapters require more memory and are slower to access.

  The main menu of The Recipe Box is divided into two sections. The buttons
and list on the left side of the screen are for chapter functions only. The
arrow keys on the left side of the screen allow you to scroll through the list
of chapters if you have more than 14 chapters.

3.1 - Adding a Chapter

  Before you can enter recipes into The Recipe Box, you must first create a
chapter in which to store them.

  To add a chapter, click on the 'Add' button on the left side of the main
menu. A dialog box will appear allowing you to enter in the name of your
chapter. Once you enter the title, press the RETURN key and you'll be returned
to the main menu, and your new chapter will be displayed in the chapter list.

3.2 - Renaming a Chapter

  Should you want to rename a chapter, click once on the name of the chapter
in the chapter list, and that chapter will be highlighted.

  Then click on the 'Rename' button on the left side of the main menu. A
dialog box will appear allowing you to edit the name of your chapter. When you
are satisfied with the new title, press the RETURN key and you'll be returned
to the main menu.

3.3 - Deleting a Chapter

  If you need to delete a Chapter, click once on the name of the chapter in
the chapter list, and that chapter will be highlighted. Then click on the
'Delete' button on the left side of the main menu.

  If the 'Verify Delete Operations' option is turned on in the Setup menu, an
alert box will appear requesting verification of the delete operation.

4 - Recipe Functions

  The main menu of The Recipe Box is divided into two sections. The buttons
and list on the right side of the screen are for recipe functions only. The
arrow keys on the right side of the screen allow you to scroll through your
recipes, if a chapter contains more than 14 recipes.

4.1 - Adding Recipes

  To add a recipe, you must first click on the chapter you wish to place it in.

  Then click on the 'Add' button on the right side of the screen. A dialog box
will appear allowing you to enter the title of your recipe. When you have
entered your title, press the RETURN key and the recipe editor will appear.

  When entering recipes, the ingredients MUST be entered on the left, and the
directions entered on the right side of the screen.

  The editor will start with the cursor placed at the start of the
ingredients. Enter in your list of ingredients and edit them as you wish. When
you want to enter the directions, click on the right side of the screen. The
cursor will be placed at the start of the directions, and you may then enter
your directions.

  You may switch between the ingredients and directions at any time, by
clicking on the left or right half of the screen. Your current cursor position
will be retained, so that when you return the cursor will be located where you
left off.

  If you know the number of servings, or any nutritional information about
your recipe, you may enter it by clicking on the appropriate display at the
bottom of the screen. A dialog box will appear allowing you to enter the
nutritional information. 

  If you wish to change the name of the recipe, click on the recipe title at
the top of the screen. A dialog box will appear allowing you to edit your
title. When you are satisfied with the new title, press the RETURN key.

  When you are finished entering your recipe, click on the 'Save' button at
the top of the screen. Your recipe will be added to the current chapter, and
you will be returned to the main menu.

4.2 - Renaming Recipes

  Should you wish to rename a recipe, click once on the recipe title in the
recipe list. That recipe will be highlighted.

  Then click on the 'Rename' button on the right side of the screen. A dialog
box will appear allowing you to edit the recipe title. When you are satisfied
with the recipe title, press the RETURN key.

4.3 - Deleting Recipes

  If you need to delete a recipe, click once on the recipe title in the recipe
list. That recipe will be highlighted. Then click on the 'Delete' button on
the right side of the screen. 

  If the 'Delete Verify Operations' option is turned on in the Setup menu, an
alert box will appear requesting that you verify the delete operation.

4.4 - Moving Recipes

  Recipes are moved to new chapters by 'dragging' them from the old chapter to
the new chapter.

  First, locate and select the chapter your recipe is in. Then locate your
recipe. Next, locate the destination chapter, but DO NOT select it.

  Click and HOLD the mouse key over the recipe title, then 'Drag' the recipe
title to the chapter you wish to move it to. Release the mouse key and the
recipe will be moved to the new chapter.

4.5 - Viewing Recipes

  To view a recipe, click once on the recipe title to highlight it. Then click
again on the highlighted recipe to view it. The recipe view menu will appear
with your recipe displayed.

  Scroll through long recipes by placing the mouse pointer over the recipe
text. Click on the upper half of the text to scroll up, click on the lower
half of the text to scroll down. You may also use the keyboard cursor keys to
scroll through long recipes.

  The current chapter is displayed at the top of the screen. You may move to
the next or previous chapter by clicking on the arrow buttons to the left and
right of the chapter title.

  The current recipe is displayed below the chapter title. You may move to the
next or previous recipe by clicking on the arrow buttons to the left and right
of the recipe title.

  Click on the 'Quit' button, or press the 'Q' key to return to the main menu. 

4.6 - Resizing Recipes

  When viewing a recipe, you may resize the ingredient amounts by clicking on
the 'Resize' button, or by pressing the 'R' key on the keyboard.

  If the recipe specifies the number of servings it makes, a dialog box will
appear allowing you to enter a new serving amount.

  If the recipe does not specify the number of servings it makes, a dialog
will appear allowing you to enter a multiplier to multiply the ingredients by.

  An alert box will appear asking if you wish to save the resized recipe or
just view it.

4.7 - Editing Recipes

  If you want to edit a recipe you are viewing, click on the 'Edit' button or
press the 'E' key on the keyboard. The editor menu will then appear.

  The recipe is then edited in the same manner it was originally added (See
'Adding Recipes' for more information).

4.8 - Printing Recipes

  If you want to print a recipe you are viewing, click on the 'Print' button
or press the 'P' key on the keyboard. 

5 - Batch Functions

  The batch functions allow you to export recipes as well as print more than
one recipe at a time. The batch list is cleared automatically when you exit
the program.

5.1 - Printing Chapters

  If you would like to print all recipes in a chapter, click and 'drag' the
desired chapter title to the 'Batch' button. Then click on the 'Print' button
at the first alert.

  Chapter printing will not interfere with recipes already in the batch list.  

5.2 - Exporting Chapters

  If you would like to export all recipes in a chapter, click and 'drag' the
desired chapter title to the 'Batch' button. Then click on the 'Export' button
at the first alert.

  A file selector will appear where you can specify the export path and
filename.

  Chapter exporting will not interfere with recipes already in the batch list. 

5.3 - Batch Menu

  Individual recipes may be selected for exporting or batch printing, by
clicking and 'dragging' the desired recipes to the 'Batch' button at the main
menu. You may also add a recipe to the batch list by pressing the 'B' key
while viewing the recipe.

  When you have selected all the recipes you want to use, click on the 'Batch'
button at the main menu. The batch menu will appear.

  You may scroll through the batch list by clicking on the arrow buttons, or
by pressing the keyboard cursor keys.

  Clicking on a recipe in the batch list will remove that recipe from the list.

  Click on the 'Clear' button, or press the 'C' key to clear the batch list
and return to the main menu.

  Click on the 'Quit' button, or press the 'Q' key to return to the main menu.
The batch list will remain intact until you manually clear it, or until you
leave the program.

5.4 - Exporting Recipes

  At the batch menu, click on the 'Export' button, or press the 'E' key to
export the recipes in the batch list. A file selector will appear for you to
specify the export path and export filename.

  Recipes are exported in Meal-Master format for easy exchange with other
computer platforms.

5.5 - Printing Recipes

  At the batch menu, click on the 'Print' button, or press the 'P' key to
print the recipes in the batch list.

6 - Searching

  To search for a recipe or any string, click on the 'Find' button or press
the 'F' key at the main menu or the recipe view menu. A dialog box will appear
allowing you to enter your search string. You may also limit your searches to
specific recipe segments by clicking on the desired recipe parameter displays.

  Press the 'Return' key or click the 'Find' button to begin the search. If
the search string is found the recipe view menu will appear and display the
matching recipe. Regardless of which search parameters you selected, any
matching strings in that recipe will be highlighted.

  If you want to search for the next matching recipe, press the 'N' key at the
Main Menu or at the View Menu. This 'Next' searching will use the same search
parameters that the search was started with.

7 - Importing Recipes

  Recipe exchange has become very popular in recent years on many BBS systems.
Because of this many recipe formats have been developed, though only a few
have gained any real popularity. Use the import and export functions of The
Recipe Box to exchange recipes with friends or relatives, or to provide
temporary storage for lesser used recipes.

  The Recipe Box supports automatic importing of Meal-Master, Computer Chef,
and Mastercook II export formats. In most cases The Recipe Box will be able to
automatically extract a properly formatted recipe from any text file. It is
not necessary to edit out personal messages or comments which may be in the
text file.

  Keep in mind that there are many variables which can affect the success of
recipe importing. Therefore, we suggest that you make a habit of checking
recipes after you import them. While we have worked hard to make the import
routines as robust as possible, it is unavoidable that certain recipes will
still require editing after importing.

  To import recipes as a new chapter, click on the 'Import' button on the left
side of the screen. A dialog box will appear allowing you to enter a title for
the new chapter. Once a title is entered, the new chapter will be created and
a file selector will appear for you to select the import file.

  To merge the imported recipes into the currently selected chapter, click on
the 'Import' button on the right side of the screen. A file selector will
appear for you to select the import file.

  The Recipe Box will then make a quick scan of the first 100 lines of the
import file in an attempt to determine it's format. A dialog box will then
appear allowing you to verify or overwrite the format.

  In most cases, The Recipe Box will automatically import all recipes in a
file. However, if the automatic import fails to import properly, or if the
file is not a formatted recipe you may want to use the manual import
feature.

7.1 - Manual Importing

  In certain cases, The Recipe Box will not be able to automatically extract
recipes from a text file. This is usually caused by an improperly formatted
recipe. Most often this is due to someone altering the recipe without
realizing it is actually in a defined format.

  Some recipe 'formats' are so loosely defined, that there is no way for The
Recipe Box to determine the various segments needed for automatic extraction.
Recipes stored in 'Quik-Book' format are one example of this situation. Also,
recipes are often entered using a text editor and do not follow any formatting
standards.

  For these reasons, The Recipe Box provides a manual import feature. While it
does require more work to import a recipe manually, it is almost always faster
and easier than completely retyping the recipe.

  If you have selected manual importing, the manual import menu will appear
with the text file displayed.

  A "Selection Bar" will be highlighted at the top of the screen. Pressing the
cursor keys allows you to move the bar up and down through the recipe text.
This selection bar is used to mark the various segments of the recipe.

  The segment to be marked is displayed at the bottom of the screen in the
"Now Marking" display. Simply move the bar to the appropriate segment, then
click on 'Mark' or press the 'M' key. The segment will be marked, and the "Now
Marking" display will show the next segment to be marked.

  You must mark the Recipe Title, the first line of the Ingredients, the last
line of the Ingredients, the first line of the directions, and the last line
of the directions. When all of these segments have been marked, the recipe
will be saved automatically, and the "Now Marking" status will reset for
marking additional recipes.

  If you make a mistake during marking, or if you simply wish to start over
with a recipe marking, click the 'Restart' button or press the 'R' key. This
will abort the current marking status and reset for marking additional recipes.
Once a recipe has been saved, you cannot restart the marking for that recipe.

  Clicking on the 'Quit' button or pressing the 'Q' key will return you to the
main menu. Any marking done since the last recipe was saved will be ignored.

8 - Grocery Planner

  The grocery planner is selected by clicking on the 'Grocery' button or
pressing the 'G' key at the main menu. You may also access the grocery planner
by pressing the 'G' key when viewing recipes.

  The grocery planner allows you to maintain a list of commonly used grocery
items and select them quickly for shopping. The grocery planner not only sorts
the items, but will automatically compute a running total as you prepare the
list.

  The screen is divided into two halves. The left side is the list of all
grocery items, and the right side is your current shopping list.

8.1 - Adding Items

  Add items to the item list by clicking on the 'Add Item' button or pressing
the 'A' key. A dialog box will appear allowing you to enter the name,
location, and cost of an item.

  An item name may be anything you wish, though we recommend that you group
similar items together. For example, "Juice, Grape" and "Juice, Apple" are
easier to locate than "Grape Juice" and "Apple Juice".

  You may enter general item locations such as 'dairy', or specific locations
such as 'Aisle 5'. We recommend general locations as store layouts may
occasionally change, and vary widely from store to store.

  We recommend that you round all costs up to the next half dollar. This
provides a 'buffer' when shopping, as store prices often vary from one week to
the next. Also, pricing differs between stores on similar products, and you
may end up short changed if you use exact pricing. In addition, rounding
values up will reduce the amount of updating you need to do on the grocery
list after shopping. We recommend that you compare the grocery list and your
grocery receipts, after each shopping trip, to see if your grocery costs need
to be changed.

8.2 - Editing Grocery Items

  To edit a grocery item, click and HOLD the left mouse key on the item you
wish to edit. A dialog will appear and you can edit your item.

  The item may be deleted by clicking the 'Delete' button in the dialog box,
or by saving a blank item.

8.3 - The Grocery List

  The grocery list is cleared by clicking on the 'Clear List' button, or by
pressing the 'C' key.

  Add items to the grocery list by clicking on the desired item in the item
list. Selecting an item again will add one to the quantity and not duplicate
the item in the list.

  Remove items from the grocery list by clicking on the desired item in the
grocery list. If an items quantity is greater than one, it's quantity will
simply be decremented.

  The grocery list may be printed by clicking on the 'Print' button, or by
pressing the 'P' key.

9 - Meal Planner

  The meal planner is selected by clicking on the 'Meals' button or pressing
the 'M' key at the main menu. The meal planner may also be accessed by
pressing the 'M' key while viewing a recipe.

  To add a recipe to the meal planner, simply drag the recipe title to the
'Meals' button at the main menu. You may also select the recipe first, then
click on the 'Add' button in the Meal Planner. A dialog box will appear with
the current recipe title. Note that you can also replace the current recipe
title with any text of your choice. This can be used to indicate birthdays,
holidays, etc.

  The meal planner will automatically place each new meal on the next
available date following the current date. You may place a meal on a different
date by clicking on the desired meal in the meal list. Then click on the new
date you wish for the meal. Note that you can specify any number of meals for
any dates you wish.

  Clicking on a meal that is already highlighted will bring up a dialog box
allowing you to edit the meal.

  To delete a meal, click on the meal you wish to delete. Then click on the
'Delete' button at the bottom of the screen.

  Clicking on the 'Clear' button will allow you to clear the entire meal list,
or The Recipe Box can automatically clear out meals older than the current
date.

  To print out the meal list, click on the 'Print' button or press the 'P' key.

10 - Calorie Chart

  The Calorie Chart is selected by clicking on the 'Calorie' button or
pressing the 'C' key at the main menu. You may also access the calorie chart
by pressing the 'C' key while viewing a recipe.

  The calorie chart allows you to maintain a quick reference of various food
items and the calories they contain.

  Scroll through the calorie chart by clicking on the arrow buttons or by
using the up/down cursor keys on the keyboard.

  Add items to the calorie chart by clicking on the 'Add' button or by
pressing the 'A' key. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to enter the
item, measure and calories.

  Edit a calorie item by clicking on the desired item in the calorie chart. A
dialog box will appear, allowing you to edit the item.

  Find an item by clicking on the 'Find' button or by pressing the 'F' key. A
dialog box will appear allowing you to enter your search string. When you
finish your entry, press the RETURN key. The calorie chart will reappear with
your string highlighted. Find additional matches by pressing the 'N' key on
the keyboard.

11 - Text Reader

  The text reader is selected by clicking on the 'Text' button or pressing the
'T' key at the main menu. You may also access the text reader by pressing the
'T' key while viewing a recipe. A file selector will appear allowing you to
locate the file you wish to view.

  The text reader provides a quick and easy method of reading text files from
within The Recipe Box. This is often useful for reading informational files
such as measurement equivalents, storage recommendations, etc. You may create
the text files using any text editor.

  You can scroll through long text files by clicking on the upper half of the
recipe text to scroll up, or clicking on the lower half of the text to scroll
down. You may also use the up/down cursor keys on the keyboard.

12 - Information

  This chapter is a general 'catch-all' for those items which do not pertain
to other program operations.

12.1 - Version/Contact Information

  To determine the current version number or the registered owner, click on
'About The Recipe Box' menu item under the Apple Menu heading. The information
screen also provides complete contact information for Mountain Software.

12.2 - Index Rebuilding

  The Recipe Box maintains many indexes for quick recipe access. Should these
indexes become corrupted, your recipes would normally become inaccessable.
However, The Recipe Box has been designed so that this situation is often
self-correcting.

   Most operations create new indexes each time they are used, while others
are automatically checked for validity, and corrected when necessary. In most
situations, problems in the indexes will be corrected without you ever
realizing a problem existed.

  However, should a problem occur in the main chapter index, or if you just
want to update the chapter index, you may press the 'R' key at the main menu.

12.3 - Recipe 'Status' displays

  To determine the number of recipes stored in The Recipe Box, click on the
'Chapters' title above the chapter list. A small alert will display the
total number of chapters and the total number of recipes.

  You may determine the number of recipes in a specific chapter by selecting
that chapter, and clicking on the 'Recipes' title above the recipe list.  

12.4 - Appreciation

  I would like to thank all of the dedicated users who previously registered
the Atari ST and Amiga versions of The Recipe Box. I appreciate your comments,
suggestions, and complaints.

  I would especially like to thank my wife Peggy. Your recommendations,
support, and patience while I've continued to develop this program were
greatly appreciated. I Love You!

  Finally, I want to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. It is only
with your blessings that I am able to produce this software.

12.5 - About The Recipe Box

  The Recipe Box was ported to the Apple Macintosh by Anthony Watson using
Future BASIC by Zedcor.

  The original Atari ST version was written in GFA BASIC 3.5 and included
several assembly routines written and compiled with GENST.

  The Amiga version was written with the Amiga version of GFA BASIC.

  The Recipe Box documentation was written using Mountain Softwares
"Pen Pal" text editor on the Atari ST, then was moved to the Mac using Simple Text.