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OS/2 Help File | 1993-12-29 | 50KB | 1,556 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. About AlarmPro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AlarmPro Time Manager Recipient of the OS/2 Software Developers Award WalkerWerks 572 Sabine Memphis, Tn. 38117 (901) 683-3770 Compuserve 70304,2705 (C) Copyright 1992 all rights reserved ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Overview ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Welcome to AlarmPro version 1.4. With AlarmPro you have a Contact manager, Time manager, DeskTop clock, ToDo-Appointment scheduler, and event scheduler. The program maintains a database of events with up to 200 per day. Send yourself reminders, notify groups of meetings, or have applications run unattended at the proper time. Menu Help Brought to you by: WalkerWerks 572 Sabine Memphis, Tn. 38117 (901) 683-3770 Compuserve 70304,2705 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Disclaimer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This program is provided as is. The author accepts no liability for damages, or loss of income caused directly or indirectly through the use of this program. This program is SHAREWARE all rights and privileges provided by law are reserved by WalkerWerks and the author. Registered users will receive a registered copy and one update when available. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Registering ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AlarmPro This program is not FREEWARE. Registration is $45 U.S. per copy. Site licenses can be negotiated on request. The SHAREWARE version may only be used for a 60 day trial period. Registered users will receive a registered copy and one update when available. They also receive utilities for converting DB3 and OS/2 Productivity database files to AlarmPro contact files and OS/2 Daily Planner files to AlarmPro ToDo files. And just for good measure a utility is provided to start DOS virtual sessions from the command line with specific settings. A valuable tool for scheduling DOS communications programs with the event scheduler. Note: Please include a personal contact and the version number you are registering. Send Registration to: Bryan Walker DBA WalkerWerks 572 Sabine Memphis, Tn. 38117 Compuserve 70304,2705 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The Main menu provides a way to get to the various options for AlarmPro. Each item can be reached by pressing Alt+ the underlined letter of the menu item. In addition some options have an accelerator key combination that will take you directly to the option without going through a menu. The items also appear in the system menu because AlarmPro will continue to function as an icon if you choose minimize window to DeskTop under the settings-window of the AlarmPro DeskTop Object Icon. The Menu Structure: o Events Alt+E The events menu including: - Schedule Alt+S Schedule reminders and applications for onetime or repetitive events. - Database Edit the events database. - Calendar Schedule events by choosing the date from a virtual calendar. - Set Search Files Select up to three event files for AlarmPro to search when it schedules events each midnight. - List Today's Events. Display a list of the events that will occur today. - Review old events. This option is active if you were notified of missed events when you started AlarmPro but you did not review them. Select this to review them. - Pause Temporarily stop the execution of Reminders and programs. The title bar will display (P) when the system is paused. This is useful when you will be away from your desk for a few days and don't want all the reminders being displayed. When pause is removed AlarmPro will start processing events from that time forward. o Contacts Alt+C This option either activates the Phone Secretary or moves you to that window if it is already active. o ToDo Alt+T The ToDo List submenu. - Today Alt+D View and edit todays ToDo list. - Specific Date. Enter the month day and year to view a specific date. - Calendar. Use a virtual calendar to select a ToDo list. - Week at a Glance Alt+W Display the current weeks ToDo items. - Search Search the active ToDo database for specific records by date, time, contact, or note text. Note: The ToDo list for any given date can be reached by double clicking on that date on the Master Calendar. o Utilities Alt+U - Lockup now Activate the lockup feature immediately. This blanks the screen and, optionally, requires a password to return to the DeskTop. - Pack databases Pack the active database of the listed type (event, contact, ToDo). When records are deleted they are marked as inactive but the physical data still takes up space on your hard drive. Packing the database will remove the deleted data from the database reducing its size. Warning: Relationships about attached Contacts are maintained by record number. Packing the Contact database can break these relationships. Only pack Contact files when few or no reminders are currently scheduled. - Display Preferences Set the colors, display formats, and other options for AlarmPro. - System Settings Set the startup, working directory, DeskTop lockup, and hourly chime options. - Time and Date Set your computer's system time and date. - Hide Controls Alt+H This toggles through 4 settings. Have the title bar, system menu, and minimize-maximize buttons all displayed. Have all of the above hidden. Have the title bar displayed without the system menu and min-max buttons. And reduce the entire display to a single one line titlebar. o Help ALT+P - Help for Help Instructions on using the OS/2 help facility. - Keys Help Listing of the accelerator keys. - Help Index Index of AlarmPro help topics. - Trouble Shooting Frequently asked questions and the solutions. - About Program information dialog. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Keys Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ At any Window Alt + the Underlined letter for an option will select that action. Alt + a letter means to hold the ALT key down and while still down press the desired letter. From the clock you can go directly to a window using the accelerator keys defined for that option. They are o ALT + A Display the Program Information ABOUT BOX. o ALT + C Display the Phone Secretary. o ALT + D Bring up the ToDo list for today. o ALT + E Display the Event Menu. o ALT + H to toggle the menu and controls off and on. o ALT + S to schedule an event. o ALT + R Activate the Master Calendar. o ALT + T Display the ToDo menu. o ALT + U Display the Utilities Menu. o ALT + L Immediately lockup the desktop. o ALT + V View\Edit the contact list. o ALT + W Display the Week at a Glance. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Contacts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Contacts are individuals or companies that you need to keep information about. They might be customers, vendors, or friends. The contact manager functions in AlarmPro allow you to maintain the names, addresses, phone numbers, and general information about these people. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Phone Secretary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The phone secretary is a 9 page alphabetical notebook of your Contacts. All contact display, editing, and management is reached from here. The window can be moved and sized on your desktop. When exited the position is remembered and restored when next activated. The secretary is also listed in your OS/2 window list. It can be minimized and then selected from the window list. The current database is displayed in the titlebar. To view or edit a particular contact select the name with your mouse or arrow keys, then double click or press enter to display the contact details. Options for the Phone Secretary are: o Exit - Phone Secretary Close the Phone Secretary but leave AlarmPro active. - AlarmPro Exit the entire AlarmPro system. o File various options for managing your contact databases including: - Open Open a new or existing contact database. - Print Print the contents of the database. Be sure a printer has been selected in Systems Settings - Password Protect Create or edit the password for the active contact file. AlarmPro will request the password before this file can be opened. Note: Once opened the password will not be required again until you open another file or exit the secretary. - Encrypt Physically alter the contents of the database to render them unreadable. This is a very secure way to prevent others from taking the files and reading them on another computer. While the database is active the edit screens will display normally. Warning: Although very secure this option should be used carefully. If the password is lost the data is not recoverable. - Unencrypt Return the data to its normal plain text condition. - Export Create a Dbase 3 or delimited ASCII file and copy all of the records to it for use with other systems, merge printing in word processors, etc. see Exporting o Dial Display the list of numeric text and autodial the selected number. You must select a contact from the visible page to activate this feature. o Contact Add new contacts or delete the currently selected one from your database. o Search Display the Contact Search screen and locate individuals. o Help Display this help screen. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Edit Contacts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Maintain your contact and customer information here. You can keep one list or multiple lists. Contacts can be tied to your ToDo lists entries and reminders (both onetime and recurring). Note: The current contact file name is displayed at the bottom of the dialog. The controls are as follows: o Name The contact or company name. This field is required for indexing and listing the contacts. o Contact. For company entries an optional contact name. o Address 1 First line street address. o Address 2 Second line street address. o City City or province. o St State or any 2 character address such as country code. o Zip 7 to 10 digit Zip Code. o Phone 1 First phone number listing. o Phone 2 Second phone number listing. o Comments a free form note field for other information. This note can also contain phone numbers for dialing. o Contact Menu - Exit exit the edit function. - Contact Additional functions for maintaining the information. o Add Add a new contact. o Save Save any changes made to the current record. o Undo Remove any unsaved changes and return to an unaltered state. o Dial Display the dialing window and autodial a phone number. o Next Move to the next record in the database. The PageUp key will also activate this. o Previous Move backwards to the previous contact. The PageDown key will also do this. - Clipboard o Copy To Copy the address and phone numbers to the OS/2 clipboard. - AP Format Copy the information in a format suitable for AlarmPro to copy it into another record. - Letter Copy the information in standard address format. o Copy From Copy a previously pasted record into the current record. - Help Display this help screen. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Dial ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Here you are presented with a list of possible numbers to dial. Any numeric strings from the currently selected contact will be included in the listing. These include the fields phone 1 and phone 2 as well as any numeric data in the comments. Select the desired number from the list by double clicking on it or highlighting it and pressing DIAL. Press CANCEL to exit. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3.1. Dialing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This dialog displays while the autodialer is attempting to dial the selected number using your Hayes compatible modem. Clicking OK before the number is dialed will abort the dial. After the number is dialed you can pick up the phone connected to your modem and click OK to complete the voice call. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4. Export ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This screen allows you to select the type of file to export your contacts to. The two selections are Dbase 3 and delimited text. If you select Dbase 3 a .DBF file will be created. If you select to include your notes they will be truncated to 128 characters and placed in a regular Dbase field. The export does not create an index or memo file. With the delimited file each field will be surrounded by quotes " ". Each field will be separated by the delimiter you enter into that field. The default is a comma. The file is standard ASCII. This is useful for preparing files for Merge printing with a word processor or importing and parsing in a spread sheet program. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.5. Contact Search ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This screen allows you to enter parameters for searching the current Contact database. You may search on any combination of the fields in the database. Select the fields to search by checking the appropriate boxes. Then fill in the text string to locate. Each field chosen will be searched for an occurrence of the string. The search is not case sensitive. Once you have completed your search criteria select SEARCH to start the search. A list box will appear and any matches will be added to this list by the note. Once the search is completed you can view details of that item by double clicking on the item entry or highlighting it with the selection bar and select the detail option. To Complete your search choose Exit. Until you choose Exit you can continue to select search criteria and carry out searches. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Events ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ In AlarmPro events are anything that will cause something to take place at a specific time. They may be running a program, reminding you to call someone, or posting a notice about a meeting. Events can occur once or be scheduled to repeat from daily to annually. Events actually come from two places. You can use the events scheduler to add an entry or schedule a reminder from your ToDo lists. The actual reminder is a one time event within the AlarmPro system. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Types of Events ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AlarmPro currently has 2 types of events. Reminder messages that pop up to remind you of important information and applications (programs) that can be scheduled to start unattended. Events are scheduled to occur at specific times on a one time or recurring basis. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Scheduling Events ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Every event starts here. In this dialog you enter the time and date for the event. You also specify the type of event and the frequency. Your choices here will determine the options that follow for completing the setup of a new event. For Personal, onetime, reminders you can complete the time and press CTRL+P to fill in the current date and go directly to the reminder text input screen. For any event CTRL+D will fill in the date fields with the current date. Options for this Dialog. o Hour Sets the hour for the selected event. Use 12 or 24 hour time depending on your setup. With 12 hour format use the AM PM buttons. o Minute The minute for the selected event. o Month The month in which the event is to occur. For daily\weekly recurring events this will be automatically updated when the event is scheduled. o Day The day on which an event is to occur. Automatically updated for daily\weekly events. Monthly events will enter the day on another dialog. o Year The year for an event to occur. This is completed automatically for monthly and daily\weekly events. o Personal or All If you entered a system name for your copy of AlarmPro select Personal to have the event only scheduled on your system. All will cause any system using the active event file to have the event scheduled. See Setting Search Files for more on the System Name. o Reminder or Application Select reminder to schedule a message or application to start an program at the given time. When you click this radio button you will be prompted for the additional information needed such as your note or the program name. You may switch between types or click the radio button to bring up the details window as often as you like. Only the last information entered will apply when you save the event. o One Time or Recurring Select whether the event is to occur only one time or should happen at specific intervals. Recurring events can be scheduled Annually, Monthly, one or more times a Week, Daily, to repeat every X days, or to occur on a specific day such as the 1st Monday of each month. When the recurring button is clicked a popup menu will appear. Select the recurring type you desire. If more information is needed you will be prompted for that information when you make your selection. To cancel the selection press escape. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.1. Application ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You have requested to schedule an application for launching at a given date and time. Enter the application name complete with drive and path in the first edit field. Any parameters to pass to the program go in the second edit field. The working directory is entered in the last edit field. A working directory is the active directory for an application, such as being in your DOC directory and starting your word processor even though the program is in another directory. The parameter and working directory information is optional. To locate a specific program select the search button. This displays a dialog to allow you to scan through your system for the correct application. If you select an application it will automatically be entered into the Program field. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.2. Starting Applications ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Starting OS/2 and DOS executables is straight forward and only requires that you enter the path and name in the program field. For .CMD and .BAT files the necessary changes are taken care of by AlarmPro. Windows programs must be handled differently. Instead of entering the desired program in the program field you must enter the path and file name for WINOS2.COM. Pass the program's name and parameters in the parameters field for WINOS2 to start the application. Note: All applications are started in the background. DOS and Windows programs are, by default, full screen so will not be immediately visible. Use the Window List to switch to the new program. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.3. Reminder ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Type the reminder text in the displayed Edit field. This text will be displayed at the selected time and date along with an audible alarm to get your attention. The Contact option will bring up the list of contacts and allow you to tag a contact to the reminder. This is the same as selecting the Cust check box in the ToDo list. However the ToDo list reminders are only one time. For repeating events such as Birthdays schedule the reminder here and set the recurring frequency. Note: You can drag a contact from the Phone Secretary and drop it on the event to attach it. The Tune option will display a dialog for attaching a tune to the reminder. The tune can be any melody created using the Tune Editor provided with OS/2. From this dialog you can select the tune file to select from and the tune to play each time this reminder is displayed on your screen. o Recurring Events Click the button corresponding to the type of recurring event you want to schedule. o Day of Week Select the day(s) of the week for an event to occur on. Select from 1 to all 7 days for the given event. Select by clicking the appropriate buttons to black. o Day of the Month Enter the day of the month for a monthly event to occur on. For end of the month events enter 31. AlarmPro will automatically account for months with less days. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.4. Specific Date Events ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This event type allows you to schedule events for the same specific day each month. Unlike a monthly date this type allows you to schedule by a particular day of the week, such as the 1st Monday of each month. Select the appropriate option from each list and then the OK menu option to accept your choices. The left column contains the week (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th). The right column contains an entry for each day of the week. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.5. Every X Days ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This event type allows you to schedule events that come regulary but at intervals of less than a month. Each event can be scheduled to repeat at specific daily intervals starting at a given date. The given date may be a past date. AlarmPro will automatically adjust the date forward in increments of the specified frequency. For instance if you have a meeting every other Friday you could select a beginning date of the last meeting's date. Then schedule the reminder to occur every 14 days from that date. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Editing Events ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The Database dialog provides access to all scheduled events. The system will retrieve events from the first database in your search list or the last database opened. Use the NEXT and PREVIOUS options under event to move through the scheduled events, you can also use the up and down arrow keys. All events are displayed but you cannot save changes to events that are scheduled under another personal name. The number of events and selected event, the system name, and the event type are listed to the left. The active event database is listed at the top of the dialog. You may change any information in the Edit Fields and the radio buttons for the days of the week. The options are listed below. If a particular action is not valid that menu item will be disabled. o Exit leave the event editing dialog. o File - Open Search for and edit another event file. - Print Print the contents of the event file. - Password Protect require a password to access the event file. - Encrypt Alter the database so that it is unreadable without the encryption abilities of AlarmPro - UnEncrypt Remove any existing encryption from the file. o Event - Save Save the changes made to this record. - Delete Delete the displayed event. - Next Move to the next record in the database. - Previous Move back to the previous record. - Tune Displays a dialog for attaching a Tune Editor created tune to the reminder. o HELP Display this help panel. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Setting Search Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AlarmPro will search up to 3 event files for scheduled reminders and applications. Enter the three files in the provided Edit Fields. The first event file is where all ToDo reminders are placed if they are not marked for "ALL". Use the search button at the end of each field to assist in locating event files. Entering the name of a file that does not exist will create that file. The System Name edit field is used to schedule personal events. Enter a name that will be unique among the users sharing event files. If "ALL" is not selected the event will be scheduled with this name. Only the system(s) with this name will schedule these events. If you do not provide a system name every event will be scheduled as "ALL". ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Master Calendar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This window displays a standard calendar. Below each date is the number of Todo items scheduled for that date. To view the Todo Items you can double click on the date with your mouse and bring up the Todo List for that date. To move forward through the months use PageUp, use PageDown to move backwards through the months. The HOME key will return to the current month. The window is both sizeable and positionable. Simply place it where you want on your desktop. The program will save the position and come back to the same location each time you start it. The calendar is added to your Window List so you can also minimize the calendar and return to it through the OS/2 Window List. Menu Options o Exit - Calendar exit only the Calendar. - AlarmPro exit the entire AlarmPro system. o Help Display this help screen. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. ToDo Items ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The ToDo items screens allow you to manage and view various types of reminders and important events. The ToDo item might have a time associated with it such as an appointment or might simply be something you need to accomplish by a certain date with no specific time required. To differentiate these items with an associated time are referred to as appointments and items without a time as ToDos. The ToDo list provides for 100 items a day. The two types may be viewed separately or together. In addition they can be sorted by time, age, or priority. Each item can have a contact attached to it and be scheduled to post a reminder at the specified time. The reminders for a ToDo are actually onetime events. A copy of the item is added to the Event scheduler for display to your screen. ToDo items will remain on your list until marked as Done. Items from prior dates will display in red letters. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. ToDo List ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The ToDo list allows you to record up to 100 items of importance daily. List your meetings, important events, etc. here. See the overview page for more information. The Controls are: o Hour The hour for the ToDo item. If you are using 12 hour format also select the PM button for items from 12 noon till 11:59 pm. o Min The minute for the item. o PM Check if the item occurs between 12 noon and 11:59 PM. This will not appear if you are using 24 hour format. o Bf This is the number of minutes before the actual appointment that you want the reminder to display. If left blank the actual time will be used. This can be from 1 to 99 minutes. o Pr The single entry field is for marking the priority of the ToDo item. Priority ranges from 0 to 9. o Note Your reminder of what the item is. Items displayed in red are still pending from previous days. CTRL+S will display the date that the item was scheduled. For completed items CTRL+F will display the date that the item was completed. o Cont Checking this box will display a list of the current contact database. Select the desired contact. The record will be attached to the item. Now selecting the View Cust Detail menu item will display the contact information. Note: You can drag a contact from the Phone Secretary over the ToDo entry and it will be automatically attached. To do this select the contact then hold the right mouse button down and move it over the desired ToDo Item. o Rem Check this to automatically add the item to your reminder events. You will then be asked if the reminder is personal or for ALL. If it is a personal reminder it is automatically added to the first event file searched by your system. The contact detail (if selected) is automatically attached to the reminder as well. Note: All reminders scheduled from the ToDo list are ONETIME events. Items marked for "ALL" will not be scheduled by other systems until midnight so any event for "ALL" should be for the next day or later. o Tune Select a melody to play when this reminder is displayed on your screen. AlarmPro can play any tune created with the Tune Editor delivered with OS/2 productivity programs. o Done Check this when the item is completed. Unmarked items will be displayed as pending items every time you view the ToDo screen. The menu Options are. o EXIT Leave the ToDo list and save the current items in the list. o File - Open Open another ToDo file. If this file is not searched by your copy of AlarmPro any personal reminders using it will not be scheduled. - Archive Save all completed entries in an Archive file and remove them from the active file. - View Archive View and browse the file of archived ToDo items. No changes to an archive file are saved. - Print Print the ToDo list to the AlarmPro default printer. You have the option of printing to the printer or to disk. If you chose to print to disk the file is stored as a normal ASCII text file for easy import into other programs. You may optionally give the name of the file to use, including any drive and path information. - Password Protect Require a password to open the selected ToDo list. - Encrypt Physically alter the ToDo database so it cannot be read without the encryption-decryption abilities of AlarmPro - UnEncrypt Remove any existing encryption from a database and return it to normal. o Sort - Sort on Time This will order the items from low to high by the hour and minute that was entered. All entry's without a time will follow those that have this value entered. Note: AlarmPro remembers the last order selected and re-sorts in that order each time you use the ToDo list. - Sort on Priority Order the items on the screen in order of priority from critical (9) to low (0). - Sort on Age. Order the items on the screen from oldest to newest. This will order any items carried over from previous days by oldest first. o Include - All List all items on the screen. - ToDo List only those items with no associated time. - Appointment List only those items with an associated time. o Week Display the Week at a Glance dialog. o Search Use the Search dialog to locate specific items. o View - View Cust Detail View the contact information, if one has been attached to the ToDo item where the cursor is currently located. - Priority-Aging This displays a two entry dialog. The original priority for the current item is displayed along with an aging frequency. If the aging frequency is not zero then AlarmPro will increase the priority of this item by one each time this amount of time has gone by without the item being marked Done. - Scheduled The originally scheduled date. - Finished If the item is marked as Done this will display the date and time that the checkbox was clicked. o Help View this help panel. o Direction keys The keys displaying <, >, <<, >>, <<<, >>>, and will move the ToDo schedule through time. The < and > move 1 day backward or forward, while << and >> move 7 days backward or forward, <<< and >>> move 30 days each way, and and returns to the current date. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. ToDo Reminder file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You have selected to post a reminder to "ALL". Select the event file to add the event to. If the event is scheduled for today other users of this file will NOT schedule the event unless they restart AlarmPro. To select the file click the Radio Button beside the desired file name. To schedule an event in a file your system does not search choose the OTHER button. This event will NOT be scheduled by your copy of AlarmPro. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.3. ToDo Specific Date ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Enter the month, day, and year for the desired ToDo list. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4. Week at a Glance ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This screen displays a list for each day of the week. Each list contains any ToDo notes for that day. To display the detailed information for the note use the mouse to double click on the specific line or tab to the list and use the arrow keys to highlight the item with the selection bar then press enter. A detailed information dialog will appear in the upper left corner of your screen. If the chosen item has an associated contact the detail screen will include a contact button to view that detail as well. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Miscellaneous ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The screens within this group don't belong to a single category such as contacts or events. These functions work with more than one of the categories or serve utility functions. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1. Printing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AlarmPro is able to print your Contacts, ToDo lists, and Search results. Warning: It is necessary to select a printer before attempting to print. Once selected in the Systems Settings it is possible to print to either your printer or to disk. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1.1. Print Where ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ You are being offered the choice to print to either the printer or to disk. If you chose disk you may specify a file name, including drive and directory, in the displayed edit field. Disk prints are standard ASCII text files that are easily imported into most other programs. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2. Passwords ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AlarmPro uses passwords and data encryption to protect your information from others. These are powerful and affective features for preventing unauthorized access to information. They are also only as affective as you allow them to be. Password protecting a file then leaving it open and available on the desktop makes the protection meaningless. Also if you encrypt the file and lose the password the information is lost. Choosing passwords that are easily identified with you such as family members names or favorite sayings also makes it easier to guess your passwords. Choose passwords that are unusual, use upper and lower case letters, and make them at least 8 characters long for the best security. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2.1. Enter Password ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Enter the password used to protect the selected file. Once successfully entered the database will open. Note: Passwords are case sensitive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2.2. Edit Password ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Enter the password in the first field and press ENTER. Retype the same password in the second field and again press ENTER. To remove a password press ENTER in both fields without typing any characters. To exit without modifying the password press ESC. Note: Passwords are case sensitive. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.3. Search Results ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This dialog displays any matches to a search of the ToDo or Contact database. Once the "Search Complete" message appears all matches are displayed. If the list is empty no matches were found. Searches are not case sensitive. To view the details of an item double click on it with the mouse or highlight it and press enter or the "DETAIL" button. To print a listing of all the matches click on the "PRINT" button. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.4. Calendar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ This calendar displays the current month with each day displayed as a button. To select a given date press the corresponding button. To move to other months use the button to move forward one month at a time and the button to move backward. The >> and << buttons will move you forward and backward, respectively, by years. The button will return you to the current month and year. Once you select a date you will go to the schedule event or ToDo list for that date, depending on the menu where you selected the calendar option. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.5. Setting System Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Click on the appropriate field to change (i.e. Hour, minute, or second). Once the field is highlighted press the up and down arrows to change the value. Select SET to accept the changes and reset the computers system time and date. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Customizing AlarmPro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ AlarmPro has two basic types of settings Display and System. The display settings allow you to customize the appearance of the program including colors, fonts, and display formats. The system settings are to adjust the program to your system including the working directory, what features are activated at startup, what hardware you have such as printers and modems, etc. All information is maintained in a file named 'ALRMPRO.INI'. If your system settings get too far off to correct you can shutdown AlarmPro and delete this file. It will be recreated with the default system settings when you restart the program. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1. System Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ o Notify of missed events If this is checked AlarmPro will notify you at startup of any events that were scheduled to occur while the program was inactive. If not checked the events will not be displayed but recurring events will be automatically rescheduled for the next occurrence. o Start Master Calendar This tells AlarmPro to activate the monthly calendar when the program starts. This calendar, new with version 1.4, displays the current month and the number of ToDo items scheduled each day. o Start Phone Secretary If this is checked the Phone Secretary will be started automatically each time you start AlarmPro. The Phone Secretary is where you go to view contacts, dial phone numbers, etc. It is very much like the metal phone secretary that many people keep on their desk with their important phone numbers. o Keep Clock Visible Checking this option will cause the clock to "Float" on top of all PM sessions. It will not take the focus away from your application but will remain visible, even when the other application is maximized. It cannot remain visible above full screen sessions. o Working Directory This is the default directory for the system default databases. These databases are created when no others have been opened. This is also where all search's for files begins when a SEARCH or OPEN button is selected. o Minutes to Return Reminders have a RETURN button which acts much like the "snooze" button on an Alarm Clock, causing the reminder to come back again in a few minutes. Enter the number of minutes to wait before the reminder returns. o AutoDial Com Port Click on the appropriate communications port for the Autodialer to use. The autodialer uses Hayes compatible modems to dial your phone with the selected number from the contact phones or numbers in the contact note. o Tone Select this if your phone system uses Touch Tone. Touch tone keys do not always mean touch tone is used. If your phone clicks when the key is pressed you are probably using Pulse (rotary dialing). o Pulse Select this for rotary phones or touch tone phones generating rotary dial. o Opt. Dial Command The dialer only sets the S6 and S7 registers of your modem prior to dialing. These are configured to allow a voice call without the modem failing due to no carrier. These settings may not be enough for every modem. Any string entered in this field will be passed to the modem prior to the standard commands and the phone number to dial. o Select Printer Displays a list of all printers on your system. Select the desired printer for use in printing the various lists. You may optionally go to the job properties for the printer and select the form or other settings to save along with the printer. o Select Font Displays a dialog from which to select for printing. The amount of text that can fit on a single line will be affected by the size of the font selected. This font will be used for all printing from AlarmPro o Hourly Chime Click on this checkbox to activate or de-activate the hourly chime option. If active AlarmPro will produce an audible sound at the top of each hour. o FRQ Enter the frequency for the hourly chime. The default is 545Mhz. Any value from 37 to 3000 is valid. o DUR Enter the duration for the hourly chime. The default is 400. The value is in 1/100 seconds. o CNT Enter the number of chimes (beeps) to sound each hour. The default is 2. o Listen Press this button to hear the settings you have chosen for the hourly chime. o Desktop Lockup Active Checking the option activates a feature similar to the Lockup feature in OS/2. The value set for Minutes till Lockup will be used to determine how long to wait without activity before blanking the screen. The lockup feature will not activate if a FULLSCREEN OS/2 or DOS session is active in the foreground. o Lock on Startup This setting causes AlarmPro to start the screen blanker when the program is first started. All settings are the same including no password being required if none is set. Note: The Desktop Lockup Active setting does not have to be checked to use this feature. o Use Password Checking this option will require you to match the Lockup Password before the screen will be cleared after lockup has occurred. o Password This entry field will always be empty. You should enter a password in this field only when you want to change the value required to unlock the desktop. Note: THE PASSWORD IS CASE SENSITIVE! o System Wide Hot Key The letter entered into this field will work to immediately lockup the desktop when pressed in combination with the ALT+CONTROL keys. This will take affect from any window that does not trap the key combination before the Lockup monitor can see the key. Note: The Lockup monitor cannot see keystrokes in a fullscreen OS/2 or DOS session. o BitMap Enter the name of an OS/2 1.2 or 2.x bitmap to display when the screen is blanked. If this is left blank no bitmap will display. o FIND Displays the file selection dialog and allows you to search for the bitmap to display. o Display Seconds The number of seconds from 1 to 99 that the bitmap will be displayed before blanking the screen. The default is 30 seconds. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.2. Display Preferences ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The Preferences dialog allows you to set the preferences for the different parts of the clock face. Select the part to change by clicking on the radio button for that part (i.e. Second Hand). Then click on the desired color for that part. In addition you may elect to have the title bar display the date or digital time. To change the size of the clock use the mouse to drag the edges of the window to the desired size. Move the window to your preferred position on the screen. When you save the changes the size and position will also be saved. Note: The changes are automatically saved if you shutdown OS/2 or AlarmPro. The Setting Options are as follows: o Background Click on this radio button to change the color of the rectangular background. Then click the desired color from the color options below the Clock Parts group. Note: The background and digital text or analog hour hand can be set using the Work Place Shell's color palette. Drop the color on the clock to change the background. Use the control key while dropping to change the text. If you edit the color this way then it may be altered by the display preference dialog because this dialog only uses solid colors. Set all other options here then, after exiting this dialog, use the palette to set your colors. o Face Click on this radio button to change the color of the clock's circular face. o Hour hand Click on this radio button to change the color of the clock's Hour Hand. o Minute hand Click on this radio button to change the color of the clock's Minute Hand. o Hour Tick Marks Click on this radio button to change the color of the Hour Marks. o Display Format Chose from an analog or digital clock. The digital clock has both 12 and 24 hour formats available. o Title Bar Display Choose the desired date format for displaying the current date in the titlebar. If the clock is minimized this will display as the icon text. o Font Choose an outline font for use in displaying the Digital Clock. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Trouble Shooting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Listed below are problems that have been encountered while using AlarmPro Problem I've relocated AlarmPro into a new subdirectory and now I get errors when I open the different edit screens. Fix AlarmPro "remembers" what files you last opened as well as what 3 event files you want to search each day. If you've deleted the old directory and files you need to re-teach the program. Begin by going to the System Setup and setting your working directory to the new directory. This is where the program will start a search for files when you select an Open menu item. Now go to the Set Search Files screen and edit it to reflect your new files. Finally go to each database edit screen (ToDo, event, and contact). You will get an error because the last file you opened no longer exists. Ignore this error and chose Open. Select the new file and then exit the editing session. Now AlarmPro "remembers" your new files. Problem My reminders are not being scheduled. Fix Make sure that the event files where you save this information are listed in Set Search Files. Next be sure that the files exist and are available to you. If you are on a network be sure the drive where the files are kept is available to your computer at Midnight when AlarmPro search's for the new days events. If this doesn't fix the problem then pack the database to insure the indexes are up-to-date. Problem I minimized AlarmPro to the Minimized Window Viewer. The icon displays as a white square instead of a clock. Fix OS/2 doesn't seem to like it when a program tries to redraw an icon in the Window Viewer. Open the settings for the AlarmPro icon, choose the Window tab, and mark minimize to desktop. Problem I have AlarmPro in my startup folder. Sometimes when I boot the computer AlarmPro seems to hang-up. Fix If you shutdown your computer with the program running and have a copy of the program icon in the startup folder then OS/2 will attempt to start two copies. Although AlarmPro attempts to detect this and prevent it timing sometimes keeps these checks from working. The program creates system resources, sometimes if two programs attempt to create the same resource, at the same time a deadlock can occur. To prevent this either place a Shadow of the icon in your startup folder or don't place anything there and rely on the fact that OS/2 restarts any programs that were running when you shutdown. Problem I recently upgraded my copy of AlarmPro. Now nothing seems to work and I keep getting protection violations. Fix Make sure that there are no old copies of the AlarmPro files in other directories. Possibly an old DLL in another directory that is searched before your normal directory in the LIBPATH. As AlarmPro continues to grow changes are made to all the files and old ones are not compatible with the newest release. Problem My event files are on a network server. Everytime I reboot AlarmPro gives me an error opening the file. I have to wait till the startup and logon is complete and restart AlarmPro. Fix AlarmPro cannot access files on a network until you are properly logged on. Remove AlarmPro from your startup folder and add it as the last item in your STARTUP.CMD. Be sure to use the start command so that STARTUP.CMD will close (see the Command Reference or contact your system administrator). For this to function automatically you would need to automate the logon in your STARTUP.CMD before starting AlarmPro. Note: If you regularly shutdown with AlarmPro active you may need to stop the desktop from starting applications that were running at shutdown. You can add the command "RESTARTOBJECTS=STARTUPFOLDERSONLY" to your CONFIG.SYS file to do this. Use caution with this setting. If you leave certain things active like folders or groups they will not start at reboot. You will need to place a shadow of anything you want started in your startup folder. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Glossary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Definitions for some commonly used terms in the help text: Accelerator keys Key stroke combinations that carry out a command such as saving changes. They provide instant access to commands that might be buried a couple of levels down in a menu. Alt+ Carry out actions through Accelerator Keys by holding the ALT key down at the same time as pressing the designated text key. Application The executable file such as CMD.EXE. Most applications end with .EXE although some may end with .COM. Box The rectangular areas where text is to be typed in. Such as the line where you enter your reminder text. Button The rectangular gray blocks with commands such as Save. To carry out the command without using the mouse you can TAB to the button or press Alt+ the underlined letter. Check box The small rectangular buttons that when pressed display a check mark in them. These controls are often used to identify that an action has been selected such as the 'Remind' check box on the ToDo dialog. Click The act of placing the mouse pointer (arrow) on a button and pressing the left mouse button to select the item. It is also possible to click on a button by moving the focus to that button and pressing enter or pressing ALT+ the underlined letter. Command Line Options sent to an application by entering them at the prompt behind the name of the program such as COPY A:\*.*. Here A:\*.* would be the command line. Database A database is a file for storing information in an orderly and consistent format. Databases are designed on records and fields. A record is the complete entry for one member of the database such as a contact. The fields are the individual elements that make up the record such as the contact. Also included in a database system are indexes. These files are always organized in orderly fashion such as alphabetically and provided a "shortcut" way of locating the actual record so that access to your information is faster. Dialog Box The rectangular areas that appear on the screen asking for information or notifying you of errors or messages. The Event Scheduler is an example of a common dialog box. They are also referred to as simply the dialog. Edit Field See Box. Field See Box. Also the individual elements of a database record such as the zip code in your contacts database. Focus An item has the focus if keystroke and mouse actions will take place against it. When an edit field has the focus a vertical bar cursor appears. When most types of buttons have the focus they are surrounded by a black broken line. The window that has the current focus is usually brighter on the edge (frame) than the other windows appearing on the PC's screen. Index An index is an orderly arranged file of information on how to locate specific records in a database. The records in a database are organized on what was last added to the file. The indexes are always ordered properly such as by alphabetical or numeric order. They only carry a subset of the information, called the 'key', such as the name field in the AlarmPro contact database. They provide a fast way to locate the specific record you requested. Path The complete name of the directory where a file or program physically exists. This can include the drive letter. The syntax is D:\dir\subdir where D is the drive letter. Program See Application. Radio Button The small circle to the left of a word such as AM. Commonly used to select one or more choices from a group of common options. If the circle is one color (usually gray) the item is not selected. If the center is darkened the item has been selected. Record A record is one entry in a database. Each record contains all the information about the entry such as a contacts record. Records are further divided into fields which are the individual elements that make up the complete set of information for that entry. An example of a field would be the 'Note' in a ToDo record. TAB Pressing the tab key to move you to the next item such as a Field or Button. Pressing the Shift and Tab key together will move you backwards through the items. Text Field See Box. Window Most rectangular areas on the screen are actually windows, however the term usually implies the main window for an application. Areas that can be sized and have the system menu and minimum and maximum buttons along the top of the programs display area are considered WINDOWS. Working Directory The directory where you started a program. Often programs are physically located in one directory and run from another directory so that the data (such as word processor documents) are separated from the program. Also the default directory for AlarmPro. This is where the program will start looking when you request to open new databases. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. File Types ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ There are 5 types of data files created by AlarmPro. Each is represented by an icon for easy identification. Any Database can be dragged over the Clock, Phone Secretary, or Master Calendar and dropped to make that file the active file in AlarmPro. Note: If an event file is dropped it will become the file that is opened for the database edit function. It will NOT change your list of search files. The files are as follows: Event Files The databases where events are maintained. ToDo Files The databases where your ToDo and Appointments are maintained. Contacts The contact information is stored in these databases. Note files This file contains the freeform text notes from the contact database of the same name. Index The index file for the database of the same name.