Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/busi/fri150_2.zip/FRIDAY.DOC

Text File | 1988-10-25 | 20KB | 417 lines

                             ==========
                             | FRIDAY |                  Sep 4, 1988
                             ==========
                            version 1.50
What is FRIDAY?

FRIDAY is a scheduling program. It is similar to SIDEKICK in that it
allows you to schedule hourly appointments on a "windowed" notepad.
However, unlike SIDEKICK, FRIDAY uses the information contained within the
appointment pad to construct a seven day projection.  This "Week at a
Glance" graphically depicts where important meetings occur, what
slots remain open for scheduling, and where the blocks of time
available for other necessary functions, like library work, data
analysis, etc., occur. These time slots are difficult to schedule, and
we all have a tendency to squeeze them in as they occur.

In addition to scheduling, Friday offers a "notepad", a "To Do" list,
and two routines to keep track of important occasions and deadlines.
Routines are incorporated within Friday to perform housekeeping
chores, like list sorts, create backup copys on your hard disk, and
archive old files.  A configure routine is built in so that during the
first run you can tell Friday where to look for executable programs,
where to put backups, what archival program you wish used, and how you
want various types of appointments flagged.  The program automatically
adapts to fit Hercules, CGA, and EGA monitor types. In the former you
provide Microsofts graphics driver, QBHERC, or the program will not
run.

Friday's ultimate goal is to help you organize your time wisely by
providing you with a list of appointments and itemized things you have
to do on any given day.  This data is printed on a single piece of
paper that you can carry with you throughout the day. It contains your
scheduled appointments, your To Do list, a scratch area for notes, and
your itemized reminders and deadlines.

If, upon using Friday you find some remaining bugs, or can offer ways
to improve Fridays routines, please leave a note on my home BBS.  It
is usually available between 7 AM and 6 PM (EST) daily.  This is a
voice line at all other times, so please be considerate in calling the
number.  I would be more than pleased to know if you find Friday
useful.  .  You may find its scratch areas too small or its lists too
restricting.  If you do, let me know and I'll see about expanding
them.  Please keep in mind that Friday was written to fit my needs and
she has shortcomings its because my needs may be less than yours.

---

I originally released Friday as a file named FRIDAY10.ARC.  This file
was 108K, however, as it contained both the EXE version, the
QuickBASIC source code, the DOCs and a few example files.  I have
since split the files into one archive containing the compiled version
and another containing the docs and supplemental files.  I believe
Friday is sufficiently sound to be run by the "key and see" method, so
by splitting the files, download times should be reduced.  (Actually,
I've experienced some difficulty uploading this file on PCPursuit.
Packet switching caused the upload time to extend beyond 50-60
minutes, and in several instances, lead to enough errors that the
transfers were aborted.)

The two ARC files, together, should contain the following:

    FRIDY1-1.ARC         Executables

        FRIDAY.EXE.......Compiled version of FRIDAY
        BRIEF.DOC........Brief explanation of FRIDAY
        REVISION.LST.....Nobody's perfect file
        QBHERC.COM.......Hercules driver

    FRIDY1-2.ARC         docs, source, and examples

        881017.APP.......Sample Appointment file
        881017.NOT.......Sample Notepad file
        FRIDAY.DOC.......Brief Documentation
        APPOINTS.APP.....Appointments
        REOCCUR.APP......Check file for reoccuring appointment
        DEADLINE.DAT.....Sample file for deadlines
        FRIDAY.DAT.......Path file
        REMINDER.DAT.....Sample Reminder data file
        FRIDAY.BAS.......Source code in QuickBasic 4.0
    =>  CONVNAME.EXE.....Convert file names created using versions
                         earlier than 1.50
        CONVNAME.BAS.....Source code for CONVNAME
        REVISION.LST.....Obvious
        TO_DO.LST........Sample TO TO file

Changes in Version 1.5

       If you have been using a version of Friday that preceeds the
current version (1.50), then the file names will be incompatible with
1.50.  You need to run the program CONVNAME.EXE which changes the
names on the files from a month-day-year format to a year-month-day
format.  The change in file name format was necessary upon the
addition of sorting routines.  If you are a first time user, you do
not need to run CONVNAME.

       Also, if you are updating FRIDAY, please note that this version
 no longer recognizes the .TD extension.  Instead of creating daily
 TODO lists, Friday now maintains a single list called TO_DO.LST which
 is carried over on a day-to-day basis.  You may still sort this list
 if you have assigned priorities.

---

Note: FRIDAY uses hotkeys in the windowing routines.  Window selection
is made via the Function keys 1-10, and a few select combination key
sequences.  The ESC key closes all windows. With the exception of the
calendar window, which can be invoked over other windows, and can
itself have windows opened over it, all other windows are disabled
when any single window is selected.

Creating Appointment Schedules, Notes, etc.

The weekly schedule is the main screen.  It provides you with a
listing of all appointments occurring within the next seven days of
your current date.  The appointments are coded for identification and
a key is located at the bottom of the screen along with the list of
function keys.  The manner in which these appointments are encoded
will be described later.  You should also note that each day column is
labeled with the date and day, and that 7 days are listed. FRIDAY will
always list 7 days in advance of the calendars pointer location (F5).
Each function key invokes a differing kind of file structure. When you
take a note (F4), the note is saved to disk using the date on which
the note was originally created as the filespecifier.  Friday
remembers two dates; todays date, and a working date.  The working
date is the date set by the pointer in the calendar. For example, if,
on August 24th, 1988, you open the notepad with key F4 without
changing the calendar pointer, a file named 880824.NOT would be
created containing contents of the note upon closing.  This file is
structured differently than is an appointment file intended for use on
the same day, 880824.APP.  If you, however, change the calendar
pointer to August 28th, 1988, and then open the appointment pad, you
will create a file called 880824.APP upon closure.  To change the file
name, first invoke the calendar with the F5 function key. The window
should show a calendar for the current month with a pointer setting on
the date. You can move the pointer anywhere within the calendar by
depressing either the right or left arrow keys.  The up and down arrow
keys change the month, whereas the pageup and pagedown keys, change
the year.  The pointer can always be returned to the current date by
depressing the HOME key.  Pressing ESC or ENTER makes the calendar go
away, but, the pointer setting upon closure determines which date used
to create .APP and .NOT files.

You may have already noticed that although you closed on a date
different from the current date that the weekly schedure did not
update.  This was done intentionally.  If you wish to have the weekly
schedule updated, press F1. The pointed date will appear in the first
column, followed by the next six days of appointments.

Function Keys
-------------

F1     Rewrite Week

This Key should be self-explanatory.  Use it to include added
appointments in the Weekly window, or when the calendar pointer is
positioned off of the current date.

F2     Appointment pad

The appointment pad opens as a window containing the date under which
the memo will be filed.  If you are working with the calendar set as
it was when FRIDAY opened, then the file name and the appointment pad
date with be the same as 'todays' date.  If you have opened the
calendar and repositioned it pointer, then the file name and the
appointment pad date will equal that date.

Like the note pad, the appointment pad contains most of the cursor
control keys of a standard word processor; right, left, up, and down
arrows, home, end, backspace, delete and insert.  The lines, however,
do not wrap.   You cannot copy, move etc.  After entering your
appointments, close the pad by pressing ESC.

As you may have noticed already, the opening display indicates where
in the next week (7days) appointments occur.  Some appointments may be
highlighted.  These are slots with special significance.  Any time can
be highlighted by included one of the coding keys, ^O, ^P, or ^U as
the first character of the appointment listing.  The shading is
difficult to differentiate on the CGA monitor, but shows up nicely on
both HRG and EGA.

F3     Reminders

When appoint is first opened two special windows appear sequentially,
one is the Deadline window and the other is a list of reminders.
Reminders are handled with special significance in FRIDAY.  A reminder
may be an upcoming birthday, an anniversary, a meeting that you must
prepare for, or what ever that you need advance notification.  Entrys
on file (REMINDER.DAT) are examined at each opening of the main
display to determine if the date of the event is within the advance
time window.  If it is, then FRIDAY displays the reminder.  To keep
the file from becoming overwhelmingly large, the event is
automatically erased from the file upon the first opening after the
event has passed.  Don't worry, special events, like birthdays and
anniversaries, that re-occur year after year are kept.  Moreover, the
entire file is backed-up before clearing, enabling you to keep the
original data if desired. The main data file is called REMINDER.DAT
and is fully accessable through any ASCII editor. Just remember to
fill all fields, as this will cause an INPUT past end error if any
fields are missing.  I have not included any error trapping in this
first version.

In addition to the opening display, you may open the reminder window
at any time using the F3 function key.

To add events to REMINDER, depress R while holding down the CTRL key.
That activates a format oriented segment allowing entrys to be made.
Be careful in this section since the processor checks all data entered
for days, dates, lengths etc.

F4     Note pad

The notepad works similar to the appointment pad.  Two additional keys
are included in the note pad that are not used in the appointment pad.
Control-L allows you to load a file with any extension, and ^S saves.

F5     Monthly Calendar

The working date for the appointment and note pads is controlled via
the calendar.  This is a Julian based calendar that corrects for leap
years. The current date is pointed and can be repositioned at any time
by using the right, left, up, down, PgUp, and PgDn keys.  Home always
returns you to the current date.  The right and left keys move the
pointer within the displayed calenday, wrapping to the beginning or
end when necessary.  The Up and Down keys change months.  PgUp and
PgDn control the year.

Suppose you wanted to enter an appointment for Aug 25th, 1988 and the
current date was Aug 21, 1988.  From the main display, you would hit
function key F5, move the pointer on the counter with the right arrow
key until it was positioned at the date of the appointment, push ESC,
and hit key F2.  You can now enter the appointment and close with the
ESC key.  The "Things to do" and Note pads operate similarly.  Note,
however, that the appointments are not immediatly shown on the main
weekly schedule.  If you want them, then depress key F9 to rewrite the
screen.  This was done for several reasons.  First, rewriting is both
time consuming and distracting.  Second, you will probably want to
remain at the current date on the weekly schedule, since the days
inbetween the current date and the updated dates are lost upon
rewriting.

F6     Deadlines

FRIDAY keeps track of deadlines in a manner similar to reminders.  The
entry is also similar.

F7     Archiv old Appts

FRIDAY creates many files in the course of one months time.  I
recommend that the old files be periodically archived and then purged
to free up disk space.  This can be done manually or automatically
using key F7.  Archive Old Appts uses a shell operation to call either
PKARC or PKPAK.  The command line is set to m (move) all files with
extensions .APP, .NOT, and .TD that have dates earlier than the
pointed date in the calender, from the working directory to an archive
named OLDFILES in the backup directory.  In the process, FRIDAY clears
all old appointment flags from the file called APPOINT.APP and appends
them to OLDAPPTS, which is then archived.  This clears the weekly
display.

F8     To Do List

The TO DO list should be used like you would use a scratch pad.
"Today I must remember to pick up a birthday card for ..."  or "Eggs,
milk, bread..." or "Call Julie" or whatever.

Once you list the items that need be done, you may want to assign
priorities to the listed item and sort them into an order that ensures
the most pressing items get done first.  For example, suppose on your
list you had:

              Pick out card for Sue
              Work on manuscript for publication
              Stop in at the store and get pencils
              Call Sue for Dinner engagement
              Do laundry
              Take out garbage

We all tend to do the things we like doing, first, leaving the
distastful, or taxing items until last.  I, for example, might choose to
do the items on this list in the following order:

              Pick out card for Sue
              Call Sue for Dinner engagement
              Stop in at the store and get pencils
              Do laundry
              Take out garbage
              Work on manuscript for publication

But, thats only because I find writing to be stressful.  With Friday
you can assign priorities to the items that need doing, first, first, then
sort them into that order.  Those items of high priority bubble to the top
and those of lesser importance fall to the bottom.  Thus, I should
really do these items in the order:

           d: Pick out card for Sue
           b: Work on manuscript for publication
           a: Stop in at the store and get pencils
           e: Call Sue for Dinner engagement
           c: Do laundry
           f: Take out garbage

(Well, something has to come last.)

And then pressing ^S (Sort), Friday would rearrange my list as
follows:

           a: Stop in at the store and get pencils
           b: Work on manuscript for publication
           c: Do laundry
           d: Pick out card for Sue
           e: Call Sue for Dinner engagement
           f: Take out garbage

Although I have selected a simple example, I think it gets acoss the
point that by assigning priorities to the items on the list, we can
all work more effectively. (Don't tell Sue she has a low priority,
it's only an example.)

Note:  Friday will only do line sorts in its present form.  If this is
a useful feature, I will rewrite the sort routines to do paragraph
sorts.

The To_DO list is carried over from day-to-day and is up to you to
maintain.  Friday does not houseclean this file.

F9     Print out

FRIDAY is best able to assist you during your day by providing you
with a list of your scheduled appointments, your reminders, etc. in
written form.  This way you have something tangible to put in you
pocket and take with you whereever you choose to go.  F9 sorts and
formats the above data, then prints the results on a single sheet of
paper.

Currently the routine is formats are set for the control codes
utilized by a KX-P1091i Panasonic printer.  If you do not use the
Panasonic and would like to have these codes changed, please drop me a
note and I will send you a disk with other control codes installed. If
FRIDAY is well accepted, I will later write a routine in the install
section so that the appropriate codes can be selected from a library
of codes.

F10    QUIT

This section is self explanatory.  When you are ready to close FRIDAY,
hit key F10.  You will be prompted to determine if you wish to have
the data files backed up on the backup subdirectory before closing.

Additional Keys:

^R     Update Reminder List

^D     Update Deadline List

^J     Jump to DOS (Type EXIT to return)

alt-L  Load File

Alt-L is operative when the notepad window is open only.  This key
combination can be used to override the automatic attachment of the
.NOT extension and can be used to both create and load other types
of files. Please note that only files created by friday should be
loaded into friday, as the files can be no longer than 13 lines.
Moreover, friday does not archive files with extensions other than
.APP and .NOT  These files are up to you to maintain.

alt-S  Save File

Alt-S will save files of all types, then close the window.

For reoccuring appointment you will have to enter the text using
a text editor, as I have not incorporated any special key sequences.
The Notepad works sufficiently well for this.  Just hit F4, Alt-L,
and type REOCCUR.APP<ret>.  Modify the text using the indicated sample
format and resave the file using the ALT-S key sequence.


====================================================================

The Standard Disclaimer:


Suppose you begin to rely on FRIDAY to remind you of important
occasions, like, for example, business meetings. And suppose, just
suppose, FRIDAY screws up because I've left out an important piece of
code. You miss just one important meeting and I get blamed.  If there
is money involved in this hypothetical meeting, you're going to be mad
as hell with me.  Well, having read this now, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED
that IF you decide to use FRIDAY, you did so with the full awareness
that

           THERE MAY STILL BE SOME BUGS IN IT!!!

I mean really, it stands to reason that if this is only version 1.50, then
some bugs have not been found.  Afterall, who amongst up (see?) writes
perfect code?  Let him cast the first stone.

Now that that's out of the way. If FRIDAY gives you any problems (and
these problems don't involve the loss of money or friends, or family
members) and you believe the idea behind the program is worth
pursuing, and that I can actually fix the problem, or if you need an
updated version, or if, etc., etc.,....my address is:

                       David A. Wilson
                       37 Pikehall Pl
                       Baltimore, MD 21236


I keep a personal BBS (301-529-2009) operative between the hours of
7AM and 7PM (EST).  Feel free to call and leave any comments if you
find the program helpful or in need of revision.  Please, this number
serves as my voice phone at all other times, which means if you call
at 3 AM, I'll probably have to get out of bed to answer, which means I
probably won't be is such a great mood, which means....

-dw/Baltimore,MD-