home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Overload
/
ShartewareOverload.cdr
/
busi
/
remcal.zip
/
REMIND.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1987-09-26
|
7KB
|
180 lines
REMIND 1.0 TECHNICAL NOTES SAPPHIRE SOFTWARE
REMIND v. 1.0
TECHNICAL NOTES
Requirements: 19K of RAM for the program.
Each event requires one line in the file
REMINDER.DAT, this requires 272 bytes/event.
(A 256K PC with only DOS can store 590 events.)
It's easy to remember events when you've gone to the trouble of
circling the date on a calendar, and when you can remember to
look at the calendar as a reminder. However, with REMIND, your
computer can act like a personal secretary and bring to your
attention those important dates.
REMIND is a non-resident program that displays reminders of
upcoming events entered into a data file. You can keep several
data files with different types of reminders. For example, one
file could have important work date, and another could have those
private holidays that are so important-- like Beethovan's
birthday. These data files are exceptionally easy to edit using
any word processor.
To run REMIND, enter the command REMIND at any DOS prompt. You
may include this command in the autoexec.bat file to ask REMIND
to automatically display its reminders after machine is booted.
If you do not specify a filename for the reminder data, REMIND
looks for information in the file REMINDER.DAT. This file must
be in the current directory, or in a directory specified in the
SET DPATH command. You may specify another filename with the
command. For example, if you have birthday reminders in
REMINDER.DAT, you would then enter the following command and
filename:
REMIND REMINDER.DAT
Be sure to specify the drive name and/or directory path name if
this file is on another drive or directory.
You may also ask REMIND to remain quiet and display nothing if
there are no active events. To do this, enter the qualifier /Q
(for quiet) with the command REMIND, as shown below:
REMIND /Q
SETTING UP THOSE MEMORABLE DATES:
Whether setting up the file REMINDER.DAT or any other data file
for REMIND, the file is a regular text file: it is lines of
ASCII text terminated with a line feed carriage return (LF/CR).
All files must follow the same form. You may create and modified
these files with any text editor: you may use Wordstar in non-
document mode, or Edlin if you must; SideKick NotePad is ideal.
The files must have a fixed column format as described below.
REMIND ignores and deletes blank lines from the file, so don't
bother with them.
A sample REMINDER.DAT file is included with the program. You may
use this sample file as is, or modify it to suit your own memory
needs. To set-up your own reminder file, enter information in
the following columns provided:
COLUMNS 1 - 8:
Enter the event date as MM/DD/YY. Include leading zeros.
For example: 01/02/87.
COLUMN 10:
Enter a frequency of occurrence flag.
D=Daily, W-Weekly, M=Monthly, Y=Yearly, O=One-time.
(REMIND deletes one-time events after the event date. All other
events are rescheduled.)
COLUMNS 12 - 13:
Enter how many days prior to the event you would like to be
reminded of its existence: i.e., the number of preview days.
(If you celebrate Winter Solstice on December 21 and need a
reminder as early as the first of December, enter 20. Again,
include leading zeros.)
COLUMNS 15 - 80:
Enter the text REMIND should display.
(You may enter up to 240 characters. REMIND displays only the
first 50, but you may use the remaining 90 characters as
undisplayed comments.)
When you set-up the reminder data file and then run the program,
the REMIND screen appears and looks similar to this:
Reminder file:REMINDER.DAT Today: Saturday 2/7/87
Active Events
Event Days Event
Date Left Type E V E N T
_____________ _______ ________ ______________________________
Sat 02/07/87 0 Daily System Backup
Sun 03/01/87 22 Monthly Rent Due
Sun 03/15/87 36 Yearly Ides of March
REMIND automatically computes and displays the day of the week on
which the event falls. This is displayed in the first column.
REMIND also computes and displays the number of days left until
the event is also computed.
At the bottom of the page, REMIND lists several keys. These keys
allow you to display additional pages of events listed in the
reminder file. By default, REMIND displays only those events
that are active.
To exit the REMIND screen, press the ESC key.
ERROR MESSAGES:
The following three messages may appear:
Insufficient memory to process all reminders. With
current configuration there is room for about N
reminders.
(When you run out of room, you either have to move or get a
bigger house. In this case, you either have to buy more memory,
or delete out of unimportant reminders from your data file.)
Command line operation not /Q.
(The command to run REMIND was incorrectly entered. You may
specify a data file other than REMINDER.DAT, or you may
specify /Q to ask remind to display only active events.)
Data error on line <line #>, contents <entry>.
(Information was incorrectly entered into the REMIND data file.
Correct the entry specified in the error message before
attempting to re-run REMIND.)
REMIND is a copyright of Sapphire Software (c) 1987.
Sapphire Software - every program's a gem.
Other Sapphire Software programs are available to customize and
personalize your computer. These programs are available via
ShareWare, or direct from Sapphire Software. If you like this
program and find it useful, give a copy to a friend. Then show
your support for low-cost quality software by sending a check for
$5.00 made out to:
Sapphire Software
4141 Ball Road
Suite 166
Cypress, CA 90630-3465
You are encouraged to copy this program to other bulletin boards,
and distribute it freely to all your friends and enemies.
WARRANTY
Please note that changes or alterations to this program of any
kind are not authorized by Sapphire Software. The software must
be distributed as is. Sapphire Software makes no warranty about
this program as regards its suitability for any purpose, or its
ability to perform under conditions not set down in the program
documentation. By using this program, the user agrees that
Sapphire Software shall not be liable for any damages in
connection with or arising from use of this program.