Copyright: Copyright \251 1991-4 Perpetual Motion Software


Contents for Alarm Help

Introduction

Registering This Application

Procedures

Create an Alarm

Modify an Alarm

Delete an Alarm

Features

Message or Program

Time

Snooze Interval

Sound

Setting an Alarm for a Specific Date

Setting an Alarm to Repeat

Defined Terms

Glossary


Registering This Application

This application is shareware.  You are free to distribute any unregistered versions of this application to individuals and to bulletin boards, as long as you distribute all of the files in their original, unregistered, format.  (In fact, we encourage it because that is the only way that we can let people know about our work.)

This package consists of the following files and requires Windows 3.x:

read.me	Installation instructions and release notes

alarm.exe	The application

alarm.hlp	Windows help file

pmsutil.dll	My utilities DLL

pmscctrl.dll	My custom controls DLL

If you decide that you enjoy the program and wish to continue using it, you are required to register the application.

Although this application is fully-functional, there are some additional features that are only available to registered users.

Setting an Alarm to Repeat

The registration fee is $15 (fifteen dollars U.S.) which includes all shipping, handling, and packaging fees.  In addition to sending you the registered version, we will notify you by mail of major updates as we finish them.

To register, send a check or money order (please do not send cash) made payable to Stefan Tucker to the following address:

Stefan Tucker

Perpetual Motion Software

310 West Noyes Street

Arlington Heights, IL 60005-3638

USA

With your order, please specify the following:

Your name

Your mailing address

Diskette size (3.5" or 5.25") that you prefer.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Even after you receive your registered version, please keep the unregistered version on hand so that you can distribute it to anyone who is interested.  We feel that providing additional features in the registered version is a powerful incentive for people to purchase the registered version.  Thank you very much for your cooperation.

See the file PMSPRODS.TXT for details on other products that are available from Perpetual Motion Software.

If you have any comments, criticisms, or suggestions for this application, please let me know.  I can be reached at the above address.  If you supply me with your e-mail address(es), I may be able to respond in that manner.


Setting an Alarm for a Specific Date

This is the most simple form of alarm -- you specify the day, month, and year on which you want the alarm's message to be displayed.  You use the calendar control to specify a date.

Mouse

Select a date by clicking on the date itself.  Click the "<<" button to display the previous month; click the ">>" button to display the next month.

Keyboard

Use the left/right arrow keys to select the previous/next date.

Use the Up/Down arrow keys to select the date in the previous/next week.

Use the Page Up/Down keys to display the previous/next months.

Use the Home/End keys to display January/December of the currently displayed year.

Use the 17 keys to toggle the weekdays between set and not set.

(There is no keyboard interface for setting the weeks of the month.)

Make sure that the number of times to repeat the alarm is set to 1 (which it is by default).

For example, you specify 16 December 1994 and the application will display the alarm's message on that date at the time you specify.

See also how to set an alarm to repeat.


Setting an Alarm to Repeat

First, select the first date on which you want the alarm to go off.  (See setting an alarm for a specific date.)

If you want the alarm to go off only on specific weekdays, select the weekdays that you want by clicking on each one with the mouse (or by pressing the 1-7 keys on the keyboard).  (If no weekdays are specified, the alarm is allowed to go off on any weekday.)

Next, specify the repeat interval, the number of hours, days, weeks, or months that you want to pass between each alarm message.  (e.g., "Every 2 Weeks," or "Every 1 Month").

N.B.: When you specify a repeat interval, you must specify how many times you want the alarm to repeat.  This can be either forever or a specific number of times (e.g., 5 times).  If you enter 0 for the number of times, the alarm will never go off.

Example 1: The 15th of Every Month

In the calendar control, select the 15th of the first month you want the alarm to go off.

To have this alarm go off on every 15th, select the "forever" radio button.  To have this alarm go off only on the next 5 "15th"s and then stop, enter "5" in the "time(s)" control.

Example 2: Every other Wednesday

In the calendar control, select the date of the first Wednesday on which you want the alarm to go off.

Select the Wednesday ("W") square in the calendar to indicate that the alarm is only to go off on Wednesday.

Enter "2" in the "Every" control and select "Weeks" in the combobox.

To have this alarm go off on every Wednesday, select the "forever" radio button.  To have this alarm go off only on the next 3 "Wednesday"s, enter "3" in the "time(s)" control.

Example 3: Friday the 13th

In the calendar control, select the 13th of the next month with a Friday that falls on the 13th.

Select the Friday ("F") square in the calendar to indicate that the alarm is only to go off on Friday.

Enter "1" in the "Every" control and select "Months" in the combobox.  Since you have specified a weekday (in this case, Friday), the alarm will not actually go off in every month -- because the 13th does not fall on Friday every month.  But you must specify how often the alarm is "try" to go off.

To have this alarm go off on every Friday the 13th, select the "forever" radio button.  To have this alarm go off 10 times, enter "10" in the "time(s)" control.

Example 4: Second Thursday of Every Other Month

In the calendar control, select the date that is a Thursday and occurs on the second week of the month (any date).

Select the second checkbox to the right of the calendar control.

N.B.  It is important that you select the correct checkbox.  There are times when there may not be a Monday in the first week of the month.  In this case, you will select the date that is the first Monday of the month and the first (top) checkbox.

Select the Thursday (T) square in the calendar to indicate that the alarm is only to off on Thursday.

Enter "2" in the "Every" control and select "Months" in the combobox.


Time

The time field accepts both 12-hour and 24-hour time in the "hh:mm" or "hhmm" format.  If the hour portion is zero or greater than 12, the AM/PM indicator is ignored and 24-hour time is assumed (i.e., that it is PM).


Snooze Interval

This field allows you to set the snooze interval.  When an alarm goes off, you are asked whether or not you want to snooze for this many minutes (i.e., to have the message appear again after the specified interval has passed).

If you set the interval to zero, you will not be asked if you want to snooze.


Sound

Press the Select Sound button to choose a sound file that will be played when the alarm goes off.  If you do not select a sound file (or if Microsoft Windows is unable to play the sound file), the default beep will be used.

N.B.: This button is enabled even if your system does not support sound.


Create an Alarm

To set a new alarm, select New from the Alarm menu.  An alarm must have a name, a message, a time, and a date (Please see Setting an Alarm for a Specific Date and Setting an Alarm to Repeat).

The alarm's date and time information are displayed according to the time and short date formats that you set in the Windows Control Panel's International section.


Modify an Alarm

To change an existing alarm, highlight the alarm in the listbox that you want to change and select Open from the Alarm menu or press the Enter key.


Delete an Alarm

To delete an alarm, highlight the alarm in the listbox that you want to delete and select Delete from the Alarm menu or press the Delete key.  (This key may be marked Del on your keyboard.)


Defined Terms

Name

Message or Program

Time

Snooze Interval

Sound


Name

Each alarm must have a unique name.  The name is used in the main listbox.


Message or Program

This field is either a message or an application command line.  If the first word of the field is a valid filename, Alarm will execute the command line when the alarm is activated.  If the first word is not a file, Alarm will display the message when the alarm is activated.  (A word is defined as the characters preceding the first space in the message.)

By creating a macro (using the Windows Recorder) and then invoking it with the command line, practically anything can be done at a preset time.  For example, create a macro (with the hotkey Control+P) which executes an application, opens a document, and prints it.  Save the macro in the file: print.rec.  Create an alarm with the command line "recorder.exe -h ^P print.rec".