Copyright: Copyright © 1998 - 2000 by Sophtware and DC Micro Development
Citation: TopDog Help Copyright © 1998, 1999


xCSVPath
Path

Enter the file path for saving the export file. The default value can be specified using Project |Properties | Output. If the path does not exist, TopDog will create it.


xCSVFileName
File Name

This defaults to the name of your project file with a '.csv' extension. You can change this to any valid file name.


xCSVIncHdr
Include Header Row

Check this option to include a header row in the export file, containing labels for each of the fields.


xCSVAppend
Append

Check this option to append exported data to an existing file.


New URL

Type the URL of the web site you are searching for in the text box. When the Add button is clicked the URL will appear in the listbox below. A typical URL might be yourdomain.com

Multiple URLs can be entered, one per line. You can also enter descriptive text, such as a company or product name that is likely to appear in a search engine listing.


Add URL

Click this button to add the text in the "New URL" edit box above to the listbox of URLs below.


URL List

TopDog will scan listings returned from search engines for the URL's and phrases displayed here.


Remove URL

Use this button to remove the highlighted line from the listbox of URLs.


Search Engines

Select the search engines to include in the project. Click the checkbox to the left to toggle the selection status. You may also click a column header to sort the list in ascending or descending order.


Select All

Click this button to select all of the search engines in the list.


Unselect All

Click this button to unselect all of the search engines in the list.


Toggle Selection
Toggle Highlight

Click this button to change the selection state of the highlighted (selected) search engines in the list. Multiple search engines can be selected by holding the <Ctrl> or <Shift> keys.


Show Enabled Search Engines Only
Show Enabled Only

(Recommended) Check this option to cause the search view (the main window) to display only those search engines that are enabled. This is useful to keep the search view list to a manageable size if only a subset of the supported search engines have been enabled.


Select By

Click this button to show the Select By dialog, which allows selection of multiple search engines by specific criteria (i.e., Category, Country, and Language).


Select Country

Click this button to select all of the search engines that match the country code entered in the edit field below.


Templates

Click this button to load or save groups of selected search engines. This option is useful for creating templates that can be reused on other projects, such as Top 10 lists, lists for particular clients, etc.


Selection Count

This shows the current number of search engines that are selected.


Engine Total

This show the total number of search engines that are supported by TopDog.


Category Field

Select the category of search engines that you would like to include in the selection. Leave this field blank to include ALL categories.


Country Field

Select the country of search engines that you would like to include in the selection. Leave this field blank to include ALL countries.


Language Field

Select the language of search engines that you would like to include in the selection. Leave this field blank to include ALL languages.


Selection Options 1
Selection Options

Check this option if you would like to include only those engines that match your selection criteria.


Selection Options 2
Selection Options

Check this option if you would like to include those engines that match your selection criteria, in addition to currently selected engines.


Template Name

When saving a new template enter the name here and a description below and click save. Otherwise, select a template from the drop-down list and click Select.


Template Description

When saving a new template, enter a description here. Otherwise, this is the description for the currently selected template name. Alternately, enter a new description for the template and click the Save button.


Save Template

Click this button to save the currently selected list of search engines as a template for later use in another project. Be sure and enter a name and description for the new template. Alternately, you can change the name or description of the selected template and click Save to update that template.


Remove Template

Click this button to remove the selected template from the list.


Max Results

Enter the maximum number of results (listings) that you would like TopDog to retrieve from a search engine during a search. Higher numbers require more memory.


Shallow Search

Check this option to cause TopDog to stop searching a particular search engine when a matching URL is found (Speeds up searching). If shallow search is not disabled, TopDog will continue retrieving results from the search engine until the maximum number of results is reached (default=50).


Use Keyword Alerts

Check this option if you want TopDog to remind you if you have entered a set of keywords that might not be accepted by the search engines, or might cause misleading results (e.g., entering too many terms in a single keyword set).


Ignore Characters

Check this option if you want TopDog to ignore certain characters in the Keywords field.


Include New Engines

Check this option if you would like TopDog to enable any new search engines (added as the result of an Instant Update) that weren't supported when the project was originally saved. By default, all supported search engines are always enabled in new projects.


Max Threads

Enter the maximum number of threads TopDog can instantiate when performing the searches. This controls the number of search engines that are simultaneously queried. Use lower numbers (e.g., 4) for slow connections such as 33.6 and 56K dialup internet connections. Higher numbers may be used for high-speed internet connections and faster computers.


Optimize Connection

Check this box to have TopDog automatically adjust the number of threads based on your available bandwidth. If the Limit Bandwidth option is enabled, TopDog will allocate one thread per 1.2KBps of the specified total bandwidth.


Bandwidth Management
Limit Bandwidth

Check this box to limit the amount of banwidth (connection speed) TopDog will use.


Bandwidth

Enter the maximum bandwidth that TopDog will use (a 28.8 modem can sustain 2.3 KBps).


Timeout

Enter the maximum number of seconds that TopDog should wait for a response from a search engine before giving up.


Display Banner Ads
Enable Banners

Check this option to see banner ads while a search or submission is taking place. This option is disabled in demo mode and the Lite version of TopDog.


Default Reports Directory
Defaults Reports Directory

Enter the directory where TopDog should store its temporary files for generating reports. This is the default value used for all project files, and may be overridden for individual project files using Project | Properties | Output. If you enter a file path that does not exist, TopDog will create it.


Auto Proxy

Check this option to have TopDog discover the proxy settings in your computer.


Use Proxy

Check this option if you need to use a proxy server to access the internet (e.g., WinProxy, Squid, Apache, etc...). This is common for many business networks. Refer to your network administrator for details.


Proxy Server

Enter the name or IP address of the proxy server. (e.g., proxy.mydomain.com or 123.123.123.123)


Proxy Port

Enter the port number for the proxy server (typically 80).


Proxy User

If your proxy server requires authentication, enter the user name here. If you are unsure, leave this field blank.


Proxy Password

If your proxy server requires authentication, enter the password here. If you are unsure, leave this field blank.


Form Text

Select the text color for the prompts in the search form view. Choose Other... for more color options.


Form Background

Select the background color for the search form view. Choose Other... for more color options.


Normal Text

Select the default text color used to display search engines in the list view. Choose Other... for more color options.


Normal Background

Select the default background color used to display search engines in the list view. Choose Other... for more color options.


Disabled Text

Select the text color used to display disabled search engines in the list view. Choose Other... for more color options.


Disabled Background

Select the background color used to display disabled search engines in the list view. Choose Other... for more color options.


Highlight Background

Select the background color used to display highlighted search engines in the list view. Choose Other... for more color options.


TopDog Text

Select the text color used to display search engines in the list view on which your site is TopDog (e.g., number one). Choose Other... for more color options.


TopDog Background

Select the background color used to display search engines in the list view on which your site is TopDog (e.g., number one). Choose Other... for more color options.


Moved Up Text

Select the text color used to display search engines in the list view on which your site has moved up in ranking. Choose Other... for more color options.


Moved Up Background

Select the background color used to display search engines in the list view on which your site has moved up in ranking. Choose Other... for more color options.


Moved Down Text

Select the text color used to display search engines in the list view on which your site has moved down in ranking. Choose Other... for more color options.


Moved Down Background

Select the background color used to display search engines in the list view on which your site has moved down in ranking. Choose Other... for more color options.


Use Custom Header

Check this option to enable the edit field below. This will allow you to enter a custom header for reports.


Custom Header

Enter your custom header text here. You can enter regular text or HTML code. To enter a new-line, press <Ctrl+Enter> from the keyboard.


Use Custom Footer

Check this option to enable the edit field below. This will allow you to enter a custom footer for reports.


Custom Footer

Enter your custom footer text here. You can enter regular text or HTML code. To enter a new-line, press <Ctrl+Enter> from the keyboard.


Current Language

This is the current language that TopDog uses. You must restart TopDog for any change to take affect.


Email To

Enter the email address that you wish to email the Summary report to. If this field is left blank, your email program will display and you can edit the message from there. Otherwise, the message is sent immediately.


Email Cc

Enter the email address of another recipient to receiving a copy of the report.


Email From

Enter your email address here. This address is used as the reply to address for the message. The default is the email address registered when TopDog was purchased.


Email Subject

Enter a subject for the message.


Email Body

Enter a body for the email message. If the body is left blank, the Summary report will show in the body of the email. Otherwise, the Summary report will show as a file attachment.


Reports Directory

Enter the directory where TopDog should store reports for the project, overriding the default directory in the Search Options dialog. This is useful for storing reports for particular projects in unique directories.


Submit Info Tree

Expand a branch of the tree to expose a property for editing. Once a property value has been entered, a green check will appear inside beside it as an indicator.


Modify Button

Click this button (or double-click the property) to edit the value of the selected property in the tree.


NV Multi Edit
Multiline Edit

Enter the required text here. If the property accepts multiple lines, use the <Enter> key to separate items. Otherwise, the text will wrap when entering more text than will fit in one line.


NV Edit
Edit

Enter the required text here.


NV Combo
Selection Box

Select an item from the list for this property.


NV Translate
Translate

Click this button to translate the text into the proper foreign language. Click Cancel to abort the operation. (Note: this requires an active internet connection.)


Automatic Submitting
Automatic Submission

Enabling this option will cause TopDog to automatically submit your URL(s) to each search engine upon completion of a search, according to the rules defined below (recommended).


Never Submit TopDog Sites

Check this option to prevent submission to search engines on which your URL is already listed number one (recommended).


Submit Not Listed

Check this option if you are only concerned about being listed on search engines (recommended).


Ranking Below

Enable this option and enter the minimum rank that you wish to achieve. If you enter the number 10, TopDog will only submit (or resubmit) your URL when the rank is 11 or worse.


Ranking Value

Enter a number other than 0 in this field.


Page Number Below

Enable this option and enter the minimum page number on which you wish to be listed. If you enter the number 3, TopDog will only submit (or resubmit) your URL when your URL is listed on page 4 or worse.


Page Number Value

Enter a number other than 0 in this field.


Submit Limit Daily

Enable this option to limit successful submissions to search engines to once per day at most. This feature prevents accidental resubmissions if the project is re-run.


Submit Limit Weekly

Enable this option to limit successful submissions to search engines to once per week at most. This feature prevents accidental resubmissions if the project is re-run.


Submit Limit Monthly

Enable this option to limit successful submissions to search engines to once per month at most. This feature prevents accidental resubmissions if the project is re-run. This is the default option.


Keyword Set Field

Enter a set of keywords here, then click the Add button to add them to the list below.


Add Keyword Set

Adds the set of keywords entered in the edit field above to the list below.


Keyword Set List

This is a list of your keyword sets for the project. By default all keyword sets are enabled, meaning that TopDog will execute separate searches for each set of keywords.

To disable a keyword set, place a checkmark in the box beside the appropriate entry in the list. To modify a keyword set, click on the appropriate entry in the list to select it, then click again to enable editing.


Remove Keyword Set

Click Remove to delete the highlighted set of keywords from the list.


Set Current

Click this button to set the currently highlighted keyword set as active in the main search engine view. This feature allows you to change the display from one set of keywords to the another in the search engine view, which is useful when using multiple keyword sets in a single project.

You can also double-click a set of keywords in the list to make them current or, in the main search engine view, use the <Ctrl+T> shortcut to quickly cycle through all of the available sets without using the Enter Keyword Sets dialog.


URL Addresses

Enter your main web site URL here. TopDog will use this information when scanning the results returned by the search engines to locate listings that match your web site. TopDog uses "smart-search" algorithms which will not be fooled by variations in URL's, such as inclusion or omission of prefixes like "http://", "http://www", etc.

To match on multiple web site addresses, enter each one separated by a space, or use the ellipsis button to the right (...).


Search Terms

Enter any search terms or phrases that you think your customers might type in when looking for your web site, product, or service. Keep your search terms and phrases short. If you want to run multiple searches for separate sets of search terms, using the "..." button to the right of the input area.


Search Engine List

The Search Engine List is where it all happens. Here you can view search engine results as they happen in realtime. You do not have to wait for a search to finish before you can see the results. You can even run reports and jump to the web sites while TopDog is searching. Use the right mouse button to access a popup menu for additional options.


Multiple URL Addresses

When entering multiple domains, use the ellipsis button to the right (...). This provides a convenient interface for entering multiple URLs.


Multiple Search Term Sets

When entering multiple sets of search terms, use the ellipsis button to the right (...). This provides a convenient interface for entering multiple sets of search terms.


Category List

Select a category from the list. TopDog will then download the latest list of subcategories from the search engine. If a category is submittable, TopDog will enable the OK button. Depending on your connection speed, some categories may take more time than others to download.


Restrict
Restrict Matches to Hyperlinks

Check this option if you want TopDog to only consider hyperlinks when searching for your URL among search engine listings. The default is to scan all text associated with the listings. Enabling this option can avoid false-positive matches for search engine listings which contain your URL in their descriptive text.