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Simtel MSDOS 1992 September
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Simtel20_Sept92.cdr
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tikler.arc
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TIKLER.DOC
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1989-01-24
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337 lines
TIKLER
by Dick Olsen
Welcome to TIKLER. TIKLER is an easy to use program that will
help you keep track of upcoming events. It is intended to be
added as the last item in your AutoExec.Bat file so that it will
be run automatically each time you turn on your computer. TIKLER
displays the coming events for any number of days in the future,
as well as showing you events that have occurred during any
number of days past up until the present. It's kind of a note
taker/reminder/calendar program that you should find useful, if
not indispensable. Unlike many commercial programs that perform
similar functions, TIKLER was designed to be quick, easy to
learn, and free-form in it's note entries. Chances are that you
won't need to refer to this document in order to make full use of
TIKLER. I suggest, however, that you read it in it's entirety so
that you'll have a fuller understanding of the program. TIKLER
displays today's events in yellow, tomorrow's events in light
green, and all other events in light cyan on your screen. All
functions only require a single keystroke to activate. TIKLER
creates and maintains a file on your disk called COMEVENT. The
file is created in ordinary text mode so that it can be edited
with almost any word processor program or editor.
When you first install and run TIKLER, you will be asked how
many days notice you would like. What you enter here determines
the default number of days that TIKLER will look ahead to find
events. A good number seems to be 14 days, but you can enter
whatever you would like. Once you have specified the number of
days notice you would like, TIKLER will create a file in the
current directory called COMEVENT. The first entry in this file
is the number of days notice you have specified. This number can
be changed by selecting number five in the FLUSH EVENT mode. Each
time you enter a new event, it will be added to the COMEVENT
file. TIKLER has no provision at this time for editing events.
This can be done with your editor or word processor. You can,
however, delete events using the FLUSH EVENT (F6) key.
While TIKLER is running, the bottom two lines of your display
will show ten function keys. The operations performed by these
function keys are as follows:
F1 <EXIT>
This key is pretty self explanatory. When pressed, it will return
to DOS at whatever directory TIKLER is installed in. You can run
TIKLER at any time by changing to the directory where it is and
typing TIKLER. A batch file could be created that would do this
for you.
F2 <add event>
Press this key if you want to add an event to your file. TIKLER
will ask you first for the date of the event, then for the
description of the event. You can enter up to 80 characters for
the event description. When entering the date of the event, you
can use several formats. Some examples are shown below:
8/8/87
08/08/87
8/8
8-8-1987
8-08/1987
In the above examples, TIKLER will add missing digits, and
convert the " - " characters to " / " characters so that for
August 8, 1987, TIKLER would convert the date as entered in any
of the above formats to 08/08/1987, if 1987 were the current
year. If the event date is going to occur in the current year,
the year portion of the date can be skipped by just pressing
enter. TIKLER will get the year from DOS and add it for you. When
adding events, there is one more key you should be aware of. This
key is the DITTO key. When you press the " key, the previously
entered date or event string is copied. For example, suppose you
had a meeting every Monday morning. After you add this event to
TIKLER for the first time, simply change the date then press "
when you are asked to enter the event. The same information used
in the previous event will be copied into the current event,
saving you lots of typing. The ditto function also works on the
date. When events are listed on the screen, TIKLER will get the
appropriate day of the week from DOS and print it next to the
date. As each event is entered, it is sorted by date before being
added to your event file. Beginning with version 1.80, the day of
the week will also be added to your event date as it is saved in
your COMEVENT file. Compatibility is maintained with existing
COMEVENT files.
F3 <view past events>
This key allows you to temporarily change the NUMBER OF DAYS
NOTICE to some number of days in the past. For example, suppose
you want to view the events that occurred within the past 3
weeks. When TIKLER asks for the number of days past, you would
enter 21. Now TIKLER will display events that happened during the
three weeks preceding TODAY, as well as TODAY'S events. If you
have more events than TIKLER can fit on the screen, TIKLER will
pause and wait for you to press ENTER and then it will show you
the remaining events.
F4 <list ALL events>
When you press this key, all of the events from your COMEVENT
file will be listed. TIKLER will pause at the end of a full
screen and wait for you to press the 'ENTER' key before showing
you the rest of the events in your file. F5 <search for event>
Pressing this key will cause the message 'enter KEYWORD:' to be
displayed in a window on your screen. You can enter a single word
or phrase that you want TIKLER to look for. TIKLER will search
your entire COMEVENT file for event descriptions that contain
your keyword or words. Each event containing the keyword or
phrase will be displayed on your screen.
F6 <flush event>
Pressing the F6 function key will present you with five choices.
If you pick choice number 1, you will be asked for a date prior
to which events are to be deleted. You can use any of the date
formats specified under the F2 key description. After entering
the date, TIKLER will ask you if you would like to ARCHIVE the
events that are to be deleted. If you answer "yes" or "y" to this
question, TIKLER will delete all events that occurred before the
date you entered from your COMEVENT file, but they will be added
to a file called TIKARC.EVT in case you need to refer to them at
a later time. Answering "no" or "n" will cause the events to be
deleted without archiving them. Selecting choice number two will
allow you to selectively delete events one at a time. Each event
will be displayed sequentially until you press "e" to exit or the
end of your COMEVENT file is reached. As each event is displayed,
you can press "a" to flush the event but add it to your ARCHIVE,
"f" to just flush it from your COMEVENT file, or any other key to
keep it. You can press "e" at any time to stop flushing events.
If you choose choice number three, TIKLER will ask you for a
date. You can enter the date in any of the formats described
under the F2 key description. TIKLER will then search your
COMEVENT file for events that have or will occur on that date,
and display them one at a time. As each event is displayed, you
can enter "a" to flush the event but add it to your ARCHIVE, "f"
to just flush the event, "e" to exit the flush mode, or any other
key to continue searching for the date you entered. Choice number
four will give you the opportunity to delete ALL of the events in
your COMEVENT file. If you answer "y" when asked "are you sure
?", TIKLER will give you the choice of adding the flushed events
to your ARCHIVE or simply deleting them ALL. Any other response
will get you out of flush mode. The last choice, number five,
really has nothing to do with flushing events. This choice allows
you to change the default NUMBER OF DAYS NOTICE that is used each
time TIKLER is run. Just answer the question, and TIKLER will do
the rest.
Note:
TIKLER makes no provision for viewing your ARCHIVE file. Any text
editor or word processing program can be used for this purpose.
If you decide to ARCHIVE some of your events, TIKLER will create
the ARCHIVE file for you. The name of the file created is
TIKARC.EVT. All archived events will be added to this file.
F7 <find a date>
When you press this key, you will be asked for the date that you
want to find. TIKLER will search through your COMEVENT file and
display all events that match the date you've entered. You can
enter the date in any of the formats previously described.
F8 <print events>
When you press this key, TIKLER will ask you if you want to print
all events, or only those events within the number of days notice
you have specified. The events are printed in order of date.
F9 <change number of days notice>
This key will allow you to change how far ahead (or back) you
want TIKLER to look for events. The change is only temporary and
will not be saved to your file. You may want to view all the
events that are scheduled for the next month (meetings, birthdays
etc.). Just press the F9 key and enter 30 for the number of days
notice. TIKLER will immediately look for the events for the next
show you events that occurred before the current date by entering
a negative number for the number of days notice. For example, if
you were to enter '-7', TIKLER would find and display the events
of the previous week. You can change the number of days notice as
many times as you wish, but TIKLER will always use the default
value from your COMEVENT file each time you run it. If you want
to change the default number of days notice, use F6, the flush
mode key.
F10 <list again>
This key will list the events again, based on the current number
of days notice.
Installing TIKLER
To install TIKLER on your computer, first change to the directory
in which you want it installed. Then simply copy it from the
floppy disk to the current directory. Once you've copied it, just
type 'TIKLER', and your COMEVENT file will be created, with a
default number of days notice set for whatever number of days you
entered when asked to do so. TIKLER will run, and display the
message 'there are no coming events...'. At this point, you can
begin entering your events with the F2 key.
To make TIKLER run each time you turn on your computer, just add
the TIKLER command to your autoexec.bat file, similar to the
example shown below:
CD\<directory where TIKLER is installed>
TIKLER
At this time, TIKLER is limited to 300 events. The number of
events you have in your COMEVENT file is displayed on the top
line of the screen and is updated anytime you add or delete an
event. If you exceed 290 events, TIKLER will remind you that you
are approaching the maximum of 300 events. You should delete
events that are no longer needed. This limit of 300 events is an
arbitrary number that seems to satisfy the needs of most people.
I chose this value in order to save disk space and optimize
speed. Although TIKLER runs quite fast with 300 events, the fewer
you have, the faster it will run.
A few extra words....
TIKLER is distributed under the concept of SHAREWARE. Under this
concept, you are free to use, copy and distribute this program
without charge. You are not permitted to sell it either by itself
or as part of a package. The author retains all of the rights to
the program. The idea of SHAREWARE is a good one. It helps us all
to obtain some really good software at a price we can all afford.
If the SHAREWARE concept is going to continue, we need to support
the efforts of the software authors. Most of these people would
gladly accept a small donation as a token of appreciation for
their work. These donations don't even come close to compensating
an author for the many hours of work his or her program
represents, but it sure makes them feel more inclined to continue
the SHAREWARE practice. All of us benefit then! If you find
TIKLER to be as handy and helpful as I have, please feel free to
send me a small donation. Any amount would be appreciated. For
donations of $10 or more, I will add your name to my list of
'good guys', and you will receive, free of charge, the latest
version of TIKLER if the one you have is not recent. If you ARE
one of the 'good guys', I thank you. 'Good Guys' can expect
prompt response to any correspondence, the rest of you will have
to wait until I can get to it. If you pass this program on to
others, either on floppy disk or through bulletin boards, please
be sure to attach this document.
Please address all correspondence to:
Dick Olsen
83 Mill Road
Littleton, Mass. 01460
REGISTRATION FORM
Dear Dick,
Enclosed please find my check or money order for $10.00. Please
register me as a TIKLER user and send me the latest version if
the version I currently have is not the latest.
Thanks!
YOUR NAME________________________________________________
STREET ADDRESS___________________________________________
CITY, STATE, ZIP_________________________________________
COUNTRY__________________________________________________
TIKLER Version you have__________________________________
COMMENTS_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Other programs available from the author:
BASSTOUR......A bass fishing tournament game. Comes with
six different areas to fish. You control a
fully rigged bass boat with on-screen contour
maps, LCD graph, over 2300 lure/color choices.
Superb graphics in EGA. Also runs on Hercules
and CGA systems.
LAKES #1......A collection of 7 new fishing areas you can
add to BASSTOUR. Installation instructions
are included.
LAKES #2......Another seven fishing areas to use with
BASSTOUR. Use of both LAKES #1 and LAKES #2
will bring the total number of fishing areas
to 20. Includes installation instructions.
FISHBASE ][...A fisherman's data base/statistics program
for color or monochrome systems.
Available for $10 each. Plus $2.00 to cover postage and
materials. Please specify what you want.
Mail TO:
Richard Olsen
83 Mill Road
Littleton, MA. 01460