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────────────────────
APCAL
█▀█
█ Gamma Software
────────────────────
COPYRIGHT
_____________________________________________________________________
COPYRIGHT
---------
Copyright 1991 by Gamma Software. All rights reserved.
TRADEMARKS
----------
IBM PC, PC/XT,PC/AT and PS/2 are registered trademarks of
International Business Machines, Inc.
Proprinter is a trademark of International Business Machines.
Epson FX80 and RX80 are registered trademarks of Epson America, Inc.
DISCLAIMER
----------
Users of APCAL must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
APCAL is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.
The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse-
quential, which may result from the use of APCAL.
DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE
-----------------------
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs
differ on details -- some request registration while others
require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue
using the software to an updated program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific
exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished
programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are
of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs
and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy
and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a
specific group. For example, some authors require written
permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes
fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.
And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware
has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.
_____________________________________________________________________
i
REGISTRATION
_____________________________________________________________________
REGISTRATION AGREEMENT
----------------------
APCAL is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the
user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but
please do not give it away altered or as part of another system.
The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal
computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet
to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new
products. This is not free software, if you continue to use APCAL
after a reasonable trial period, you MUST make a registration
payment of $35.00 to Gamma Software or discontinue use. In order
for Gamma Software to be able to continue developing this product
we must receive support from those people who use it. We receive
no portion of any fees paid to shareware distributors. See the
next section, "How To Register", for details on how to register.
If you do not continue to use the program, but would like to offer
suggestions for future changes/enhancements to the program that
would make it useful to you then send them to the address below.
If any of your suggestions are implemented and you would like to
be notified when they are made then indicate such and also include
your address or Compuserve ID.
The $35.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one
computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a
book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of
people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another,
so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location
while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by
two different persons at the same time.
Commercial users of APCAL must register and pay for their copies of
APCAL within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn.
Site-Licenses available. See the "How To Register" section, below.
APCAL cannot be distributed for any kind of remuneration. It is
permissible for distributors to charge a nominal fee (usually not
more than $5) for the disk that APCAL is shipped on plus shipping
and handling. No fee can be charged for the APCAL software itself.
Gamma Software must be advised by any distributor charging any fee
for its distribution and the amount of such fees. This will
insure that the distributor is kept up-to-date with the latest
version of APCAL. Gamma Software reserves the right to withdraw
distribution rights from any and all distributors.
You are encouraged to pass a copy of APCAL along to your
friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users
will receive a copy of the latest version of the APCAL shareware
system and a printed manual.
_____________________________________________________________________
ii
REGISTRATION
_____________________________________________________________________
HOW TO REGISTER
---------------
When you execute the shareware version of the APCAL program a
shareware registration screen is displayed at the beginning of
the program. This screen describes the registration policy and
at the bottom of the screen is a pop up menu with 3 options.
To register APCAL press the down arrow key to highlight the
second option "Print Registration Invoice". Then press Enter
and the invoice will be printed to your printer (make sure your
printer is on and on-line). If for some reason the invoice does
not print then type the following command: "PRINT APINVOIC.DOC"
at a DOS prompt (while in the APCAL directory).
The next step is to fill in the invoice and mail it to:
Gamma Software
P.O. Box 8191
Fort Collins, CO 80526
along with a check or money order for $35 or fill in the required
credit card information.
A quicker way to register APCAL is to call:
(800) 747-9960
and we will take your credit card information over the phone and
ship your order.
Purchase orders and COD orders are not accepted.
If you wish to purchase a site license then you will also need to
print and fill in the form contained in the file "APSITE.DOC".
Mail that form along with the invoice to the address above. We
will ship 10 copies of the software with each site license. You
may, of course, install the software on all computers at the given
site when you purchase a site license.
ASP STATEMENT
-------------
This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe
message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
_____________________________________________________________________
iii
INDEX
_____________________________________________________________________
Contents
-------- Page
Introduction ........................................ 1
Getting Help ...................................... 2
System Requirements ............................... 2
Manual Conventions ................................ 2
Setup ............................................... 3
Loading The Alarm Handler ........................... 5
Upgrading From Version Prior To 3.10 ................ 6
New Features In 3.10 ................................ 7
Getting Started ..................................... 8
Month/Appointment Screen ............................ 11
Appointment Editing ................................. 13
Alarms .............................................. 16
Monthly Calendar .................................... 18
Yearly Calendar ..................................... 19
Configuration ....................................... 20
Key Reference ....................................... 28
File Descriptions ................................... 31
Problem Resolution .................................. 32
Technical Information ............................... 33
_____________________________________________________________________
iv
INTRODUCTION
_____________________________________________________________________
The APCAL program is a time management tool for use on PC compu-
ters. It is extremely easy to use. It contains flexible, customi-
zable screens with on-line help.
APCAL displays full screen monthly calendars with day blocks in
which you can type notes just like a wall calendar and print to
any printer. The program has a customizable holiday file for
setting holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. which are automa-
tically included in the proper calendars.
APCAL allows you to set a default appointment screen to match your
schedule. It does not limit you to a certain time interval between
appointments. Appointment features include: quick scan, search,
move, copy, print and more. An alarm can be set to remind you of
an appointment a given number of minutes before the appointment
even if you are in another program.
APCAL also contains a unique feature called "boot alarms" which are
displayed when you boot up your computer. Great for reminding
yourself of a particular event that occurs on a certain day but not
at any particular time.
All alarms can be set to occur over a given time period and will
keep resounding if you "snooze" them when they are displayed.
About This Manual
-----------------
The APCAL program is intended to be as easy to use as possible, but
you should take a few minutes to go through the "Getting Started"
section of this manual. The sections following "Getting Started"
describe the different features available in the program. They can
be read in any order.
The "Key Reference" section is designed to be used as a reference
once you become familiar with the program.
The "Technical Information" section gives you more detailed infor-
mation on some aspects of the program.
_____________________________________________________________________
1
INTRODUCTION
_____________________________________________________________________
Getting Help
------------
If you have a problem with the APCAL software first look to the
"Problem Resolution" section which contains solutions for the most
commonly encountered problems. If you are still having difficulty
then support may be obtained by writing to:
Gamma Software
P.O. Box 8191
Fort Collins, CO 80526
Please describe the problem in sufficient detail so that it can be
reproduced by us.
Support may also be obtained by calling (303) 667-9960, 8am-5pm
Mountain time (Mon-Fri). It can also be obtained by sending mail
to [73737,1721] on Compuserve.
Support is currently free and unlimited. We do reserve the right
to change these policies in the future.
System Requirements
-------------------
- IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible.
- 256k ram
- DOS 2.0 or later.
- Screen mode is assumed to be 80 columns and 25 lines (greater line
modes can be set but only the first 25 lines will be used).
- Hard disk recommended.
Manual Conventions
------------------
When two keys need to be pressed simultaneously to perform a given
operation they are separated by a plus (+). For example Shift+Tab
means to press the Shift key and hold it down while the Tab key is
pressed. The arrow keys are denoted as Right, Left, Up and Down.
File names are in all capital letters. There is an implied Enter
at the end of most commands (i.e. you must press the Enter key
after typing in the command).
_____________________________________________________________________
2
SETUP
_____________________________________________________________________
SYSTEMS WITH NO HARD DISK
-------------------------
This program can be run on systems with no hard disk. After
booting your computer put in the APCAL program disk and change
to the drive and directory containing the APCAL software. Then
type:
alarm a:
Replace the text "a:" with the path of the APCAL directory. Do
not end the path with a backslash (\) one is automatically appended
to the end. This will load the alarm handler.
The alarm handler searches the path given as a command line
argument for alarm files and sets any that it finds for the current
date. Whenever you save an alarm for the current day in the main
APCAL program the alarm tsr will attempt to reread the alarm file
in the directory you specified on the command line when you loaded
it. This means you should always put the APCAL disk into the same
drive. For example if you put the APCAL disk in drive a: and
loaded the alarm handler and then at some time in the future you put
the APCAL disk in drive b: and saved an alarm the tsr will look for
the alarm file in the a: drive and not the b: drive.
If you have a two drive system then you could put the following
lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT to automatically load the alarm handler.
pause Insert APCAL disk in drive b:
b:\alarm b:
This will load the alarm handler from the root directory of drive
b: and you should always run APCAL from b:\.
HARD DISK SETUP
---------------
The setup program will modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT to contain the
proper line to load the alarm handler. If you have already run
the setup program then you can skip this section. This setup is
for hard disk systems ONLY. See the section above for information
on systems with no hard disk.
To run the setup program change to the drive and directory where
APCAL has been loaded. For example type the following commands.
C:
CD \APCAL
Modify the two lines above to reflect where you loaded APCAL.
Then type:
APSETUP
_____________________________________________________________________
3
SETUP
_____________________________________________________________________
The setup program first prompts you for the drive that you boot
from. The default of "c" is normally correct. If you use another
drive then type in the drive letter and press Enter. The program
will look in the root directory of the drive specified for the
file AUTOEXEC.BAT.
If the program does not find the file you entered then it will ask
you if you want to create it. Answering no (pressing the n key
and then Enter) will cause the program to prompt you for the name
again. Answering yes (y Enter) will create it with the line to
load the alarm handler in it. If the file could not be created
then the program will prompt you for the drive again. You can
abort the setup process by pressing Esc at the drive prompt.
If the file exists the program will search for any existing lines
that need to be replaced. If it finds any then it displays them,
otherwise it displays only the new line to be added. The setup
program then prompts you whether to make the indicated changes or
not. Answering yes will replace the given line(s) (if any) with
the new line. A backup of your AUTOEXEC.BAT is created with the
displayed file name. Answering no will leave your AUTOEXEC.BAT
unchanged and you must make the modifications yourself.
If the AUTOEXEC.BAT file was successfully updated the setup
program will prompt you to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot your
machine and load the alarm handler. You must always boot your
computer from the disk containing the AUTOEXEC.BAT that contains
the line to load the alarm handler in order for the alarms to work.
The setup program will also display the command you must type once
the computer has rebooted to execute the main APCAL program.
DOS 2.x NOTE
------------
The APCAL program cannot detect what directory it was run from if
you are running under a version of DOS less than 3.0. This means
you must set the APCAL environment variable if you are using DOS
2.x. A command similar to the following should be placed in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
set apcal=c:\apcal
Replace the text "c:\apcal" with the directory you loaded APCAL
into.
_____________________________________________________________________
4
ALARM
_____________________________________________________________________
ALARM
-----
The alarm feature of this software requires that a memory resident
alarm handler be loaded. If you do not wish to use the alarm
feature in APCAL then you can skip this section. The setup program
will modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT to automatically load the alarm
handler. If you have completed running the setup program then you
can skip this section. This section describes the details of
loading the alarm handler.
To load the alarm handler type a command similar to the following.
C:\APCAL\ALARM C:\APCAL
and press Enter. The "C:\APCAL" must be replaced with the path of
the directory that you loaded APCAL into.
If the program loads correctly then the following will be dis-
played.
Alarm file path: C:\APCAL\ALR11-05.91
Alarm 2.00
Copyright (c) 1991 Gamma Software
The "C:\APCAL" will contain the path you specified on the command
line. The "ALR11-05.91" is the name of the alarm file that will be
used for the current day. The format of the file name is
ALRmm-dd.yy where mm, dd and yy are replaced by the month, day
and year. The APCAL program creates the alarm files.
If the syntax of the command to load the alarm handler is not
correct then the program will display the following and not load.
Syntax: alarm d:\path
If the alarm handler has already been loaded then the following
will be displayed.
ALARM already installed
The alarm handler can only be loaded once. The only way to remove
it from memory is to reboot the computer.
Alarms will only sound if the alarm handler is loaded.
_____________________________________________________________________
5
UPGRADING FROM PREVIOUS VERSION
_____________________________________________________________________
Upgrading From Previous Versions Of APCAL
-----------------------------------------
Version 3.10 of APCAL no longer requires the APCAL environment
variable to be set as long as you are using DOS 3.0 or higher. If
no environment variable is set then APCAL will use the directory
that it was run from as the working directory. For compatibility
with previous versions the program first checks for an environment
variable and then uses the directory it was run from if none exists.
Version 3.10 will not recognize reminder files at all and will not
recognize appointment files prior to 3.10 format. If you have
appointment/reminder files that you want to use in 3.10 then you
must update them using the following procedure.
The 3.0x versions of APCAL contained appointment and reminder
files. The reminder screen has been removed in version 3.10 and
replaced with the arbitrary alarm screen. The appointment files
in version 3.10 also contain an alarm field and version 3.0x
appointment files do not.
The versions of APCAL prior to 3.0x used an appointment file
similar to the 3.10 format but they do not contain the extra alarm
information that 3.10 appointment files contain.
The file APUPDATE.EXE will convert files from all versions of
APCAL prior to 3.10 to 3.10 format. The first step in this process
should be to copy the existing reminder and appointment files to a
floppy as a backup so they can be restored should anything go wrong.
For example type 2 commands similar to the following:
COPY REM*.* A:\
COPY APP*.* A:\
The next step is to place the file APUPDATE.EXE in the APCAL
directory and type the following command.
APUPDATE
It will then list the appointment and reminder files it has found
and convert them.
The APUPDATE program converts 3.0x appointment files to 3.10
appointment files with no alarms set. The appointment text is
shifted right by 2 characters to make room for the alarm column.
This means that the appointment text may be truncated by 2 char-
acters at the end. The 3.0x reminder files are converted to arbi-
trary alarms which are stored in an alarm file (ALR*.*).
If appointment files are found for versions prior to 3.0 then the
additional alarm information required for version 3.10 is generated
and the files are written in 3.10 format. The "y" or "Y" character
is converted to a check mark and the minutes before and duration
parameters are set to 0.
_____________________________________________________________________
6
NEW FEATURES IN 3.10
_____________________________________________________________________
New Features In 3.10
--------------------
- Several new configuration options have been added including:
Printer Configuration
Holiday Configuration
Start Screen Configuration
Alarm Configuration
- The program now uses a pull down menu system.
- Alarms can be set to go off a specified number of minutes before
an appointment and will keep coming back for a specified number
of minutes if snoozed.
- Alarms can be set that do not correspond to an appointment and
can be set to go off when the computer is booted.
- The alarm handler has been significantly updated it now:
Works on any PC
Does not require a hard disk
Can display more than one alarm at a time
Has a snooze mode
Can display an alarm over a time interval
- Time and date clock is built into the program.
- The program now has the ability to temporarily shell to DOS.
- The on-line help has been expanded.
- The program no longer requires an environment variable.
_____________________________________________________________________
7
GETTING STARTED
_____________________________________________________________________
EXECUTING APCAL
---------------
To start up the APCAL program type a command similar to the
following.
C:\APCAL\APCAL
and press Enter. The "C:\APCAL" must be replaced with the path of
the directory that you loaded APCAL into. After typing in the
above command the copyright screen will display for a brief period.
In unregistered versions this is followed by the shareware infor-
mation screen, press Enter to continue to the next APCAL screen.
Unless the program has been reconfigured the split screen month/
appointment display will appear next.
PULL DOWN MENU
--------------
The pull down menu at the top of the screen has several options
which can be used throughout the program. To activate this menu
press the Alt key. This will highlight the "File" field. The
right and left arrow keys can be used to move from one field to
another. To pull down the sub-menu for a field press the Enter
key. Pressing one of the bold characters on the top line of
the pull down will move to that field and pull down its sub-menu.
If a sub-menu is already pulled down then the bold characters on
the top line are no longer active. The up and down arrow keys
can be used to move from one sub-menu field to another. Pressing
Enter selects the currently highlighted sub-menu field. Pressing
the bold character of one of the sub-menu fields automatically
selects it. Pressing Esc exits the pull down without making a
selection. Once a selection is made or Esc pressed the appropriate
action is taken and control is returned to the main menu below.
When a field in the pull down menu is not currently active it is dis-
played in a different color (usually dark grey on most color monitors
and totally blacked out on monochrome monitors). Selecting one of
these fields does nothing.
The following sections describe the main menu fields of the pull down
menu. The "Edit" section is different depending on what section of
the program you are in. It is described in the help for each section.
Some of the pull down options can be executed directly without going
through the pull down, these options list the appropriate key(s) (to
the right in parenthesis) to type to execute the command directly.
_____________________________________________________________________
8
GETTING STARTED
_____________________________________________________________________
Files
-----
The files section of the main pull down has the following options:
Save, Delete, Print, Dos Shell and Exit.
Save - Saves the currently displayed appointment, monthly calendar or
alarm file. The file is saved to the directory set by the
APCAL environment variable or, if none was set, from the
directory APCAL was run from.
Delete - Deletes the currently displayed appointment, monthly calendar
or alarm file.
Print - Prints the currently displayed appointment or monthly calendar
file.
Dos Shell - Temporarily brings up the DOS command line. It is import-
ant to remember to type "exit" when you are done to return to the
program since it is still taking up memory. If you wish to perma-
nently leave the program use the "Exit" selection below.
Exit - Ends the program and unloads it from memory.
Options
-------
The options section of the main pull down has the following options:
Appointments (F2), Alarm (F3), Month Calendar (F4), Year Calendar
(F5) and Month/Appt. (F6).
Appointments - switches to the appointment edit screen. The appoint-
ment file for the currently selected date is displayed.
Alarm - switches to the arbitrary alarm edit screen. The arbitrary
alarms for the currently selected date (if any) are displayed.
Month Calendar - switches to the monthly calendar edit screen. The
monthly calendar for the currently selected date is displayed.
Year Calendar - switches to the yearly calendar display.
Month/Appt. - switches to the split screen month/appointment display.
Search
------
The search section of the main pull down has the following options:
Forward (F7) and Backward (Shift+F7). This pull down sub-menu is
only active when the split month/appointment display is active.
Forward - search for the given text in appointment files after the
current date.
Backward - search for the given text in appointment files before the
current date.
_____________________________________________________________________
9
GETTING STARTED
_____________________________________________________________________
Program Config.
---------------
The configuration section of the main pull down has the following
options: Color, Appointment Template, Printer, Holidays, Start Screen
and Alarm.
Color - configures the program colors.
Appointment Template - configures the default appointment screen.
Printer - configures printer parameters.
Holidays - configures the holidays that are automatically built into
the monthly calendars when the are first created.
Start Screen - configures the first screen that appears when the pro-
gram is loaded.
Alarm - configures the alarm parameters.
See each of these sections form more information.
Help
----
The help section of the main pull down has the following options:
General, Appointment, Alarm, Month Calendar, Year Calendar, Month/
Appt. and Configuration. Each brings up the help information for
the indicated topic.
_____________________________________________________________________
10
MONTH/APPOINTMENT SCREEN
_____________________________________________________________________
The split screen month/appointment display is used to quickly scan
your appointments for the current and coming days. It is also
used to search for a particular appointment.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ File Edit Options Search Program Config. Help(F1) │
│ OCTOBER 1991 TIME │am│A│ ││
│ S M T W T F S│HR:MN│pm│L│ Appointments ││
│ 1 2 3 4 5│─────┴──┼─┼───────────────────────────────││
│ 6 7 8 9 10 11 12│ 7:30 am│ │ ││
│ 13 14 15 16 17 18 19│ 8:00 am│ │ ││
│ 20 21 22 23 24 25 26│ 8:30 am│ │ ││
│ 27 28 29 30 31 │ 9:00 am│ │ ││
│ │ 9:30 am│ │ ││
│ NOVEMBER 1991 │10:00 am│ │ ││
│ S M T W T F S│10:30 am│ │ ││
│ 1 2│11:00 am│ │ ││
│ 3 4 5 6 7 8 9│11:30 am│ │ ││
│ 10 11 12 13 14 15 16│12:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 17 18 19 20 21 22 23│12:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 24 25 26 27 28 29 30│ 1:00 pm│ │ ││
│ │ 1:30 pm│ │ ││
│ DECEMBER 1991 │ 2:00 pm│ │ ││
│ S M T W T F S│ 2:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7│ 3:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14│ 3:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21│ 4:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28│ 4:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 29 30 31 │ 5:00 pm│ │ ││
│ │ 5:30 pm│ │ ││
└─────────────────────┴────────┴─┴───────────────────────────────┴┘
FIGURE 1 - Split Screen Month/Appointment Display
This screen displays 3 months on the left with the current month
in the middle. The current day is highlighted and the appointment
file for that day is displayed on the right. The arrow keys are
used to highlight different days in the month. The appointment
file for the currently highlighted day is displayed on the right.
To scroll the monthly calendars ahead one month press Ctrl+Right
or select the "Next Month" option from the "Edit" pull down. To
scroll the monthly calendars back one month press Ctrl+Left or
select "Previous Month" from the "Edit" pull down. To return the
actual month to the middle and the highlighted day to the actual
day press Ctrl+Home.
Pressing F1 brings up the help information on the month/appt.
display.
To search for a given text string in the appointment files after
the current date press F7. Pressing Shift+F7 causes the program
to search backward from the current date. Both will bring up a
_____________________________________________________________________
11
MONTH/APPOINTMENT SCREEN
_____________________________________________________________________
menu on the top line of the display where you can enter the text
you want to search for. Press Enter when you have entered the
desired text or press Esc to cancel the search operation. If the
specified text is found in an appointment file then that date is
made current and the appointment file is displayed to the right.
The search string defaults to the last value so you can search for
more than one occurrence of the given text.
_____________________________________________________________________
12
APPOINTMENT SCREEN
_____________________________________________________________________
The appointment screen is used to create and edit your appointments
for the currently selected date.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ File Edit Options Search Program Config. Help(F1) │
│TIME │am│A│ ││
│HR:MN│pm│L│ Appointments MONDAY 11- 4-91 ││
├─────┴──┼─┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────────││
│ 7:30 am│ │ ││
│ 8:00 am│ │ ││
│ 8:30 am│ │ ││
│ 9:00 am│ │ ││
│ 9:30 am│ │ ││
│10:00 am│ │ ││
│10:30 am│ │ ││
│11:00 am│ │ ││
│11:30 am│ │ ││
│12:00 pm│ │ ││
│12:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 1:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 1:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 2:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 2:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 3:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 3:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 4:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 4:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 5:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 5:30 pm│ │ ││
└────────┴─┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴┘
FIGURE 2 - Appointment Edit Screen
If an appointment file has been previously saved for this date
then it is displayed. Otherwise the default appointment template
is displayed (see Appointment Template Configuration).
Many of the operations described below can be selected from the
"Edit" pull down or by using the key(s) mentioned. Use whatever
method you prefer.
Use the up,down,right and left arrow keys to position the cursor to
the desired time. If no time exactly matches the time of your
appointment then the time fields can be edited. Press the F9 key
to toggle editing of the time fields. Type in any text you desire
to describe the appointment. Repeat this procedure until all
appointments have been entered. Press ALT+f to bring up the "File"
pull down and select "Save" to save the appointments to a file.
_____________________________________________________________________
13
APPOINTMENT SCREEN
_____________________________________________________________________
*** NOTE ***
Trying to exit this screen without saving changes made to the
appointments will bring up the following prompt:
"File has not been saved. Exit? Y/N "
Press the "Y" key and then Enter if you do not wish to save the
changes you have made. Press "N" and Enter if you do wish to save
the changes. Then select "Save" from the "File" pull down.
To move an appointment to another time position the cursor on the
line containing the appointment and press ALT+m. This will copy
the line to a scratch buffer and erase it. Then position the
cursor to the new time for the appointment and press Alt+i. This
will overwrite the current line with the text in the scratch
buffer.
To move an appointment to another time and day position the cursor
on the line containing the appointment and press Alt+m. Select
"Save" from the "File" pull down. Press F6 to bring up the month/
appt. display and highlight the new date for the appointment. Then
press F2 to edit that appointment file. Position the cursor to the
desired time and press Alt+i.
The scratch buffer always contains the text from the last Alt+c or
Alt+m operation. It may be inserted with Alt+i as many times as
desired. The only difference between Alt+c and Alt+m is that Alt+c
(copy) does not erase the current line and Alt+m (move) does.
To delete all the characters from the current cursor position to the
end of the line press Alt+d. To delete an entire line press Alt+l.
To set/remove an alarm for the appointment at the current cursor posi-
tion press Alt+a. This brings up the appointment alarm menu.
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│Alarm: OFF │
│Number Of Minutes Before: 10│
│Duration (minutes): 10 │
│ │
│ OK CANCEL │
│ │
│ 0 Appointment Alarms │
│ 0 Arbitrary Alarms │
│10 Alarms Available │
└─────────────────────────────┘
FIGURE 3 - Appointment Alarm Menu
The first field in the alarm menu toggles the alarm ON and OFF.
Press the space bar to toggle between the 2 values. Tab moves to
the next field and Shift+Tab moves to the previous. The next field
sets the number of minutes before the appointment the alarm will
sound. Entering anything other than an integer number of minutes
_____________________________________________________________________
14
APPOINTMENT SCREEN
_____________________________________________________________________
causes a beep and the field cannot be exited until an integer is
entered. The duration field sets the number of minutes the alarm
will continue to sound if it is snoozed. It must also be an integer.
For example if the current appointment time is 2:00 pm and the number
of minutes before value is set to 15 and the duration is set to 15
then the alarm will sound at 1:45 pm. If Alt+s is pressed when the
alarm sounds then the alarm will snooze for the time period set in the
alarm configuration. If this value is 5 then the alarm will sound
again 5 minutes from the time at which Alt+s was pressed. This con-
tinues until Alt+e is pressed or the time is later than 2:00 pm (1:45
plus the 15 minute duration).
Pressing Enter on the OK field sets the alarm using the entered para-
meters and ends the alarm menu. Pressing Enter on the CANCEL field
ends the alarm menu and discards any changes made to the parameters.
Pressing Esc on any field has the same effect.
Appointments with alarms have a check in the alarm column. Up to 10
alarms can be set for any day. This includes any alarms set in the
arbitrary alarm menu.
_____________________________________________________________________
15
ALARMS
_____________________________________________________________________
Alarms
------
There are 2 types of alarms that can be set in this program: Appoint-
ment alarms and Arbitrary alarms. The appointment alarms are assoc-
iated with an appointment and are set in the appointment edit screen
(described above). Arbitrary alarms are arbitrary in the sense that
they can be set for any time range and are not associated with an
appointment.
The "Alarm" selection on the "Options" pull down allows the setting
of arbitrary alarms.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ File Edit Options Search Program Config. Help(F1) │
│ │
│->ALARM 1 Message │
│ ALARM 2 Message │
│ ALARM 3 Message │
│ ALARM 4 Message │
│ ALARM 5 Message │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
││Alarm: REG 0 Appointment Alarms ││
││Start Time: 11:00 am 5 Arbitrary Alarms ││
││End Time: 11:30 am 5 Alarms Available ││
││Message: MONDAY 11- 4-91 ││
││ALARM 1 Message ││
││ ││
││ ││
│└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
FIGURE 4 - Arbitrary Alarm Screen
The top portion of the arbitrary alarm screen consists of the message
text for each alarm set for the current date. The arrow (->) at the
left points to the selected alarm. The parameters associated with
this alarm are displayed in the box in the bottom portion of the
screen. The up and down arrow keys can be used to select other alarms
in the list. The "File" options on the pull down menu can be used to
save and delete the alarm file for the currently selected date.
When Alt+a or Alt+m is pressed the parameter menu at the bottom of
the screen is activated. These parameters can then be edited. Alt+a
adds a new alarm and Alt+m allows the modification of the parameters
for the currently selected alarm. Tab moves to the next field and
Shift+Tab moves to the previous field in this menu.
_____________________________________________________________________
16
ALARMS
_____________________________________________________________________
The first field in the alarm parameter menu determines whether the
alarm is a REGULAR or BOOT alarm. The space bar toggles between the
2 values. Regular alarms occur for the time interval given in the
start and end time fields. Boot alarms occur when the computer is
first booted and continue until midnight unless terminated.
The start time fields set the time when the alarm will first sound
if it is a REGULAR alarm. The hours field must be an integer between
1 and 12 and the minutes field must be an integer between 0 and 59.
Entering anything else causes a beep and the field cannot be exited
until a valid integer is entered. The last field on the start time
line indicates whether the time is am or pm. Use the space bar to
toggle between the 2 values.
The end time sets the end of a REGULAR alarm. The fields have the
same restrictions as the start time fields.
The start and end time are not set for BOOT alarms.
For example if a regular alarm is set to start at 1:45 pm and end at
2:00 pm then the alarm will first sound at 1:45 pm. If Alt+s is
pressed when the alarm sounds then the alarm will snooze for the time
period set in the alarm configuration. If this value is 5 then the
alarm will sound again 5 minutes from the time at which Alt+s was
pressed. This continues until Alt+e is pressed or the time is later
than 2:00 pm.
The message field sets the text that will be displayed when the alarm
sounds.
Pressing Enter on the OK field accepts the entered parameters and
ends the alarm parameter menu. Pressing Enter on the CANCEL field
ends the alarm parameter menu and discards any changes made to the
parameters. Pressing Esc on any field has the same effect.
Up to 10 alarms can be set for any day. This includes any alarms set
in the appointment menu.
*** NOTE ***
The alarms are not set until "Save" is selected from the "File"
pull down.
*** NOTE ***
Trying to exit this screen without saving changes made to the
alarms will bring up the following prompt:
"File has not been saved. Exit? Y/N "
Press the "Y" key and then Enter if you do not wish to save the
changes you have made. Press "N" and Enter if you do wish to save
the changes. Then select "Save" from the "File" pull down.
_____________________________________________________________________
17
MONTHLY CALENDAR
_____________________________________________________________________
The monthly calendar screen is used to edit the monthly calendar
for the currently selected date.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ File Edit Options Search Program Config. Help(F1) │
├───SUN──┬───MON──┬───TUE──┬───WED──┬───THU──┬───FRI──┬───SAT──┤
│ │ │ │ │ │1 │2 │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
├────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤
│3 │4 │5 │6 │7 │8 │9 │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
├────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤
│10 │11 │12 │13 │14 │15 │16 │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
├────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤
│17 │18 │19 │20 │21 │22 │23 │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
├────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤
│24 │25 │26 │27 │28 │29 │30 │
│ │ │ │ │Thnksgvn│ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
├────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │NOVEMBER│
│ │ │ │ │ │ │1991 │
└────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘
FIGURE 5 - Monthly Calendar Screen
If a monthly calendar file has been previously saved for this date
then it is displayed. Otherwise one is built for the currently
selected month including any holidays configured for the month.
Any text you desire can be typed into the day boxes of the calendar.
Use the TAB and Shift+Tab keys to move from on day to another.
Press Ctrl+Right to move to the next monthly calendar or Ctrl+Left
to move to the previous. Ctrl+Home returns to the actual date.
These options can also be selected from the "Edit" pull down.
*** NOTE ***
Trying to exit this screen without saving changes made to the
calendar will bring up the following prompt:
"Calendar has not been saved. Exit? Y/N "
Press the "Y" key and then Enter if you do not wish to save the
changes you have made. Press "N" and Enter if you do wish to save
the changes. Then select "Save" from the "File" pull down.
_____________________________________________________________________
18
YEARLY CALENDAR
_____________________________________________________________________
The yearly calendar screen is used to select the current month and
year.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ File Edit Options Search Program Config. Help(F1) │
│ JULY 1991 AUGUST 1991 SEPTEMBER 1991│
│ S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S│
│ 1 2 3 4 5 6││ 1 2 3││ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7│
│ 7 8 9 10 11 12 13││ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10││ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14│
│14 15 16 17 18 19 20││11 12 13 14 15 16 17││15 16 17 18 19 20 21│
│21 22 23 24 25 26 27││18 19 20 21 22 23 24││22 23 24 25 26 27 28│
│28 29 30 31 ││25 26 27 28 29 30 31││29 30 │
│ ││ ││ │
│OCTOBER 1991 NOVEMBER 1991 DECEMBER 1991 │
│ S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S│
│ 1 2 3 4 5││ 1 2││ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7│
│ 6 7 8 9 10 11 12││ 3 4 5 6 7 8 9││ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14│
│13 14 15 16 17 18 19││10 11 12 13 14 15 16││15 16 17 18 19 20 21│
│20 21 22 23 24 25 26││17 18 19 20 21 22 23││22 23 24 25 26 27 28│
│27 28 29 30 31 ││24 25 26 27 28 29 30││29 30 31 │
│ ││ ││ │
│JANUARY 1992 FEBRUARY 1992 MARCH 1992 │
│ S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S│
│ 1 2 3 4││ 1││ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7│
│ 5 6 7 8 9 10 11││ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8││ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14│
│12 13 14 15 16 17 18││ 9 10 11 12 13 14 15││15 16 17 18 19 20 21│
│19 20 21 22 23 24 25││16 17 18 19 20 21 22││22 23 24 25 26 27 28│
│26 27 28 29 30 31 ││23 24 25 26 27 28 29││29 30 31 │
└────────────────────┴┴────────────────────┴┴────────────────────┘
FIGURE 6 - Yearly Calendar Screen
The yearly calendar screen displays 9 months on the screen at once
and allows you to scroll through them using the arrow keys or Tab
and Shift+Tab. This screen sets the month and year that is used
when other options are selected. For example highlighting May 1995
and pressing F4 will bring up the monthly calendar for May 1995.
Ctrl+Home returns to the actual date.
_____________________________________________________________________
19
CONFIGURATION
_____________________________________________________________________
Color Configuration
-------------------
This screen allows the configuration of the colors used by the pro-
gram.
┌──── Color Config. ────┐
│Normal Text │
│Highlighted Text │
│Lowlight Text │
│Pop-up Normal │
│Pop-up Highlighted │
│Save │
│Restore Defaults │
│Help │
│Quit │
└───────────────────────┘
FIGURE 7 - Color Configuration Menu
To make a selection from the pop-up menu highlight it using the up
and down arrow keys and press Enter or just type the field's bold
character. Selecting any of the options above "Save" will bring
up the color selection bar.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│Normal Text │
│ v Foreground Color│
│████████████████████████████████████████████████ │
│ * Background Color│
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
FIGURE 8 - Color Selection Bar
The down arrow on the "Foreground Color" line points to the
currently selected foreground color. Use the left and right arrow
keys to change the selection. The diamond on the "Background
Color" line marks the currently selected background color. To
switch from selecting the foreground to the background color use
the up and down arrow keys. The text in the upper left displays
what the current selection looks like. Press Enter to accept it.
The following options are available on the pop-up menu.
Normal Text - Sets the normal text color. The color of the majori-
ty of the text in the program.
Highlighted Text - Sets the color of highlighted normal text. For ex-
ample the color of the current day selected in the split screen
month/appt display and the color of the current month selected in
the yearly calendar display.
Lowlight Text - Sets the color of lowlight text. For example the
color of the appointment section of the split screen month/appt
display.
Pop-up Normal - Sets the color of the pop-up menu.
_____________________________________________________________________
20
CONFIGURATION
_____________________________________________________________________
Pop-up Highlighted - Sets the color of the selected field in the
pop-up menu.
Save - Saves the current color selection to the configuration file.
If this is not done then any changes made to the color selection
will remain in effect for the current session only.
Restore Defaults - Reads the values set in the configuration file and
sets the colors to those values.
Help - Brings up a help screen.
Quit - Exits color configuration and returns to the previous menu.
Appointment Template Configuration
----------------------------------
This screen allows the initial appointment screen to be configured.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Appointment Template Configuration │
│TIME │am│A│ ││
│HR:MN│pm│L│ Appointments ││
├─────┴──┼─┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────────││
│ 7:30 am│ │ ││
│ 8:00 am│ │ ││
│ 8:30 am│ │ ││
│ 9:00 am│ │ ││
│ 9:30 am│ │ ││
│10:00 am│ │ ││
│10:30 am│ │ ││
│11:00 am│ │ ││
│11:30 am│ │ ││
│12:00 pm│ │ ││
│12:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 1:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 1:30 pm│ │ ││
│ 2:00 pm│ │ ││
│ 2:30 pm│ │ ┌─Appt. Template Config─┐ ││
│ 3:00 pm│ │ │ Edit │ ││
│ 3:30 pm│ │ │ Save │ ││
│ 4:00 pm│ │ │ Help │ ││
│ 4:30 pm│ │ │ Quit │ ││
│ 5:00 pm│ │ └───────────────────────┘ ││
│ 5:30 pm│ │ ││
└────────┴─┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴┘
FIGURE 9 - Appointment Template Configuration
This is the initial screen that is displayed if no appointment file
for the currently selected date is found. You may configure the
times to match your typical schedule and set any text that you al-
ways want to appear in a particular appointment slot. For example
you may want to block out the 12:00 to 1:00 pm slots for lunch.
You can change the appointment schedule times and appointment slots
in the appointment edit menu to allow for daily variations to your
schedule. The appointment template is just a starting point for
each day.
_____________________________________________________________________
21
CONFIGURATION
_____________________________________________________________________
To make a selection from the pop-up menu highlight it using the up
and down arrow keys and press Enter or just type the field's bold
character. The following options are available on the pop-up menu.
Edit - Allows the editing of the appointment template. Press Esc to
end editing and return to the pop-up menu. Most of the available
keys in appointment editing are valid here.
Save - Saves the appointment template.
Help - Brings up a help screen.
Quit - Exits the appointment template configuration and returns to
the previous menu.
Printer Configuration
---------------------
This screen allows you to select the printer to which all print opera-
tions will send their output. It also allows you to configure new
printers and modify the parameters of existing ones.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EPSON Printer Name: EPSON FX 80 │
│->EPSON FX 80 │
│ EPSON RX 80 Printer Device: PRN │
│ HP Laserjet │
│ IBM PROPRINTER Printer Mode: GRAPHIC │
│ Standard Graphic Printer │
│ Standard Non-graphic Prn Escape Sequence Before Printing:│
│ File (graphic) FILE:apfx.dat │
│ File (non-graphic) │
│ Escape Sequence After Printing: │
│ │
│ │
│ ┌──────────────Key Assignments──────────────┐│
│ │F1 Help F7 Edit Esc2 ││
│ │F2 Select Printer F8 Add ││
│ │F3 Toggle Device F9 Delete ││
│ │F4 Toggle Mode F10 Save Configuration││
│ │F5 Edit Name ESC To Quit ││
│ │F6 Edit Esc1 ││
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
FIGURE 10 - Printer Configuration
The up and down arrow keys can be used to move the arrow (->) on the
left through the list of printers. The parameters for the printer to
the right of the arrow are displayed in the right portion of the
screen. The currently selected printer (the one that print output
will be sent to) is highlighted.
_____________________________________________________________________
22
CONFIGURATION
_____________________________________________________________________
The following keys can be used in this configuration menu.
F1 brings up a help screen.
F2 selects the default printer. Move the arrow (->) on the
left to the desired print device using the up and down
arrow keys and press F2. That printer will then be high-
lighted and if the configuration is saved all print
output will go to it.
F3 toggles the device that the print will be sent to. Press-
ing F3 cycles through the list of valid options.
F4 toggles the mode between GRAPHIC and NON-GRAPHIC. In
GRAPHIC mode IBM graphic line characters are output. In
NON-GRAPHIC mode these characters are converted to normal
ASCII characters.
F5 allows the editing of the name of the selection currently
pointed to. Control is passed to the Printer Name field on
the right. Change the name and press Enter to accept it or
press Esc to cancel the changes. Control is then returned
to the printer list on the left.
F6 allows the editing of the first escape sequence of the sel-
ection currently pointed to. Control is passed to the
"Escape Sequence Before Printing" field on the right. This
sequence is output exactly as it appears in the menu to the
printer before any other output to the printer. To input
values that are not ordinary ASCII characters press and hold
down the Alt key and type the decimal value for the char-
acter on the numeric key pad (e.g. Alt+2+7 produces the
escape character). Press Enter to accept or Esc to cancel
the changes and return control to the printer list on the
left. If the desired sequence is too long for the input
field then the text "FILE:" followed by the name of a file
containing the escape sequence can be entered.
F7 allows the editing of the second escape sequence of the
selection currently pointed to. This sequence is the last
thing output to the printer for each print job. Editing
this field is exactly like the first escape sequence above.
F8 adds a new printer to the list. When F8 is pressed the
program prompts for each of the parameters on the right and
then returns control to the printer list. The new printer
is added at the end of the list.
F9 deletes the printer currently pointed to.
F10 saves the printer configuration.
ESC exits the printer configuration.
_____________________________________________________________________
23
CONFIGURATION
_____________________________________________________________________
Holiday Configuration
---------------------
This screen allows you to add, modify and delete the holidays that are
automatically placed into the monthly calendars when they are first
generated.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│Holiday Configuration Page 01 of 02 │
│ │
│->New Year's Day │
│ Valentines Day Type: Month/Day Every Year│
│ Presidents Day Name Line 1: New Year's │
│ St. Patrick's Name Line 2: Day │
│ Mother's Day Year: N/A │
│ Memorial Day Month: JANUARY │
│ Father's Day Day: 01 │
│ Independnc Day Day Of Week: N/A │
│ Labor Day Number: N/A │
│ Halloween │
│ Thanksgivn ┌─────Key Assignments────┐│
│ Christmas │F1 Help ││
│ Easter │F2 Edit ││
│ Easter │F3 Add ││
│ Easter │F4 Delete ││
│ Easter │F5 Save ││
│ Easter │PAGE UP Previous Page││
│ Easter │PAGE DOWN Next Page ││
│ Easter │ESC To Quit ││
│ Easter └────────────────────────┘│
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
FIGURE 11 - Holiday Configuration Screen
The up and down arrow keys can be used to move the arrow (->) on the
left through the list of holidays. The parameters for the one cur-
rently pointed to are displayed to the right.
The following keys can be used in this configuration menu.
F1 brings up a help screen.
F2 allows the editing of the holiday parameters. The first
field sets the type of holiday. Use the space bar to cycle
through the possible selections. Press Enter when the
desired one appears. The program will then prompt you for
the remaining parameters required for the selected holiday
type. Press Esc in any field to cancel the edit and dis-
card any changes. Pressing Enter on the last field accepts
the changes.
F3 adds a new holiday at the end of the list. The procedure
is the same as for F2, above. The initial values for the
fields are set to those of the holiday currently pointed to.
F4 deletes the holiday currently pointed to.
F5 saves the configuration to a file.
_____________________________________________________________________
24
CONFIGURATION
_____________________________________________________________________
Page Up brings up the previous page, if any.
Page Down brings up the next page, if any.
ESC exits the holiday configuration.
There are 3 types of holidays that may be set:
Month/Day Every Year - these occur on a specific month and day
every year (e.g. December 25 for Christmas).
Month And Nth Day Of Week - these occur on a specific day of the
week in a month (e.g. 4th Thursday in November for Thanks-
giving).
Month/Day/Year - these only occur on one specific date (e.g. April
19, 1992 for Easter).
The "Name Line 1:" and "Name Line 2:" parameters set the text that
will appear in the calendar on the date for the holiday. The year
field gives the year minus 1900 (e.g. 92 for 1992). The month field
can be toggled through the months using the space bar. The day field
toggles from 1 through the number of days in the month. The day of
week field toggles through the days of the week.
Changes to the holiday configuration will not be reflected in monthly
calendars that have already been saved. This information is only
used when the calendar is first built.
Start Screen Configuration
--------------------------
This screen allows you to select the first screen that is displayed
when the program is loaded.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Appointment │
│ Alarm │
│ Monthly Calendar │
│ Yearly Calendar │
│->Split Screen Month/Appt. ┌───Key Assignments───┐│
│ │F1 Help ││
│ │F2 Select Screen ││
│ │F3 Save Selection ││
│ │ESC To Quit ││
│ └─────────────────────┘│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
FIGURE 12 - Start Screen Configuration
The up and down arrow keys can be used to move the arrow (->) on the
left through the list of screens. The currently selected screen is
highlighted.
The following keys can be used in this configuration menu.
F1 brings up a help screen.
F2 selects the initial screen. Move the arrow (->) on the
left to the desired screen using the up and down arrow keys
and press F2. That screen will then be highlighted.
_____________________________________________________________________
25
CONFIGURATION
_____________________________________________________________________
F3 saves the current selection to the configuration file.
ESC exits the start screen configuration.
Alarm Configuration
-------------------
This screen allows the configuration of the pop-up alarm.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│Alarm Configuration │
│ │
│General Alarm Parameters: │
│ Frequency (20 to 20,000 Hz) Duration (0 to 100 1/10 Sec) │
│ ┌───────────────────────────┌────────────────────────────┐│
│Tone 1:│ 700 │ 1 ││
│Pause: │ │ 1 ││
│Tone 2:│ 650 │ 1 ││
│ └───────────────────────────└────────────────────────────┘│
│Number of Tones: 10 │
│Snooze Duration (1-99 minutes): 5 │
│Color: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ ││
│ │ ││
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│Appointment Alarm Parameters: ┌── Alarm Config. ──┐│
│Default minutes before: 10 │Edit ││
│Default duration: 10 │Play Alarm ││
│ │Save ││
│ │Help ││
│ │Quit ││
│ └───────────────────┘│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
FIGURE 13 - Alarm Configuration Screen
To make a selection from the pop-up menu highlight it using the up
and down arrow keys and press Enter or just type the field's bold
character. The following options are available on the pop-up menu.
Edit - Allows the editing of the alarm parameters. Press Tab to
move to the next field in the parameter menu and Shift+Tab to
move to the previous field. Press Esc to end editing and return
to the pop-up menu. If you move into a field and change it and
then press Esc the changes will be discarded. To process the
changes press Tab and then press Esc.
Play Alarm - plays the alarm as it will sound using the current alarm
parameters. The alarm sounds for the given duration. It can be
terminated before the end by pressing any key.
Save - Saves the alarm parameters.
Help - Brings up a help screen.
Quit - Exits alarm configuration.
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26
CONFIGURATION
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The alarm consists of 2 tones with an intervening pause. The frequen-
cy values (1st and 4th fields in the parameter menu) can have values
from 20 to 20000 Hertz. Lower numbers produce a lower pitched sound.
The duration of the tones (2nd and 5th fields) and intervening pause
(3rd field) are input in tenths of a second. For example a value of
10 represents 10 tenths of a second or 1 second. The durations can
vary from 0 to 100 (0 to 10 seconds). A value of zero for a tone
means that tone will not play. A zero pause produces no pause.
From 0 to 99 of the tone 1/pause/tone 2 sequences can be sounded for
the alarm. A zero value produces no sound.
The snooze duration field sets the number of minutes between when
Alt+s is pressed to snooze an alarm and when the alarm will resound.
This value can range from 1 to 99 minutes.
The color bar sets the color of the pop-up alarm message. Use the
left/right arrow keys to change the color selection and the up/down
keys to switch between configuring the foreground and background
color.
The appointment alarm parameters set the initial values that are dis-
played in the "Number of minutes before:" and "Duration (minutes):"
fields when an appointment alarm is set.
*** NOTE ***
Changes to these parameters (except the appointment alarm parameters)
do not take effect until the alarm tsr is reloaded.
Entering an invalid value in a field produces a beep and the field
cannot be exited until a valid value is entered.
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27
KEY REFERENCE
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Appointment Editing
-------------------
The following keys can be used in the appointment edit screen.
Some of these can also be selected from the pull down menu.
Insert toggles insert mode on and off.
Delete deletes the character at the current cursor position.
Home moves to the beginning of the appointment line.
End moves to the end of the appointment line.
Backspace moves the cursor left and deletes the character at that
position.
Enter moves to the beginning of the next line.
F1 brings up the help screen.
F3 switches to the arbitrary alarm screen.
F4 switches to the monthly calendar screen.
F5 switches to the yearly calendar screen.
F6 switches to the split screen month/appointment display.
F9 is used to toggle editing of the time fields.
Alt activates the pull down menu. Pressing Alt plus one of
the bold characters in the top pull down line activates
that pull down menu.
Alt+c copies the current line to a scratch buffer.
Alt+m copies the current line to scratch and then erases it.
Alt+i overwrites the current line with the contents of the
scratch buffer created by the last Alt+c or Alt+m.
Alt+d deletes the characters from the cursor position to the end
of the line.
Alt+l deletes the current line.
Alt+a brings up the alarm parameter menu for the appointment at
the current cursor position.
Arbitrary Alarm Screen
----------------------
The following keys can be used in the arbitrary alarm screen. Some
of these can also be selected from the pull down menu.
F1 brings up the help screen.
F2 switches to the appointment screen.
F4 switches to the monthly calendar screen.
F5 switches to the yearly calendar screen.
F6 switches to the split screen month/appointment display.
Alt activates the pull down menu. Pressing Alt plus one of
the bold characters in the top pull down line activates
that pull down menu.
Alt+a adds another alarm.
Alt+d deletes the currently selected alarm.
Alt+m modifies the currently selected alarm.
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28
KEY REFERENCE
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Monthly Calendar
----------------
The following keys can be used in the calendar edit screen. Some of
these can also be selected from the pull down menu.
Insert toggles insert mode on and off.
Delete deletes the character at the current cursor position.
Home moves to the beginning of the current day block line.
End moves to the end of the current day block line.
Backspace moves the cursor left and deletes the character at that
position.
Enter moves to the beginning of the next line in the day block.
Tab to highlight the next day in the calendar.
Shift+Tab to highlight the previous day in the calendar.
F1 brings up the help screen.
F2 switches to the appointment screen.
F3 switches to the arbitrary alarm screen.
F5 switches to the yearly calendar screen.
F6 switches to the split screen month/appointment display.
Alt activates the pull down menu. Pressing Alt plus one of
the bold characters in the top pull down line activates
that pull down menu.
Ctrl+Right is used to pull up the next monthly calendar.
Ctrl+Left is used to pull up the previous monthly calendar.
Ctrl+Home returns to the actual date.
Yearly Calendar
---------------
The following keys can be used in the yearly calendar screen. Some of
these can also be selected from the pull down menu.
Tab to highlight the next monthly calendar.
Shift+Tab to highlight the previous monthly calendar.
F1 brings up the help screen.
F2 switches to the appointment screen.
F3 switches to the arbitrary alarm screen.
F4 switches to the monthly calendar screen.
F6 switches to the split screen month/appointment display.
Alt activates the pull down menu. Pressing Alt plus one of
the bold characters in the top pull down line activates
that pull down menu.
Ctrl+Home to return to the actual date.
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29
KEY REFERENCE
_____________________________________________________________________
Month/Appointment Screen
------------------------
The following keys can be used in the month/appt screen. Some of
these can also be selected from the pull down menu.
Tab to highlight the next day.
Shift+Tab to highlight the previous day.
F1 brings up the help screen.
F2 switches to the appointment screen.
F3 switches to the arbitrary alarm screen.
F4 switches to the monthly calendar screen.
F5 switches to the yearly calendar screen.
F7 search for the given text in the appointment files for
future dates.
Shift+F7 search for the given text in the appointment files for
past dates.
Alt activates the pull down menu. Pressing Alt plus one of
the bold characters in the top pull down line activates
that pull down menu.
Ctrl+Right scrolls the month display one month ahead.
Ctrl+Left scrolls the month display one month back.
Ctrl+Home return to current date.
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30
FILE DESCRIPTIONS
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File Maintenance / Description
------------------------------
The following files are created by the program.
APCAL.CFG APCAL configuration parameters. This file is
created when a new configuration is saved.
CALmm.yy is used to save a calendar for display.
CALmm-yy.prn is used to store a calendar for printing.
APPmm-dd.yy is used to store an appointment schedule for display.
APPmm-dd.prn is used to store an appointment schedule for
printing.
ALRmm-dd.yy is used to store appointment and arbitrary alarms.
Where mm is the month, dd the day and yy the year.
This system should contain the following files.
APCAL.EXE main program.
ALARM.COM memory resident alarm handler.
APAPPT.TPL appointment template. Used if no APPmm-dd.yy file
for the currently selected day is found.
APFX.DAT EPSON FX 80 printer configuration.
APRX.DAT EPSON RX 80 printer configuration.
APSPEC.DAY stores the holidays configured in the holiday
configuration section.
APPRN.CFG printer configuration parameters.
APCAL.HLP help file.
APUPDATE.EXE updates older files to 3.10 format.
APSETUP.EXE Makes the necessary modifications to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file to load the alarm handler.
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31
PROBLEM RESOLUTION
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ALARMS DO NOT DISPLAY OR SOUND
1. Make sure the ALARM program is being loaded and the correct
path is passed to it on the command line. See the
"Alarm" section.
2. Alarm was entered but not saved.
3. The DOS time and date must be set properly for the alarm to
work. See the TIME and DATE commands in your DOS manual.
ALARM SOUNDS BUT NO MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED
1. The computer is currently in graphics mode. The message
will not be displayed if the computer is in graphics mode
when the alarm sounds. The alarm is automatically snoozed.
SAVED APPOINTMENT/CALENDAR FILES DISPLAYED INCORRECTLY
COLOR CONFIGURATION INCORRECT
HOLIDAYS DISPLAYED INCORRECTLY
APPOINTMENT DISPLAY IS INCORRECT
1. Make sure you are executing APCAL from the same directory every
time or setting the APCAL environment variable.
2. Make sure the associated files have not been deleted or corrupted
(APPmm-dd.yy, CALmm.yy, APCAL.CFG, APSPEC.DAY, APAPPT.TPL, etc.).
GRAPHICS LINE CHARACTERS PRINT INCORRECTLY
1. Make sure you have the proper printer configuration set.
TSR CONFLICTS
The alarm handler is a memory resident program or TSR (terminate
and stay resident). It is designed to co-exist with other TSR's
but problems can still arise. If your machine "hangs" or "locks
up" at certain times then it may be due to such a conflict. Re-
arranging the order the TSR's are loaded in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
can sometimes eliminate the problem.
DOS 5 WARNING
It is possible to load multiple copies of the alarm handler if
you use the loadhigh command. Only one copy of the alarm handler
should be loaded.
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32
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
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How The Alarm Works
-------------------
When the alarm handler (ALARM.COM) is first loaded it reads the
alarm file that it displays during loading if it exists. Any
alarms contained in that file are then saved in memory within the
alarm handler. The alarm handler should be loaded in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it is always loaded. If the alarm hand-
ler is not loaded then no alarms will sound.
The alarm handler hooks into the timer tic (INT 8) produced by the
PC about every 18.2 seconds. Each time the computer generates a
timer tic the handler checks to see if any of the alarms need to be
sounded. When it finds one or more that need to be sounded it
sets a flag and waits for an opportunity to pop up. Since DOS is
not a multitasking operating system the handler must check
certain parameters to determine when it is safe to take control.
It is conceivable that a program could effectively lock out the
handler by not ever giving it a chance to take control.
When the handler determines it is possible to take control it first
sounds the alarm. If the computer is currently in graphics mode
it then snoozes the alarm and exits. In text mode the alarm(s)
are displayed. The handler then waits for the user to press Alt+e
or ALT+s. Alt+e marks the alarm as ended. Alt+s adds the snooze
duration to the current time and sets the start time of the alarm
to that value. If the new start time is past the end time of the
alarm then the alarm will not sound again, otherwise the alarm will
resound at the new time.
The alarm file for the current date (ALRmm-dd.yy) contains the
appointment alarms and arbitrary alarms set for that date. When
an appointment file is saved the appointment alarms in the alarm
file are updated (any arbitrary alarms in the file are left
unchanged). When an arbitrary alarm is set the arbitrary alarms
are updated (leaving the appointment alarms unchanged). In
either case APCAL signals the alarm handler that it needs to
reread the alarm file. Which it then does and resets the alarm
data it has stored in memory.
The alarm handler will not automatically read the alarm file for
a new day if the date changes while it is loaded (i.e. it was
loaded before midnight and the current time is after midnight). In
other words the alarm handler must be reloaded (by rebooting or
some other utility) if the date has changed since it was loaded.
Or the alarm file for the new date could be saved in APCAL to cause
the alarm handler to reread the alarm file.
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33