NOTE: This is Demo Software. Although all types of data are extracted, only URL's can be selected for pasting. All other types of the data that the Data Ratchet detects will be visible but grayed out.
Ñ How can I order the Data Ratchet?
You can always find the most current version of Data Ratchet at the 'Software' section of http://macspigot.netspace.org. From here you can order the full version for US$19. We use "Play and Pay", so no credit card is needed. You will receive a download key within 24 hours of your order.
Ñ How do I Install the Data Ratchet?
Data Ratchet must first be uncompressed with "Unstuffit" or "Stuffit Expander."
To install the Data Ratchet, move "Data Ratchet 1.0" into the Control Strip Modules folder inside the System Folder, then restart your Macintosh. The Data Ratchet's satellite dish icon will appear in the Control Strip after startup.
Ñ Using the Data Ratchet
To use the Data Ratchet, follow these simple steps:
1) In any application, highlight some text that contains useful information such as URLs, e-mails, phone numbers, or even common names.
2) Then choose Copy from the Edit menu (Cmd-C using the keyboard). Click and hold on the Data Ratchet control strip module, which appears as a satellite dish on the control strip at the bottom of the screen. If you do not have a control strip, please refer to the next section of this document.
3) After clicking on the Data Ratchet, a menu will appear. Near the top of the menu, there will be four items, "All URLs", "All Emails", "All Phone Numbers", and "All Names". Choosing one of these items will copy into the clipboard a listing of all of the URLs, Emails and so on within the text. You can then paste this list into any application.
The rest of the Data Ratchet menu will have all of the items separated so that you can choose, for example, a single e-mail, and then paste that into another application. This makes it easy to quickly pull important pieces of information out of dense documents. For more information on uses for the Data Ratchet, read the section below entitled "How Can I use Data Ratchet?"
Ñ Where can I get the Control Strip?
Recent Macintosh models shipped with the Control Strip installed and Powerbooks since the 500 series have been equipped with the Control Strip. Other late-model Macintosh models include the Control Strip on their installation disks, but don't necessarily come with it installed. It is fairly simple to do a Custom Install of Apple's system software and choose to install only the Control Strip. After restarting, the Control Strip will be available at the bottom of the screen.
Ñ How does Data Ratchet work?
The primary design goal of Data Ratchet was ease of use. In order to extract names, phone numbers, email addresses, or URL's from any body of text, the user needs only to highlight the nearby text, or even the entire text, and hit Cmd-C. Useful information is pulled out automatically by Data Ratchet and is immediately available to the user via the Control Strip. It can then be pasted into any other application or document.
Ñ How can I use Data Ratchet?
Data Ratchet is a general-purpose tool and has many potential uses. Here are are few examples:
Ñ Open a ten page text document. Select all. Pop open Data Ratchet to instantly extract all 37 email addresses that are mentioned throughout the document and paste them into the 'To' field in Eudora. They appear, delimited by commas, ready for a mass-mailing.
Ñ An email message mentions three different URL's that you need to check out. Click on Data Ratchet to instantly generate a list of them, or choose an individual URL to then paste into your browser.
Ñ Instead of wading through a long-winded email message, click on Data Ratchet to instantly get a list of the names of everyone involved.
Ñ At your favorite daily news website, click on Data Ratchet to instantly see if a certain product or celebrity is mentioned.
Ñ Reading email from a new client, click on Data Ratchet to instantly extract her phone number, and then paste it into your contact manager.
Ñ General Notes for use of the Data Ratchet
Some programs don't reveal the contents of what you copied (when choosing Copy from the Edit menu or by pressing Cmd-C) to the Data Ratchet immediately. Therefore, occasionally the Data Ratchet cannot pull out e-mails, URLs, and so on immediately. Fortunately, upon switching to another application, the data is available and the Data Ratchet will be able to function normally. As an example of this problem, one might select and copy some text in Microsoft Word, click on the Data Ratchet and find that nothing is available. However, when the user switches over to his or her e-mail application and clicks on the Data Ratchet, the items will be available. It is known that this problem affects Microsoft Word and ClarisWorks, but not Qualcomm Eudora or Netscape Navigator.
Ñ Problems with the Data Ratchet
Any problems with the Data Ratchet should be e-mailed to spigotfeedback@netspace.org. MacSpigot Software will post free Data Ratchet bug fixes as necessary.
Copyright 1997 - MacSpigot Software and the Pembroke Message Understanding Group at Brown University.
