Enter the measurement you wish to convert in the "Enter Value" field. Then select the measurement unit of your entered value from the popup menu, and finally click the "Convert" button. The converted measurements will magically appear below in the "Converted Measurements" fields. Computers are amazing things (yawn).
◊ PREFERENCES ◊
Default Unit:
You can select the default unit when Point2Point is launched by selecting the appropriate radio button.
Modes:
You'll probably want to leave the Mode as "Converter," as there isn't much need for the "Calculator" mode for most folks (calculator mode was born as a programming adventure).
Calibration:
Point2Point can be calibrated using the "Conversion Factor" or "Traditional Points =" fields. In its default setting, Point2Point uses a conversion factor of 0.996264 computer points per traditional point, which equals 72.27 traditional points per inch (there are exactly 72 computer points per inch). This is the "published" deviance, however there are many factors that play on the accuracy you will get. Imagesetters are only as accurate as their calibration, or you may be printing to a typical inaccurate desktop laser printer. In any case, Point2Point allows you to calibrate it to your printer.
You could calibrate Point2Point to your printer, for example, by drawing a line in your application, print it to your printer, and measure it. Divide the point measurement you made on the computer by the point measurement you get when printed, and enter the result in the "Conversion Factor" field. Or, if you know you want traditional points to equal 72.56/in. then you could enter it into the "Traditional Points =" field.
Notes: the conversion factor value must be between 0.5 and 2. Also, entering more than six digits after the decimal will result in rounding, so it's never any real advantage... and if you COULD tell if you were off by .000001 of a point, it's time to trade in that Acme electron microscope for a hair wax... or better, take a long vacation!
Clear also clears Entry field:
Checking this box will cause the Entry field to be cleared when the "Clear" button is hit.
Remember window position:
If you check this box, Point2Point will remember its window position the next time you launch it.
Remember zoom:
If you check this box, then Point2Point will remember if its window was zoomed the next time you launch it.
◊ MORE ◊
This version of Point2Point is freeware. Freeware, in my way of thinking, means that you can freely use Point2Point, however I still own all rights to Point2Point. You may also upload Point2Point, unaltered, to BBSs or online services, distribute it to you friends, etc., as long as you don't charge any money for it, and the READ ME document is included in it's original unaltered form.
According to the quick compatibility testing I did, Point2Point is System 6.0.4 to 7.1, and A/UX 3.0 compatible (requires System 6.0.4 or higher to run). Tested on combinations of the following: Mac SE, SE w/accelerator, Classic, LC, II, IIx, IIci, Quadra 700 & 900, Powerbook 140, running under the Finder & Multifinder, with & without 32-bit addressing, VM & no VM, lots of RAM & just a 1MB of RAM, on a RAM disk & not on a RAM disk, lots of inits & no inits, etc, etc, and it "appears" stable... which doesn't mean it won't crash or act weird for you. If you experience problems with Point2Point, I'd appreciate an e-mail describing the circumstances involved in the problem so I can look into fixing it.
Thanks to all of the comp.sys.mac.programmer gang for the excellent advice and help. Big thanks to "Big Dan" for the cool icons. Thanks to "hersker" for his suggestions which got me through the string conversions. Thanks to Joe H. for the help with memory management. Thanks to Kurt C. for the interface suggestions and pref code example. Thanks to Jerry G., Eric G. and Ed S. for the interface suggestions.
Please see the "Point2Point‚Ñ¢ READ ME" file for more about Point2Point, the latest additions/changes/bug fixes, and error explanations.
If you have any comments, suggestions/requests, bug reports, or any good jokes, you may contact me via e-mail at: