Based on the OLE protocol, ImagePals Album and Enhancer act as OLE server applications. By default, before passing an image to a client or copying to Clipboard, Album and Enhancer convert the data type of the image to that of the current display mode.
Collecting files with the Collect module
To allow you to collect together any of the files from your working environment into albums in one large batch operation, ImagePals 1.2 includes a separate collection module called Collect. The Collect icon is automatically installed in your ImagePals program group in Program Manager. If you need to add files to an album or selectively create albums after installation, use Album's Insert command from the Thumbnail menu to collect image, graphics or application-linked files. But if data collection is your major concern, Collect can leave you free by doing it for you.
Collect is not installed into your Album Toolbar and, in fact, you should not run it at the same time as Album. You run Collect by double-clicking on the Collect icon in the ImagePals program group. Collect uses a job list concept to allow you to set up batch operations. You select a file type, directory and album name on the left side of the Collect window. Then, by adding your selection to the job list on the right side, you build the batch process. You can delete a job by removing it from the list. To start the operation once you have completed the list, press the OK button. Collect is designed to run unattended for lengthy operations.
Album and Collect cannot be used at the same time. Collect is only for fast "off-line" collecting and will not run if Album is already running. If you open Album after Collect, the OK button of Collect is disabled until Album terminates. Also, you cannot run multiple copies of the Collect module at the same time.
Once the collecting process starts, minor errors (like invalid files) will be written to a journal file named COLLECT.LOG in Album's default Working directory. Only when a major error occurs will Collect show a message box, e.g., not enough memory or system resources low. This is useful for "over-lunch" or overnight collecting. The filename and path of the journal file is shown in the Collect window.
