The Notepad Alarm server is a stand alone application that runs separate from Notepad.
Filename: Npalarm.opo
New in v1.1-1.3
Bug fix:
1. Alarm now displays correct time in sys alarm window.
2. Snoozing after pressing silent wasn't adding the snooze time to the current time, but to time of the original alarm.
3. Long note was crashing the Alarm Server.
New Functions:
1. Note shows in "Snooze Accept Reset" window in case you forget which note/alarm you are clearing.
2. Up arrow now shows todays alarms.
3. Help key window changed.
4. On/Esc now shells to the system, so you don't have to press the system button.
5. Alarm Server works with Banker.
6. Alarm Server auto detects time format -
12-24 hr plus all (mm-dd-yy) formats
Restart Npalarm to see new time format after changinh.
Function
Its function is to queue up all Notepad alarms. Np no longer uses reminders, but now uses system alarms. All alarms will work like the built in Series 3 system alarms. All alarm info is stored in the
"M:\Note\Set\alarm.dat" file.
The main difficulty associated with doing this was that the S3 using Opl/w does not have an easy way to make one's own alarms interact with the alarms used by Agenda and Time. It was done using extended Opl. (IO commands, Os calls, Ipc)
How does it work?
The Alarm Server runs as a separate app, (Npalarm.opo) and runs in the backround, for the most part. As you set alarms in Np, messages are sent to the Server that there is new alarm information that needs to be looked at. When the Server receives this message, it does one of two things.
1. Queue the alarm, if there are none already queued.
2. If the Server already has an alarm queued, it checks to see if there is a newer alarm now than the one that is currently queued, (which would be cancelled), or the current alarm information may have changed. Maybe you had an alarm set to go off at 3:00, but now you want it to ring at 5:00. In Np you would press Psion<Y> to reset alarm. After resetting the alarm Np will send a message to the server that alarm info has changed.
** Note **
All functions in Np that affect alarms send messages to the Alarm Server.
For this reason it is important that the Server is running.
What if the Server is not running?
If the Server is not running the alarm info will still be saved to file, (M:\Note\Set\alarm.dat), but the alarms will not ring since they are not being queued to the Alarm device driver.
They will ring however as soon as the Server is started. (which may be too late!)
How do I start the Server?
There are three ways to start it running. To make it easy, when you start Np, the Server will be launched automatically.
The second way is to use the new hotkey in Np which is the <S> key alone. This prompts you to start the Alarm Server, if for some reason it didn't start when Np started, or it was shut down to free up memory, or what have you. The third way is from the system screen under the opl icon. (if you copied the Npalarm.opo to your \opo directory.)
The Npalarm.opo must be in one of two directories.
1. Any \Note\Set directory
2. Any \Opo directory
I recommend keeping it in the \Opo directory since you will use it as a separate application at times. This way it will be easy to start running manually, since it will show up under the Opl icon.
How is the Server useful without Notepad?
The Alarm Server is not a dumb backround program. It has full editing capabilities built into it, if you register the software.
Here's a list of what it can do.
1. Add new alarms
2. Edit time/date/message of an alarm
3. Cancel future and current alarms
* 4. Show alarms due today
* 5. Exit to system
If you are not registered, the alarms will still ring, but you wont get all the editing capabilities within the Alarm Server.
Adding new alarms is also a very nice function. Maybe you want to add a quick alarm, but Np is not running. You can go to the Server application, press Enter and add an alarm. It will not show up in Notepad as a note, but you will get your alarm.
Hotkeys
There are two new hotkeys in Notepad, one of which was already mentioned.
1. <S> = Start the Server
2. <J> = Jump to Alarm Server(and back)
The <J> Jump to Server is a very nice convenience that makes it seem like the Server is really part of the Np application, which it is not. This way you don't have to press the system icon to change applications to get to the Server.
Using the <J> hotkey you jump to the Alarm Server and using the same key you can jump back to Np.
Refresh
Refresh is a new routine in Np that is directly related to the new alarms.
Here's how it works:
Since the Alarm Server runs as a stand alone, you can never be sure that your alarm icons on individual notes are up to date. Therefore Np automatically does a refresh when opening a notepad. The refresh matches the notes that have alarm icons with the alarms in the alarm.dat file to see which alarms are still pending.
If a note that was marked as having an alarm associated with it is no longer current, the alarm icon is taken off.
This can be done manually if you have a notepad open for a while and want to check to see if they are all up to date. Use Psion<G> from within Np.
** Note **
The only down side to having two separate applications is that if you edit an alarm while in the Alarm Server, Np will not update its own alarm info, and when you do a refresh, Np will think the alarm is no longer pending since the data has changed.
This is due to that fact that the Alarm Server sends no messages to Np. The messages go one way only.(The same way as the Agenda app) So, edit Np alarms from within Np if you want to keep Np's info up to date.
This shouldn't be a real problem since the Alarm Server never loses its alarm data.
You may choose to control all alarm info from within the Alarm Server. It is set up to be able to operate this way if you find it more convenient.
Notepad functions that affect alarms
1. Set alarm
2. Remove alarm
3. Show/Reset alarm
4. Deleting a note with an alarm
Option to cancel alarm.
5. Editing a note with an alarm
The alarm message will update.
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Alarm Server key commands
Enter = Add an Alarm
Delete = Cancel current alarm
Help = Key command list
Tab = Editor
On = Info or System if reg'd
O = Off
T = Jump to Time app
*Up arrow - Show alarns due today
Editor key commands
S = Sort alarm.dat
Help = command list
Delete = Delete an alarm from alarm.dat
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*** Warning ***
Please note that if you exit the Alarm Server while in an open dialog, the Server will not be able to snooze an alarm when it expires. It will also cease to queue any new alarms. The editor will go go back to the main display after about 5 seconds of inactivity.
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