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ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ORGANIZE │
│ │
│ Daily Appointment Calendar │
│ │
│ Version 1.46 │
│ │
│ User's Guide │
│ │
│ April 1, 1989 │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ <c> COPYRIGHT 1988, 1989, 1990 │
│ by DAVID H. PRITCHETT │
│ │
│ ORGANIZE your daily routine ! │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page i
PREFACE - ORGANIZE USER'S GUIDE
DISCLAIMER
This manual may not be copied or distributed wholly or in part by any
person or persons except under the provisions set forth in APPENDIX D.
The author reserves the right to modify and/or change the information
in this manual at any time.
The author does not warrant this software to meet the individual
requirements of any user. Fitness for use shall be determined by
successful trial operation on the user's hardware.
Although ORGANIZE has been tested thoroughly and debugged as deemed
necessary, no performance guarantee is offered or implied by the
author. The author shall not be held responsible for inconvenience or
loss to data, hardware, or other software operated in conjunction with
ORGANIZE. Compatibility with memory-resident software packages is not
guaranteed.
You may NOT alter, disassemble, decompile, or otherwise change the
code contained in the .EXE files supplied with ORGANIZE. ORGANIZE may
not be leased, rented, or sold to others for profit.
You may copy the files for backup purposes and for free distribution
to others provided that charges (if any) do not exceed the actual cost
of the disk and copying service. The copying charge in any event may
not exceed $10.00 US.
Operators of BBS systems may post ORGANIZE for downloading by users
without written permission as long as there is no per file charge for
the privilege of accessing the file.
In any event, copying is allowed only in the original unmodified
format with all files intact. The following files should be on the
distribution disk, preferably in an ARC or ZIP file format.
ORGxxx.EXE ORGANIZE main program
CONFIGO.EXE Configuration utility
* NOTEFILE.ORG Note database
CONFIG.ORG Configuration data file
HELP.ORG ORGANIZE on-line-help
ORGANIZE.DOC This manual
ORDER.FRM Order blank
ORDER.BAT Prints order.frm on printer
* NOTEFILE.ORG is automatically created at startup if not already
present. This file may not be present in some versions to save space.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide Page ii
NEW PRODUCT BULLETIN
Version 2.1 ( Registered Version Only )
LASER SUPPORT
The registered version of ORGANIZE now supports the HP LASERJET II !!!
A new CONFIG routine allows you to select IBM GRAPHICS PRINTER or HP
LASERJET series printers. Now you can print your calendar on either
an IBM/EPSON printer or the HP LASER.
IMPROVED VIEW SCREEN
Also in Version 2.1 is an improved VIEW screen. Previously, the view screen
allowed you to move around the screen in quadrants. The new
release 2.1 paints the calendar as it would appear on the printer and
allows you view any part of the calendar on-screen by pressing the arrow
keys and home, end, pg up, and pg dn.
TICKLE UTILITY
Remember, you also get the TICKLE utility when you register! This utility
can be called from you autoexec.bat file and will remind you at boot-up
of those important appointments that you need to attend to. TICKLE also prints
a
pocket reminder that you can carry throughout the day.
Register now and receive all of the above, plus a free update to the next version
!!
Send $25.00 and the registration form to :
DAVID PRITCHETT
P.O. BOX 7273
MACON, GA. 31209-7273
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT !!
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUBJECT PAGE
-------------------------------------------------------------- ----
PREFACE ...................................................... i
BULLETINS .................................................... ii
INTRODUCTION ................................................. 1
A word about shareware ................................... 1
Registration information ................................. 1
ORGANIZE - REGISTERED VERSION ................................ 2
Features currently in the registered version ............. 2
MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ................................ 3
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION ................................... 4
Modifying the default setup .............................. 4
Selecting the window colors, path, and printer font ...... 4
Specifying a default notefile directory .................. 5
About the config file .................................... 5
Selecting the sound option ............................... 6
USING ORGANIZE ............................................... 7
Command summary .......................................... 7
Printing the calendar .................................... 8
Opening the notepad ...................................... 8
Sample screen and description ............................ 9
Using the VIEW Mode ...................................... 9A
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND MODIFICATIONS ....................... 10
How to obtain help with operation ........................ 10
User suggestions ......................................... 10
APPENDIX A - USING THE TICKLER UTILITY ....................... 11
APPENDIX B - PROBLEM SOLVING ................................. 12
Error 203 ................................................ 12
Color choices don't change after running config.exe ...... 12
Problems with printed output ............................. 12
ORGANIZE can't find the CONFIG.ORG file .................. 13
Printer won't respond .................................... 13
APPENDIX C - RUNNING ORGANIZE FROM MULTIPLE DIRECTORIES ...... 14
Methods of running ORGANIZE .............................. 14
Creating a batch file to call ORGANIZE ................... 14
APPENDIX D - DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PROGRAM .................... 15
Copying and distributing ORGANIZE ........................ 15
APPENDIX E - CHANGES IN Version 1.45 ......................... 16
Revision History ......................................... 16
What's new in Version 1.45 ............................... 18
CREDITS
Thanks to those who helped ............................... 19
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 1
INTRODUCTION
ORGANIZE was designed to help you keep up with important
appointments, birthdays, deadlines, etc. We all seem to be driven by
schedules and notes scribbled on bits of paper and envelopes (not to
mention those confounded little yellow stick-notes that clutter up
the walls and desks of corporate America). ORGANIZE allows you to
easily enter and revise schedules and appointment dates in a
convenient form and refer to them at any time. ORGANIZE prints an
attractive calendar on any IBM/EPSON <TM> compatible printer,
complete with daily notes printed right in the block. Now you can
make an appointment days or months into the future and ORGANIZE will
remember it for you !
A WORD ABOUT SHAREWARE ...
ORGANIZE IS NOT FREE SOFTWARE ! It is NOT public domain. The
program and supporting documentation are distributed on disk as a
Shareware product. For those who are not familiar with the concept,
Shareware software products are created by authors who feel that
users should have an opportunity to try a product before purchasing
it. If after trying the product for a short period you find it useful
and wish to continue using it, you should then mail the author a
contribution in the amount specified in the documentation supplied
with the program. At that point you become a registered user.
The low overhead costs associated with Shareware enable commercial-
grade products to be offered at very low prices. Advertising is
accomplished through word-of-mouth and distribution is handled
through bulletin boards and shareware dealers who graciously
duplicate the disks for a small fee.
If you choose to continue using ORGANIZE please mail a $25.00
contribution to the author at the following address:
David Pritchett
P. O. Box 7273
Macon, Georgia 31209-7273
Your contribution will be acknowledged by return mail and your name,
address, and date of purchase will be filed for registration.
THE ORDER FORM IS CONTAINED IN THE FILE ORDER.FRM. You may print the
order form by typing ORDER at the dos prompt. The form will be printed
on the line printer by the batch file ORDER.BAT.
********************************************************************
* NOTE: Registered users receive the latest upgrade version of *
* ORGANIZE complete with a TICKLER utility which may be run from *
* the autoexec.bat file. The tickler utility interrogates the *
* notefile at system boot and advises you of any notes stored for *
* the current day. Notes are displayed on screen with an option *
* to print on the line printer. The tickler utility is shipped *
* FREE upon registration of any ORGANIZE package. *
********************************************************************
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide -Page 2
ORGANIZE - REGISTERED VERSION
The registered version is at level 2.0 at the time of this writing.
New features are being added constantly. Version 2.0 comes with a
TICKLER utility that notifies you at boot-up of any notes for the
current day (See USING THE TICKLER UTILITY).
The VIEW MODE in the registered version pops up a full screen window
that allows you to examine a preview of the calendar on the screen
before you send it to the printer. This feature is accessible
anywhere in ORGANIZE and may be activated by pressing F6. By using
the VIEW MODE you can see how the printed calendar will look before
you print it. This saves much time and wasted paper. The VIEW screen
is updated in real-time and will reflect the state of the calendar
immediately after you enter a memo. You may enter or change a memo
and press F6 while in the notepad or daynote window and see the result
of your entry on-screen (See USING THE VIEW MODE).
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 3
MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
Computer: IBM PC/AT/PS2 or 100% compatible.
Memory : 256K Minimum
Printer : IBM GRAPHICS/EPSON or compatible. (Shareware Version)
IBM GRAPHICS/EPSON or HP LASERJET (Registered Version 2.1)
The ORGANIZE distribution version utilizes direct video
screen writing for windows and thus requires 100% IBM
compatibility. Display type is sensed automatically.
Your line printer should support EPSON Compatible condensed
and/or super and subcript operation. This is selectable in
the configuration file. CONFIGO.EXE will allow selection
of screen color combinations and print types.
ORGANIZE is written in TURBO <TM> PASCAL 5.0
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 4
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION
No modifications are necessary to run ORGANIZE. The default setup will
run with no changes. The window colors and backgrounds are selectable
by running the configuration utility CONFIGO.EXE. The configuration
utility allows you to select color combinations for foreground and
background colors as well as the type of calendar print font, default
directory and sound options desired. If the default color setup is not
satisfactory on your monochrome monitor, run the configuration utility
and experiment with the color choices until you obtain optimum
contrast.
NOTE: The file CONFIG.ORG must reside in the directory from which
ORGANIZE is called. DOS does not automatically search the default
path for data files. If you invoke ORGANIZE from another directory,
create a batch file which changes to the directory in which ORGANIZE
is located before it calls ORGANIZE. This allows ORGANIZE to find its
CONFIG.ORG file at startup. If this is not done, ORGANIZE will begin
with a standard color setup and will create a new notefile in the
directory where it is called. (See appendix C).
MODIFYING THE DEFAULT SETUP
From the DOS prompt, type CONFIGO and press <RETURN>. The
configuration utility will load and run. Instructional prompts are
presented on-screen as you make choices from the menu. Available
choices are as follows:
SELECTING A WINDOW COLOR
To select a window for color selection, press 1 - 5. This will place
the cursor next to the appropriate selection. The color selection for
each window may be varied using the left/right/up/down arrow keys. As
you change the foreground and background colors the result is
displayed on screen. When you are satisfied with the color
combination press <RETURN>.
<1> Selects CALENDAR colors.
<2> Selects NOTEPAD colors.
<3> Selects DAYNOTE colors.
<4> Selects BORDER colors.
<5> Selects HELP colors.
SELECTING THE PRINTER FONT.
To toggle from micro-print to condensed select 6. The printer font
will toggle on-screen as you repeatedly press <6>. Choices are
<Condensed> and <MicroPrint>. Both fonts allow eighteen characters per
daynote line within the calendar block. Condensed print is larger
vertically than microprint and allows for easier readability.
Microprint is derived from the super/subscript feature of the
IBM/EPSON printer family and occupies the same horizontal space per
character as condensed, with a shorter vertical character height.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 5
SPECIFYING A DEFAULT NOTEFILE DIRECTORY.
To specify a directory other than the current directory, press <7>.
The directory selection allows you to tell ORGANIZE where the NOTEFILE
(Notefile.org) is located. This feature allows you to run ORGANIZE
from any directory while storing data in the same file each time. As
an alternative, you may enter a period (.) in the directory selection.
The period tells ORGANIZE to look for the file NOTEFILE.ORG in the
current directory. Should the notefile not exist, ORGANIZE will create
it. If you are specifying a drive other than the default drive,
enter the drive designation followed by a period (EX: A:. ) and
ORGANIZE will utilize that drive instead. Since it is desirable to
store data commonly in one file, I suggest that you place ORGANIZE
in its own directory and configure the notefile path to that
directory with the CONFIGO.EXE utility (place a period or the full
pathname in the path entry) . This will eliminate any confusion from
multiple calendar notefiles. (See Appendix C for more information).
TO RUN ORGANIZE FROM YOUR DEFAULT PATH DIRECTORY
EXAMPLE: If your DOS files are located in \DOS, load ORGANIZE and its
associated files into the \DOS directory. Use the following command
sequence to configure ORGANIZE (Type the letters in caps only).
CD \DOS
CONFIGO (The configuration utility will load)
7 (This selects the path from the menu)
\DOS (Hit the return key afterwards)
ESC (Tell the configuration utility to exit)
Y (Yes, Quit the configuration utility)
Y (Answer Y to save current configuration)
Now place the command PATH=\DOS in your autoexec.bat file
in the root directory. When you are finished with your
configuration changes press ESC. Answer <Y> or press
<RETURN> to the prompts forr QUIT ? and Save ? and your
changes will be saved. To abort without saving changes,
press <N> when prompted to save current configuration.
ABOUT THE CONFIG FILE
ORGANIZE will read the configuration file at start-up. If the
configuration file is not present ORGANIZE will ask you to enter a
path to CONFIG.ORG or press RETURN to implement a default
configuration setup, save it on disk, and continue to run. In this
situation, ORGANIZE will look for the notefile in the current
directory. If it is not found, ORGANIZE will create a new one and
store data in it.
The configuration file name is CONFIG.ORG. This is a text file and
may be altered using Sidekick <TM> or any other ASCII capable word
processor. Unless you are sure of yourself, do not modify this file.
The numbers in the file represent Ansi color codes for foreground and
background in the order that the windows appear in the configuration
menu. The twelfth line of the file should reflect your path
designation depending on the last configuration selection. Should you
attempt to modify the file outside of the configuration program you
are on your own ! If you get into trouble just delete CONFIG.ORG and
re-run the file CONFIGO.EXE. The file will be recreated and you may
then modify it from within the program.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 6
NOTE: CONFIGO.EXE looks for the file CONFIG.ORG in the current
directory first. If CONFIG.ORG is not found, a new config file is
created in the current directory. To modify a setup you should run
CONFIGO.EXE from the directory in which you intend to store the file
and place a period (.) in the directory choice. This tells ORGANIZE
to look first in the current directory for the file NOTEFILE.ORG.
SELECTING THE SOUND OPTION.
To Toggle the sound option on and off press <8>. ORGANIZE will
initialize with the sound off or on depending on the choice made here.
Individual user preference will dictate whether sound is defaulted on
or off. The calendar will display faster with sound off and the
notepad will operate slightly faster, however, the keyclicks in the
notepad will be absent with the sound option disabled.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 7
USING ORGANIZE
NOTE: Before running organize the system date should be set. ORGANIZE
retrieves the current date from DOS at startup.
From the DOS prompt, type ORGANIZE and press <RETURN>. The system
date will be read from DOS and the main screen will appear. At the
left of the screen is the ORGANIZE calendar. The current day of the
week should be highlighted when the current month is shown on the
calendar.
COMMAND SUMMARY
The following commands are available from the calendar:
Month forward : Right Arrow
Month backward : Left Arrow
Year forward : Up Arrow
Year backward : Down Arrow
New Month : <RETURN>
On-Line-Help : F1
Open Notepad : F2
Print the Calendar : F3
Sound On/Off : F5
Quit : ESC
MONTH FORWARD: Each press of the right arrow key will increment the
calendar one month.
MONTH BACKWARD: Each press of the left arrow key will decrement the
calendar one month.
YEAR FORWARD:Each press of the up arrow key will increment the
calendar one year.
YEAR BACKWARD: Each press of the down arrow key will decrement the
calendar one year.
NEW MONTH: This function is supplied to allow you to quickly go to
another month without repeatedly pressing the arrow keys. To go from
the current month to December just press <RETURN> and enter 12.
December will appear on the calendar.
SOUND: The default is SOUND ON. Pressing F5 will toggle the sound on
or off depending on its current state. The calendar will tick each
time it displays and the windows "swoosh" up and down. Keyclicks occur
when typing or using the arrows. If you desire silent operation, press
F5 at startup to turn of the sound. Sound may be defaulted to off
using the CONFIGO.EXE utility.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 8
PRINTING THE CALENDAR.
F3 will cause the calendar to be printed along with any daily notes which
were entered. Just press F3 and, when prompted press <RETURN> to begin
the printing operation or <ESC> to return to the calendar screen. The
calendar is printed in an 8 1/2" x 11" format (Normal 9 1/2" fanfold).
Text graphic characters are used for the frame and the notes are printed
either in condensed or microprint depending on the configuration
selection. The F4 key toggles bolding On/Off. Bolding will cause the
printer to use double-strike and emphasize attributes.
While the calendar is printing, you may stop the printing operation by
pressing any key. The prompt "ABORT PRINTING Y/N ?" will appear. If
you answer <Y> the printing operation will cease immediately and you
will be prompted to reset the paper to TOF (Top of Form).
NOTE: Some printers may continue to print several lines after the
ABORT command is issued. Interrupt Hex 17 Service 1 is used to reset
the printer. This interrupt pulls the printer reset line (Printer
Parallel connector pin 31 - IBM PC connector pin 16) LOW to reset the
printer. Some printers respond differently to the hardware reset.
OPENING THE NOTEPAD.
While the calendar is displayed press F2 to enter the notepad. The
notepad consists of approx. fifteen lines per page, depending on the
month selected, which can hold titles and other references. The first
notepage is numbered one through fifteen. The second page is numbered
16 through the last day of the month. The cursor may be moved up,
down, left, and right using the cursor keys and pages are switched by
pressing PgUp and PgDn. If you arrow up past one or down past the last
day of the month, the notepad will roll around to the top or bottom of
the next page. Pressing the down arrow at day fifteen or the up arrow
at day sixteen will also cause the notepad to change pages. ESC will
remove the notepad window, leaving only the calendar displayed.
While using the notepad, notice that there is another window which
automatically follows the line that the cursor is on. This window
contains a five line by eighteen character edit box containing notes
for a particular day. You may switch to this window at any time by
pressing F2. The same edit commands and full screen cursor movements
used in the notepad also apply to this window. ESC will place the
cursor back in the notepad leaving the daynote display active. You can
then view the notes which were entered into the daynote window at any
time by moving the cursor to the day desired.
ON LINE HELP
In areas where you see the F1 key designated as a help key, on line
help is available. Help is presented in a context sensitive format
which senses the area that you are currently in and offers the
appropriate help summary.
A sample screen is shown on the next page.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 9
FIG. 1
╔═══════════════ Monday September 5, 1988 08:56:27 PM ═════════════════════╗
║ Calendar ╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗ Insert ║
║ | ║ ORGANIZE - Daily Appointment Calendar ║ ║
║ \|/ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝ ║
║ ┌─── September 1988 ────┐ ╔September 1988════════╗ ║
║ │ S M T W T F S │ ║Day ------Title-------║ ║
║ ├───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┤ ║ 1: ║ ║
║ │ │ │ │ │ 1 │ 2 │ 3 │ ║ 2: ║╔Day: 5════════════╗║
║ ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ ║ 3: ║║Legal Holiday ║║
║ │ 4 │ 5 │ 6 │ 7 │ 8 │ 9 │10 │ ║ 4: ║║All employees off ║║
║ ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ ║ 5: Labor Day ║< ║║
║ │11 │12 │13 │14 │15 │16 │17 │ ║ 6: ║║ ║║
║ ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ ║ 7: ║║ ║║
║ │18 │19 │20 │21 │22 │23 │24 │ ║ 8: ║╚═══════════════════╝║
║ ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ ║ 9: ║ /|\ DAYNOTES ║
║ │25 │26 │27 │28 │29 │30 │ │ ║10: ║ | ║
║ ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤ ║11: ║ ║
║ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ║12: ║ ║
║ └───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┘ ║13: ║ <---NOTEPAD ║
║ ║14: ║ ║
║ Month : <-> Year :^ v ║15: ║ ║
║ Help : F1 Notepad : F2 ║ ║ ║
║ Print : F3 New Month:<─┘ ╚══════════════════════╝ ║
║ Quit : ESC Sound : F5 On USING: \DOS ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
The above illustration shows the major component parts of ORGANIZE. The
calendar appears at startup and is displayed at all times. The F2 key
opens the notepad window and also causes the daynote window to open. As
you move the cursor in the notepad window, the daynote window follows
the cursor from line to line, displaying the notes associated with a
particular day. Pressing F2 again switches the active edit window from
the notepad to the daynote window and allows you to edit the daynotes.
ESC will switch you back one level. If you are in the daynote window,
ESC will return you to the notepad. Once back in the notepad, ESC
returns you to the calendar.
In the top right-hand corner of the screen you will find the status
indicator for INSERT/REPLACE. Pressing the INS key toggles the status
indicator whether you are in the notepad or the daynote window.
INSERT mode pushes all characters to the right of the cursor one
position at a time while you type, and REPLACE overwrites characters
under the cursor with the key that is pressed. The cursor will change
from flashing to steady when REPLACE is selected. This function
operates the same way as in a normal word processing program with the
exception that line wrap is not implemented. Since daynotes are
usually independent of each other, it is not generally desirable to
have the previous line wrap into the note for the next line.
The current NOTEFILE directory is displayed in the bottom right corner.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 9A
USING THE VIEW MODE (Available only in the REGISTERED version)
The VIEW mode allows you to preview the calendar as it will be printed
on the line printer. This feature is invaluable for those of you who
create schedules and various other complex calendars. The VIEW mode
is instantaneously updated when you make a change in the notepad or
daynote window. By pressing F6, you can immediately see the effect of
your entry.
The VIEW mode is accessible from all areas of ORGANIZE except, of
course, the HELP and PRINT routines. While in the calendar you may
select a month and press F6 to see the calendar for that month. The
notepad and daynote windows may be edited and subsequently VIEWed
after a change is made.
VIEW OPERATION
To use VIEW, press F6 while in the calendar, notepad, or daynote
window. The VIEW screen will open and display the preview calendar
for the current month. The VIEW calendar is displayed in a "window"
format. To move around the calendar press the arrow keys.
The up and down arrows move vertically and the left and right arrows
move horizontally within the VIEW screen. Each press of the arrow keys
moves you in small increments similar to a spreadsheet display.
The memo notes for each day are printed in their correct place on the
VIEW screen. For example, if you are creating a work schedule calendar
that shows employees who are on vacation each week within a month, you
may want to use dashed lines with arrows at each end to indicate the
begin and end dates for a vacation as in the compressed display below.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat │
│────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ │1 │2 │3 │4 │5 │ │
│ │<-------│--------│-Jones--│--------│------->│ │
│ │ │ │Vacation│ │ │ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 9B
The event is difficult to visualize when stretched across several
days. When viewed with the VIEW feature it becomes a simple matter to
ensure that the dashed lines are aligned properly and that they are
inserted in the proper day blocks. The VIEW mode allows this without
"trial printing" to determine the effect of the change, thus saving
the frustration of having to print and edit several times.
When you are finished with VIEW, press ESC and you will be returned to
the exact place in ORGANIZE that you left.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 10
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND MODIFICATIONS
ORGANIZE is written with ease of use and utility in mind. I hope that
you enjoy using ORGANIZE and I welcome your comments and suggestions.
You may reach me by mail at the address on the registration form. I
will be more than happy to answer any questions concerning the use of
ORGANIZE. Please include a SASE for my reply.
Modifications will be implemented by popular demand and/or discretion
of the author. If enough users desire that an enhancement should be
made, and such modifications are possible within the scope of the
program, they will be coded and implemented. Should a single user
submit a suggestion that is deemed desirable, it will be incorporated
regardless of mass request and added to the next version. That user
will receive the upgraded version free of charge.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 11
APPENDIX A
USING THE ORGANIZE TICKLER UTILITY (Registered users only)
REGISTERED users receive the TICKLE.EXE utility. The information
presented here is for informational purposes only. The TICKLE.EXE file
is NOT included in the shareware distribution ARC file.
The TICKLE.EXE utility should be placed in the directory with the
ORGANIZE files and the commands:
CD \<The directory path where NOTEFILE.ORG is located>
TICKLE
CD \ <Back to the path of your choice>
NOTE: Text shown in <> (angle brackets) will vary from
system to system. The directory where ORGANIZE is
located goes here.
should be added in the appropriate place in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file in
the root directory. When the computer is booted, the tickle.exe file
will run and interrogate the file NOTEFILE.ORG. If any notes are
present for the current date, they will be listed on the screen along
with the prompt:
Press F2 to Print, RETURN to Exit
Pressing the F2 key will result in the prompt:
When Printer is Ready, Press Any Key.
ESC to Abort
At this time you may elect to continue with the print operation or
press ESC to go to the next autoexec batch file command (or back to
DOS if the utility is run from the DOS prompt).
NOTE: Non-registered users may obtain this utility by mailing the
registration form along with a $25.00 donation. You will also receive
the next update as it becomes available. If at the time you register
your copy of ORGANIZE the version number that you have is the latest
one, you will be flagged in the database for the next available
release.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 12
APPENDIX B
PROBLEM SOLVING
1. Error 203 appears when I run ORGANIZE. What's wrong?
Error 203 is a HEAP OVERFLOW error. This means that there is not
enough memory available to run the program. Run chkdsk to determine
the amount of memory available before ORGANIZE is loaded. If it is
less than 256K, remove TSR utilities to make more memory available.
2. My color choices do not change after I run CONFIGO.EXE.
Color choices as well as the printer font and default directory are
stored in the file CONFIG.ORG. This file must be available to
ORGANIZE at startup. Store all ORGANIZE related files in the same
directory and run from that directory each time. If you wish to invoke
ORGANIZE from another directory, create a batch file which changes to
the that directory before running the program or store CONFIG.ORG and
CONFIGO.EXE in the directory you will be running the program from.
(See Appendix C.)
ORGANIZE also prompts you for the CONFIG.ORG path if it is not found
at startup. If you just press return at this prompt, a default color,
font, and directory setup are chosen. The file CONFIG.ORG is created
in that directory and will contain a generic setup. You may then
modify that configuration.
3. My printer does not print correctly.
Check to ensure that your printer is IBM GRAPHICS/EPSON compatible.
All printer codes are standard EPSON issue. Check the DIP switches and
compare them with the printer manual. Set the printer mode switch to
"IBM Graphics" mode.
o The CR/CRLF (carriage return/line feed) switch should be set to
CR position. If it is set to CRLF the calendar blocks will be
double spaced and the vertical lines won't touch.
o If your printer is dual-mode (i.e. EPSON/IBM GRAPHICS), you may
get garbage characters instead of the graphic line drawing
characters if IBM GRAPHICS mode is not selected.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 13
4. ORGANIZE always asks for the directory path to CONFIG.ORG.
The file CONFIG.ORG must be available in the directory from which the
command ORGANIZE is issued. DOS will not search for data files...
only executable files such as .COM, .EXE, .BAT, etc. If your ORGANIZE
files are located other than the current directory, you must create a
BATCH file to change to that directory before calling ORGANIZE and the
CONFIG.ORG file must be located in that directory. See appendix C.
5. My printer is ready but ORGANIZE reports that the printer is not
responding.
The printer error checking routine senses both parallel and serial
port status. The few printers that have exhibited this phenomena
have had multiple printer A/B switches and other non-standard fan-out
devices connected. For this reason there is an <I>gnore option in the
error message which allows you to press <I> to override the error.
Pressing <I> should allow the printing operation to continue past the
error. *** Be aware that if an error condition really exists, the
program may hang up or report error 160 (Device Not Ready).
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 14
Page 14
APPENDIX C
RUNNING ORGANIZE FROM MULTIPLE DIRECTORIES
ORGANIZE may be called from any directory on your hard disk if it's
stored in the default directory. It will store notes in the directory
that you specify during setup. In order to utilize the custom setup
choices made by CONFIGO.EXE you must allow ORGANIZE to find its
CONFIG.ORG file at startup. This is best accomplished by creating a
separate directory for ORGANIZE and loading all related files into
this directory. Should you wish to call organize from anywhere on the
hard disk, you should use the method described below:
1. Load all ORGANIZE files into your default <PATH> directory.
2. Create a batch file which changes to that directory and loads
ORGANIZE. This will allow ORGANIZE to find its CONFIG.ORG file.
EXAMPLE: Your default path is \DOS.
The batch file ORGANIZE.BAT contains the following
commands and is stored in the \DOS directory:
CD \DOS
ORGANIZE
The above file may be created with any ASCII word processor or by
typing:
COPY CON ORGANIZE.BAT (RETURN)
CD \DOS (RETURN)
ORGANIZE (RETURN)
^Z (Control + Z - Save file)
Store the batch file in your default directory along with the ORGANIZE
files.
NOTE: If ORGANIZE cannot find the file CONFIG.ORG it will beep at
startup and ask you to enter the full pathname to CONFIG.ORG. Once
this is done and ORGANIZE locates the CONFIG.ORG file, the program
will operate normally and will store notes in the proper notefile.
You may forego the creation of a batch file as described above if you
are willing to enter the path at startup.
In summary, you may run ORGANIZE using three methods.
1. Load everything into the same directory and change to to that
directory for each run. (Highly recommended For simplicity!)
2. Load everything into your default directory and create a
batch file to change to the default directory and run organize
automatically. This gives you the freedom to call ORGANIZE from
any subdirectory on the hard disk. The batch file should be
located in your default path directory.
3. Load everything into the default directory and enter the
pathname to CONFIG.ORG when ORGANIZE asks you for it. Configure
the notefile path to the default directory using CONFIGO.EXE.
* If in doubt, use method 1.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 15
APPENDIX D
DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIZE
The file ORGxxx.ARC may be freely distributed to other users. NO
CHARGE other than a small fee to cover copying and the cost of the
diskette may be charged to a user. The program and accompanying files
will remain the property of the author. Registration grants to the
user a license to use the software and does not constitute a sale.
Corporations and organizations who wish to distribute this program to
members and employees should contact the author to obtain information
on site-licensing at a discounted per-user rate.
Should you decide to distribute the program to other users you should
copy only the ORIGINAL ARC FILE in its complete form with the default
configuration and notefile with this documentation file unaltered.
SEE DISCLAIMER - Page 2
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 16
APPENDIX E REVISION HISTORY
CHANGES IN VERSION 1.01
Trapped all invalid keystrokes so that the calendar is not redrawn
everytime a non-operational key is struck.
Added an on-screen sound state (on/off) indicator.
File is only written to disk if changes are made in the notefile.
Check implemented for path existence when creating new notefile.
Previously the program would crash if the config.org file held an
invalid path to the notefile.
CTRL-BREAK is disabled in version 1.01. Previously a user could
break out of the program without closing the notefile. This would
cause the latest notepad entries to be lost.
The cursor is turned off at certain points to prevent flashing snow
on the screen.
A sound default selection was added to the CONFIGO.EXE program.
This lets the user choose whether sound is enabled at startup.
CHANGES IN VERSION 1.2
All applicable V1.01 changes remain in V1.2 except where otherwise
noted.
Some printers would not accept simultaneous emphasized and condensed
print modes. These printers would accept emphasized and ignore the
subsequent command to begin condensed mode. This resulted in a
double spaced printout because the pitch remained in emphasized
Pica and the line exceeded the carriage width. Epson LX-800,
FX-80, and Diablo P12CQI narrow carriage models were among those
tested. Most IBM Graphics compatible wide carriage printers seemed
not to mind this command sequence.
If the Up or Down arrow was pressed in the notepad and the line
above or below was blank, the next character pressed would appear at
the left margin. This was fixed by automatically padding the line
with spaces. The line is trail-edge trimmed when stored to minimize
file size.
Version 1.2 implemented an on-screen clock and date display.
ORGANIZE Version 1.2 included On-Line-Help in a context sensitive
format. Version 1.2 implemented help for the following items:
* Main Calendar Screen
Individual help for New Month and Print functions.
* Notepad usage
* Daynotes usage
* Printer functions
Help is invoked by pressing the standard F1 key while in the area
where help is desired. A full screen help window will open for that
topic.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 17
CHANGES IN VERSION 1.3
ORGANIZE Version 1.3 dealt with some minor bugs.
The "Jittery" notepad cursor was changed to a solid reverse video
block cursor.
One or more garbage characters appeared only on the first line of
the editor if you used the right arrow to move to the end of the
first line, thus wrapping to the next line. The line was clean if
you arrowed down a line and then back up. An uninitialized variable
proved to be the culprit.
There was a garbage character at the right end of the clock line.
This is fixed in 1.3.
Printer "ready" sensing was added in 1.3 to prevent a crash if the
printer was off-line when the calendar was printed. A couple of
non-standard configurations didn't accurately report printer status
so an override was implemented, allowing the user to "go ahead" even
though DOS reported the printer as busy or otherwise encumbered.
Certain buffers only report status changes AFTER a char is sent, so
toggling the printer off-line doesn't show up until the first
character is sent to the printer. Then it's too late to report the
condition to the user. Be aware that use of the override may result
in a crash. However, the data notefile is closed at this time, so a
crash will not result in corrupted files.
The real-time clock didn't sense PM existence. This was fixed by
converting the 24 hour integer return from the DOS interrupt to 12
hour time and sensing > 12:00 as PM.
Calendar print bolding was added as a new feature. This feature
implements a double-strike, emphasized calendar printing option.
CHANGES IN VERSION 1.31
A new printer bug appeared in 1.3 (still evident only with some
printers). It seems that some printers don't have reverse line feed
capability. This proved to be an elusive bug. When sending high
order ASCII characters (text line drawing chars) to the printer
followed by a carriage return, then another line of text line
drawing characters, some printers reverse to the top of the first
line before printing the second line... others don't. This caused a
breakup in vertical line spacing. This bug was fixed by sending
high order chars (to draw the calendar frame) in single lines
followed by a CRLF.
CHANGES IN VERSION 1.4
Version 1.4 fixed a very minor but agravating bug that dealt again
with 80 Col printers. It was discovered that under certain
circumstances a line of notes would exceed 80 cols and thus cause an
occassional wrap of spaces to the next line, followed by a carriage
return. This produced a "gap" in the vertical format of the
calendar. A watchdog routine in the printer code took care of this.
Also in 1.4, a bug appeared in the TICKLE.EXE file. If Tickle was
run during a month where no notes had ever been entered in the
notefile, it locked up in an infinite loop. One ELSE statement took
care of the condition that caused the error.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 18
CHANGES IN Version 1.41
Version 1.41 finally cured the "printer blues." Formatting was
extensively tested on various printers and adjusted for optimum
performance with the many "IBM graphics compatible" printer
personalities.
CHANGES IN Version 1.42
The BOLD option in the print function failed to bold all of the
printed output. The line containing the day of the month was left
in normal single pass print. Version 1.42 fixed this. Version 1.42
is compiled using the Turbo 5.0 command line compiler, thus
decreasing the size of the EXE file by approximately 5K bytes. This
decrease in EXE size is due to the removal of Turbo's debugging code
which is only needed during development and beta testing. As a
result, ORGANIZE 1.42 executes a little faster.
ORGANIZE Version 1.46 User's Guide - Page 19
CHANGES IN Version 1.43
A small problem surfaced in Version 1.42 which occurred when the
first day of the month hit on Friday or Saturday AND there were
five sundays in the month. The July 1989 Calendar expanded one
line too far and printed the very bottom of the calendar on the
next page. Version 1.43 fixed this glitch.
CHANGES IN Version 1.45
Version 1.45 fine-tunes the printer routine so that each note is
printed with the proper registration within each day block. There
were some variations in some printers which caused the first or
last character to print on top of a vertical line in the calendar.
An improved printer sensing routine was implemented in Version 1.45.
This routine allows a 20-second time-out before declaring that the
printer is not responding. This was necessary because some printers
are technically "off-line" to DOS while initializing or performing a
form feed.
CHANGES IN Version 1.46
Version 1.46 is basically a maintenance release which fixed some minor
irritations. The clock wouldn't change to AM/PM until 1:00. The
swooshing sound effects were a little too noisy and were toned down to
a more pleasant level.
CREDITS
Thanks are due to my BETA testers GERRY DOYON, BARRY LINDSAY, BILL
BOWLES, and TOM LEONARD who spent countless hours trying (and
often succeeding) in blowing up my code !