\i Note: Please see the registration window for important information.
\i0 \
\b\i\fs28 Copyright:
\pard\b0\i0\fs24\fc0\cf0 \
ScrapFinder and all of its components are mine. All mine. You may distribute ScrapFinder as long as it is not modified in any way. If you want to see changes in the program, please contact the author, Jeff Blum. Distributing ScrapFinder or any section of it as part of a commercial enterprise is strictly forbidden. If you abuse this license, you may not spontaneously combust, but I will be angry.
\b0\i0\fs24 If ScrapFinder causes you pain, agony, sleeplessness, or hives, well, that's weird. I will feel sorry for you, but will accept no responsibility for anything ScrapFinder does or doesn't do.\
Princeton University, my family, and all of my employers have nothing to do with ScrapFinder. Frankly, they probably don't even know it exists.\
-Jeff\
\pard\tx520\tx1060\tx1600\tx2120\tx2660\tx3200\tx3720\tx4260\tx4800\tx5320\fc0\cf0 PS. I think the best part of ScrapFinder is that it never says, "You don't exist, go away." when you use it. Isn't that nice?\
\pard\tx960\tx1920\tx2880\tx3840\tx4800\tx5760\tx6720\tx7680\tx8640\tx9600\b0\fs24\fc0\cf0 Note: Please see the registration window for additional important information.
\pard\b\fs28\fc0\cf0 \
What is ScrapFinder?
\b0\i0\fs24 \
ScrapFinder is a NeXT app that will help you to keep track of small scraps of data that don't seem to fit anywhere else; it is a computer scratchpad. I use it instead of a huge pile of random paper
it is easy to organize, easy to find stuff, and helps me avoid clutter. If you could see my desk, you would know how important this is.\
Scrapfinder crashes & often takes out the WorkSpace.\
0.7
Scrapfinder occasionally works.\
1.0
First reliable version of ScrapFinder! Yeah!\
1.2
User interface reworked, minor bugs fixed.\
1.3
Bug fixes, more robust error checking.\
1.4
Minor fixes, MAB for Intel and Black hardware.\
\pard\tx960\tx1920\tx2880\tx3840\tx4800\tx5760\tx6720\tx7680\tx8640\tx9600\b\i\fs28\fc0\cf0 How do I use it?
\b0\i0\fs24 \
\pard\fc0\cf0 ScrapFinder is hopefully simple to use...at least I worked hard to make it so! If you come across any problems, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at <jeffblum@phoenix.princeton.edu>. In particular, if ScrapFinder ever loses any data, I want to know about it so I can fix it as soon as possible.\
ScrapFinder's paradigm is that of index cards. You can create new cards, flip through cards, destroy cards, and search for specific cards. The controls you see when you start the app should correspond to this index card model. For example, the "New Entry" button will make a new card; "Delete Entry" will destroy a card; "Go to Entry" will jump to the index card whose number is in the field above the button.\
ScrapFinder only deals with one file at a time and has relatively few controls. Much of it is automated so you don't ever have to worry about what it is doing. For example, it will save your data for you without even asking
when you quit the application it performs an automatic save.\
The point here is that ScrapFinder is not and does not aspire to be a full fledged database program. It is a (hopefully) simple-to-use scratchpad.\
\pard\tx960\tx1920\tx2880\tx3840\tx4800\tx5760\tx6720\tx7680\tx8640\tx9600\b\i\fs28\fc0\cf0 The Interface Nitty-Gritty:
\pard\b0\i0\fs24\fc0\cf0 \
Most of ScrapFinder should be self-explanitory. The section below goes over many parts of the interface in detail, however, so you may wish to at least glance through it.\
\b\i The main screen:
\i0 \
\b0 \
\b Status:
\b0 \
The Status area is where ScrapFinder will attempt to tell you what is going on. It will show error messages, tell you when it is done performing tasks, etc. Don't be confused if you look up there and find a message that seems to make no sense
messages are held in this area until another message comes along, so some of them can be quite stale.\
\b Searching:\
\pard\tx960\tx1920\tx2880\tx3840\tx4800\tx5760\tx6720\tx7680\tx8640\tx9600\b0\fc0\cf0 To perform a search, simply type the word or phrase you want to find in the
\b Find
\b0 field, then press return or click "Perform Search." All of the entries that match the pattern will appear in the main text area.\
\pard\fc0\cf0 \
If you have the "Keywords" button selected, a search will only look through the keywords you have typed in for each entry. If you have "Data and Keywords" chosen, a search will look for the find string in both sections of each entry. Obviously, a "Keyword" search is the faster of the two since it has to churn through less data.\
The "Find" menu option is a shortcut that selects all the text in the
\b Find
\b0 field, making it ready for you to type a new search string. I added this since I hated going to the mouse every time I wanted to do a search
Command-f seems much quicker.\
\pard\tx960\tx1920\tx2880\tx3840\tx4800\tx5760\tx6720\tx7680\tx8640\tx9600\b\fc0\cf0 Go to Entry:
\i\fs28 \
\pard\b0\i0\fs24\fc0\cf0 When this button is clicked, ScrapFinder will jump to the entry number found in the field directly above the button. To jump to entry number 14, for example, you would type "14" into the field above the button, then click "Go to Entry." Clicking the arrows on either side of this field will increment/decrement the current entry, allowing you to flip through your entries in numerical order.\
Clicking this button will delete the current entry...permanantly. It won't even ask you if you are sure, so be careful! If you delete an entry you desperately need,
\i and
\i0 you have "Maintain Backup File" checked in Preferences, then you can choose "Revert to Saved" from the main menu...and hope for the best!\
When you first run ScrapFinder, there is only one entry (one index card). Clicking "Add Entry" will create a new, blank entry where you can type more stuff. It automatically makes the new card the current card, ready for you to begin typing. If you watch the current card field in the lower part of the main window, you will see it change to the number of the new card.\
\b\i Menu Items:
\b0\i0 \
\b Info -> Help...\
\b0 Clicking this item brings up this panel. Looks like you already figured it out!\
Info -> Preferences...\
\b0 choosing this menu item will bring up a window with options for controlling the program. These will be saved between ScrapFinder sessions. The Storage Directory is the directory where Scrapfinder will store your datafile, ".ScrapFinder.data"\
If "Maintaining Backup File" is checked, then the second to last version of your data file is saved into ".ScrapFinder.data~" every time a save occurs. This is vital for the "Revert to backup" function to work properly. Unless you are extremely low on disk space, I recommend leaving this item checked.\
\b0 field, allowing you to type in a new search string. I find Command-f to be much more convenient than using the mouse all the time. Your mileage may vary.
\pard\fc0\cf0 \
\b Save
\b0 \
Save will force your data to be saved to disk immediately. You may wish to click this periodically to reduce the risk of data loss in a crash or other mishap. ScrapFinder is designed, however, to save your data before it would be lost
when quitting, for example.\
\b Print...
\b0 \
Print... will bring up a printer box and print out the current contents of the main text area, which will be either the current entry or the current search results.\
\b Revert to Backup
\b0 \
This will attempt to go back to the backup version of your data file. If you do not have "Maintaining Backup File" checked in Preferences, then this command will not work or will revert to a very old version of your datafile. Be warned! This menu item should be used sparingly.\
\b\i\fs28 Random Information:
\b0\i0\fs24 \
There are a few limits to ScrapFinder...\
Maximum number of entries: 10000\
Maximum keyword field length: 5000 characters\
Maximum entry field length: 300000 characters\
And a final warning: Do not meddle with the ScrapFinder datafile using a text editor. It will probably get messed up, causing you no end of pain. Trust me.\
\b\i\fs28 Parting Words:
\b0\i0\fs24 \
Good luck. I hope you find ScrapFinder to be a useful application. Please consult the disclaimers and legal information in the Legal Stuff panel at some point. It contains information vital to your survival. Really.\
\b0\i0 freeware. It is ShareWare. Feel free to distribute it as much as you like as long as you include this notice and do not modify the software in any way. If you use ScrapFinder, I would appreciate your registering it. Fees are as follows:\
Academic: $5.00\
Non-Academic: $10.00\
Site License: $75.00\
Please send this fee to:\
The Way of the Silver Unicorn\
911 Tara Hill East\
Hartford, WI 53027\
When registering, please send your:\
Name.\
Company/school name.\
Mailing address.\
E-mail address (if you have one).\
Version of ScrapFinder you have (see the info panel.)\
You only must register once
you are then entitled to free future releases of ScrapFinder.\
If you need to contact me for any other reason, you can either use the address given above or e-mail me at:\
(.txt)