Contents for My Personal Diary Help

Logging On

General Description

A Warning About Changing the Password

Using My Personal Diary...

Creating an Entry

Saving an Entry

Opening an Entry for a Previous Date

Browsing Your Entries

Printing an Entry

Edit and Search Menus

Options...

Changing your Password

Changing the Diary Directory


General Description for My Personal Diary

A diary is a very private thing. With My Personal Diary you are assured that your diary will remain private. Only with both your ID and your password can someone work with your entries. Only you can "see" your entries from inside My Personal Diary. Files are simple text files, but they are encrypted differently for each user. Don't worry about someone else looking at your diary.

My Personal Diary is also useful to keep a journal.  Although it may not be a requirement that you journal be protected from prying eyes, it can't hurt. The Print command will also allow you to print an entry for any day you choose.


A Warning About Changing the Password

This section is VERY important. Because of the security features of My Personal Diary your files are encrypted using a key extracted from the password you choose. When you change your password all your files must be re-encrypted. If you change the diary directory, do not move ALL entry files to the new location and change you password, the files not in the diary directory will not be re-encrypted and you will not be able to view them. PLEASE REMEMBER to leave ALL entry files in the diary directory.

If you have already made the above mentioned mistake, don't worry. You can still recover your files. Follow these steps:

  1. Before proceeding any further, change your password back to what it was.

    (This will convert all the files in the diary directory back to the format that they were in before.)

  2. Copy ALL your files to the diary directory.

  3. Change your password again.

You should back up your entries on a regular basis but especially after changing your password. This is for two reasons: ALL your files will be re-encrypted when you change you password and the backup copy will be out of date. All the entries that were previously backed up were encrypted with your old password. If someone knows the old password, then they will be able to view those entries.


Logging On

When My Personal Diary starts up, it will display the log on dialog box. You must logon before you can use My personal Diary.  To Log on perform the following steps:

  1. Enter your ID (3 characters) and press TAB.

  2. Enter your Password (3 to 10 characters).

  3. Press ENTER or click the Ok button.

If My Personal Diary doesn't recognize you ID it asks you if you want to create a new diary. This will be the case for new users. Click on the YES button to create a new diary or click on the NO button to cancel and re-enter the ID and/or password.

If you choose to create a new diary (as you will have to, to start using My Personal Diary), please remember your password and ID. For the ID use something that is easy to remember, for example, your initials. For the password, choose something that is not likely to be used by others and something that you can remember.  Once you create a new diary for yourself, My Personal Diary will remember your password and ID when you logon in the future.

If you enter an existing ID, and the wrong password for that ID you will receive a message to that effect.

**Note: You can click on the Cancel button to exit from My Personal Diary.


Creating an Entry

When My Personal Diary starts up the entry for the current date ("Today") will be displayed.  If there is no such entry the page will be blank. All you have to do is type in the entry and save it.  To quickly return to the current date choose File|Today or press the Today button on the facing book page.

**NOTE: You can also use the browse commands to move to any date and create an entry


Saving Your Entry

Select File|Save

Unlike most other applications, you don't have to worry about filenames with My Personal Diary. My Personal Diary automatically names your file for you. When you open a file all you need to know is the date of the entry you want to open.

**Note: My Personal Diary will always ask you if you want to save your file if you attempt to close it or exit the program.


Opening an Entry From a Previous Date

Select File|Open

Notice that only your entries are displayed in the list box, no matter how many files are in the diary directory. (You can only access your entries.) The entries are listed as a date.

Select the entry you want to open and click the OK button. (Or double click on the entry you want to open.)


Browsing Your Entries

My Personal Diary is designed to be used similarly to a real diary. You can use the commands on the Browse menu or the buttons on the facing book page to browse through your entries.  When My Personal Diary starts up, the entry for the current date ("Today") will be displayed.  You can easily move foward and backwards with the browse commands. The Today command on the File menu or the Today button will quickly return you to the current date.


Printing an Entry

Select File|Print

To print an entry perform the following steps:

1. Open the entry you want to print.

2. Select Print in the File Menu.

It should go without saying that once your entry is printed it is no longer secure.

If you use My Personal Diary to keep a journal, the print feature may come in handy.


Edit/Search Menus

The edit and search menus work like any other Windows edit and search.

From the Edit Menu you can:

Cut to the Clipboard.

Copy to the Clipboard.

Paste from the Clipboard.

Undo the last action.

From the Search Menu you can:

Search for a string.

Find the Next occurrence of a string.

Replace a string.


Changing your Password

Select Options|Change Password

To change your password perform the following steps EXACTLY:

1. MAKE SURE ALL your entry files are in the diary directory.

2. Select Change Password in the Options Menu.

3. Enter your old password and press TAB.

4. Enter a new password and press ENTER.

5. Look at the message box showing you new password and click on the OK button.

6. REMEMBER YOUR NEW PASSWORD.

7. Exit My Personal Diary and back-up ALL your entries. (Overwrite the old ones.)

**NOTE: When you change your password, ALL your entries are changed.

Be SURE ALL your entries are in the diary directory BEFORE changing your password.


Changing the Diary Directory

Select Options|Diary Directory

To change the diary directory perform the following steps:

1. Select Diary Directory on the Options Menu.

2. Enter a new diary directory and press ENTER.

3. Exit My Personal Diary and copy ALL entry files to the new diary directory.