Copyright: Written by Matro, 1996.


Matro's Reminder
Matro's Reminder version 1.0

This is a little but needful utility for all forgetful people all over! It's dedicated to all folks, like me, who usually wish to remember all addresses, web sites, files and other stuff but are not be able to succeed. Look at this http! Download this powerful utility at this Ftp site!

Hardware and Software requirements

Shareware, Copyright and Upgrades

Registration form

Registrazione per gli utenti italiani

To justify this help file, try to click on one of these topics, available also by pressing F1 on the appropriate window.

Main form	Using Reminder

Other forms	Delete DAT files form

Find form

Options form

Printer Setup form

Special features	HTML page creation

Synchronize databases

Enhanced tooltips are available! Stay close on a command button and read its instructions! This function can be disabled in the Options form.


Reminder: Options

The general options let you choose between a variety of different choices for different purposes; options will be saved in the INI file if you click on the Save command, if you choose the "Save Options" on the main form, or if you check the "Autosave options on exit".

Options to save

I think an user should be able to decide the informations to save on the INI file; the major part of the options will be saved automatically, but Reminder lets you decide to save stuff like window position or not at all. A list of the options you can decide to save or not follows:

Window size and position

The size and the position of the main window: if you save these coordinates, the next time you run Reminder it will be displayed on the same position and with the same size of the last run; Reminder will save the status of the window too, either normal or maximized; iconized status cannot be saved (just for now? :).

Current View

Reminder will start showing the current view, such as 'Action view', 'Storyboard view' or 'Addresses book view'..

Selections and Kind of Sort

The current Service and /or the actual kind of sort (by date or by priority) will be selected next time you run Reminder.

'View' font type

If you change the font of the 'View' list and you want to have the same font next time, this is the right option.

Environment

Make backup of DAT files

Reminder will copy the DAT files in corresponding BAK ones each time you run the program. The files will be copied at the beginning of run.

Tooltips

If you check this option (default), Tooltips are enabled; these are the little baloons that appear when you stay for more than a few seconds on a command in the main form; the mean is to give you a brief explanation of the function linked with the button. Uncheck them when you'll became a Reminder 'professional' user! :)

Autosave options on exit

By checking this option, Reminder will save the options each time you exit the program: be careful!

Del actions from Storyboard after nn days

By specifing a value greater than zero, you're telling Reminder to delete all the actions saved in the StoryBoard older than the amount of days just entered. Reminder will scan through the Storyboard actions each time you start the program, and will delete all the actions older than nn days definitely.

External editor

The external editor is used when you choose 'Edit printed output' menu item on the main form; click on the [image] icon to select a file by the common dialog control.

Actions form

Maintain actual service

When you change the 'View' (Actual, Storyboard or Addresses Book), the current Service selection will be maintained; if there are no actions or addresses for the actual service, '(All)' selection will be used by default.

Propose actual service

When you insert a new action or address, and a Service is selected, Reminder will fill the 'Service' field with the actual one.

Propose actual priority

When you insert a new action or address, Reminder will fill the 'Priority' field with the one of the actual action or address selected .


Reminder: Delete DAT files

Reminder uses three files as database: REMINDER.DAT, with the actions in the Actual View, STBOARD.DAT, with the actions in the StoryBoard View and BOOK.DAT with the actions of the Addresses View; choosing one of these DAT files on this form will prepare Reminder to delete it; press OK to do it, but make sure of what you're going to do! Reminder has just saved your DAT files in the corresponding BAK ones (if the option is checked), but who cares...

There's an additional feature with the StoryBoard: you can delete only the actions older than a date; to make this, fill up the text box with a valid date. You cannot type in a date if you already selected to delete the entire StoryBoard file.


Reminder: Find string

Just specify the string to search in the 'string to search for' box and click on 'Find' or 'Next' buttons (or just press Enter)!

Options

Case sensitive

If checked, Reminder will consider 'Abc' different from 'ABC'.

Search trough all the views

If checked, Reminder will search the string trough all the Actual, Storyboard and the Addresses views; if the string is found, the appropriate view will be displayed. With this checkmark, any data of the DAT files will be scanned.

Buttons

Find

Starts the search from the first item of the actual view.

Next

Just continues the search from the current item of the actual view. You can easily go forward the search by pressing F3 key and go backward with Shift+F3 key.


Reminder: Printer Setup

The print form let you choose mainly the output port or device and the order of the fields; you can determine one or more fields to print, and the amount of charatchers for each field. In addition, decide the order of the fields, the indentation space for the Addresses book printing, an header and a footer. The amount of charatchers required for each line of data is displayed in the 'Fields to include' box described below.

Output to

This group of options let you specify the destination of the printing; by choosing one of the LPTx output will be sent to the specified parallel port directly; COM1 is the same stuff for the serial port; Custom let you specify an user defined device or a file: for this last capability, the 'Custom output device' text box will be enabled; enter a valid file name/device or use the [image] button for select a file by using the common dialog control.

Fields to include

All the field's name are displayed here; to specify which one to print, click on the little button near the field; a number will appear, according to the order position. If you click on an already numbered field, all the other fields with a greater number will be scaled by 1; this is an easy way to change the print order dinamically! Use the appropriate text box to enter the specified amount of charatchers for each field, from 1 to the length of the field itself. 'Indentation' specifies the amount of charatchers to be used as 'TAB' shifting for the Addresses Book print, and 'Spaces' defines the number of charatchers to be used between each field.

Header and footer

Type in the textboxes two strings as header and footer of the print; you can use two special charatchers combinations: \n to add a carriage return (ie. multiple lines of header or footer) and &s to add the current Service selected.

Commands

'Save' will save only the printing options of this form in the INI file; no other option will be touched; 'Print' will begin the printing operation.


Shareware, Upgrade and Copyright informations
Shareware informations

To show you the utility of this program, I've uploaded this software to different sites and media as 'shareware' version; this means this version is a limited edition of the registered one (see below); registered means you have to pay for the complete version. This is a good way to try before buy a piece of software. The money I'll receive encourage me to release new and improved version of Reminder and other utilities.

To register Reminder, send L.30.000(*) to the address at the copyright notes and an E-Mail announcing your registration fee, where you've uploaded Reminder and your registration code: click on "Copyright" menu and to "Register" then fill up the form; Reminder will generate your code. When I'll receive your fee and E-Mail, I'll answer with the registration key.

Registered users will receive E-Mail announcements about new releases, UUENCODED versions and support from me without any more charges.

Shareware version is limited in the number of actions supported by the database: just 8 are allowed. You can't syncronize two databases also. These limitations along with boring shareware notice at the start of the program, will be removed in the registered version.

By registering this program, you'll encourage italian software to grow up, thank you!

Shareware limitations

Norme di registrazione per gli utenti Italiani

(*)Money must be in italian lire, thank you.

Where to obtain upgrades

New releases of Reminder can be donwloaded from these sites:

New - Pro BBS	+39-6-5060242 or 5060328
HTTP	//www.stm.it/F.Martire/reminder.htm

Perhaps FTP sites are already available but I cannot know now; please, let me know where you've downloaded this copy of Reminder in order to compiler a detailed sites list here.

You can always E-Mail me for more informations; my web page is the easiest way to download the most recent version, but look to your nearest mirror site for better transfer speed.

Copyright notes

Conceived and Written by:

Francesco "Matro" Martire

Via Vecchiano 45

00139 Roma (Italy)

Tel. +39-6-88328048

E-Mail: F.Martire@agora.stm.it

HomePage: http://www.stm.it/F.Martire

Matrix: Francesco Martire@2:335/343

Environment:

Visual Basic Professional 3.0 for Windows

VB Help Writer 2.0d lite edition

Windows for Workgroup 3.11 (486DX2 66Mhz VLBus, 16Mb RAM)

Windows 95 (486DX2 66Mhz VLBus, 16Mb RAM)

Windows 95 (486DX2 80Mhz PCI, 8MB RAM)

Portions copyrights for non standard custom controls:

DBPUSH.VBX   enanched push buttons

- DBPush V2.1 9/95 by Dan Bystrom; E-Mail: dan.bystrom@adb-partner.it-invest.se or  dan.bystrom@visual-design.se

DBTTIP.VBX   tooltips

- DBTTip V1.1 4/95 by Dan Bystrom

Beta testers staff:

	Ester Barkovic	E.Barkovic@agora.stm.it
	Alessandro Blasi	A.Blasi@agora.stm.it
	Francesco Boschetti	F.Boschetti@agora.stm.it
	Claudio Costantini	Cl.Costantini@agora.stm.it
	Filippo Dotti	MC6642@mclink.it
	Alessandro Nardinocchi	A.Nardinocchi@agora.stm.it
	Fabio Pagani	F.Pagani@agora.stm.it
	Francesco Ponchiardi	F.Ponchiardi@agora.stm.it
	Mattia Quilici	M.Quilici@agora.stm.it
	Claudio Vergari	C.Vergari@agora.stm.it

Really thank you for the hard work! I know, it was not an easy trip, eh? :) Thanks to the author of the MMMR off line reader, Angelo Mariani (A.Mariani@agora.stm.it): without the power of his OLR, the Reminder beta testing would not have been so efficient.

Both the nonstandard VBX's are FREEWARE, so use them as you want! Respect always due to FREEWARE software. I strongly encourage italians to develop and spread their work! My next software (I'm just thinking about) will be freeware! :)


Hardware and Software requirements

I've developed Reminder with both 386DX2-66Mhz VLBus and 486DX2-80Mhz PCI based computers, but I've tried it also with a 386DX-40Mhz ISA without waiting so much. 1Mb of free hard disk space is enough for common usage.

All you need is a Windows 3.x compatible operative system and the following add-on libraries:

VBRUN300.DLL	Visual Basic 3.0 run time library;

CTL3DV2.DLL	3D effects library version 2 (not needed for Win95);

SPIN.VBX	Standard spin control;

MSOUTLIN.VBX	Standard outline control;

CMDIALOG.VBX	Standard commond dialog control;

DBPUSH.VBX	Enhanced push button control;

DBTTIP.VBX	Tooltips control.

Reminder comes with the VBX's needed, but it's up to you to find the run time library; like most other VB based products, I've decided not to include this DLL in the package, due to its large size.

You can put these eight libraries in the Windows SYSTEM directory, but check first for previous existance; if that, compare the date of the two files (the one included in Reminder package and the other present in SYSTEM directory) and decide the upgrade. I suggest you to maintain in the Reminder directory all the files needed unless you're an experienced user.


Registrazione per gli utenti italiani

Il successo del mio precedente programma shareware immesso nel solo circuito italiano (DUW, di cui parlo più sotto), mi ha incoraggiato allo sviluppo di una nuova utility originale nel suo genere: Reminder. Ho quindi adottato il concetto dello shareware anche a questo programma, ed anche stavolta ho scelto un prezzo a dir poco popolare con lo stesso intento di DUW, cioè di avere un riscontro e un incoraggiamento per nuovi aggiornamenti e per lo sviluppo di altre utility. Il concetto di 'shareware' è il miglior modo di provare un programma prima di acquistarlo: la versione dimostrativa è limitata in alcune delle sue funzioni, per attivarle basta registrarsi presso l'autore.

Gli utenti italiani possono inviare L. 30.000 tramite normale lettera (chi volete che vi freghi 30 carte?! 8-D ) o vaglia postale all'indirizzo specificato nel Copyright. Includete nella lettera di accompagnamento il codice che avete ricavato riempendo la form di registrazione, nonchè il vostro numero di telefono e dove avete prelevato Reminder; non appena avrò ricevuto il tutto, vi contatterò per comunicarvi la password di registrazione.

Chi dispone di un accesso InterNet, può inviarmi il codice tramite E-Mail; a mia volta utilizzerò una E-Mail per inviarvi il codice nonchè tutti i successivi aggiornamenti del programma tramite UUENCODE. Questo è il metodo più semplice e veloce, per cui se avete un indirizzo di posta elettronica, non esitate!

Gli utenti già registrati a DUW, il disintallatore universale per Windows, hanno diritto a L.10.000 di sconto sulla registrazione di Reminder; comunicatemi, oltre alle vostre generalità, il codice e il controcodice presente nel file DUW.INI.

GRAZIE per il supporto dello shareware italiano!


Using Reminder
Using Reminder (main form)

By the main window you can work with all Reminder functions; by the way, there are some Special Features also.

If this is the first time you're evaluating Reminder and you have no data to work with, unzip the EXAMPLE.ZIP file in the same directory of Reminder, then run the utility: some sample data will bring up for you! Then, use Database|Delete... menu item to scratch down the archive.

Day by day operations with Reminder are very easy: just scroll through the Action list (ie the main list on the upper right corner) and check for the actions you should complete; then just do it and delete it from the list. The action will be moved into the storyboard list, for a later viewing. That's all!

In addition, maintain a structured list of your favourite addresses on the Addresses View; this is a book for fast access, and it doesn't want to substitute phonebook and addresses applications; anyway, the Addresses View supports some nice feature like an internal drag'n' drop to easily move the items and an HTML page to easily jump to the addresses from your browser!

Informations about the fields follow here; they're divided into 2 groups; the first group is active only for the Actual and the Storyboard view:

 Priority

There are two Priority buttons: the first (from up to down the form) selects the priority view, the other gives a priority to the selected action.

Assign a priority level to your Actions; later, you can view all the actions equal or minor than the given priority. These fields assume four degrees from 1 (do it immediately!) to 4 (take it easy!).

 Date and time

This is the database keyword; date and time are set by Reminder and cannot be modified; you can update them with actual date/time when you move an Action from the storyboard back to the actual list.

 From

Enter here who (or what) is the source of this action; for example, if a friend of yours has told you about that wonderful FTP site, enter his name.

 Action

What do you have to do with this Action? Describe here (no more than one word, if possible) the action as Mail, Look, Download, Subscribe, ecc. This is the second column of the main window.

The second group follows; this is used both for Actual and Storyboard views and for the Addresses view:

 Service

Actions are classified by the service, such as FTP, BBS, WEB, etc. By using the 'Services' list (ie the list on the left side) you're able to select the actions of the specified service. The service list is compiled by scanning all the Actions of the database, so you should try to use the same name for the same service: for example, use WEB (or any name you prefer) for World Wibe Web, and not different  nouns as HTTP or WWW.

 Title

Give a brief description of this Action; the title will appear as the third column of the main window.

 Address

Type in the area you've to do the Action: an InterNet site or E-Mail, a BBS number, ecc. This field will appear in the extended fields list only (press CTRL+E to switch)

 Description

There's a long description available by pressing 'Description' key; this button will hide the upper side of the main Window giving you the ability to view/edit this field. To come back to normal view, click on 'Browse'.


Registration form

To register Reminder, you've to fill up the appropriate Registration form: from the main window, select Help | About and then click on "Register!".

Before conctacting the author, you've to fill up the three text boxes (no more than 50 chars for each):

- Enter your name and surname; make sure you'll write exactly (following uppercase, lowcase and blank spaces) the field's content to the author;

- Enter your address as you want, this is a free format field, but needed;

- Enter your zip, city and country as you want.

Click on the lightning icon [image] to let Reminder show you the registration keyword. This, along with the first "Name, surname" field must be written to the author. If after clicked on the ligthning the "Regkey" field is still empty, you've made a mistake during the three fields insertion, or you have to type some more charatcher in one of the fields: try to modify something. The lightning key also copies all the required fields to the clipboard, so you can paste them directly in the E-Mail you're preparing for me. Once generated the Regkey, you can always go here and press the lightning key again just to use the clipboard.

When I'll receive your Regkey (with your name and surname as written in the appropriate text box), I'll answer you with the Final Key. Type it on the "Finalkey" text box and then click on "OK". That's all, Reminder is registered!! Thank you.

You can always click on "OK" just to came back to the main form, with or without the FinalKey.

Once registered, remember to retain the REMINDER.INI file in order to save you registration key: these are saved in this INI file, so do not delete it; contact me if you miss it: I should have your registration key in my database.

Now, you may want to look at the shareware informations, if you haven't do it yet.


Just Registered!

(This page will appear when you've just clicked on the 'OK' button in the registration form with both valid Registration Key and Final Key.)

CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU!

I hope you'll find Reminder suitable for your needs. By registering this utility, you have supported a legitimate program that could render you more productive the custom of your time with the computer.

Your personal informations have been saved in the REMINDER.INI file; I would suggest you to make a backup of the entries, named 'RegInfo0' to 'RegInfo4', or all the file in a secure media. Now you're the owner of a registered version, so I hope you won't spread it all over until you delete the RegInfo entries! But I'm sure of this! :))

Now it's a good time for reading some other part of this help, starting from the main page (press the index button). All restrictions were removed and you can gain all Reminder features!

Now, check your registration: Exit Reminder and launch it again, then go to the About window!


Reminder: HTML Page Creation
HTML Page Creation

Reminder was written with InterNet users in mind; I've supposed the most actions referring to the WEB service, relating to an http or ftp site. This feature is very useful for those who usually run web browser as Internet Explorer® or NetScape Navigator®: Reminder will scan through the actions and addresses views and will prepare a local web page for easy jumping to the location specified in the Address field of each action/address! Once set, the operation is very easy: just click on the page button on the main form!

I would remember that this feature is active on the shareware version also!!

Database

Select which DAT file will be scanned for the HTML page.

Divide by service

If checked, Reminder will create separate tables for each different Service of the DAT currently elaborated.

Address field prefixes

By checking the address field of each action or address, Reminder creates a table line for each item; if you enable this feature, the function searches the address field prefix (such as http://) in the listbox, and will include the action/address only if the prefix matches one of those on the list. If you disable this feature, all the actions or addresses will be reported in the HTML page. This is a good way to manually exclude some item from the HTML page, if you need it: easily assign a prefix not listed here.

Technical tip: the prefixes are saved on PREFIX.DAT file; this is a normal Ascii based text file, so you can easily edit it if you want, but be careful of what you're going to do. A manual modification is not so much useful in this context, but you may want to copy a PREFIX.DAT file from a friend of yours, and this would be a short way to do it. Exit from Reminder if it's running and you're going to modify the DAT file.

External browser

Once the HTML page is created, Reminder can use a Web browser to let you load and use the page created. Push this button and select your favourite browser: Reminder will load it if it's not running or will pass it the location of the page just created. In order to do this, Reminder will use the API provided by the browser; currently only NetScape Navigator® is supported. If you use another browser and you can pass me the documentation... with any other browser, Reminder will easily run another istance (regardless of any other currently active) and will pass it the HTML page just created.

Call the browser

You can leave this unchecked if you don't want the browser to load the HTML page.

Pass it the focus

Once called the browser or passed it the HTML page, by checking this option Reminder will try to give it the focus.

Open a new window

If you check this option, Reminder will tell to the browser to open a new window in order to load the HTML page, otherwise it will use the last opened window.

A technical explanation follows: you don't need to read if you're not curious or you don't want to change the Reminder HTML page creation feature.

The template file

Reminder creates the HTML page by customizing a template file called HTML.DAT; this is a normal Ascii based text file, and you can easily modify it to accomplish your needs. The file is a mixture between standard (??) HTML script language and Reminder fields or section headers; these fields and headers have the format <!Rmd: nnnn>, where nnnn is the field, with the format field xxxx, or the section. There are 4 sections:

Head 	Used for each different view (acutal, storyboard and addresses);

Service	Used for each different service (if 'Divide by service' is checked);

Body	Repeated for each different action or address;

Footer	Used at the end of each different view.

The fields are easy to understand: Reminder will replace the field name with the appropriate field content.

It's easy enough to change the page design; take a look to the standard HTML.DAT file, make a backup of it before proceeding, then try to modify something, but be careful: Reminder will try to give you an error message if something is wrong, but who cares, on the most cases you'll probably retrieve a wrong HTML page. If you change the page design and you find your result is better than mine (designed by a beta tester of mine!), send me your page and I'll include it in the package!


Synchronize databases

If you wish to use Reminder on two or more different computers, you may find this feature very useful: you can use the two istances of Reminder separately to insert, edit, move to the StoryBoard or delete actions and addresses, then you can synchronize the two databases every 2 or 3 days or whenever you need. With this feature, inserting an action on one PC or on another has got the same meaning! Reminder remembers the date of your last synchronize, can ask you before modifying an existing action or address, and can write a detailed report about all the function; then, you can easily read it by selecting External editor with|Sync report.

Source .DAT files path

Enter here the path for the source files; usually this is a floppy, because you first manage your actions or addresses in one PC, then you copy the DAT files on a floppy and carry it to the second PC for synchronization.

Database

Select which DAT file will be synchronized.

Synchro Reminder

If this option is checked, entering this form you can read the date of the last synchronization below the related label; read the same information on the tooltip of the button in the main form!

Report and test

Performing a synchronization is faster if Reminder hasn't got to write the report also; on the other side, it could be useful to see what might happen if you run a synchronization between the DAT files.

Options

Look at report when done

Reminder will load the report (ie SYNC.RPT file) on the external editor and will give it the focus; this feature is active both on the Synchronize form and the button on the main form.

Prompt before updating

There are cases where an action exists both on the source and the destination DAT file but with one or more different fields; if this option is unchecked, Reminder will always overwrite the destination action with the source, otherwise it asks before to the user.

The report generated

Every action performed by the synchronize function is reported on SYNC.RPT normal Ascii text file, along with diagnostic message on an error case. Every elaborated item is reported with its title and insertion date/time, precedeed by the action performed: found [nothing touched], inserted [in the destination file], update confirmed [by the user if the option is checked, otherwise by default], update refused [by the user]. This is an output file, Reminder will never read it!


Shareware limitations

The shareware version of Reminder is limited by:

- Annoying message box just before the execution of the program; this message cannot be unloaded for the first 6th seconds;

- The actions view or the addresses book cannot have more than 15 items;

- The synchronize function is disabled;

- Shareware notice on the HTML page once created.

Otherwise, the registered version will have:

- All the above restrictions disabled (obviously!);

- All Reminder upgrades for free;

- Author support.

Shareware informations


DAT

Archive storage files; currently Reminder uses 5 DAT files: REMINDER.DAT and STBOARD.DAT for the Actual and StoryBoard actions view, BOOK.DAT for the Addresses Book, PREFIXES.DAT and HTML.DAT for the HTML page creation prefixes and template. These last two can be edited with a standard text editor such as NotePad.


HTML

Script language used for editing the World Wide Web pages, a service provided trough the InterNet and browsed by applications such as NetScape Navigator or InterNet Explorer. These pages can be loaded from your local hard disk, too.