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Help for ZR Photo Pro

Contents

       Why (not what) is ZR Photo Pro

            (and why it's only $10!)

       How to load Jpegs, Gifs, etc.

       What about upgrades?

       How to edit icon files

       Graphics menu

       Notepad menu

       Icon view loading

       System attributes

       Time, date and alarm

       Register Info

       About ZR ProgramWorks

       About ZR FileWorks

       Readdx

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Why is ZR Photo Pro

   ZR Photo Pro exists because on some online services, ZR PhotoView is being downloaded faster than ZR FileWorks. Either these people just plain don't know how great ZR-FW is or there is a real need out there for multi-document picture file viewers. This version lands right about in the middle between ZR PhotoView and ZR ProgramWorks. Part of the reason this is being released is I just can't sit on anything very long before I have to clue everyone in on it. As you can see, the innovations just keep right on coming with this release. Icon-based loading of programs, pictures, and text by directories, a system memory graph which shows you how crammed your memory is before you try to load those giant Jpegs which usually are 5 times larger uncompressed than they show before you load them. More than any other ZR (including the yet to be released ProgramWorks) this one invokes the question, what is it? Jpeg, Gif viewers don't have text editors, load programs, have icon editors built-in. This seems at times just a mish-mash of different features all thrown together. But with a little imagination you can see where this is going. A complete program center hopefully big enough to never want to leave it, one where you can access everything you need that has to do with your computer quickly and easily.

   Only $10 is downright scandalous for what this program can do. Most picture file viewers out there in shareware (and possibly even retail) will not let you show over 20 pictures simtuaneously in 20 different windows!. This one can. If I was not always aiming ever higher I would try to milk this program for all its worth but I have bigger fish to fry. (Help, I'm running out of metaphors). I will not rest until I create the best darn shareware super utility program anyone could want. Plus, the price includes the fact that with this program, I do not need to send any disks, you are just one code away (please be honest and pay to know it, and get it from me, thank you very much) from removing any limitations on this picture file viewer. See register info to find out how to register.

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How to load Jpegs, Gifs, etc.

   For this version there are 2 different ways to load picture files (and text files). The old way from ZR PhotoView is via the File menu on the menu bar. This is being kept because you can also use this to delete files and move them to different directories. ZR ProgramWorks will not have this feature as it is meant to work harmoniously with ZR FileWorks, which would handle these features plus far more. When you load files this way, they automatically become full screened once they are opened. You can easily change this by clicking the double arrorw at the upper right hand corner of the picture to resize it and move it to where you want it. This new position will be saved even after you open more and they become full screened again.

   The other way is the new way, via the icon view directory load window. Picture files are much easier to spot with the distinctive Red/Blue/Yellow circle color pattern everyone should recognize. Just double click the icon and you're off. Loading pictures this way will not make them full screened when loading.

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What about upgrades?

   This program is meant to be replaced by ZR ProgramWorks so no real new versions are planned. However if you have ZR FileWorks or another brand UUE merger / decoder I would be happy to e-mail to you for free any fixs or improvements to any version 6.x of this program with any possible new features. (I didn't really expect to be making this one) If ZR-PW falls seriously behind schedule, who knows how good this program (ZR-PV) might get once I get impatient enough to release something worth bragging about. Also, simply registering this program alone will upgrade it significantly once you get the code to eliminate any shareware restrictions.

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How to edit icon files

   To access the IconWorks portion of this program. simply close all windows and click on the "Graphic' menu item on the main screen menu and then click ZR IconWorks. NOTE> Higher resolutions and icon editors generally don't mix well, and this program does not support high graphics with all graphics cards. To make or edit icons it may be necessary to temporarily lower your systems colors down to 256 colors. You can access this via the 'Settings' menu item

  'System Setup' to load the appropriate windows setup, or you should use another program if you have normally used another program to change your systems number of colors.

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Graphics menu

   When you load a graphics file, the menu bar changes. Z-I and Z-O stand for zoom in and zoom out. P-R, P-L, P-U, & P-D stand for panning left, right, up, and down. I decided not to use scroll bars as they take up too much screen space, especially when you have many pictures open at the same time. You can also scroll faster, and zoom in and out faster by using the Options menu items, control + I, O, L, R, P, D, or function keys 5-7. Also on the options menu is flipping the picture horizontally, vertically, or rotate any angle, yes, rotate any angle. I had a hard time finding even an moderately inexpensive commercial application in a store which could do that. It takes a little while though, as it has to replot the whole picture and resize the border at the same time (any non-90 degree-angle will produce additional screen area since it all must fit into rectangular viewing areas). You can also adjust the brightness, contrast, and gamma very quickly, faster than some other viewers out there, and not too shabby loading speed times either. Dare to compare.

   All new features to this version is adjustable resolution printing, copy the whole picture or cut up and copy to clipboard and immediately have the new picture made beside the original when you paste it new, and if all this were not enough you can even resize pictures to make thumbnails, something people have been asking for, so if you asked, here you are, now pay for it <g>.

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Notepad Menu

   This is your standard notepad type interface. With it you can cut, copy, paste, find words, add the current time and date to your letters, save it and so on, no big deal. Also you can change the font or the size of all the text with just a few clicks or highlight all the text for copying, also just as easily. The notepad is the current default for all non-picture files in the 'File', 'Open' method of loading and the default for non-recognized extensions for the icon load method of loading files. Ones which are recognized by the icon loading method currently are windows help files, write files and text files, picture files of course, and programs.

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Icon view loading

   Icon view loading is the key to ZR ProgramWorks really and that is why I disabled the toolbar on the original ZR PhotoView. Now however ZR ProgramWorks is close enough to being finished that I am willing to clue people in. It is surprisingly fast considering what is has to do. If it is a windows program, it extracts the icon and shows it (without writing it to your disk), if not it will identify what type of file it is and show the appropriate icon for that type of file, big bold folders for directories, little computers for computer system files, question marks for help files, and little folders for miscellaneous files. The only time it seems to get bogged down for speed is when there is well over a hundred or so files and directories in the immeditate directory. Other than that it is definitely the coolest directory based interface for loading files or programs I have ever seen.

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System attributes

   On the 'Settings' menu on the main menu bar when no other windows are open you find access to windows setup and settings programs, along with a system configuration editor which will load all of your most important system files. These are: config.sys, autoexec.bat, win.ini, winsys.ini, and progman.ini. Also you can access a task list at any time from any window in the program by hitting 'Tasks' on the menu bar.

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Time, date, and alarm

   Since you have access to windows system files and programs, you should at least have access to setting the date, time, and an alarm also. These are additional items on the 'Settings' menu. The alarm you can configure to everyday or just for today. Also you can have it set for everyday and override it while the program is kept on by setting a new one just for the day. As you can see this program is being designed with an eye to being constantly running in the background.  Also towards this end, a pie chart shows the amount of free memory as it changes when you load files or programs, even if this is not the currently active program. By clicking on the pie chart, it switches to a number showing the same percentage followed by the size of free space. Clicking the time will change it to either the date, or the date and the time. You can turn all of this off by simply turning off the toolbar.

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Register

   Shareware is does not mean free, though it is still one of the best deals under the sun. You get to try out really neat stuff and you are trusted to pay for what you like. This means EVERYBODY, not just the idle rich or people who test programs for a living, gets to see whats at the cutting edge, new or unique, without having to spend a fortune to see if the programs really live up to the promises on the box.

   Too many people don't register to warrant shareware releases of most products and many good programs die out because people think it really doesn't make a difference. DON'T KID YOURSELF, if you don't bother, who's to say anyone else will? If you want to see better programs along the lines of ones you like, only paying for them can make it happen.

If you would like to register this program and receive the programs described within the program under Register info on the Help menu, send a check or money order for just $10 (US) (or register both ZR Photo Pro and ZR FileWorks for just $22 plus $4 shipping) to...

           Scandere Software

           PO Box 1329

           Dennisport, MA  02639

or register via Compuserve, GO SWREG, Register ID number 4470 or ID number 4907.

If you would like information on other ways to register, my e-mail address for questions regarding this program is Jared10@ix.netcom.com

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About ZR ProgramWorks

   If you have been using this program you have already gotten a good preview of what ZR ProgramWorks will look like and do. Please register if you like this sort innovation because these days it is harder than you think to get noticed and the laws of economics forbids it to continue without your support. (God, I sound as bad as PBS) (not that PBS is bad, good good PBS, it deserves a phone call at least to a congressman or it too is history, this ends this pledge break)

  ZR ProgramWorks is an extension of ZIP Runner and ZR FileWorks. From the very first ZIP Runner for Windows you always had the option of easy access to you favorite most often used zip files, so it was only a matter of time before this list was made visual with icons. ZR was always more of a program manager than a compression shell and now it gets its chance to prove it. It has always been hard to define just what exactly its purpose is (and the graphics viewing didn't help to clarify much). I have always refered to them as program managers / file managers for compressed files and that is still the definiton I think fits the most. Probably I like that definition because by that defintition, no other program can meet with this one on a even playing field, and perhaps it is the only definition by which this program will prevail.

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About ZR FileWorks

   Where to begin. ZR FileWorks unzips files using zip, arc, arj, lzh, and zoo formats into temporary imaginary directories for use, can add to or delete files from them, then refreshes them and erases / recompresses them again when you are done, or it can permanently decompress them into the current directory or a new one equal to the name of the file. It also has support for several UUE functions including encode, decode, merge broken UUE files, breakup UUE files to any size to mail pictures, programs, video or sound files over the Internet. It also features a mini-version of ZR PhotoView to load picture files from within compressed directories. It can make pie charts showing the size of any directory's sub-directories, make lists of files to compress, drag and drop moving and copying of files, keyboardless renaming of files or creating new files, backing up files since any given date including a compress backup files option. ZR FileWorks and ZR ProgramWorks were designed to work as a team, and both programs combined make up the ZIP Runner Program Center or ZR-pc for short.

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Readdx

   Readdx via RDX 4.0 is a 256,000 color unlimited sized DOS text reader to which this program can shell to view text files. No other text reader has this many colors you can adjust just like the colors of a color tv, has search with match count, ratio driven side bars to show at a glance the size of the text, multiple user 1 key saved color and preference settings, plus many other features.

   Readdx is also the parent program of all ZIP Runner (ZR) programs. What started out as a text reader which could shell to compression programs to shrink and auto-decompress text files for use was spun off into a version which would decompress a whole compressed file into a 'directory', could give a user access to read files and run programs within that directory, and would recompress it when exiting that directory, is now on the verge of becoming a full fledged icon-based program manager to complement, if not completely replace (which in likely won't), window's own program manager, with its primary purpose being, of course auto decompression for use / recompression. Such is ZR ProgramWorks.

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