Copyright: Copyright (c) 1994 Looking Glass Tech.


Tipster Help File
Getting Started

Introduction

Installation

Using Tipster

Tipster Tips

Changing Colors

Changing Position

Ordering Information

What You'll Get When You Order

Order Form

Disclaimer

Misc.

Troubleshooting

File Placement

Making Your Own Sticky Notes

About Looking Glass Technologies


Introduction

Tipster for Aldus PageMaker 5.0 is a simple but deceptively useful program.  Its sole purpose is to wait patiently on your Windows desktop until it sees you start PageMaker 5.0.  When this happens, Tipster randomly selects a tip from its database and displays it in a window, sort of the electronic version of a sticky note.  You can then make Tipster dismiss this note, display more tips, or shut it down.

This all sounds quaint, but how useful can randomly selected tips be for a program as complex and powerful as PageMaker?  You'd be surprised.  After talking with professional designers who spend hours every day working with PageMaker, we've found that they're just as susceptible to the "baby duck syndrome" as anyone else.  This syndrome is the tendency for a computer user to become attached to the first tool or method that he or she learns.  As a result, even the most expert PageMaker users have a few artifacts in their toolbox, those longer-than-necessary ways of doing things that they still use simply because that's how they first learned to use PageMaker.  For example, many PageMaker users don't use nearly as many keyboard shortcuts as they could.  (And PageMaker has a million of 'em!)  By picking up these shortcuts, you can become more efficient and spend more time concentrating on your work and not on the interface of your program.

Tipster will also tell you about PageMaker features that you probably didn't know existed.  For example, do you know that you can adjust numeric values in the control palette by typing in arithmetic expressions using the operators +, -, *, and /, or do you know what the magic-stretch sizing technique is and how to use it to get better looking graphics from your printer?

Finally, Tipster can be a simple but effective brainstorming tool.  By "tip surfing" (i.e. displaying several tips in rapid succession), you can often come up with a new idea for a design, or remember an old one that's applicable to the job at hand.  And who knows, while you're tip surfing, you just might learn something new about PageMaker.

See also

Tipster Tips


Installation

To install Tipster, simply run the program INSTALL.EXE on the Tipster disk.  This program will copy the needed files to the directory of your choice, and optionally add Tipster to the StartUp group in Program Manager.

We suggest that you run Tipster from your StartUp group, since that's by far the easiest way to use the program on a day-to-day basis.  Running Tipster this way will ensure that it's always ready and waiting when you run PageMaker, and it will quickly become a standard and reliable part of your Windows environment, not something you have to remember to run.

Please note that this version of Tipster will work with only PageMaker version 5.0.  If you try to run it with any other version, Tipster will not "see" PageMaker start, and it will not display a "sticky note" with a PageMaker tip.

If you have Tipster installed and it fails to display a tip when you run PageMaker, or it complains that it can't find or use the database of PageMaker tips, see the troubleshooting section for help.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Troubleshooting


Tipster Tips

Unlike some other programs we all could name, Tipster does not have a lot of secret features and obscure mouse and keyboard shortcuts.  This was intentional, since the purpose of this program is to be as simple and unobtrusive as possible while it helps you learn how to use PageMaker 5.0 more efficiently.

Still, there are a few details you should know about:

1. Whenever Tipster is running, you can make it display a new tip, or change the existing one to a new, randomly selected tip, by double clicking with your left mouse button on the main Tipster icon on your desktop or on the title of the sticky note.  If there is no sticky note displayed, then double clicking on the main program icon will cause Tipster to display one, even if PageMaker isn't running.

2. When the sticky note has the "Windows focus," meaning it is the active window and its title bar is colored, not grayed out, you can change the displayed tip to another randomly selected one by pressing the space bar.

Using either of these methods repeatedly to display new tips is known as "tip surfing."  Besides giving you some information about how PageMaker works, this can be a useful way to brainstorm.  If you get stuck on a design problem, take a minute or two to think about it and surf through some tips.  Quite often you'll find that something in one of the tips will remind you of a design you saw (or one of your own creations), or trigger an idea for a new treatment that will help break your designer's block.

3. If you want to leave Tipster running but dismiss its sticky note, you can double click on the system box (the gray box in the note's upper-left corner), or select "Close this Tip:" from the tip's menu.  Tipster will still work as expected, and you can still make it call up a new PageMaker tip as mentioned above.

4. You can copy text from a tip to the Windows clipboard (and then to another Windows program) using the usual Windows select-and-Ctrl+C method.

See also

Changing Colors

Changing Position

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies


Changing Colors

If you don't like the standard colors Tipster uses for its sticky note, you can easily change them.

Simply select "Colors..." from the main Tipster menu, and you'll be presented with the Tipster Color Configurator.  Click on the color swatches with your mouse until the text sample on the configurator shows a color combination to your liking, then click on the OK button.  If Tipster is currently displaying a sticky note, that note will be changed to use your new color selection.

You don't have to do anything special to make Tipster remember your color selections.  It will automatically save them in TIPSTER.CFG and use them the next time you run Tipster.

See also

Changing Position


Changing Position

Perhaps the subtlest feature of Tipster involves the positioning of the sticky note.  You can grab the note by its caption bar with your mouse and move it around the screen just as you would any other Windows window.  The difference is that Tipster always remembers where you last left it on your screen, and it will use that position, even after you shut down Tipster and run it again.

You don't have to do anything special to make Tipster remember where you left the sticky note on your screen.  It will automatically save this information in TIPSTER.CFG when it is shut down.

See also

Changing Colors


Troubleshooting

The three most common problems with Tipster are:

1. It doesn't display a new tip when you start PageMaker.  If you're having this problem, see the Won't Display Tip topic for more information.

2. Tipster displays a message saying that it either can't find or can't use the tip database.  If you get this message from Tipster, see the Can't Find/Use Database topic.

3. Tipster refuses to start and displays a message that says it can't find a file called TIPHOOK.DLL.  If this happens, see the Can't Find TIPHOOK.DLL topic for help.

If you're having any other problem with Tipster, or you can't solve one of the above problems, please let us know about it.  See the Reporting a Problem topic for details on how to get in touch with us and what information we'll need.

See also

Can't Find TIPHOOK.DLL

Can't Find/Use Database

Won't Display Tip

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies


File Placement

Normally you won't have to worry about where Tipster's files are on your system.  The installation program will set things up properly, and then everything should run without trouble.

Still, just in case you need or want to know the ins and outs of file placement for Tipster, here are all the gory details:

TIPSTER.EXE is the Tipster program.  You can place this file anywhere on your system.

TIPHOOK.DLL is a necessary part of Tipster.  It should be stored in the same directory as TIPSTER.EXE.

TIPSTER.HLP is the help file for Tipster.  (You're reading it right now!)  It should be stored in the same directory as TIPSTER.EXE.

PM5TIP.DAT is the tip database for PageMaker 5.0.  This file must be in the same directory as TIPSTER.EXE.

TIPSTER.CFG is where Tipster stores its configuration information, which consists of your color selections and the location on the screen of the sticky note.  Tipster automatically creates this file if it does not exist.  This file is stored in your main Windows directory, which is typically C:\WINDOWS.

See also

Installation

Troubleshooting


Won't Display Tip

If Tipster fails to display a new tip when you start PageMaker, the problem is likely one of the following:

1. Tipster really isn't running.  Make sure that you've either started Tipster manually, or that you've correctly added Tipster to your StartUp group in the Windows Program Manager and then restarted Windows.  The installation program will set up Tipster in your StartUp group, but if you edit that Program Manager item, or you move Tipster to another directory on your system, then it won't be started when Windows is run.

If Tipster is running, you will see its icon on your Windows desktop.  You might have to minimize or move some other programs around to uncover the Tipster icon.

2. You're not running PageMaker 5.0 for Windows.  This version of Tipster will work with only version 5.0 of PageMaker.  If you're running any version of PageMaker other than 5.0, then Tipster won't detect that you've started PageMaker, and it will sit there silently and do nothing.

If you're sure that Tipster is running, and you know that you're running PageMaker 5.0, then you should see the Reporting a Problem topic, since you've likely found a weird interaction between Tipster and one or more other programs on your system.

See also

Reporting a Problem

Troubleshooting

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies


Can't Find/Use Database

If Tipster displays a message saying it can't find or use the tip database, the problem is likely one of the following:

1. The tip database, PM5TIP.DAT, is not in the proper place on your system.  This file must be in the same directory as the copy of TIPSTER.EXE that you're running.  If it isn't, then Tipster won't be able to find the database and it will complain as described above.

To solve this problem, first make sure that there is only one copy of TIPSTER.EXE on your system.  (You can use the "Search..." item on the "File" menu of File Manager to search your entire hard disk for files named TIPSTER.EXE.)  Once you know where your one copy of TIPSTER.EXE is located, display that directory with File Manager and check that the file PM5TIP.DAT is in the same directory.  If it isn't, then you should copy this file from your Tipster distribution disk to this directory.

2. Even though it is very rare, it is possible that somehow your copy of PM5TIP.DAT got corrupted.  If you find that PM5TIP.DAT is in the directory with TIPSTER.EXE and Tipster still refuses to use it, you should replace that copy of PM5TIP.DAT with the original from your Tipster distribution disk.  If Tipster still refuses to use the database, then you should follow the directions in the Reporting a Problem topic.

See also

Reporting a Problem

Troubleshooting

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies


Can't Find TIPHOOK.DLL

In order for Tipster to work, it must be able to find and use another part of its program that is stored in the file TIPHOOK.DLL.  This file is part of the Tipster distribution package and is installed in the same directory as the rest of the Tipster files by the installation program.

If Tipster says that it can't find TIPHOOK.DLL, then there are two possibilities:

1. TIPHOOK.DLL was not copied into the same directory that contains the copy of TIPSTER.EXE that you're running.  To check on this, use the Windows File Manager, or whatever method you prefer, to look at the files that are in the same directory as TIPSTER.EXE.  If you don't see a file called TIPHOOK.DLL, then you should copy this file from the Tipster installation disk to this directory, or you should re-run the Tipster installation program.

2. TIPHOOK.DLL is in place, but it somehow got corrupted and Tipster couldn't use it.  If this appears to be the case on your system, then you should try to re-install Tipster from your original distribution floppy disk.  If that doesn't solve the problem, then you should report it to us.  Please see the Reporting a Problem topic for details.

See also

Reporting a Problem

Troubleshooting

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies


Reporting a Problem

If you're having a problem with Tipster that you can't resolve using the troubleshooting information in this help file, then please report it to us.  We'll do whatever we can to help you get Tipster up and running.

When you report a problem to us, please include all of the following:

1. As complete a description of the problem as possible.  This is vital.  When we receive a problem report from a customer, we're literally in the position of a doctor who is trying to diagnose a patient long distance, without a chance to perform a first-hand examination.  Please tell us how repeatable the problem is, when it happens, and the exact steps needed to recreate it.

2. A complete description of your system, including the version of Windows, PageMaker, and Tipster you're running, the amount of memory in your system, and any other programs you're running when the problem happens.  Include in this last category any program that's active, no matter how trivial or unrelated to the problem it might seem.  Also, let us know if Tipster passes its self-check.  (Select the "Perform Self-Check..." item from the main Tipster menu.)

3. A disk with your Tipster files.  (Only include this disk if you can't run Tipster or it won't recognize the tip database or TIPHOOK.DLL.)  Even though it is very rare, it is possible that one of the Tipster files got corrupted after it left Looking Glass Technologies, and the only way we can track this down is if we have a copy of your files.

If you don't need to send us files as mentioned in step 3, then please feel free to contact us via e-mail or FAX, since that will typically result in a quicker response.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Troubleshooting


What You'll Get When You Order

When you order Tipster, here's what you'll receive:

1. The retail version of the program, which does not display the registration reminder when you shut it down.

2. The complete tip database, with over 230 entries.  The full database includes tips and tricks for PageMaker and the Table Editor, as well as a few pieces of publishing trivia.  (For example, did you know that at one time a measurement of eight points was called a Brevier?)

3. One year of free, automatic upgrades to the Tipster program.  To get a free upgrade you don't have to report a bug or request the new version.  In fact, you don't have to do anything except install it on your computer when it arrives.  The upgrades cover all maintenance releases as well as all new versions of the program and database.  This free upgrade period is part of the standard Looking Glass Technologies customer support policy.  We feel that at a time when nearly all the big software companies are providing less and less service, there's no better way to demonstrate our commitment to our customers than to provide a year of free upgrades.

4. Technical support via fax, paper mail, or e-mail on GEnie or CompuServe.

5. Please note that you won't receive a printed manual.  Once you become familiar with Tipster, we're sure you'll agree that its interface is so simple that a manual would be a waste of paper.  Rather than inflate Tipster's price to pay for the development, printing, and distribution of a manual that almost no one would read, we thought you'd prefer a lower price.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Order Form


Order Form
Tipster Order Form

Click here to print a copy of this order form.

Registered users will receive technical support, immediate upgrade to the current release of the program and the full tip database (with over 230 tips), plus one year of free, automatic disk upgrades.  If you register less than two weeks before we begin shipping a new version of the product, we will hold your order and send you only the new release, and extend your registration period accordingly.

Name	____________________________________________________________

Address	____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Phone	______________________ (in case we have a problem with your order)

Disk size:	[   ] 3.5" 1.4M     [   ] 5.25" 1.2M

E-mail address(es):	___________________________________________________

Where did you get your copy of Tipster?     _____________________________

A single user license for Tipster is $24.95US.  This price includes shipping and handling.  Customers in New York State must add 8% state sales tax.

All orders must be prepaid by check or money order payable in US dollars and drawn on a US bank.  Canadian customers can pay with a Canadian Postal money order payable in US dollars.

Volume discounts are available only when all copies are ordered at the same time and are shipped to the same address.  Prices are valid until December 31, 1994.  After that date, please contact Looking Glass Technologies for current pricing.

Please contact Looking Glass Technologies for site license terms and conditions.

Send orders to:

Looking Glass Technologies

P. O. Box 8636

Endwell, NY  13762-8636

Volume pricing schedule:

Copies	Price per copy

1 to 5	$24.95US

6 to 10	$21.95US

11 or more 	$19.95US

See also

What You'll Get When You Order

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies


Disclaimer

THIS PROGRAM IS DISTRIBUTED AS-IS.  LOOKING GLASS TECHNOLOGIES EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  IN NO EVENT WILL LOOKING GLASS TECHNOLOGIES BE LIABLE TO YOU, YOUR CUSTOMERS OR OTHER USERS FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR OTHER SIMILAR CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF OR THE INABILITY TO USE THIS SOFTWARE.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.  Aldus and PageMaker are trademarks of the Aldus Corporation.  Other product names mentioned in this help file may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.


Stickies! Order Form

Click here to print a copy of this order form.

Stickies! 2.5 Order Form

Looking Glass Technologies

PO Box 8636

Endwell, NY  13762-8636

Name:	_________________________________________________________

Address:	_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Phone: 	_______________________ (optional)

Disk size:	[   ] 3.5" 1.4M     [   ] 5.25" 1.2M

E-mail address(es):	___________________________________________________

[  ]  Yes!  Please send me a free certificate good for a 50% discount on

      a shareware CD-ROM disc from JCS Marketing that contains hundreds of

      DOS and Windows programs.  (This offer available to registered customers

      only.)  This certificate expires June 30, 1994.

Where did you get your copy of Stickies!?     _____________________________

The fee for a single-user license is $30US, payable by check or money order in US dollars and drawn on a US bank.  (Residents of Canada can pay with a Canadian Post Office money order, provided it is made out in US dollars.)

This price includes shipping and handling to destinations in North America.  Residents of New York State should add 8% sales tax, and customers outside North America should add $5US per copy shipped.

Volume pricing schedule:

1 to 5 copies	$30US per copy

6 to 10	$27US

11 to 20	$24US

21 to 60	$21US

Over 60	$1,200US total (site license)

To be eligible for a volume discount, all copies must be purchased at the same time and they must be shipped to the same address.

All prices are guaranteed until December 31, 1994

Site licensees will receive 20 copies of the distribution disks and manuals, and are expected to make their own copies for on-site distribution.  A site license counts as 20 copies when calculating shipping costs for international orders.


About Looking Glass Technologies

Looking Glass Technologies is a programming, writing, and consulting company located in the booming metropolis of Endwell, New York.

Our best known product is Stickies!, our award-winning note manager for Windows 3.0 and later.  Stickies! provides you with a combination of electronic post-it notes and database, with many other features, including alarms, and expiring and hidden notes.  See the Stickies! topic for more information on this product plus ordering information.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Stickies!


Stickies!

"One of the 20 Must-Have Windows Utilities"

-- Windows User Magazine

"Best Windows Business Application"

-- McAfee Associates First International Shareware Contest

"...an ideal program for organizing random bits of information."

-- Windows Sources Magazine

Stickies! is the award-winning note manager program for Microsoft Windows.  With it, you can:

* Create, delete, move, hide, show, resize, and print up to 30 on-screen notes,

* Attach notes to electronic mail with a single keystroke if you are running Windows for Workgroups and/or Microsoft Mail 3.0 or later,

* Store up to 1,000,000 notes in file cabinets and folders.  Notes can be copied or moved between your screen and file cabinet storage, printed directly from the file cabinet, or located using date ranges and text.  Once a note is checked out of the file cabinet, it can be refiled with a single keystroke.  You can have up to 20 file cabinets, each with up to 50 folders, each of those with up to 1,000 notes.

* Create linked notes via drag and drop operations that you can use to launch programs and load documents directly from a Stickies! note.  You can set any combination of the linked programs to run when the note's alarm goes off, or make one or more of your notes run all their links when Stickies! starts up.

* Fully configure your notes, including colors and display fonts,

* Specify an automatic expiration date for each note,

* Set an alarm on each note, including repeating and daily alarms,

* Automatically save your notes to disk at a specified interval,

* Set an alarm that will warn you when your Windows resources are getting low,

* Export and import individual notes or groups of notes while preserving all formatting options,

* Print your notes with a selectable level of detail,

* Use Windows 3.1-specific features if it is run on Windows 3.1 or later, including drag and drop file importing, sound support, and "always on top" notes,

* Use both the traditional as well as the new Windows keystrokes for cut, copy, and paste operations,

* Pop up a new note any time Stickies! is running simply by hitting the Ctrl-Shift-N hotkey.

* Display a tip of the day whenever you run Stickies!.

* Display notes with quote-of-the-day and today-in-history entries.  The quote-of-the-day feature includes a database with over 1,600 quotes.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Stickies! Order Form


Tipster Fails Self-Check
Tipster Fails Its Self-Check

Tipster has failed its self-check.  This means that your copy of Tipster was corrupted after it left Looking Glass Technologies.  This does not mean that you have a computer virus in your system!  The most likely cause of such a problem is an innocent error in file transmission or copying.

If Tipster fails its self-check, we advise you to shut it down and copy the file TIPSTER.EXE from your original distribution disk to your hard disk and replace your old copy of TIPSTER.EXE.  Then try the self-check again.  If it fails, you should stop using your copy and send it to Looking Glass Technologies.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies


Invalid/Missing Configuration File
Invalid Configuration File

Tipster tried to read its configuration information, but couldn't.  This information includes your color selections, plus the screen position of the sticky note that contains your tip.  Tipster saves this information in a file called TIPSTER.CFG, which it stores in your main Windows directory, typically C:\WINDOWS.  When Tipster runs, it looks in this directory for the configuration file.  If it finds the file but cannot read it, or the file appears to be something other than a Tipster configuration file, then Tipster will tell you what has happened.

It is very unusual for Tipster to report such an error.  If you run into this problem, then you should check your main Windows directory.  If you have a file there named TIPSTER.CFG, move it to another directory or delete it, then try to run Tipster again.  If this doesn't fix your problem, then contact Looking Glass Technologies.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Reporting a Problem


Can't Write Configuration File

Tipster tried to save its configuration information, but couldn't.  This information includes your color selections, plus the screen position of the sticky note that contains your tip.  Tipster saves this information in a file called TIPSTER.CFG, which it stores in your main Windows directory, typically C:\WINDOWS.

It is very unusual for Tipster to report such an error.  If you run into this problem, and you're not low on disk space, then you should contact Looking Glass Technologies and tell us what happened.

See also

Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Reporting a Problem


Only One Copy of Tipster

You can only have one copy of Tipster running at a time.  When Windows detects that you're trying to start a second copy, Tipster will display a message to this effect and close down the second copy.


Contacting LGT
Contacting Looking Glass Technologies

Looking Glass Technologies

P. O. Box 8636

Endwell, NY  13762-8636

CompuServe: 71055,1240

GEnie: L.G.TECH

FAX: (607)754-1267