Copyright: Help Copyright IBM 1995


Contents

Welcome to IBM infoMarket NewsTicker.  Click the underlined text to see one of the topics.

Overview

Setup window

Article list window

Registration

Troubleshooting


Overview - NewsTicker window
Overview

The NewsTicker window is split into four different areas.  From left to right they are the date and time display, the three-button control panel, the headline display, and the advertisement display.

The NewsTicker window can be moved to a new location on the screen by grabbing the white space above the three-button control panel or the thick border around the window and dragging the window.  The thick border components on the left and right may be used to resize the NewsTicker window.

 The date and time display shows the current time and date along with a status message detailing when the next news update will be.  This display may be hidden using the Display date and time checkbox on the Setup window , offering a larger space for the headline display.

The three-button control panel allows you to perform the following functions:

 Setup - This button opens the Setup window that allows you to configure the NewsTicker application.

 Article list - This button opens the Article list window that allows you to see the list of headlines currently loaded into the NewsTicker application.

 Exit - This button exits the NewsTicker application.

 The headline display scrolls the current headlines at the pace configured in the Setup window.  The headlines are drawn from the news feeds selected. To see the full text of the article of the last headline displayed, double-click on this display and the article will be retrieved from the IBM infoMarket NewsTicker server and retrieved using a supported web browser.

 The advertisement display scrolls through images supplied by various advertisers.   Some of these advertisers support a page on the World Wide Web.  To jump directly to that page, double-click on the advertisement display.  If the advertiser does not have a URL, no action will occur.


Setup
Setup window

The Setup window allows you to configure the NewsTicker application.

The Available news feeds list box presents a list of the accessible news feeds and their source.  By clicking on and highlighting one or more news feeds, you can customize your headline display.

The Scrolling pace selection determines the speed at which headlines scroll through the headline display.  This speed may be between 8 and 32 characters per second.  You should select a viewing speed comfortable for you.

The Pause between headlines selection determines how long the headline display waits between headlines.  This setting allows you to more easily read a headline and then double-click on it before the next headline starts scrolling.

The New article refresh time selection determines how often the headlines are retrieved from the infoMarket NewsTicker server.  The minimum time between refreshes is five minutes and the maximum time is sixty minutes.  You must be connected to a live Internet connection.  If not, the refresh time will apply when you have an open Internet connection.

The No articles older than selection identifies how old the oldest headline may be.  This timeframe shifts, always ensuring that no headlines beyond the selected age are displayed.

The Keep window on top checkbox allows you to have the NewsTicker remain in front of all other applications.

The Use system colors checkbox allows you to switch between your standard system colors and preconfigured colors.

The Display date and time button allows you to display or hide the date and time in the NewsTicker window.

The Display messages button allows you to enable or disable the display of ticker connection and error messages.  Error messages related to communications with your web browser (DDE or OLE errors) are always enabled.

The Server setup button allows you to change the computers to which the ticker connects for loading headlines and articles.

The Browser setup button allows you to select which browser to use to display news articles or information from advertisers.

The Register button directs your web browser to the IBM infoMarket service registration web page.

The About button supplies application information about the NewsTicker.


Server Setup
Server setup window

The Server setup window allows you to configure the server parameters for the NewsTicker application.

The Server name edit box allows you to identify a different ticker server to use for accessing headlines and articles.

The SOCKS server edit box allows you to identify the name of a SOCKS server if you are accessing the NewsTicker through a firewall.

The SOCKS port edit box allows you to identify the connection port for the SOCKS server if you are accessing the NewsTicker through a firewall.

The Enable SOCKS checkbox allows you to conveniently switch on or off the use of SOCKS for accessing the NewsTicker.


Article list

The Article list window allows you to see a list of the headlines currently loaded into the NewsTicker based on the news feeds you chose in the Setup window. The listing also includes the posting date and time of the article in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).

From this window, you may select a headline and view the full text of the article by double-clicking on one of the list entries, or by selecting an entry and clicking on OK.

The Refresh button causes the NewsTicker to reset itself by reloading all headlines and ads from the server.

The Register button directs your web browser to the IBM infoMarket service registration page.


IBM infoMarket Service Registration

This application is part of the IBM infoMarket service family of products. The IBM infoMarket Service Registration web page allows you to register to use the IBM infoMarket service.  Currently it is free to use the infoMarket service.  Full details about the service may be obtained from the infoMarket service worldwide web pages.  The URL for the web pages is: http://www.infomkt.ibm.com/.


IBM infoMarket Service
The IBM infoMarket service is a revolutionary new way to find and use information on the Internet. IBM infoMarket service customers are able to simultaneously search available databases.


Browser Setup
Browser setup window

The Browser setup window allows you to to select which browser to use to display news articles or information from advertisers.

The Browser name selection box allows you to identify which type of browser you are using.  Note that the selections are not equivalent; a selection identifies what protocol to use to communicate with the browser.

The Location edit box displays the full pathname for the browser.  If the pathname is incorrect or the NewsTicker has trouble finding the browser when it tries to start it, press the Select button.  This will popup a dialog box allowing you to select identify specifically where the browser program file is.


Troubleshooting tips

The NewsTicker application is built to be self contained, already defaulting to the proper server for connection.  However, if problems occur with the connection, check for the following:

- The NewsTicker will not be able to load headlines if your internet connection has gone down. Be sure that if you have a full-time connection, your routers and/or bridges are working properly.  If you use a dial-up connection, be sure that you are still connected to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

- The NewsTicker connects to the Ticker server "ticker.infomkt.ibm.com" by name.  If you are not running Domain Name Service (DNS), the NewsTicker will not be able to get the IP address for the Ticker server.  It is recommended that for best results you use DNS for name resolution.  If you are not running DNS, access a computer that is to lookup the current IP address for ticker.infomkt.ibm.com and enter it as the Server name in the Server setup window.

- Using SOCKS with the NewsTicker may cause it to miss updates occasionally if your SOCKS server is heavily used.  The NewsTicker is set with a timeout for SOCKS and if a timeout occurs, the NewsTicker will not load the latest headlines;  the next update will occur based on the value set for New article refresh time in the Setup window.