Shareware Grab Bag/Shareware Grab Bag.iso/005/palarm10.arc/PROGRAM.DOC

Text File | 1986-08-26 | 25KB | 603 lines

                             INTRODUCTION TO

                                    PAL

               the Personal Appointment Locator for SideKick

                                    and

                              PALARM / PALSET

                          a resident alarm clock



                     Copyright 1986 by PAL Software NY

                                 Suite 12B
                             110 Greene Street
                         New York, New York  10012


                      Bulletin Board:  [phone]
                          Voice:  [phone]


             SideKick is a trademark of Borland International


     PAL and PALARM/PALSET Introduction                      --  Page 2




     Introduction

          PAL is  a utility  for IBM-PC  and compatible  owners who use
     SideKick.  PAL enhances  SideKick's appointment  calendar feature.
     If you would like a quick demonstration of some of PAL's features,
     then run the batch file PALDEMO.BAT.

          PALARM is a resident alarm which  is useable  on IBM-PC's and
     compatibles,  regardless  whether  you  use  SideKick.   PALSET is
     PALARM's non-resident companion which is used  to edit  alarms and
     set PALARM's various features.

          This file  is provided  as mutual  documentation for both PAL
     and PALARM/PALSET.  The PAL program  files are  being disseminated
     onto bulletin boards in an archived file under the name PAL14.ARC,
     and the PALARM/PALSET program files are  being disseminated  in an
     archived file  under the  name PALARM10.ARC.   Persons who wish to
     use both PAL and PALARM/PALSET must download both ARC files; those
     who desire  one program  and not the other will be spared the time
     of downloading unwanted files.    If  you  upload  these  files to
     bulletin   boards,   pleas   upload  PALARM10.ARC,  PAL14.ARC  and
     PAL14.INF.

          This introduction file should be sufficient  to get  you well
     on your  way to exploiting all that PAL and PALARM can do for you.
     PAL also has online help, which  is available  to you  by choosing
     the help  selection from PAL's opening menu, or you can bypass the
     opening menu by typing "PAL HELP" at the DOS command line.  Online
     help for  PALARM and  PALSET is  available from  the first menu of
     PALSET.   Extensive  written  documentation  will  be  provided to
     registered users of PAL and PALARM.


     Installation

          To use PAL in a hard disk system, copy the following files to
     a single subdirectory which  resides in  your PATH  (if you aren't
     familiar with paths, check your DOS documentation):

               PAL.COM
               PAL14.000
               PAL14.001
               PAL14.HLP

     The PAL14.HLP  file is optional, and is necessary only if you want
     online help.  Invoke PAL by issuing the command "PAL" from the DOS




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     command line.  So long as you have properly set your PATH, it will
     not matter what your current directory is when you invoke PAL.

          To use PAL in a floppy disk system,  copy the  four PAL files
     mentioned above  to a single disk, preferably the one on which you
     keep your SideKick appointment  file.   If you're  short on space,
     you  may  want  to  delete  the  PAL14.HLP file, but doing so will
     disable the online help feature.  Make sure that the disk contain-
     ing PAL  is in  the current  drive, or else that you have set your
     DOS PATH to look in that drive.  Invoke PAL by issuing the command
     "PAL" from the DOS command line.

          To use  PALARM, simply  type the  program name at the command
     line and hit the carriage return.  PALARM then installs itself and
     remains resident in memory.  You will not have any further need of
     "PALARM.COM" until  the  next  time  you  boot.    PALARM  must be
     installed prior  to the  time that SideKick installs itself, so if
     you intend to use it regularly, place the  PALARM command  in your
     AUTOEXEC.BAT file prior to the SK command.

          To  use   PALSET,  you   must  install  both  PALSET.COM  and
     PALSET.000 in a single  subdirectory which  resides in  your PATH.
     PALSET,  like  PALARM,  is  called  from  the command line without
     additional parameters.


     Menu and Command Line Operation of PAL

          PAL is distributed so that if you invoke  the program without
     any additional command line parameters, it will present you with a
     menu to choose from its various operations.   To select  an opera-
     tion, hit  the alphabetic  or numeric key which is associated with
     the operation you desire  to  activate.    No  carriage  return is
     required.

          Alternatively,  you   may  invoke  any  of  PAL's  operations
     directly from the DOS command line by adding  parameters after the
     program  name.    Command  line operation is especially useful for
     those persons who become familiar with PAL's syntax and prefer not
     to wade through menus.  It is also a blessing for persons who like
     to make use of batch files.


     Online Help

          You can  invoke  online  help  from  the  beginning  menu, or
     directly  from  the  command  line  with  "PAL HELP".  To select a
     subject for help, hit  the  alphabetic  or  numeric  key  which is




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     associated with the subject which you wish to review.  No carriage
     return is required.


     Report Mode

          Syntax for the Report Mode is:

               PAL [@mm/dd/yyyy] n[CFP] [FILENAME]

     The only required entries on the command line are the program name
     and "n", where "n" is the number of days you would like the report
     to encompass.  The remaining parameters  are optional.   The first
     optional parameter is to set the start date of the report at other
     than your present system date.   If you  use the  "@" character by
     itself without  a following  date, then  PAL will  assume that you
     mean to start at 1/1/85.  The second group of  optional parameters
     ("CFP")  must  be  specified  immediately  following  "n", without
     intervening spaces; they respectively  stand  for  "C"olor toggle,
     send report  to "F"ile,  and send  report to  "P"rinter.  The last
     optional parameter is to permit you to specify  the complete name,
     including  drive  and  path  if  needed, of the file you desire to
     search.  If you do not specify the filename, then PAL will use its
     default assumptions for the name and location of the file; you may
     freely change those assumptions (among others)  with PAL's cloning
     procedure.

          For instance, to see all your appointments for the next week,
     issue the command "PAL 7".  A very common use for PAL is to insert
     such a command as the last line of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, so that
     your coming appointments greet  you  when  your  computer finishes
     booting in the morning.


     Search Mode

          Syntax for the Search Mode is:

               PAL [@mm/dd/yyyy] $[CFP] SEARCHTERM [FILENAME]

     The  required  parameters  in  Search Mode are the program's name,
     followed by the "$"  character (think  "$earch"), followed  by the
     term that  you want  PAL to  search for; the term must be a single
     word or part of a word, without intervening spaces.   The optional
     parameters are identical to those permitted in Report Mode.

          For instance,  if you issue the command "PAL $ den", then PAL
     will show you all upcoming appointments which contain  the charac-
     ters "den", such as "Dentist appointment" or "lunch with Denise".



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     Reminders

          If  you  want  to  maintain  a  reminder  list, then enter an
     appointment with  SideKick and  insert an  exclamation point ("!")
     anywhere in  the memo.   If  the day  passes and the memo is still
     there, then PAL will remind you of that memo in  a special section
     of its  report.  This feature is helpful not only for procrastina-
     tors, but also for persons who want specific memos to  jump out at
     them as encouragement to get some pressing business done.


     Auto-Repeat Appointments

          If you  want to have an appointment come up periodically on a
     monthly or annual basis, then insert the left bracket ("[") for an
     annual  auto-repeat  appointment  or  a  right bracket ("]") for a
     monthly  auto-repeat  appointment.    You'll  never   forget  that
     birthday again!

          An auto-repeat  appointment will  appear in PAL's Report Mode
     in perpetuity, until  you  actually  delete  the  appointment with
     SideKick.   Since the  repetition is done dynamically in memory by
     PAL rather than physically in  your  disk  file,  substantial disk
     space savings is achieved.

          The  one  disadvantage  of  PAL's  dynamic repetition is that
     SideKick will not report the auto-repeat  appointments.   Thus, it
     is possible  for you  to enter  an appointment  with SideKick in a
     slot which, according to SideKick, is free.   If you  then issue a
     report from  PAL, you would see two appointments scheduled for the
     same slot:  the one which you entered with SideKick, and the auto-
     repeat appointment  which has  been carried  forward by  PAL.  The
     potential for entering conflicting  appointments will  be markedly
     reduced if  you regularly  use PAL's  Report Mode to review coming
     appointments, a practice which many users of PAL find that they do
     as a simple matter of course.

          To edit  or delete an auto-repeat appointment, you must first
     locate the single memo which  generates  all  the  repeat appoint-
     ments.   To do  so, use  PAL's Search  Mode.  For instance, if you
     entered your Cousin Brucie's birthday with  SideKick as  an annual
     auto-repeat appointment,  you can  search for  it with the command
     "PAL @ $ [" or "PAL @ $ Brucie".  Once PAL finds the specific date
     on  which  you  entered  the  appointment,  you  can  then call up
     SideKick, go to the date, and then delete or edit the appointment.





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     PAL and PALARM/PALSET Introduction                      --  Page 6



     Garbage Collection

          If  you'd  like  to  delete  all  your old appointments, then
     invoke the delete function with "PAL DELETE".   This will  get rid
     of all  your out  of date  appointments except for reminders ("!")
     and auto-repeat appointments ("["  or "]").   Optionally,  you may
     instruct  PAL  to  get  rid  of  the  old reminders as well.  This
     function will  also  get  rid  of  some  useless  records  in your
     appointment file  which SideKick  tends to  leave there even after
     you delete them with SideKick; if  all you  want to  do is collect
     and dispose of the garbage but leave your old visible appointments
     intact, then use the command "PAL PURGE".


     Multiple Appointment Files

          If you keep more than one appointment file and would  like to
     view them together to check on conflicts or common free time, then
     copy them  together  (using  the  "/b"  parameter),  and  view the
     combined file with PAL.  For instance, if Dick uses DICK.APP and
     Jane uses  JANE.APP, then use either of the two following commands
     to combine the files into TOTAL.APP:

               COPY /B DICK.APP + JANE.APP TOTAL.APP
               COPY /B *.APP TOTAL.APP

     Then use PAL on the combined file:

               PAL 7 TOTAL.APP

     If you forget to  use  the  "/B"  parameter,  PAL  will  refuse to
     recognize TOTAL.APP as a valid appointment file.


     Cloning New Versions of PAL to Your Specifications

          If you  want to teach PAL the name of the appointment file it
     should use and where to find it, or you want to change  any of the
     assumptions that PAL makes, then use the CLONE procedure.

          You can turn color on and off on color monitors, you can send
     the report to a file, and you can send your  report to  a printer,
     specifying printer codes if you like.








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     PAL and PALARM/PALSET Introduction                      --  Page 7


     PALARM and PALSET

          PALARM allows  your computer  to maintain  up to 10 alarms at
     any time.  When the moment comes for the alarm, PALARM will pop up
     over your  current application  and will  present you  with both a
     visual and an audible alarm (the visual alarm will not pop up over
     a graphics application).

          You kill  the alarm  by hitting  the carriage return key.  If
     you fail to kill the alarm, then PALARM will automatically silence
     the alarm,  snooze for a period, then pop up again later.  You can
     intentionally force a snooze period by hitting any  key other than
     the carriage  return.  If PALARM is snoozing, you will hear a soft
     tick sound approximately once per second.

          As distributed, the alarm will  display  for  10  seconds and
     will snooze  for 1  minute.   With PALSET, you can change the time
     for display to between 1 and  60 seconds,  and the  snooze time to
     between 1 minute and 24 hours.

          An additional  control you have over the alarm is the ability
     to specify the type  of sound  you hear  when the  alarm goes off.
     You  can  change  the  sound  to  OFF,  LOW,  MEDIUM or HIGH.  The
     distribution version of PALARM has the sound set to LOW.

          When you first install PALARM, you will see the date and time
     at the upper right hand corner of your display.  If you prefer not
     to have the clock  and date  display, then  enter PALSET  and turn
     either  or  both  off  temporarily  with the toggle options on the
     opening menu, or turn either or  both off  permanently by entering
     the installation option on PALSET's opening menu.

          Editing alarms is accomplished by entering the "Alarms Menu".
     You can add alarms, edit them,  delete specific  alarms, purge old
     alarms, or  clear the  entire alarm  sequence.   When you exit the
     Alarms menu and get back to  the opening  PALSET menu,  you should
     "S"ave your  changes to  the data file if you want the information
     remembered the next time you boot up.

          The alarm information currently in memory  will automatically
     be stored  to disk  when you kill an alarm; therefore, if an alarm
     pops up in the middle of  an editing  session and  you're not sure
     that you want the current changes to overwrite your existing data,
     then instead of killing the alarm, force it to snooze.  To restore
     your old,  unedited data  while the  alarm is snoozing, reload the
     data file from PALSET's opening menu.

          To remove PALARM from memory, first satisfy yourself  that no
     other application is currently running (You are at the DOS command



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     line) and  that no  other programs  reside in  memory after PALARM
     (e.g., you  either did not load SideKick, or, having done so, have
     already removed SideKick from memory).  Then, if you still wish to
     remove PALARM,  hit the  ALT key, then (still holding the ALT key)
     press the LEFT SHIFT key.  PALARM will  then permit  you the final
     choice of answering "Y" or "N" to the question whether you wish to
     proceed in killing the program.

          Is it possible, you ask, for PALARM to read an alarm directly
     from my  SideKick appointment  file?   It sure is, but that awaits
     you in PAL Version 2, which is available on a commercial basis for
     $49.95.


     TSR Wars; Multitasking

          Resident programs  are often  referred to as TSR's, after the
     DOS programmer's function that permits a program to  Terminate but
     Stay Resident.  As more and more resident programs vie for memory,
     processor time and control, it is  inevitable that  skirmishes may
     result, sometimes  resulting in total system lockup which can only
     be remedied by turning the system off and then back on again.

          PALARM has been tested in many system configurations  and has
     been found  to coexist  peacefully in  the vast majority of situa-
     tions.  If, for any reason,  you  find  that  the  introduction of
     PALARM as  a resident  program in your system causes any problems,
     then first try to rearrange the  order  in  which  your  TSR's are
     loaded.  In most cases, you will find that loading PALARM early on
     in the sequence should solve your  problem.    If  you  still have
     problems which are resolved only by removing PALARM entirely, then
     please send us a complete written  report of  the circumstances so
     that we can try to find the problem and correct it.

          Multitasking software,  such as  DoubleDos, TopView, Windows,
     DesqView and TaskView are essentially TSR's which spawn several of
     your application  programs as  child processes.  PALARM is a mini-
     multitasker itself, because it  steals a  little bit  of processor
     time to  keep track  of when  alarms must  be sounded.  PALARM has
     been found to work well in most cases with TaskView  and DesqView,
     so long  as PALARM  is loaded  before them.  We have observed that
     TaskView works more smoothly with SideKick  than DesqView;  on the
     other  hand,  DesqView  permits  more flexible memory use when you
     have a memory board that uses AST's EEMS  specification.   We have
     not  tested  PALARM  with  other  multitasking software.  We would
     appreciate hearing from those of you  who  try  to  use  PALARM in
     multitasking systems.   Remember,  if in doubt, load PALARM before
     other resident programs.




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     PAL and PALARM/PALSET Introduction                      --  Page 9


          One other kind of  program that  makes special  use of memory
     and which  may do battle with PALARM is the program that makes use
     of AST's EEMS specification to utilize expanded memory for running
     the program.   One  program that has been found to have difficulty
     with PALARM is Reflex version 1.1 on an AST Rampage  configured to
     use EEMS.   Apparently  Reflex version  1.0 does  not cause such a
     problem.  PALARM does  not have  problems with  programs which use
     expanded memory  solely for  data manipulation, such as SuperCalc,
     Lotus and Symphony.

          If you have any problems  running  PALARM,  we  want  to hear
     about it.  If we don't know about it, we can't fix it.


     Registration:  The Shareware Concept

          Check the  online help system for more details about what PAL
     and PALARM/PALSET can do for you.  For full written documentation,
     you must become a registered user.

          To register,  send $25 for PAL, $15 for PALARM/PALSET, or $30
     for all the programs combined, with your name  and address  to PAL
     Software NY,  Suite 12B,  110 Greene  St., NY,  NY  10012.  Before
     doing so,  read PAL's  help file's  description of  PAL Version 2.
     You may  just be  tempted to  spring for the commercial version of
     PAL!

          The concept  of  shareware  is  that  an  author  can provide
     software  at  an  inexpensive  price  by  freely disseminating the
     software for trial.  If an  individual finds  the software useful,
     he is expected to pay for it.  Realities being what they are, many
     people use shareware products without paying.  I hope that  as you
     continue  to  use  PAL  and  come to appreciate it as an essential
     tool, that you will recognize its value and  compensate the author
     appropriately.   It is  through your support that enhancements are
     encouraged.

          In any case, feel free to share the program with your friends
     and upload  it to  computer bulletin boards for further dissemina-
     tion, so long  as  all  the  files  are  kept  together  with this
     documentation and  no changes  are made  by any person.  If you do
     upload, then please upload PAL14.ARC, PALARM10.ARC and PAL14.INF.

          For comments and questions, write to us at the above address,
     or communicate by modem by means of Compuserve (ID #70475,1071) or
     the Source (ID #ST2338).  On Compuserve, you can either  use EMAIL
     or  flag  us  down  on  the  Borland  SIG  (GO BOR-100) or the IBM
     Software SIG (GO PCS-72).




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          For those who prefer more direct  communication, PAL Software
     NY now  has its  own bulletin  board, which can be reached at 212-
     334-9171, using 300, 1200 or 2400  baud.   Non-registered users of
     PAL  may  have  free  access  to  the  board and are authorized to
     download all updates  to  the  shareware  version  of  PAL,  and a
     complete  (but  time-limited)  demo  of PAL version 2.  Registered
     users will have complete message system, uploading and downloading
     privileges.

          For verbal  communication, call  PAL's voice line at 212-334-
     9172.


     Legal Stuff:  Warranties and Limitations

          Our lawyer says we have to write this stuff here.  It just so
     happens that  the author  of PAL,  PALARM and  PALSET and the sole
     proprietor of PAL Software NY is a lawyer.

          PAL, PALARM and  PALSET  (the  "Licensed  Programs")  are the
     exclusive property  of PAL  Software NY (the "Licensor").  You are
     granted a limited license to use  the Licensed  Programs.   If you
     find the  Licensed Programs  useful, then you are asked to pay for
     the license in accordance with the  section of  this documentation
     which  describes  registration.    You are encouraged to share the
     Licensed Programs with  others  and  to  disseminate  the Licensed
     Programs on  computer bulletin  boards in  their original archived
     format without modification;  however,  you  may  not  receive any
     remuneration for  sharing the  Licensed Programs  other than reim-
     bursement for media and mailing costs.  No person is  permitted to
     sell, license  or otherwise  distribute the  Licensed Programs for
     profit without the prior written consent of the Licensor.

          The Licensor  represents that  many users  have enjoyed using
     PAL and certainly hopes that you will, too.  However, the Licensor
     DOES NOT WARRANT  THAT  THE  LICENSED  PROGRAMS  ARE  FIT  FOR ANY
     PARTICULAR USE OR ARE MERCHANTIBLE.  THE LICENSED PROGRAMS ARE NOT
     WARRANTED TO BE FREE OF  BUGS,  NOR  ARE  THEY  PROVIDED  WITH ANY
     WARRANTY OF  ANY KIND,  EITHER EXPRESSED  OR IMPLIED.   IT IS YOUR
     RESPONSIBILITY TO  DETERMINE  WHETHER  THE  LICENSED  PROGRAMS ARE
     SUITABLE FOR  YOU.   IN NO EVENT SHALL THE LICENSOR, ITS OWNERS OR
     AGENTS BE HELD RESPONSIBLE  FOR INCIDENTAL,  SPECIAL OR CONSEQUEN-
     TIAL DAMAGES,  OR LOST  DATA OR  PROFITS TO  ANY PERSON  OR ENTITY
     THAT MAY ARISE OUT OF THE  USE OF  THE LICENSED  PROGRAMS, EVEN IF
     THE POSSIBILITY  OF SUCH  DAMAGE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION
     OF THE LICENSOR.






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     Programmer's Note

          PAL, PALARM and PALSET are all written in  Turbo Pascal.   We
     acknowledge  the   contributions  of  numerous  authors  who  have
     contributed their knowledge to the public domain.  In addition, we
     have made extensive use of two commercial packages in creating our
     programs:  TurboPower Utilities  by TurboPower  Software and Turbo
     Professional by Sunny Hill Software.












































     Revised 8/26/86