NotePad+ is a free drop-in replacement for Windows 95/NT 4.0 notepad, that eats standard notepad for lunch!
Features: no more file size barrier under Windows 95, opens multiple files, MAPI enabled to send files through e-mail, drag-and-drop of selected text, user-definable fonts & colors, Open- & Save dialogs Filters, smarter hot keys, numerous other improvements over standard notepad.
Contents of this file:
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1. Installation
2. Uninstall
3. The Story
4. Tips/More Information
5. Credits
6. History
7. License & Disclaimer
1. Installation:
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Upgraders from an earlier version: delete the NotePad+ key in the registry before installing. It's located at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\RogSoft\NotePad+, use RegEdit or any other Registry Editor to delete this key.
COPY the standard Notepad program file (notepad.exe) from your Windows directory into a temporary directory. Then place the executable file from the distribution archive of NotePad+ (also named notepad.exe) in your Windows directory, confirm the overwriting of standard Notepad. After that rename the old notepad.exe in the temporary directory (for example, rename it to Notepad Original) and move it back to your Windows directory (that's necessary for the uninstall).
Make sure that you COPY, not move, the old Notepad out of the Windows directory first before dropping NotePad+ in, and also not rename it before dropping NotePad+ in. Otherwise Windows will automatically change the path or name of the associated executable to the temporary directory or new name. Looks like there's is some object-orientedness in the Windows 95 GUI after all. :)
Users who have an anti-virus program running in the background ought to
re-inoculate the notepad.exe file before they launch the program for the first time.
After installing, associate your preferred file types with NotePad+ (in Options/Preferences/Associations), to get the full benefits of the program. Associate at least '.txt', '.bat', '.ini' and '.reg' files by simply clicking the Defaults button, for proper operation.
2. Uninstall:
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In case you want to return to your old Notepad, do the following:
In Options/Preferences/Associations, delete all associations with NotePad+ and click OK. This will restore the exact original Windows associations for .txt, .bat, .ini and .reg files and will delete the other File type associations you had made with NotePad+.
In your Windows directory, delete the NotePad+ executable (notepad.exe). Rename the original Notepad (which you had backed up under a name like Notepad Original) back to notepad (or notepad.exe when you have configured Explorer to show extensions).
You also might want to remove Notepad+'s user-preferences keys in the Registry, but it's not necessity. They are located at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\RogSoft\NotePad+.
3. The Story:
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I hated the limitations of standard Windows 95 Notepad so much, that I decided to write a better one. :)
My goal was to go beyond standard Notepad's possibilities without making NotePad+ a full-featured text-editor, in order to retain a fast executable and smooth operation in memory-constraint environments.
The program was developed using Delphi 2.0 and is a 100% 32-bit compiled Win32 executable, no run-time libraries are necessary to run it. I hope you'll enjoy this program, and would like as much feedback as possible.
Comments, suggestions, bug reports, fan mail, etc. are welcome at: 0meurs01@lelystad.flnet.nl
Updates will be placed at the RogSoft NotePad+ Home Page: http://lelystad.flnet.nl/~0meurs01
4. Tips/More Information:
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You've probably noticed the behaviour of Windows 95 applications, to automatically add an extension to a file that is saved. Naturally, this has a reason. The extensions are associated with programs and you are able to open a file by just double-clicking it. But sometimes it can be annoying, especially with files for which you prefer it would not automatically get any extension. You can overrule this behaviour by typing the filename in the Save dialog box like this: "test" (WITH quotes). In this case the file will be saved without any extension. This works for NotePad+, but also for other Win95 applications that make use of the standard Win95 Save dialog.
Another thing is that Windows 95 applications (including NotePad+) can save a file with the particular extension you want it to have, just by typing in the file and extension in the Save dialog box. For example: "file_id.diz" (WITH quotes) will save your file with the extension '.diz', not '.txt', regardless of the Save As Filter that is selected. Therefore, even though '.txt' is the default extension in NotePad+, specifying your own extension in the Save-dialog box -and placing the filename in quotes- will save your file with the extension you want it to have.
The quotes are not necessary if you save a file with a particular extension that is registered in Explorer. But as a rule of thumb, remember that placing a file with a specific extension in quotes always works. Win95 makes _some_ simple things more complicated than it was in the DOS-age, I hope this information will clear things up.
To make use of the e-mail functionality of NotePad+, you have to have a MAPI-server installed. If you would like Euroda to act as your MAPI-server, do the following: go to Tools/Options/MAPI in Eudora, set 'Use Eudora MAPI server' to Always. That's all there is to it.
About running NotePad+ under Windows NT 3.51: it seems that the program doesn't fully operate on NT 3.51 as it does on Win95 and NT 4.0. For example, dragging on the minimized program icon does not work. Since I develop NotePad+ on Windows 95, it's very hard to cure those problems. If I would upgrade to NT (which might happen in a couple of months), it would be version 4.0. Therefore, there will be no efforts to make NotePad+ fully NT 3.51 compatible. It may sound hard, but NotePad+ just wasn't designed for, nor tested on, NT 3.51.
About file sizes: NotePad+ has a theoretical limit on file sizes of 20 MB. However, loading files over 500 kB to 1 MB may be slow. If you frequently need to open files that are in that range (or larger), NotePad+ may not be the best editor for your needs. For files up to somewhere in the 500-1000 kB range however (depending on your particular system and perception of speed), NotePad+ is fine.
Opening in a running instance does not work if you use Send-To (when NotePad+ is in the Send-To Folder) or when dropping on the executable (shortcut). Funny enough, Win95 does not use DDE when you do this. I've not yet found a way to solve this in a nice way, but if I do, it will be implemented. Meanwhile, you can easily drop on the running instance by holding the file(s) over the Icon in the Task bar and drop the load on NotePad+ after it pops up.
5. Credits:
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Thanks to:
- All the people who have given me suggestions, bug-reports and fan mail.
- Patrick Brisacier and Jean-Fabien Connault (TPBShellLink)
6. History:
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Versions with an increased number at the end of the version number are mainly bug fixes. Versions with additional functionality will have an increased number directly after the dot.
For example, 1.1 has more functionality than 1.02, while 1.02 has no significant extra functionality over 1.01. You can always check out the NotePad+ Home Page for the latest version.
