Copyright: Copyright ®1993 Oakley Data Services


Index
   SmartPaper

 Welcome to SmartPaper.

 How to use SmartPaper

 Some Hints and Tips.

 How to get support.

 This product is Shareware. Shareware is a form of software distribution, not free software. If you have not already registered this product, you have the right to evaluate it for a period of 30 days from the date you initially install it. If you find that it suits your needs and you wish to continue to use it after the 30 day period you are required to register it with the copyright owners, Oakley Data Services, or with an agent in your territory. There are significant advantages to registering your copy, not least the continued availability of good quality software at reasonable prices.

 You also have the right, and in fact you are actively encouraged, to distribute copies of the shareware version of this product. It must, however remain in its original, unmodified state, and all its constituent files must be included. No-one may charge for the program itself, although a reasonable fee for the media used and copying costs is allowable. You may not distribute copies of the registered version of this product.

 This software is supplied as is without warranty or representation either express or implied with respect to the program or its documentation including their quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose.

 In no event will Oakley Data Services or any of its agents or assigns, or any organization distributing SmartTop on its behalf be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use the program.

 All trademarks are acknowledged.


  How To Use SmartPaper

   Introduction

 SmartPaper is very easy to use. Simply run the SMARTPPR.EXE program and you will be able to put bitmapped backgrounds in all your MDI Compliant applications. And you can choose a different bitmap for each application, or even let SmartPaper choose them randomly for you! SmartPaper can choose a different bitmap for a particular application each time you start it, or even every few minutes.

   Making SmartPaper Run Automatically

 When you have tried SmartPaper, and decide you like it, you can make it perform its magic every time you use Windows. All you need to do is add it to your Startup group, and it will activate when Windows starts. How to add programs to your startup group is detailed in your Windows 3.1 documentation (Chapter 3, "Program Manager", section "Working With Program Items"). The program file is called SMARTPPR.EXE.

   What is an MDI Application?

 An MDI Compliant application is one that allows multiple windows within a main bounding window. Examples of MDI compliant applications are Program Manager, File Manager, the System Configuration Editor (sysedit.exe in your windows\system directory) and a multitude of programs from other vendors. Note however that there are some applications that look like MDI applications that aren't really. For example, from the Microsoft stable, EXCEL and WORD aren't, but ACCESS is (as of September 1993).

   Choosing the SmartPaper

 Choosing what you want as the background for each application couldn't be easier. Simply click on the background with the right mouse button in the application you want the SmartPaper in, and a file-open dialog box will appear from where you can navigate to any bitmap of your choice. Select a bitmap and click on the "OK" button, and SmartPaper will load the bitmap if it can.

 If SmartPaper can't load the bitmap it will tell you. The usual reason for failure is that the file has a .BMP or .RLE extension, but isn't really a bitmap at all.

 You can also specify that you don't want any SmartPaper at all in an application by pressing the 'No SmartPaper' button. There may be some MDI applications, particularly those that deal with graphics, where palette conflicts can result in the wrong colors being displayed. In these cases selecting 'No SmartPaper' should cure it.

 Also on the File-Open dialog are two additional check boxes which tell SmartPaper to choose bitmaps at random.

 The first checkbox has the text "Randomize at Appstart". If you select this option (click on it with the mouse, if selected it will have a cross in it), then the bitmap selected in the normal manner will be used this time, but when the application starts in future it will select a bitmap randomly from the same directory.

 The second checkbox has the text "Randomize every" and has an edit box beside it. If you select this option then the bitmap selected in the normal manner will be used this time, but after the number of minutes you enter in the edit box SmartPaper will select a bitmap randomly from the same directory. SmartPaper will then continue to change the bitmap at the same frequency.

 Note that the option to choose randomly at application start does not appear if the target application is the File Manager. This is due to device access conflicts that we will attempt to correct in a future release.


  Hints and Tips

   Save Disk Space - use RLE format

 SmartPaper supports .RLE format bitmaps, and in general images saved in this format are considerably smaller than the same image saved as a .BMP (RLE stands for Run Length Encoded, a form of compression). RLE format bitmaps often load faster as well, as the CPU running the decompression algorithm is often quicker than reading more data from the disk. You can usually find an .RLE format bitmap in your windows\system directory as VGALOGO.RLE if you want to experiment.

   Converting Other Formats to BMP/RLE

 There are a multitude of image formats in common use, and in particular an abundance of images in the .GIF and .PCX formats. SmartPaper cannot use these formats directly, and in fact these formats can be slow to load anyway. If you have some images in these formats that you would like to use (and there are some excellent .GIFs around) you need an image conversion utility, and preferably one that can write .RLE format files.

 In the Windows shareware arena, you might like to evaluate:-

PaintShop Pro for Windows

or

Graphics Workshop for Windows

and there are many others.

   Some notes on 256 Color Bitmaps

 SmartPaper supports 256 color bitmaps, but it can only do so to the extent that your hardware allows, and there can be some interesting effects. If you only have 16 color video capability then this won't trouble you as 256 color bitmaps will always come out wrong! Similarly, if you have 65,000 color or more capability, it will most always come out right!

 Things get interesting when your hardware allows up to 256 colors at the same time. Usually this is no problem when displaying one image, but if you are trying to display two different images, and they both contain a DIFFERENT set of 256 colors then something has to give! (Note that Windows doesn't define what the 256 colors are, it is usually any 256 colors from a much larger palette, but only a specific 256 at one time).

 In these cases, Windows tries to mediate and always make sure that the colors in the active window are correct, and then tries to match up colors in other non-active windows as best it can. It is usually pretty successful too, but due to the hardware limitations it can never get everything perfect. It is for this reason that the colors may change as you switch from application to application.

   Moving SMARTPPR.EXE around

 When you are using SmartPaper you will find that if you try to move the program file SMARTPPR.EXE around (or delete it - surely not!), File Manager will complain, saying "File in Use by Windows".

 What you need to do is restart Windows and make sure that SMARTPPR.EXE doesn't run. If SMARTPPR.EXE is in your Startup group, you can prevent it (and anything else in the Startup group) from running by holding down the left shift key as Windows starts. Note that if you move SMARTPPR.EXE you might need to change the icon in the Startup group to signify the new location.


  How to get support

 We of course provide a full support service to registered users, either by phone, fax, mail, E-Mail or Bulletin Board. Look below for details of an agent in your territory. We are also quite happy to provide sufficient support to unregistered users to at least get you going. After all, we can hardly expect you to buy our product if you can't make it work properly!

  In the United Kingdom

 Oakley Data Services,

3, Oakley Close,

Sandbach,

Cheshire CW11 9RQ

England.

Phone (+44) (0)270 759739

Fax (+44) (0)270 765272

CIS E-Mail 100024,1763

or by BBS via The Shareware Support BBS, on 0442-891109 or 0442-890807, which we visit at least once a week. Note however that we don't take orders via the BBS.

  In North America

 Shareable Software International Inc.

P.O. Box 59102, Schaumburg, IL 60159, U.S.A.

 Phone (708) 397 1221

Fax (708) 397 0381

CIS E-Mail 76226,2652

or by BBS via The Runway BBS, on 215-623-6203. Users of the BBS must join Conference 77

  In France

 WindowShare SARL

B.P. 2078, 57051-METZ cedex 2, France.

 Phone (+33) 87 30 85 57

Fax (+33) 87 32 37 75

CIS E-Mail 100031,3257


UK Registration Form
You can print this order form by using the "Print Topic" option from the "File" menu.

To:-

Oakley Data Services, 3 Oakley Close, Sandbach,

Cheshire CW11 9RQ, England.

Please send me __ registered copy(s) of SmartPaper, together with Shareware Versions of some of your other software.

Prices:-

UK and EEC

8.50 Pounds Sterling including P&P, plus VAT (17.5%) = 9.99 Pounds Sterling per copy,

Rest of world

8.50 Pounds Sterling plus 2.00 Pounds Sterling P&P = 10.50 Pounds Sterling per copy.

(Unless otherwise requested we ship a 3.5" HD disk).

Total Price :     .....................

I enclose a cheque / wish to pay by MasterCard / Visa (delete as applicable)

Credit Card Details:-

Name as on card:-

Card Number:-

Expiry Date:-

Please send the registered version to :-

Name:

Address:

Post Code:                        Day Time Tel. No.

You can also contact us by

Phone:+44 (0)270 759739. or FAX:+44 (0)270 765272. or Compuserve: 100024,1763,

Or Internet: 100024.1763@compuserve.com

It would also help us if you could tell us where you got SmartPaper R1.1 from:-

And any suggestions you have for enhancements.


USA Registration Form
You can print this order form by using the "Print Topic" option from the "File" menu.

To:-

Shareable Software International, P.O. Box 59102, Schaumburg, IL 60159, U.S.A.

Please ship me __ full copy(s) of SmartPaper

Price:-

USA and Canada

$15.95 US Dollars, plus $4.00 Shipping and Handling

Add an additional $5.00 for overseas shipping

Total Price :     .....................

I enclose a check / wish to pay by MasterCard / Visa (delete as applicable)

Credit Card Details:-

Name as on card:-

Card Number:-

Expiry Date:-

Please send the registered version to :-

Name:

Address:

ZIP Code:                        Daytime Tel. No.

You can also contact us by

Phone:(708) 397 1221 or FAX:(708) 397 0381 or Compuserve: 76226,2652, or Internet: 76226,2652@compuserve.com, or call the Orderline on :- 800-622-2793

It would also help us if you could tell us where you got SmartPaper R1.1 from:-

And any suggestions you have for enhancements.


French Registration Form
You can print this order form by using the "Print Topic" option from the "File" menu.

To:- WindowShare, B.P. 2078, 57051-METZ cedex 2, France.

Please send me __ registered copy(s) of SmartPaper

Please send me __ registered copy(s) of SmartFont

Please send me __ registered copy(s) of SmartTop

Price:-

90FF TTC l'unite, 160FF TTC pour deux logiciels, et 210FF TTC pour les trois (le pack complet).

Total Price :     .....................

I enclose a check / wish to pay by MasterCard / Visa (delete as applicable)

Credit Card Details:-

Name as on card:-

Card Number:-

Expiry Date:-

Please send the registered version to :-

Name:

Address:

ZIP Code:                        Daytime Tel. No.

You can also contact us by

Vox: (+33) 87 30 85 57 --- Fax: (+33) 87 32 37 75, Compuserve: 100031,3257 Orderline :- (+33) 87 30 85 57


Shareware is copyrighted software which is distributed by authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors, and by copies being passed among friends. It is commercial software that you are allowed to try before you pay for it. This makes shareware the ultimate in money back guarantees.

 Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. There is good and bad shareware, just as there is good and bad retail software. The primary difference between shareware and retail software is that with shareware you know if it's good or bad before you pay for it.

 You benefit because you get to use the software to determine whether it meets your needs, before you pay for it.  Authors benefit because they are able to get their products into your hands without the expenses it takes to launch a traditional retail software product.

 The shareware system and the continued availability of quality shareware products depend on your willingness to register and pay for the shareware you use. It's the registration fees you pay which allow us to support and continue to develop our products. Please show your support for shareware by registering those programs you actually use and by passing them on to others. Shareware is kept alive by your support!