
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
RemindR Version 2.0 (C) Copyright Allen L. Lang, 1994    ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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A utility to help you get your to-do list to-done!

RemindR allows you to schedule several types of recurring events (daily,
weekly, monthly), as well as events that occur on a specific date. These
events are kept in a file on your hard disk. Once you schedule events,
they can be easily changed. When an event comes due, it is automatically 
placed into RemindR's window which can easily customized (size, position,
color, font, etc.). You can also specify whether RemindR's window will sound
an alarm, pop-up, or always float above all other windows on your PC.

RemindR requires Windows 3.1 or later.

Let's get the formalities out of the way before exploring RemindR's
capabilities ...



LICENSE
-------
All rights are reserved. RemindR is Shareware. License fee is $10.00.
You may evaluate RemindR for up to 30 days. After that period, if you
continue to use RemindR, then it must be licensed by sending the fee to: 

		Allen L. Lang
		121 Windsor Commons
		Cranbury, NJ  08512

Include your name, address, e-mail address (if you have one), and
name/phone of BBS where you obtained RemindR (so I cam upload the
newest versions when they become available). 

RemindR may be copied, uploaded, or distributed provided: all files from
this package are included, as is, and in their entirety (including the
license and warranty statements), and that no fee is charged for such copies
beyond the expense of duplication, media, and distribution. The author's
rights extend to all copies so made. 


WARRANTY
--------
RemindR is not covered by any warranty, expressed or implied. The author
will not be liable for anything that happens as a result of any use of,
or the inability to use, RemindR in your particular application.
Stated another way:


   THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
   EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
   THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
   PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND
   PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM
   PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,
   REPAIR OR CORRECTION.


========================================================================



Phew, I hate that part. Now let's get to the good stuff: what is RemindR
and how do you use it ...



                          RemindR
                          -------
A utility to help you get your to-do list to-done!

Contents
--------
1.0 Overview
2.0 Installation
3.0 The RemindR Window
4.0 The File Maintenance Window
5.0 RemindR's Files
6.0 Typical Use of RemindR
7.0 Notes on Color
8.0 Technical Support
9.0 Coming Distractions

1.0 Overview
------------
Do you have trouble remembering all of the things you have to do today?
Do you write them on little slips of paper and then loose the paper?
Why not use your PC's memory? RemindR lets you put scheduled to-do
items in a file, and will automatically remind you when each one is due. 
  
RemindR has two windows. An overview of each is presented here. 
Details are presented in the following sections. The RemindR window shows
all items due today. The maintenance window lets you add, delete, or change
any to-do item in your file.

The RemindR window is automatically opened when RemindR starts. When a new
item comes due, it will automatically be added to RemindR's window. You can
optionally tell RemindR to sound a tone and pop-up its window whenever a
new item comes due. The RemindR window can be minimized to an icon and/or
optionally set "always on top". If set "always on top", RemindR's window
will "float" above other windows you have open (i.e., it is always kept
visible).

When you want to do file maintenance, select the Maint option from
RemindR's window. You can define several categories of items in your
file based upon how frequently you want to be reminded:

	* daily/time   (reminded every day at "time") 
	* weekly/time  (reminded on a specific day of week at "time")
	* monthly/time (reminded on a specific day of month at "time") 
	* by-date/time (reminded on that specific date/time)

See Section 6.0 (Typical Use of RemindR) for a discussion of when 
each of these items are displayed in the RemindR window, and how
long they remain.



2.0 Installation
----------------
The directory containing this README.TXT file will be referred to as 
the "distribution directory". The distribution directory should contain
the following files:

	CMDIALOG.VB_ 
	COMMDLG.DL_  
	DDEML.DL_   
	README.TXT
	REMINDR.EX_  
	SETUP.LST    
	SETUP.EXE  
	SETUP1.EX_    
	SETUPKIT.DL_     
	THREED.VB_    
	VBRUN300.DL_    
	VER.DL_     

If you have placed the distribution directory on your hard disk, it
should be given a temporary name (for example C:\JUNK). Do NOT use the
name REMINDR since this will be the name of RemindR's permanent directory.
After installation, the distribution directory can be removed from your
hard disk to save space (save a copy of the distribution directory on
a floppy).

Some of the files in the distribution directory are compressed; some are
only needed for the installation process. Follow the installation
directions (below). It contains steps to uncompress the files needed for 
RemindR and place them in a permanent RemindR directory on your hard disk.

To install RemindR:

1) If you have any Visual Basic applications running, shut them down.
   If you don't know whether any of your apps were created with Visual
   Basic, SETUP.EXE (step 4) will detect and tell you to shut them
   down. Unfortunately, SETUP.EXE can only tell if a VB application is
   running, but not its name. If necessary, shut down all apps.  
2) Start Windows File Manager.
3) Open a window for the distibution directory.
4) Double click SETUP.EXE (careful, there are several files with 
   similar names) and follow instructions. SETUP.EXE is an automated
   install program. It will first create a permanent directory for 
   RemindR (default is C:\REMINDR). Then, it will uncompress files from 
   the distribution directory, and copy them to the proper directories on
   your hard disk. The files copied are described below: 

The following file is uncompressed and copied to C:\REMINDR. This file
is RemindR's executable and is less than 80K bytes in length:

	REMINDR.EXE

The following files are uncompressed and copied to either the \WINDOWS
or the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM dir (depending upon whether you already have
an existing version; only older versions will be replaced). You may
already have some or all of these files on your hard disk (you 
probably have the first three). If none of these files exist on your
hard disk, then you'll need about 650K for ALL of them:  

	COMMDLG.DLL
	VER.DLL
	DDEML.DLL
	VBRUN300.DLL
	CMDIALOG.VBX
	THREED.VBX


The installation process will create a REMINDR group in your Program
Manager. After the installation is complete, drag the REMINDR icon 
from the REMINDR group to your STARTUP group (so RemindR will 
automatically start when you start Windows). You can then delete the 
RemindR group and its icon if you wish.

To manually start RemindR, just double click its icon or double click
REMINDR.EXE from the REMINDR directory.

After installation is complete, you can remove the original distribution
directory from your hard disk (save a copy on a floppy disk first). Do NOT
delete the files in C:\REMINDR


3.0 The RemindR Window
----------------------

When RemindR starts, it displays all currently due items in a window. 
The window can be resized, moved, minimized, or maximized. RemindR will
remember the size, location, colors, fonts, etc. of its window when you
close it.


3.1 RemindR's Menu Bar 
----------------------
* Options - Click to toggle (a check mark appears if the option is set):

   - Always On Top - Window (or its icon) floats above all other windows.
   - PopUp Alarm   - When a new item comes due, RemindR's window pops up.	
   - Audible Alarm - When a new item comes due, an audible alarm will sound.
   - Confirm Delete/Archive - Open a confirm window to delete/archive.
   - Show Menu/Title - Display menu & title bar. If this option is set off,
                     menu & title bar will not appear. RIGHT CLICK THE MOUSE
                     WHILE POINTER IS IN WINDOW TO TOGGLE MENU/TITLE BAR. 	
  ________________________________________________________________________

   - Colors ...    - Change foreground/background colors of window.
   - Fonts         - Change the font of text in window.
   - Clear Prefix  - When new items come due, they are placed into RemindR's
		     window with > as a prefix. In addition, > is also
		     placed next to RemindR's name in the title bar.
		     Click this option to clear all > marks 
		     (shortcut: Ctrl-Left Click).		   	

* Maint - Click to open/activate the file maintenance window. Both the
	  RemindR and file maintenance windows can be open simultaneously
	  (see next section for details on file maintenance).

* Close - Click to close the RemindR window. If the file maintenance window
	  is open, it will NOT be automatically closed (you must 
          specifically close that window when finished with file
	  maintenance).

* About - Displays a standard "about" window. Rumors that entering a complex
	  set of key strokes and mouse clicks from this window will show a
	  a hidden animated sequence showing the entire RemindR development
	  team (while listing their full names, social security numbers, and
	  the amount of change each has in their pocket) are totally untrue. 



4.0 The File Maintenance Window
-------------------------------

This window displays the contents of RemindR's data file in a
scrollable list box and provides buttons to perform standard file
maintenance.


4.1 File Maintenance Buttons
----------------------------
* Save    - Save the current contents of your RemindR file (as displayed
	    in the list box).

* Close   - Close the window. If your reminder file has been modified, but
	    not yet saved, you'll get a standard warning giving you the 
 	    option to save before closing. Closing the Maintenance window
	    will NOT automatically close the RemindR window.

* Add     - Add new reminders to your file. Clicking this button opens
	    a window with options to add daily items (reminded every day),
	    weekly items (reminded on specific day of week), monthly items
	    (reminded on specific day of month), and by-date items
	    (reminded on specific date).

* Delete  - Select one or more reminders in the list box, then click
	    the Delete button. If you have the Confirm Delete/Archive 
	    option set, you'll get a confirm window. Once in the confirm
	    window, you can only confirm the deletion of ALL items listed.
	    If you want to delete a subset of reminders shown in the confirm
	    list, click "NO!" to close the window and reselect those
	    reminders you want to delete. It you want to delete ALL of the
	    items in the list, click "delete".
	
* Change  - Select one or more reminders in the list box to be changed,
	    then click the Change button. You'll get SEPARATE windows
	    (in sequence) with each reminder where changes can be entered.
	   
* Archive - Select one or more reminders in the list box, then click
	    the Archive button. This option works just like delete.
	    A confirmation window is displayed (if option is set)
	    which gives you an all or none choice. If you do not want to 
	    archive ALL of the items in the list, select "NO!". If you
	    select "archive", ALL items listed are deleted from RemindR's
	    file and saved in an archive file. The archive file is kept in
	    the same directory as REMINDR.EXE and is called REMINDR.ARK
	    Note, however, that while REMINDR.ARK can be viewed by
	    any text editor (i.e., NOTEPAD), its contents CANNOT be copied
	    back to the RemindR data file (which uses date/time serial
	    numbers and day-of-week codes rather than strings).

* Ooops	  - Click this button to recover that critical file you deleted
	    last week and forgot to back up. Note: due to time constraints,
	    this option must be defered to the next release of RemindR.




4.2 File Maintenance Menu Bar
-----------------------------
* File . . .

   - Save AND Close  - save current contents of RemindR's data file and
		       close the maintenance window. Shortcut: Ctrl-S		
   - Close (no save) - Close the maintenance window. If changes have been 
		       made to the file, you'll get a warning with the
		       option to save first. Shortcut: Ctrl-C
   - View Archive    - View your archive file using Window's NOTEPAD.


* Reminders - Click to open/activate the RemindR window. If needed,
	      both the RemindR and file maintenance windows can be 
              open simultaneously. 

* Daily	    - Click to go directly to window that adds a daily reminder.

* Wkly	    - Click to go directly to window that adds a weekly reminder.

* Mthly	    - Click to go directly to window that adds a monthly reminder.

* ByDate    - Click to go directly to window that adds by-date reminder.

* About	    - Standard "about" window. Would you believe there's a hidden
	      screen that contains tomorrow's winning lottery numbers?
	      No? How about a screen with the standard plea to register?

To start the maintenance window directly (bypassing the RemindR window) from
File Manager, select REMINDR.EXE, click FILE, RUN, then add /m to the end of
the command line as follows: REMINDR.EXE /m 



5.0 RemindR's Files
-------------------

You'll find the following files in the REMINDR directory:

REMINDR.EXE	Executable (requires Windows 3.1 or later along with
		several VB files that are placed into \WINDOWS\SYSTEM during
		installation).

REMINDR.INI	Parameter & option file. Created the first time you open
		RemindR. Contains values (in a specific order) for each
		option and parameter (e.g., location and size of window,
		font used, colors, etc.) DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE MANUALLY.
		If you do make changes and RemindR stops working, just
		delete the file and re-start RemindR. If the file is missing,
		RemindR will create a pre-defined file with standard options
		(you will then have to re-customize colors, fonts, size,
		location of window, etc.).

REMINDR.DAT	Contains all of your scheduled items. DO NOT CHANGE THIS
		FILE MANUALLY. The dates/times are saved using an internal
		double word format. If you mess up the data, there's no
		way RemindR can recover it for you (you do make periodic
		backups of your hard disk, right???).

REMINDR.ARK	Archived items from RemindR's file. Instead of just deleting
		completed items, RemindR can archive them (can be used as a
		log of activities, etc.). Each item in the log is prefixed
		with the date/time that the item was archived (not to be
		confused with the date/time that the item was due - which
		here appears in text format rather than the internal double
		word representation). You CANNOT copy records from the 
		archive back to the data file (because the date/time formats
		are different).



6.0 Typical Use of RemindR
--------------------------

Place the RemindR icon in your Windows STARTUP group. When Windows
starts, it will automatically start RemindR. When RemindR starts,
it will open its window and display all items currently due.
RemindR will remember the position, colors, fonts, options, etc.
that were set when the RemindR window was last closed.

Set the Always On Top option, size window to a small area, move it to the
corner of your screen, and hide the menu/title bar. When a new item comes
due, it will automatically be placed into RemindR's window (and if you have
the Audible Alarm set, a tone will sound). You can either scroll your
reminders, or maximize the RemindR window, to examine to-do items.

Alternatively, you can un-set the Always On Top option, and set the
PopUp Alarm Option. When an item comes due, RemindR's window will pop
(in whatever application you happen to be using) to let you know that new
items have been placed in the window.

There are other variations, but I'm sure you get the idea.

All new items placed in the window are prefixed with the > symbol
(to distinguish them from items previously listed in the window).
In addition, the > symbol is placed next to RemindR's name in the title bar
(in case you are not at your PC when new items comes due, the > symbol in
the title bar will tell you that new items have come up). After examining
new items with the > prefix, clear the > symbol from all items (use the
Options menu, or the Ctrl-Left Click shortcut).

As you complete actions, or get new actions (ugh), right click the
RemindR window to bring back the menu/title bar if it was hidden, click the
Maint menu option to open the File Maintenance window, update your file as
necessary, Save & Close the File Maintenance window, and then re-hide the
RemindR window's menu/title bar to conserve space in its window. 

Instead of deleting completed action items, you can choose the Archive
option. This will give you a record of activities for future reference.

Here are the rules for when items appear in the RemindR window and how
long they remain:

* Items that come due are listed by type (first by-date, then monthly, 
  weekly, and daily). Within type, they are sorted by date/time.
  My rationale for listing the reminder types in the above order was to 
  place less frequently due items at the top of the window where they will
  be more easily seen. You'll probably be used to seeing the same Daily 
  items over and over. When a less frequently scheduled item (weekly, 
  monthly, or specific date) comes due, you'll want to see it first. 

* By-date items will be placed in the RemindR window on the date and time
  scheduled. They will remain in the window every day thereafter until
  you either delete them (from Maintenance Window) or change their
  due date/time.

* Monthly items will be placed in the RemindR window on their corresponding
  day of month at the time they are scheduled. They will remain in the
  window for the rest of that day. The next day, they will not appear.
  They will reappear the following month (if still scheduled).

* Weekly items will be placed in the RemindR window on their corresponding
  week-day at the time they are scheduled. They will remain in the
  window for the rest of that day. The next day, they will not appear.
  They will reappear the following week (if still scheduled).

* Daily items will be placed in the RemindR window every day
  at the time they are scheduled. They will remain in the
  window for the rest of that day. They will reappear the following
  day (if still scheduled). Daily items are useful for those tasks you
  want to continually appear until you get them done. Schedule these for
  some time before you boot your PC in the morning, and they will always
  appear in RemindR's window when you start-up each morning. 

* Even with the above order, if RemindR's window is sized to a small area,
  it's likely that the newest item that just caused RemindR to pop open
  might not be visible. If you are away from your PC when an item comes due,
  or have PopUp Alarm and Audible Alarm set off, you might not be able to
  tell when a new item has occured. To address this situation, RemindR has
  a "new item" indicator. The > symbol is placed next to each new item that
  comes due, and (to address the case where those items are not visible in
  RemindR's window without scrolling) the > symbol is also placed in the
  title bar in front of RemindR's name. Thus, by looking at the title bar,
  you can tell when one or more new items have come due, and by scrolling
  down (if necessary) you can determine which items are prefixed with the
  > symbol. After reviewing these new items,  clear the > symbol by either
  clicking the corresponding choice from the Options menu, or use the
  shortcut sequence of pressing Ctrl while Left Clicking the mouse pointer
  anywhere in RemindR's window.

  

7.0 Notes on Color
------------------
Note that when setting the background color, only solid colors can be
used. While the Color dialog box will let you pick a dithered color, doing
so will result in the corresponding solid color being used for the 
background (except for the border which will appear as the dithered color you
selected). A dithered color will appear as a shade of two or more solid
colors and is made by by combining pixels from each solid color.

In the dialog box that is opened when you select background color,
you'll see a color rectangle with the label: "Color|Solid".
(It will be in the lower right of the dialog box). This rectangle
shows the color you've selected and it's corresponding solid color.
If you've selected a solid color, both sides of the rectangle
will be identical. If you've selected a dithered color, it will appear
in the left side of the rectangle and the corresponding solid color
will be on the right. In this case, if you click OK, the dithered color
you selected will appear as the border with the corresponding solid
color as the actual background of the text.

When selecting foreground colors, the corresponding solid color will
the the color used for text.

These are limitations of Window's common dialog box library which is used
by RemindR for selecting colors.



8.0 Technical Support
--------------------
Registered users may send comments, questions, and requests for future
enhancements to:

	Allen Lang
	121 Windsor Commons
	Cranbury, NJ  08512

BE SURE TO INDICATE WHICH VERSION YOU HAVE (click "About" on the menu to see
the version number of your copy).


9.0 Coming Distractions
-----------------------
You will be given the option to define your holidays, vacations, and
planned absences. On the day before you leave, RemindR will then tell you
about items that will be due on these days. On Friday, RemindR will also
optionally tell you about items that will be due over the weekend.

