README.TXT   dL Tecnology

dIndex Pro TestWare version.

This TestWare version provides all the facilities of dIndex, with the 
exception that files may not be saved and barcodes are disfigured.

Please note that the barcode creation and printing
facilities of this version are derived from the Professional Edition
of dIndex, and are NOT present in the Standard Edition

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The dLSoft Install program will install dIndex into a user specified subdirectory. 

The distribution disk contains compressed files which must be decompressed
by the install program before use. FILES WILL NOT WORK IF COPIED
WITHOUT USING THE INSTALL PROGRAM.

Run the INSTALL program on this disk from within Windows. When using 
Pogram Manager, insert this disk in your drive (A: or B:), select RUN from 
the FILE menu, and type A:INSTALL (or B:INSTALL) and click on OK. 
INSTALL will prompt you for an installation directory name.  During 
installation a library file name "COMMDLG.DLL" is copied into the 
installation directory. If your system already contains a more recent copy 
of this file on the Windows path, the version which comes with dIndex may 
be deleted from the installation directory.

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Background dialog

The background colour and page boundary colour used by dIndex may be set 
from the SET BACKGROUND option of the DISPLAY menu.

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Form/Label dialog

The Form/Label sizes dialog has a new procedure for changing the definition
of a form/label size:
1) Select the name of the form/label which it is desired to change from the 
list in the forms/labels listbox on the left of the dialog.
2) Make the required changed to the name, sizes and repeat numbers.
3) Push the Accept changes button when you are satisfied with the new 
definitions.
4) If you wish to make the changes permanent, check the Save on OK box.
5) Push the OK button. 

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Import dialog

The Import dialog has been modified by the addition of a check box which, 
if checked, results in the removal of quotation marks (") from imported data. 
This has been provided to allow for the easier import of some types of comma 
delimited files.

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Print dialog

The PRINT dialog has been simplified, by the movement of a number of the 
less commonly used options to a second dialog box called the PRINT 
OPTIONS DIALOG. This dialog is also the one summoned when PRINTER 
SETUP is chosen from the FILE menu.

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Replacement dates

The Replacement date (the date which replaces the ^ symbol) may now be 
specified, although it continues to default to the current date. The date format
 is now the format set within the Windows Control Panel. 
See the HELP system for details.

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Page view

The Page View option now displays the white form(s) background at the size 
specified in the forms/label dialog. The superimposed black rectangle shows
the prinable area of the page reported by the Windows printer driver. The 
position of this rectangle will be determined by the current margin and paper 
feed settings of the Print Options dialog. Note that some laser printers in 
landscape mode print the page justified to the righthand margin rather than 
the normal lefthand margin, and that this is significant if the physical pages 
fed to the printer are smaller than the size specified in the printersetup dialog.

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Command line startup

dIndex may be started from a command line which may include any or all of the 
following parameters in any order:

[path]dIndex.exe [path]filename.dlx [path]stylename.dls /p /t

where the filename and/or stylename are the names of files which will be 
loaded automatically on startup, and /p indicates that form/labels for the 
entire database will be printed immediately. /t indicates that dIndex will close
after printing, and should be used only in conjunction with /p.

The autoprinting facility has been incoporated to allow automatic unattended 
printing following startup. It is the user's responsibilty to ensure that the 
printer setup is correct in the chosen style, that the printer is available, and 
(if a printer spooler is used) that the system contains sufficient disk space to 
handle the volume of printing.

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Sample styles

The sample styles are supplied with non-TrueType font settings for 
compatability with Windows 3.0. If you are currently using Windows 3.1 
with TrueType enabled you may wish to change these settings to a suitable 
TrueType font for improved screen display.

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Graphics elements

A picture element may contain a graphics image which may be pasted from the
clipboard (using PASTE PICTURE) or imported from a file in .CLP, .BMP, .DIB,
.PCX, .WMF or .TIF format (using EDIT SELECTION).






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Version 2.2  additional details                                       

dIndex now allows any field other than the index field to display graphics images.
The images may be stored in files in the database directory, using .CLP, .BMP, .DIB,
.PCX, .WMF or .TIF formats. Each image file may be selected by pushing the IMAGE 
button in the field block editor. See the HELP system for details.

Note that only standard (public) TIF format records may be imported. Private
record formats defined by some manufacturers for their own purposes will not
be interpretted by dIndex.

dIndex now allows each Field to have its own font. The Field font option 
now sets the font for fields which do not have their own font assigned 
through the Selection font option.

Fields may start with the Replacement date character and may be followed 
by an added number of days to advance the date (eg. ^+7). This facility 
allows labels with"Sell by" or "Best before" dates to be created readily.

dIndex now displays by default in Printer View rather than Normal View 
as described in the manual. If you are planning to follow the tutorial 
introduction you may wish to set dIndex into normal view as soon as 
you start the program. This may be achieved by clicking on the NORMAL 
item of the DISPLAY menu.

In response to user requests, the Index field may now be hidden (ie non-printing). 
To implement this the EDIT SELECTION menuitem of the EDIT menu has 
been split intotwo items: EDIT SELECTION and FORMAT SELECTION. 
EDIT SELECTION summons the appropriate editor for editing the content of a 
selected block, while FORMAT SELECTION summons a formatting editor for 
fields, allowing the field text to be centred, left or right aligned, wordwrapped 
or hidden. See the HELP system for details.

Professional version:

Barcodes may now be created from the Index field as well as from any other 
field.The Barcode dialog field selection combo box now includes an entry 
"First", indicating that the first field of the record (the Index field) may be 
used asthe barcode source.


Version 2.3

dIndex has been upgraded to include additional barcode types not described in the
manual. Please see Barcode types in the HELP system for details.

The Barcode dialog now includes a check box for optionally including in the text
display check digits for those codes for which such digits are optional. This is in
addition to the check box for including the check digit within the barcode.

In list view a record may now be deleted by selecting the record and pressing the
delete key. This is particularly useful if the database has been arranged in Index
order (or last word order) for locating duplicate entries and removing them.

Professional version: Rectangle/Box elements may now have a colour background 
set. Select the element and choose EDIT SELECTION from the EDIT menu.

Version 2.4

Command line option (/i) permits automatic loading of a non-standard format database.
See HELP system for details.

Text within fixed text blocks may now be aligned (left, right or centre) through the
text alignment dialog, accessed by choosing Format Selection from the EDIT menu 
when a text block is selected.

The Snap grid may be made visible (in Printer and Maximise views) through the snap dialog. The grid is drawn using the Border colour set in the Background colour dialog. 

Professional version: Barcodes for EAN/ISSN/ISBN and UPC now created in 
standard format.

Version 2.5

Text blocks, Sequence blocks and Date blocks may be rotated left or right
when using TrueType fonts. Orientation may be specified in the Text Format dialog
invoked by choosing Format Selection on the Edit menu.

Graphics and Barcodes (Pro versions) are now handled in DLL libraries.
Professional version: Barcodes may now be rotated left or right with correct
text alignment when using TrueType fonts.

Corners (or Blobs) may be shown on selected elements by setting a Selection Blob
size (in mm) greater than zero in the Snap setting dialog.

When printing many copies of a label, the Print dialog now offers the option to
duplicate a page of labels. When this option is selected dIndex will send one page 
of labels to the printer together with instructions to print multiple copies of the
page. Note that this option is available only for printers which support multiple
copies.

Version 2.6

Text blocks may now use word-wrapping to fit into a drawn region. Word-wrapping 
for text blocks and fields is now available for rotated blocks as well as blocks of
normal orientation  The Grid element calculations now allow for many more grid lines.
In the Pro version EAN barcode margin indicators and ITF barcode bearer bars may 
be turned on or off.

The display magnification factor used for the Maximised view may now be set by choosing Set Scale from the Display menu. The allowed magnification range is
50% to 1000%, where the 100% default is the scale which fits the current printer 
page width to the width of the screen display.

The thickness of bars in barcodes may now be reduced by a specified percentage
to allow for either wet ink printing, or for certain laser printer drivers which draw
rectangles thicker than instructed. See the Barcode Dialog in the HELP system
for details. The barcode system now supports 4 State, US PostNet and FIM codes.
  
Sorting may now be carried out nuerically as well as alphabetically. See the Record
Index dialog in the HELP system for details.

The range of font sizes has been extended to 2 - 1024 points, although sizes outside
the range 8 - 72 must be inserted manually into the size box in the Font Dialog.

Version 2.7 

Text blocks may now be inverted as well as rotated.
The printer setup dialog has been updated to function sensibly with Windows NT and 95.
Double clicking on an element while holding down the <shift> / <Control> / <Alt> key
now provides a short cut to menu action.
Replacement dates may now be folowed by a format specifier to allow for varied date
formats.
Fields may now be sythesised by concatentaing other fields.
Full (normal) menus or User (short) menus may now be selected from the Options menu.
This allows styles to be password protected and so immune from tampering by
inexperienced users.

See HELP system for details.

End of README.TXT March 1995

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