InfoMagic 

INSTALLATION:

Requires Windows 95.  

To be safe, exit all other programs before installing. Create a temporary folder (directory) and unpack the self-extracting file (run IMagicxx.exe) in this directory.  Since you're reading this, you've probably already unpacked.   (If you got the program on 2 floppies, copy all files from both disks into this directory.)  Using whatever method you prefer for installing new software, run the Setup.exe program you'll find in this directory.  If you have no preferred method, just double-click on the Setup.exe file.

START UP:

Unless you've used a similar memory aid before, it may be hard to immediately see the value of this tool.  It's worthless the first day you install it and, virtually useless for the first few weeks-- until you've collected stuff in it for a while.  It only becomes valuable AFTER you've collected bits, facts and stuff, and had time to forget them.  The longer you use it the more valuable it becomes.  The first time you run InfoMagic it may be a little puzzling.  Because you haven't yet entered anything, you face an essentially empty screen with nothing telling you what to do next.  Trying to help with this, I start you with a folder named ‘A First Folder' and include a copy of this Readme document in it.  I suggest you create your own folder and delete this one, but it's the only way I could think of to help get past the blank screen stare.

Since I wrote it for myself, I stopped when I got most of the features I wanted.  I've begun to get requests for "improvements" so, if 100 people like it and agree to pay $15 for an enhanced copy, I'll add a few features like the ones listed at the end of this readme.  Mail your promise to infomagic@iname.com .  Please don't do this unless you mean it, I have lots of things I want to do with my time.

ABOUT InfoMagic:

I wrote this application for myself--I'm an old guy with a bad memory.  I started to name it Haltzheimer's.  For me, it's the most straightforward way to keep track of the flurry of bits and pieces of facts, data, information that are constantly sweeping over me.  

Credit card numbers.
Organization/clubs names and contacts. 
The product I used to clean the rust off the driveway. 
My son's latest girlfriend.
To do lists. 
The brands, types and tints of paint we used when repainting.  
Time of day the various mailboxes in my area are picked up.  
Library hours.  
A list of area codes and time zones for major cities.  
Names & numbers of recommended handymen, doctors, lawyers, books, etc.
People who have special knowledge and are willing to share it.  E.g., Judy Fox--growing roses
Various lists
Dates of purchase, warranty period, serial & model numbers and company 800
     numbers for TV, dryer, dishwasher, etc.
The name of the good waiter at Fulondo's Restaurant.  
Bank account numbers.
Interest rates paid at various local banks.
The names, prescription #,  and dosages of my medicines.  
An inventory of where items are stored.  E.g., paint brushes - Box 44 - hall closet
Driver's license numbers, car license plate & VIN (motor) numbers.
When were services/repairs (e.g. lawn fertilized) last done, by whom.  
Names and numbers of city councilmen and other elected officials.
The list is literally endless.  I hope this illustrates the idea.

I also use it to store text files from various sources, such as:
 
How-to instructions.  
A list of friends, their phone numbers, addresses, etc.
Short histories.  
Web pages captured in text.  
The book of Genesis.  
Jokes received e-mail.  
Text articles from the web (Newsweek, USNews, etc.)  
Any text file can be stored in, and searched for using, InfoMagic.

You can quickly locate any fact you have saved by searching for a word or words it contains -- see Eckerds illustration below.  You'll get a list of search results (hits, matches).  Just click on the item you were looking for and InfoMagic will take you to it instantly.  Note: Some people are confused by the vertical bars (——) which often appear in the search results (hits) list.  They represent the end of a line (carriage return).

InfoMagic is based on the KISS method.  Keep It Simple Stupid!  It's partly modeled on a DOS Personal Information Manager (PIM) I used for many years that finally became too obsolete and clumsy to use in Windows.  When I looked for a replacement I discovered modern PIMs (e.g., Sidekick) have dropped their information management function, and evolved into desktop calendars with flip-files.  These are useful and necessary, but they're not information managers if you define information like Webster and I do--"facts and data."  Also, moving my all my stuff to a new PIM is a real project so, I wanted this to be the last time I have to go through that transfer process. 

InfoMagic is completely freeform.  There's no trying to conform to somebody else's idea of how to layout or organize information or trying fit your data into their forms.  Everything is put on/in plain documents which are kept in folders. That's it -- documents kept in folders.

You can have as many folders as you want, and each folder will hold as many documents as you want, but I discourage this kind of proliferation as you will see below.

I suggest you use InfoMagic like you use junk drawer storage.  Begin with from one  to, maybe, four documents.  Paste everything you want to remember into one of these.  I started with a single folder named NOTES containing the following three documents:

Facts 
Names
Organizations

I didn't expand beyond this for a long time, except for putting whole text documents in a folder named STORAGE.

The ultimate KISS is a single storage unit (junk drawer).  That is, one document named ‘Everything' in a folder named ‘Notes'.  This will work great and may be the best approach.  You'll never spend time deciding where to put a Fact that has to do with an Organization. 

The real trick to InfoMagic is not having to organize.  You just throw everything into it like you do junk drawers, then find it using the search tool.  Over time you'll probably develop a habit of adding extra key words that might come to mind when trying to locate a fact, for example I spell Eckerds, Ekards and sometime Eckards so all 3 spellings are included.  I didn't have the foresight to add these when I first made the original Eckerds entry, I added the wrong spellings after unsuccessful searches using these spellings, so they'd hit next time.  These extra keywords are only a minor enhancement, the concept works amazingly well without them.  Because you write the original notes in your words, when you want to find something these are the words most likely to come to your mind. 

RENAMING DOCUMENTS: 

Click on the document name displayed above the editor window, change the name and press ENTER.

SEARCHER:

Right now the searcher searches all of the documents in the currently selected folder.  If you want to search another folder you must select that folder first, then do the search.

AUTODIALER:

If you have a phone at your computer and your modem's connected to the same line, InfoMagic will dial any number your cursor is resting on.  Just put the cursor on any number you want to dial and click the Dial icon on the toolbar.   In addition to the DIAL and STOP buttons, pressing ENTER (Carriage Return) once starts the dialing--pressing it again stops the dialing.  You can also use this feature to tone in account numbers on phone banking services, or prescription numbers on automated pharmacy refill systems.  Because it's designed around phone numbers it will only automatically dial numbers that are from 7 to 14 digits long.  If you use brackets [ ] in your phone numbers you will need to go into Options and tell it to ignore/accept brackets in numbers.

SOME MORE KISS-ING:

InfoMagic stores everything in plain ASCII text (*.txt) files.  Most PIMs use proprietary file formats, forcing you go through a painful process if your ever want to change.  ASCII files are the most basic and universal computer files, so any information you save using InfoMagic is as flexible and transportable as you can get in the computer world.  Because it's the universal file format, you can incorporate existing *.txt files into InfoMagic.  Just use Explorer to drop the files into the appropriate InfoMagic directory (folder).  You can view, edit or create InfoMagic data files using Notepad or any ASCII editor.  You can also use your word processor--just remember to ‘Save As' a DOS, ASCII or TEXT file.

YOU'RE  WELCOME:

I enjoy thank-you's.  I'd like to hear if you're using the program, and any novel uses you've found for it.  If you send me your email address I'll send you a note when I post any updates.

UPDATES & CORRECTIONS:

Updates and bug fixes are available for download at:

http://members.xoom.com/InfoMagic/

COPYRIGHT:

This program is free, but it is Copyrighted.  Pass it around at will, but you mustn't alter the credits, the copyright information, the executable files, or this readme file.  

jim evans
infomagic@iname.com

                                   POSSIBLE FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS. 

Emphasis on the word possible -- Stuff like:

Expanded search features:
	across folders, 
	Boolean OR, 
	whole words
	search within an individual document
Automatic screen resizing for different screen resolutions
Undo for document save or deletion
Print ability
Toggle between proportional and fixed pitch font (Courier) in document editor 
Tabbing
Date-time stamp
An option to auto-find numbers longer than phone numbers
Maybe a daily reminder
Maybe a facility to let user create personalized entry forms/checklists
Ability to move a document to a different folder
Fix bugs brought to my attention.


APPENDIX:

This use takes a too much explanation to include in my list of illustrated uses above.

A few years ago we moved into a house that was much smaller and also had seriously inadequate storage.  We came up with this system to optimize storage of low use items.  

Empty copy-machine paper boxes are readily available in our area.  They're rugged and a nice size for miscellaneous storage & handling--about 18" x 12" x 10" high. [NOTE: if some items make a box too heavy, e.g., books, cut the box in half so they're easier to handle.]  We put almost everything we don't use weekly into these boxes.  Each box has a unique number written on all sides, so you can see it no matter how the box is stacked.  Each box number, where the box is located/stored and an inventory of the items in that box are recorded in a document named BOXES. Anytime we need to find anything--no matter how long it's been since we last used it-- we just search on it's name and, viola, we find it immediately. 

We store the boxes anywhere a bit of extra space can be found.  I can get about 50 full-size boxes in one relatively small guest bedroom closet.  We have about 150 of these boxes.  You do have to pull off the boxes on top to get to the lower ones so, always put the last one used back on top of its stack (LIFO).  You'll find that, over time, boxes with rarely used items drift to the bottom and regularly used items to the top.  


                                   Disclaimer

      Jim Evans and Let's Reason Together (LRT) hereby disclaim all 
      warranties relating to this software, whether express or implied, 
      including without limitation any implied warranties of merchant- 
      ability or fitness for a particular purpose. LRT will not be liable 
      for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar 
      damages due to use of this software, even if LRT or an agent of LRT 
      has been advised of the possibility of such damages.   The person 
      using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of 
      the software. 
