Copyright: Help information ® 1992 Leonard A. Gray


Table of Contents
Contents for Almanac Help

If you would like to learn how to use Help, press F1.

How To...

Add Pre-defined Holidays and Events

Arrange Almanac's Desktop

Attach Notes to an item

Create a To Do item

Define overlay files

Enter Dates into Edit Controls

Minimize to a desktop clock

Navigate within Almanac

Operate the tool ribbon

Print and Change Print Settings

Schedule an Appointment

Use Jewish Calendar Options

Commands...

File Menu Commands

Edit Menu Commands

Options Menu Commands

Main Menu Commands

ToDo Menu Commands

Window Menu Commands

Help Menu Commands


File menu
File Menu Commands

Open

Opens an existing calendar file.

Save

Saves the current calendar settings and overlay filenames to the active calendar file.

Save As...

Displays a standard Save As dialog to save the current calendar settings and overlay filenames to a new calendar file.

Page Layout...

Used to define the page orientation, header/footer settings, and page margins (see Printing).

Print...

Instructs Almanac to send calendar or schedule information to the printer (see Printing).

Change Printer...

Used to select and configure a target printer.

Set Wallpaper

Selecting this option causes Almanac to install a background image of the current contents of Almanac's Main window onto the Window's desktop.

Exit

Closes the Almanac program.


Edit menu
Edit Menu Commands

The Edit menu is used to edit text within the Notes window.

Undo

This option becomes available after any changes have been made to the text in the Notes window.  Selecting it will undo the last change which was made to the text.

Cut

Removes the currently selected text in the Notes window and places it in the Windows clipboard.

Copy

Copies the currently selected text in the Notes window to the Windows clipboard.

Paste

Pastes text from the Windows clipboard into the Notes window at the current entry point.

Clear

Deletes the currently selected text in the Notes window.


Options menu
Options Menu Commands

The Options menu contains selections which allow you to customize the appearance and operation of the calendar and accessories.

All options are saved in the calendar file and restored when the file is re-opened.

Calendar...

Activates the Calendar Options dialog.  Used to set options for the calendar operation of the Main window.

Scheduler...

Activates the Scheduler Configuration dialog.  Used to configure the Scheduler tool window.

ToDo...

Activates the To-Do Configuration dialog.  Used to configure features of the To-Do tool window.

Overlays...

Activates the Calendar Overlays dialog to configure or edit overlay information for the current calendar.

Colors...

This selection activates the Almanac Color Settings dialog.  Used to customize Almanac's on-screen display.

Directories...

Used to view or change disk directories used in Almanac.

The Default Overlay Path is used to initialize the file open dialog when opening overlay files.

The Data Base Path is used to store all information entered into the Notes, Scheduler, and ToDo tool windows.  You can change this path for different calendar files to allow more than one data base of information to be managed.

Fonts...

Activates the Almanac Fonts dialog to change screen and/or printer fonts.

Icon Clock...

Almanac can minimize itself to a desktop clock rather than a regular Windows icon (see Icon Clock under Running as an Icon).

A check mark next to this selection indicates that the iconic clock is currently configured.

Selecting Icon Clock will activate the Almanac Icon dialog to allow the iconic clock to be enabled/disabled and to reveal more options.

Location...

Activates the Current Location dialog used to select a geographical location.  This information is used by Almanac to calculate time zones, sunrise and sunset time, and phases of the moon.

The pre-defined geographical data used by Almanac resides in the location data base file, ALMLOCN.DAT.  The file is in plain ASCII text format,, and can be customized to meet your preferences.  Each record in the file contains an entry for a location, its latitude and longitude, the standard time zone and its offset from GMT, and optionally a daylight time zone and the earliest beginning and ending dates for the time changes.

Sound...

Activates the Almanac Sound Setup dialog, used to associate digital sound files to Almanac's audible alarms.


Main menu
Main Menu Commands

Selections on this menu are related to Almanac's Main calendar window.

Year View

Places the Main window into year display mode.

Month View

Places the Main window into month display mode.

Day View

Places the Main window into day display mode.

QuickEdit...

Acitvates the QuickEdit dialog for the current date.

Date...

Acitvates a dialog that prompts for the desired month, day, and year to move to.

Today

Used to move to today.

(Mouse users can double-click anywhere on the surface of Almanac's tool bar to quickly reset to today).


ToDo menu
ToDo Menu Commands

View Pending / View All

These two options are used to set the visibility of items in the To Do window list box.

Select View Pending to limit the list to active items (To Do Item dialog; Activate Date).

Select View All to include all defined items in the list.  Useful for accessing items which are not currently active.

Add

Used to add items to the To Do window.  The keyboard equivalent of the To Do window's "+" tool button.

Modify

Used to edit the currently selected item in the To Do window.  The keyboard equivalent of double-clicking on an entry in the To Do list box.

Check Complete

Used to mark the currently selected item of the To Do window as completed.  The keyboard equivalent of the To Do window's check mark tool button.

Archive

Used to archive the currently selected item of the To Do window.  The keyboard equivalent of the To Do window's file cabinet tool button.


Window menu
Window Menu Commands

The Window menu is provided for keyboard users.  Almanac's tool buttons provide these functions for the mouse.

Launch Notes / Schedule / ToDo

These three selections are used to create the Notes, Scheduler, and ToDo tool windows.

If any of these selections is unavailable (grayed), the tool window is already active.  It may be covered by another window.  In this case you should find the tool window listed on the bottom of this menu.  Select this entry to bring the window to the top and/or reactivate a minimized tool window.

Reset Desk

Used to reset the state of Almanac's desktop to that which was last saved in the current calendar file..

1 Main / 2 (tool window) / 3 etc...

The bottom area of the Window menu is used to track all of the active windows within Almanac.

The active window will be checked.  Select any of the other entries to activate and restore another window.


Help menu
Help Menu Commands

Contents

Used to enter Almanac Help at the Table of Contents

Seach for Help on...

Used to access Almanac Help by searching keywords.

How to Use Help

Use this selection to get Help on Windows Help.

About Almanac...

Displays a standard Windows About... dialog for Almanac.


Calendar Options dialog

This dialog, accessed from the Options.Calendar menu selection, is used to set options for the display and operation of the Main window.

Mode

Almanac's internal calendar engine is based upon the modern Gregorian calendar.  This combo box is used to choose one of three modes that Almanac can emulate on your display and printer.  You can select either the standard Gregorian calendar, the Jewish calendar, or a hybrid Gregorian/Jewish format.

Week Begin

Sets the day of the week that appears leftmost in Almanac's calendars.

Red Letter Days

Can be used to cause the numerals of Saturday and/or Sunday to be displayed in red.

Prior/Next Months

Used to control the display of the small calendars in the upper left and right corners of the month calendar.

The calendars can be viewed for convenience, or turned off to provide more room for the date cells of the calendar.

Notes on month

A musical note symbol will be displayed in a monthly date cell when General Notes have been attched to the date.

Time Changes

Transitions from standard time to daylight savings time are marked on the calendar when this option is checked.

Moon Phases

Checking this option will display graphics for the four phases of the moon on the month calendar display.  The day display also lists the local time of transition for each phase.

Daily Almanac

Checking this option will include sunrise and sunset information (and moon phase data, if selected) on the Main window day view.


Scheduler Configuration dialog

This dialog, accessed from the Options.Scheduler menu selection, is used to configure options for the Scheduler tool window.

Increment Minutes

Selects the resolution of the time divisions along the left side of the Scheduler window.

The distance between each increment is set to the height of the Tool font.

Summary Bar

The Summary bar appears at the right side of the Scheduler window.  Rectangles mark events which occur between its start and end hours.  A dark rectangle half the width of the summary bar marks the period currently displayed in the main area of the Scheduler.

Start Hour

The initial hour of the day displayed on the summary bar.

End Hour

The last hour of the day displayed on the summary bar.

Initial Hour

Sets the time that the Scheduler is initially positioned to when a date change occurs.

This time is not used for the current day (today), where the Scheduler will position itself to the current hour.

Default Alarm

The number of minutes that the alarm time is initialized before an event.

This is only a default setting, alarms can be adjusted for each event.  The value should be zero or negative.


To-Do Configuration dialog

This dialog, accessed from the Options.ToDo menu selection, is used to configure options for the To-Do tool window.

Sort Sequence

The To-Do tool list box of items can be sorted in one of two ways:

1)	Sorted by priority then by required date (all priority one items appear in ascending date sequence followed by all priority two items, etc...).

2)	Sorted by required date then by priority (items are listed according to when they are due, with higher priority items listed before lower priority items required by the same time).

Remove completed items after __ days

Almanac will automatically remove items from the to do list which have been marked as completed.  Set the number of days that you wish items to continue appear on your to do list after they have been completed.

Archive to-do items removed by Almanac

To do items can optionally be removed from the to do list and recorded to an ASCII text file (TODO-HST.TXT) when they have been completed, a process called archiving.  Selecting this option will archive completed items that Almanac automatically removes from the to do list.


Calendar Overlays dialog

This dialog, accessed from the Options.Overlays menu selection, is used to control the overlays that display holidays, anniversaries, and other events on the calendar.

Active Overlays

Displays the overlay files which are active for the current calendar.  This list can be maintained using the control buttons located to its right.

Double-clicking on an overlay file appearing in the list is the same as pushing the Edit button.

Selection Pathname

This read only edit box displays the drive and directory of the currently selected overlay in the Active Overlays list box.

Create

Used to create a new overlay file.  The new overlay file is automatically add to the Active Overlays list when it is saved.

Add

Used to add an existing overlay file to your current calendar display.  Activates an Open File dialog box to select the overlay file.

Edit

Activates a dialog box used to edit the overlay file which is currently selected in the Active Overlays list.

Remove

Removes the overlay file currently selected in the Active Overlays list from the current calendar.

Removing an overlay from the current calendar does not delete the overlay file from disk.

Clear All

Clears all overlays from the current calendar.


Color Settings dialog
Almanac Color Settings dialog

This dialog, accessed from the Options.Colors menu selection, allows customization of the colors used to display Almanac on screen.

Basic Colors

Contains a selection of standard colors that can be selected for your current video display.  Some of the colors are pure and some are blends of two colors.

Select a color by clicking on it with the mouse or position to a color and then press the space bar.  The color you select will replace the color of the currently selected Almanac display area.  The display areas are shown and selected in the illustrator box located in the upper right corner of the dialog.

Screen Area:

Used to select the area of Almanac's display to set the color for.  Mouse users can simply click on the area of the display in the illustrator box to set the current selection.

Custom Colors

This control maintains sixteen colors of your own choice.  Colors are selected the same way as with the Basic Colors control.  (see Define Custom Colors below for creating new colors).

Define Custom Colors

Expands the color dialog, revealing controls used to create or edit custom colors.

Custom color controls

The custom color section contains a full complement of controls for mouse and keyboard selections.

The large rainbow control is used to blend the color components using a mouse.  The thin luminosity control directly to its right is used to select the intensity of the color.  Make sure this control is not set to either extreme or you will only be able to create black and white results.

The Red, Green, and Blue edit boxes below the rainbow control provide another way to create colors.  Exact color values for each of the red, green, blue (RGB) components can be specified.

The Hue, Sat., and Lum. edit boxes are yet a third way of specifying a color.  These values correspond to the HLS color model which represents colors and intensities along a cone shaped formula.

The Color|Solid control displays the currently mixed color and the closest solid (pure) color.  Double-clicking on the solid color will cause the custom controls to re-set to define the pure color.

Saving a custom color

Choose the Add Color button to cause the current custom color mix to be saved in one of the Custom Color boxes.


Fonts dialog
Almanac Fonts dialog

This dialog, accessed from the Options.Fonts menu selection, is used to change the screen and/or printer fonts used by Almanac.  The screen fonts are selected independently of any printer fonts to allow you to choose those best suited for each purpose.

Set Fonts For:

Select either Printer or Display to place the dialog into the desired mode.

Text areas:

Contains entries for the various areas that Almanac can use a different font.  The areas each one affects are:

Month and Year Titles (Display)

On month calendars, this is the current month and year centered near the top of the calendar.  For year calendars, this is the year displayed above the calendar area.

Month Days and Dates (Display)

This selection includes the day of week headings and date numerals which appear in month calendar displays.

Month Event Text (Display)

The text within the date cells of the month display.  Overlay events and schedule information are displayed in this area.

Mini Calendars (Last/Next and Year) (Display)

Used for the body of the year calendar display, as well as the prior and next months on the month display.

Day Calendar (Display)

This is the font used for the day view calendar display of the Main window.

Almanac will automatically create a bold version of this font to distinguish headings on the day view.

Tool Windows (Display)

The font selected for tools is used by all of Almanac's tool windows - the Scheduler, Notes, and To-Do list.

Almanac will automatically create a bold version of this font to distinguish headings where appropriate.

Printer Fonts

The printer font selections are used almost identically to those for the display.  There are two exceptions:

(1)	Two fonts areas are provided to allow different settings for the body of the year calendar, and for the prior/next months in the month calendar.

(2)	An additional area called Title is available to select the font used for printing a title as a headers or footer.


Icon Clock dialog

This dialog, accessed from the Options.Icon Clock menu selection, is used to select the option of displaying Almanac as a desktop clock when the program is minimized, instead of an icon.

Display clock when minimized

Checking this box will cause Almanac to minimize to a desktop clock, and will enable the remaining controls in the dialog.

Removing the check will cause Almanac to minimize to a standard desktop icon and will disable the Iconic Clock controls.

Always on top

Selecting this option will cause Almanac's desktop clock icon to remain on top of any other regular desktop windows.  (Windows 3.1.)

Display time (date, day of week)

The last three check boxes in the Iconic Clock section request Almanac to display time, date, and/or the day of the week in the desktop clock.  At least one of these items must be selected.


Sound Setup dialog
Almanac Sound Setup dialog

This option, accessed from the Options.Sound menu selection, is made available if Almanac detects the presence of Multi-Media sound extensions in your Windows configuration.  It is used to associate digital sound files (*.WAV) with Almanac audible alarms.

Alarm

Contains entries for eight different audible alarms.  Almanac has four internal alarms that it can sound.  These internal alarms are used in the absence of multimedia sound.  The internal alarms used for alarms one through four are repeated for alarms five through eight.

Select the alarm you wish to associate with a digital sound file from this list box.

Test

Plays the currently selected alarm.

Description

Used to attach a description of the alarm.  It will appear in the Scheduler dialog alarm combo box.

Possible uses can be to describe the recorded sound (Cuckoo clock) or to describe the type of event it is used for (Coffee Break).

Sound File

The file name of the digital sound file.  It will contain "None" if the alarm has no external file association.

Set File

Displays a file open dialog to allow the selection of a sound file.

Internal

Clears any current sound file association with the alarm (Sound File set to "None").


Almanac Desktop

Almanac uses the Windows Multiple Document Interface (MDI).  The Main document window is used to display the calendar.  Three additional "tool" document windows are available: a notepad, a scheduler, and a to-do list.

The Main window is always active.  It displays calendar information according to the current display mode, identified by one of the three calendar mode buttons on the tool bar.  Year, month, and day view modes can be selected by clicking on the appropriate tool button or by making a selection from the Window menu.

The three tool windows can be activated by either clicking on the appropriate tool bar button, or by selection from the Window menu.

Arranging the desktop

Almanac's desktop can be customized to suit individual preferences.  The desktop state can then be stored in a calendar file by selecting File.Save or File.Save As... to preserve the arrangement.  You can select Window.Reset Desk or click on the reset tool button (located at far right on tool bar) to automatically reset to this default arrangement during an Almanac session.

A discussion of window settings, fonts, and colors follows.  All of these items can be configured and saved within a calendar file.

Window Arrangments

The windows which are currently active, their positions, sizes, and states (normal, iconic, maximized), are all written to the calendar file when it is saved.

You should position and size the windows to best complement your own use of Almanac.

Save the calendar file using File.Save whenever you would like to reset your default desktop to the current configuration.

Display Fonts

Select Options/Fonts... to change the display fonts.  Save the calendar file to make the new settings permanent.

Colors

You can change the color of the calendar grid, the highlight rectangle, as well as the theme color and shadow used to accent the document windows.  Select Options.Colors... to change the color configuration.


Desktop Clock

Almanac can be minimized to a clock instead of the normal desktop icon.  The clock displays the current time, date, and/or day of week.  To configure the minimized desktop clock, select Icon Clock... from the Options menu to activate the Almanac Icon dialog.

A small horizontal window is displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen when Almanac is minimized and this option is first selected.  You can position the clock anywhere on the desktop that you would like.  Drag the window with the left mouse button, or select Move from Almanac's system menu (Alt-Space) and reposition the window using the keyboard arrows.


Notes Tool Window

This window is used to attach text to a date, a to-do item, or an appointment.

The Notes window will display a note page for each type of event as it is highlighted, and recall any existing text for that event.  A General Notes page will display for the selected day when the Main window is active in the month or day modes.  Pages will appear in the Notes window for the selected to-do item when the ToDo window is active and for the selected appointment if the Scheduler window is active.

Enter information into the window as you would in any other Windows text area.  Almanac's Edit menu provides all of the standard Windows clipboard controls, including an Undo command.

Any text entered into the Notes window is automatically saved to disk when it loses the input focus to another window.


General Notes

General Notes are maintained by Almanac for every date.  This area can be used to maintain a diary or any other type of information that you would like to track by day.


To-Do Tool Window

This window is used to track items which need to be fulfilled by a certain date (and optionally a time).

The To-Do window has a list box that contains to-do items.  Each item will display in the Main window in the day view mode on the date that it is due.

Any item that is not completed by its due date will automatically be displayed on subsequent dates in the Main window day view until it is completed.

Managing To-Do items

A new to-do item can be entered by clicking on the "+" tool button of the To-Do window tool bar, or by selecting Add from the To-Do menu.  Either action will activate the To-Do Item dialog.

The check mark tool button is used to mark the currently selected to-do item as being fulfilled or completed.  It can also be used to reset an item to incomplete.

The file cabinet tool button is used to archive the currently selected to-do item to the ASCII text file, TODO-HST.TXT.

To make changes to an existing item, double-click on the entry in the To-Do window listbox.  Keyboard users can highlight the item in the list box and then select Modify from the To-Do menu.


To-Do Item dialog

Text

Up to forty characters of text describing the to-do item.

Required By

The date (and optionally, the time) that this to-do item must be fulfilled by.

Priority

Used to provide a relative priority level to each item on the list.  The To-Do list can be sorted by priority and required by date, or first by date and then priority (see Options.To-Do).

Activate Date

The to-do item will become pending as of this date.  Can be used together with the View Pending option of the To-Do window to automatically post items in the list box beginning on their activation date.


Archive (to-do item)

Archiving a to-do item removes it from the To-Do window and creates an entry in the ASCII text file, TODO-HST.TXT.  The entry consists of the text of the item and the time and date completed.  Any notes attached to the item are deleted at this time (the notes are not archived).

Only completed items may be archived. To remove an incomplete item you must edit the item and select Remove.


Scheduler Tool Window

This window is used to maintain appointments or to partition time throughout the day.

Time is depicted vertically in both the main area and the summary bar on the right.  Tick marks to the left of each indicate the time.  The summary bar displays time across the entire day.  The start and end times of the summary bar are configured from Options menu (see Options/Scheduler...).  A colored rectangle on the summary illustrates the time period which is currently displayed in the main area.

Using the Scheduler window

The main area of the Scheduler can be used to enter and update items.  To enter an event, position the mouse cursor in the main area next to the desired start time for the item.  Press the left mouse button, and the start time will display in the title area of the Scheduler.  If you need to adjust the start time, first release the left mouse button and then move the cursor either up or down.

To schedule an event at the start time displayed, hold the left mouse button down while dragging the cursor down the Scheduler.  Release the mouse button when you reach the desired end time.  This will activate the Add Schedule Item dialog.

Updating an Appointment

Double-click on any event in the Scheduler window to recall the information for changes.  See Changing a Scheduled Item.


Add Schedule Item

Description

Up to forty characters of text describing the appointment or time entry.

Occurs On

The date of the event.  For recurring events, the first date that the other dialog parameters apply to.

Recurring

This combo box is used to select a recurring event type.  An entry is included for every type of recurring event that can be scheduled based on the Occurs On date.

Start/End Time

Used to change the start and end times of the event.

Alarm On/Off

This check box is used to enable or disable an alarm for the event.

Alarm Time

Used to set the time of the alarm for the event.

Test

Plays the currently selected alarm.

Audio

This combo box is used to select the audio desired for the alarm.  External digital sound files can be associated with audio alarms using the Options/Sound... menu selection.

Update through

For recurring event types, this control is used to specify the ending date that the dialog parameters apply to.

Display on month

Check this box to have the event displayed in the Main calendar window in the month mode.


Changing a Schedule Item
Changing a Scheduled Item

Almanac can change an individual schedule item, or a range of occurrences for a recurring scheduled item.

Recall the scheduled event by double-clicking wherever it appears in Almanac.  Make any changes that you wish in the Modify Schedule Item dialog.  Almanac will attempt to re-schedule an event if changes are made to the time or date fields.

If you would like to change a range of events for a recurring schedule item, recall the first occurrence (the earliest date) that you wish to change.  When the Modify Schedule Item dialog appears, enter an End Date that will include the last occurrence that you wish to (re)schedule or change.  Almanac will always attempt to find existing occurrences of the event to update.  A new appointment will be scheduled whenever this search fails.


Entering Dates in Almanac
Entering Dates in Edit Controls

Intelligent edit boxes have been created for entering dates into Almanac.  These edit controls do not require verbose entries such as Friday, December 25, 1992.  Much shorter entries such as "D 25" can be entered.  Almanac will expand this information when you move the cursor out of the edit control.

The short and long date formats you have configured using Windows Control Panel (International Settings) are used to display and interpret all dates.

Almanac scans the text entered into a date edit control.  If alphabetic characters are found, the information is interpreted against the MDY order of the long format, otherwise the MDY order of the short format is used.  You can enter very short abbreviations when specifying a date.  For example, if your long format is MDY order, entering J 1 might be expanded to Wednesday, January 1, 1992.

Alphabetic days in the long format are always ignored and adjusted to the correct day that the remaining information specifies.

The minimum information required is the date of the month.  The current month and year will be used when they are not specified in the entry.  Experiment with your own "shorthand" entries to find the style that you like best.


Navigating within Almanac

Almanac is designed to provide a flexible system for managing information that is related to time.

Almanac's tool windows are linked internally, and will attempt to provide additional information for the currently active item whenever possible.  The Scheduler and Notes windows will "snap" to the selected date in the Main window.  Similarly, the Notes window will provide pages for general notes, scheduled items, or to do items depending on whether the Main, Scheduler, or ToDo window is currently active.

You can move from one window to another by:

»	Clicking on the window's tool button.

»	Clicking on the new window with the mouse.

»	Pressing Ctrl-Tab.

»	Using the Window menu.

Although Almanac provides the capability to minimize any of its windows to icons, the tool ribbon buttons provide the quickest access to a tool window no matter what its current state.  They will take the appropriate action to create, activate, and/or restore a window to the display.

Almanac windows

Select one of the following to learn more about each:

»	Main window

»	Scheduler window

»	ToDo window

»	Notes window


Main window
The Main window

Almanac's Main window provides all of the calendar functions of the program.  It can be displayed normal, maximized or minimized (as an icon) within Almanac's frame window, but it does not close until Almanac terminates.

The Main window can display several calendar views.  Select the year, month, or day view by clicking on the appropriate tool button or by using the Main menu.

Working in the Main window

The following actions can be taken with the mouse in the Main window:

Month view

»	Click on any date cell to make it the active date.  If active, the Scheduler and Notes windows will snap to the date.

»	Double-click over the date numerals of a date cell and the Main window moves to the day view for the selected date (same as clicking on day and then on day view tool button).

»	Double-click anywhere else in the date cell to activate a QuickEdit dialog box for updating overlays and schedules.

»	Double-click on the previous or next month calendar to move to that month.

»	Double-click on the year to move to the year view.

Year view

»	Double-click on any month in the year view to move to the month view.

Day view

»	Double-click in the Almanac area to enter or edit an overlay item.

»	Double-click on any item in the Schedule area to edit it, or on the last (vacant) line to enter a new item to the schedule.

»	Double-click on any item in the ToDo area to edit it, or on the last (vacant) line to enter a new item due on the selected date.

The keyboard can also be used for actions in the Main window:

Month view

»	Use the cursor arrow keys to select a date cell.  The Home key moves to the first of the month and the End key moves to the last.

»	Select Day View from the Main menu to change to day mode.

»	Select Enter Event from the Main menu to activate the QuickEdit dialog.

»	Use the PgUp and PgDn keys to move to the previous or next month.

»	Select Year View from the Main menu to move to the year mode.

Year view

»	The cursor keys work as for month mode.  PgUp and PgDn move to the next or last year.

»	Pressing Enter while in the year view will move to the month mode for the currently selected month.

Zooming a date cell

Press the Shift key when Almanac's Main window is in the month mode to zoom a date cell.  The cell will expand to about four times normal size, revealing information that was not visible in the smaller cell.


Running as an Icon
Running Almanac as an Icon

Almanac provides two special features when it is minimized to an icon.  It can display the custom icon and description that you have defined in Program Manager, or it can display a digital clock in the lower right corner of your display.

Custom Icon and Description

Minimizing to a custom icon requires Windows 3.1 Program Manager or a Win 3.1 compatible shell program.  This option is invoked by specifying a calendar filename to Almanac on its command line.  When Almanac is started in this manner, it will load the calendar file and attempt to acquire a text description and icon from the Windows shell program.  If successful, the new icon and description will be used when Almanac is minimized until a File.Open or File.Save As... command is performed.

Iconic Clock

Almanac can be configured to minimize to a digital clock in the lower right corner of your display instead of a desktop icon.  Select Options.Icon Clock... to access the Almanac Icon dialog.


Overlay Files

Overlay files are used to display information related to a calendar dates.  Common examples are holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc...

You can create or edit an overlay file by selecting Overlays... from the Options menu.  Individual overlay entries can also be added or modified through the QuickEdit dialog.

Managing Overlay Files

Definitions for one or more events are stored in each overlay file.  Different types of events can be placed into different overlay files to assist in organizing the information.

Up to ten overlay files may be specified in a calendar file.  This allows you to mix and match the types of events that are required for any calendar need.  A little bit of forethought about how to best divide your information among overlays will make using Almanac easier and more productive.

For example, you may decide to include the birthdays of your relatives into one overlay file, while placing friends' birthdays into another.  The more specifically you define the categories of your overlay files, the more control and flexibility you will have creating calendar files.


Pre-defined overlays

Your Almanac package includes several overlay files that define many standard holidays.  For example, the file USA_HDAY.ALO contains the most common holidays observed in the U.S.   The CHRSTIAN.ALO and JEWISH.ALO files include definitions for holidays observed by many Christian and Jewish users.  You can select these and/or other overlay files of pre-defined events by choosing the Add command from the Options.Overlays dialog.

The overlay files that come with Almanac are not hardcoded tables of information.  They are simply example files that have been created to save you time and demonstrate how overlay files can be used.  You can edit these overlays to meet your own needs.


QuickEdit dialog

The QuickEdit dialog is accessed by double clicking in the Main window date cells, or by selecting QuickEdit... from the Main menu.

The dialog displays a list box containing overlay items and/or scheduled items for editing.

Make a selection and choose OK to activate either the Overlay Event or Schedule Item dialogs.


Overlay Event dialog

Used to add or modify overlay entries.

Save In

This combo box control is only available when adding a new overlay entry.  Select the active overlay file that you wish the event to be saved in.

Text

Up to forty characters of text describing the event.  Some overlay item types require specific information.  Birthdays and anniversaries require the name of the person(s) in this control.

Start/End

This check box is used to request start and end dates for a new event.  It can also be used to limit which occurrences a change will be applied to for an existing event.

Occurs On / Start Date

Used to enter the date, or starting date for the overlay definition.

Recurring

This combo box is filled with event types based on the date entered into the Occurs On control described above.  Changing the Occurs On date will change the items in the combo box.

Some types of recurring events require additional information.  If you select one of these types, such as "Every n days," a push button will appear directly to the right of the combo box that is user to enter the extra information.

End Date

Only available when the Start/End check box is checked.  Any additions or changes entered will be limited up to and including this date.

Accents

Used to activate the Color Accents dialog to highlight an event on the monthly calendar.


Color Accents dialog

The following controls are located in the group box in the upper right corner of the dialog.

Accent Type

The Pattern selection is always available.  Select Pattern to fill the background of the monthly date cell with a solid or pattern color.

The Symbol selection is available for Windows installations which support TrueType fonts.  Select Symbol to display a TrueType character in the date cell.

Pattern / Symbol

The combo box located directly above Accent Type contains the names of patterns or symbols that will display in the monthly date cell.  The choice will be displayed in the date cell in the selected color.

Color Text

Displays the text of the event in the selected color.

Red Letter

Displays the numerals of any date this event falls on in red.

See the Colors Settings dialog to learn more about the operation of the standard color controls.


Using the tool ribbon

The tool ribbon, a horizontal bar containing information windows and tool buttons, appears directly below Almanac's main menu.

Date and time windows appear on the left side of the tool ribbon.  These areas always display the current time and date.

Tip:  Double-clicking on the surface of the tool ribbon is a mouse shortcut to reset Almanac to today's date.

Tool buttons appear to the right, grouped by function.  The first set of buttons control the Main window, followed by the tool window buttons, the prior/next buttons, and finally the tidy tool button.

Main Window buttons

Year view button.  Places the Main window into year mode.

Month view button.  Places the Main window into month mode.

Day view button.  Places the Main window into day mode.

Tool Window buttons

The tool window buttons will activate a window for either the Scheduler, Notes, or ToDo windows.  If the desired tool is behind other windows, it will be brought to the top.  If it is minimized to an icon, it will be restored.  If the tool does not yet exist as a window or icon, it will be created.

Scheduler tool button.

Notes tool button.

ToDo tool button.

Prior / Next buttons

These buttons function on the currently active window.

Main window

The window is advanced or backed up according to its current mode (i.e., the calendar moves by month in month mode).

Note window

The buttons will change the date if the note window contains general notes, .  The buttons are not available for other note types.

Scheduler window

The buttons will change the date of the schedule.

Tidy button

This button will reset the state of Almanac's desktop as it was last saved in the current calendar file.


Printing with Almanac

Page Layout Settings

Almanac allows you to set the margins and paper orientation for each printout format.  A page header or footer can also be specified.  These settings are accessed from the Page Layout dialog by selecting File.Page Layout....

The Page Layout dialog allows access to print settings based upon the currently active window.  For example, to change the page layout settings for a year printout, first make sure that the Main window is the active window (its title bar is highlighted) and that it is currently displaying in year view mode.

An extra check box control is available when defining the page layout for the month calendar.  Select the "Size to margins" option to override the normal height-to-width proportion used for month calendars.

Sending Output to the Printer

The File.Print... dialog is used to request Almanac to send information to your printer.  Like the page layout dialog, this dialog reacts to the currently active window.  To print a month calendar, first make sure the Main window window's title bar is highlighted and the Main window is in the month view mode.

The print dialog will allow the selection of a time range appropriate for the type of print being produced.  Some print settings such as print quality and number of copies can be specified on this dialog.  All other print settings are accessible by selecting the Setup pushbutton.

Choosing a Printer or Changing Printer Settings

Select File.Target Printer... to select a different printer or different print settings than your Windows default printer.  Note that Almanac will ignore the paper orientation of the selected printer and use the orientation that was specified in the File.Page Layout... dialog.


Jewish Calendar Features

Almanac's internal calendar engine is based upon the modern Gregorian calendar.  It can also calulate and display information based upon the Jewish calendar.  The calendar display  mode can be set to either Gregorian, Jewish, or mixed-mode by selecting Options.Calendar... from Almanac's main menu.  Overlay events can optionally be defined based upon a Jewish calendar date.

(see Calendar Optionsdialog and Jewish Holidays for more information).


Jewish Holidays

Holidays based on the Jewish calendar can be defined in either Gregorian or Jewish display mode.  Almanac will also calculate birthdays and yahrzeits based upon the Jewish calendar.  These dates are entered and displayed using the Jewish calendar date.

TIP: If you know the Gregorian date of an event, Almanac will automatically calculate the Jewish date for you.  Enter the Gregorian date when defining the event, then choose the appropriate Jewish-based event type.   See Overlay Files for more information on how to define overlay events.


Calendar Files

Almanac's File menu includes the familiar Open, Save and Save As selections.  These commands operate on calendar files, a file format used by Almanac that allows calendar presentations to be customized without changing the underlying data associated with the calendar.  The DEFAULT.ALC file (initially created by SETUP) is used to specify the default values if a calendar filename is not specified on the command line used to start Almanac.

Calendar filenames use the extension ALC.  These files are used to control (a) where Almanac reads and saves calendar data and (b) the presentation format used to display and print the data.

Most of the settings that are maintained in a calendar file are accessed from Almanac's Options menu.  Additional values are located in the File.Page Layout dialog and the upper sections of the Main and ToDo pull down menus.  The settings that you choose affect the display and/or printing of your calendar data.  Examine the wide range of options available from these menu selections to customize your calendar to your needs and preferences.  (More information on the File, Options, Main, and ToDo menu selections can be found under the Commands... section in the table of contents.)

Select File.Save or File.Save As to store the current settings into a calendar file for easy recall.  The current state and position of each of Almanac's windows are also stored into the calendar file when a file save is performed.  If you would always like Almanac to save your settings in the current calendar file when you close, select the Options.Auto Save on Exit setting.

Where Almanac Accesses Data

In addition to specifying values that control the presentation of calendar data, calendar files specify where to find the data.  The calendar file points to the data but does not contain the data itself. The following paragraphs describe how you can create multiple calendar files to allow immediate access to different views of the same calendar data or similar views of different calendar data.

Calendar data can be entered in the Main and tool windows of Almanac.  This information is maintained in (1) overlay files and (2) Almanac data base files.

1)  Overlay files can be added or removed from a calendar display using the Options.Overlays dialog.  Up to ten overlay files can be in use simultaneously.  The drive, path, and filename for each overlay can be saved in the calendar file.  This feature allows overlay files to be created and maintained independently of the calendar file(s) that reference it.  It can be used to simply organize your overlay events into different overlays by category or, in the case of networked users, to allow many people to view overlays that are update at central locations.

2)  All data that is entered into the Scheduler, ToDo, and Notes tool windows is stored in data base files that Almanac maintains in a data base directory.  The name of the data base directory is controlled from the Options.Directories dialog.  The Almanac SETUP utility creates a sub-directory called ALD under the directory that Almanac is initially installed to.

You can create another data base for use by a different calendar file by first creating a new, empty sub-directory on a disk drive.  (Almanac will not create a new directory on your disk.  You can use Windows File Manager or use the MD command from a DOS prompt).  Next, specify this new directory in the Options.Directories dialog of Almanac as the Data Base directory.   Subsequent data accesses will be performed from/to the new directory.  No other initialization is required.  Perform a File.Save or File.Save As to update the new data base pathname to the calendar file that you will use to access the new data base.