Copyright: Copyright ® 1992 Windows OnLine.
Citation: All rights reserved, Copyright ® 1992 Windows OnLine.


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Index Page

(Click all Buttons)

  Interesting Computer News,  by Randy Wong

  New Product News,  by Rich Young

  Product Updates,  by Randy Wong

  Windows Tips,  by Hugh E. Hardie

Technocentricity

The Case of the Minimizing Window

Drag and Drop Slick

  Visual Basics,  by Barry Seymour

Large Font Mode vs. Small Font Mode

  WinMaster Review,  by Scott Drassinower

  DocsDB Pro Review,  by Rich Young

  Screen Saver Activator Review,  by Bob Gollihur

  Grabit Pro Review,  by Hugh Hardie

  CD Player Review,  by Alex Howard

  UltraClip Review,  by Bob Gollihur

  WinGrin,  by Bob Gollihur

A Quick Laugh On Your Way To The Booth!...

  Modems for Members

Save big time on file transfer costs!


Interesting_Computer_News
Intuit Inc. has upgraded Quicken for Windows. This version is now falling in line with the DOS version. Quicken for Windows 2.0 includes features from the latest DOS version, such as automatic bill payments, automatic budget creation, and IntelliCharge for credit card transactions. The Windows version has several improvements over the past DOS version. Quicken for Windows is more graphical and easier to use. Graphs are easier to handle. A drill down feature now let the users see the data from which their graph was based on. Quicken for Windows 2.0 is priced at $69.95. You should see it in stores for around $30.00 though.

IBM Corp. is releasing its Ultimedia Tools Series of multimedia (MM) development products. The products will be coming from a group of over 30 vendors, including IBM. The products will carry the IBM UTS logo on them. To qualify, to wear the IBM UTS logo, the product must meet IBM's multimedia tool integration architecture standard. The standard includes compliance to the MM data file format, uses the Common User Access (CSA) interface, and support MM hardware products. IBM has also started MediaSorcery, an independent multimedia sales channel.

WordPerfect Corp. will be releasing an interim release of WordPerfect for Windows. Version 5.2 will have several new features called QuickMenu and QuickFinder. QuickMenu will give users the ability to use the right button of their mouse for quick access to the menu commands. QuickFinder is a fast document search. You create an index of your documents for faster searches. Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and E-Mail functions are now supported. There are several improvements, such as better printer support, improved spell checker, and better conversion filters. WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows will be available by the end of November. The price is listed at $495. and registered users can upgrade from version 5.1 for $39.95.

Laser Printer Accessories Corp. has release their new doubleRES IV add-on card for the Hewlett Packard LaserJet Series II and III printers. Windows users can now get 600x600 dots per inch (pdi) resolution from their HP LaserJet II or III printer, just like the new HP LaserJet IV printer. The printer speed is also boosted for Windows users, because the card has its own Windows driver. The product supports TrueType fonts and Adobe Postscript fonts. Printer texts and graphics are compressed in 600 dpi mode by a doubleRES driver on the computer and decompressed by the doubleRES card on the printer. No additional memory is needed on either the computer or the HP printer to increase from 300x300 dpi to the 600x600 dpi mode. Suggested list price is $595..

Owl International Inc. has upgraded their document publishing system Guide to version 3.1. This version is now compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1. Guide 3.1 supports the TrueType technology, uses sound drivers, and has faster performance. It sports an icon bar and spell checker. The authoring and linking areas have also been enhanced. It is now available for $795. and current users can upgrade for $179..

New Media Graphics Corp. has released WatchIT TV. This product will bring Windows Multimedia closer to the home users. WatchIT comes with a video card, for hooking up to a standard cable or universal television connection. The board is controlled by a remote controller. WatchIT TV can be displayed in True Color running in real time, from a VCR or television input source. Users can program channels, control volume, and changing colors using a remote control utility. The price is under $300. and is available now.

Lotus Development is offering a promotional bundle package of their spreadsheet and a desktop application. The bundle package is made up of Lotus 1-2-3 version 2.4 and Norton Desktop for DOS Starter Edition. The special promotion is priced at $150. until December 31, 1992.

Intel Corp. has been beta testing LANDesk Manager, a software package for managing PCs on NetWare LANs. LANDesk Manager runs on Intel based PCs using Microsoft Windows environment and communicating on Novell's NetWare networking operating system. The manager will perform desktop management, desktop monitoring, and virus detection. The product comes with a set of utilities for file transfer, chat facility, and support for communicating with other Intel network management applications. LANDesk Manager is planned for release in January 1993. Intel will be announcing the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) specifications that the LANDesk will be using. DMTF will be used by other vendors to develop compatible applications for LANDesk. Vendors participating with Intel on DMTF are Apple Computers, AT&T, Banyan Systems, and others. Intel named a total of over 50 vendors.

Borland International has release their first beta copies of dBase for Windows to several selected developers. dBase for Windows is designed for the developers. It will include the same integrated development environment, editor, and debugger that Borland's C++ uses. The first version will create executable Windows applications, and future version will generate compatible DOS applications. dBase for Windows is scheduled to be released by next summer. Borland has also release the beta version of dBase IV 2.0 for DOS. This version is expected to be available by the end of this year.

Iowa State University is holding the patent on an electronic encoding process that is widely used in facsimile machines. They are suing Xerox Corp., Murata Manufacturing Co., and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. for patent infringement. Twenty other fax companies have agreed to pay for licenses to use their process. Another developing dispute is focus on who controls the patents for fax-on-demand technology. The Fax Response Industry Association has asked a federal court to declare the Brooktrout Technologies Inc.'s fax response patent invalid. The association is claiming that fax response applications were widely used, prior Brooktrout filing a patent claim. This was in response to Brooktrout's demand of royalty payments from fax response technology providers, resellers, and system integrators.

Analog Devices Inc. and AudioFile Inc. are working on giving Windows users the ability to interact verbally with Windows applications. They are developing an Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) server and application development library. SyncroMedia is a design to integrate voice, music, image, and communications. With their tools, a Windows user could integrate voice, music, and images into their application. Analog Devices Inc. is currently beta testing an audio add-in card for the PC called Echo Personal Audio card. The SyncroMedia OLE servers will be available for the Echo Personal Audio card by the first quarter of 1993. The SyncroMedia Application Resource Manager will be in beta by the second quarter of 1993.

Lotus Development Corp. has been beta testing 1-2-3 Release 3.4 for DOS. The upgrade will offer three-dimensional (3-D) worksheets. A 286 computer with 1 M-byte is required. Several of the features from the Windows version will be incorporated into this version, such as the SmartIcon's 3-D SmartSum and 3-D graphs. The memory ceiling on the spreadsheet size will be raised from 16M bytes to 64M bytes. Increase speed will boost performance. Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3.4 for DOS will be available in December and priced at $595..

According to PcWeek, Digital Communications Associates Inc. has been beta testing CrossTalk 2.0 for Windows. CrossTalk 2.0 for Windows will have a new look, different from their previous versions. It will sport a new toolbar and a floating tool palette. QuickBar is the toolbar that gives users quick access to frequently used commands. The QuickPad is a floating tool palette equipped with buttons and icons. It will also include its own script editor. The software will be available by the end of the year and the price is unknown.

Symantec is preparing to release a new feature for its Norton Desktop for Windows 2.0. The new features are E-mail and network file management functions. By the release date, Norton Desktop will extend file management facilities to handle Microsoft's Workgroup for Windows. This release is due in December and the price is $179.

An interesting twist has been added to the legal actions between Borland International Inc. and Symantec Corp. Borland, who filed civil and criminal suits against Gene Wang, his secretary, and Symantec's chief executive officer Gordon Eubanks Jr., say that an undelete tool was used by the district attorney's office to retrieve incriminating files erased from Wang's and Eubank's PCs. The special set of tools was Symantec's Norton Utilities.


PopUp_Randy_News


New_Product_News

by

Rich Young

Microsoft Announces Two New Multimedia Products

Microsoft Corporation has announced two new multimedia titles, both due out by the end of the year. Microsoft Musical Instruments is the first multimedia title resulting from an agreement in March 1991 between Microsoft and Dorling Kindersley of London. Dorling Kindersley specializes in highly illustrated, practical reference books for adults and children. Microsoft Musical instruments offers an interactive environment for users to explore the sights and sounds of more than 200 musical instruments from around the world, and extends the richness of the successful Eyewitness Series of Dorling Kindersley books to electronic publishing.

Microsoft Encarta is a multimedia encyclopedia containing an exhaustive collection of articles, animation's, sounds, illustrations, graphs and photographs as well as an atlas and a dictionary on a single CD-ROM. With extensive hyper links throughout, Microsoft Encarta promotes learning through discovery by empowering children and adults with the ability to browse through information, aided by visual images and sound.

Microsoft Musical Instruments

Microsoft Musical Instruments contains more than 200 "articles," approximately 500 high quality photographs, historical and factual information and more than 1,500 sound samples. Articles contain studio recordings of the featured instrument and informative pop-up boxes; several have the ability to "zoom in" on specific parts of an instrument for a closer look.

Users can easily explore this educational and entertaining product by choosing one of four categories:

  Families of Instruments:  Discusses families of brass, strings, woodwinds, keyboard and percussion instruments, and includes rich, extensive sound samples of each.

  Musical Ensembles:  Features audio demonstrations of groups of instruments by playing samples of diverse musical styles, such as chamber music, rock bands and gamelan orchestras.

  "A to Z" of Instruments:  From an accordion to a zurna, this index leads the user directly to a selected instrument for more information. Users can hear the pronunciation of the instrument's name, a sample of its music, as well as obtain facts about the instrument's origin and history.

  Instruments of the World:  Displays regional instruments from different areas of the world, with sound samples of each instrument, and includes rare and exotic instruments, such as the didjeridu from Australia and the shakuhachi from Japan.

Microsoft Musical Instruments is scheduled to be available in mid-November for the suggested retail price of $79.95. System requirements are as follows: Multimedia PC or compatible with a 386SX or higher microprocessor, 2MB of RAM, 30MB of hard disk space, CD-ROM drive, VGA display (display of 256 colors highly recommended), Microsoft Windows Sound System or equivalent audio board, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later, Microsoft MS-DOS operating system version 3.1 or later, Microsoft MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions version 2.2 or higher, Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device, and headphones or speakers.

Microsoft Encarta

Microsoft Encarta is the first multimedia encyclopedia designed on a computer to run on a computer. They combine high quality photographs, illustrations, maps and sounds to furnish the user with an experience designed to stimulate learning beyond many standard learning/educational processes.

Microsoft worked with a group of educators, as well as a photo specialist, an ethnomusicologist and specialists in cartography to develop Encarta. More than 93 percent of the encyclopedia's content was created exclusively for the product, including original art, language samples and literary reading, just to name a few. A "category browser" gives users the option to casually browse through selected topic areas at their discrimination. Using the power of the computer, Encarta allows the user to view and manipulate information, such as looking at population statistics of the United States or collecting climate data for various cities.

Encarta features:

  More than 21,000 articles in 94 categories, from history and geography to performing arts, physical science and technology, including everything from carpal tunnel syndrome and U.S. Olympic skater Brian Boitano to pit bull and Oprah Winfrey.

  More than seven hours of sound (6,500 pieces), including music, nature sounds, historical speeches and foreign languages, such as the national anthems of more than 170 countries, examples of 46 languages from American Navajo to Swahili and literature readings by authors such as T.S. Elliot and Alan Ginsberg.

  Nearly 100 animation's on topics from science to the arts, including everything from the destruction caused by an earthquake to the elegance of the waltz to a simple explanation of the quantum theory.

  More than 800 color maps, including a world atlas, with the ability to "zoom in" on locations and voice pronunciation. A "Sights and sounds" feature presents music, pictures and actual language clips from a specified country.

  A dictionary comprised of 83,000 words and based on Webster's Electronic Dictionary, Concise Edition and 40,000 entries based on Webster's College Thesaurus.

  More than 7,000 individually selected photographs, charts and graphs, chosen for their reproduction quality in the multimedia format.

  A 20-foot historical timeline from 15 million B.C. to the present that allows the user to click on a date or historic event and explore the subject through the reference's stimulating media.

  More than 700 specially added computer-related articles and terms, from "anti-aliasing" to "WYSIWYG," to help users understand this often confusing terminology.

  More than 100 historical maps featuring sound and animation to explain subjects like the Crusades and the American Civil War.

  The ability to develop thousands of custom charts/graphs "on the fly" by combining information from the interactive charts.

  Mind Maze, an interactive knowledge/adventure game that encourages the player to progress through a series of hurdles by answering knowledge increasing questions.

Microsoft Encarta is scheduled to be available in mid-December at a suggested retail price of $395 for a single-user copy. The product will be available to students, educators and administrators for a special price of $249. Registered owners of the initial edition will receive a free update of the 1993 version if ordered by March 31, 1993. Future updates will be priced under $100.

System requirements are as follows: Multimedia PC or compatible with a 386SX or higher microprocessor, 2MB of RAM, 30MB of hard disk space, CD-ROM drive, VGA display (display of 256 colors highly recommended), Microsoft Windows Sound System or equivalent audio board, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later, Microsoft MS-DOS operating system version 3.1 or later, Microsoft MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions version 2.2 or higher, Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device, and headphones or speakers.

For further information on either of these two products contact:

Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052-6399

(206) 882-8080

Brought to you by

   (Click)

  Rich Young
  Staff Writer
  Windows OnLine


Rich Sig


Product_Updated
Bitstream Inc. has released MakeUp 1.1 for Windows. Bitstream MakeUp is used to give your documents a more colorful and expressive look. This is a maintenance release to version 1.0 and the product looks the same. The feel of the product is improved, as in greater speed. A few additional features were added to compliment all the other functions that are already supporting. Most of the problems that were reported have been corrected. Redraw is a touch quicker, which is better than waiting patiently and watching slow motion. The maintenance update to version 1.1 is free for all registered MakeUp owners. New users buying Bitstream's MakeUp should be looking for version 1.1.

  MakeUp 1.1 is now faster.

  Improved OLE Support.

  More precise type handling, in the areas of TrueType fonts.

  New Gray scale palette for HP LaserJet, HP DeskJet, and other black and white printers.

  Improvements in working with Windows 3.1 environment.

  Improved import and export filters.

  Easy to follow Supplement manual for version 1.1 upgrade.

  20 Bitstream TrueType fonts included.

215 First Street

Cambridge, MA 02142-1270

617-497-6222    800-223-3176

Fax:  617-868-4732

Foresight Resources Corp. has recently updated Drafix Windows CAD 2.0 to version 2.1. Drafix CAD is the first Windows CAD application for Windows. Several changes were made to correct problems reported by users. The new version has a bundle of new features. Of the new features, I like the TrueType font support and the changing of the background color. Adding these new features, Drafix CAD did not forget to introduce a few new bugs. The major problem, I encountered, was having several shareware TrueType fonts on the system. For some odd reason, Drafix CAD 2.1 will not startup without, first, getting rid of those shareware fonts or disabling the TrueType feature in Windows. Since, I didn't want to disable TrueType fonts. I had to inspect which TrueType fonts were causing the problem. There will be a fix to this problem, coming soon, I'm told. Registered Drafix Windows CAD 2.0 users can upgrade to version 2.1 for $45 plus shipping and handling. Users of previous version of Drafix Windows CAD and Drafix CAD Ultra version 3.0 or later can upgrade for $145. The upgrade package includes diskettes and a supplement or full manual, depending upon which upgrade path was taken.

  Windows 3.1 is required for this new version.

  TrueType fonts supported as the text type.

  15 to 40% speed improvement, making this the fastest Windows CAD.

  Users can reconfigure the sheet background to any color.

  New context sensitive help. By pressing F1, you will be taken to that help topic.

  Increased the number commands that can be done through the keyboard. The ESC key now allows you to abort an operation.

  Improved import and export file filters.

  New settings in the Drafix.INI file, for custom setups.

  Improved "Intelligent Cursor", displaying a floating text field.

  Improvement in the printing area, such as Fit to Printer Page. Printer speed is boosted up to 25% faster.

  Plus many more features..

10725 Ambassador Drive

Kansas City, MO 64153

816-891-1040

Fax: 816-891-8018

Innovative Data Design, Inc. is shipping MacDraft For Windows 1.1. MacDraft for Windows is a full scale drafting environment. MacDraft was designed for architectural or engineering drawings and illustrations. MacDraft's technical drawings are supported on different platforms. This is a minor maintenance release of version 1.0. It does contain a few new features. The look and feel of the product is the same. Several corrections are made to past problems. The update is free to all registered users of MacDraft for Windows 1.0.

  The ability to read and write DXF format files.

  Improved support for non-Postscript printers.

  Improved function to print lines with less than one pixel line thickness (hairlines).

  Modification and corrective maintenance on product features.

135-D Mason Circle

Concord, CA 94520

510-680-6818


PU_PopUp_MakeUp


PU_PopUp_Drafix


PU_PopUp_MacDraft


PopUp_Randy_Face


US Robotics ad


Windows Tips

Technocentricity

The Case of the Non-Minimizing Window

Drag and Drop Slick

Technocentricity

Technocentricity is an affliction which affects computer users who find it difficult to remain in contact with the world outside computers. Sometimes, individuals with this condition are sucked into their monitors to roam the ROM and RAM until the next power failure when they are ejected from a game machine in their nearest 7-11 store. "It was the computer that did it.", is a favorite response when demands are made for personal responsibility. Computers think for themselves, why should I?

My tale of semi-psychosis starts on a warm Indian summer night in the near desert. A man, me, sits in front of his ultra high tech computer, at least it was ultra high tech for 37 minutes, once upon a time. There is a semi-permanent rustling whine coming from somewhere around the machine.

I cannot find the cause. I remember other monitors which made the strangest sounds if the screen had only a C: prompt showing but quieted to nothing when Word Perfect was running. I also have a Multimedia setup with CD ROM, Soundblaster Pro card and overkill speakers driven by an aging but still potent Marantz receiver. Perhaps the whine was coming from there.

Perhaps signals from outer space are being intercepted by my system. Move over SETI, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, I have made contact. Just think, cures for the common cold, terra forming the entire state of Nevada and a version of Windows that never hangs, NEVER EVER!

Meanwhile, I am thinking of other times and other sounds. Hard drives also have a knack of making barely audible seeking sounds that fill the imagination with the vision of small scaly creatures living there that will eat your eyes the next time your lids droop over a hot V.32bis late at night. Nodding can be dangerous to your health if you have enough imagination.

The sound starts and stops and starts again with no identifiable cause. We obviously have a very serious problem. The buzzing seems to be getting louder and louder. Things are getting worse. Stand back in case this thing blows up!

I leave my computer and retreat to the back patio, a slab of extremely attractive concrete at the back of my .0049 acre estate. The night is warm and there are strange buzzing sounds. They are coming from a thousand insects all looking for a mate or waiting for a pizza. Hold on, these buzzing noises are hauntingly familiar. They are the same ones I hear as I sit in front of my machine.

I am embarrassed by my realization. There was nothing wrong with my machine. My technocentricity, or idee fixe, as the French say, was my undoing. The universe rises and sets on Intel, Orchid, Nec, Conner, Creative Labs and Microsoft. What else is there in all the cosmos?

The moral: All is not always what it seems. There are more mysteries in heaven and earth than can fit in an Excel spreadsheet. Technocentricity is a debilitating affliction. Seek professional help if you suspect you might suffer from it.

This story, while seemingly a fabrication, is true. I have changed my name so that it cannot be traced back to me.

The Case of the Non-Minimizing Window

Imagine a long time user of Windows. Imagine this long time user slowly but surely believing that he is living in a nightmare. Imagine that you are inside that person and can share their every thought and feeling. Imagine that you are sharing the same nightmare. Imagine the nightmare taking over your life.........

It all started very innocently, or so I thought. I had been using Faxibility Plus OCR from Intel for about two months for fax sending and receiving among other things. The program functioned as advertised. I used it full screen and in a Window. I minimized it, restored it and maximized it.

One day, not so long ago, I found Faxibility running in a full screen when it had previously come up running in a window. I thought nothing of it at the time but on one occasion I had a need to run it in a window. The buttons at the top right of the screen looked like the first illustration, below. I clicked on the reduce button in the top right of the screen and nothing changed. The buttons then looked like the second illustration.

If I click on the reduce button, it fills the screen and if I click on the maximize button, it fills the screen. I tried to find the border of the "window" by moving the mouse to the sides and corners of the screen and grabbing on as one normally would to seize it. Nothing doing. I tried the Resize item on the Control menu in the top left corner of the window/screen. Nothing doing. There wasn't much of anything doing except Faxibility switching from full screen to full screen.

Presented with this dilemma, I adopt a rational air and attempt to imagine what set of circumstances would create this effect. My only conclusion is that black magic has to be involved, somehow. The world is built upon certain foundations both of science and faith, each co-existing with the other. The phenomenon I have observed and described does not fit any of the natural laws I have come to believe in. The universe is not unfolding as it should. It has reached a point where I feel I have no foundation left.

Needless to say, I cannot let this go on. I am losing sleep and valuable time as each day I click the up and down buttons over and over again, as if by my repetitions, I would be rewarded with a miracle.

In the end, I seek counseling. I try Intel tech support but, after holding for 10 minutes with no messages other than, "Our support personnel are busy." "One will be with you soon." They offer nothing to me in my hour of need. I hang up.

I then go back to the fountainhead. I call Uncle Bill's technical support line and a nice counselor talks me through my trauma. The individual is a good listener and very supportive. He listens to the whole saga and then suggests that I click on the right most button until it shows a single up arrow, signifying that it is operating in a window rather than full screen.

He then suggests that I grab hold of the program title bar by clicking and holding the left mouse. I do so and move the mouse towards me. The Window which had filled the whole screen moves. I am then able to grab the window at the corner and reduce its size to where the application is running in a window less than the full size of the screen.

My nightmare is over. I sleep for the first time in what seemed like weeks. The universe had righted itself and oriented itself along the galactic axis. All is in harmony.

It seems that I, or more likely a higher being looking for a good chuckle, had somehow made the window that Faxibility was running in larger than the visible screen area. I do not know how this happened but I have been told by a source I cannot name that the FBI and NSC are looking into the problem. When I clicked on the maximize button, my application ran full screen. When I clicked on the restore button, my application ran in a window albeit one which I could not see the edges of.

The moral: All is not as it seems. Sometimes there are greater forces at work than you or I can comprehend. When in doubt, grab the title bar and see if you can get the window to move. Always run applications in full screen mode. Uncle Bill will save us all one day.

Take your pick!

Drag and Drop Slick

For those who are just starting out with Windows, Drag and Drop, DD, might go unnoticed as a real boon to users. If you start an application using a normal program launch, you are responsible for navigating the application to the appropriate directory to start work on the file you want or save the file you have just started. This can be really tedious since most applications start up where they want rather where you want and the directory you want may be three levels down from the root in another subdirectory.

You can remove this irritation by creating a macro to take you to your desired directory if the application supports macros and you can get it to take you to the directory of your choice. I say, if you can get it to take you to the directory of your choice, because some of the applications I use will only take you to a specific directory if you are saving or loading a file from that directory. You could always load a dummy file from the desired directory and then close it when the macro stops.

An easier way

Enter DD. With DD, you must have the application you want to use minimized as an icon at the foot of the screen. The icon must be showing below the bottom border of the File Manager window for DD to work. Next, in File Manager, get to the directory where the file is that you want to work on and grab the file by clicking on it and holding the left mouse button down. If you move the mouse just a bit, you will see the following icon appear under the mouse pointer. This signifies that it is ready to be dragged.

You can now move the pointer out of the drive window and across the blank portion of the rest of the File Manager down towards the icon of the application which will operate on the file. As you cross the blank portion of the File Manager window, the icon changes to the following:

This stop sign like icon will show until you pass it over the top of an application which is capable of working on the file. Try passing over all the icons at the foot of your screen. When the icon changes from the stop sign back to the one I call the coffin, you have found an application capable of working on it. An ASCII text file can be operated on by many different applications whereas a .BMP file can only be operated on by a graphics package.

Once you have it over the application you want, release the left mouse button. Remember, you must have the left mouse button depressed from the moment you select the file until you have the coffin icon over the icon of the application you want.

Some applications immediately open themselves in a window or full screen depending on where you left them and open the file you dropped. Others will load the file but remain as an icon at the foot of the screen. Simply double click on them to make them display the file you have dropped on them.

If the illustration of the coffin and stop sign icons look odd, it's because I had to draw them myself. Since the only exist when the mouse button is depressed, they cannot be captured by pressing Print Screen or ALT/Print Screen. They were both created in Paintbrush.

Happy dragging and dropping!

Investigation conducted by

Hugh E. Hardie

P.S. I can be reached in either the I-Link Windows or Relaynet Windows conferences for questions or for tips.


hughpop2
Hardie & Associates Inc.

Walnut Creek, CA

(510) 935-3994


Visual Basics

A recent project I worked on involved displaying a lot of pictures and text together on large forms. Parts of the project simulated the operation of another program, with dialog boxes and screens that were actually bitmaps, not the real thing. In order to ensure we placed pictures exactly where we wanted them, we set the scalemode of all our forms to pixels (3) so we could position things just right.

All was going well until we fired up a new machine with a fancy new large-size monitor and matching graphics adapter in 1024 by 768 mode with large fonts. All the pictures were misaligned!

Needless to say we were a bit puzzled. We had set the positions of many of the pictures manually at design time by moving the controls to the locations we wanted, so we knew it wasn't a coding error. We confirmed this by running Visual Basic in the same graphics mode. Pictures and text weren't correctly positioned relative to each other.

What we eventually discovered was that some graphics cards are more equal than others. It all came down to the ratio of twips to pixels. The more advanced ones have a higher display resolution, resulting in a different ratio of twips to pixels. That which was in the right place before, relatively speaking, now was not.

To make this clearer, we need to talk about the ScaleMode property. A form's ScaleMode determines the units of measurement used in an object's internal coordinate system. This coordinate system is used for positioning controls on forms and picture boxes. The default scalemode is Twips, which results in 1140 twips per logical inch or 567 twips per logical centimeter.

However when you run at a higher resolution, as is often typical with larger displays and high- or medium level graphics cards, the ratio of twips to pixels changes, since there are more pixels on the screen. Under standard VGA or SuperVGA on this card (an Orchid Fahrenheit 1240) there were fifteen twips to every pixel. In 1025 by 786 mode, however, that number dropped to twelve.

The end result is inconsistency for a form with it's scalemode set to pixels. As shown below, what works in one mode doesn't necessarily work in the other.

Note that the second check box is further to the right in the second example on the right; also note that the form is a touch taller.

It's a simple matter to determine this ratio inside the Form_Load procedure. Simply set the scalemode for a form to twips and get it's scalewidth; then set the scalemode to pixels and get the scalewidth again. The ratio of the two is the number of twips to pixels, or what I call TPRatio. The code looks like this...

    ScaleMode = 1

    Twip% = ScaleWidth

    ScaleMode = 3

    pixel# = ScaleWidth

    TPRatio% = Twip% / pixel#

This number will always come out to be either twelve or fifteen. For small font mode it'll be fifteen; at higher resolutions with large fonts it'll be twelve.

Of course you probably won't need to worry about this with simple applications, but if you're doing any positioning of controls on the fly this may be a factor. Once you have the TPRatio you can position controls in code using TPRatio as a factor; that way positioning code like "Command1.Left = TPRatio * 30" will always come out correctly!

for Windows OnLine Review


About MCC
Marquette Computer Consultants provides...

Windows Programming in Microsoft Visual Basic

Database programming for Windows/DOS applications

in standalone, networked and/or SQL Server environments

Windows installation, optimization, training and support

Hardware support, assistance and troubleshooting


WinMaster_Review
WinMaster

Most people know the PC-Kwik Corporation (formerly Multisoft) for their excellent disk cache program, Super PC-Kwik. Now, PC-Kwik has entered the Windows utility market with an interesting package called WinMaster. WinMaster provides program launching, drag-and-drop file deletion/compression, diagnostic tools, a disk cache, a RAM disk utility, and a disk defragmenter all in one, easy to use, powerful package.

WinMaster consists of the following applications:

             Toolbox                   KwikInfo              PowerScope            Power Disk               SuperWin                KwikVault

ToolBox is a utility that lets you create a toolbox for your applications. You create toolboxes by dragging-and-dropping .EXE, .PIF, or files that are associated with an application onto the title bar of the desired toolbox, answer a few questions, and your button is created. Toolboxes can be sized vertically, or horizontally, and you can have up to 50 buttons in each toolbox. Windows 3.0 users can manually enter information to create applications. You can also nest Toolboxes, and if you drag-and-drop a data file onto a toolbox application (i.e. BUDGET92.DOC onto the WinWord icon), ToolBox will load the data file with the application. You can also do this with multiple files (i.e. BUDGET92.XLC, PARTS.XLS, QTR4.XLS onto Excel).

KwikInfo is a powerful diagnostic tool that displays detailed information on your system's BIOS, co-processor, CPU, DOS path, free physical memory, free virtual memory, free GDI and USER system resources, video information, hard and floppy disk information, printer information, currently running task information, and font information. All of the screens let you print out the information displayed to the printer, and the font information screen will print out a list of all the fonts installed on your system (i.e. Arial, Courier New, Times New Roman). KwikInfo will also launch the various gauges that will sit at the bottom of your screen and keep tabs on CPU usage, RAM usage, System Resource usage, Drive Space usage, and the Super PC-Kwik cache hit rate.

Probably the most unique feature of WinMaster is PowerScope. PowerScope will analyze information on your hard drives such as directory trees, disk maps, drive usage information, fragmentation levels, and boot record information. Many DOS utilities cannot go into such details about hard disks, and it is certainly surprising to see a Windows utility do this. You can go as far as to view the disk map, zoom in down to the sector level, and actually select a sector, and PowerScope will show you the file that is currently using that sector.

PC-Kwik's popular Power Disk hard disk optimization program has moved to Windows. Power Disk defragments hard disks, and is very similar to Norton Speed Disk. Power Disk, however is much more customizable, and can out perform Norton by as much as 30% in some cases. You can also schedule Power Disk to run at certain times during the week, and perform a different level of optimization each time.

SuperWin keeps tabs on the Super PC-Kwik cache, providing you with the cache hit rate, the number of transfers to and from the cache, and bar graphs for various other statistics. You can also disable and flush the cache from menu options. This utility is very similar to the SMARTDrive Monitor that comes with the Windows Resource Kit.

WinMaster is an excellent group of utilities that are perfect for beginners and experts. The overall value of the package is excellent, and toll-free technical support with Saturday hours is the finishing touch for a top-notch product.

WinMaster Product Information

Scott Drassinower

Staff Writer

WinOnLine Review


About WinMaster
WinMaster

US$59.99

PC-Kwik Corporation

15100 SW Koll Parkway

Beaverton, OR 97006-6026

(800)888-5945

(503)644-5644


About Scott

15 Lake Street

White Plains, NY 10603

Tel: (914)682-0626

Fax: (914)682-0506

CompuServe: 71140,234


DocsDB_Review

Reviewed By Rich Young

Introduction

Documents Data Base is a Structured System for you to create your Word for Windows documents linked to a Client (Group) and a Subject (Sub-Group), in a way that you or someone else can find it just by knowing this minimum information. You don't need to waste your time inventing names for your documents, nor to remember them a month later.

You do not need to know the correct spelling of any Client or of any Subject. A list will be displayed and you just pick them up.

Have you already thought of finding a document among four hundred others, and locating it in a matter of seconds after executing the File Open command?

The difference lies in the routine for saving a new file. DocsDB asks you the Client name, the Subject and a Title. The System will retrieve the file using this information.

Whether you are a single user with many documents to manage or you work with several other users, DocsDB is a tool that uses the Data Base concept to create documents, without leaving your word processor and using the already W4W's existing commands.

Program Operation

During the installation, you define the name of each different Folder you are going to work with (you can define up to eight). A different Folder means a different group of Clients and Subjects. A different Folder usually means a different group of people are using those documents. In a company you would want to separate the documents for Sales Dept., Finance, Marketing, Confidential, etc. At home you'll probably have Personal, Company, mothers name, daughter's name, son's name and so on.

After loading WinWord you will see the DocsDB menu asking you to select the area you want to work in. The two options are Active Documents, or documents being edited, and Done Documents, or documents already archived. While running DocsDB you can change the current area by pressing the Active/Done button in the File Open command.

My first task after completing the installation, was to import my existing documents into the DocsDB system.

Under the File Import Menu you can see the name of the Folder you are currently working with. Press Change Folder to import the documents to another one.

From here I start by highlighting a file from the list of my documents in the box. By pressing the To Active Docs button I can import the document to the Active area. Or I can press the To Done Docs button to archive the document. This is the normal File Save routine. You simply repeat this procedure for all your documents and you can press the Change Directory button to select documents at other locations.

By following this procedure, DocsDB will delete your original document. The original path and filename is safely recorded in the Summary Info's Comments field. You can always go back and reconstruct your old filenames and directories if you need to.

Now when clicking on [image] File Open you will see:

At the Edit Menu you have three ways to find the document you are looking for. Select the document by:

1.) Client and Subject

2.) Document Title

3.) DOS File Name

You will see the name of the Folder you are currently working with under the Menu title and inside the Title box. DocsDB Pro shows the Folder name at every dialog box or menu. At the Edit Menu you can click on the Change Folder button to select another one.

If you choose to select the document you want to work on by Client and Subject, you go to this menu:

Here you simply select the Client your document relates to.

The Client's list expands according to your needs while you Import new files into the Data Base or while you work. For each Client you are going to have a specific Subject list. This list also grows while using DocsDB.

Next screen is the Subject Menu.

Select the Subject your document relates to. The most recently created Subject will be at the end of the list. Then, DocsDB shows a screen with all the documents for the referred Client and Subject.

DocsDB simply performed a File Find command filtering out the files belonging to the Client and Subject you chose. You will be able to choose the file you are looking for from a list of files, looking at the File Title by using the cursor arrow keys or the mouse.

To further check if the file is the one you are looking for, click on the Options button, then pick up the Content option from the List Files Name box. You will see a Print Preview of the file.

If you choose to select a file by Document Title, then this option will perform a File Find in the current area, without filtering out any Client/Subject files. You will see the names for all the existing files and their titles in the current sub directory. This is an excellent option for generic searches.

If you choose to select a file by DOS File Name, then this command executes WinWord's original File Open. It will give you greater speed in case you know the file name.

Doing a [image] File Save is just as simple. If the document already has a name, it will work like the WinWord File Save command. Otherwise it will ask you to define the Client first, then the Subject and finally it will ask you to type a Title and Keywords in the Summary Info. This information is used to determine the file's name.

When saving a new document, you select the Client name from the alphabetical list. This creates a link between the document and the Client name.

From this Client Menu, you can perform a WinWord File Save As if you choose and click on the Change Folder button to select a new one. If you don't find an appropriate Client in your list, you click on the Add Client button.

Here you type in the new Client name in the dialog box. You get to see the rest of your Client names to avoid typing a duplicate name. DocsDB will automatically generate a unique three letter code to identify the Client. At the same time it will create a first Subject in the Subject Menu called Miscellaneous. You will always have this Subject.

If the preferred Subject is not on your list, click on the Add Subject button. Here you simply type in a new Subject name in the dialog box. DocsDB then saves the file with a unique name based on the Client and Subject names you defined.

The last step is to type a Title and create Keywords in the Summary Info dialog box. The Title is very important here, as it is displayed when you perform a File Open command, either using the Client and Subject, or the Title option.

The Subject field of the Summary Info dialog box is filled with data related to the inner structure of DocsDB. In case of a computer crash, the System will be able to recover the Data Base, based on the documents themselves. This Crash Recovery routine is available on Compuserve or by mail to registered users, upon request.

Under WinWord's Format Menu, you will find a new entry called DocsDB Utilities. Here you can find useful items such as Data Base Management, Subject/Client Report and Fonts List.

In Conclusion

DocsDB Pro is a magnificent example of the power of WordBasic programming. The author has given the user a way around the limitations of the DOS file naming convention. I found the product very easy to use and set up. The best part of a product like this is the ability to tailor it to your way of working. This is the best document organizer for Word for Windows I have seen to date. I would recommend DocsDB Pro to any WinWord user who wants to better organize their documents.

For More Information:

Jorge Vismara

3013 Yale Ave.

Marina del Rey, CA 90292

1-800-DocsDBx (orders)

(310) 305-8918 (fax)

CompuServe # 70323,1110

Brought to you by

   (Click)

  Rich Young
  Staff Writer
  Windows OnLine


Change_Folder


Screen Saver Activator
Are you just a bit paranoid writing your resume at work? Does a covey of nosy co-workers flock to your PC the minute you walk to the water cooler? You need to consider Screen Saver Activator. With this simple freeware program you can instantly activate the Windows screen saver to hide your work from prying eyes.

It seems that screen savers have taken on a life of their own. It is beyond me why anyone would actually spend real money on a program to send inanimate objects scurrying across their screen when they're not there! But I guess I really can't say anything. I once bought a pet rock.

Once run, the Screen Saver Activator will instantly invoke the Windows screen saver in two ways: Simply place your cursor on the Screen Saver Activator clock icon and press your right mouse button, or put your cursor in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Both options can be used, or either one selected for use from the configuration screen.

There are serious advantages to being able to secure your work with the screen saver built into Windows. It can be password protected so your confidential work can be hidden while you're away from your computer. Screen Saver Activator is a great way to trigger your screen saver quickly and easily.

               Summary

Installing and using Screen Saver Activator certainly isn't brain surgery. No on-line help is available or required, but the author has included a two page WRI file with graphics as well as a TXT file. The program performed well and it was easy to hide the fact that I was reading QWK packets on company time. I did find that my sloppy mouse work did bring up the screen saver when I didn't want it, but I still liked the convenience of that particular trigger.

Author Chris Rossi presents his pride and joy to us as Freeware, but did not divulge anywhere that we could contact him about his creation. Thanks, Chris, where ever you may be! I think you may have saved my job last week.

Screen Saver Activator is available to members from Windows OnLine at (510) 736-8343 (modem) as SCRNAC12.ZIP.


bobpopup10


Shareware Review

Grabit Pro

by Hugh E, Hardie

Grabit Pro is a program designed to make the capturing and storing of screen grabs easier. Whereas Windows allows the capture of an entire screen, Print Screen, or the current active window, ALT/Print Screen, Grabit Pro offers much more flexibility.

Installation and Setup

Installation is a snap. Unzip the file and move it to the directory of your choice. There is no setup. You simply start using the program.

Operation

When you start Grabit Pro, GP, it comes up minimized. When you click on the program icon at the bottom of the screen, the following menu appears.

As you can see, it not only includes the normal Restore, Close, etc., commands but four others which are directly related to functions in the program, Selected Area, Entire Window, Client Area and Desktop.

Selected Area allows you to select via mouse only a part of the screen which is showing immediately after you click this selection.

Entire Window will capture the entire window you click on. You must click on the Title Bar for this to work. If you click on anywhere other than the Title Bar, the feature works the same as Client Area described below.

Client Area will capture a part of the window you click on. The Client Area is defined as an area below the title bar which is bounded by a border. The border could be the Window's window border or a border placed on the screen by the application. For example, if I press ALT/ESC and cause all the application icons to punch through this document as I am writing it, then select Client Area and click on part of the text in this document, I would end up with an image like the one below.

When I tried Client Area on Packrat, I got the portion of the screen I click on up to the point a border of some kind is painted on the screen. A portion of the Packrat screen is displayed below.

If I select Client Area, I get the following image captured if it click on the area of the calendar.

Desktop captures the entire desktop and displays it in a child window.

When a screen or part of a screen is captured, it is placed in a child window inside the GP window. Thus, multiple screen captures can be made without having to stop and save them after each one. When you are finished grabbing, they will all be there each in their own window.

Strategy for Capturing Screens

As I hinted at earlier, their is a particular way you have to use GP to ensure you are in a position to capture a screen. If you are running the application you wish to grab from in a Window, it is quite easy. Click on GP at the foot of the screen and select the grab you want. Move the pointer to what you want in the Window and click.

If you are running the application you want to grab from full screen, you must first press ATL/ESC to bring the running applications' icons to the front. Click on GP and select the appropriate grab and click on the portion of the window you want. Remember that the icons that punch through when you press ALT/ESC will still be on the screen when you click on the window or part of a window you want to capture.

Saving Files

One of the ways GP differs from the Clipboard is the in the options it offers when you save a file. The following illustrates the choices.

As you can see, GP does offer some unique options. In the file types, it is particularly nice to be able to save direct to an RLE file. You will probably already know that RLE files take up far less space that BMP files. In the color options, it is also a real help to be able to save in Monochrome especially if you are going to use the image as an illustration in a black and white document.

One annoyance is that the user is responsible for typing in the file name, a normal situation, but also the extension. This even after you have selected BMP or RLE in the Save Option dialog box.

Major Minus

GP can print images but not without much effort. GP sizes the current image to the size of the paper in your printer definition. Thus, if you grab the first four menu items off a normal Windows application, they will be printed on the page scaled up to 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches. They come out with all the dots showing and are virtually useless. The user must go in and alter the size of the paper in the printer definition to get them to print life size. The documentation mentions creating program documentation or training manuals. I would want to provide illustrations in such documents life size and I do not have the time to alter the paper size for all the different screen captures I might use. In discussing the review with the author, he stated that the problem lies with the Windows 3.1 printer drivers and will not easily be overcome.

In Conclusion

With its minor warts, Grabit Pro is a useful and efficient way to capture screens or parts of screens in Windows. Its file save options offer more than Windows itself can offer. The product is worthy of consideration if you capture screens more than once a month. Grabit Pro is available to members on Windows OnLine, (510) 736-8343, with the filename, GRABPR31.ZIP.

For more information contact:

Software Excellence By Design Inc.

107 East Paradise Lane

Phoenix,  AR  85022

Voice (602) 375-9928

Fax (602) 375-9928

BBS (602) 375-0531  2400 BPS

BBS (602) 375-9945  9600 BPS

Investigation conducted by

Hugh E. Hardie

P.S. I can be reached in either the I-Link Windows or Relaynet Windows conferences for questions or for Windows tips.


CD_Player
CD Player

by

Alex Howard

CD Player was created by Enis Moran, of Graphical Bytes, Incorporated. The best place to start a review of CD Player, is by showing it to you. This is the full screen view of CD Player:

As you can see, Mr. Moran did an exceptional job of creating a program that looks very much like an actual CD player. This application was created to allow you to use your CD ROM, to play audio CDs. Look at the top window. Located just below the menu options, this Window identifies the CD now in your player.

Using the File Menu Option, you can catalogue any CD you insert into your player. You can catalogue the title of the CD and the artist who recorded that CD. You can even identify the tracks on an individual CD.

Skipping to the bottom of CD Player's display, you can see two options: Play Track Range and Play Selected Program Tracks. These options are pretty self-explanatory. The first option allows you to select a range anywhere from the first track to the last track, and play that range. The second selection allows you to double-click on individual track numbers. That will add the selected group of tracks to an already catalogued CD, and play only those tracks you have selected.

CD Player's display shows the status of the CD. In the case of the screen shot (above) the CD is playing. In addition, the Status Window will show fast forward, rewind, pause, stop, and eject. Yes, using CD Player you can actually eject a CD from your CD ROM player! Also shown are the number of the track now playing and the elapsed time. When you click on the right-pointing-arrow, CD Player displays the remaining time of the track. Below the number of the current track is a small window. This shows the number of tracks on the CD in the player. To the right of that display, is a display that resembles an ascending stairway. If you have CD Player connected to a sound board, like the Windows Sound System, clicking on this display will bring up the volume control of that sound board.

Below the Status Window are the actual controls of CD Player. Here too, Mr. Moran took great pains to duplicate the actual controls found on most physical CD players. Rewind, Fast Forward, Play, Pause, Stop, and Eject are all represented by control buttons.

All controls found on the display of CD Player are duplicated in the various menu options. One in particular, found on the Action menu option, is Drop Position Locator. This is also accomplished by clicking on the gray box located just beneath the number of tracks display. This control, and its associated display, provide a graphical display of the position of the player, in the track being played.

Another control, which you can click, is located on the right side, just below the volume control. This will open or close the bottom portion of CD Player's Display. This is where you find the Play Track Range and Play Selected Program Tracks controls. In addition, you can control this display by using the Action menu option, or F5 to open or F6 to close that display.

CD Player was written in Visual Basic, Version 1.0, and enhanced with Custom Controls found in several add-on packages for Visual Basic.

CD Player is a shareware program, developed by Enis Moran. Mr. Moran is the president of Graphical Bytes, Incorporated. The company is in Southampton, New York. You can reach him at (516) 283-4473. Mr. Moran can also be reached on CompuServe. His CIS ID is 71167,2117. Members can download the program from Windows OnLine (510) 736-8343 as CDP.ZIP.

Written By

Alex Howard


about alex
Alex Howard is president of Oxymoron Unlimited, an independent consulting company in North Bergen New Jersey. He can be reached by calling (201) 868-7681, by fax at (201) 854-2990, on Windows OnLine at (510) 736-8343 or through CompuServe at 73310,2237.


UltraClip
One of the more useful tools in the Windows arsenal is the Clipboard. It's so easy to copy and paste text and graphics from application to application without a second thought. Do you remember what you had to go through in DOS?

UltraClip is termed "a Clipboard Extender" and brings further convenience and functionality to the Windows clipboard concept. In essence, it provides for multiple "clipboards" to store and use for copying and pasting.

The display windows show representations of available text or graphics that you have sequentially saved in the multiple clipboards. Graphics are shrunken to window size, but text is presented full size, albeit unformatted, for easier reading. UltraClip can be run full screen or sized to taste, and each window within can also be sized to preference and arranged per your requirements. Configuration options also allow you to specify a default window size. That size can be changed during a session to affect future clipboards pasted into UltraClip.

Options allow you to automatically copy clipboard contents to UltraClip using the AutoPaste mode, or to manually add clipboards that you might need. The Autopaste mode can be set to start when you enter UltraClip and can be discontinued during the session if required. However, you cannot then reenter the Auto Paste mode within that same session.

Button icons are available to readily access some of the most-used functions:

Cut to Clipboard - copy the currently active window to clipboard, then delete window

Copy to Clipboard - copy the currently active window to clipboard

Paste from Clipboard - create a new image window from the clipboard contents

Delete Window - remove the currently active image window from UltraClip

Clear Clipboard - delete the current contents of the clipboard

Uniform Tile - tile the image windows in a grid for easy viewing

The text display window will show if you are in the Auto Paste mode and information about currently active object (if any): Size of DIB/BMP stored in memory, width height resolution/planes of image, PICT memory size, Text object size, Native size if OLE data available or a short explanation of active icon if the right or left mouse button is depressed.

The convenient Auto Paste function automatically adds clipboards to the UltraClip stable, but you must be cautious: clipboards are stored in memory. After a few bitmaps you may find yourself very short on system resources. You can activate or discontinue the Auto Paste function from menu selections. The function will ignore clipboards copied from within UltraClip.

The program is OLE aware. While you cannot embed or link objects you can still store OLE data for embedding or linking in other applications. It behaves as the Windows Clipboard would, storing the original data in the same order and format.

UltraClip is incompatible with the original release of Norton Desktop for Windows 1.0. The author also notes that the program ignores owner-display formats that therefore can result in color distortions in non-active windows.

               Summary

I found UltraClip to be a very useful utility. It adds convenience when assembling pieces of graphics to combine, or if you are excerpting text to include in another document. Using the Auto Paste mode you can continue to assemble your clips without being interrupted to paste them to the recipient at that time. No on-line help is provided, though the functions of the icon buttons do appear in the text window when either the right or left mouse buttons are pressed. The author's documentation is more than adequate to explain the operations of UltraClip.

Registration for UltraClip is an extremely reasonable $5.00 if you continue to use UltraClip after the 21 day trial period. UltraClip is available to members through Windows OnLine at 510-736-8343 as UCLP13.ZIP. Windows 3.1 is required.

For further information please contact:

Doug Overmyer

1817 San Pedro Avenue

Berkeley, CA 94707

Compuserve (71021,2535)

Internet: overmyer@netcom.com


bobpopup100


bobpopup120


WinGrinPolitics


wgpolpopup10

George Bush Virus

Messes up your system and then denies it; blames it on other viruses.

Bill Clinton Virus

Wants to occupy your PC and claims it can be trusted. Do you trust it?

Tipper Gore Virus

Scans your hard drive and removes any dirty words.

Ross Perot Virus

Shows up intermittently in virus scans. Is there one minute, gone the next, then returns. And you never really know what it'll do.

Dan Quayle Virus

Only affects your spell checking programs. Otherwise totally ineffective.

Congressional Ethics Virus

A mythical virus. There is no such thing as Congressional Ethics.


wingrinpol20
NO MATTER YOUR POLITICS, PLEASE  	Vote!