Mountain Software Presents: The Recipe Converter by Anthony Watson 1.0 - Introduction 1.1 - Purpose For The Converter 1.2 - System Requirements 1.3 - Supported Formats 1.4 - Limitations 2.0 - Main Menu 2.1 - Version Number/Release Date 2.2 - How To Reach The Author 2.3 - Converting A Recipe 2.4 - Manual Conversions 2.5 - QUIT 3.0 - Configuring The User Interface 3.1 - Changing Color Settings 3.2 - Changing Button Settings 3.3 - Setting Secondary Text 3.4 - Setting Back Fill 3.5 - Saving Configuration Settings 3.6 - Loading Configuration Settings 4.0 - Final Comments 4.1 - Author Assistance 4.2 - Revision History 4.3 - Appreciation ------------------------------------------------- 1.0 - INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------- 1.1 - Purpose For The Converter ------------------------------------------------- There are many recipe formats in existance for many computer platforms. Unfortunatly, each format is incompatible with any other format, and thus it has not been possible to load recipes from one recipe program into another; especially between various computer platforms. Popular formats include Meal-Master and Q-Book (IBM formats), Assistant Chef and Recipe Box (Atari ST formats), and a host of other not so popular formats. (Computer Chef, etc.). In addition, many times recipes are not stored in any particular format at all, having just been entered using a Word Processor or Text Editor. The Recipe Converter attempts to give you an easier method to format recipes into the format required by The Recipe Box, without having to retype them all. 1.2 - System Requirements ------------------------------------------------- The Recipe Converter should work on any ST/STE/TT/Falcon in any graphics mode greater than 640 x 200 resolution. (ST medium, ST high, TT medium, TT high, etc.) The Recipe Converter requires 500K of free RAM. You should disable all accessories and auto folder programs if you are short on memory. The Recipe Converter will run from a floppy disk but a hard drive is highly recommended! 1.3 - Supported Formats ------------------------------------------------- The Recipe Converter will automatically convert from a number of recipe formats to The Recipe Box format. These formats include: - The Recipe Box Chapters - The Recipe Box Recipes - Assistant Chef Data files - Meal-Master - Computer Chef In addition, using the Manual marking feature of The Recipe Converter, you can also convert many other 'unsupported' formats, such as QuikBook, or any ASCII file. The files output from The Converter will contain 22 recipes in each file, or less. The files will derive their name from the source file and end with a numerical extension. For example, if you had an input file named DESS.CCF with 30 recipes in it. You would get two output files named DESS.1 (with 22 recipes) and DESS.2 (with 8 recipes). 1.4 - Limitations ------------------------------------------------- The Recipe Converter is designed to convert recipes in one direction only. In other words, you could convert from Computer Chef to The Recipe Box, but not from The Recipe Box to Computer Chef. If there is enough demand for two way conversions, I may consider implementing it in a future version. When manually converting recipes, The Converter will only load 5000 lines of text. If this is insufficient, you could load the file into a text editor, and save sections back out as smaller files. The automatic conversion routines have no limit as to the input file size. The unregistered version of The Recipe Converter will only convert the first 22 recipes of a recipe file. This is equivalent to one chapter in The Recipe Box version 3.5. While The Recipe Converter does a respectable job on most files, it is unavoidable that a file or two will cause problems for The Converter. Often, these files can be handled with the Manual Marking methods. But occasionally the only option is to retype the recipe into The Recipe Box. The success of conversions varies depending on the file type, and how strictly the file adheres to the format definitions of that file type. Often recipe format files are mistaken for common ASCII text files and are modified unknowingly. Most often these types of files are obtained over BBS networks, or similar situations. It is highly recommended that you verify the validity of the converted file before deleting the source file. Because of reasons mentioned above, the conversion may not always be successful. While it is unlikely this program could do any harm to your files or system, Mountain Software claims no responsibility for damages occuring from it's use. ------------------------------------------------- 2.0 - MAIN MENU ------------------------------------------------- The main menu is the screen that is first presented when you run The Recipe Converter. This is where most operations take place, and where most information is displayed. 2.1 - Version Number/Release Date ------------------------------------------------- On the main menu you will find a button with the current version number, and the date this version was released. If you click on this button you will be presented with the registration fees and where you may send for registration. Once you have registered this program, this button will show the current registered owner. 2.2 - How To Reach The Author ------------------------------------------------- If you have a question, comment, or complaint about this program you are encouraged to contact the author, Anthony Watson. On the main menu of The Converter, you will see a short step by step tutorial. By clicking on this display, you will be presented with the authors address, and various BBS's and online services where I may be contacted. If you are experiencing a problem, I would suggest that you first read the documentation. I've found that most problems stem from not understanding how the program works, and not from a bug in the program. But if you've read the documentation, and you still cannot get something to work right, please feel free to contact me! 2.3 - Converting A Recipe ------------------------------------------------- As stated previously, some recipe formats are converted automatically, while others require manual marking of various recipe segments. The easiest approach is to click on the 'CONVERT' button first, locate the input file and specify the output path. The file will be examined to see if it matches any of the known formats. If the file matches an established format, the conversion will proceed without further assistance. If the file does not match an established format, a message will be displayed suggesting that you try the manual conversion method. Some files, even those which match known formats, do not convert properly. For these files, you can select 'MANUAL' to make a manual attempt at the conversion. The file type is determined by checking the first text line only. Occasionally BBS information or similar is 'tacked on' to the beginning of a recipe file, and even though the recipe file may be properly formatted, it will fail to be recognized as an established format. Therefore, you may wish to edit out the extra lines using a text editor before attempting the conversion. The first line of the recipe file must contain one of the following strings to be recognized as an established format: 'The Recipe Box Chapter' - Recipe Box Chapters 'The Recipe Box Recipe' - Recipe Box Recipes 'Meal-Master' - Meal Master Exports Only '*'s or spaces - Computer Chef Assistant Chef is a special case and does not follow these guidelines! Assistant Chef uses three files to store recipes INDEX.DAT, INGREDS.DAT, and DIRECTNS.DAT. All three files must be in one directory for conversion to succeed. 2.4 - Manual Conversions ------------------------------------------------- The manual conversion menu allows you to convert files which do not match established formats, or which did not successfully convert using automatic methods. To obtain the manual conversion menu, click on the 'MANUAL' button from the main menu. You will be asked to locate the file you wish to convert. Next you must specify an output path for the converted files. Once the manual menu appears, you will see a series of buttons across the top of the screen, the text of the file you selected, and a 'highlight' line indicating the currently selected line. All operations in the Manual Conversion menu are carried out using the mouse. This allows simple one handed operation, and eases a tedious process. When the mouse is over the recipe text, the mouse keys are used to 'scan' the highlight line up or down through the text file. Pressing the left mouse key to scan up, and the right mouse key to scan down. A recipe has six recipe segments, regardless of format. The buttons at the top of the screen reflect these segments. You mark the segment by placing the highlight line over the line of the text which defines that part of the recipe. Then you click on the corresponding button. When you click on one of the segment buttons, it will stay depressed indicating which segments you have marked, and which ones remain. Even if a segment has been marked, you can change that setting by locating the new mark, and clicking the button again. You cannot save a recipe until all six segments have been marked! The segments and buttons are defined as follows: * Title - This is the name or 'title' of the recipe. * Servings - This is the number of servings that the recipe makes. If the recipe does not specify a servings amount, mark a blank line or any line which does not contain a servings specification. To be recognized as a valid servings line the word 'SERVINGS' must appear somewhere on the line that was marked. For example, 4 servings, or Servings: 4 would both be valid serving definitions, whereas Serves 4 would not be! * Ing. Start - This is the start of the ingredients portion of the recipe. The ingredients are the portion of a recipe which define what items go into a recipe and in what quantities. * Ing. End - This is where the recipe ingredients end. Please note that you cannot specify the ingredients end before the start! * Dir. Start - This is the start of the directions. The directions are the portion of a recipe which define the steps and methods required to produce the final product. * Dir. End - This is the end of the directions. Please note that you cannot specify the directions end before the start! NOTE: You 'CAN' overlap your selections for ingredients and directions. There is an intentional reason for this. Certain recipes, have a few ingredients, then a few directions, then a few ingredients, etc. This wreaks havoc on the selection process! So to allow you to still be able to properly convert these recipes, you can select where the first ingredient is and then where the last ingredient is. Then repeat the procedure with the directions. You'll end up with certain portions of the recipe duplicated in the ingredients AND directions. Once you import the file into The Recipe Box, you can go back and delete the offending lines from each portion. Not simple, but do-able! Also if your recipe contains 2 recipes. (i.e. A cake and it's frosting) Simply mark them as two 'seperate' recipes. * Load New File - This button allows you to load in another recipe file. This can be used to 'pick and choose' recipes from multiple files, or to merge many small files into larger files. * Save Recipe - Once you have marked all six recipe segments, You save the recipe to the output file by clicking on this button. This button will not function if you have not marked all segments! After the recipe has been saved, the settings are all cleared, and you can then repeat the marking procedure for as many recipes as you wish to convert. Also, a recipe title must be 40 characters or less. If the title exceeds this, you will be asked to enter a new title. If you abort this without entering a new title, the left 40 characters of the title line will be used as the title. * Clear - If for some reason you have set several recipe segments and wish to start over, this button will clear all current settings. * QUIT - This button saves out the final file, and returns you to the main menu. 2.5 - QUIT ------------------------------------------------- When you have finished converting your recipes clicking on the 'QUIT' button will return you to the desktop, or shell that launched the program. ------------------------------------------------- 3.0 - CONFIGURING THE USER INTERFACE ------------------------------------------------- Often you like the way a program operates, but you don't particularly care for the way the program looks. This program attempts to overcome this problem by allowing the user to configure almost all aspects of the user interface to his/her own preferences. Select the Configuration Menu by clicking on the 'CONFIGURE' button on the main menu. NOTE: If you should get things too messed up while configuring the various settings, pressing 'UNDO' on the keyboard will reinstall the program defaults! 3.1 - Changing Color Settings ------------------------------------------------- This program uses a maximum of four colors even if your current graphics mode supports more colors than this. On the configuration menu, you will find 4 buttons displaying the colors that are used. To change a color, click on the button corresponding to the color you wish to change. Then use the red, green and blue 'sliders' to change the color settings. NOTE: In monochrome, colors 2 and 3 will have no effect as monochrome is limited to 2 colors. The only color change you can make is an inversion, by setting color 1 to all zero's or all 100's. 3.2 - Changing Button Settings ------------------------------------------------- The button settings allow you to select which of your defined colors you wish to use for the buttons, highlights, shadows, etc. You can also select various texture patterns to simulate additional colors, or to provide variety. Clicking on one of the button settings will take you to the next style or color. The color selections cycle through the four available colors. The style settings cycle though five different texture patterns of various density. 3.3 - Setting Secondary Text ------------------------------------------------- This program uses two different text values in it's displays. One is for the button titles, and the other is used for other additional text. The secondary text settings do not affect the button text settings, but are set in the same manner as the button text settings. 3.4 - Setting Back Fill ------------------------------------------------- An optional 'back fill' pattern can be placed behind the main screen on certain menu's. The Back Fill settings select the color and style of this fill. You can disable the back fill by setting it to the same color as the screen border color. 3.5 - Saving Configuration Settings ------------------------------------------------- Once you have created a configuration you may save it to disk for later use. If you save the settings under the default filenames in the same directory as this program, your settings will be loaded automatically when the program is run. The program uses two defaults depending on whether the program is run in color or monochrome: COLOR.CFG - The Color Configuration Setup MONO .CFG - The Monochrome Configuration Setup If neither of these files appear in the same directory as this program, the program will use internal default settings when it is run. You may save your settings under any name and in any directory however, though you will have to load them in manually to make use of them. 3.6 - Loading Configuration Settings ------------------------------------------------- This button allows you to locate and load previously saved configurations. ------------------------------------------------- 4.0 - Final Comments ------------------------------------------------- 4.1 - Author Assistance ------------------------------------------------- If you have a question about any of the Mountain Software programs please feel free to contact me. I can't promise to always have the answer but I'll do my best to find an answer for you! Mountain Software 6911 NE Livingston Road Camas, Washington 98607 GEnie: A.WATSON6 Delphi: MOUNTAINSOFT Fnet: #648 - Anthony Watson Atari Net: 51:3/9 - Anthony Watson Fido Net: 1:105/139 - Anthony Watson 4.2 - Revision History ------------------------------------------------- Version 1.2 Released November 20, 1992 All Mountain Software programs have been updated with a new registration routine. This does away with the need for a 'key' file, and shortens the program file itself. The program now comes personalized in your name when you register. NOTE: If you have registered an earlier version you will need to send $5 for the new version and a new manual. I regret having to charge for this upgrade, but I just do not have the finances to send all registered users a new disk/manual. My apologies! The new version includes a utility that will allow you to upgrade as new versions become available! Version 2.0 Released February 5, 1993 * Implemented a new user configurable interface. * Fixed a few minor bugs with some file types. * Rewrote Owners Manual * Sped up most of the conversion routines 4.3 - Appreciation ------------------------------------------------- I would like to thank those of you who have registered previous versions of this program. This is admittedly a specialized program, and I am pleased you found a use for it! Thank you for your support! I would like to thank Victor Bruhn and Don Schmidt for their assistance with this program! Finally, I would like to thank my wife Peggy for her support and patience. Your advice and opinions hold great importance to me in the development of these programs! Keep those ideas coming! Anthony Watson