Freebyte: major TreePad updates and other news
- From: Freebyte Newsletter <newsletter0903@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: freebyte@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 03:47:15 +0200
Dear Freebyte newsletter subscriber,
We are breaking a fairly long silence, to notify you of our latest
updates (since the July newsletter). Below is a fertile list of new
features and resources, which we are of course very happy to
share with you.
TreePad? software updates
We are pleased to let you know that there is an entirely new TreePad?
generation on line, as follows:
* TreePad? Business Edition 6.0 beta 8,
http://www.treepad.com/newfeatures/. (Related details below)
* TreePad? SAFE 6.0 beta 8, http://www.treepad.com/newfeatures/. (Related
details below)
* TreePad? PLUS 6.0 beta 8, http://www.treepad.com/newfeatures/. (Related
details below)
In addition, the following TreePad? related product updates are currently
on line:
* 'iTreePad', a Perl script created to display TreePad? Light files on the
Internet, can now likewise be used to display TreePad? PLUS, SAFE and BIZ
files on the internet.
More technically put, 'iTreePad' now supports displaying RTF articles and
htmhjt files, in addition to txt articles (originally supported).
'iTreePad' can be accessed at http://www.treepad.com/utils.
* New photo album template, at http://www.treepad.com/templates/
* Word2TP, now converts Word documents both to TreePad? 2.x and XML files.
This plug-in is additionally much faster now. Please find it at
http://www.treepad.com/utils
* New: TreePad? - Palm/Progect converter. It converts TreePad? files
to/from Palm (Progect file format).
New TreePad?-related pages and resources
* TreePad? home page, http://www.treepad.com/. Fully updated, revised and
restructured: new features, appealing illustrations, new navigation system,
and more.
* TreePad? awards, reviews, kudos, and opinions page,
http://www.treepad.com/awards/. New page. Find out about TreePad?'s latest
awards, and see what TreePad? users, software sites and experts have been
saying about TreePad?.
If you knbow
* TreePad? site map, http://www.treepad.com/navigate/. New page.
* TreePad? search page, http://www.treepad.com/navigate/search.html. New page.
* TreePad? feature chart, http://www.treepad.com/featurechart.html.
Compares the features in the various TreePad? versions.
* TreePad? new features page, http://www.treepad.com/newfeatures/. Fully
updated (beyond the contents of the current newsletter).
* TreePad? download and installation
instructions, http://www.treepad.com/support/install.html. New page to
help beginning users download and install TreePad?.
* TreePad? discussion group, http://www.treepad.com/discussiongroup/, set
up and moderated by Tomas.Drahokoupil.
* TreePad? as a Web generator, http://www.treepad.com/webgenerator/:
examples and information on how to use TreePad? as a handy Website generator.
* TreePad? template page, http://www.treepad.com/templates/: new download
address for all TreePad? templates -- conventional and new.
(The templates used to be available on the Utilities page, which is now
exclusively devoted to the TreePad? related tools and add-ons ordinarily
accessible there.)
Freebyte Website updates
* Free Games page, http://www.freebyte.com/games: fully updated and
enhanced. This page now contains a large number of new free online games, a
new chess game, and links to various games sites (including free
educational games and CD-Rom sites, as well as free chess and checkers
software and sites). There are four new categories on this page:
Free Go
Free Card games
Free Puzzle games
Free Games CD-Rom
* Freebyte Screen Saver page: general update
* Freebyte News center, http://www.freebyte.com/news: new sections:
environmental news, alternative energy news, electronics news. Also added:
'the Australian news' news site.
* Freebyte Reference desk, http://www.freebyte.com/reference: new online
dictionaries for various languages, in addition to the following new
sections: alternative energy, electronics, ebooks
* Freebyte Office Page, http://www.freebyte.com/office: added Jarte, a free
and simple Word processor
* Free anti-virus software page, http://www.freebyte.com/antivirus: added
GFI Email security test, a site where you can test the safety level of your
email program.
* New Freebyte Page, http://www.freebyte.com/technical_support/: added
specialized page on how to receive free technical support. This page
currently lists 14 sites or services which offer technical support to
computer users for free. If you have a hardware or software-related
problem, it is likely that one of the sites listed on this page can assist
you successfully in resolving the issue.
* Freebyte Drivers page, http://www.freebyte.com/drivers/: all information
on 'drivers, dlls and BIOS updates' has been completely updated. This page
enables you to Locate and download your missing dll, driver or Bios upgrade
for free. The page now contains the following three categories:
Find DLLs
Find Drivers
Find Bios upgrades
in addition to a large number of new links in each category.
* Free Operating systems page, http://www.freebyte.com/operatingsystems:
fully updated, many new links and articles
* Free Programming, http://www.freeyte.com/programming, added the following
items: wxWindows multi-platform tools, Rexx procedural language compiling
to Java bytecode, Web scripting languages PHP and Perl, CygWin cross
platform development tool.
* Free Delphi programming, http://www.freebyte.com/programming/delphi: the
links to the free Kylix and Delphi versions have been updated. Added:
Delphree, a Web site devoted to Delphi open-source development,
DelphiSearch a search engine for Delphi components and articles,
Delphi32.com, a site with Delphi components and news.
* Free Cobol programming, http://www.freebyte.com/programming/cobol: added,
Cobol 650 interest site. A site devoted to the free Cobol 650 compiler.
* New HJSplit compatible program:
JAxe is a Java clone of the HJSplit program. Written in Java, JAxe thus
runs on any platform which supports this language, such as Windows, Linux,
Mac, Solaris (and maybe even freeBSD...). Additionally, JAxe supports
skins: its appearance can be easily changed by adding new skins to the
program. Freeware, GPL. http://www.freebyte.com/hjsplit
New features in TreePad? Business Edition 6.0 beta 8, TreePad? SAFE 6.0
beta 8, TreePad? PLUS 6.0 beta 8
Tree
· Added: menu/tree/sort/subtree (all levels)
· Added: the option to remember the node that is selected, as well as
the node/s that is/are expanded, at the moment that TreePad? is exited. If
this option is selected, when you restart TreePad?, the tree state will be
the very same as when you last exited. Menu/view/options/tree
Tree checkboxes
· Added: tree node checkboxes, which can be shown or hidden for each
individual node and subtree
· Added: new tab to the node properties screen 'checkboxes' --
menu/tree/node properties
· Added, to the node properties screen: an option to show and hide
the checkbox for the current node -- menu/tree/node
properties/checkboxes/show(hide) node checkbox
· Added, to the node properties screen: a function to show/hide all
the checkboxes in the current subtree -- menu/tree/node
properties/checkboxes/show(hide) all checkboxes
· Added. to the node properties screen: a function to check/uncheck
at once all the checkboxes in the current subtree -- menu/tree/node
properties/checkboxes/check subtree .../uncheck subtree
· Added: any new child node of a node exhibiting a checkbox will also
display a checkbox by default
Import/export
· Added: view straightaway the output of tree export to single file
and to Web site:
1. by checking 'view results when finished,' you can now view
straightaway the output of tree export to single file and to Web site
(menu/file/export/selected subtree). When enabled, this option will launch
the associated program after export.
2. by checking 'view results when finished,' you can now examine at
once the output of tree export to multiple files (menu/file/export/selected
subtree). When enabled, this option will launch an explorer window
displaying the directory into which the files have been exported.
· Added: limit export to checked nodes/articles:
3. when the new feature 'checkboxes' has been enabled, export subtree
to single .rtf, .html, .txt file can optionally be restricted to checked
(ticked) nodes only. The intended restraint will take effect independently
of the show/hide status of the respective 'checkboxes'. (feature unique to
TreePad? Business Edition)
4.. when the new feature 'checkboxes' has been enabled, export subtree
to multiple files can optionally be limited to checked (ticked) nodes only.
The intended restraint will take effect independently of the show/hide
status of the respective 'checkboxes'. (feature unique to TreePad? Business
Edition)
Auto-dial
· Added: auto-dial prefix -- useful when a fixed digit is required,
for dialing an outside line. Menu/view/options/autodial (feature unique to
TreePad? Business Edition)
Auto-save
· Added: auto-save (menu/view/options/autosave) -- this feature
causes TreePad? to save the file automatically every x minutes.
· Added: auto-save indicator -- numerical display of the remaining
time span before autosaving is reactivated. It is shown on the status bar,
right below the tree pane.
Article, editing
· Improved: TreePad's? editor has been largely improved
· Added: choice between all levels/one level, for the feature insert
table of contents. Menu/insert/table of contents/all levels (option unique
to TreePad? Business Edition)
· Added: insert search results -- makes it possible to paste the
search output anywhere in the article pane (ordinary text editing area).
Menu/insert/search results (feature unique to TreePad? Business Edition)
· Added: new options for the table of contents (include/exclude
title, customize title to suit your need/taste), menu/view/options/table of
contents
· Added: option to copy the plain text of a hyperlink (not the URL or
link address) menu/edit/copy special/copy link text,
· Added: function enabling the insertion of a character, by means of
its ascii code (up to ascii code 255). Menu/insert/character The same
function can also be activated using alt-0.
· Note: TreePad's? 6.x generation offers you a broadly enhanced
text-editing environment. Given the 'beta' nature of this inaugural version
(6.0), its overall functioning is of course undergoing fine-tuning.
Screen, article/display options
· Added to the options screen, article/display options: the option to
select between two distinct display modes, as follows:
* screen mode 'standard'
* screen mode '1440 dpi'
'Standard' mode is default. Should you experience any text editing related
anomaly in 'standard' mode, try switching to '1440 dpi' mode, which might
better suit your current display resolution.
Tables
· Improved: table editing functions have been widely improved
· Added: newly created tables can now be aligned left, right or center
· Added: table width control -- the width for newly created tables
can now be determined (i.e., x% of the width set for the page, up to 100%,
when building the table, or else the width can later be adjusted via the ruler)
· Added: new table creation dialog -- this dialog offers various new
formatting possibilities, such as table width (relative to page width),
table alignment, table border. Menu/table/create new table
· Added: menu option for deleting an entire table at once.
Menu/table/delete
· Added: table/cell shading options, along with enhanced border
control. Menu/format/borders and shading
·
Text Boxes
· Added: the possibility to place text into a box, the shading,
margin, and border type of which can be optionally selected. This is a
handy function for highlighting titles and blocks of
text. Menu/format/borders and shading
Spell-check
· Added: restrict the scope of spell-check -- allows spell-checking a
selected string (block of text or word) exclusively. Once spell-checking is
concluded, but before the function is deactivated altogether, a dialogue
box offers the alternative to spell-check the remaining text. (feature
unique to TreePad? Business Edition)
Formatting
· Added: marker/highlighter function -- When activated, this function
enables the automatic color-marking (highlighting) of any string of text,
just by ordinarily selecting that text with the cursor. The marking-pen
color may be fully customized, anytime this function is activated. It is
available on the formatting toolbar, as long as advanced mode is on.
(feature unique to TreePad? Business Edition)
· Added: extended paragraph formatting, such as indentation,
line-spacing, vertical spacing before and/or after a paragraph.
Menu/format/paragraph
Accessories Pane
· Added: character map -- the function that the 'CharMap' tab
activates allows the insertion of special characters (French, Scandinavian,
German, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.). The character map is displayed in the
CharMap Accessory Pane, below the article, and it is accessed by clicking
on the tab 'CharMap'. (feature unique to TreePad? Business Edition)
· Added: the 'escape' key hides the Accessories Pane, whichever
feature in this pane is currently active (a mere mouse-click in the area
within its boundaries selects this pane).
· Added: search tab and pane -- replacing the conventional search
results list screen.
· Added: history pane -- a 'dynamic bookmark listing' of the fifty
nodes that have last been accessed.
Shortcuts
· Added: F11 places focus on the Tree Pane (i.e., selects it).
· Added: F12 places focus on the Article Pane (i.e., selects it).
· - Note: If the article/tree is not visible, it will be
automatically displayed, once one of these keys is pressed (F11 for the
Tree Pane, or F12 for the Article Pane).
· Changed: ctrl+F10 will now display both the Article and Tree Panes.
· Changed: ctrl+F11 will now display the Tree Pane only.
· Changed: ctrl+F12 will now display the Article Pane only.
· Added: ctrl+shift+O as a shortcut to insert a Table of Contents
· Added: ctrl+alt+C will copy the subtree to clipboard, provided that
the Tree Pane is active.
· Added: ctrl+alt+P will paste the subtree from clipboard, provided
that the Tree Pane is active.
· Added: shortcut ctrl+alt+B, for selecting the Bookmarks Accessory Pane
· Added: shortcut ctrl+alt+I, for selecting the Icons Accessory Pane
· Added: shortcut shift+alt+T, equivalent to the following mouse
activity: menu/format/convert/to plain text
· Changed: ctrl+alt+R will now reopen the latest opened file
Command-line parameters
· Added: command-line switch /noregistry which disables ALL
writing/reading to/from the Windows? registry.
· Note: Using the above command-line switch results in that none of
the settings and preferences configured while using TreePad? will be
remembered the next time that the program is opened.
Menus
· Added: right-clicking within the article area automatically
activates (places focus on) the Article Pane, even before the article popup
menu appears.
· Added: right-clicking within the tree area automatically activates
(places focus on) the Tree Pane, even before the tree popup menu appears .
· Added: context-sensitive menu bar.
Regardless of whether the Tree or the Article Pane is active, a mere
mouse-click on the menu bar now automatically places focus on either the
Tree or the Article Pane, respectively to the menu item clicked upon.
1. Thus, a click on menu/tree, conveniently activates (places focus
on) the Tree Pane, automatically enabling all respective tree menu items
and tool buttons, as well. Which Pane is currently active before you click
on the menu bar is now irrelevant.
2. Analogously, a click on menu/edit, menu/insert, menu/table,
conveniently activates (places focus on) the Article Pane, automatically
enabling all respective menu items and tool buttons, as well. Again, the
operation is straightforward, whichever Pane is currently active (Tree,
Article, or Accessories Pane) before you click on the menu bar.
Search
· Moved: the search results are now exhibited in the Search Accessory
Pane, easily accessible and readily at hand -- a mere click on the
'SearchR' Tab (one of the Accessories Pane Tabs, located right below the
article area) opens the Search Pane, displaying the results of the last search.
· Added: an option in the search screen to limit search to checked
nodes. (feature unique to TreePad? Business Edition)
· Added: the option 'automatically hide search window after search'
· Added: the possibility to paste the search results into any
article. Menu/insert/search results (alternatively, right-click menu:
insert/search results)
Article Search and Article Replace
· Added: the wild card character '*' can now be used in the search
for text and text to find fields.
- Note 1: If you are not an experienced user, please use this feature with
prudence in replace operations, lest you inadvertently replace far beyond
what you may have intended to; At any rate, we suggest that 'prompt on
replace' be on, since hyperlinks and other hidden text attributes are
included in Search and in Replace operations..
- Note 2: '*' stands for any number of characters, in the position where
this wild card character has been entered.
New: forms !
Here is an exciting addition that greatly enhances the functionality and
power that you enjoy with TreePad?.
Introduction
TreePad? now supports the concept of forms. A form is a screen containing
fields (special areas), which you can fill in with your own data.
A TreePad? form resides in the Article Pane, each form screen being
associated with an individual node, just like an ordinary article. Thus, a
number of these forms, grouped under a common parent node, yields a
database that is easy to build and to manage.
How to use forms
You can use TreePad? forms to create simple databases, address books, card
indexes ... and all else that your needs or creativity may call for. Forms
come in handy whenever structured data is preferable to normal text.
In other words, forms are a very convenient asset for getting down and
storing data that share recurring patterns or structures, such as
addresses, collections (books, CDs, stamps, etc.), shopping lists,
appointments, special rosters (school-related records/notes, memberships,
sports teams, championships, etc.), recipes, patient information, product
orders, clientele, employees, and so forth.
Forms currently available -- allowing you to create a forms-based
database. Each form type below is followed by its related menu item(s).
· Addressbooks: * menu/file/new/personal addressbook
* menu/file/new/simple addressbook
* menu/file/new/business addressbook
· Music Collection: * menu/file/new/music collection
· Password Manager: * menu/file/new/password manager (feature unique
to TreePad? SAFE and TreePad? Business Edition, both of which offer data
encryption and password protection.)
Other form alternatives will be added in future TreePad? updates.
The menus spelled out above enable you to create a structured database from
scratch. Within this database, you can optionally group all your entries,
according to whatever distinctive feature(s) or characteristic(s) that you
see fit for organizing sets of entries in classes or categories. You can
also alternatively add ordinary TreePad? nodes/articles anywhere within a
forms-based database.
Thus, menu/file/new/password manager allows you to convert TreePad? into a
password manager program, menu/file/new/music collection allows you to
convert TreePad? into a music database, and so forth.
TreePad? new forms feature greatly increases the program's generous
functionality as a data organizer. And, in association with TreePad's? high
performance search engine, all information stored is always accessible in a
blink.
You are of course able to organize, add to, rename, move, delete, etc., any
of the 'category' or 'class' nodes mentioned above. You can handle them
according to your needs and preference, just the way you are used to
handling your data, regardless of the TreePad? version(s) you have used so far.
You are likewise free to add/delete 'form' entries, much the same way as
you handle articles (with their respective nodes) within a tree structure.
TreePad? Business Edition additionally allows you to insert any of these
forms and structures anywhere within an already existing database (a
TreePad? file). To do so, you use menu/tree/insert special, instead of the
menu items appearing under menu/file/new/..., as specified above. TreePad?
Business Edition special 'template' functions are dealt with at the end of
the current section.
Forms: Active fields
Some of the fields contained in the forms are 'active fields'. That is,
they perform a specific action when you double click on them.
Thus, a web address field will launch your browser, whereas an email
address field will activate your email program. A phone number field will
likewise activate the auto-dial feature (TreePad? Business Edition only)
when double clicked.
Forms: export
A form can be exported to an XML file, in addition to .txt, .rtf, and .html
files, as follows:
- to XML files, as XML-structures (i.e., a similar format to the one
appearing in the treepad article) -- Article-export only
- to HTML files, as HTML-forms -- Tree-export and Article-export
- to RTF files, as tables -- Tree-export and Article-export
- to txt files, as lines of plain text -- Tree-export and Article-export
Forms: print
A form will ordinarily be printed as a table.
The Template directory and files
TreePad's? \templates subdirectory, now default in the program directory,
comprises two types of 'template' files, as follows:
- .tpt files (TreePad? template files), which are responsible for
generating single node forms and managing the overall functioning of the
templates-established databases.
- .hjt files, which create forms-based databases, and in which the data
that you fill in is stored.
TreePad? Business Edition only:
· menu/tree/insert special: this dialog allows you to insert the
following into an existing database (TreePad? file):
1. a single node containing a form,
2. a single node containing a 'TreeBook' template, or
3. entire 'TreeBook' subtree structures.
Keyboard shortcut: alt+ins. Advanced mode
· menu/tree/insert/repeat last insert special: this dialog replicates
the last 'insert special' action. Keyboard shortcut: ctrl+alt+ins. Advanced
mode
· Future versions of TreePad? Business Edition will enable you to
create your own forms and form-templates.
To conclude this news release covering the last three months, it is worth
reminding you of the latest additions to the TreePad? family, the X and XL
editions of TreePad? Enterprise. Information on both the X and the XL lines
is available at http://www.treepad.com/treepadx/.
Should this constitute entirely fresh news to you, we can briefly advance
that whether you use or consider using TreePad? in a more heavy duty
fashion, in a business environment (whatever its size), or in a multi-user
setting, a visit to the URL just provided may well result in time
fruitfully spent.
We remain committed to quality, guided by the same zeal that has
characterized TreePad? along its seven years of existence. We are thus
very busy readying the fine-tuning of the current beta 8 release
of TreePad? 6.0, while already developing a few more useful functions, for
future upgrades.
We hope that you enjoy the newly born TreePad? 6.x generation, which brings
you a large number of convenient enhancements and useful additions, along
with exciting new features.
Yours sincerely,
The Freebyte! team
http://www.freebyte.com
http://www.treepad.com
http://www.freebyte.com/support
http://www.treepad.com/support
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