Softwrights Reminder... How To Use the Program
This page is an online reference on how to use Softwrights Reminder.
Since the program is unusually easy to use, most people do not need to
refer to this page. Remember:
- All screens were designed to be self-explanatory.
- The need to type is minimized ... Input is a breeze.
- Several things are done automatically for you. For
example, expired events are automatically deleted from the Upcoming
Events List ... And the current date is automatically
updated after every command and every time you enter the
program (you don't have to restart the program as in other products).
If you need help, do one of the following:
- Use the Help pull-down menu in the program. The
program was designed to be as self-explanatory as possible. It was also
designed to be as compact as possible. So the Help command is
not as detailed as our Web site.
- Refer to this Web site (more comprehensive than Help
command).
- Send E-mail to
questions@softwrights.com
The Events List screen appears right after you start
the program. It's designed to give you a broad overview that lets you see
(at a glance) all upcoming events that are important to
you. Here are a few highlights:
- The events list (middle of screen) shows all the
events that you've scheduled in chronological order. The first upcoming
event is automatically highlighted.
- The Date column displays the date that events
are scheduled on (including the day of the week)
- The Event column displays the type of event
(holiday, birthday, etc.). An * (asterisk) in
front of an event means that reminders are given every year... Date
is automatically updated after the event expires. Events not
preceded by an * are automatically removed after they expire.
- The Event Details column displays details like
the names of holidays, meeting times, people's names, etc... Details
about holidays are automatically provided. Details about other
events are entered by you.
- The Alarm column displays the time that an
alarm is scheduled to go off. This column is blank if an alarm was
not set. When an alarm goes off a dialog box appears (even if
program is running in the background) along with a continuous or
single sound (if a sound option is set for an alarm).
- The current date, current time
(updated every second) and the total number of upcoming events
appears at the upper-left of the events list window.
- The graphics area appears of the upper-middle of
the events list window. If the current date is the day of a scheduled
event, a related graphic appears here (Multimedia Edition
only) ... Otherwise Softwrights' logo appears here.
- The View drop-down combo box lets you change the
events that are listed. The default is All Upcoming Events
which lists all events that you've scheduled. Other options let you see
(filter) one type of event (like Birthdays, Holidays, etc.)
only ... As well as the 20 most-recent expired events (in case you want
to review them).
- The color coded (like a traffic light) information line
(right above the events list) tells you about the first
upcoming event. Green appears if it's more than 5 days away... Along
with the number of days before the event. Yellow automatically
appears if it's less than, or equal to, 5 days away... Along with
details about the event. Red appears if the event occurs on the current
date. So you can tell at a glance if anything is coming up soon.
- The 5 command buttons let you put (run) the program in the background
to work on something else, exit from the program, and add/delete
(schedule/unschedule) events.
To run the program in the background while you work on something else,
press the Run in Background button on the Events-List
(main) screen. A dialog box appears that lets you specify whether you want
to be automatically reminded every day (for as long as
your computer is running) or if you want to bring Reminder to
the foreground manually.
If you choose the Automatically remind every day option, you
can specify the time that you want Reminder to
re-appear to the foreground.
After you press the OK...Run in Background Now button,
Reminder runs in the background until it re-appears
automatically, re-appears manually (switch to Reminder using
Windows 95 Taskbar or Windows 3.1 Task List), when an
alarm that you optionally set for an event goes off...
or until you turn your computer off.
To add and/or delete holidays to/from the Events List, click
on the Add/Delete Holidays button from the Events
List screen.
The Add/Delete Holidays screen appears that includes a
check-off list of numerous holidays. It lets you choose
which holidays that you want to be reminded (or not
reminded) about ... It's a breeze to use.
- To add (schedule) holidays just check them off
(click on them).
- To delete (un-schedule) holidays just un-check them
(click on them again).
- To select all holidays press the Select (Check) All button.
To Un-check (delete) all holidays press the Un-Check All
button.
- Click on the OK ... Schedule All Selected Holidays button
to add/delete all the holidays that you checked/un-checked to the Events
List. Or click on the Cancel ... Don't Change Original
Schedule button to cancel any changes that you just entered.
- The program automatically checks to see if the current date
has changed. If so, the current date will be updated and expired
events (if any) will be removed from the Events List.
Softwrights Reminder's custom
holiday calendar automatically updates the date of a
holiday for the next year... Right after it expires during the current
year.
- The updated (if necessary) Events List appears ...
Including your new holiday changes.
The self-explanatory prompts/buttons and
check-off boxes make everything quick, easy, and goof-proof.
To add a non-holiday (Other) event like a birthday or meeting to the
Events List, click on the Add Other Event
button from the Events List screen.
The Add an Other (non-holiday) Event screen appears.
It lets you schedule non-holiday events in several categories. Little or
no typing is required. Just following these simple
steps:
- Select the type of Event you want from the
drop-down combo box. You have 11 choices: Miscellaneous,
Anniversary, Birthday, Dentist, Doctor, Hair Care, Interview, Meeting,
Party, Shower, and Wedding.
- If necessary, change the Frequency. If you choose
anAnniversary or Birthday event, the frequency is
automatically set to Annual (you'll be reminded about
the event every year). Otherwise, the frequency is automatically set to
Specified Year Only (you'll be reminded once, during the given
Year only).
- Select the Month and Day that the
event occurs on from the drop-down combo boxes. The Year
is automatically set for you (to current year or next year, if
necessary)... Events can be scheduled up to a year in advance.
- Type in optional Details (time of meeting, name of
person, etc).
- If you want an alarm to go off for the event select the Alarm
On radio button. Then select the hour,
minute, am or pm
you want from the drop-down combo boxes.
- Click on the Save Event & Add Another button to
add the event to the Events List and to add another
event without leaving this dialog. Or click on the Save Event &
Go Back button to add the event to the Events List
and go back to the Events List (main screen). Or click on the Cancel
button to cancel the addition of the event that you just entered.
Note: Each time you click on the Save Event & Add
Another button... The Events Saved number is
updated to give you feedback. The Month, Day, and Year
fields are reset to let you enter another event. And
the Event (type of event) and Frequency fields are
not reset to minimize the work you need to do to add
several events of the same type/frequency (easy to override if
necessary).
- The program automatically checks to see if the current date
has changed. If so, the current date will be updated and expired
events (if any) will be removed from the Events List.
- The updated (if necessary) Events List appears ...
Including your new event (if you saved it above).
The self-explanatory prompts/buttons,
drop-down combo boxes, and informative Whoops (error) messages
make everything quick, easy, and goof-proof.
To Edit or Delete an event do one of the following
from the Events List screen:
- Double-Click on the event in the Events List.
- Or highlight the event (click on it) in the Events
List then click on the Edit/Delete Event button.
One of the following will then happen:
- If the event is an holiday, the Add/Delete
Holidays screen appears where you can add or delete
holidays ... Holidays cannot be Edited since everything is preset.
- If the event is not a holiday (an Other event) the
Edit or Delete An Event screen appears. This screen is
the same as the Add
Other Event screen ... With one exception ... It has a
Delete Event button. If you click on this, the
Politically Correct Double-Check message appears.
Click on the Yes button to confirm the deletion of the event
from the Events List. Or you can Edit the event by changing
the Event type, Frequency, Date, and/or
Details of the event ... Then click on the OK...Save
Event button.
After you complete the above, the following will happen:
- The program automatically checks to see if the current date
has changed. If so, the current date will be updated and expired
events (if any) will be removed from the Events List.
- The updated (if necessary) Events List appears ...
Including the event you edited (or not including the event you deleted).
The Sound Options command from the Options
pull-down menu lets you select sounds for 6 events, alarms, etc. To
conserve disk space, the Lite Edition has two sounds (silent and
beep which don't require a sound card). The Multimedia Edition
has numerous sounds to select from ... You can also edit/replace 6 sound
files (custom1.wav thru cutom6.wav) with your own custom sounds.
To use your own custom sounds ... Rename an existing
.WAV file CUSTOM#.WAV where # is a number between 1 and
6 (for example: custom2.wav). Or record/edit a file
saved as one of the above names. Then copy or save the file in the same
directory/folder that Reminder is installed in... usually this
is the C:\SREM directory. This will overwrite the given custom#.wav file
supplied with the program. Then use the Sound Options
command to select your custom#.wav file. Each of the 6 sound categories
has an associated custom#.wav file that you can choose (bottom of list).
To create/edit a custom#.wav file ... Use a program
that you purchased, one that may be included with your sound card, or the
Sound Recorder program that comes with Windows. In Windows
3.1, select Sound Recorder from the Accessories
group. In Windows 95, press Start, select Programs,
select Accessories, select Multimedia, then select
Sound Recorder.
The Events-List Window-Size Options command from theOptions
pull-down menu lets you see 5, 7, or 10 events at once on theEvents
List.
The NerdInfo pull-down menu lets you see several
things of interest primarily to technically oriented people, including:
- Event Statistics ... Bean counters' delight!
- Event Graphics Review... Displays all 39 graphics
(one by one with description of the event that triggers the display of a
given event (Multimedia Edition only).
- Available Sounds Review... Plays all sounds (26 in
Multimedia Edition, 2 in Lite Edition)... A sound
card is required to hear 24 of the sounds in the Multimedia Edition.
- Guiding Principles of Softwrights, Inc.... We don't
just blab about these ... We live by them!
- Program Files and Program Limitations
... Nerds' nirvana!
Note: Most of the above (except Event
Statistics which depends on a user's event schedule) is included on this
Web site from the Softwrights Reminder Details Menu.
To Exit from the program do one of the following:
- Click on the Exit Program button from the Events
List screen.
- Or select Exit from the File pull-down menu.
There is no double-check ... The exit is
immediate. Softwrights believes that the chances of an accidental exit are
remote and that most people want to get in and out of a program like this
as quickly as possible.
Copyright © 1996 - 1999 by
Softwrights, Inc. All Rights Reserved
