Recent Posts

1201

Finished Programs / Re: SOLVED: URL Extractor

« Last post by rjbull on August 26, 2011, 02:54 PM »

I currently have Downloadhelper, FlashGot, DownThemAll, Scrapbook, Screengrab and some other add-ons in Firefox.  At one time or another one of them has been able to do something that one of the others couldn't, or was easier with.  Thinking of trying IDM and maybe now Getright. 
Could I ask your thoughts on whether IDM or Getright could replace the add-ons I have?
I'd like to try and streamline the number of programs I use if it's even feasible.

-bob99 (August 26, 2011, 10:38 AM)

Can't help much, I'm afraid.  I haven't used any of those FF extensions, nor Getright.  There's also ReGet, which I seem to remember had some feature that IDM didn't, but I'm happy with IDM now.  I have used Free Download Manager (FDM), which supported proxy.pac files before IDM did and worked well, but not used it for a while.

IDM can download entire Web sites for offline browsing, but it doesn't replace utilities for clipping text or images from the Web, in the usual sense.  You need something else for that.  For that job I've used Evernote, Ultra Recall (a bit) and briefly looked at a few other things.  In a way, Evernote sort-of answers the OP, because it does clip URLs.  However, mine is the last desktop version, 2.2, and it's now gone cloud, which I don't want.  CintaNotes is a good freestanding Web clipper as long as you only want text.  Mouser's Clipboard Help+Spell (CHS) is a clipboard enhancer that now saves the URLs of Web clips (and also now clips images, despite the home page not having been updated to say so).  But, neither CintaNotes nor CHS understand and save the URLs within a page, only the URL of the page itself.  Another clipboard enhancer, ClipCache, does, but I've found recent versions somewhat fragile on my system.  I'd guess ClipMate would be certain to, as the Big Daddy of the genre, but I don't have it installed at present.

Sorry, not much help.

1202

Living Room / Re: What Happened to Genie Backup Manager?

« Last post by rjbull on August 26, 2011, 05:59 AM »

SyncBack does support keeping multiple versions (maybe the free variant doesn't - I don't know).

-mwb1100 (August 25, 2011, 07:35 PM)

It does?  I missed that!     Thanks, I'll have to investigate!

1203

General Software Discussion / Re: Any better Clipboard program.

« Last post by rjbull on August 26, 2011, 05:57 AM »

Hello! We're excited to announce that ASBware is featuring textBEAST Clipboard Manager on Bits du Jour, a 'deal-of-the-day' website that offers one-time discounts.  Bits du Jour will be offering textBEAST  today, Friday 26 August, 2011
ASBware

-Curt (August 26, 2011, 01:23 AM)

Curt, is it you that has a zillion clipboard enhancers?  If so, which do you like best/use most?

1204

Finished Programs / Re: SOLVED: URL Extractor

« Last post by rjbull on August 26, 2011, 05:55 AM »

I am not looking for a downloader program, the URL are for later processing.

-magician62 (August 26, 2011, 05:46 AM)

Don't overlook downloaders...  I think Internet Download Manager (IDM) can do what you want.  You can clip an area on a Web page, then go Tasks > Add batch download from clipboard.  It gives you a screen where everything is listed, with checkboxes to mark those you do/don't want.  Those required are put into a queue, which you can start at any later time you want.

1205

Living Room / Re: What Happened to Genie Backup Manager?

« Last post by rjbull on August 25, 2011, 03:26 PM »

Genie and BU4A are "backups"; SyncBack is a sync program, basically creates a mirror.

-J-Mac (August 22, 2011, 08:32 PM)

You mean, backup as in, keeping multiple earlier versions?  You're right, SyncBack doesn't seem to do that, even though their Web page clearly says it's a backup program.  It does seem a good synchroniser, though.

Mostly I've felt file sync was good enough for what I wanted, augmented by proper multi-generation backups of really critical things like KeePass files.  I can see circumstances where a real backup would be acutely necessary...

1206

General Software Discussion / Re: InfoQube & TreeSheets: Information managers of the future

« Last post by rjbull on August 25, 2011, 03:20 PM »

Looks good, though, and clearly under active development. (And there's a 35% discount on the full version right now, it appears.)

-oblivion (August 25, 2011, 07:11 AM)

I think they often have a discount on AllMyNotes   It's nice to see a Portable version, and there's a Free Edition, too.  The author has posted in DC occasionally.

1207

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Feature request: Web clipping, permanent note keeping

« Last post by rjbull on August 25, 2011, 08:29 AM »

I don't want to learn SQL, so like the idea of having a nice UI for the main functions, with bare-naked SQL available for those skilled in the art.

I don't see OCR as a must-have.  When I used to have to extract data from scanned-image PDFs of patents, I was content to use a separate application do the job.  The more so, as OCR is often imperfect, so it was better to put the converted text into an editor/word processor for spell-checking and reformatting.

I'm not keen on tags/keywords.  You have to know what you need in advance, and be consistent in applying them.  I'd rather have really good retrieval from title + body text of the clips, which is why I like to see Boolean searching.  If you must have keywords, then yes, it would be nice to be able to apply them to multiple clips at a time.  Also to have a CintaNotes-like feature where you had some kind of drop-down or auto-completion.

I don't expect very close integration with an e-mail client.  There are too many clients  to service them all.  I can either include information through the clipboard, or by exporting from TheBat! and importing or clipping the resulting text file.

It should be possible to store everything within the database, even if only a copy, to make the database portable and easier to back up.

I just want CHS to become a really good storage and retrieval database for information that passes through the clipboard, with an accent on Web clips, as well as a transient clips tool.

1208

General Software Discussion / Re: InfoQube & TreeSheets: Information managers of the future

« Last post by rjbull on August 24, 2011, 03:44 PM »

All My Notes Organizer Pro looks like it's getting there.  But, Web clipping isn't yet streamlined, and the "Mind-Map view" is due to be implemented soon, i.e., it isn't in the full release yet...

Maybe a suggestion for a DC discount on Rightnote Pro? 

1209

General Software Discussion / Re: looking for a [i]single[/i] pane file manager

« Last post by rjbull on August 24, 2011, 03:26 PM »

If you weren't obviously wanting a WinGUI, I'd have suggested ZTreeWin.  Otherwise, all the best suggestions have already been suggested    FWIW, here are two more donationwares/freewares:

• A43 File Management Utility
• Q-Dir

Both more or less portable.

1210

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Feature request: Web clipping, permanent note keeping

« Last post by rjbull on August 24, 2011, 02:57 PM »

I don't know SQL, and don't really understand tags or CHS's virtual folders, so I hope that the more useful features can be accessed without writing code...  I'd like to have at least simple Boolean logic.

As for OCR, that sounds to me a step too far.  That is, a lot of effort required to build something that wouldn't be used all that often.  But as CHS now stores images, and can accept external tools, is there any way of adding an OCR program as an external tool?

1211

Living Room / Re: What Happened to Genie Backup Manager?

« Last post by rjbull on August 22, 2011, 04:06 PM »

I haven't tried those to compare, but SyncBack is pretty good.

1212

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Allow commenting of files in directory listing

« Last post by rjbull on August 22, 2011, 03:41 PM »

 Would one of the file managers that use 4DOS-type DESCRIPT.ION suit your needs?  E.g. Total Commander?

1213

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Feature request: Web clipping, permanent note keeping

« Last post by rjbull on August 22, 2011, 03:33 PM »

I like the two feature requests, and they seem definitely doable without too much trouble.

-mouser (August 22, 2011, 09:44 AM)

The first request seems like a very sensible idea.. maybe what is wanted is a both a way to add custom hotkeys to clip and file into a specific folder, and a way to quickly switch the folder where normal clips get filed.

I wasn't envisaging quick changing of folders, so much as having Ctrl-C continue behaving as it does now, and simultaneously, in parallel, the special hotkey sending clips to the currently-chosen special folder.  And maybe choosing the current special folder by an item in the right-click tray menu.

Another related option might be a way to quickly set "tags" to be applied to new clips, so that one could set those tags based on the current task you were working on.. which would let you search and make virtual folders out of clips with those tags.

Actually, my suggestions were prompted by a quick play with CintaNotes, and reflecting on how something of its sort would have helped when I was trawling the Web at work for press releases and such to incorporate in current awareness bulletins.  These often needed editing, or combining where the same bulletin appeared on more than one site, so I always included URLs in order that clients could go direct to the source if they needed to.  From my point of view, I needed a streamlined storage medium, not something that in itself was capable of imposing organisation.  The bulletins were monthly, and it would have been useful if clips could have been tagged by date, so that I could group all those for the current month together for pasting into e-mails or text files.

So for the second request, perhaps the easiest way to do it is to have a special paste mode you can engage/disengage where it will do some work to any clip before pasting it (such as to paste extra info like date, url, etc. and optionally run it through a modifier formatter)?  does that make sense?

Ideally I'd like the clip to look in CHS like it will when pasted into a text editor, but, assembling the data on the way out through the pasting action would be OK.   I'm not sure that the details in the pasted clip should be controlled by the current CHS layout as such, but, the column selection certainly looks like it gives all the relevant data one might want to include in the final output.  One point, though.  If you combine merge clips, for my purposes I'd want all the metadata (if that's the right term) from all the component clips included.

Erm...  how do you customize panel layouts? 

[Edit 2011-08-25, 14:30] Clarified "combine" as "merge" [/Edit]

1214

Clipboard Help+Spell / Feature request: Web clipping, permanent note keeping

« Last post by rjbull on August 21, 2011, 03:58 PM »

mouser,

Do these make sense?  What I'm getting at is improving CHS as an application for keeping permanent notes, particularly when they're Web clips.

• Add, or re-purpose, a hotkey that will act the same as "Ctrl-C copy to clipboard and add to CHS", except that it will send the clip to a user-defined folder that isn't included in the standard Automatic Filing and cleaning procedure?  So that one can easily differentiate clips needed for long-term storage from the commoner transient ones, without having to organise things afterwards?  One might have a series of such folders, selected perhaps by right-clicking on the tray icon.
• Offer a configuration option to include the URL on a line at the bottom of a clip, so that when you want to paste the clip into a document, the URL automatically comes along with the text, without needing any extra action?

1215

General Software Discussion / Re: InfoQube & TreeSheets: Information managers of the future

« Last post by rjbull on August 21, 2011, 03:04 PM »

good way to keep the odd bits of info that we know we'll want later. For that stuff, I think I rate CintaNotes about the best of the freebies out there.

-oblivion (August 21, 2011, 12:31 PM)

On limited acquaintance, and as long as you can live without images, I think I'd agree.  I specially like the way it adds the URL to a note.  It's worth adding, though, that some of the clipboard enhancers, such as mouser's own Clipboard Help+Spell, are getting pretty close.

1216

General Software Discussion / Re: HotKeyP updated to 4.6, 2011-07-30: first update since 2008

« Last post by rjbull on August 17, 2011, 03:42 PM »

Today it's working okay

-tomos (August 17, 2011, 05:33 AM)

Today I suddenly have the normally perfectly reliable ArsClip complaining it couldn't set its hotkey.  I blame Windows 

Hotkeyz seems to be the most accessible for GUI persons like me [...] I had major problems with "minimise all windows except current". Didnt minimise to taskbar. but to bottom left corner of screen. Tasskbar (on autohide) refused to show. Had to reboot to clear the mess.

-tomos (August 15, 2011, 03:40 PM)

Hmmm, I haven't tried those features.  I wonder if Magnus is developing on very recent versions of Windows.  Have you tried e-mailing him?

I can try Hoekey again - the latest update is just an exe. I downloaded an older complete version and replaced the exe,  but maybe you have to run the older version first

No, it's another no-install unzip-and-go program, but you do need a configuration file.  The reason for having the older archives is to have the help file and configuration examples.  He didn't bother to update the archives.  Just copy the latest .exe over the previous one.  The feaures of the most recent versions are probably only mentioned in the user group forum.

1217

Developer's Corner / Re: Next step up from Autohotkey

« Last post by rjbull on August 17, 2011, 03:22 PM »

all you had to say was "There's an interrupt for that. Int 21H subfunction 

-MilesAhead (August 16, 2011, 04:07 PM)

For which, I believe, the C equivalent is "I think you'll find that in Knuth?" 

1218

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: 40% off on Notezilla Sticky Notes Program only on 17th August

« Last post by rjbull on August 17, 2011, 03:18 PM »

I [...] still can't understand why they insist on daily {e-mails}

-rjbull (August 16, 2011, 03:10 PM)

I think to up their daily visitor count.  While it is an inconvenience, I know from trying to set up discounts and such that the companies want to see a significant daily visitor count.  So if you make it so that people don't have to visit, then you have less leverage to get companies to offer their software at a discount, let alone a significant discount.

-wraith808 (August 16, 2011, 03:51 PM)

I see, though I don't like what it implies.  Companies would seem to see us as consumerist fashion-victim lemmings.  Given that most of the companies featured in BdJ are shareware rather than big corporations, I think that's sad and bad.

If they said this up front and explained it, maybe people would be more understanding.

I didn't read every post on their forum, but I certainly didn't see that clearly said.  It would have helped a little, though I'm still not going to be online every day.

Actually, if companies really want to get a user base of enthusiastic evangelists, they'd probably do best to offer discounts through established, well-respected software discussion sites - of which DC is the prime example...

Back on topic:

the Notezilla discount is TODAY, 2011-08-17
Ten hours plus remaining at the time of writing.

1219

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: 40% off on Notezilla Sticky Notes Program only on 17th August

« Last post by rjbull on August 16, 2011, 03:10 PM »

^ Not sure why you haven't received it yet.

-wraith808 (August 15, 2011, 03:40 PM)

Perhaps because I'd unsubscribed?  But I'd have thought their system should be able to cope with re-subscription.

I'm not being a "white hat" for the site, I just appreciate what they do

I really didn't like them dropping the weekly e-mail, and still can't understand why they insist on daily ones.  When I saw something I wanted, I planned to go online on that day, and clicked through to the deal from their site, as the only way to get the deal anyway.  Can't see their problem.

Mine from this morning (unformatted text, hiding behind a cut)

-wraith808 (August 15, 2011, 03:40 PM)

Thanks!  I see, though, they give very little genuine warning.  Nearly everything is "coming soon."

Still, a few interesting things are "coming soon."  I recently downloaded the latest version of AllMyNotes Organizer (bought my license when a discount was offered here on DC), and it's getting closer to being a competent Web clipper.

1220

Developer's Corner / Re: Next step up from Autohotkey

« Last post by rjbull on August 16, 2011, 02:50 PM »

Dos programming manual to Int 21H

-MilesAhead (August 15, 2011, 06:20 PM)

I'm no programmer, and even I've heard of that! 

1221

General Software Discussion / Re: HotKeyP updated to 4.6, 2011-07-30: first update since 2008

« Last post by rjbull on August 16, 2011, 02:33 PM »

HotkeyP insists in going in with startup apps

-tomos (August 15, 2011, 03:40 PM)

Doesn't here, on Vista Home Premium, UAC On, from a user account: I just unzipped it into a c:\NoInst\HotKeyP\ directory and it works OK.

Hoekey not working properly out of the box here.

-tomos (August 15, 2011, 03:40 PM)

No problems here.  I've used it for years on several different systems.  But, you do have to manually edit the configuration with a text editor    This is the line in question:

_^@K=Kill                         ; Terminate current process

Hotkeyz seems to be the most accessible for GUI persons like me

-tomos (August 15, 2011, 03:40 PM)

It has a nice GUI configuration system, if sometimes a bit tedious when you want to add several things, with parameters etc.  I've occasionally had the impression that HotKeyz is a bit slower at some actions than Hoekey, notably at popping up my PopSel menu.

1222

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: 40% off on Notezilla Sticky Notes Program only on 17th August

« Last post by rjbull on August 15, 2011, 03:17 PM »

BitsDuJour [...] a definite marketing fail or "own goal"

-IainB (August 14, 2011, 04:44 PM)

Another, to my mind, was dropping the weekly e-mails, to stop you knowing in advance what deals were coming up.  They seem to want you hitting their site every day, which doesn't work for me.  I'm not online every day.  Since dropping the BdJ e-mail, my credit card bill has been much more manageable    However, I just tried resubscribing, as they say they've amended the daily e-mails to give some forward details.  I wanted to see how useful (or dangerous to my wallet) that was, but haven't seen any come through yet.

N.B.: in the BdJ item on Notezilla, conceptworld point out that the deal is applicable to the portable version too.  I realise that then one can run it from multiple PCs, but I think it's pretty expensive.  After all, you aren't going to use it from multiple PCs simultaneously.  Also, and I haven't checked Notezilla's license on this, I don't care for portable licenses that restrict you to a single USB stick.  It's not that I'm likely to actually use more than one at a time, but I like to have a ready-to-go back up.

1223

General Software Discussion / Re: HotKeyP updated to 4.6, 2011-07-30: first update since 2008

« Last post by rjbull on August 15, 2011, 03:00 PM »

Do you know if the action "Terminate process" can be used to kill ANY process that is having (stealing) focus at any given time, or if it is for a 'pre-selected' program only?

-Curt (August 14, 2011, 05:51 PM)

I haven't tried it with HotKeyP.  My regular hotkey program is HoeKey, which works by killing whichever process has focus.  So, by the looks of a quick test, does HotKeyz.

1224

Developer's Corner / Re: Next step up from Autohotkey

« Last post by rjbull on August 15, 2011, 02:45 PM »

Creative is easy to learn and surprisingly powerful

-mrainey (August 14, 2011, 05:36 PM)

I think the low $10 price puzzles me.  Rhetorical question - why isn't it either free, or a higher price?

1225

Developer's Corner / Re: Next step up from Autohotkey

« Last post by rjbull on August 15, 2011, 02:43 PM »

picking up some assembler doesn't hurt.

-MilesAhead (August 14, 2011, 06:58 PM)

As I understand it, PureBasic converts source code into assembler, which is then compiled by NASM.  I think that's part of the reason Horst Schaeffer uses it, as he has long experience as an assembler programmer.


This isn't a new idea.  Rowan Crowe's MoonRock compiler did the same for DOS, using a free version of Arrow Assembler.