Recent Posts

25851

Living Room / Re: Bloons Tower Defense - Very Well Done

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 03:35 PM »

I made it to round 40.. never got the hypersonic monkey though

25852

DcUpdater / Re: For developers who want to add DcUpdater check to their apps: dcuhelper.exe

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 01:36 PM »

Another fun tip for Inno Setup users:

What if you want to add a "Check for Updates" item to the start menu group of your program?

Just add this one line to your inno script, in the Icons section:

• Name: {group}Check for updates; Filename: {app}\dcuhelper.exe; WorkingDir: {app}; Parameters: "-ri PROGRAM_LABEL ""{app}"" ATTENTION -show"; IconFilename: {app}\YOUR_MAIN_PROGRAM.exe; Flags: runminimized

(you can leave off the IconFilename if you dont want to give the shortcut the icon of your main program).

When the user chooses the "Check for Updates" item from the start menu group, dcuhelper.exe will find and invoke the DcUpdater tool or show user how to install it if it isn't installed yet.

NOTE: this gives you a complete way to add update checking to your program without modifying the actual program at all.  you could even use this technique to add update checking to a package you make (which could contain multiple updatable components), consisting of programs you didn't compile yourself.

25853

DcUpdater / Re: For developers who want to add DcUpdater check to their apps: dcuhelper.exe

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 01:08 PM »

ps.
If you use Inno Setup, here is a line you can add to your [Run] section which will use the dcuhelper.exe to automatically register your newly installed program with the updater so the updater itself will know how to check for updates to your program, even before the first use of your program:

Filename: {app}\dcuhelper.exe; WorkingDir: {app}; Description: Create Update Check Helper File..; Flags: nowait runhidden; Parameters: "-r PROGRAM_LABEL ""{app}"""

Basically this just invoked the dcuhelper to create the file described above, silently at end of install (user is not prompted).  Note that this doesnt invoke an update check and doesn't require the updater tool to be installed on the user's computer.  It just creates the dcupdateredirect file so that the dcupdater tool can find it if/when it's installed.

25854

DcUpdater / Re: For developers who want to add DcUpdater check to their apps: dcuhelper.exe

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 12:16 PM »

An example of suggested way to invoke update check from your program using dcuhelper.exe, from a C++ program:

ShellExecute(NULL,"open",dcufullpath,comlineargs,NULL,SW_HIDE);

where:

• dcufullpath is the full path to the dcuhelper.exe you installed with your program, e.g.: C:\Program Files\ProcessTamer\dcuhelper.exe
• comlineargs is: -ri ProcessTamer "C:\Program Files\ProcessTamer" "Warning" -show

25855

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: drag window to edge automatically resizes it

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 12:10 PM »

jgp when are we going to see dcupdater support for gridmove!
see this thread for info on how to easily add a "check for updates" menu item to your tray icon.

25856

Find And Run Robot / Re: [bug report] can't see alias

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 11:11 AM »

thanks, i guess i got over-eager in my recent changes to warn about read-only alias editing.  fixed and uploaded new minor release.

25857

Living Room / Re: Bloons Tower Defense - Very Well Done

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 10:19 AM »

Onslaught was first posted on the forum back in April: https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=8183.0

It may be the best Flash Tower Defense game in existence.

25858

Living Room / Bloons Tower Defense - Very Well Done

« Last post by mouser on August 19, 2007, 09:46 AM »

This is a nice example of the Tower Defense genre, which I am a huge fan of.

It's nice to study these games and learn what works and what doesn't, which ones are fun and which aren't.  From a game design perspective it's fascinating to see how authors work within the constraints of the basic paradigm.

For aspiring TD designers, Bloons has an extremely clean and elegant interface (the upgrade system in particular in fantastically intuitive).  The game itself also seems to be very well balanced and challenging.  The only thing perhaps lacking is that the enemies aren't very motivating.

http://ninjakiwi.com/bloonstd.html

from http://flash.plasticthinking.org/

25859

UrlSnooper / Re: XP Install - Worked, then didn't...and doesn't

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 09:25 PM »

you did install any of the language packs did you?

you should cancel the auto adapter detection and go to advanced options and disable this auto adapter detection feature.

then see what adapters it shows in advanced tab for you to select from.

are you running as an administrator account? if not, try that.

25860

UrlSnooper / Re: XP Install - Worked, then didn't...and doesn't

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 08:59 PM »

Maybe try this:

Make sure urlsnooper is not currently running, then go to the urlsnooper directory and rename the settings.ini file or move it somewhere out of that directory to reset the settins, and then restart it.

25861

Living Room / Re: KenR's health and situation

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 02:31 PM »

In honor of Ken, i have blogged my diagram.  I can only imagine what people who just visit the blog and don't follow the discussions here will think of it..

25862

UrlSnooper / Re: XP Install - Worked, then didn't...and doesn't

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 02:21 PM »

ok first, there is nothing in any of our programs that cause them to work in one way with license key and another way without them, just to be clear.

Can you try this new, not yet public, release of URLSnooper:
https://www.donation.../URLSnooperSetup.exe

It fixes a strange bug i found in the last version that could be related to what you are experiencing (though im not sure).

25863

General Software Discussion / Re: how do you write a .chm file?

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 01:29 PM »

Well for those that want it but can't quite afford it yet, we will try hard to have another discount on Help+Manual this year, it really is a pleasure to use, and a real powerhouse.

25864

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA:Wordpress theme creator

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 11:20 AM »

this is a fun idea.. there is a large community of wordpress hackers, i wonder if anyone has considered this or made something like it..

25865

General Software Discussion / Re: The software awards scam

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 10:04 AM »

A problem with these sites is they clog up the search results, and make it harder to find the worthwhile sites.

Moreover, because they are all about advertising money, the search engines have a vested interest in not filtering them out, and they are more focused on search-engine optimization and attracting search engines then real sites.

So basically we have a vicious circle where the least useful sites are the most focused on getting high placement on search engines, and search engines make big profits from them.  Not just with software sites of course but most content.

25866

Living Room / Re: KenR's health and situation

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 09:47 AM »

I already promised to buy him his freeware application of choice.

Lease it.

25867

DcUpdater / Re: Extra Update Files

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 09:26 AM »

OK, first thing is that (currently) the updater tool only works with programs made to support it, so it's not going to work with CSDIFF5 no matter what you drop on it

Second,
I've just been updating all of my software to work with the updater.  If you have the latest copy of the updater tool, you should see a tab labeled "Available for Installation" and ClipboardHelpAndSpell v1.14.01 should be on it.  You need to install that latest version of CHS in order to get update checking for it.

Once the new version of CHS is installed you will have update support for it thereafter, and no need to drag any folders anywhere.

Really the only time you have to manually add folders to DcUpdater is if you bypass the installer for that program; and the thing you are doing when you add folders to DcUpdater manually is helping it locate the .dcupdate files for that program -- so if the program doesn't have a .dcupdate file then there is no point adding its folder.

25868

Living Room / Re: KenR's health and situation

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 09:14 AM »

I thought Ken would appreciate the academic dark humour -- he knows how much I care about him 

25869

Living Room / Re: KenR's health and situation

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 08:44 AM »

I made this diagram to illustrate why I'm not getting a present for Ken:

25870

LaunchBar Commander / Re: Will LBC support openning of Bars via HotKey?

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 08:13 AM »

I'll be adding this very soon.. probably this month.

25871

General Software Discussion / Jeff Atwood's School of Blog Writing, Episode 999

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 12:32 AM »

Somehow Jeff Atwood, who might be expected to be mostly good at programming, has become one of the best examples of how to write a good blog.  His essays just seem to hit all the right notes in terms of content, size, style, you name it.  So when he gives tips on blog writing, you'd be wise to listen..

I started out in early 2004 as a blog skeptic. But over the last four years, I've become a born-again believer. In that time, I've written almost a thousand blog entries, and I've read thousands upon thousands of blog entries. As a result, I've developed some rather strong opinions about what makes blogs work so well, and what makes blogs sometimes not work so well.

I'd like to share some of the latter with you today, in a piece I call Thirteen Blog Clichés...

http://www.codinghor...archives/000834.html

25872

General Software Discussion / Re: how do you write a .chm file?

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 12:19 AM »

You know I'd love to see a more organized process on this forum where a small group of people could agree to do an organized, exhaustive, frenetic testing of programs and try to come up with some consensus of best tools for a task.

In other words, it would be nice if we could take a thread like this and have a few people just go out and try every help file maker they can find and winnow down the list of top candidates.  Not only would that be helpful but we could then go and try to get some discounts on these, as well as provide some guidance to the non-top authors on how they could improve their programs.

25873

General Software Discussion / Re: how do you write a .chm file?

« Last post by mouser on August 18, 2007, 12:13 AM »

There are a lot of "Help File" maker tools.  I also am a huge fan of (the very expensive) Help+Manual.  There may be another discount on it at DonationCoder but it's still out of the price range of many.

Most people don't need the power of H+M, and probably most tools are fine.  I can, however, think of a few features you might really want to look for:

1. integrated spell check
2. can it create pdf documentation?
3. can it create nice pure web documentation?

those last 2 features are bound to rule out most entry-level help makers, but they are very important features.

please keep us updated on what program you finally settle on, and whether it can do #1,2,3.

25874

UrlSnooper / Re: URL Snooper - WIN98/ME Crashes - possible workaround

« Last post by mouser on August 17, 2007, 11:09 PM »

I've uploaded a new build (v2.20.01) here:
https://www.donation.../URLSnooperSetup.exe

I'd really like to know if this solves the problem that win9x users have been reporting.  Please someone let me know?

25875

Finished Programs / Re: SubDude, a subtitle renaming program

« Last post by mouser on August 17, 2007, 06:26 PM »

clever