Recent Posts

976

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: myBase Desktop 5.x + Addons Pack discounted on BitsDuJour.com (2010-01-25)

« Last post by rjbull on February 05, 2012, 03:29 PM »

There're quite a lot of mentions of myBase on DC.  But, oh, that there were one clearly best notekeeper to rule them all...  I have AllMyNotes, which is nice in many ways but too mouse-oriented and doesn't stick to some Windows standards: e.g., Alt-Space doesn't bring up the usual Minimize/Maximize/Close etc. menu, it creates a new note!  No accelerator keys on the menus, no hotkey to add a clip as a note, etc.  Nice quick search and sensible filtered display, though.  I also have UltraRecall, but it's very complex and I don't much like its interface.  NoteFrog is nice too especially for "live search" but it's maybe a bit too young a project to commit too much to too soon.

Analysis paralysis! 

977

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Hard Disk Sentinel PRO - Mini-Review

« Last post by rjbull on February 05, 2012, 02:58 PM »

Though initially too impatient to use the Mini-Review template (it's a bit tedious to use with all the BBS code) [...] As a template though, it seems quite comprehensive.

-IainB (February 04, 2012, 08:46 PM)

I've never tried it, but, if you used the full template, I think it's incomplete.  It may give the software name, but it doesn't seem to give a brief explanation of what the software does.  The name on is own isn't always a clear enough indication of function.

978

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Mini-Review: RightNote

« Last post by rjbull on February 04, 2012, 11:34 AM »

Recording my further efforts at converting a MemPad file for import into RightNote or Keynote:

Whether I ran kntconvert.exe on an indented file, or converted my source file into an HJT and imported it into KeyNote itself, I got similar results.  The KNT file from either process had RTF body text for the first few nodes, but then the converters forgot all about RTF and made everything plain text.  Importing the files into RightNote or AllMyNotes gave the correct tree structure, but non-RTF notes were blank, and they were in the great majority.

I cut the Gordian knot by making another script that converted MemPad's output file directly into a KNT file.  It's a terrible kludge because I don't know anything about RTF.  I cribbed the RTF tags from one of KeyNote's support files, fileformat.knt.  But it seems to work; I ended up with files that appeared to import correctly into both RightNote and AllMyNotes.  There are over 1000 nodes, so I haven't checked them all, but things look right.

979

General Software Discussion / Re: pdf context menu

« Last post by rjbull on February 03, 2012, 03:07 PM »

Maybe PDF-ShellTools can do some f what you want?

Sanity check - I haven't tried it.

980

Screenshot Captor / Re: Timed screen capture

« Last post by rjbull on February 01, 2012, 03:26 PM »

the only thing you mention that you can't do it tell it not to begin until a certain time of day..

-mouser (February 01, 2012, 12:28 AM)

@jjerry There is all kinds of free stuff to launch an application at a given time. The built-in Windows Tasks (or Scheduler) is a good, safe, easy one.

-cranioscopical (February 01, 2012, 07:50 AM)

You beat me to that comment, but, does SSC support command-line operation?  If it doesn't, there's mouser's other screen capture program MiniCap :

MiniCap is a minimal screenshot capture app, with good commandline support, including the ability to launch (and then terminate) apps, capture windows by handle, processid, process name, or interactively.

MiniCap has a convenient interactive capture mode (based on Screenshot Captor's Redbox Capture mode) which may be useful if you don't want to have something like Screenshot Captor running in the background. But where MiniCap really shines is it's use as a non-interactive commandline tool.

981

General Software Discussion / Re: POSTING 101

« Last post by rjbull on January 29, 2012, 12:02 PM »

Here's something that also might work for you --- try "TextEditorAnywhere".

-Renegade (January 28, 2012, 09:29 AM)

+1.  It's here: Text Editor Anywhere – Edit Text Anywhere with Your Favorite Editor.  And it's free! 

It lets you use WIN+A to compose in your default text editor instead of the browser.

-Renegade (January 28, 2012, 09:29 AM)

Hotkey is configurable 

You end up with a local file as well, so, if you forget and close your browser, you still have it.

-Renegade (January 28, 2012, 09:29 AM)

I periodically archive up these files, and delete the really old ones.

982

Living Room / Re: Knowledge Is A Universal Natural Resource - Locking It Up Hurts Everyone

« Last post by rjbull on January 29, 2012, 11:53 AM »

Knowledge Is A Universal Natural Resource -- And Locking It Up Hurts Everyone

-IainB (January 28, 2012, 10:25 PM)

Serious case of misreading the original.  I thought it said
Knowledge Is A Universal Natural Resource -- And Looking It Up Hurts Everyone
What a difference one letter makes...

983

General Software Discussion / Re: display translated version of text, side by side, in pdf

« Last post by rjbull on January 29, 2012, 11:41 AM »

OmniPage.  Screenshot is Version 15; current version is 18.

[Edit at UK time 2012-01-29, 20:05:-] Clarifying: I probably misunderstood your request.  OmniPage is an OCR program that presents the original and the text conversion side by side. If you want a genuine PDF editor, there's the Foxit suite, and Iceni Sofware's Infix PDF editor is a permanent Bits du Jour Hot Deal, but I don't know if either will put two PDFs side by side.[/Edit]

984

General Software Discussion / Re: Retrieving the name of a nice process killer

« Last post by rjbull on January 26, 2012, 04:13 PM »

Also probably not the one you meant, but maybe useful?

KillProcess

KillProcess is an application assassin of the extreme kind. It can terminate almost any process on a Windows machine, including any service and process running in the system. Even protected Microsoft system processes can be terminated. All of this can be done in the matter of milliseconds.

The speed that KillProcess can kill your applications with is determined by your computer speed and is not restricted by any other settings within the OS itself. KillProcess is way more powerful than the Task Manager in other terms than speed. It can kill multiple processes, either by multi-select or by clever use of “kill lists”. Using these techniques it is possible to “batch” terminate processes, quickly and swiftly, with a click of a button.

KillProcess can also scan the running processes on the computer, and kill them on sight, much like an anti-spyware application would. In KillProcess however you are in charge of which applications should be allowed to run or not – and that applies to the computer as long as you say so.

985

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Add Word-Count Capability to Context Menu or Tool Tip

« Last post by rjbull on January 25, 2012, 09:48 AM »

Not a direct answer, but are you aware that some of the file renamers have features to deal with this?  For example, 1-4a rename (freeware) has features to limit the filename, plus special features for cleaning up music filenames and shortening filenames for CD-R (only 64 characters).  See screenshot.

986

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Rearranging the CHS display to give a conventional 2-pane display

« Last post by rjbull on January 25, 2012, 09:09 AM »

Interesting definition of "religion" 

-rjbull (January 24, 2012, 02:37 PM)

Hahaha, sorry, you got that wrong!   

The things displayed in my Tree tab screenshot are my logical "categories", and they are hierarchically arranged (redolent of Lotus Agenda). One of the categories is called "Religion/belief/dogma"

-IainB (January 25, 2012, 02:15 AM)

Ah, and the word "dogma" is hidden in that screenshot 

But hey - isn't it nice how easily you can reconfigure the main CHS GUI?

-IainB (January 25, 2012, 02:15 AM)

Mouser's programs are getting too complex for me... 

987

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Rearranging the CHS display to give a conventional 2-pane display

« Last post by rjbull on January 24, 2012, 02:37 PM »

Interesting definition of "religion" 

988

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Mini-Review: RightNote

« Last post by rjbull on January 23, 2012, 02:24 PM »

I wrote that import procedure 10 years ago. Even a minor later change in HJT file format may be causing all sorts of trouble, I'm afraid.

-tranglos (January 23, 2012, 11:11 AM)

Actually, I started by massaging my output file into a form that the free-standing KeyNote importer kntconvert.exe (dated 2002...) could handle, without using Treepad at all, and that also worked.  But to get an output file imported reasonably into AMN or RN, I had to export it from KeyNote as a (freeware) Treepad Lite-type HJT, then make a new KN file, and re-import the HJT into it!  You can see why I'm bemused 

I used a 2004 description for Treepad HJT.  The only tags I used were basic:

Header: <Treepad version 3.0>
dt=Text
<node>
Node title
Level
Node close: <end node> 5P9i0s8y19Z

That was enough to allow import into UltraRecall.  The default type is Text, but I had to explicitly state dt=Text before UR would do it.

Still, even your KeyNote years are long ago 

989

General Software Discussion / Listary updated to Version:3.51 (Build 752) (23 January 2012)

« Last post by rjbull on January 23, 2012, 02:08 PM »

Listary Version:3.51 (Build 752)
3.51.752 (23 January 2012)
——————————————–

- New: “Add Here” for submenus (Pro version only)
- New: %files% parameter for custom commands
- New: Find-as-you-type ignoring diacritics
- New: Page Up/ Page Down/ Home/ End support in menus
- New: Recent folder support for Office 2003 on Windows 7
- New: New language file (Portuguese)
- New: New language file (Brazilian Portuguese)
- New: New language file (Traditional Chinese)
- Improved: Float toolbar can handle ESC after activating a menu now
- Improved: Better compatibility with high DPI
- Improved: DirectoryOpus detection
- Improved: Find-as-you-type compatibility with xplorer2
- Improved: Total Commander INI path detection (can handle default path in Windows/AppData folder now)
- Improved: Order of search results
- Improved: Installer won’t reset “Start Listary when Windows starts”
- Fixed: May make Windows 7 task switcher not always on top
- Fixed: Selection mark wasn’t correct in XP Explorer
- Fixed: A minor popup menu z-order bug
- Fixed: Favorite items can’t be dragged into an empty submenu

990

General Software Discussion / Re: anything more advanced than mail merge?

« Last post by rjbull on January 23, 2012, 10:39 AM »

Maybe something like mouser's Form Letter Machine?

991

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: NoteFrog Pro (clipboard information manager) - Mini-Review

« Last post by rjbull on January 23, 2012, 10:36 AM »

Sounds good, thanks!   

992

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Mini-Review: RightNote

« Last post by rjbull on January 23, 2012, 10:34 AM »

I'll just add that RightNote imports KeyNote files very well and is a fine replacement for it.

-tranglos (January 23, 2012, 07:40 AM)

Import of KeyNote files into other programs is currently a sore point with me.  I have data currently in MemPad, which I'm trying to get into other programs.  MemPad can export a plain text file in a sensible format, which can be easily massaged into a Treepad Lite HJT file.  It looks right in Treepad Lite, and seems to import correctly into UltraRecall.  KeyNote can import the HJT.  Sometimes the files look right in KeyNote, and the tree always seems correct, but usually some of the notes are blank.  I don't know why.  I wondered if KeyNote's import was getting confused about RTF vs. plain text.  It's put semicolons in front of all the text inside one node, which I understand KeyNote does to any note that's been marked as plain text.  There isn't a "%" on a line by itself.  I don't see why KeyNote would only mark some nodes as plain text when the whole file is plain text, yet wrap most of the body text in RTF tokens.

In some cases, when I tried saving a file, this error message appeared:

Virtual node "ABCZ typing abbreviation system - John Knowles" in note "software" cannot write file

Cannot create file

and that's one of the nodes that failed.  But it isn't what I would consider a virtual node.  It contains a URL, but so do other nodes that imported correctly.

Both AllMyNotes and RightNote fail in much the same way as KeyNote.  I've been through several iterations of this, and am losing the plot! 

993

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: NoteFrog Pro (clipboard information manager) - Mini-Review

« Last post by rjbull on January 22, 2012, 04:40 PM »

Looks like delimiter always at beginning of line?

-berry (January 22, 2012, 03:46 PM)

In MemPad's case, yes.

Since Frog isn't "leveled", just treat multiple concurrent delimiters as one?

Can you upload a test file somewhere? Or email something?

Can work on something. Probably not for V2.0, but something like that is very possible.

-berry (January 22, 2012, 03:46 PM)

Sorry, I wasn't clear.  I'm not asking for NoteFrog to have a MemPad importer as such, but to be able to import a file of the general type I suggested above, without the levels, obviously.  Most worthwhile programs can export data as plain text.  It would be up to the user to massage their data from whatever source they had into that format.  Because of being just plain text, it's easy to edit into shape using nothing more than a plain text editor, perhaps augmented by a bit of simple scripting.  Another brutally simple format:

-=+NoteFrog+gorFetoN+=-
Anon.

The Dufay Collective: The Recordings

It is twenty years since the Dufay Collective's [...]

-=+NoteFrog+gorFetoN+=-
Anon.

The Dufay Collective: The Recordings
Pilgrimage to Montserrat
[...]

-=+NoteFrog+gorFetoN+=-
Brahms
Horn Trio, Op.40

-=+NoteFrog+gorFetoN+=-
Grieg
String Quartet No 2 in F

Grieg, compl. Julius Rontgen: String Quartet No 2 in F
<end of file>

Where the delimiter is on a line by itself, and the note title is taken from the first non-blank line of the note.

994

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Mini-Review: RightNote

« Last post by rjbull on January 22, 2012, 02:20 PM »

I wish they'd made it clear on their Web site that there's only one download, and you only choose Free, Standard or Professional when you load it up first time.

995

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: NoteFrog Pro (clipboard information manager) - Mini-Review

« Last post by rjbull on January 22, 2012, 12:01 PM »

If there's some "generally" usable format, it should be easy enough to set up an import. I started out with a keynote format import but only had two users who used it. Everyone else needed something different. Different from everyone else:) I decided I would be spending more time writing import routines than improving the functionality of Frog.

-berry (January 21, 2012, 04:54 PM)

I don't think there's a universal data exchange format, more's the pity.  I've been wrestling with this myself.  Several two-pane outliners say they support either Treepad Lite HJT or KeyNote KNT formats, so I've tried converting files via those two, but I've not had much luck, and suspect that KeyNote's own import may not be perfect.  In particular, KeyNote seems to mark some plain text notes as RTF and that seems to cause a problem where a note comes out blank.  CSV is a common data-exchange format, but while I don't have enough knowledge to be really clear about it, CSV seems to me problematic inasmuch as plenty of data I have already contains quote symbols.

Could probably develop something based on a user specified delimiter as long as everyone would be comfortable that any delimiters occurring in the files themselves would cause a new record.

-berry (January 21, 2012, 04:54 PM)

Horst Schaeffer's MemPad allows export to a delimited text file in what seems to me a particularly sensible format that's accessible to people with limited scripting skills, without them having to be real programmers.  You can define the delimiter yourself.  I searched my file with BareGrep Pro and found that it did not contain ASCII 135, so that's what I chose.  ASCII 135 looks like hash a hash symbol in some fonts, or a featureless rectangular blob in others.  The output file looks similar to this:

‡ Music

‡‡ Anon.

‡‡‡ Dufay Collective

The Dufay Collective: The Recordings

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00y233j

It is twenty years since the Dufay Collective's influential disc of medieval dance music, [...]

‡‡‡ Pilgrimage to Montserrat

Pilgrimage to Montserrat

Anon — Los set goyts recomptarem

Performer: Hesperion XX
[...]

‡‡ Brahms

‡‡‡ Horn Trio, Op.40

Brahms
Horn Trio, Op.40
William Purvis (horn)
[...]

‡‡ Grieg

‡‡‡ String Quartet No 2 in F

Grieg, compl. Julius Rontgen: String Quartet No 2 in F
Raphael Quartet

The number of delimiters indicates the "level" of the node in question.  It's simple enough even for people like me to reduce them to single instances, or change them to another delimiter.

996

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: NoteFrog Pro (clipboard information manager) - Mini-Review

« Last post by rjbull on January 22, 2012, 11:43 AM »

There is a raw text input capability under the "Stack" menu - "Import all text items from a directory.."

I think it would be better if you could import from a single file with some sort of delimiter to separate items.

-oblivion (January 21, 2012, 03:02 PM)

And I think both options should be available    Definitely +1 for delimited text.  In fact, I was planning to add a message suggesting it, but you got there first.

997

General Software Discussion / Re: Recommend less known macro apps and text expanders

« Last post by rjbull on January 20, 2012, 05:32 PM »

Oh, dear.  Here we go again...

Text expanders:

Texter  http://lifehacker.com/software/texter/lifehacker-code-texter-windows-238306.php
 - I think this is the AHK GUI entry
Instant Text  http://www.textware.com/index.htm
 - for medical transcriptionists and other professional typists
TypeMate   http://www.typemate.net/
TypeItIn  http://www.wavget.com/typeitin.html
Direct Access  http://www.nagarsoft.com/
RoboType 4: Type in Shorthand  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380508,00.asp
Rocket Typing  http://www.easy-to-use-software.com/html/rocket-typing
Typing Buddy  http://www.supernova-soft.com/c5/index.php/products/speed_typing/
FastFox Typing Expander  http://www.nch.com.au/fastfox/index.html
Type Booster  http://www.typebooster.com/index.php
Smart Type Assistant  http://www.blazingtools.com/sta.html
Typing Assistant  http://www.sumitsoft.com/index.htm
Auspex  https://www.donation....msg231091#msg231091
 - a timns app here on DC


Macro programs:

nMacro  http://www.nkprods.com/nmacro/
Macro Goblin  http://www.macrogoblin.com/
vTask Studio  http://www.vtaskstudio.com/features.php
Comfort Keys  http://www.comfort-software.com/hotkey-manager.html
  - no mouse automation, only keyboard
MultiMacro  http://www.xrayz.co.uk/multimacro/
 - looks abandoned and very old
KeyText  http://www.mjmsoft.com/keytext.htm
Quickeys  http://quickeys.com/
PowerPro  http://powerpro.webeddie.com/index.html
Easy Macro Recorder  http://www.flashplayerpro.com/MacroRecorder/
AIM Keys  http://www.aimsoft.com/aimkeys.asp
JitBit Software  Macro Recorder  http://www.jitbit.com/
Hot Keyboard Professional  http://www.hot-keyboard.com/
 - recommended by mouser, though he later changed to Macro Express
WireKeys  http://www.wiredplane.com/en/wirekeys/about.php

998

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Ashampoo Photo Commander 9: $9.99

« Last post by rjbull on January 17, 2012, 02:55 PM »

Problem is, I think, different packages have different strengths.

-oblivion (January 17, 2012, 02:05 AM)

You're probably right, but Adobe's are, for better or worse, a de facto standard.

I use Serif's PhotoPlus X4 (commercial, pretty decent and I get discounts having been a Serif customer for millennia)

-oblivion (January 17, 2012, 02:05 AM)

And how many e-mails have you received brightly urging you to upgrade to X5? 

But Xara's P&G7 has a really good tool for removing unwanted junk from photos.

-oblivion (January 17, 2012, 02:05 AM)

I think moderator Carol Haynes is a big fan of Xara stuff.

999

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Headed List Builder

« Last post by rjbull on January 16, 2012, 03:13 PM »

From ClipMate's Help file:

ClipMate does not use Unicode for its interface, so any text data that you see in ClipMate is "ansi text". However, ClipMate can accept "Unicode Text" from the clipboard, and then translate it into Ansi Text, using the codepage of the Unicode.  If you select a useful font/script combination for display, it should look fine in ClipMate.

Normally, ClipMate will capture Ansi Text from the clipboard, and display it. This works fine for most cases, if your windows local language is set correctly. However, if you work with other languages, you may need to tell windows to use a particular language for non-unicode programs.

ClipMate has a Unicode-To-Ansi function which will create an Ansi Text version of a clip based on its Unicode component, providing that you captured the clip with Unicode, which is controlled by the Application Profile.  There are two ways to do this:

* Use the Unicode To Ansi menu option under the Edit menu

* Turn off "TEXT" in the application profile for any given program, and turn on UNICODE TEXT. When ClipMate captures a clip that has Unicode Text but no Ansi Text, it'll call the Unicode To Ansi routine automatically.

Unicode To Ansi can work with the following code pages:

*     932,  Hiragana

*     932,  Katakana

But ClipMate's even more overkill, and payware to boot.

Another thought: I used to have something like your "B" group of requirements with PowerPro.  It was set so that whenever I used TED Notepad to edit a particular file, PowerPro put a couple of buttons on TED Notepad's title bar.  Clicking them dropped down menus of short boiler-plate text snippets.  That worked well, and PowerPro is free, though configuring it is not for the faint-hearted.  As for editors, I don't know much about Notepad++, but EmEditor is famous for excellent Unicode support.

1000

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Bits - Ultra Recall

« Last post by rjbull on January 16, 2012, 02:55 PM »

Purchased it on the same Bits deal you did - and then paid $50.00 for the upgrade back in August 2009 - (call me Dumberer!).

-J-Mac (January 16, 2012, 02:23 PM)

No, I'd call you realistic!    It's been over three years between Bits deals (I think - haven't noticed any intermediate ones, anyway) and how were you to know they would run another deal?  In the Bits thread, Kinook say they're bringing out an updated version for Windows 8 and Office 2012, but don't say when, so I'm wondering if I'll fall behind again, not that either of those matter to me at the moment.