| TDL - To Do List handler
========================
Version X.001 Release Notes
===========================
Introduction
------------
TDL allows a user to maintain a list of "to do" items. Each item can
be deleted (as it is carried out) or postponed (if, for example, a
response from a third party is being waited for).
To Use
------
Copy TDL.EXE to a directory in your path, and simply type "TDL". If
this is the first time you have used TDL, an information box stating
that a new database file has been created will appear. This can be
dismissed by hitting Esc. A menu bar will then appear on the screen,
listing the TDL version number and some options. Currently there are
four options:
Insert (i, I or Insert keys) - allows a new item to be inserted
Delete (d, D or Delete keys) - deletes an item
Postpone (p, P or End keys) - postpones an item to another date,
and allows new text to be input (eg, "awaiting call from
Fred")
Exit (e, E or Esc keys) - exits TDL and saves the datafile
During normal use, all items that are due to be completed before the
current day are shown with a red background; all "today" items are
shown with a blue background.
Restrictions
------------
There are many user interface improvements which can be made.
However, there are more important functional ones to be made first.
The most obvious, or pressing, of those are as follows:
1. Do NOT try to display more than 24 items on the screen (in other
words, never have more than 24 items due on or before today). You
will not be able to exit and save your database if you go over this
limit. (Currently highest priority fix).
2. You cannot examine the "history" of postponed items. In other
words, you only see the last text you typed for each item. However,
the earlier text is kept and recorded: the ability to examine each
item fully will be made available soon. (How important is this?)
3. You cannot enter an item description of more than 70 characters.
(Low priority fix).
4. Postponing items means entering an absolute date for them.
Intended is the ability to postpone items to an absolute date, or by
a given number of (working) days. (Low priority fix).
5. Postponed items "by number of days" should also avoid
manually-entered non-work days (low priority fix).
6. No colour customisation. (Low priority fix).
Bugs / suggestions / problems
-----------------------------
Please note these in the VAX Notes conference
SAC::PUBLIC:[EDMUNDS]TDL
Please start a new topic for EACH bug / suggestion / problem. Please
include the version number of TDL (shown at the start of the menu
bar) in each report.
|
| No major changes.
Bug fixes, etc:
1) Certainly some, ideally all, problems with arrow keys are fixed. You
can safely (he said) delete the necesary "old" item without problems.
2) Database corruption problem MAY be fixed. If it re-occurs, the more
detail you can give of it, the better...
3) Window title for soliciting text of postponed item changed.
4) C:\CALDATA.TMP deleted automatically on startup.
|
| Windows version. Totally revamped UI. Behind-the-scenes it's similar.
Try everything. All should work, or tell you it isn't there yet.
Things that you should know (or which may take a while to suss out):
1. There are two file, TDLDATA.DAT and TDLOPTS.DAT, for the data and
saved options respectively.
2. The filenames are fixed; their location by default is c:\, but this
can be changed by setting TDLFILES to a directory. For example, put
this in your AUTOEXEC.BAT:
set TDLFILES=C:\DOS
(Example only: not recommended - this will put the data file in
C:\DOS\TDLDATA.DAT and the options file in C:\DOS\TDLOPTS.DAT)
3. Note: neither file should be edited using an editor.
4. By default, the main display lists all non-closed items dated today
or earlier. Both the item status to be displayed and the date range can
be changed using the Display and Dates pull-downs respectively.
5. The default action taken when double-clicking on an item is
determined by the setting under the Options - Double click item
setting. This, currently, is the only option saved.
6. The print button prints the entire form, as displayed, onthe system
default printer. This may not be ideal; I don't know.
7. Hitting "return" when viewing the "To Do List" enables you to add
new items (same as pressing the "New Item" button).
8. Item priorities in this version ARE stored in the database, but are
not acted on at all.
9. No different colour to differentiate overdue items in this version
(and may take a while to do, too).
10. Please report bugs, comments, etc, using the guidlines in note 1.l.
Have a go...
|