==================================================
              Notifier Release Notes
                   Version: 0.7
      Copyright (C) 2004 by Brana Bujenovic
--------------------------------------------------

==================================================

========
CONTENTS
========
1. Overview
2. What's New?
3. System Requirements
4. Version History
5. Licensing
6. Distribution
7. Disclaimer
8. Bug Reports & Suggestions
APPENDIX 1. Skins Directory Tree
APPENDIX 2. Skin Specs
APPENDIX 3. Bulletin Board Keyboard Shortcuts

===========
1. Overview
===========

Notifier is e-mail notification program. It offers wide range of graphical and organizing solutions, which are intended to help users to deal better with large volume of arriving e-mail messages.

Getting Started
---------------

To start this program, use the following command-line switches:

(a) For Single Notification Instance (may be reffered to, in the text, as SNI)

       /m=[message file path]

       example:
       notifier.exe /m=c:\messages\new\message.msg

(b) For Options Dialog

       -options

       example:
       notifier.exe -options

(c) For Bulletin Board

       -report

       example:
       notifier.exe -report


==============
2. What's New?
==============

+ Support for animated gifs 

default gif animation file path: .\Skins\animation.gif 
custom gif animation file path: .\Skins\[skin name]\animation.gif 

$ Please see "Downloads" section for sample animated gifs.

+ Support for Microsoft Agent animated characters 

default animated character file path: .\Skins\character.acs 
custom animated character file path: .\Skins\[skin name]\character.acs 

$ More on Microsoft Agent on MA home page @: http://www.microsoft.com/msagent/
$ Tons of MS Animated Characters for download on Microsoft Agent Ring web site: http://www.msagentring.org/

+ Custom Colors

If no background image specified, user can specify the background color: cream red, cream blue or cream green.

+ Window Navigation 

Window navigation keys added for Modern, Classic, Options & About dialog:
Alt + Left- Move left
Alt + Right - Move right
Alt + Up - Move up
Alt + Down - Move down

+ Play custom sound 

default sound file path: .\Skins\sound.wav 
custom sound file path: .\Skins\[skin name]\sound.wav 

- Removed are all embedded sounds except for "AOL You've got mail". There is no need for that now (when it's possible to play custom sounds).

+ Options Dialog can be started from Bulletin Board now.

+ The installation package.


======================
3. System Requirements
======================

Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.

==================
4. Version History
==================

Notifier 0.6
------------
 
+ Auto-Skin Matching

Now you don't need to specify skin names via command line (command-line switch will remain available, and will have a priority over auto-skins). To enable auto-skins check "Auto Skins" option at the options dialog, and select one of the following criteria:
(a) Sender's Name
(b) Sender's E-Mail Address
(c) Senders E-Mail Domain
(d) Message Subject
(e) Recipients Name
(f) Recipients E-Mail Address
(g) Recipients E-Mail Domain

If selected criteria from the list, matches name of an existing skin, Notifier will use that particular skin, on particular message.

$ That way, you can have the same graphical interface for all mails from your school or office; mails sent to your school/travel/office address; all messages from (or sent to) particular e-mail domain, and so forth.

$ Once you set up the option, you don't have to create new filters, just create new skins. For example: Your new friend's address is smith@dot.com. Create a folder "smith@dot.com" and place appropriate background and picture file into that folder. For every message from smith@dot.com, Notifier will use your personalized skin.

+ X-Faces

$ X-Faces are highly compressed (5:1, compression ratio) representations of 48x48x1 image files. According to its author, James Ashton: "The purpose of the programme (compface) is to allow the inclusion of face images within mail headers using the field name 'X-face: '".

$ Additional use of Notifier with Eudora:
Create new "manual" filter:
Header appears x-face
notify application [full path]\notifier.exe /m=%6
skip rest 

That way you can "check for x-face against the message".

+ Cascade Windows Spread.

+# Improvements and new features in graphical interfaces of modern dialog and report window.

+ Keyboard shortcuts for report window.

Notifier 0.5.5
--------------

#* Maintenance release.

Notifier 0.5
------------

+ Windows Positioning

Initial Position:
You can choose dialogs to start from 4 screen corners, from a screen center or to remember previous dialog position (free style).

Subsequent Positions:
Furthermore, dialogs can spread horizontally, vertically or over the top of each other.

+ Opacity Level

$ Very convenient when dialogs overlap/cascade.

$ Note, Opacity Level does not work on Windows 95/ME.

+ Window Styles

Flat and beveled. Beveled style is the one that supports skins.

+ Window Border

In addition to styles and skins, window border sometimes make a distinctive difference

Notifier 0.4
------------

+ Standard New Mail Dialog. 

Standard/classic dialog will appear if no message path is specified, via command line (ie. "/m=").
It's there to keep things simple. If you do not want to open the message from the dialog, use Bulletin Board, skins or any other advanced feature, just don't specify file path and use other command-line switches.

"Modern" dialog will appear only if file path is specified ("/m="), and valid. If other message-information switches are used ("/f", "/s", "/d" & "/t"), besides the file path, data from there will have the advantage over actual message headers.

$ "Standard New Mail Dialog" is, by the way, one of the early versions of the program. You can, of course use both, since this program supports multiple instances. For example, filter No1 (messages for account No1) starts classic dialog, and filter No2 (messages for account No2) starts modern dialog etc.

+ Bulletin Board Action

(a) Re-Notify (Enter)
(b) Dismiss (Ctrl+D)
(c) Open the message (Shift + Enter)

+# Multiple Skins Support

There is the new command-line parameter that let's you specify separate skin for every program instance: 
       
       /skin=[skin name]

Skin name is the name of the directory which contains following files:
(a) background.bmp
(b) picture.ico

$ Please see Appendix 1 for more information regarding this topic.

- "main.bmp" and "main.ico" files are not used any more.

+ About Dialog

Command-line switch is "-about". Also, F1 from a dialog starts About Dialog.

Notifier 0.3
------------

+ It's not necessary to specify other command-line parameters, if "/m=[file path]" used. 

+ New feature called "Bulletin Board". It gives you overview of new messages received/filtered and old messages received/filtered but not dismissed yet. When new mail dialog appears, it has two major options now: (a) close & (b) hide.
New message information on Bulletin Board appears for:

     1. All active, not yet dismissed dialogs
     2. All hidden dialogs

Command-line switch is: "-report".

+ "New Mail Dialog" Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + X               Close the dialog
Alt + H               Hide dialog (see Bulletin Board)
Alt + R               ReportEx (Bulletin Board) 
Alt + O               Options Dialog

+ New Mail Dialog interface is fully "draggable" now.

- Removed obsolete dragging-bar.

+ Notifier has new buttons now.

Notifier 0.2
------------

+++ Notifier is a single-instance program now. There is no standard Mutex+Tray-icon combination this time, but a single COM class (that fires events, and even initiates new instance of itself) + Windows Hooks.

$ When you close all dialogs, there shouldn't be any process running. Its application floating on air, so to speak.

+ New command-line parameter:

	/m=[message-file path]

(In Eudora, that would be "/m=%6".)

If that parameter is specified, and file name valid, Notifier will move message-file to the safe place (its sub-directory: "messages"), and change file extension to the one specified at the options-dialog (default extension is "msg"). That enables user to open the message from a dialog (if there is appropriate association in Windows, otherwise action ignored).

$ Message-file will be deleted when dialog closes.

+ Options Dialog

To start the options dialog, simply type "-options" at the command-prompt.

# New mail dialog now closes immediately on manual close. When it's "on time", it fades away.

+ It is now possible to specify the time before dialog disappears, or to have it "always on".

Notifier 0.1
------------

Initial public release.

============
5. Licensing
============

Notifier is a freeware.

===============
6. Distribution
===============

You may reproduce and distribute an unlimited number of copies of Notifier, provided that each copy shall be a true and complete copy, including all copyright and trademark notices, and shall be accompanied by complete documentations.

Notifier may not be sold or be included in a product or package which intends to receive benefits through the inclusion of this product. Notifier may be included in any free or non-profit packages or products.

=============
7. Disclaimer
=============

Notifier is provided AS-IS. No warrantee as to fitness of this program to a particular purpose is given or implied.

============================
8. Bug Reports & Suggestions
============================

Feel free to send bug reports and suggestions to "bujenovic@hotmail.com".


=================================
APPENDIX 1 - Skins Directory Tree
=================================

Skins (contains default skin: background.bmp + picture.ico)
	|
	--Custom Skin (1) (contains: background.bmp + picture.ico; skin name: "Custom Skin (1)")
	|
	--Custom Skin (2) (contains: background.bmp + picture.ico; skin name: "Custom Skin (1)")
	|
	etc.


=======================
APPENDIX 2 - Skin Specs
=======================

Background image
----------------

file type: windows bitmap file
file extension: bmp
file title: background
width: 329 pixels
height: 74 pixels

Picture
-------

file type: windows icon file
file extension: ico
file title: picture
width: 32 pixels
height: 32 pixels


==============================================
APPENDIX 3 - Bulletin Board Keyboard Shortcuts
==============================================

Window Navigation
-----------------
Alt + Left               move left
Alt + Right              move right
Alt + Down               move downtown
Alt + Up                 move up
Alt + Shift + Left       increase window size, west-west
Alt + Ctrl + Left        decrease window size, east-west
Alt + Shift + Right      increase window size, east-east
Alt + Ctrl + Right       decrease window size, west-east
Alt + Shift + Down       increase window size, south-south
Alt + Ctrl + Down        decrease window size, north-south
Alt + Shift + Up         increase window size, north-north
Alt + Ctrl + Up          decrease window size, south-north

List, selection
---------------
Shift + Down/Up          multiple selection, joint
Ctrl + Down/Up + Space   multiple selection, separate
Ctrl + A                 select all
Page Up                  top of the list
Page Down                bottom of the list

List, action
------------
Enter                    re-notify
Ctrl + D                 dismiss the dialog and delete the message
Shift + Enter            open the message
F5                       synchronize

============
Release Date
============

January 14th, 2005