Copyright: GOAHEAD Imagination  Copyright 1995-1996
Citation: GOAHEAD Imagination  Copyright 1995-1996


CONTENTS
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

CONTENTS

Below, is a list of topics concerned with the use of  Log In Log Version 1.00 :-

What is Log In Log

Hardware & Software Requirements

Installation

Upgrading from a Previous Version/Revision

Starting Up

The Log Manager

Online Features

Tips and Tricks

Known Limitations

Revision History

Register Now!

Pressing F1 at any time during the use of Log In Log will open this Help File to the page refering to the part of the screen that has the focus.

To learn how to use Help, press F1,now, or click on Help in the menu-bar at the top of this window, then choose How To Use Help from the Help sub-menu, that opens up.

If a scroll bar appears, to the right of the window, then click the mouse pointer on the scroll bar or use the cursor keys on the keyboard, to read the remainder of the page.


Known Limitations.
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Known Limitations.

The following are known limitations & incompatibilities with other applications of Log In Log.

i) Use of Log In Log simultaneously with Private Idaho may cause a hung up computer, without even the possibility to reset with Ctrl-Alt-Del. The explanation for this, is still not known.

ii) Some countries/'phone companies have an abnormal charging system for phone calls involving, often, innumerable different rates during a single day (see: liltips.txt). Although there have been various clever get-arounds for these problems, invented by users, it is virtually impossible to program Log In Log to take account of all these possibilities.

iii) For Log In Log to work properly, the decimal seperator, configured in the Windows control panel, in the International applet, under Number Format, must be set to a '.' (period, full stop, point, dot). The relevant line in the win.ini file, under the [intl] section, should read 'sDecimal=.' -  Any other setting may force LIL to behave erratically.


Starting Up
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Starting Up

When starting Log In Log for the first time, it should be started without parameters, and the instructions for creating a congiguration file and a log file  should be followed. Log In Log will automatically create a loginlog.ini file, when it is closed down. Then it is ready to be run, with parameters, e.g. from the Trumpet  scripts.

Command Line Parameters

In order to enable Log In Log to be started in different modes and for different users, from the Program Manager, Log In Log can be started with the name (with or without path) of a configuration file, as a parameter. The extension can be ommitted. If no such configuration file exists, Log in Log will search for a log file  of that name and use the current default configuration file as designated in the loginlog .ini file.

If no such log file  exists then the log file  designated in the default configuration file will be used.

One of the following parameters can be added, on its own, or immediately following this parameter, with a space to separate them:

/v Opens only the Log Viewer.

/h Opens with the History list.

/= Opens with the Statistics dialogue.

/t Opens with the Test dialogue.

/c Opens with the Configuration  dialogue.

/s Starts a logged session.

/e Ends a logged session.

/w Waits for an MS Dial Up Networking connection or disconnection.

/? or /help Opens with the Help screen.

An example of the use of these parameters would be to create icons to manually start and end the log, instead of using the Trumpet Winsock Login and Bye scripts or using the /w parameter for MS Dial Up Networking under Windows 95, to do this, automatically. In this case, a copy of loginlog.exe using the /w parameter should be put in the StartMenu StartUp group.


Upgrading
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Upgrading from a previous Version/Revision

Upgrading instructions

Upgrading an old revision of Log In Log requires the following steps.

i) Back-up your old Log In Log directory, for safety.

ii) Extract all files in the archive to your Log In Log directory, overwriting any old files.

iii) If necessary, create a new configuration file.

iv) It is may be necessary to back-up your log file  & start a new one, in order for the statistics calculations to work properly.  It is possible that some of the entries made by old versions will not be read in properly when calculating statistics.

v) If you are using Trumpet  Winsock TCP Manager, reinstall Log In Log into the script files using the facility provided in the General Settings section of the Configuration dialogue of Log In Log or by manually editing the login.cmd and bye,cmd files. If you use more than one login script, don't forget to install into all the scripts,  setting a new configuration each time, if necessary.

or

i) Create a new directory.

ii) Extract all files in the archive to the new directory.

iii) Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new configuration file and install Log In Log into Trumpet  Winsock script files (if using Trumpet).

The following is important to those upgrading from a previous version/revision of Log In Log to the current one.

Users of some early beta versions of 1.00 must also do the following:-

1) It may be necessary to change the line in the Trumpet  '.cmd' scripts to reflect the current executionable file name, as each early beta revision used a different filename for the executionable file. Upgrading would then necessitate running the Install In Scripts routine, from the General Settings  dialogue, for each script file, which will automatically upgrade the lines in the scripts. The scripts can, of course, be manually edited, instead.

2) Some early betas of Log In Log corrupted the log file , under certain circumstances. Please, check that the header for the file consists of three lines, each separated by a blank line as between the dotted lines below:-

..........Start of lines........

Log In Log -  copyright 1995-1996 Goahead Imagination

n.b. The accuracy of these figures is not guaranteed

Online Session Log

..........End of lines.......

This should be followed, immediately, by the first entry. Also, each entry must be separated by a blank line.
Full details of the construction of log files, so that they can be manually edited, in case of corruption or if they become too long, are given in the Tips and Tricks section.


Registration of Log In Log
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Registration of Log In Log

This application, including all the distibuted software associated with it, is not in the public domain, except for the Shareware Evaluation Edition which is liberally sprinkled with reminders to register, but is otherwise fully working  and may be distributed, freely.  Therefore, all users should be registered, as such, with the publisher.  The cost of registration is, approximately, 15 U.S.Dollars, 9 U.K.Pounds,  20 Swiss Francs,  25 Dutch Guilders or the equivalent in your local currency ( rounded up a little in my favour, please). Details of how to send registration fees are available, on request, by e-mail.   No part of the Registered Edition of this application may be distributed in any way without the prior permission of the author.

Registered users will receive the latest registered edition of Log In Log Version 1.0x by e-mail or, for a small extra fee, on a 3 1/4 HD disk.  Updates of Version 1.00 will also be dispatched by e-mail, from time to time, free of charge. The forthcoming Version 1.10 and  advance information about updates, will also be dispatched, when it nears completion,.

Please note that it is a breach of copyright to distribute a version of Log In Log, in any form, other than that that of its originally distributed condition, or with any alterations in any of the files that make up the application.

Application Form


Application Form
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Application Form For Registration.-

Log In Log is not freeware!! If you find this program useful, and indeed, in the long run, saves you money, you are obliged to register the program.  This is a simple process. An e-mail to tarotray@xs4all.nl, with a header subject of 'Log In Log Registration' and the following, as body of the message, will get instructions as to how to send US$ 15 (or it's equivalent), to help to cover the hundreds of hours of programming time and the hardware & software expenses, involved:-

Sample E-mail Message

"Please register me as a user of Log In Log. I agree to the terms detailed in the text included in the archive of the application.  I shall expect a copy of the latest/next version by e-mail, shortly after receipt of the payment (US$ 15,  9 U.K.Pounds  20 Swiss Francs, 25 Dutch Guilders  or the approximate, rounded-up equivalent, in local currency ), by the author. I also expect any reasonable support I may request, by e-mail in the future, so long as this is feasible.

I am at present using Version ********.zip "

You should, of course, select the text within the quotation marks, above, using the Help System's Edit-Copy commands from the Menu Bar, copy it and paste it directly into an e-mail form, filling  in the name of the zip archive, currently being used, in place of the asterisks. This should then be e-mailed to tarotray@xs4all.nl.


Viewing the Log
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Viewing The Log File

This is a simple viewer to read the log file'as is'. A printout facility is also included to print the whole log or a selected part of it, and any part of the log can be copied to the clipboard to be imported to other applications..


Title of Session
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Title of Session

Each session can be given a title, at the time of the start of a session, if the title-prompt is set on, in the  Set Timers  dialogue. If no title was given, then the word 'Untitled' will appear here.


Details of Session
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Details of Session

The details of each session will appear here. These include starting time & date of the session, time online, time-based & unit-based costs & total cost of the session. If the Comments prompt was set on at the time of the session, and a comment was typed in at the end of the session, then it will also appear, here.


Edit Title Button
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Edit Title Button

To edit the title, of this session, press on this button.


Revision History
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision History

Log In Log Version 1.00

Click here for information on 1995 Version 1.00 beta history.

Version 1.01 Version 1.01 - March 1996

What's New - Version 1.02 - April 1996


Beta Revision History
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision History

Log In Log Version 1.00

Beta Version - Revision History

Up to beta revision 10, I was merely developing the tools, that go together to make Log In Log, the most versatile 'phone cost teller for internet use there is.  Revision 11 also included some internal clean up of the code. The installation routine had been tested in r.10, but I hadn't realised that in r.11, the clean up had inadvertedly left out a routine, preventing the initialisation process from proceeding correctly, and thereby making the whole program useless. This became apparent within 24 hours, from feedback, and revision 12 was released, immediately.

Revision 13 - 23 May 1995

Revision 14 - 26 May 1995

Revision 15 - 2 June 1995

Revision 16 - 10 June 1995

Revision 17 - 26 June 1995

Revision 18 - 28 July 1995

Revision 19 - 5 September1995

Revision 20 - 14 September 1995

Version 1.00 - 2 October 1995


Version 1.00
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Alpha Release - October 1995

Almost three weeks after the release of  Beta Revision 20, only one small bug report has been received. It seems that if you change only the time-based rates, then the Save and Save Under New Name buttons remain greyed out. This has been fixed.

A request to move the Connect and Disconnect sound effects further up the chronological sequence of events when logging on/off because of some strange effects using Win95 has been complied with.  I hope it improves things.

The old help file has now been removed from the archive and the program has been changed so that the Help button on the Log Manager screen now calls up the MSHelp file instead of the old ascii help file in a scrolling text box. This file was, anyway, out of date & everything is covered in the new hypergraphic help. Terms and Register(in unregistered edition only) buttons, now appear beneath the About box.  Since all information contained in the text files liltips.txt,  upgrade.txt, liltips.txt and lilhist.txt are now also contained in the MS Help file and are redundant, these have also been removed from the archive, reducing its size, somewhat, to about 300 Kb for the shareware archive.


Version 1.01
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Version 1.01 - March 1996

The major change in this version is the addition of support for MS Dial Up Networking under Windows 95.  A change was made to the General configuration screen to allow this.  This does not exclude the use of Trumpet script start-up, whether under Win 95 or Win 3.1., when using a Trumpet Winsock.  However, under Win 95, it is now possible, by putting a copy of Log In Log with the '/w' parameter into the start-up group, to have a DUN login automatically detected by LIL, which will then start a login procedure exactly as if it were called up from a Trumpet script.


Version 1.02
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Version 1.02 - April 1996

This version addresses many of the bugs that showed up in version 1.01. These include:

A bug that crept in, when making LIL work with MS DUN under Win 95, that prevented correct log-offs under Trumpet.

Closing Windows down under Win 95 merely closed down LIL, so that it was necessary to close Windows down a second time.

When logging off under Win 95, LIL would sometimes crash & produce a General Protection Fault.

Deleting a record, using the History-View-Delete option would sometimes corrupt a log file, removing a blank line between two records.

Installing LIL for use in MS DUN would put a copy of LIL with the '/w' parameter into the startup group but omitted the configuration file parameter, so that LIL would always use the default configuration settings (i.e. the last used configuration as pointed to in the loginlog.ini file). Now, pressing the Install button when MS DUN is selected will add the shortcut to the startup group but with the current configuration file included as a parameter, allowing for a change of configuration.  An extra option has also been added to the Log In Log Timer menu (which pops up when clicking the Timer icon in the Task Bar).This option allows for a change of configuration on the fly (when not connected).

Some other minor bugs have been worked out.

In addition a change has been made to the loginlog.ini file, but this change, which will appear as soon as loginlog v1.02 has been used for the first time, should be totally transparent, in use, and has been made to aid future development of Log In Log.


Revision 13
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision 13 - 23 May 1995

Here three minor but significant faults were addressed.

i) The watch time was showing minutes above 59 when an hour had been reached.

ii) A stray DoEvents command in the alarm check routine meant that, if you did not ask for more time after the alarm went off, then there would be some dreadful onscreen flashing as the timer attempted to take control of the program you were working on, every second or so.

iii) Installing in the Trumpet  Winsock script file reversed the /s and /e commands for login and bye files.These problems are fixed.


Revision 14
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision 14 - 26 May 1995

i) Disconnect button wasn't appearing when alarm was triggered, even when Trumpet  was running. Fixed.

ii) Watch wasn't remembering where it was on the screen. Fixed, I think.

iii) Watch Always On Top function wasn't working properly. Fixed

iv) Some small cosmetic changes.

v) Some small cosmetic changes in the help file (lilh100b.asc).

vi) Rewrote the routine that installs Log In Log into Trumpet  Winsock script files. Now, selecting a .cmd file will now either add the relevant exec command, if it doesn't exist, or rewrite it, if it does, adding the current configuration file name as a parameter.  In this way even those who have used earlier versions can doctor their script files to the way they should be, without notepad editing. A login file can also now be reconfigured  with the current configuration, automatically.

vii) Further problems with a flashing screen, when the alarm was turned off, were addressed.

viii) A report from Belgium detailed an idiosyncratic phone charge system. It seems that their change of pricing begins at odd half hours. Log In Log accepted only whole hours. This has been changed, with safeguards for those whose config. files were made with old versions.  The other problem reported is much more difficult to deal with.  In Belgium, it seems they have not two but three different rates, some of which come in and out more than once, per day. There is no way, because of the structure of the program, that I can get Log In Log to take this into account.  Perhaps a future edition, with some drastic reprogramming of phone cost calculations.In the meantime, suggestions for Belgian residents have been added to the accompanying text file.

ix) The history and view history functions were not working quite right, sometimes giving the wrong record and sometimes crashing the program with an error message. Fixed.


Revision 15
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision 15 - 2 June 1995

Fixed the following problems:-

i) Watch did not update when alarm option was switched off.

ii) Put in safeguard against selecting bye.cmd when a login script should be selected. I can find no way to prevent bye.cmd appearing in the file list of *.cmd files, but I can stop the user from selecting it.

iii) Some more small bugs in the History Dialogue

A simple way to register, via a button on the Help dialogue and an extra file in the archive (lilr100b.asc), was also introduced.

iv) At the last moment, a bug was reported that, when the title prompt was turned off, the start of the session was not recorded. A quick debugging session dealt with that.


Revision 16
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision 16 - 10 June 1995

BUG FIXES

i) Starting the log viewer by using the /v parameter left the cursor stuck as the Windows clock instead of the pointer. Fixed.

ii) Logging in whilst using the program for other purposes, such as Statistics, prevented the log in process from operating correctly. This has been fixed so that this only happens when the timer is active. I also added a message box, that appears if you change the Configuration  whilst still logged on, that tells the user that the new configuration will only apply on the next log in.

iii) Discovered that ever since r.14 when I added partial hours to the peak & off-peak start times, the configuration file was reflecting them wrongly. In addition, the calculations became wrong in places, if you did use partial hours. Fixed all this.

iv) Fixed some small problems with the watch icon (minimize) and logbook icon (toggle always on top feature) double-click events. Also fixed the stopwatch icons to operate on double-click instead of single-click. This was actually a bug. The red/green stopwatch icons in the stopwatch itself will now respond to single or double-clicks.

NEW FEATURES

i) By request, I did a bit of fiddling and made it so that the onscreen watch displays, not the 'phone costs, but the total costs - i.e. including the additional costs (server charges etc.). The sound effect will still only play when the phone costs are incremented. This is, of course, because the additional costs are constantly reassessed, whereas the 'phone costs are incrementally increased, according to the time allowed for a phone unit.

ii) When minimizing the watch, a label now appears, in addition to the watch icon (which now appears to the right of, instead of on top of the timer icon), with a brief statement of time online & costs. This suggestion from a user makes it possible to view these essential statistics without taking up too much valuable deskspace, with the (relatively) large watch. The icon and its attendant label can now be moved around the screen by clicking on the icon, draging the mouse with the button held down & releasing it when it is in the desired location.


Revision 17
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision 17 - 26 June 1995

BUG FIXES

i) Fixed some small bugs in the history dialogue.  At the same time, I changed things so that deleting a log session from the record can now only be done from the session viewer. That way, you're sure what you're deleting.

ii) Seems some buttons on the statistics dialogue put dates in a dd/mm/yy format whereas in many countries this order is reversed. I fixed this, so that it works whichever way the International settings in the win.in file (International applet of the Windows Control Panel) are configured.  It won't work with the yy/mm/dd option, which Microsoft provides, but then I wonder if any country uses this format.

iii) Added some extra error handling routines & fool-proofing features, especially when setting peak & off-peak start times in the Set Rates dialogue.

iv) Fixed it so that, if you have no phone charges, (e.g. in America), or no additional charges, then only total costs are displayed, because the rest is redundant.

v) Some problems with including weekends in off-peak 'phone rates have been rectified.

vi) By request, I changed the color of the Session Message & Watch title labels, giving them a more realistic, textured appearance.

v) Also, by request, I have replaced the three sound samples that included voices with upbeat female voices.  Is this sexist? Should I increase the size of the archive by offering the choice? Answers please, by e-mail.......

NEW FEATURES

i) As well as the possibility of deleting a session entry from the session viewer, the possibilities to edit or add titles and/or comments to session entries have been introduced.

ii) The Log In Log Watch now remembers whether it was full-sized or minimized when logging off and starts up that way again when logging on. If minimized, it will start up in the position it left off, also, instead of next to the timer icon.

iii) In order to make more recent editions of this program more available, publicly, for evaluation and yet to benefit registered users, I have introduced two different editions.  The shareware, evaluation edition (executable file is lil1bxxs.exe - where xx is the beta revision number) is issued with liberal dollops of reminders to register and a simplified way of contacting me about registration. The Registered version (lil1bxxr.exe) dispenses with all this, of course.

iv) Double-clicking the Log Timer icon will now cause a logoff sequence.  This can be used in the event of a line being cut off without calling the 'bye.cmd' script. In this way the number of failed logoffs should be reduced.

v) Revamped the statistics information display.  Added average statistics for the period, also.

vi) Redesigned the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue, to make it more user-friendly & more logical in its layout.

vii) I have included a Tips & Tricks file full of hints as to how to use Log In Log to best advantage. It also deals with rating systems incompatible with the current versions capabilities.


Revision 18
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision 18 - 28 July 1995

BUG FIXES

i) An obscure timing bug showed up, which caused an error on some machines, under some

circumstances, when logging off. It was caused by the second instance of the program (the logoff sequence) started to write to the log file before the first instance (logon) had finished writing the start of the session to the log file  & close it.  This would cause a 'File Already Open" error & often an "Illegal Fuction Call' as well, crashing the program, or would tell the user that he hadn't yet logged on. Now, fixed.

ii) Yet more problems with various possible settings in the [Int] section of the win.ini file (International applet of the Windows Control Panel). In particular, a failure to calculate properly, when the dayname was set to blank in the Long Date Format section and when the time seperator was other than a colon. There might also have been some problems with 12 hour clock settings.So I examined all the algorithms for setting time & date to a standard before making calculations. I revised many things, and I hope that Log In Log will now work correctly in all sections, regardless of any of the settings in the win.ini file.

iii) Although I couldn't duplicate the problem on my own system, a report that the watch can get stuck off the edge of the screen, necessitating a manual edit of the loginlog.ini file,  convinced me to add a stop for the watch at the edge of the screen in any direction.

iv) The entire rates configuration dialogue structure has been redesigned, to be clearer, easier to use, and to have more space. This is especially true for the new Time-Based Rates dialogue that replaces the old Additional Costs in the Set Rates dialogue. The latter is now renamed Set Unit-Based Rates and the Currency input section is moved to the main Configuration  dialogue, because it is relevant to both of the other dialogues. Making space in the Time-Based Rates  dialogue is to ready things for the introduction of multiple Server Rates, which is due to be implimented in a future version of Log In Log.  The demand seems to be great & many users are inventing clever get-arounds for this shortfall.

v) A programming error would cause a faulty calculation, in the unlikely event that the user logged in one day & logged off after the off-peak start time of the next day (almost a day online, but not a whole day).  Fixed.

vi) The watch & stop-watch now reflect the time-seperator selected in the [Int] section of the win.ini file instead of always showing a colon as seperator.

NEW FEATURES

i) The  uldb Set Timers  dialogue has now an additional item. A choice is given, between an unattended alarm prompt causing the alarm to switch off (default), as before, or allowing it to cause Trumpet  to automatically disconnect the line, by sending a Bye command.  This can be extremely handy for unnattended internet operations, or if one has forgotten to disconnect the line. This was a suggestion from a beta tester who thought that that was how it was supposed to work.  Actually, no-one thought of it until him.


Revision 19
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Revision 19 -   5 September 1995

BUG FIXES

i) When viewing and deleting the first session in the History dialogue, an extra blank line was added to the log file between the header and the first entry. Fixed this small problem.

ii) If changing the currency name without changing the Unit-based rates, the currency name was not written to the configuration file. Fixed this.

iii) If trying to view the last session, from the history dialogue, when it was not yet logged off, the program would sometimes give an Input Past End of File error and crash instead of the correct message routine. Fixed this.

iv) Further problems with the universalization of date settings, prevented correct operation of some of the 'Set To:' buttons of the Statistics dialogue, under certain circumstances.A small adjustment has fixed this.

v) A tiny but highly significant bug showed up. The Include Weekends in off-peak rates check-box of the Unit-Based rates dialogue, was not saving its value to the configuration file properly, when changed. Fixed.

NEW FEATURES

i) It seems that there has been some difficulty with the Task Switching of Log In Log.  In the event of an accidental restore, through Alt-Tab switching, Task Manager or other means, then the LogOff sequence becomes activated. This is because I had hijacked the resize event to impliment my special emergency logoff procedure in case of accidental disconnexion from the phone line, in Revision 17  Many users, in fact have use Alt-Tab to bring the Watch to the top, only to find the log off sequence activated. In working around this, it occurred to me that, if the resize event actually resized the logtimer, as normal, and that in its restored state, it displayed a mini-menu, then the user could have a number of possible shortcuts for online activities. So, now, if you are online & the timer is on (i.e. you are using the online Watch and/or the alarm), then double-clicking the 'Log In Log Timer' caption, of the icon, or restoring it through Alt-Tab switching, Task Manager or any other means will bring up a menu with a series of options.  These include:-

Hiding/showing the Watch

Switching the alarm on/off

Bringing the Watch to the top

Disconnecting the 'phone connexion via Trumpet (if Trumpet is present)

Setting off a Manual Logoff (in the event of a line failure).

Switching the Timer completely off to save resources.

This, latter, will not effect the normal logging off sequence when it is activated later, via the Trumpet bye.cmd script or manually, via an icon, but will prevent the Watch from displaying or the alarm activating).

ii) I have rewritten the configuration dialogue, for even more ease of use. I have provided a seperate dialogue window, centered on the screen. It now contains a tabbed dialogue box with five tabs. A single click, on any tab, will bring a different section of the configuration scheme to the front. A new section has been added for general settings - changing the log file, setting the currency name and including a buttton for setting Log In Log into the Trumpet login scripts. This, latter, has now been revised to become completely automatic. The online statement is now automatically added. It's not very important, anyway, and in most cases will work with or without it. The correct entry is made in the bye.cmd file, automatically, also. All the user has to do is to press the button and select the appropriate login script from the File Browser. If it all works as it should, then - Voila!, all should be automatic.

iii) Spin Buttons have been added throughout the configuration dialogue, to help to speed up the process of configuration.


Revision 20
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

What's New

Revision 20 - September 1995

BUG FIXES

i) A missing call to an important routine turned revision 19 into a disaster, as the configuration was not saved to the file on disk. This has been fixed.

ii) The spin buttons in the configuration windows have been improved in their functioning.

iii) A number of minor bugs have also been fixed.

iv) I realized that reading in the program's text, before reading in the current time, when starting or stopping the log, may create a second or two's further innacuracy than necessary (although it should be the same for starting and stopping), so I moved the routines around.


Edit Comments Button
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Edit Comments Button

To edit the comments, press on this button.


Delete Session Button
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Delete Session Button

To delete the session from the log, press on this button.


History
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Browsing the Log History

This list shows all the sessions in the log, by time and date or title. Any session can be deleted or viewed individually.

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Price of a 'phone Unit
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Cost of a 'phone Unit

Into this box, you must type the price of a unit of time, if your 'phone company charges by the unit.

This figure can be obtained from the 'phone company or its published directory.


Seconds Per Unit (Peak)
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Seconds per Unit

Into this box, you must type the number of seconds allowed for one unit of time, during peak hours, if your 'phone company charges by the unit. If you only know the cost per hour, fill that in and this box will automatically be calculated and filled in, for you.This figure can be obtained from the 'phone company or its published directory.


Cost Per Hour (Peak)
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Cost per Hour

Into this box, you must type the cost per hour of 'phone calls, during peak hours, if your 'phone company charges by the unit. If you only know the number of seconds per unit, fill that in and this box will automatically be calculated and filled in, for you.This figure can be obtained from the 'phone company or its published directory.


Start of Peak-Time (Peak)
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Cost per Hour

Into this box, you must type the time of the start of the peak-hour charging period, if your 'phone company charges by the unit. This time can be obtained from the 'phone company or its published directory.


Seconds Per Unit (Off-Peak)
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Seconds per Unit

Into this box, you must type the number of seconds allowed for one unit of time, during off-peak hours, if your 'phone company charges by the unit. If you only know the cost per hour, fill that in and this box will automatically be calculated and filled in, for you.This figure can be obtained from the 'phone company or its published directory.


Cost Per Hour (Off-Peak)
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Cost per Hour

Into this box, you must type the cost per hour of 'phone calls, during off-peak hours, if your 'phone company charges by the unit. If you only know the number of seconds per unit, fill that in and this box will automatically be calculated and filled in, for you.This figure can be obtained from the 'phone company or its published directory.


Start of Peak-Time (Off-Peak)
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Cost per Hour

Into this box, you must type the time of the start of the off-peak charging period, if your 'phone company charges by the unit. This time can be obtained from the 'phone company or its published directory.


Including Weekends in Off-Peak Rates
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Including Weekends in Off-Peak Rates

If this box is checked with a cross, then all-day Saturday and Sunday will be considered as off-peak hours.


Accept Button
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Accept Button

Accept the details, above the button as being correct.


Cancel Button
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Cancel Button

Cancel the details, above the button, and go back to the way they were.


Check Out
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Checking Out a Hypothetical Session

Get the cost of a hypothetical session from any time/date to any time/date. Buttons are provided to set various commonly required parameters.

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Start Date for Statistics Calculation
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Start Date for Statistics Calculation

Set the start date for the statistic calculations.


End Date for Statistics Calculation
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

End Date for Statistics Calculation

Set the end date for the statistic calculations.


Set to Start of Year
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to Start of Year

Set the date to the start of the current year.


Set to Start of Month
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to Start of Month

Set the date to the start of the current month.


Set to Start of Last Month
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to Start of Last Month

Set the date to the start of the last month.


Set to Start of Log
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to Start of Log

Set the date to the start of the log file.


Set End Date for Statistics Calculations to Today
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set End Date for Statistics Calculations to Today

Set the end date for calculations to today.


Set to End of Last Month
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to End of Last Month

Set the date to the end of the last month.


Calculate Statistics
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Calculate Statistics

Calculate statistics between the given dates.


Selected Session
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Selected Session

A single click on any one session will select it, so that it can be viewed.


List of Sessions in History
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

List of Sessions in History

A complete list of sessions in the log file. A single click on any one session will select it, so that it can be viewed.


ScrollBar
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Scroll Bar

More sessions can be viewed in the viewport by using the scrollbar.


Show Titles Button
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Show Titles Button

Pressing this button will toggle between showing sessions by title or by date/time.


Viewing a Session
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Viewing a Session

Pressing this button will display the session in detail & enable its deletion if required.

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Exit
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Exiting the Log Manager

This will close down the Log Manager.


Title
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Log In Log

This is what this application is called.


The Log File
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Log File

This file, designated by path and name is the current log file.  All logins and logoffs will be written to this file and all statistics, read in, will be from this file.  Full details of the construction of a log file can be found in the Tips and Tricks section.


The Bent Corner of the Logbook Label
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Bent Corner of the Log Book Label

Clicking on the bent corner of the LogBook has the same effect as pressing the History Button.


Copyright
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Copyright

This application in its entirety is copyrighted by its author, Ray Selby, who is the sole proprietor of Goahead Imagination.  It is prohibited under International Copyright laws to distribute the product, in any form, other than its originally distributed form, without the express permission of the author.  However, under no circumstances will the author or anyone involved in the distribution of the product accept liability for any loss or damage that may result from the use of this program.


Logo
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Goahead Imagination

If you find this program useful, and haven't yet done so, please register by e-mail (tarotray@xs4all.nl) to arrange payment (US$15) to cover time & expenses, and you will be sent the latest version.

Should you have bug-reports, suggestions or comments to make, do e-mail me, immediately, whether you have registered or not.


QuickHelp
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Viewing the Help Text

Pressing the button marked 'Help' will display this Windows Help File.


About
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Viewing the About Box

Pressing this button will display some information about Log In Log. A button is supplied to obtain information about terms of use.  A button is, also, supplied in the unregistered evaluation edition to obtain information about registering.


Configure
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Configuring Log In Log

Pressing the Configure button in the Log Manager will open a dialogue box, centered on the screen. This will contain a tabbed dialogue box showing one of 5 catagories of settings.

 General Settings

 Set Timers & Prompts

 Unit-Based Rates

 Time-Based Rates

 Sound Effects


Set Timers & Prompts
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Timers and Prompts

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


General Settings
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

 General Settings

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Set Sound Effects
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Sound Effects

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Save Configuration File
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Saving the Configuration

Pressing this button will save the configuration to the disk under the current name. Care should be taken not to overwrite information you wish to keep.


Load Configuration File
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Loading a Configuration File

Pressing this button will open the File Browser from which you should choose a configuration file to load.


Save Configuration Under New Name
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Saving a Configuration Under a New Name

Pressing this button will open the File Browser from which you should choose or type in a configuration file name to save this configuration scheme to.


Setting Name of Currency
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Currency Name

Here you must type in the name of the main unit of currency in your country. e.g Dollars, Pounds, Francs, Guilders etc. You can, of course, also use the relevant symbols, in most cases.


Cancel Configuration
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Cancelling the Reconfiguration

Pressing this button will Cancel all the new settings of the configuration that you may have typed in and will revert to the previous settings.


Automatic Logging
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting in Trumpet Scripts or Dial Up Networking

If MS DUN is selected then clicking this Install button will configure Log In Log for use in Microsoft Dial Up Networking for Win 95. A shortcut to 'loginlog.exe /w' (for wait), using the current configuration file as a first parameter should be placed in the startup group as Log In Log must be started with the '/w' parameter prior to dialing in. The rest of the operation is completely automatic.

If Trumpet is selected, clicking on this Install button will open the File Browser, from which you must select your Trumpet login.cmd script. The rest of this operation is automatic. Log In Log will add the line 'online' to your script if it does not already exist.  It will then search for the exec command in the script in which the name of a previous version of LIL appears. If it finds one, it will overwrite the old line with the new line, containing the name of the current executionable file, and using the current configuration file as a first parameter and '/s' (for start) as the second parameter. If it does not find the line it will be added to the end of the script. In some scripts, it may be necessary to manually edit the script to place the line in a more suitable place. LIL will then search for the relevant 'exec' line in the bye.cmd script, residing in the same directory as the login script. If the file is not found, you will be invited to select one using the File Browser. If the line is found in the file it will be overwritten; if not, it will be added to the end of the script. The line will use the current executionable file name with the single parameter '/e' (for end).

These lines can also be manually added to the scripts. They consist of the word 'exec ', followed by the path and name of the current Log In Log executable file (lil1xxxx.exe, where xxxx is the version number). This can then be followed (after a space) by the name of the configuration file (except for the bye script), to ensure that the correct one is in use.  The whole must be followed by the /s command to cause Log In Log to begin a start sequence, or, for the bye script, the /e command.


Trumpet Winsock
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Trumpet Winsock

Trumpet Winsock is the popular shareware Windows tcp manager written and copyrighted  by Peter R. Tattam and available from most relevant ftp sites and small-scale internet providers. Log In Log is written to be compatible with Version 2.0 B and higher.


Close Dialogue
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Close Dialogue

Pressing this button marked Close will close the current dialogue box.


File Browser
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The File Browser

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


The Browser Label
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Browser Label

This label will detail the type of browsing operation in progress. e.g. Select a log file , Load a Configuration File, Save a Configuration File, Select a Sound File etc.


List of Files
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

List of Files

Selecting from this list by clicking will put the filename into the File Selection Box below.  A double-click will also accept its selection.


List of Drives
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

List of Drives

Selecting from this list by clicking on the small arrow next to it and clicking an item on the drop-down list, will change the file lists and directory list accordingly.


List of Directories
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

List of Directories

Selecting from this list by clicking will change the filelist accordingly.


The Selected File
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Selected File

This box must contain the selected file path and name, whether it was selected from the File,Directory and Drive lists or it was typed in, manually.


Statistics
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Statistics Dialogue

Get statistics on logged sessions from any date to any date. Buttons are provided to set dates to various commonly required parameters.

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Version
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Version Number

The number of the version of Log In Log, to which this help file refers, is Log In Log Version 1.00 beta Revision 19. The archive is called lil1b19s.zip for a shareware edition or lil1b19r.zip for a registered edition. The executionable file has the same name, but the extension .exe. In the program, the Version Number can be found above the logo in the start-up splash screen, at the bottom of the Log Manager and in the about box.


Tips and Tricks
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Tips and Tricks

Log in Log is extremely user friendly.  Its intuitive interface can be used by anyone, with virtually no technical knowledge of any sort, (except how to use MS Windows & a mouse). However, there are various possibilities, built into the program, which are not immediately transparent.  On this page, can be found the details of how to use Log In Log to achieve various effects, that may not be obvious to the user. It also answers many frequently asked questions about the use of Log In Log.

Not Using Trumpet .

Q	I use a different TCP manager to Trumpet or MS Dial Up Networking. Is there any way, I can still use Log In Log?

A	If you are using a TCP Manager, other than Trumpet or MS Dial Up Networking, you can still use Log In Log. You will have to create an icon as detailed in the item, below (Trumpet  Hangs Line). You must also create an icon to log on with. The properties will be exactly the same as the log off icon, except that the '/e' should be replaced by '/s'.(no quotes). A double-click on this latter icon immediately a connexion is made, will manually start Log In Log.  As explained above, logging off should be accompanied by a double-click on the log-off icon. If you are not using Trumpet or MS Dial Up Networking, then the Disconnect button will not appear in the  alarm prompt , when it comes up, but, otherwise, it will function exactly the same as if you were using Trumpet or MS DUN.

Multi-user application.

Q 	Different people use my machine for connexion at different times, and they pay different rates & have different preferences.  Also, they need to use their own personal log files.  How can I manage this?

A	This is how to use Log In Log to create seperate configurations  and/or log-files for different users on a system. Copy login.cmd to a new name. Using the Set Configuration  dialogue, create a configuration for the new user. Designate a log file name for the new user. Save the configuration to a new name. Apply the Set Scripts function to the new login file. When the user dials in, he should select Dialer from Trumpet  Winsock's menu. Then he should select Other from the sub menu. Selecting the .cmd file for his name from the browser, displayed will take the user into the net using his own configuration & log his calls to his own .log file. N.B. A seperate icon can be created for the new user, by adding his/her configuration file path & name to the end of the exe file name (after a space) in the properties dialogue, (invoked from the File Menu).  Icons for the various functions of Log In Log can be created, also, for each user, using the Command-line possibilities.

Trumpet  Hangs Line.

Q	Trumpet  sometimes hangs up my line, without me calling the bye.cmd script. Then the session log shows this session as '....not logged off properly' and ignores the time spent on line.  What can I do about this?

A	If the TCP Manager or the 'phone company should hang your line, without permission, which sometimes happens, here's how to make certain you are logged off correctly.

If you are using the Log In Log alarm or/and are displaying the Log In Log watch then there will be an icon on your desktop, captioned 'Log In Log Timer', looking like a pendulum clock. A double-click on this caption will bring up a menu with some online functions, itemised. One of these, Manual End, initiates a logoff sequence.

Alternatively, make a new icon in Program Manager, in the group of your choice, probably the same one as you keep Trumpet  and other Internet applications. In the Program Manager Properties dialogue, which can be invoked from the File menu, name the icon something like 'Emergency Log-Off' or 'Manually Go Offline' & give it an appropriate icon. In the Command Line box, fill in the path of Log In Log and then, after a single space. type the path & name of the configuration file. Follow this with a single space and then '/e' (without the quotes). e.g. :-

c:.exe d:.cfg /e

Each time your line is cut without invoking Log In Log via Trumpet 's bye.cmd, a double-click on this icon will allow you to log off normally, before continuing or leaving Windows.

The log book

Q	Why is a corner of the log-book label, bent over?

A	Clicking on the bent corner of the logbook label has the same effect as the History button.

Manually Editing a log file

Q 	One of my log files  became corrupted somehow, because it stops calculating statistics properly and after opening it in Notepad, I can't figure out what's wrong with it.  How is this file constructed?

A	Log In Log should handle your log-files automatically, and there should be no problems with them, provided a new one is created, before the old one is too large.  However, if there is ever a need to manually edit a log file , here are the rules of their construction.  They won't work, properly if they break these rules, in any way.(In the following, the expression '......' represents a variable, and single qotation marks are added for reading clarity, only.)

i) The header consist of three inert lines of text, each separated by a blank line (six lines in all).

ii) Each entry must have 'Session started at......' line, with or without a preceding 'Title = ' line.

iii) Each 'Session started at....' is followed by, either a 'Session not logged off....' line or a 'Session ended at......' line.

iv) If the latter, the session entry must be followed by a 'Time online = .....' line and a 'Total costs = .......', line with an optional 'Phone Costs = ......' and 'Additional costs = ......' lines, preceding it, if both of these apply.

v) All this may be followed by an optional 'Comments = ......' line.

vi) Each entry must be followed by a blank line.

vii) If the last entry is 'Session starts on......', this is because the last login was aborted or is still in progress. In this case the file must end at the start of the line following this entry.

viii) If the last non-blank line is 'Total Costs = .......' or 'Comments = ......', then this line must be followed by a blank line and the file must end at the beginning of the next line to this.

ix) All session entries must be chronologically sequential.

Hiding the  Watch

Q	The Log In Log  Watch  blocks my view of the internet applications I am using, but the information it displays is useful, so I don't want to switch it off.  What can I do?

A	There are two possibilities.  You could double-click on the logbook icon, that appears in the top left corner of the  Watch  window. This will toggle the always-on-top state of the window on and off. When it is off, the window can be hidden behind other windows.  This option can be set also in the Configuration  - Set Timers dialogue. The second possibility is to double-click on the  Watch  icon, middle right of the window. This will reduce the  Watch  window to a special icon, accompanied by a label displaying, in short form, the time online & costs.This 'mini-watch' can be moved around the screen by drag & drop, or returned to full-size by means of a double-click, and, when logging off, it will remember where it was and which state it was in for the next log in.

Server allows Free Hours

Q 	My internet service provider only charges, after I have used up a certain amount of hours in a month/day.  How can I take this into account?

A	The program does not handle this common system of charging for time online, but it wouldn't take too much mental arithmetic to deduct anything, up to those hours, from the statistics, the program generates. Get statistics from the start of the monthly/daily payment period to the end. Deduct the number of free hours from the time online and, if it's greater than zero, deduct the number of free hours, multiplied by the hourly charge, from the total costs. If it's above zero, you will have to deduct the number of hours online, multiplied by the hourly charge, from the total costs.  You could even (carefully) manually edit the log file  to reflect this, so that the statistics will reflect the true situation more adequately.

Q	In my country, the phone rates/server account charges don't work in the way Log In Log assumes.  What can I do to use Log In Log?

A	Some suggestions for some currently unsupported charge systems are given below. Perhaps you can use some of the ideas given for a get-around in your country.  If you have problems you can always contact me directly by e-mail explaining your problem carefully, and I will try to make a future version of Log In Log reflect your phone company/server acount charging system.

Notes for Specific National Telephone Systems


Notes for Specific National Telephone Systems
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Notes for Specific National Telephone Systems

Note for Belgian users:

Log In Log can only handle 2 different phone-price rates.  For Belgian residents, I suggest the following:

a) Black rates are off-peak (don't forget to include weekends). Yellow rates are peak rates.

b) Fill in 360 and 720 respectively for the off-peak and peak seconds-per-phone-unit.

c) Try not to log in during red periods. It's cheaper that way :-)

d) If you must use the red rate, manually edit the log file, regularily, adjusting the phone costs to reflect any hours spent in the red zone, which you can see from the session start & end times.

e) If so inclined, some resident of Belgian could write a little program to automatically read in session start & finish times, work out how many hours are spent in the red zone and adjust the total-costs and phone-costs (if different to total-costs).I hope this helps some.

Note for U.K. Users.

The new pricing system for B.T. users, makes Log In Log a little more difficult to use, in its current form. Because the new rates are continuously incremental (by time not 'phone unit), it would be necessary to put the rates in the 'Time-Based Rates  dialogue.  However, the current version of Log In Log only allows for a single rate, and BT allow 3 rates. Two, actually, but different rates, completely, on a weekend.  The way to use Log In Log in the UK until a future version, handling multiple continuously incremental rates, is complete, I suggest the following.

1) Copy the file 'login.cmd', in the Trumpet  directory to files with the same names as the above but the extension '.cmd'

2) Open Log In Log and press the 'Config' button. Create three separate configuration files called e.g 'weekends.cfg', 'peakrate.cfg' & 'offpeak.cfg', using the Create a Configuration dialogue. The name of the log file in each should be the same, but the rates should be set differently, according to the appropriate rates for the given filename.

3) One by one, load the three configuration files and, using the Set Scripts dialogue, set the script of the appropriate '.cmd' file.

4) When using Trumpet , instead of using Dial-Login from the menu, use Dial-Other & select the appropriate login script for the time of day.

5) This get-around method does not take into account crossing the boundary between rate zones, which would necessitate some hand editing of the log file, but as an interim measure until I can reprogram to handle the new BT system, it should be adequate.

6) Setting the phone rates (unit costs) to zero will disable the phone cost increment sound effect, but then you wouldn't like it to sound every second anyway.

Note for Italian Users.

In Italy they have 'an infamous thing that goes by the name of TUT (Tariffa Urbana a Tempo - Time-based Local Rate) that applies to local phone calls, and splits the daytime into at least five different shifts on weekdays, four on Saturdays, three on Sundays.' I cannot program to take account of these maniacal systems.  Sorry, amici, you'll have to rise up and force more change on your system & those who constructed & maintain it. In the meantime, there are ways of still using Log In Log. The best idea, submitted, wins a free registration.


Online Features
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Online Features

The Onscreen Watch

The Prompt Windows

The Alarm

The Timer Icon


The Alarm
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Alarm

Log In Log provides an alarm, to warn the user that online time has reached a previously defined threshold. This can be set in the Set Timers dialogue of the Configuration dialogue. It must be set to a round number of minutes. The alarm can be reset from the  Watch  by double-clicking the Alarm Bell Icon.

When the alarm is triggered, by the specified elapse of time, the alarm prompt will appear onscreen. It will carry  a message, pre-defined in the Set Timers dialogue and, if set in the Set Sounds dialogue, and if appropriate sound drivers are installed, it will be accompanied by the sound of the selected wave (*.wav) file playing. Buttons are provided to allow more time before the alarm sounds again, to switch of the alarm or, if using Trumpet  Winsock or MS Dial Up Networking, to disconnect the line (send a command to run the bye.cmd script). The prompt will remain onscreen for the usual number of seconds specified in the Set Timers dialogue, before being erased, if no action is taken. At this time either the alarm will be switched off or the line will be disconnected, depending on the option specified in the Set Timers dialogue  - (Unattended Alarm Prompt).


The Timer Icon
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Timer Icon

If the The Alarm and the  Watch  are, both, switched off in the Set Timers dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue, then Log In Log will close down, after writing the start of the session to the log, thus using zero resources, whilst online. If , however, one of these is switched on then the Timer icon will appear at the bottom of the Windows desktop.  This indicates that Log In Log is still running.  This will be obvious if the  Watch  is visible on the screen but not so obvious, otherwise, if only the Alarm is switched on. The icon performs one important function.  Double-clicking the caption or restoring the Log In Log Timer by any other means (Alt-Tab switching, Task Manager etc.) will bring up a mini-menu, giving a number of options for special online shortcuts. In the event that the modem connexion is broken by anything other than a normal  Trumpet  bye.cmd script, a click on the 'Manual End' option will close Log In Log down, correctly, maintaining a correct recording of the session, and reducing the number of sessions, not correctly logged off. A click on the 'Disconnect(Bye)' option will activate Trumpet Winsock(if running) and start the bye.cmd script, disconnecting the line & logging off correctly. Other options are available to 'Bring the Watch to the Top' in the event it is not set Always on Top and it is lost under other windows, switch the alarm off/on, hide/show the watch and to switch off the alarm totally to save resources.  This, latter, will prevent operation of the Watch and Alarm, but will not prevent a normal session logoff sequence when it is activated later, in the normal way via the Trumpet bye.cmd script, or manually via an icon.


The Prompt Windows
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

 The Prompt Windows

When online one of three special prompt windows may appear in the center of the screen. These are not Always on Top windows , so can be hidden behind other applications.

The Start Session Prompt

The End Session Prompt

The Alarm Prompt

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


The Start Session Prompt
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Start Session Prompt

When Log In Log is started with the /s parameter, either manually, from an icon, or automatically, from the relevant command in the Trumpet login.cmd script or after an MS Dial Up Networking connection has been made after Log In Log has been started with the /w parameter, then, if set on in the uldb Set Timers dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue, a prompt will apppear detailing the time and date of the start of the session, and allowing the user to press a button to request a dialogue in which a title can be typed in.  In this event, this title will appear in the log, immediately prior to the session start information.This can be ignored by pressing the Close button, or simply ignoring the prompt. In this event the elapsed time bar willl display how much more time the prompt will remain onscreen, as set in the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue. The display will show less and less time until finally the prompt will dissappear from the screen. If  the relevant box in the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue is not checked, this prompt will not appear.  This prompt is optionally accompanied by a sound-effect which can be set in the Set Sounds dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue.


The End Session Prompt
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The End Session Prompt

When Log In Log is closed with the /e parameter, manually, from an icon, automatically, from the relevant command in the Trumpet  bye.cmd script,by pressing the Disconnect button in Windows 95 Dial Up Networking, or by a double-click on the Timer Icon caption & selecting Manual End, then, if set on in the Set Timers dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue, a prompt will apppear detailing the time and date of the start and end of the session, time online and costs and allowing the user to press a button to request a dialogue in which comments can be typed in.  In this event, the comments will appear in the log, immediately following the session information.This can be ignored by pressing the Close button, or simply ignoring the prompt. In this event the elapsed time bar willl display how much more time the prompt will remain onscreen, as set in the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue. The display will show less and less time until finally the prompt will dissappear from the screen, and Log In Log will close down. If  the relevant box in the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue is not checked, this prompt will not appear.  This prompt is optionally accompanied by a sound-effect which can be set in the Set Sounds dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue.


The Prompt Message Window
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Prompt Message Window

In this window will appear a message which will depend on whether the prompt is informing of the start or end of the session or of the triggering of the alarm. If, at the start of a session, then the time and date of the session start will appear. If at the end of a session, then it will display all details of the session.  If at the triggering of the alarm, it will display the user-defined message, set in the Set Timers dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue.


The Prompt Action Button
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Prompt Action Button

The wording on and effect of this button will depend on whether the prompt is informing of the start or end of the session or of he triggering of the alarm. If, at the start of a session, then the button will display the words Set Title and pressing it will present the user a dialogue in which a title for the session can be set. If at the end of a session, then The wording on the button will be Set Comments, and on pressing it a dialogue will appear allowing for comments to be added to the session record in the log. If at the triggering of the alarm, the button will display the words More Time.  In this event, pressing it will allow the alarm to be reset, with the extra time required.


The Elapsed Time Bar
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Elapsed Time Bar

This timer bar will display the decreasing amount of time still available for action to be taken on the prompt, before it is automatically removed from the screen. The red bar will decrease in length and the number of seconds shown in the center of the bar will decrease in value until the alloted number of seconds is passed and the bar displays zero and is full length.  The number of seconds, allowed can be set in the Set Timers dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue.


The Prompt Close Button
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Prompt Close Button

Pressing this button will close down the prompt window without further action.


The Alarm Prompt
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Alarm Prompt

When the alarm is set on in the Set Timers dialogue of the Configuration dialogue or from the  Watch , by clicking the alarm bell icon, and the preset time has passed, a prompt will apppear displaying the preset message. It allows the user to press a button to reset the alarm.  In this event, a dialogue will appear ask how much more time is requested.This can be ignored by pressing the Close button, or simply ignoring the prompt. In this event the elapsed time bar willl display how much more time the prompt will remain onscreen, as set in the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue. The display will show less and less time until finally the prompt will dissappear from the screen. If  the relevant box in the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue is not checked, this prompt will not appear.  This prompt is optionally accompanied by a sound-effect which can be set in the Set Sounds dialogue of the Configuration  dialogue. If the prompt is ignored, then either the alarm will be set off or the bye.cmd script will be invoked in Trumpet  winsock, disconnecting the line, depending on the option setting in the  uldb Set Timers  dialogue for Unattended Alarm Prompt.  If Trumpet  is running, then a button will appear, in place of the timer bar, allowing the user to immediately disconnect the line, if requested.


The Onscreen Watch
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Onscreen Watch

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


The Logbook Icon
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Logbook Icon

A single click on this icon will toggle the Always On Top status of the  Watch  on or off.  When on, the watch will always remain on top of all other applications on the screen.  When off, it can be hidden by other windows.  The start-up state of the Always On Top feature can be set in the Set Timers dialogue from the Configuration dialogue.


The Alarm Bell Icon
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Alarm Bell Icon

A single click on this icon will open up a small window in which the status of the alarm is displayed and can be changed. If this icon is red, then the alarm has already been triggered and not reset.


The Watch Icon
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Watch Icon

A single click on this icon will reduce the  Watch  to a minimal icon and a miniature window displaying the time online and the cost. double-clicking the icon or its window, when it is minimized will return the  Watch  to its normal state. The miniature watch can also be moved around the screen by clicking on it and, holding the left mouse button down, dragging the mouse. The icon and its accompanying display window will remain where it was left, when the mouse button was released and will return to the state and position, it was in when going offline, the next time it is displayed.


The Stopwatch Icon
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Stopwatch Icon

A single click on this icon will open up a small window, directly below the  Watch ,  in which a stopwatch is displayed.  It will start as soon as it is opened. It can be stopped, reset and started again, by double-clicking the large watch icon to the left of the time display window, which will be red or green, depending on its on/off state.


The Stopwatch Time Display
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Stopwatch Time Display

In this window will appear the time passed since the last time the stopwatch was restarted, or, if stopped, then the time at which it was last stopped. The time will start as soon as the stopwatch is opened from the  Watch  or when the large watch icon to the left has been double-clicked, if it is in a stopped state at the time. If the  Watch  is active, then a double-click on the large watch icon will stop it.


The Time Online Display
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Time Online Display

In this window will appear the time passed since logging in and invoking the start up sequence.


The Costs Online Display
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Costs Online Display

In this window will appear the total costs incurred since logging in and invoking the start up sequence.


The Stopwatch Switch Icon
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Stopwatch Switch Icon

A double-click on this icon will stop the stopwatch or reset it and start it again. It will be red or green, depending on the on/off state of the stopwatch.


The Watch Title Bar
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Watch Title Bar

Clicking on this icon and holding down the left mouse button whilst dragging the mouse will allow the movement of the  Watch  around the screen. It will remain in the place it was left when the button was released. It cannot be moved off the edge of the screen. It will remember where it was, each time it is used (in the loginlog.ini file) and return there, the next time.


The Log Manager
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Log Manager

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.

The following buttons appear in the Log Manager:

View -Opens the Log Viewer

History - Opens the History list

Statistics - Opens the Statistics dialogue

Check Out - Opens the Test dialogue

Configuration  - Opens the configuration dialogue

About - Opens the About Box

Help - Opens the Help viewer

Exit - Ends the program


Hourly Rates of Time-Based Costs
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting Time-Based rates

Fill this box in with the cost per hour of your server or other time-based costs.


The Spin Buttons
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

The Spin Buttons

Spin buttons are provided throughout the configuration dialogues, wherever numbers must be changed. This makes the process of configuration easier as the times, values and other numbers required by Log In Log to make its calculations can be either typed in or increased/decreased using the spin buttons. They appear as an up arrow on top of a down arrow. A single click on an arrow will increase/decrease the number next to it. Split numbers such as decimals, times and dates, have a spin button on the left to change the left side of the number (e.g. the integer,  the hours etc.) and a spin button on the right to change the right side of the number (e.g. the decimal part of the number, the minutes etc.)


Configuring Unit-Based Rates
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting Unit-Based rates

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Configuring Time-Based Rates
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting Time-Based rates

Click on any item in the above diagram to get an explanation of it.


Configuring The Alarm
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Configuring The Alarm

If this box is checked then the other items in this section will also be visible.In this case the alarm will be set on. Otherwise, the alarm will not sound.


Setting the Alarm Time
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Alarm Time

If the alarm is set on then this box will be visible. Fill it in with the number of minutes that should elapse before the alarm is triggered. This setting can also be altered at online time by clicking on the alarm bell icon on the  Watch  (if visible).


Unattended Alarm Prompt Option
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Unattended Alarm Prompt Option

Here you can set the action to be taken in the event that the user does not attend to the  alarm prompt  when it appears.

The options are:-

1) Switch alarm off

2) Send a bye command to Trumpet or a Disconnect command to MS Dial Up Networking, switching off the connexion and closing Log In Log down correctly.This can be useful for unattended internet use or for those who sometimes forget that they are still online.


Setting the Alarm Message
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Alarm Message

In this box, you can type in a customized message to appear in the prompt box, when the alarm is triggered.


Setting the Watch On
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Watch On

If this option is checked, then the other items in this section will be visible and the  Watch  will appear onscreen, when online.


Setting the Show Seconds Option
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Show Seconds Option

If this option is checked, then the  Watch  and stopwatch will show second also in their displays. If unchecked, then the word 'Minutes' will appear instead and the  Watch  will only be updated every 60 seconds.


Setting the Watch On Top Option
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Watch On Top Option

If this option is checked, then the  Watch  will always be on top of other applications. If unchecked, it can be hidden under other windows. This option can also be changed directly from the  Watch  at online time, by clicking on the LogBook icon.


Setting the Title Prompt Option;Prompts
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Title Prompt Option

If this option is checked, then a prompt to type in a title will appear onscreen every time you log on. This can be ignored at the time by pressing the appropriate button. Titles are saved to the log file and can be previewed from the History List or can be a useful reference when looking through a log file.


Setting the Comments Prompt Option
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Comments Prompt Option

If this option is checked, then a prompt to type in comments will appear onscreen every time you log off. This can be ignored at the time by pressing the appropriate button. Comments are saved to the log file and can be a useful reference when looking through a log file.


Setting the Logon Sound Effect
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Logging On Sound Effect

If this box is filled in with the path and name of a wave file (*.wav), then that file will play when logging in using Log In Log.


Setting the Logoff Sound Effect
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Logging Off Sound Effect

If this box is filled in with the path and name of a wave file (*.wav), then that file will play when logging off using Log In Log.


Setting the Phone Unit Increment Sound Effect
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Phone Unit Increment Sound Effectt

If this box is filled in with the path and name of a wave file (*.wav), then that file will play when each 'phone unit is used up.


Setting the Alarm Sound Effect
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Alarm Sound Effect

If this box is filled in with the path and name of a wave file (*.wav), then that file will play when the alarm is triggered.


Setting the Prompt Timer
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Setting the Prompt Timer

In this box, should be typed the number of seconds that the Title, Comments and  alarm prompt  dialogues should stay on the screen before automatically being removed from the screen. If this is the alarm  then the action specified in the Unattended Alarm Prompt option will be taken.


Starting Time for Test Session
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Starting Time for Test Session

In this box, should be typed the starting time for the test session.


Starting Date for Test Session
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Starting Date for Test Session

In this box, should be typed the starting Date for the test session.


Ending Time for Test Session
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Ending Time for Test Session

In this box, should be typed the ending time for the test session.


Set to Now Button
  Log In Log© 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to Now Button

Pressing this button will set the adjacent time & date to the present.


Set to Today Button
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to Today Button

Pressing this button will set the adjacent date to today.


Set to Same Day Button
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Set to Same Day Button

Pressing this button will synchronize both dates.


Ending Date for Test Session
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Ending Date for Test Session

In this box, should be typed the ending Date for the test session.


Hardware & Software Requirements
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

 Hardware & Software Requirements .

In order to run Log In Log, it is necessary to have a copy of the VB runtime module, vbrun300.dll installed in the Windows System directory. and to be running a TCP Manager (preferably Trumpet  2.0b or later) or MS Dial UP Networking under Windows 95. It is recommended that minimum video display capability of VGA (640 x 480 x 16 colours) is installed.  The application has been written (and runs reasonably well) on a 386DX PC with a maths co-processor and a 2Mb Diamond Stealth video display card.


What is  Log In Log
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

An Introduction to Log In Log

An application to log and cost Internet connexions using Trumpet  Winsock.

Purpose:

For most private internet users, phone bills and/or server costs can reach astronomical proportions, if a good eye is not kept on login times.  Time online is money. We are forever trying to keep some kind of a check on it all, often with notepad and pencil. Log In Log is a facility that will enable you to,automatically, keep track of all your logins and how much they cost you, and to charge others appropriately for their time spent online, on your machine.
Features:

* All the user needs to know, to Configuration  Log In Log, are the local phone rates and/or server or other costs, which can be obtained from the local telephone directory or 'phone company and/or the internet server.

* Supports multiple configurations , allowing seperate log files and/or configuration schemes for different users and situations.

* Can display the log as a list of sessions (History), from which any session can be deleted or viewed, individually, or as a whole document (Log Viewer).

* Can show an onscreen  Watch  detailing time online and total costs, constantly updated.

* Can display, also, a stopwatch to time specific events, such as large file downloads.

* Can set off an alarm to remind the user when a preset time online has passed.  At this point, extra time may be set, if required, or the user can switch the alarm off or even (using Trumpet  Winsock) disconnect the telephone connexion, immediately. Automatic disconnexion for unattended use can also be implimented.

* The user can check out a hypothetical session to see what it would cost.

* Gives the user the possibility to name sessions, at login, and comment on them at logoff.  The titles and comments will be saved to the log.

* Works in Trumpet Winsock, using an 'exec loginlog.exe /s' statement in the Trumpet  Winsock 'login.cmd' script file and an 'exec loginlog.exe /e' statement in the 'bye.cmd' script (or manually using commandline switches - /s and /e, to set up start log and end log icons, to click on at the appropriate moments). Supports automatic installation into script files.

* Works under Windows 95 Dial UP Networking, fully automatically, after first starting, using a /w command.

* Can jump straight to Log Viewer, History list,Test Session dialogue, Statistics dialogue, Configuration dialogue or the Help screen, directly, using command line switches - /v ,/h, /t, /=, /c or /? (or /help) respectively, allowing the creation of Program Manager icons for each separate function.

       * The user can set sound (*.wav) files to play on start of session, end of session   alarm prompt  and on each increment of unit-based charges.

       * Operates transparently, using zero resources, when timer is switched off, and very little, when switched on.

       * Calculates phone charges taking off-peak rates into account (including off-peak weekends, if appropriate).

* Calculates any additional hourly charges, such as server account charges or computer rental.

* Supplies statistics on any single session or on any set of sessions from any date to any date.

* Is user-friendly, easy to learn to use and even aesthetically pleasing to the eye (at least, I think so :-)).

* Is shareware, so you can distribute the publicly released edition, freely on the internet or to your friends.

* Automatically takes into account all possible settings in the [International] section of the win.ini file.

* Registration is cheap (US$ 15), and, with registration, comes free or very cheap upgrades (The latest registered edition of the latest version will be sent shortly after registration (just e-mail tarotray@xs4all.nl, using the word Loginlog as subject.), by e-mail or snail-mail).

* Lends itself easily to translation into other languages, as all text is stored in separate files. Anyone interested in translating the text files for any other purpose than their own use, must translate ALL text files in the archive, submit a copy of the translation to the author and get his (easily got) permission.

No changes are made to any other directories, allowing easy uninstalling (just delete the loginlog directory and associated Program Manager icons) in the unlikely event that you find this program of no use to you. In reality, you are more likely to find it invaluable and a money saving boom.  So register now, gain the benefits and afford me my dues ;-)

The application is being distributed in full as a shareware product, and MUST INCLUDE THIS FILE, unaltered. It is not freeware.  Anyone who is finding this program useful is requested to contact the author tarotray@xs4all.nl (Ray Selby), by e-mail, to arrange payment of U.S.$15 or its equivalent to cover time and expenses of development. All persons, registered in this way will receive the latest version of the program by snail-mail on floppy or by e-mail and will receive full support in any reasonable way possible, from the author, personally (by e-mail).


Installation
  Log In Log © 1996 Goahead Imagination

Installation

Seven easy steps to Log In Log installation:-

1) Copy the files 'lil1bxxx.exe', 'lil100b.asc', 'lilh100b.asc' (and, if you are using an unregistered edition, 'lilr100b.asc') to any directory of your hard disk.

2) Run the program and complete the forms displayed.

3) In the 'Set Unit-Based Rates' dialogue, make sure the phone rates are configured  properly.

4) In the ' uldb Set Timers ' dialogue, you can also set the option of an onscreen  Watch , with or without alarm, to remind you when you have been online for a preset time.

5) Use the automated Set Scripts process for installing Log In Log in Trumpet  Winsock script files or MS Dial Up Networking under Windows 95. If using MS DUN, put a copy of Log In Log, with the parameter, '/s' into the start-up group.

6) Before saving the configuration , make sure the log file is designated. If you wish, you can specify the path and filename of '*.wav' files to play on connection, disconnection, increments of 'phone costs and on an alarm warning.

7) In the 'Create Configuration ' dialogue, press 'Save Under New Name" button to save the configuration to disk as a '*.cfg' file

That's it!