Copyright: Copyright (c) 1997-98, DC Software Design, Inc.


Welcome
Welcome to CDRCue

Thank you for test-driving CDRCue, the syntax-highlighted editor for CDRWIN/DAO cuesheets.

Creating cuesheets with an ASCII editor is tedious and error-prone.  Renumbering tracks and indices after inserting new ones is a real pain.  In addition, determining the cue points in [mm:ss:ff] format requires using an external wave editor which supports the format.  If you don't have such a wave editor, you have to convert to [mm:ss:ff] manually.  And even if you do, you have to mouse around in a graphic view trying to find the appropriate points.  All this after waiting for ages while the wave editor constructs the graphic view in the first place.  Surely there's an easier way!

Now there is.  CDRCue assists you in creating cuesheets faster and easier than ever before.  If you know how to create a cuesheet, you already know how to use CDRCue.  Now your CD burning time will be spent where it should be spent --- waiting for the CD burner to finish the copy.

CDRWIN and DAO are developed by GoldenHawk Technology.  Although CDRCue complements these programs, DC Software Design is not affiliated with them, so please contact them at http://www.goldenhawk.com for any concerns relating to CDRWIN and DAO.

Beta 3 notes:  Many thanks to the beta testers who have e-mailed their feedback --- Beta 3 incorporates some of this feedback, and more is planned.  Registrations will be accepted when CDRCue 1.0 ships on August 1.  If you would like to register, please do so on or after August 1, using the File | Register menu item.

Please continue to report all problems and enhancement requests to the e-mail addresses below.

If you like CDRCue, please consider our Windows consulting services for your next MS Windows project.

Web:  http://www.dcsoft.com

E-mail:  cdrcue@dcsoft.com

Happy cuesheet editing,

David Ching, Windows Developer

DC Software Design, Inc.

dc@dcsoft.com

P.S.  We will not be available from July 6 - July 26 but will answer all e-mail as soon as possible.


Hints

Quickly adding files

Instead of using Insert file to add files, you may find it easier to drag and drop them from Explorer.  Select the desired files in Explorer, then drop all of them into CDRCue. The files will be inserted before the selected file in the cuesheet.

You can somewhat control the order in which the dropped files are inserted into the cuesheet.  In Explorer, select View | List so the order of the files is obvious.  Then select View | Arrange icons so that the icons are in the order you'd like them to be inserted.  It is convenient to name the files alphabetically (e.g. "Wave1.wav", "Wave2.wav", etc.), and arrange the icons "by Name".

Once the files are shown in the correct order, select the desired ones so that they are highlighted.  Then click and hold down on the FIRST icon, and use this as a handle to drag the entire group into CDRCue.  Drop the files onto CDRCue.  They will be inserted in order.  (Explorer always drops first the file you click on; this is why you must click on the first file to begin the drag.)

Using the Toolbar and Wave Bar to quickly add TRACK/INDEX commands:

To quickly specify tracks and indices in a wave file, use the WaveBar to play the wave file and skip to a spot just before the desired location of the track (or index).  Then, when the spot is played, click on the Insert track (or Insert Index) button in the Toolbar.  The track (or index) will be added to your cuesheet, at the spot that was played!

Then, if you choose, you can fine-tune the spot to frame accuracy by using the Edit index dialog.

Re-ordering files in a cuesheet

If the files are listed in the cuesheet in the wrong order, you can Cut and Paste them to re-order.  Simply Cut a file that is in the wrong order.  All of its indented lines will be removed as well.  Select the line you wish the file to be inserted BEFORE, then select Paste.  The file will be moved to the desired location.

Reusing FLAGS, PREGAP, POSTGAP commands

If you consistently use FLAGS, PREGAP or POSTGAP commands with the same non-default value (e.g. POSTGAP 00:04:00), you can apply that command to all tracks by Copying it to the clipboard, then Pasting it into each track.  This is faster than inserting new POSTAP commands, which default to POSTGAP 00:02:00, and then editing them for each track.

Inserting and Pasting

CDRCue knows where commands need to go.  For example, it will always put PREGAP commands before INDEX commands.  Therefore, when inserting and pasting, just select any line in the track, and CDRCue will insert/paste at the correct spot regardless of which line is actually selected.


Requirements

CDRCue requires Microsoft Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0 or later.

To use the cuesheets created with CDRCue, you also need GoldenHawk Technology's CDRWIN or DAO.


Overview

If you have ever created a cuesheet, you will be right at home with CDRCue:

Figure: Screen shot of CDRCue shows the cuesheet similar to your ASCII editor.

Features include:

• Syntax highlighting - Syntax highlighting greatly increases your comprehension of the cuesheet.  FILE, TRACK, and INDEX lines are shown in different colors to stand out. Other keywords are bolded.  Comments are italicized.

• WaveBar(TM) - The second toolbar, fondly nicknamed "WaveBar," makes it easy to play the selected wave file and to rapidly skip to the desired cue point.  While the wave is playing, you can add a track or index at the location being played at that instant.  You set tracks and index points "by ear."  This is far easier than mousing around in a graphical display!  You can also edit existing tracks and indices by ear too.

• Syntax checking - CDRCue will not let your cuesheet become invalid.  For example, because each FILE needs at least one TRACK, you cannot delete the last TRACK of a file.  Similarly, when you add a FILE, CDRCue creates the first track (and the first index of that track) for you, because that is the minimum required for a valid cuesheet.

• Auto numbering - CDRCue adjusts TRACK and INDEX numbers to be always remain consecutive and in order; no matter if you insert or delete tracks or indices, your cuesheet numbers will always be correct!

• Drag & Drop ease - Add multiple FILE's at once, simply by selecting them in Explorer and dropping them into CDRCue..

• Standard Windows look and feel - Menus and docking toolbars are similar to popular applications such as Microsoft-Office(TM). CDRCue is intuitive and simple to learn.


Menu Reference

Here are brief explanations for the menu commands.

File

New Open Save Save as	Standard commands to load and save cuesheets.
Register... Unlock...	Register and Unlock CDRCue.  Please see the Registration section for full details.
Exit	Exits CDRCue.

Edit

Edit	Open appropriate Edit dialog to change the selected line.
Cut Copy Paste Delete	Perform the standard clipboard operation on the selected line.  All lines that are highlighted (black background) are affected.

View

Toolbar Wavebar Status Bar	Show or hide the corresponding bar.  You can also use the mouse to dock the Toolbar and Wavebar.

Insert

File Track Index Pregap Postgap ISRC Number Flags Catalog Comment	Inserts the chosen cuesheet command before the selected line. Please see the CDRWIN help file for a detailed explanation of each of these commands.  In recent CDRWIN help files, this information is found under Advanced Topics | How to write a CUE SHEET file.

Wave

Play (Pause)	Begins (or suspends) playback at the location shown in the WaveBar.  The WaveBar updates during playback, as well as when you select a different line in the cuesheet.
Skip back 1 min Skip back 10 secs Skip forward 10 secs Skip forward 1 min	Quickly skip around in the selected wave file, going backwards or forwards slowly (10 sec) or rapidly (1 min).  You can skip both during playback and while playback is paused. The keyboard accelerators are F5-F8, which is usable by both right- and left-handers and on keyboards of all nationalities. In addition, right-handers on US English keyboards will appreciate that the accelerators are duplicated on the j k l ; keys, making it easy to skip with your right hand positioned on the home row.

Help

Contents	Get help for this program
DCSoft Home Page	Browse the DC Software Design web site
About CDRCue	Show About box.

Popup Menu

Figure:  Many menu commands are also available on the popup menu, which appears when you click the right mouse button.


Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jeff Arnold of GoldenHawk Technology, http://www.goldenhawk.com/, for creating some of the best CD-R software available.  Jeff offered good ideas for CDRCue improvements.  He is one of the most intelligent, focussed and driven individuals I have ever met.

Thanks to Joerg Koenig.for the code to make the Office-97 "flat" toolbars without requiring updated Windows DLL's.  Were it not for this code, an updated COMCTL32.DLL would have had to be distributed which would have increased the download file size by 500 KB. This code can be found at http://www.codeguru.com/.

Thanks to all the Beta testers who have submitted their feedback!  I'm implementing it as fast as possible!


About DC Software Design
About DC Software Design, Inc.

Point your browser to http://www.dcsoft.com/ for complete and up-to-date information.

DC Software Design, Inc. develops thoughtful applications for Microsoft Windows.  We are proud to have helped develop the following commercial packages, many of which have won Editor's Choice awards:

· NetObjects Fusion

· Sidekick for Windows

· Borland C++

· Turbo Pascal for Windows

· Xerox TabWorks

· HP LaserRX

· Logitech Keyboard Commander software

We also develop shareware and freeware products, which we distribute under our own brand name.  These include Registry Editor Extensions, Goal Time Tracker, and CDRCue.  We are extremely honored that Registry Editor Extensions has been included in WINDOWS Magazine's "100 Best Shareware Programs" (June, 1998).

Located in Sunnyvale, CA, the center of Silicon Valley, DC Software Design, Inc. was created in 1995 by David Ching.

Put our expertise to work in your next Windows project.  Contact us via e-mail at consulting@dcsoft.com.


Toolbar Reference

The Toolbar contains buttons for frequently used commands.  Please see the Menu Reference for more details.

WaveBar(TM) Reference

Skip buttons - Please see the Menu Reference for more details.

File name - Name of wave file being played

Current location - Location of wave file that is being played at this instant, [in mm:ss:ff] notation.  This is the notation required by CDRWIN/DAO.  There are 75 frames per second.

File length - Duration of wave file


Registration
60 Day Trial Period

CDRCue has a trial period of 60 days, during which it is fully functional, and you may freely use it without limitation.  This should be more than enough time to see if it meets your needs.  After the 60 days have elapsed, CDRCue remains fully functional, but cuesheets are saved in an encrypted form, and you won't be able to use them with other programs like CDRWIN and DAO.  However, you may continue to create and edit them in CDRCue.

Registration

The registration fee is US$19.95 per user.

We think we have made the registration process (nearly) painless.  You can pay by credit card at the KAGI secure web site (preferred).  Alternatively, you can pay by credit card, check, money order or cash by running the included Register program which generates an encrypted order form that you submit by e-mail, fax, or postal mail.  Either way, after your payment is processed, we will e-mail you a "Personal Unlock Code" which you use to unlock CDRCue and make it fully functional, without any limitations.

The fastest way to receive your Personal Unlock Code is to register using the secure web site, or by e-mailing the Register order form.  These electronic mediums require use of a credit card, though.

To register, select the File|Register menu item.  The following dialog appears:

Select the registration method you desire, then press Register.  If you select Secure Web site, CDRCue will launch your default web browser and navigate to the KAGI web site, where you complete a registration form for CDRCue.  If you select Register program, CDRCue will launch the included Register program which will guide you through the generation of an encrypted order form.

Beta note:  Registration is disabled until August 1.

Unlocking

After you have received your Personal Unlock Code, unlock CDRCue by selecting the File|Unlock menu item.  The following dialog appears:

Simply enter the Name and Personal Unlock Code from the e-mail you received, then press Unlock.  CDRCue should then unlock.

If you encounter difficulty, please make sure you enter both items exactly as specified.  Upper- and lower-case is important, as is spacing between words.  HINT:  An easy and accurate way to complete the Unlock dialog is to copy your registration e-mail to the Windows clipboard and then press "Retrieve unlock info from Clipboard".  This eliminates the chance of a typographical error.  Beta note:  This button is disabled.

After unlocking, you can load any encrypted cuesheets and re-save them in an unencrypted state.

BACKUP your registration information

After successfully unlocking CDRCue, please print your registration e-mail and store it in a safe place, in the event you have to unlock CDRCue again.

You can further backup your registration information by copying the file CDRCUE.DAT (residing in the CDRCue folder) to a removeable disk and storing it in a safe place.


Disclaimer
Legal Disclaimer

We have tried our best to make CDRCue bug-free and enjoyable to use.  Sadly, however, the litigious nature of today’s software industry requires the inclusion of the following statement:

In plain language: you assume all liability resulting from the use of this product.

DC Software Design, Inc. shall, in no way, be held liable for any damages whatsoever (including without limitation, special, incidental, consequential, or indirect damages for personal injury, loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use or inability to use this product, even if DC Software Design, Inc. has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

DC Software Design, Inc. shall, in no way, be held liable for any damages whatsoever caused by products developed by GoldenHawk Technology.

There are no other warranties, expressed or implied.  Because some states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitations may not apply to you.


Editing Overview

Figure:  Double-clicking brings up the appropriate Edit dialog for the selected line.  The selected line is the one preceded by a bullet ( · ).  Here, the bottommost line (INDEX 01) is selected, and therefore the Edit Index dialog is displayed.

• Dialogs support editing - You never type individual characters with CDRCue.  Just complete the appropriate dialog (there is a different dialog for each cuesheet command), and let CDRCue take care of the syntax and character formatting for you.  It's a great way to learn the nuances of cuesheet commands!

• Full clipboard support - The toolbar and Edit menu bring you the standard Windows clipboard commands.  Note:  When you select a File or Track, the entire set of lines indented under it are also selected.  This is so that clipboard commands operate on the entire set of lines (e.g. when you Cut a File, you also cut all it's tracks).