NETTIMER.TXT

Net Timer Plus  Written by Robert L. Johnson
version 01.2 (zip file NETTMR12.ZIP)

This file has the following sections:
	Introduction
	Installation
	Disclaimer
	Registration
	Instructions (In a help file in future version) (read if having trouble)
	Revisions

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Introduction:

This software is SHAREWARE. You may distribute it freely as long as the program 
code or any of my material is not modified in any way and this file accompanies all
distributions. You may use this program for a 30 day trial period. After 30 days, if you
continue to use it, you should register it. (*****see below*****)

Net Timer Plus  is a timer written by me, Robert L. Johnson, as an aid to keep
track of the time spent on-line. Currently, it is only designed to work with Trumpet
Winsock version 2.0. The main purpose behind this program is the way my access provider 
charges for time. I get a set number of hours "free" and after that there is a charge for 
each additional hour. Net Timer Plus  helps me avoid going over my "free" hours. At a
preset number of minutes before the "free" hours are up, Net Timer Plus  will alert you.
Beyond this basic functionality, the ability to start your most used web tools and review
individual session times just makes life a little easier. Anyway, I thought this program 
was kind of nice so I decided to release it as shareware and see if anybody else would 
appreciate and use it.

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Installation:

THIS PROGRAM REQUIRES VBRUN300.DLL to be available in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. 
This file is available from many on-line sources.

Installation is fairly simple:
1) Expand the zip file. (probably already done)
2) Copy/move ALL Net Timer Plus  files into the Trumpet Winsock directory. The program 
   will not run unless in the same directory as the winsock. You can move the CMDIALOG.VBX
   and MSAFINX.DLL files to the Windows\SYSTEM directory if you want.
3) Create an icon for Net Timer Plus  (NETTIMER.EXE) in the desired program group.
	You can either:
	a) drag the NETTIMER.EXE file from File Mangaer to a Program Manager group.
	or
	b) In Program Manager do New and Program Item under the File menu.
4) Run Net Timer Plus  
	Running the first time will create a NETTIMER.INI file in the Windows directory
	and add the following lines to the end of the Trumpet Winsock script files.
	(the path will match the location that Net Timer Plus  is installed)
	LOGIN.CMD
	  #
	  # signal Net Timer start of session
	  #
	  EXEC "C:\NET\WINSOCK\ntstart.exe"
	BYE.CMD
	  #
	  # signal Net Timer end of session
	  #
	  EXEC "C:\NET\WINSOCK\ntstop.exe"
	The original files will be saved as LOGIN.NTB and BYE.NTB respectively.

That's it! The Net Timer Plus   is ready to run. Now you can either use Net Timer Plus  
to start and stop your Trumpet Winsock session, or you can issue the LOGIN and BYE scripts
and Net Timer Plus  will start and stop timing as you login and logoff.

Note:	Net Timer Plus   needs to know the location of various programs so it will be able 
	to start them. In version 1.10 you no longer need to change the NETTIMER.INI file.
	Net Timer Plus  will allow you to browse for the path and file name of these files. 
	The file you looking for is the program with .EXE extension for the file name. The
	following lines will be inserted in the NETTIMER.INI file after you browse for a
	program in Net Timer Plus . 
	The www line is the path and executable name of your web viewer/browser. 
	The websites line is the path and executable name of WebSites  database program.
	The ftp line is the path and executable name of your ftp program.
	The telnet line is the path and executable name of your telnet program.
	The email line is the path and executable name of your email program.
	Example:
	[nettools]
	www=C:\NET\NETSCAPE\NETSCAPE.EXE
	websites=C:\NET\WEBSITES\WEBSITES.EXE
	ftp=C:\NET\WSAPPS\WSFTP\WS_FTP.EXE
	telnet=C:\NET\TRUMPET\TRMPTEL.EXE


The following files were distributed in NETTMR12.ZIP:
	NETTIMER.EXE
	NTSTART.EXE
	NTSTOP.EXE
	NETTIMER.TXT
	CMDIALOG.VBX	(common dialog from MS)
	MSAFINX.DLL	(date manipulation from MS)

Any files other than these have been added after the fact. This should not be a problem
but I just thought I would list those that I included.

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DISCLAIMER:

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS
TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU, AND
THE AUTHOR ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR APPLICATION OF OR
ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE SOFTWARE. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE 
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGES OCCURRING. THE AUTHOR SHALL
NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGES OR COSTS, ARISING OUT OF, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS OR REVENUE, LOSS OF USE OF THE SOFTWARE, LOSS OF
DATA OR EQUIPMENT, THE COSTS OF RECOVERING SOFTWARE, DATA OR EQUIPMENT,
THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE SOFTWARE OR DATA, CLAIMS BY THIRD PARTIES, OR
OTHER SIMILAR COSTS.

IN OTHER WORDS, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

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Registration:

Registration is very simple. I will keep a confidential list of all people who register, but
since I have not included any timed nag screens. I don't feel it nesassary to send you back a
registration code. The software you are using is fully enabled, so ease your conscience and
register now.

Send your name and address along with a few dollars ($$$) to:
  Robert Johnson
  Net Timer Plus
  4629 Fuhrer St. NE
  Salem, OR 97305

If you have any comments or suggestions I am very interested.
  e-mail rlj@chemek.cc.or.us

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I hope you enjoy this and remember, shareware is based on trust. If you continue to use this
program please register. This price is very reasonable, just a few dollars.

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Instructions:

Net Timer Plus  is very straightforward to use. It works much like a TV remote control.
An explanation of what each of the controls does is explained below:

Session Time
	Displays the time used for the current/last on-line session. This time will 
	restart when a new on-line session is started.

Month Time
	Displays the time used for the current month. This is used to notify you when
	you are approaching your monthly "free" time limit. (see times below)

Time Of Day
	Displays the current time of day.

On Top
	When checked, the On Top check box will force the Net Timer Plus  window to be 
	the top most window. When unchecked, it behaves like a normal window.

[Start]
	Will initiate the Trumpet Winsock Login under the Dialer menu. If Trumpet Winsock
	is not running it will be started. When you are logged in the Session Time will 
	start. 

[Stop]
	Will initiate the Trumpet Winsock Bye under the Dialer menu. When you are logged 
	out the Session Time will stop. Each session date and the time you were on is
	recorded in case you are interested later. (see S Info)
	NOTE: If you experience trouble where Net Timer Plus  does not stop timing the
	session when you select Stop or execute the Bye command under the Dialler menu, 
	it probably because the BYE.CMD script is aborting and not signaling a stop to 
	Net Timer Plus . If this happens go into Edit Scripts under the Dialler menu in
	Trumpet Winsock, edit the BYE.CMD script, and move the following section to the 
	top of the script file. 
		#
		# signal Net Timer end of session
		#
		EXEC "C:\NET\WINSOCK\ntstop.exe"
	I haven't figured out why Trumpet Winsock sometimes aborts the BYE.CMD script, 
	if you know, please let me know.

[Expand]/[Shrink]
	Will expand the Net Timer Plus  window, allowing you access to the other controls.
	or
	Will shrink the Net Timer Plus  window, so it is not in the way. In 800x600 mode
	it just fits next to the Netscape "N".

[Help]
	Will display the file in Notepad. (Help file in later version)

[About]
	Will display the about dialog box.

[Sites]
	Will allow you to start the WebSites  database from Net Timer Plus . You must 
	have a [nettools] section in the NETTIMER.INI in the Windows directory as 
	described in the installation section above. The first time you click the Sites
	button Net Timer Plus  will ask if you want to browse for the program. Answer
	YES and then locate the WEBSITES.EXE file on your drive.

	WebSites  is another program I wrote to keep track of and categorize web page
	locations and descriptions. It can print reports, generate HTML pages of links, 
	start locations using your web browser, and other things. Point your web browser at
	    HTTP://libmail.chemek.cc.or.us/~tjohnson/rljhome.html
	to read about it and download a copy.

[Times]
	Will allow you to set the time settings, alarm minutes, free hours, and 
	backup interval. Each of these are described below. While setting times, all
	other controls are disabled until the time button is clicked again.

[WWW]
	Will allow you to start your web browser from Net Timer Plus . You must have
	a [nettools] section in the NETTIMER.INI in the Windows directory as described
	in the installation section above. The first time you click the WWW button
	Net Timer Plus  will ask if you want to browse for the program. Answer
	YES and then locate the .EXE file for your browser on your drive.

[E-mail]
	Will allow you to start your e-mail program from Net Timer Plus . You must have
	a [nettools] section in the NETTIMER.INI in the Windows directory as described
	in the installation section above. The first time you click the E-mail button
	Net Timer Plus  will ask if you want to browse for the program. Answer
	YES and then locate the .EXE file for your e-mail program on your drive.

[S Info]
	Will display the session information from the NTSESION.DAT file. The date, along
	with the time spent on-line for each session, will be displayed. You can delete
	the NTSESION.DAT file to clear old sessions you are no longer interested in.
	NOTE: DO NOT DELETE THE NTPERIOD.DAT FILE OR MONTHLY TIME INFORMATION WILL BE LOST!

[FTP]
	Will allow you to start your ftp program from Net Timer Plus . You must have
	a [nettools] section in the NETTIMER.INI in the Windows directory as described
	in the installation section above. The first time you click the FTP button
	Net Timer Plus  will ask if you want to browse for the program. Answer
	YES and then locate the .EXE file for your ftp program on your drive.

[Telnet]
	Will allow you to start your telnet program from Net Timer Plus . You must have
	a [nettools] section in the NETTIMER.INI in the Windows directory as described
	in the installation section above. The first time you click the Telnet button
	Net Timer Plus  will ask if you want to browse for the program. Answer
	YES and then locate the .EXE file for your telnet program on your drive.


Session Information (S Info)
	Displays the session information when the [S Info] button is clicked.
	You can change the session information display (days or months) by right clicking
	in the Session Information box. You can also delete old session information
	by right clicking and selecting Delete Info. This will remove only the individual
	session times not the Month Time used to keep track of total time spent on-line.

Alarm Minutes
	Displays/sets the alarm minutes when the [Times] button is clicked. When your 
	monthly time is this number of minutes away from the free hours time, you will be 
	notified with a message. (No alarm if set to 0)

Free Hours
	Displays/sets the free hours when [Times] is clicked. This is the number of 
	hours your on-line service allows you "free" before you are charged an 
	additional hourly charge. (No alarm if set to 0.) This could also be used if your 
	provider charges you on an incremental scale, ie, $1 for first 10 hours, then $3 
	for every hour after that. You can set the free hours setting for the 10 hours
	to inform you your lesser-charged time is almost up.

Backup Interval
	Displays/sets the backup interval when [Times] is clicked. Since Net Timer Plus  
	does not constantly record the session time to disk, some time may be lost if 
	your computer "locks up." The backup interval will protect you from losing a 
	large amount of time. At each backup interval, the current monthly time will be 
	saved to avoid loss of time information. This time cannot be set to less than 2.

Min Winsock
	When checked, the Min Winsock check box will indicate that Net Timer Plus  
	should minimize the Winsock window when a connection is made.


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Revisions:

version 01.0
	None

version 01.1
	Modified to browse for net tools when there is no entry or entry is invalid
	in the NETTIMER.INI file for the given tool.
	Added check box to minimize the Winsock window when a connection is made.

version 01.2
	Modified session information to allow to switch listing by session or by 
	month with the right mouse button.

version 01.21
	Modified session information right click to allow you to delete the session 
	information. Extended the Free Hours box to allow for 3 digits. Will not
	attempt to start Trumpet it TCPMAN.EXE is not in same directory.
