@database CamWatch manual @node Main ============== CamWatch 1.0.1 ============== @{"Introduction" link Introduction} @{"Installation" link Installation} @{"Configuration" link Configuration} @{"Usage" link Usage} @{"Author" link Author} @{"Thanks" link Thanks} @{"Revision History" link Revision} @endnode @node Introduction CamWatch is a program designed for one purpose only: To keep an eye on those ever-popular webcams that keep showing up. It supports the following features: o @{"ClassAct" link ClassAct} configuration window o Support of username/password protection of cams o Ability to use any public screen, or a custom screen o Uses your datatypes to decode the image o Automatic re-fetching of camera images if the file is corrupt, or the network times out o Automatically pops it's screen to front if a picture shows a significant change (significant being configurable), or every set number of pictures o Ability to save all files, only a set number of the most recent ones, or none at all, to a permament storage area o Supports proxies o A text-based configuration file (something sorely missed in a lot of programs) o Let's you know how transfers are doing, with a progress indicator (if the web site give it a file size) @endnode @node Installation CamWatch requires that you have @{"ClassAct" link ClassAct} installed, and datatypes installed for whatever picture type the camera image is in (generally JPEG). When CamWatch is launched for the first time, it uses some reasonable defaults, and waits for you to enter the configuration window to set the other values. CamWatch doesn't require any command line arguments, but will take an optinal path and filename pointing to an alternate configuration file. (The default file is S:CamWatch.cfg) @endnode @node Usage Using CamWatch is simple. After @{"configuring" link Configuration} CamWatch, it'll virtually run itself. However, you can intervene with the menu options, which are mostly self-describing. Just remember that the default configuration file is either S:CamWatch.cfg or whatever you specified on the command line. @endnode @node Configuration CamWatch uses @{"ClassAct" link ClassAct} for it's configuration, which is divided up into two sections: Interface and Network. Under the interface section, you define everything dealing with CamWatch's interaction with your system: Save Pictures: Auto-save all - Automatically saves all pictures to the save path Keep only n most recent - Only keeps the number in the gadget to the right most recent pictures None - Saves no pictures (the menu's Save Picture still works) Save path - Specific the path *AND THE PREFIX* where you'd like CamWatch to save it's files to. CamWatch appends a date and time code to this to create the individual file names. Ex: Save path is RAM:Cam, example files will be: RAM:Cam.971013.231722 (yymmdd.hhmmss) Screen to front: Each new picture - Brings CamWatch's screen to front on each fetch Every nth picture - Brings the screen to the front every n pictures, where n is the number in the gadget to the right. On significant change - Brings the screen to front when the file size difers by the number of bytes in the gadget to right. (NOTE: The same gadget is used in both this setting and the one above. When you change the dropbox, CamWatch will change the gadget to the correct setting. Make sure to change the dropbox FIRST.) Never - Never automatically bring CamWatch's screen to front Allow rescaling - Allows CamWatch's window to be resized, and asks the datatype to resize it. However, most datatypes do not seem to support this. The next chooser gadget selects what type of screen to use for CamWatch's window: Use Workbench - (or the default public screen) Use Custom Screen - Creates a public screen with the screenmode specified to the right. Use Public Screen - Uses the public screen named below. Next are the Network options: Camera address - Enter the address of the *PICTURE* you wish to watch, *WITHOUT* http:// Use Proxy - Uses the proxy specified at the right. Use Authorization - Uses the name and password specified below. Auto Fetch - Automatically refetches using the delay to the right. Enable Fail Safe - Tells CamWatch to automatically refetch if the file it got is smaller than the size shown to the right. Auto Refetch - Enables CamWatch's network fail safes, will cause automatic refetches if something goes wrong. @endnode @node Author Yes, CamWatch is SHAREWARE. It's *NOT* CrippleWare. I hate CrippleWare. So I won't release it. Please, if you feel CamWatch is good and use it often, please register. The registration cost is a measly US$10, in cash or a personal check drawn on a US bank. Address: Andrew Gray 917 Waveland Lane Greenwood, IN 46143 Email: Andrew.W.Gray@Rose-Hulman.edu When you register, make sure to supply your name and email address, and I will email send your own personalized copy of CamWatch to you. BUGS REPORTS, COMMENTS, ETC.: Feel free to email me at the above address. I can also usually be found on IRC, on ANet or EFnet (US side) under the nick of DarkDesgn. @endnode @node Thanks I would like to thank the following people: The @{"ClassAct" link ClassAct} group - Christopher Aldi, Petter Nilsen, Tim Aston, Osma Ahvanlampi Remco van Hooff - For beta-testing and bugging me to put more features in. Eric Sauvageau - For SysInspector, the best Amiga "It's broke, it left stuff around, let's fix it" tool out there, and help with ClassAct stuff. My other beta testers: Yanik Grignon Sinan Gurken John Kelly Scott Mikolaitis Deryk Robosson Eric Webb And other people: Angela Huffman Lisa Carr And probably others that fell through the cracks, somewhere. @endnode @node ClassAct ClassAct is a layout system designed to be simple, small, yet powerful. CamWatch's configuration window requires ClassAct. You can get it off the web from http://classact.warped.com/ @endnode @node Revision CamWatch 1.0.1 -- Released 14-Oct-97 ------------------------------------ - Fixed configuration window, enabled the file selector gadget and uses page tabs now. - Fixed some weird combinations of file save options and other options causing problems with CamWatch NEVER deleting files. CamWatch 1.0 -- Released 13-Oct-97 ---------------------------------- - Initial release