@DATABASE "AmCEx.guide" @author "Paul Juhasz" @(c) "Copyright © 2002 strandedUFO" @WIDTH "80" @HEIGHT "110" @NODE "MAIN" "AmCEx DeLuxe (Amiga Currency Exchange)" @NEXT "FUNCTION" @TOC "MAIN" @{fg shine}AmCEx DeLuxe (Amiga Currency Exchange) - © 2001-2 strandedUFO@{fg text} @{fg shine}@{u} @{uu}@{fg text} This software is subject to the "Standard Amiga FD-Software Copyright Note". It is @{i}Shareware@{ui} as defined in paragraph @{fg shine}4s.@{fg text} For more information please read "AFD-COPYRIGHT" (Version 1 or higher). @{"Installation" LINK "INSTALLATION"} @{"Function" LINK "FUNCTION"} @{"Usage" LINK "USAGE"} @{"Requirements" LINK "REQUIREMENTS"} @{"Menus" LINK "MENUS"} @{"Technical" LINK "TECHNICAL"} @{"Editing" LINK "EDITING"} @{"Program Updates" LINK "PROGUPDATES"} @{"Customising" LINK "CUSTOMISING"} @{"Undesirables" LINK "BUGS"} @{"Exchange Rate Updates" LINK "EXRATEUPD"} @{"Conclusion" LINK "CONCLUSION"} @{"Contributions" LINK "CONTRIBUTIONS"} @{"History" LINK "HISTORY"} @{"Registration" LINK "SHAREWARE"} For "Translations" see guide in catalogs directory. @{fg fill}Live fast, code hard and die a beautiful death... (old c0DerZ saying)@{fg text} @ENDNODE "Noone told you when to run, you missed the starting gun..." @NODE "FUNCTION" "AmCEx: Function" @NEXT "REQUIREMENTS" @PREV "MAIN" @TOC "MAIN" Function -------- Converts international currency, using rates stored in a @{"local" LINK "TECHNICAL"} data file, which can be simply updated at any time by grabbing and saving an @{"html file" LINK "EXRATEUPD"} from a website. From v2.0 onwards, the @{"registered" LINK "SHAREWARE"} version of AmCEx comes with full @{fg shine}TCP support@{fg text} to make the update process easier. The program directory contains the program's own important data file @{"AmCEx.data" LINK "TECHNICAL"}, and the 'catalogs', 'help' and the 'flags' directories, which should be left where they are in the program directory. The latter contains all the flags for the countries listed on the particular pages, plus a couple of pattern images for use to fill the windows' backgrounds. Those using the HRKxxx or YUMxxx tooltypes, please note: Those tooltypes have now been dropped. From AmCEx v2.0 onwards their function is replaced by the generic Edit facility. This will only work in the @{"registered" LINK "SHAREWARE"} version of the program. So if you don't intend to pay the registration fee, better stay with AmCEx v1.39, which will remain on my @{"website" LINK "PROGUPDATES"} for free download. @ENDNODE @NODE "REQUIREMENTS" "AmCEx: System requirements" @NEXT "INSTALLATION" @PREV "FUNCTION" @TOC "MAIN" System Requirments ------------------ Any Amiga running OS3.0+ and preferably a 256+ colour screen. @ENDNODE @NODE "INSTALLATION" "AmCEx: Installation" @NEXT "USAGE" @PREV "REQUIREMENTS" @TOC "MAIN" Installation ------------ Simply unarchive to ram: and drag its drawer to your harddrive. As most things in the AmCurrency v2.0 (DeLuxe) directory are different to what they were in v1.39, it is advised to delete the old version before installing the new one. If you are using OS3.5+ then that's all. OS3.1 users, who don't get BOOPSI classes installed with the system, can use the string- and button.gadgets from the ClassAct2Demo.lha on Aminet. Using these, there is no input filter for floating point in the Amount entry, that one @{"only works" LINK "BUGS"} with string.gadget v45 or later. @ENDNODE @NODE "USAGE" "AmCEx: Usage" @NEXT "MENUS" @PREV "INSTALLATION" @TOC "MAIN" Usage ----- While the program is active, pressing the Help key at any time will display this page. Since this guide runs asynchronously, the program can still be used while reading the guide. The cycler gadget shows one of the five bases which the 5 rates relate to, though the program can calculate values from any base rate. To convert any currency, take the following steps: 1) Highlight the currency of initial amount in the listview 2) Click the 'From' gadget 3) Type in the amount 4) Highlight the currency of target money in the listview 5) Click the 'To' gadget The actual calculation will take place whenever you enter, in any order you like, @{"the amount" LINK "BUGS"}, and/or select either of the two currencies for source and target. AmCEx will recalculate the target even after the currency rates have been @{"updated" LINK "EXRATEUPD"}. Selecting the From and To currencies is now possible by using the cursor (arrow) keys: Up, Down: This will cycle through the list entries Left: Will set the From currency. Right: Will set the To currency. @ENDNODE @NODE "MENUS" "AmCEx: Menus and menuitems" @NEXT "EDITING" @PREV "USAGE" @TOC "MAIN" The menus and menu items ------------------------ RAmiga+ Description Project Menu: Enter "m" Activates Amount gadget, ready for entry Clear "/" Clears Amount and Target gadgets Rates "r" Update rates. With valid keyfile present this will access the web, otherwise the specified file will be expected. --------------------- Iconify "i" Self explanatory. Next Screen "n" Ditto. About "?" Gives program version and registered to. --------------------- Quit "q" Exit. Will prompt when settings have been changed. Edit Menu: DelEnt "d" Removes selected entry from list. AddEnt "a" Allows adding new entries from a list. EdtEnt "e" Edit/enter rates of selected entry. Misc Menu: Fixedwidth "w" Limits fontrequester to these fonts. --------------------- Load Font "f" Font requester. Will resize window. Load Pattern "p" Filerequest for backfill pattern, will close and reopen window. To clear a backfill pattern, select path, but no file. Save Settings "s" Save settings as icon tooltypes. Usage (HELP) "h" Starts localised AmCEx.guide @ENDNODE @NODE "EDITING" "AmCEx: Editing" @NEXT "CUSTOMISING" @PREV "MENUS" @TOC "MAIN" Editing currency rates ---------------------- The currency editor window shows the localised currency descriptor, or name, the 3-character currency codes¹ and the country flag where the currency is used (to make things look more colourful). The five main currency base rates are shown on the right. Each of these can be edited manually and all will be written to the AmCEx.data file when the 'Save' gadget is pressed. The rates for Croatian Kuna and Yugoslavian Dinar, supplied in the AmCEx.data file, have been calculated manually while online: @{fg shine}http://www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml@{fg text} It works the same way for any currency that has been added to the list, and which has no rates available for it in an easily downloadable .html file. The menu item 'Add List Entry' allows just that from a list which shows all known currencies. Whether these will ever be supported with freely available rates, remains to be seen. The menu item 'Delete List Entry' will simply remove the highlighted currency from the listview. The currency will show up in the above list instead so it can be added back any time. ¹) Explanation: @{fg fill}http://www.xe.com/iso4217.htm@{fg text} @ENDNODE @NODE "CUSTOMISING" "AmCEx: Customising the program" @NEXT "EXRATEUPD" @PREV "EDITING" @TOC "MAIN" Customising the program ----------------------- Look in the program icon's tooltypes. All that can be defined is there in brackets, showing the defaults that the program will start up with, with a few exceptions. PUBSCREEN - Will be saved when you save the settings. FONTNAME - No need to even write the '.font' at the end, though there is a provision to select it from the program. FONTSIZE - This will influence the window size. Sidenote: The listview that shows the currencies, and the window as a direct result of this, will adjust themselves to the length of any text that appears within the listview. FIXEDWIDTHFONT - Is a switch and needs no other parameters. Causes the font requester to filter out proportional fonts. WINLEFT \\ WINTOP - The position of the window, including that of the zoomed ZOOMLEFT - state is automatically snapshotted, whenever the window is ZOOMTOP - moved. By default, it will appear centered on the screen. ICONLEFT - The same happens with the icon when iconified and moved. ICONTOP - REQWIDTH - The width and position of the font and pattern requesters REQHEIGHT - can also be fixed this way. REQLEFT - REQTOP - EDITLEFT - EDITTOP - These refer to the 'Edit (and Add) Currency' windows. ADDLEFT - ADDTOP / DAYDATE - A '0' after this tooltype will display the Updated: date normally, anything else will change it, so that weekdays will be substituted, the same way as happens with AmigaDOS datestamps. FRCURR - TOCURR - These two tooltypes will fix your preferred currencies so they are automatically selected when the program starts up. This is best left to the program to set, using 'Save Settings', as the sorting sequence of the visible list doesn't coincide with the actual numbers, those are in the same order as the list on the webpage or in the data file. BACKFILL - this allows to specify a background fill pattern for the window. The default is no backfill, though there is now a filerequester to choose a suitable pattern for use. TEXTCOL - the pen with which the window text is drawn CURRCOL - the pen for the currency displayed under the flags TRGTCOL - the pen for the Target display colour DATECOL - the pen for the 'Updated:' date display BACKCOL - the background for the above For the above tooltypes the following colourpens are available on Workbench as standard: DETAILPEN or 0 BLOCKPEN or 1 TEXTPEN or 2 SHINEPEN or 3 SHADOWPEN or 4 FILLPEN or 5 FILLTEXTPEN or 6 BACKGROUNDPEN or 7 HIGHLIGHTTEXTPEN or 8 BARDETAILPEN or 9 BARBLOCKPEN or 10 BARTRIMPEN or 11 FLAGSCALE - When this tooltype is set, only one set of flags will be used, and scaled down internally, depending on window size. If it is unset, two sets of flags are used. If you do set this tooltype, you can delete the 'flagt' drawer, which contains the prescaled small flags. @ENDNODE @NODE "EXRATEUPD" "AmCEx: Exchange rate updates" @NEXT "TECHNICAL" @PREV "CUSTOMISING" @TOC "MAIN" Exchange rate updates --------------------- From v2.0 onwards, the @{"registered" LINK "SHAREWARE"} version of AmCEx can grab the rates by itself, provided it finds a TCP stack running, such as Miami or Genesis. This means the user must be already online. In AmCEx v1.39 or the unregistered version of v2.0+, the file first needs to be downloaded and saved as HTML from your browser: @{fg shine}http://www.moneyextra.com/rates/currency/forex/mx_large.html@{fg text} So if you save "mx_large.html" to RAM: as I did upto now, the program will find it easily using the default values. This file (mx_large.html) carries its 'updated' date within it. The AmCEx parser will pick that up and stamp it upon the AmCEx.data file, so that whenever the program loads it, the date can be put into the 'Updated:' display in the window. The AmCEx.data file contains lines of the three-letter flagnames, the currencies, and the exchange rate values for the five bases. These are then updated when we use the menu-item "Update Rates...". This will parse either of two html files and then build the @{"AmCEx.data" LINK "TECHNICAL"} file for offline usage. @ENDNODE @NODE "TECHNICAL" "AmCEx: Technical information" @NEXT "PROGUPDATES" @PREV "EXRATEUPD" @TOC "MAIN" Technical information --------------------- I did look through various sites, but this was the only file to show the actual conversion rates in an easily accessable form. One other possibility would be this subscription based email service: @{fg fill}http://www.xe.net/cus/sample.htm@{fg text} Although the lists and baserate cycler will show up in the localized language, any parsing is still done using the English currency names, as they are found in the AmCEx.data file. Due to the data file being ASCII, there may be a possibility to write some external rexx script that could parse any other web page the user wants to access, maybe in other languages too. Only the flagnames are restricted to the three letters + .gif filename, while currency strings can be up to 32 characters in length. The .data file starts with the word '5AExBases;' followed by up to five currency descriptions, all on the same line. From line two onwards live all the currencies, line by line, they are sorted by the three letter flag name. All fields in the data file are delimited by a semicolon ';', including the ends of the lines. The program, when it reads through the file, pokes 0s in those positions, to make them into C strings. The 'y' or 'n' at the end of the currency lines signifies whether the currency has been added to the visible currencies list or not. @ENDNODE @NODE "PROGUPDATES" "AmCEx: Program Updates" @NEXT "SHAREWARE" @PREV "TECHNICAL" @TOC "MAIN" Program Updates --------------- For program updates check: @{fg shine}http://www.sufo.estates.co.uk/amiga/amcex.html@{fg text} Shareware version: @{fg fill}AmCurrency.lha@{fg text} Free version: @{fg fill}AmCurrFree.lha@{fg text} Author: @{fg fill}Paul 'phineas' Juhasz - London, U.K.@{fg text} to contact me by email: @{fg shine}phin\@sufo.estates.co.uk@{fg text} @ENDNODE @NODE "SHAREWARE" "AmCEx: How to register" @NEXT "BUGS" @PREV "PROGUPDATES" @TOC "MAIN" How to register --------------- Send the near equivalent¹ of £20 in any major currency to my home address below. Only notes can be accepted, and please consider that conversion into ukp will cost me too. Also send a bit more when the keyfile has to go on a floppy via snailmail. If in doubt, ask @{"me" LINK "PROGUPDATES"} first. EuroCheques and UK cheques are acceptable, but will take the usual time to clear. Sending cash through the post can be risky. For security reasons it is best to line the envelope with carbon paper or similar, that way the money can not be seen, not even with a strong light behind it. Registered mail is always best. The registration process will require your name and home address at least, and if you have an email address too, the keyfile will be sent to you via email. It may be easiest to print out the 'Registration.txt' form and fill in the details using a pen, or fill it in using EditPad and then print it. In any case, it does have to be signed by hand. The AmCEx.key goes into the program directory and will immediately unlock all new features. Please do not spread the keyfile as even Amiga developers need to survive. P. Juhasz 79 Newlands Road Norbury London SW16 4SU U. K. Tel.: +044 (0)208 764 3534 ¹) i.e. ¤35 or $30 for email delivery, ¤40 or $35 for postal delivery. @ENDNODE @NODE "BUGS" "AmCEx: Undesirables" @NEXT "CONCLUSION" @PREV "PROGUPDATES" @TOC "MAIN" Undesired side effects ---------------------- Probably all programs come with bugs. 1) As AmCEx uses classes/gadgets/string.gadget for the Amount entry, the Amount gadget will only accept one '.' as a decimal point between the numeric digits you enter. One day it may be localised to accept a comma ',' in lieu of the '.', but maybe noone needs to use a comma in this case anyway. This filter only works from string.gadget v45 onwards, which came with OS3.9, the older versions will allow the user to type in letters too, even if the program will reject them. 2) The window backfill doesn't work too well under OS3.0 and OS3.1, it seems to clash with the ListView gadget's background. @ENDNODE @NODE "CONCLUSION" "AmCEx: Conclusion" @NEXT "CONTRIBUTIONS" @PREV "BUGS" @TOC "MAIN" Conclusion ---------- Now we're all ready to buy Amiga stuff from anywhere. @ENDNODE @NODE "CONTRIBUTIONS" "Requested features" @NEXT "HISTORY" @PREV "CONCLUSION" @TOC "MAIN" The persons who helped to improve this program ---------------------------------------------- The idea behind FRCURR + TOCURR tooltypes: Pierre Giroux Research into html file dates, the large set of flags: Jean Marie Boucher Croatian catalog: Ivan Teskera Beta testing and debugging: Emiliano Esposito Czech catalog: Boleslav "AGASlayer" Kristen @ENDNODE @NODE "HISTORY" "AmCEx: History" @PREV "CONTRIBUTIONS" @TOC "MAIN" History ------- v2.02 - Friday 07-Jun-02 03:22:55 Bugfix in "About" requester. v2.01 - Wednesday 05-Jun-02 04:42:44 Cosmetic changes in the "About" requester. v2.0 - Monday 20-May-02 09:49:54 Added currency management window. Currencies can now be added, deleted and updated in the list at any time. There is socket support too, now AmCEx can get its own rates via a TCP stack. The program has now been made shareware. v1.39 - Sunday 24-Mar-02 20:05:20 Program further cleaned up, optimised and exe size reduced. v1.38 - Sunday 10-Mar-02 11:48:31 Small internal changes. Updated French and Croatian catalogs. v1.37 - Friday 01-Mar-02 00:28:00 Added Tooltypes for Yugoslavian New Dinar. v1.36 - Sunday 17-Feb-02 07:21:45 Added keyboard selection of currencies and Amount entry. v1.35 - Friday 01-Feb-02 03:49:25 Added font requester and improved text handling with different fonts. The catalogs have changed and there is a new tooltype. v1.34 - Sunday 27-Jan-02 22:21:19 Removed Enforcer hits. Menus should use prefs pens now. v1.33 - Friday 25-Jan-02 04:49:29 Fixed: check non-empty locale prefs only, english is default guide when no other is found. Increased height of string.gadget again - will this finally fix those probs that some people are experiencing? Due to numerous requests, Croatian Kuna was added to the list, though presently only manual update is possible. See 'Configuration'. v1.30 - Saturday 19-Jan-02 05:20:59 Fixed bug with AmigaGuide access under locale and added date parsing routine when accessing the mx_large.html file. This was also made the default file to parse, since the other file carries no date as to when it was updated. This was researched and suggested by Jean Marie Boucher. v1.21 - Tuesday 15-Jan-02 00:32:01 Now the window can have psychedelic backfill patterns. Also fixed the 'Amount' string.gadget - hopefully - and added localised guide. v1.14 - Wednesday 09-Jan-02 00:45:50 Added tooltypes to fix To and From currencies - as it was suggested by Pierre Giroux v1.12 - Friday 04-Jan-02 21:56:40 Defaults now use the first 4 pens on Workbench v1.11 - Friday 21-Dec-01 01:32:15 Translated and localized all currency descriptors v1.10 - Monday 10-Dec-01 07:35:48 unreleased Ran program source through CatComp, now it can support the international community it was made for. v1.0 - Wednesday 05-Dec-01 16:45:28 unreleased English only and quite basic. @ENDNODE