Dialog Answer - Distribution Archive ReadMe File
Version 1.10
Copyright  1998 DRX Solutions

What is Dialog Answer?
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This is a task automation tool that will make it easier for you automate those pesky tasks that require you to answer a particular dialog by sending a key stroke, clicking on a button or closing a window or application. It can also be used to control the focus or state of any window (minimize, maximize, hide, etc...) and/or launch an application if a specified Window is found.  This tool provides you with a way to look for a particular window by activating any window containing the string you specify, and then send it some defined key strokes or execute a command.

What's changed since version 1.00
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1. Fixed minor bugs in /C: and /T: options when set to 0 and -1 respectively.

2. Fixed minor bug which would round off fractions of seconds specified through the /I: option.  This parameter is now expressed in milliseconds instead of seconds to allow more flexibility.

3. Added capability to both send key strokes (/K: option) and launch executables (/E: option) from the same instance of Dialog Answer. These options were mutually exclusive in version 1.00.

4. Added capability to search for, individually activate and send keys to more than one window through the /W:, /A: and /K: options.  Simply separate multiple entries with commas for any of these options (e.g. /W:<String1, String2> /A:<Mode1, Mode2> /K:<String1, String2>).

5. Added capability to send keys or execute commands for all (/W:$ALL) or all new (/W:$NEW) windows on the system.

6. Key strokes can be specified to be sent when any of the windows in the window list are found.   Please refer to the /S: option in the documentation for further details on this option.

7. Added capability to execute and specify an individual execution mode for more than one executable through the /E: and /M: options.  Simply separate multiple entries with commas for both of these options (e.g. /E:<Command1, Command2> /M:<Mode1, Mode2>).

8. Added mechanism to allow for future additions of code modules which perform various internal functions (e.g. ping, sendmail, shutdown, etc...).  These are called internal commands and are prefixed with the dollar sign ($).  This release includes only one such command with more to come.  Please refer to the /E:$SHUTDOWN [<Type>] option in the documentation for further details on usage.

9. Commands can be specified to be executed when any of the windows in the window list are found.  Please refer to the /O: option in the included documentation for further details on this option.

10. Added capability to specify different seperate time-out (/T: option) and count (/C: option) values for each window specified on the same command line.  Simply separate multiple entries with commas for both of these options (e.g. /T:<Time-Out1, Time-Out2> /C:<Count1, Count2>).

11. A console window and system tray icon are now created on startup with maximize, minimize or hide option (see /H: option in the included documentation).  Through this window one can now control the execution and monitor the status of Dialog Answer.  One can also start, stop and exit the program or view and manage log files.

12. Slashes (/) and commas (,) in option values are no longer a problem as long they are enclosed in double-quotation marks (").

13. Events, actions and errors can now optionally be logged to a user specified ASCII text file.

14. The documentation now also includes examples of various scenarios with detailed explanations of the options used.

How do I install this utility?
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Execute the SETUP.EXE file included in the distribution archive (.ZIP file) to run the Dialog Answer installation program.  If you do not already have the Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 Run-Time Support Files installed on your system, the installation will inform you of this and exit, otherwise the installation will prompt you for a desired location and program group name for the program and its related files and icons then extract and copy all the necessary files to the location specified and create icons in the program group specified.

The Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 Run-Time Support Files can be downloaded at http://members.xoom.com/drxsolutions/misc/vb5rtsp3.zip or ftp://ftp.simtel.com/pub/simtelnet/win95/dll/vb5rtsp3.zip.

How do I use this anyway?
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Please refer to the included documentation once you have installed the product on your system for further details on how to use this product, or check out the documentation on-line at http://members.xoom.com/drxsolutions/danswer/manual.html.

How can I get support?
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If you should encounter any difficulties in installing or using this software or should have any suggestions on further improvements to the software, then please contact DRX Solutions through our web site located at http://members.xoom.com/drxsolutions.

You can always find the latest version of this software product and documentation on the web site or simply leave us an e-mail.

How much will this software cost me?
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Not a dime!  This software is Freeware which means it is absolutely free to anyone, no strings attached.

There are other products on the market that may do similar things, some of which include much more functionality than this product.  However, with this added functionality you are all too often asked to pay an absurd fee, often for features you do not even need.   Sometimes, you are asked to pay a fee only if you are using it for commercial purposes.  None of these restrictions apply to the use of this software.  Anyone can use this product for private or commercial puposes for free and for as long as they like.

DRX Solutions hopes that you will find good and innovative uses for this product and in turn hopes that you will also take the time to visit our web site and leave us an e-mail on who you are and what purposes you are using the software for.  If you picked up this product from any source other than the DRX Solutions web site, we ask that you please drop by our site at http://members.xoom.com/drxsolutions and take a minute to register this software product.

Don't worry, we only ask that you send us your name, city, country and your uses for the software...no street address, postal code, phone or fax numbers.  This information is in no way tied to mailing lists for junk mail and customer profiles are not compiled for the purposes of reselling to others unlike so many other web sites.  A simple "Hi, my name is Anwar Hossain from Jakarta, Indonesia and I use this software to do...blah blah blah...on my/our...blah blah blah..." will do.

Product registration goes a long way in ensuring that products continue to evolve and be enhanced.  It also allows us to contact you if there is any news concerning the product (e.g. new releases or versions, uncovered bugs, etc..).  Without product registration, we cannot accurately assess the demand for a particular product or get feedback from its users.  We cannot justify further development or enhancement of products in which there is little or no interest or demand, or on which we get no feedback.  This is especially true for all of our freeware titles, which bring us absolutely no revenue whatsoever.

Distribution Guidelines
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We also ask that you please follow these rules when re-distributing this software:

You may use it, abuse it and distribute it as much as you like, providing that you keep all the files located in the original archive in their original state and that you don't charge anyone for it without first contacting DRX Solutions.  If you wish to resell or redistribute this product for a cost (commercial software archive over the Internet, Electronic Bulletin Board Service or other electronic media of any kind such as CD-ROM, floppy, DVD, etc...), you must first contact DRX Solutions for approval.

Legal Stuff
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And of course, last but not least, the other legal stuff.

Of course, you can't get away without getting the usual legal disclaimer in which, by using of this software, you accept that DRX Solutions will not be held responsible, directly or indirectly, for any loss of data as result of using this software.  How you use this software is entirely up to you and we recommend that any uses which are critical in nature to your operations be thoroughly tested before rolling out into production.  Doesn't everyone do this already anyway?  Saddly, few out there do!

For use and redistribution or reselling of this software, please see "Distribution Guidelines" for further details.

Drop by and leave us an e-mail
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DRX Solutions welcomes your ideas and recommendations on uses for and improvements to our software products. Please do so through our web site located at http://members.xoom.com/drxsolutions. And make sure to check out our site for new releases of this and other freeware and shareware products available online

Enjoy!
