Copyright: EPTag is c1996 Andrew Malek of Excel Progs


Welcome to EPTAG!
Welcome to EP-Tag!!!

Hello, and thanks for checking out EP-Tag!  Short for "Excel Progs Tagline Manager," this is the only tool you will need for managing taglines under Win3.1 and Win95!  For the uninformed, taglines (tags for short) are the small jokes or quotes often seen at the ends of electronic mail, forum messages, and many other documents for that matter.  These taglines range from the cute to the bizarre, and cover all sorts of subjects including:

Computers

Food

Games

Movies

Music

Sports

Clicking on one of the buttons next to the topics below will give you help information.  Remember to click on the "Back" button to return to the previous topic.

What's in it for me?

What do I need?

How do I use it?

I need specific help on features.

How long can I use this program?

How do I contact the author or get more?


What's in it for me?

EPTag is used to organize the thousands (millions?) of taglines seen throughout the information networks.  Collections are usually accumulated by stealing (!) taglines used in other messages (very rarely taglines can be considered intellectual property, so this term is rather inappropriate).  Since the subject matter of taglines is varied, a tagline manager is needed to group similar taglines together.  As collections of taglines grow, a method is also needed to remove duplicate taglines that tend to crop up.  Inappropriate taglines should be removed, and those containing spelling errors must be fixed.  EPTag can handle all of these requests, and do much, much, more.

STEALING TAGLINES

Taglines can be accumulated by either typing them into our tagline file editor or stealing them from other messages.  A hot-key is used, whereby you can simply highlight a whole group of taglines with your mouse in most any Windows program, press the hot-key, click to confirm, and notice as the taglines are instantly added to your database - you can use them now in your own messages!

DIVIDING TAGLINE COLLECTIONS INTO GROUPS

EPTag can either use one massive file for all taglines, or it can separate the taglines into grouped .ETF files - useful for making sure only cat taglines are used for the ANIMALS conference, movie star taglines for the HOLLYWOOD conference, and geek (!) tags for the COMPUTER conference.  Most people will dump all of their taglines to a separate file and sort them into groups later.  EPTag can handle this via our "drag-and-drop" tagline feature built into the tagline file editor.  Taglines can be dragged and dropped from one file to another just as easily as holding down  the left button and moving the mouse!

CHOOSING WHICH CATEGORY TO USE

As mentioned before, EPTag works great if you want to keep all of your taglines in one file, or if you would like to separate common-themed taglines into separate files.  Choosing new category groups is as easy as scrolling through a list of subjects and clicking.  Category groups can be deleted, renamed, or new ones can be created.  EPTag automatically counts the number of taglines every time you change groups:  if you only have two taglines under certain categories, you'll know that you need to add more soon; if a tagline file is empty, it will automatically be deleted and another one will be chosen!  You can change categories as many times as you desire.

INSERTING TAGLINES INTO MESSAGES

It's a breeze to use your taglines!  After you have chosen what categories to use, simply press a key in just about any Windows application - a tagline will then magically (well, maybe not magically, but it does!) appear.  When we say just about any Windows program, we mean it!

Here are just a sample of programs with which we have tested EPTag:

16 bit	32 bit
--------------------------------------------	----------------------------------------
America Online 3.0	Claris Corp. FileMaker Pro 3.0
Borland Delphi 1.x	Borland Delphi 2.x
Lotus WordPro 96	Microsoft Internet Mail & News 1.0
Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0	Microsoft Windows Messaging 4.0
Microsoft Word 6.0	Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0
Notepad	Microsoft Word 7.0
Procomm Plus 1.0	Netscape Navigator 2.0x/3.0
WinCim 2.01	Notepad
Windows Write	Qualcomm's Eudora Pro 2.2/3.0
Windows Wordpad	QModem Pro 2.0

NOTE: ALL PROGRAMS AND TRADEMARKS ARE COPYRIGHTS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPANIES.  THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT ENDORSED IN ANY WAY BY ANDREW MALEK OR EXCEL PROGS.

PRUNING DUPLICATE TAGLINES

With all of the messages that are posted on the message networks, all of the duplicate topics, all of the taglines presented, and all that you are going to grab :) you are bound to accumulate many duplicate taglines.  EPTag goes far beyond normal tagline managers by giving you three ways for EPTag to recognize duplicate taglines to remove:

Level 1:	Rudimentary tagline duplicate searching is attempted.  Taglines will be marked as duplicates if they are exact matches...

Example of what will be caught with Level 1 checking:

"Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler."
"Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler."

Level 2:	Moderate tagline duplicate searching is attempted.  Taglines are converted to uppercase, all punctuation characters are stripped, and the taglines are then compared for duplicates...

Example of what will be caught with Level 2 checking:

"Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler."
"Make it as simple as possible, but NO simpler!"

Level 3:	Rigorous tagline duplicate searching is attempted.  Taglines are converted to uppercase, all punctuation characters are stripped, and the taglines are then compared for duplicates.  Taglines will be marked as duplicates if 5 or less characters between the taglines are different...

Example of what WILL be caught with Level 3 checking:

"There's too much vermouth in my martini, Tom said dryly."
"There's too much vermouth in my martini, she said dryly."

As you can clearly see, EPTag is a very robust program that should take care of all your tagline needs.  Whether you want to use taglines, steal taglines, use a signature, or configure the software, EPTag has a hot-key suited for the task, able to function just about wherever you may be in Win3.1/95!


What do I need?

To run EPTag, you must have:

A PC running Win3.1/95

At least 4 megs of RAM

At least 1 meg of hard drive space (more may be needed to handle larger tagline collections)

The run-time file VBRUN300.DLL.  We didn't include it here because lots of people already have it (why download the same thing twice, right?)  But, if you need it, just about any BBS has the file as VBRUN300.ZIP.  Or, download it from the web at:  http://idibbs.com/excel/saver/vbrun300.dll

A warped sense of humor :)

If you are not sure that you have everything needed, PLEASE ASK!!!  We won't byte! <g>  E-Mail Excel Progs at andrew.malek@idibbs.com or 76023.1175@compuserve.com (76023,1175 on CompuServe).


How do I use this program?

EPTag is a *breeze* to use.  It just looks complicated at first because there are so many options!  So you can quickly see EPTag in action, do the following:

Run EPTag, and minimize it...now!

Open up Notepad, your favorite Internet e-mail program, or an on-line service that you use to send e-mail.

(Now comes the fun part!)  Hold down your ALT, SHIFT, and CONTROL keys and then press the "Z" key.  A tagline should then appear in your program!

Release those keys and try again to see another tagline appear.  Sounds easy?

Now, hold down your ALT, SHIFT, and CONTROL keys and then press the "S" key.  A line of text should appear in your program that starts with "Andrew Malek."  This is a signature line that can appear in any program, but unless your name is Andrew Malek and you work for Excel Progs, this line won't be of much use to you.  BUT - YOU CAN CHANGE IT!!

Hold down your ALT, SHIFT, and CONTROL keys and then press the "Q" key.  The EP-Tag window will immediately appear!

On the form you'll see where it says "The following is the line of text..."  Go ahead and click on the line that starts with "Andrew Malek" and put in a line of text that will work as your 'signature,' preferably including your e-mail address.

Now, save this by pressing the "OK" button.  EPTag will still be running.

Load up another text editor or e-mail program and try the signature hotkey to see your change.  Try the SETUP hotkey and get back to the main window.  It's easy!

As you can see, anyone can use EPTag!  Read on through this help program to find out how to really take advantage of this program!


Changing the Hotkeys

If you don't like the current hotkeys, you can change them.  Simply go to the main setup screen by pressing the setup hotkey.  Then, click on the "Keys/Timing/Sig" button.  To change one of the letters used for a hotkey, click on it, press the backspace key, and type the letter of your choice.  Or, if you don't like holding down all three keys (SHIFT, ALT, and CONTROL), simply change it so you only have to key in one or two keys by clicking on the pulldown down-arrow.  BE CAREFUL changing the latter option, though.  If your hotkey keystroke conflicts with a keystroke needed by another Windows program - you may have problems!  In my humble opinion (IMHO)  it is best to leave these options as they are, but the setup options have been left in for your convenience.


How Do I Change Taglines Quicker/Slower?
Changing Taglines Quicker

You can cause EPTag to switch to different taglines quicker or slower.  If your computer is running too slow when EPTag is operating, increase the "seconds between switch."  If your computer is running fine but you are seeing the same taglines over and over again, decrease this number.  It can be found by clicking on the "Keys/Timing/Sig" button on the setup form.   You may need to press the setup hotkey (default ALT-SHIFT-CONTROL Q) to view the setup form.


Changing the Signature
Change the Signature

You can have a line of text as your signature which can be pasted into just about any Win3.1/95 program at the press of a hotkey.  Click on the "Keys/Timing/Sig" button on the setup form, click on the old signature line, and type what you desire for your signature.


How Do I Pick a New Tagline Category to Use?
Picking a New Set of Taglines

You can sort all of your taglines into different categories.  If you want to change the current category, click on the "Picking Tags" button on the setup form.  Now, scroll through the category list and click once on the category that you wish to use.


How Do I Delete a Tagline Category?
Deleting a Tagline Category

To remove a category of taglines (along with the taglines in the category), click on the "Picking Tags" button on the setup form.  Choose the tagline category you wish to delete and press the "Delete Tagline File" button.


How Do I Rename a Tagline Category?
Renaming a Tagline Category

To rename a category of taglines, click on the "Picking Tags" button on the setup form.  Choose the tagline category you wish to rename by clicking on it once.  Now, press the "Rename Tagline File" button.  Now, enter in the category name in the dialog box which follows.  It must be eight characters or less and not containing any 'special characters' such as commas, quotes,..etc.


How Do I Create a New Tagline Category?
Creating a New Tagline Category

To create a new tagline category, click on the "Picking Tags" button on the setup form.  Click on the "Create Tagline File" button and key in the name of your new tagline category in the dialog box which follows.  It must be eight characters or less and not containing any 'special characters' such as commas, quotes,..etc.


How Do I Sort Taglines? [Edit Mode]
Sorting Taglines [Edit Mode]

To cause EPTag to sort or not to sort (that is the question!) when editing taglines, click on the "Sort/Dupe Search" button on the setup menu and choose 'yes' or 'no.'  Note that if you want EPTag to automatically mark duplicate tags for pruning, this option MUST be set to 'yes!'


How Do I Remove Duplicate Taglines? [Edit Mode]
Removing Duplicate Taglines [Edit Mode]

EPTag can be set up to remove duplicate taglines when you edit the tagline files.  There are three levels of duplication removal possible:

Level 1:	Rudimentary tagline duplicate searching is attempted.  Taglines will be marked as duplicates if they are exact matches...

Example of what will be caught with Level 1 checking:

"Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler."
"Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler."

Level 2:	Moderate tagline duplicate searching is attempted.  Taglines are converted to uppercase, all punctuation characters are stripped, and the taglines are then compared for duplicates...

Example of what will be caught with Level 2 checking:

"Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler."
"Make it as simple as possible, but NO simpler!"

Level 3:	Rigorous tagline duplicate searching is attempted.  Taglines are converted to uppercase, all punctuation characters are stripped, and the taglines are then compared for duplicates.  Taglines will be marked as duplicates if 5 or less characters between the taglines are different...

Example of what WILL be caught with Level 3 checking:

"There's too much vermouth in my martini, Tom said dryly."
"There's too much vermouth in my martini, she said dryly."

To change the level of duplication removal, click on the "Sort/Dupe Search" button on the setup menu and choose your desired level.  Please note that the higher the level number, the longer it will take to load tagline files into memory for editing.


How Do I Edit a Tagline File (Category)?
How to Edit a Tagline File

To edit a tagline category file, click on the "Picking Tags" button on the setup form.  Now, scroll through the category list and double-click on the category that you wish to edit.  If EPTag finds duplicates in the file, it will let you know.  Afterwards, a new window will appear.

To mark a tagline for deletion, click on the "O" next to the tagline you wish to delete to turn it into an "X" (taglines with an "X" next to them are marked for deletion).

To edit a tagline, simply click on the tagline you wish to edit.  It will now appear near the bottom of the window next to a check and "X" button.  Rekey the tagline.  If you want to keep the change, press the check key.  To revert the tagline to its original state, click on the "X" key.

To add a tagline, simply click it in the area near the bottom of the window next to a check and "X" button.  Type the tagline, and press the "Make New Tagline" button.

To move a tagline to a different file, notice first the list of tagline categories on the lower-righthand corner of the window.  Scroll through the list until you find the category to where you want to move a tagline.  Now, click on the tagline that you want to move and keep the mouse button held down!  Drag your pointer to that tagline category file you previously scrolled to and release the mouse when your pointer is on top of the category.  If the "O" next to the tagline changes to an "X", then your tagline has been moved and is now marked for deletion.

To save your changes and return to the main setup window, click on the "Save changes and exit" button.  Taglines marked with an "X" will be removed, and renamed and new taglines will be written to disk.

If you want to return to the main setup window without saving your changes, click on the "Do NOT save changes and exit" button.


How Do I Capture Taglines?

To capture taglines*, simply go to the Win3.1/95 program that holds the taglines you wish to capture.  Using normal mouse methods, highlight the desired taglines.  Now, tap your "capture hot key" (by default ALT-SHIFT-CONTROL-V) and a new dialog box will appear.  Select the taglines that you wish to keep and press the "OK" button, or cancel the operation by pressing the "Cancel" button.  'Captured' taglines will be written to the EXTRA.ETF file which you can access like any other tagline category.  You can move, delete, or rename them from there.

* - kind of like 'downloading' previously used taglines to your computer.  A whole mystique has grown around the idea of 'stealing' taglines.


Tagline Categories

You can sort your taglines into categories using EPTag!  This way, all of your movie taglines can be used when you are in the HOLLYWOOD conference, your 'geek' taglines in the COMPUTER conference, and your cat taglines in the ANIMALS conference!

EPTag can allow you to create, rename, edit, or delete taglines.  Taglines can be 'drag&dropped' from category to category to make your collecting easier.  Simply look through this help system (press the SEARCH button in this help system) and find out more about how to use tagline categories!


I need Specific Help on Features
Specific Help

Here is where you can get specific help on EPTag features.  Just click on the checkmark next to the specific help you need!  Remember to click on the "Back" button to return to the previous topic, or "Contents" to return to the main Help menu.

Enjoy EPTag!

Basics:

How Do I Use This Program?

Tagline Categories

What Are Tagline Categories?

How Do I Create a New Tagline Category?

How Do I Pick a New Tagline Category to Use?

How Do I Edit a Tagline File (Category)?

How Do I Delete a Tagline Category?

How Do I Rename a Tagline Category?

Editing Taglines

How Do I Edit a Tagline File (Category)?

How Do I Remove Duplicate Taglines? [Edit Mode]

How Do I Sort Taglines? [Edit Mode]

Other Features

How Do I Capture Taglines?

How do I Change Taglines Quicker/Slower?

How Do I Change the Hotkeys?

How Do I Change the Signature?


Contacting the Author

Visit the Excel Progs World-Wide-Web home page!  Browse through screen shots of Excel Progs programs, check out the current list of shareware, read some informative articles, find out where the EP files can be located (there are so many distribution sites popping up, one may be coming near you!), and LINK OUT to telnet sites, other web pages, FTP sites, and more!  Point your web browser TODAY to:  http://idibbs.com/excel/ep.htm.  OR, visit the EPTag page at http://idibbs.com/excel/eptag.htm.

To receive information about Excel Progs, you are welcome to use the Excel Progs Info Server.  Simply send internet e-mail to the address excel@idibbs.com with HELP as the subject.

"EP-News" is a periodic text mailout which can be sent to anyone with an Internet e-mail address.  The news texts contain press releases on new and upcoming Excel Progs files, announcements of new distribution sites and their internet (WWW, FTP, TELNET, MAIL) links, and plenty more.  Receiving "EP-News is free, and we will not give out your e-mail address.  To join, send your name and e-mail address with your intent to join to andrew.malek@idibbs.com.

Andrew Malek of Excel Progs can be contacted by the following ways:

1)      	SASE at the Excel Progs address:

Excel Progs
c/o Andrew Malek
434 Gallaher View Rd. Apt. 60
Knoxville, TN  37919

2)      	Idaho Interactive BBS (Excel Progs Home BBS, (208)345-6306)
E-Mail:  Andrew Malek.

3)     	Internet E-Mail:
 	andrew.malek@idibbs.com
admalek@usit.net
          	admalek@sacam.oren.ortn.edu

4)      	Maillink:  Andrew Malek@IDI

5)      	The Excel Progs Official Message Forum (/EXCEPROG)
on MailLink.  The MailLink forum address is:
ML@EXCELPROG.IDI#

6)      	CompuServe E-Mail:   76023,1175


How Long Can I Use This Program?

EPTag is set up as a try-before-you-buy program.  It is not free.  It is not public domain.  It IS a mostly-functional demonstration of the full EPTag program.

The full EPTag program:

Removes the nag text;
Adds the ability to use practically unlimited size tagline files (instead of the 40-maximum imposed in this shareware version);
Puts your name in the "About" screen;
Gives you a free subscribtion (if you have an Internet e-mail address) to "EP-News," a periodical mailing list giving subscribers information on new Excel Progs happenings FIRST;
and sets you up for more promotions and offers.

EPTag is currently in beta, but if you purchase the full EPTag version, your registration code WILL BE GOOD for several future versions of EPTag.

To purchase (or register) EPTag, just follow this information as provided in the "About" screen:

TO REGISTER:

Have your Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express card handy and call Computers and More [wholesale/retail business] toll-free.  Please note that this is a registration-only line and will not handle technical support calls.

The number to call is 1-800-474-3994, open Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm EST (Eastern Standard Time)

The cost to register is $20.  Mention "EP-Tag" when ordering, and speak the following clearly, spelling complicated names:

1) Your name;
2) Your address (with city/state/zip, country);
3) Your credit card # and expiration date, and
4) Your e-mail address

TO SPEED UP REGISTRATION:  *immediately* afterwards, leave e-mail to "andrew.malek@idibbs.com" and/or "76023.1175@compuserve.com" stating that you have registered.  This way, you'll get your code e-mailed back to you faster!

OR mail a check or m/o for $20, made out to Andrew Malek to:

Excel Progs
c/o Andrew Malek
RE:  EPTag
434 Gallaher View Road Apt. 60
Knoxville, TN  37919

Either way, your reg name and # will be mailed or e-mailed to you soon after you have ordered.  Please expect up to 2 weeks for delivery; 1-800 orders (where we send the code via e-mail) will generally be processed much quicker (sometimes just one day!)