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Backdrop for the Palm OS 	
Release 1.4
January 18, 2000

written by Josh Freeman

(c) 1998-2000,
Twilight Edge Software

includes TrapWeaver 1.06 (10/04/99)

Email: software@twilightedge.com
Web: http://www.twilightedge.com
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README.TXT CONTENTS:
	 1) ABOUT BACKDROP
	 2) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
	 3) DISTRIBUTION
	 4) DISCLAIMER
	 5) BACKDROP.ZIP ARCHIVE CONTENTS
	 6) QUICKSTART
	 7) BACKGROUND BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST
	 8) CHOOSING APPLICATIONS/INCOMPATIBILITIES
	 9) SELECTING THE BACKGROUND
    10) DELETING IMAGES
	11) SCREEN SETTINGS
	12) WHERE TO FIND BACKGROUND IMAGES
	13) CREATING YOUR OWN BACKGROUNDS
	14) REGISTERING
	15) SITE LICENSES FOR ORGANIZATIONS
	16) KNOWN INCOMPATIBILITIES/BUGS
	17) VERSION HISTORY


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1) ABOUT BACKDROP
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	Backdrop is an application for the Palm OS which places an image in the 
background of your Palm OS device's screen. The background image stays in
place when other apps are running, though you may set Backdrop to remove it
for certain programs. The background image is customizable, as Backdrop 
will read images saved in the ImageViewer format.


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2) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
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	Backdrop requires Palm OS 2.0 or later, and a Palm device with the 
original Dragonball chip (Palm III & earlier, Palm VII). If you have a more
recent device (IIIx, V, or later), the correct app for your device is
'Backdrop EZ', which can be downloaded from the Twilight Edge Software
homepage (http://www.twilightedge.com).
	TrapWeaver is also required to install Backdrop; TrapWeaver is a system
utility which prevents patching conflicts between applications that patch
system traps. The latest version is included in this archive. For more 
information on TrapWeaver, please download the standalone TrapWeaver archive
from the Twilight Edge Software homepage. 
	Backdrop uses 80K of memory. This includes the Backdrop and TrapWeaver
applications, as well as the memory Backdrop uses when it installs its 
system patches. Running Backdrop with less free memory may cause your Palm 
device to crash.


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3) DISTRIBUTION
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Backdrop and TrapWeaver are shareware. This archive may be freely 
distributed, provided its contents are not changed in any way. If you 
distribute this archive on a website or with a software collection, please 
notify the author at the email address above. Any form of distribution that 
charges the user a fee, such as a commercial software collection, must 
clearly state that the user is purchasing unregistered copies which will 
require additional payments to register.


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4) DISCLAIMER
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	All software contained in this archive is provided as is, and is not
guaranteed to be free of bugs. The author assumes no responsibility for 
problems resulting from the use of this product. Installing and/or 
executing this software means you agree to the above terms.


If you find a bug, please report it to 'software@twilightedge.com' along
with the following info:

- Type of your Palm device
- System version
- Amount of free memory
- List of apps installed (if possible)
- Special options (Palm III upgrade, TRG memory card, pager card, etc.)


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5) BACKDROP.ZIP ARCHIVE CONTENTS
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readme.txt          - this file
Backdrop.prc        - Backdrop application
TWeaver.prc         - TrapWeaver application (required to run Backdrop)


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6) QUICKSTART
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If you have previous versions of Backdrop or TrapWeaver on your Palm
device, please uninstall them before installing the new versions.

To Install & Turn On Backdrop:
------------------------------
    1. Install 'Backdrop' and 'TWeaver.prc' on your Palm device.
    2. Run TrapWeaver
    3. Press the 'Engage' button

   The following step will reset your Palm device:
    4. Press the 'OK' button on the 'Engage TrapWeaving' dialog
    5. Run Backdrop
    6. Press the 'Turn On Backdrop' button

To Turn Backdrop Off:
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    1. Run Backdrop
    2. Press the 'Turn Off Backdrop' button

To Uninstall Backdrop:
----------------------
    1. Turn Backdrop Off 
    2. Delete Backdrop

To Uninstall TrapWeaver:
------------------------
    1. Turn TrapWeaving Off
    2. Delete TrapWeavr


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7) BACKGROUND BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST
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	When you first turn on Backdrop, or switch to an extremely light or 
dark background image, the background may either be too light to see it
clearly, or too dark, in which case it obscures what's on the rest of the 
screen. You can change the background's brightness level, but before you do 
this, you need to make sure the screen's contrast is set properly. 
Follow these steps to find the correct background level for your device:

	1. Turn off Backdrop. (Makes it easier when adjusting the contrast)

	2. If you have an application that uses greyscale mode, switch to it.
		(Greyscale mode is better for adjusting contrast, since it's
		easier to pick up subtle changes than in black-and-white mode)

	3. Adjust your screen's contrast using the contrast wheel.

	4. Turn on Backdrop.

	5. Press the 'up' or 'down' scroll buttons to lighten or darken the 
		background level. (You can see what the current background level 
		value is by pressing the 'Screen Settings...' button. You can still
		adjust the background level from the 'Screen Settings' form.)
		Make the background as dark as possible, but not so dark that you 
		can't comfortably read what's on the rest of the screen. (If the 
		screen is inverted, make the background as light as possible).

	6. Switch to an application that fills the screen with text, such as 
		Memo Pad, and make sure the foreground is legible. If not, go
		back to Backdrop and lighten (inverted: darken) the background.
		

	Once you find the correct background level, you can adjust the 
background's brightness using only the contrast wheel.

	
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8) CHOOSING APPLICATIONS/INCOMPATIBILITIES	
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	Some applications draw directly to the screen: Drawing apps, image 
viewing apps, some games, etc. These apps won't update properly with 
Backdrop installed. Other applications rely on speed, (some games, etc.), 
and may run noticibly slower with Backdrop on. Backdrop uses 6.25K of 
dynamic memory when it is displaying a background; There are a few apps 
which won't run properly with such a large chunk of memory used up. This 
can show up in the form of 'Not-Enough-Memory' error messages, erratic 
behavior, or, in some cases, fatal errors, resulting in a reset. (If you 
find that an application crashes because Backdrop is installed, please 
notify me at 'software@twilightedge.com').
	In order to deal with these problems, Backdrop provides a way for you 
to temporarily turn off the background when certain apps are running, 
solving the incompatibilities in most cases: From the 'Backdrop On' form, 
press the 'Applications...' button to go to the 'Backdrop Applications' 
form. You will see a list of applications installed on your Palm device 
with checkboxes next to the app names. In order to remove the background 
when an app is running, uncheck the box next to the app's name. You may 
notice that some app names have no checkboxes next to them - this is 
because Backdrop has a default list of incompatible apps, and it won't 
give you the option of turning on the background when one of them runs.
	If you have a Hack which does not update properly with Backdrop 
installed, first make sure that it was installed before Backdrop: Turn 
Backdrop off then back on and see if that solves the problem. If it still 
doesn't run correctly, the Hack is probably drawing directly to the screen, 
and won't work with Backdrop. Please notify me as well as the author of 
the Hack.


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9) SELECTING THE BACKGROUND
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	Backdrop will read images in ImageViewer format and let you use them as 
backgrounds. You can find image files in this format on the net, (see
'WHERE TO FIND BACKGROUND IMAGES' below), or create your own (see 'CREATING 
YOUR OWN BACKGROUNDS' below). 
	The preferred image size is 160x160; Backdrop won't read images smaller 
than this, and if they are much larger, they may take up too much memory to 
load. (Unlike the ImageViewer app, Backdrop uses only dynamic memory for 
loading images, which means it has a smaller maximum image size).
	To select a background, press the 'Backgrounds...' button on the 
'Backdrop On' form. This will bring you to the 'Choose Background Image' 
form, which will display a list of the available image files installed on 
your Palm device. 
	If the selected image is larger than 160x160, an 'Align' button will 
appear on the right side of the form. Pressing this button will bring you to
the alignment screen, where you may drag the image with your stylus to 
center it. Once you are done aligning, tap the graffiti area or press any of
the hardware buttons to return to the 'Choose Background Image' form. 
	If an image is in greyscale, it will automatically be converted to 1-bit
(black and white) before being placed in the background. (Backdrop only 
converts a local copy and does not change the image file). Greyscale images 
are converted to 1-bit using a simple threshold method - for best results, 
you may need to convert the image to 1-bit yourself, using an imaging
program on your computer.

	In general, lighter images with large areas of white pixels, such as
drawings or logos, make the best backgrounds. If you have a darker image,
you might make it show up better by inverting the background. If your dark
image is a photo or illustration, which appears odd when inverted, inverting 
both the screen and the background will probably give you the best results.
	

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10) DELETING IMAGES
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	If there are images you want to delete, select 'Delete Images...' from
the 'Options' menu to go to the 'Delete Images' form. Click on an image's
name in the list to delete it. (You will be given a chance to confirm this).


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11) SCREEN SETTINGS
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	Press the 'Settings...' button in the 'Backdrop On' form to go to
the 'Backdrop Settings' form. Here, you'll see several controls:

- 'Reinstall On Reset' Checkbox (only appears with OS 3.0 or later)
	When this box is checked, Backdrop will automatically reinstall
itself when the device is reset; Otherwise you will have to manually 
turn Backdrop back on.

- 'Display As Startup Screen' Checkbox
	This option will delay drawing the foreground when the device gets
turned on, showing only the background image. This background startup 
screen will only display when the device has been turned on from the 
power button, and not from any of the other buttons. The user can choose 
how long to display the startup screen by selecting from the 'Delay:' 
drop-down menu. To instantly bring up the foreground while the startup 
screen is being displayed, tap the screen or press a button.

- 'Invert Screen' Checkbox
	Checking this box will invert your screen - this exchanges black for 
white and white for black on your display. It will also cause your 
background image to appear as a negative of itself. (If you wish to fix 
this, you can invert the background as well by checking the 'Invert 
Background' checkbox).
	If you simply want to have an inverted screen without any background, 
you can load the blank image from the sample images page, 
(http://www.twilightedge.com/images), and select it as the 
background.
	You may notice that the 'Background Level' value changes when you invert
or uninvert the screen; Since the best value for the background level
depends on whether or not the screen is inverted, Backdrop saves a 
different value for each option. (In practice, the best background value for
the inverted screen is usually one level greater (darker) than the correct 
value for the normal screen, though individual devices may vary - see 
'BACKGROUND BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST' above for finding your screen's correct 
background level value. This applies to both normal and inverted screens). 

- 'Invert Background' Checkbox
	Checking the 'Invert Background' checkbox will invert the background
image before placing it in the background. If your screen is in normal mode,
this will exchange grey for white and white for grey. If your screen is 
inverted, this will switch the grey and black pixels.
	

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12) WHERE TO FIND BACKGROUND IMAGES
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	There are some sample ImageViewer images at: 
http://www.twilightedge.com/images
	
	If you have custom images or a link you would like to see displayed on 
the images page, please send a file or URL to 'software@twilightedge.com'.


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13) CREATING YOUR OWN BACKGROUNDS
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If you have a PC:
	The Image Viewer application by Art Dahm comes with a Windows app 
	called Image Converter, which will convert several image formats, 
	including GIF and JPEG, into Image Viewer format, ready for installing 
	on your Palm device. You can download Image Converter from Dahm's page 
	at 'http://palm.dahm.com/viewer.html', or you can get it at 
	'http://www.palmgear.com'.	

	
If you have a Mac:
	You can use the shareware program, Graphic Converter to save to 
	ImageViewer format. You can get Graphic Converter at 
	'http://www.lemkesoft.de/us_gcdownload.html'
	
	To save to ImageViewer, select 'PDB' as the format from the
	'Save As...' dialog. If you are saving a 4- or 16- color image, press
	the 'Options' button on the dialog and make sure you have checked the 
	box next to version 1. For black & white images, check version 0.


    While Backdrop will read Image Viewer images saved as 2- or 4-bit, it
converts them to 1-bit backgrounds using a simple threshold, so for best 
results you should dither your images with an imaging program, then 
save/convert them as 1-bit Image Viewer format. 
    The preferred size for a background is 160x160. Backdrop won't read 
anything smaller than this.
	If you've created a custom background you'd like to share, please send
the image or its URL to 'software@twilightedge.com', and I'll post it on the 
sample images page.


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14) REGISTERING
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	Backdrop is shareware. If you decide to keep it, please register it. 
Registration will remove the 'UNREGISTERED' message in the background and
also entitles you to future versions of Backdrop, as well as Backdrop EZ, 
free of charge.
	Registration is $18, and is currently only available through 
PalmGear H.Q. They can take orders either through their secure server online,
or over the phone at (800) 741-9070. Their page for ordering Twilight Edge 
Software titles online is:
http://www2.viaweb.com/pilotgearsw/twiledsof.html

	Make sure you include your correct, case-sensitive hotsync username 
(this will be used to generate the registration code), and your email 
address.
	Once your registration has been processed, you should receive your code 
by email within a few days. Enter the code in the registration window by 
selecting 'Register...' from Backdrop's 'Options' menu. Please save your 
code, as you will need it for future versions, or if you have to reinstall 
Backdrop after a hard reset.


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15) SITE LICENSES FOR ORGANIZATIONS
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	Do you have a logo that you'd like to display on the screens of the 
members of your group, organization, or company? Backdrop is available at 
a reduced price with your custom logo as the default background. (Custom 
logo version won't allow the background to be changed). You may also specify 
a default set of blocked applications to save your members time.
Please email 'software@twilightedge.com' for more details.


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16) KNOWN INCOMPATIBILITIES/BUGS
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The following software is known to be incompatible with Backdrop:

- Fitaly Keyboard: Keyboard won't show up when background is in place.
	Workaround: Disable Backdrop on apps with which you use the keyboard.


If you find a bug, please report it to 'software@twilightedge.com' along
with the following info:

- Type of your Palm device
- System version
- Amount of free memory
- List of apps installed (if possible)
- Special options (Palm III upgrade, TRG memory card, pager card, etc.)


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17) VERSION HISTORY
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1.4		(01/18/00)
		- Startup screen option
		- Reinstall on reset option (OS 3.0 & later)
		- Now reads 4-bit images (converts to 1-bit)
		- Compatible with OS 3.3
        - Updated new Twilight Edge email address in docs & about box.

1.3		(06/02/99)
		- Added delete images option
		- Faster screen drawing routines
		- Reduced memory requirements by 10K (Now 80K)
		- Now runs on Palm VIIs (Palm OS 3.2)
		- Updated new Twilight Edge homepage info in docs & app dialogs

1.2		(01/23/99)
		- Added inverted screen option
		- Added inverted background option
		- Now displays background level value 
		
1.1 	(01/12/99)	
		- Optimized drawing routines for faster updates & better response 
			time.
		- Reduced memory requirements by 15K. (Now 90K) 

			
1.0 	(12/28/98)
		- Initial release.




Enjoy the program!

Josh Freeman