Copyright: Copyright © Symantec Corporation 1995-1996
Citation: Copyright © Symantec Corporation 1995-1996


Actions tab page

This tab page displays, and lets you modify, the action Notify will take when the monitored item changes.

Pop up message

Retrieve Into Folder

Browse

Last Downloaded Into


Adding Notify to the taskbar

You will probably find Notify most useful if you load it every time Windows starts up, particularly if you have configured any Notify items to check a monitored item automatically. Loading Notify on startup places the Notify icon ( [image]) in the clock area of the taskbar and allows it to monitor your automatic Notify items while you work.

To load Notify when Windows starts up:

1	Launch Internet FastFind.

2	Click Options on the console.

3	In the Internet FastFind Options dialog box, check Notify under Additions To The Taskbar.

To stop Notify from loading on startup:

1	Launch Internet FastFind.

2	Select Options on the console.

3	In the Internet FastFind Options dialog box, uncheck Notify under Additions To The Taskbar.


Adding a Notify item for a Web page

To add a Web page to the Notify item list:

1	Open Notify by clicking the Notify icon ( [image]) in the clock area of the taskbar. (If it is not there, first launch Notify.)

2	Select Add from the Item menu. This launches the Add Item wizard.

3	In the Select Item Type dialog box, choose Web Page then click Next.

4	In the Select Item dialog box, enter the URL of the Web page you want to monitor. Click Browse to select a URL from a tree list of all the URLs in your Web browser's list of bookmarks or favorites.

Click Next.

5	In the Select Item Name dialog box, enter a name to display in the list of Notify items. Click Next.

6	In the Select Schedule Type dialog box, specify when Notify should check the Web page for changes.

Manually

Automatically

Click Next.

7	In the Select Item Actions dialog box, specify the actions you want Notify to take when the Web page changes. Choices are:

Pop up message

Retrieve Into Folder (if selected, specify the folder)

Click Finish.


Adding a Notify item for a file

To add a file to the Notify item list:

1	Open Notify by clicking the Notify icon ( [image]) in the clock area of the taskbar. (If it is not there, first launch Notify.)

2	Select Add from the Item menu. This launches the Add Item wizard.

3	In the Select Item Type dialog box, choose File then click Next.

4	In the Select Item dialog box, enter the full path name and file name of the file to monitor. Click Browse to select a file using Windows' Browse dialog box.

Click Next.

5	In the Select Item Name dialog box, enter a name to display in the list of Notify items. Click Next.

6	In the Select Schedule Type dialog box, specify when Notify should check the file for changes.

Manually

Automatically

Click Next.

7	In the Select Item Actions dialog box, specify the actions you want Notify to take when the monitored file changes. Choices are:

Pop up message

Retrieve Into Folder (if selected, specify the folder)

Click Finish.


Adding a Notify item for a folder

To add a Folder to the Notify item list:

1	Open Notify by clicking the Notify icon ( [image]) in the clock area of the taskbar. (If it is not there, first launch Notify.)

2	Select Add from the Item menu. This launches the Add Item wizard.

3	In the Select Item Type dialog box, choose Folder then click Next.

4	In the Select Item dialog box, enter the full path to the folder to be monitored. Click Browse to select a folder using Windows' Browse For Folder dialog box.

Click Next.

5	In the Select Item Name dialog box, enter a name to display in the list of Notify items. Click Next.

6	In the Select Schedule Type dialog box, specify when Notify should check the folder for changes.

Manually

Automatically

Click Next.

7	In the Select Item Actions dialog box, specify the actions you want Notify to take when the folder changes. Choices are:

Pop up message

Retrieve Into Folder (if selected, specify the folder)

Click Finish.


Adding a Notify item for an FTP file

The easiest way to create a Notify item for an FTP file is to use either:

EasyFTP or

NetFileFind


Adding a Notify item for an FTP folder

To add an FTP folder to the Notify item list:

1	Open Notify by clicking the Notify icon ( [image]) in the clock area of the taskbar. (If it is not there, first launch Notify.)

2	Select Add from the Item menu. This launches the Add Item wizard.

3	In the Select Item Type dialog box, choose FTP Folder then click Next.

4	In the Select Item dialog box, enter the URL of the FTP folder. Click Browse to select a site from the EasyFTP site list; you'll have to manually enter the path to the folder at the site.

Click Next.

5	In the Select Item Name dialog box, enter a name to display in the list of Notify items. Click Next.

6	In the Select Schedule Type dialog box, specify when Notify should check the FTP folder for changes.

Manually

Automatically

Click Next.

7	In the Select Item Actions dialog box, specify the actions you want Notify to take when the FTP folder changes. Choices are:

Pop up message

Retrieve Into Folder (if selected, specify the folder)

Click Finish.

Note:

You can use Notify to monitor a folder at an FTP site where you must supply a user name and password to gain access. Click here [image] for instructions.


Adding a Notify item using EasyFTP

To add Notify items using EasyFTP:

1	Launch EasyFTP and open the FTP site that contains the file or folder you want to monitor.

2	Select a file or folder in the tree or file list in EasyFTP.

3	Open the File menu and point to Notify.

4	Click one of the Check options [image] Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Custom.

This starts Notify's Add Item wizard which will prompt you for any additional information needed to create the Notify item.

Tip:

To create Notify items for more than one file or folder, hold down the Ctrl key in step 2 and click the items you want to add to the Notify item list.

Note:

You can use Notify to monitor a file or folder at an FTP site where you must supply a user name and password to gain access. Click here [image] for instructions.


Adding a Notify item using Explorer

To add Notify items using Windows Explorer:

1	Select a file or folder in the tree or file list in Explorer.

2	Open the File menu and point to Notify.

3	Click one of the Check options [image] Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Custom.

This starts the Add Item wizard which will prompt you for any additional information needed to create the Notify item.

Tip:

To create Notify items for more than one file or folder, hold down the Ctrl key in step 1 and click the items you want to add to the Notify item list.

You drag-and-drop from Explorer to create a Notify item, too.


Adding a Notify item using NetFileFind

To monitor a file or folder found by NetFileFind:

1	Use NetFileFind to find a file or folder you want to monitor.

2	Select the file or folder in the file list in NetFileFind.

3	Open the File menu in NetFileFind and and point to Notify.

4	Click one of the Check options [image] Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Custom.

This starts the Add Item wizard which will prompt you for any additional information needed to create the Notify item.

Tip:

To create Notify items for more than one file or folder, hold down the Ctrl key in step 1 and click the items you want to add to the Notify item list.


Adding a Notify item using drag-and-drop

To add Notify items using drag-and-drop:

1	Make sure some portion of the Notify window is visible under Explorer.

2	Select a file or folder in the tree or file list in Explorer.

3	Drag the file or folder onto a visible part of the Notify window and drop it. This creates a Notify item for the file or folder.

4	In Notify, right-click the new Notify item and modify its Properties according to your preferences.


Adding a Notify item using your browser
Adding a Notify item using your Web browser

To add a Notify item using your Web browser:

To monitor the current page:

1	With your Web browser, connect to the Web page you want Notify to monitor.

2	Click the Notify button on the right of the title bar of the Web browser.

3	Click one of the Check options [image] Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Custom.

This starts the Add Item wizard which will prompt you for any additional information needed to create the Notify item.

To monitor the page that is linked to the displayed page:

1	On the page currently displayed by your browser, find a link to a page you want to monitor.

2	Drag that link onto a visible portion of the Notify window and drop it. This creates a Notify item for that linked page.

3	In Notify, right-click the new Notify item and modify its Properties according to your preferences.

Note:

Many Web pages display several HTML documents on a single page in "frames."  If you use the method above to monitor such a document, you would actually be monitoring the "host" document that merely contains the names of the framed documents. Because the host document rarely changes, monitoring it not very useful. Use the following procedure to create a Notify item for an HTML document within a frame on a Web page.

To monitor a framed HTML document:

1	With your Web browser, connect to the Web page with the framed document you want Notify to monitor.

2	Right-click inside the frame of the document you want to monitor. (When you do, make sure your mouse is not over a "hot spot.")

3	From the pop-up menu, select Internet Shortcut (Netscape Navigator) or Create Shortcut (Internet Explorer). The browser creates a shortcut to the URL (Web address) on the desktop.

4	If the Notify window is not already displayed, click the Notify icon [image] in the clock area.

5	Drag the new Internet shortcut icon from the desktop into the Notify window. This creates a Notify item for the HTML document.

6	Right-click the new Notify item and modify its properties according to your preferences.


Checking monitored items for changes

Any time Notify is running, you can check one or more monitored items to see if they have changed. You must do this for any "manual" Notify items, but you may also do so to check "automatic" Notify items before their scheduled check time.

To check all monitored items for changes:

1	Launch Notify or display it by clicking the Notify icon in the clock area of the taskbar.

2	Select Check All.
OR
Select Check All Items from the Notify menu.

OR:

1	Right-click the Notify icon in the clock area.

2	Select Check All from the pop-up menu.

To check selected monitored items for changes:

1	Launch Notify or display it by clicking the Notify icon in the clock area of the taskbar.

2	Select one or more Notify items by clicking the mouse while holding down the Ctrl or Shift key.

3	Select Check Selected Items from the Notify menu.


Closing Notify

To close Notify completely:

1	Right-click the Notify icon ( [image]) in the clock area of the taskbar.

2	Select Close from the pop-up menu.

Note:

This removes Notify from memory, removes the icon from the clock area, and thereby prevents Notify from monitoring any items until you run it again.

To close Notify but leave it running:

With the Notify window displayed on the screen:

Click the Close button at the far right end of the Notify title bar.

Note:

This minimizes Notify and removes the Notify task button from the taskbar, but leaves the Notify icon in the clock area of the taskbar. Normally, clicking the Close button on the title bar of a Windows application closes the application, removing it from memory. But because Notify is designed to be constantly accessible from the taskbar, the Close button has a different effect. To stop Notify and remove it from memory, use the first procedure above.


Disabling automatic monitoring

To temporarily disable the "automatic" checking of monitored items:

1	Right-click the Notify icon ( [image]) in the clock area of the taskbar.

2	Select Disable.

OR:

With the Notify window displayed, open the Notify menu and make sure Disable is checked.

Note:

When automatic monitoring is disabled, the Notify icon in the clock area changes to [image].

To resume the "automatic" checking of monitored items:

1	Right-click the Notify icon in the clock area of the taskbar.

2	Select Enable.

OR:

With the Notify window displayed, open the Notify menu and make sure Disable is unchecked.


Event Log messages

What do the messages in the event log mean?

The event log for a monitored item lists recent events that Notify has recorded about the monitored item. The log contains the data and time of each event, status messages, and error messages. The messages displayed depend on the type of monitored item.

Explanation of Web page event messages

Explanation of FTP event messages

Explanation of file-system event messages


Event Log tab page

This tab page lists recent events that affect monitored items that are files or folders at FTP sites. The list will contain error messages, status messages, and the date and time of each event. Some messages are produced by the FTP server and some by Notify.

Explanation of FTP event messages


Event Log tab page

This tab page lists recent events that affect monitored items that are files or folders on your PC or network. The list will contain error messages, status messages, and the date and time of each event. Some messages are produced by Windows and some by Notify.

Explanation of file-system event messages


Event Log tab page

This tab page lists recent events that affect monitored Web pages. The list will contain error messages, status messages, and the date and time of each event. Some messages are produced by the Web server and some by Notify.

Explanation of Web page event messages


FTP event messages

The event log for monitored items that are files or folders at an FTP site contains the date and time of each event, status messages, and error messages. Some messages are generated by the FTP server, some by Notify. Here are some of the more common messages:

"Last Responses"

FTP objects record status events and messages called "last-responses." A last-response is a "plain-language" message transmitted by the FTP server for a person to read.  (These are usually, but not always, in English.) Because some critical information may be recorded in these last-response messages, Notify stores them in the event log.  This includes the complete login message, which is usually something like this:

220 frodo FTP server (Version wu-2.4(1) Tue Aug 8 15:50:43 CDT 1995) ready.

331 Guest login ok, send your complete e-mail address as password.

Sometimes this text can reveal something critical about why a particular item isn’t working.  For example:

420 Server is down for emergency maintenance.  Try again after 18:00 EDT.

Notify may report one of these additional messages to reflect the status of an FTP site.

Notify Messages

Cannot connect to the server.

Notify could not connect to the FTP server, but has no information on why.

File transfer failed.

A retrieve operation failed but Windows didn’t provide a specific reason.

Files added or changed: <files>
Files deleted: <files>

Whenever Notify detects a change, it lists the deleted, added, or modified files in one (or both) of these messages.  When monitoring an individual file, Notify still lists the file in this message.

Notification Event Created.

Notify logs this message the first time it successfully contacts the FTP server.

Retrieve aborted on file: <file>

Notify records this message only if the user interrupts a retrieve operation using the "reset"command.

Starting to retrieve: <files>

When Notify begins retrieving files, it logs this message.  If this message appears immediately below an error message which has about the same time & date, then the error probably occurred while retrieving one of the listed files.


File-system event messages

The event log for monitored items that are files or folders on your PC or network contains the date and time of each event, status messages, and error messages. Some messages are generated by Windows, some by Notify. Here are some of the more common messages:

Windows Messages

Not enough storage is available to process this command.

The system tried to open too many items at once. This problem should correct itself the next time Notify checks this item.

The system cannot find the path specified.

If this happens during a query, the location being monitored was either deleted or is on a drive which is unavailable.

If this happens while retrieving, it may mean that the destination folder doesn’t exist.

Notify Messages

File transfer failed.

This message indicates that a retrieve operation failed but Windows didn’t provide a specific reason.

Files added or changed: <files>
Files deleted: <files>

Whenever Notify detects a change, it lists the deleted, added, or modified files in one (or both) of these messages.  When monitoring an individual file, Notify still lists the file in this message.

Notification Event Created.

Notify logs this message the first time it successfully locates the specified file or folder.

Starting to retrieve: <files>

When Notify begins retrieving files, it logs this message.  If this message appears immediately below an error message which has about the same time and date, then the error probably occurred while retrieving one of the listed files.


Goto versus Open

What's the difference between Goto and Open on the Item menu?

When you open the Item menu when a Notify item is selected, you will find Open and Goto choices. The result of each choice depends on whether you have specified the Retrieve action for the Notify item.

Goto always opens the monitored item. If the monitored item is a Web page, FTP file, or FTP folder, Notify will launch your Web browser or EasyFTP to connect to the location of the monitored item.

Open opens the retrieved copy of the item, if you specified the Retrieve action for the Notify item. If you did not specify the Retrieve action, Open opens the monitored item, just as Goto does.

If the monitored item is a folder or an FTP folder, the destination folder on your PC will be opened.

Note:

If your company has set up an Internet firewall to provide network security, EasyFTP might be blocked from accessing FTP servers, which it will try to do if you Goto an FTP site. Contact your system administrator if EasyFTP cannot connect with any FTP sites.


Item tab page

This tab page displays the name and location of the monitored item.

Enter The Description Of The Item

Enter The File, Folder, or URL of the item


Launching Notify

Launch Notify in any of the following ways:

On the Windows taskbar:

Start | Programs | Internet FastFind | Notify

Start | Programs | Internet FastFind | Internet FastFind. Click Notify.

Tip:

You may find Notify most useful if you load it every time Windows starts.

Note:

The first time you launch Notify with an empty list of Notify items, the Add Item wizard will automatically run and guide you through the process of creating a Notify item.


Monitoring a folder

How does Notify monitor a folder (directory)?

When you specify a folder as a monitored item, Notify actually monitors the status of all the files in that folder [image] not the folder itself, and not the subfolders in that folder. When you add the folder Notify item, Notify makes a list of all the files in that folder at the time and records the modification date, modification time, and size of each file. When Notify checks the monitored item later, it will notify you that the folder has changed if:

The data, time, or size of any file in the folder changes.

Any file in the folder was deleted (that is, a file in Notify's list is no longer found in the monitored folder)

There are any new files in the folder (that is, a file found in the monitored folder is not in Notify's list).

After Notify checks for changes, it updates its internal list of files names (and dates, times, and sizes) in the folder in preparation for the next check.

Note:

If a subfolder is added to the folder that Notify is monitoring, Notify does not recognize that as a change to the monitored folder.


Monitoring a password-access FTP item

You can use Notify to monitor a file or folder at an FTP site where you must supply a user name and password to gain access.

To monitor a password-access FTP item:

1	Add a Notify item for an FTP file or folder, as explained here [image].

2	Open Notify and select the Notify item you just added.

3	Select Properties from the Item menu.

4	Under Enter The File, Folder, Or URL Of The Item, insert your user name and/or password as shown in the following examples, in which the user name is "chico" and the password is "swrdfish."

User name and password:

Before: ftp://ftp.speakeasy.com/pub/hooch.txt

After: ftp://chico:swrdfish@ftp.speakeasy.com/pub/hooch.txt

User name only:

Before: ftp://ftp.speakeasy.com/pub/hooch.txt

After: ftp://chico@ftp.speakeasy.com/pub/hooch.txt


Problems with Notify items

One of my Notify items has a "Problem."

When Notify has a problem checking a monitored item, it displays a stop sign [image] next to the Notify item in the list.

To find out what the problem is:

Right-click the item and select What's Wrong. This displays the Event Log for that item.


Removing a Notify item

To remove a Notify item from the list:

Right-click the item and select Remove.

OR

Select the item, then select Remove from the File menu.

Note:

Removing a Notify item from the Notify list has no effect on the actual item being monitored.


Resetting Notify items

Resetting a Notify item sets its status to "checked" without actually checking the item for changes. This can be useful if you want to acknowledge the change without opening or "going to" the monitored item.

To reset all Notify items:

1	Launch Notify or display it by clicking the Notify icon in the clock area.

2	Select Reset All.
OR
Select Reset All Items from the Notify menu.

OR:

1	Right-click the Notify icon in the clock area.

2	Select Reset All from the pop-up menu.

To reset selected Notify items:

1	Launch Notify or display it by clicking the Notify icon in the clock area.

2	Select one or more Notify items by clicking the mouse while holding down the Ctrl or Shift key.

3	Select Reset Selected Items from the Notify menu.


Resetting Status
What does Reset do?

By resetting the status of a Notify item, you can tell Notify that you have been notified of the change without opening or going to the item. Resetting an item changes the Notify item icon from [image] to [image] and will stop the Notify icon in the clock area of the taskbar from flashing (if there are no more changed items in the list).


Responding to changes

What should I do when a monitored item changes?

Notify will know you are aware of changes to a monitored item when you:

Open the item

by selecting Open from the Item menu.

Goto the item

by selecting Goto from the Item menu.

Recheck the item

by selecting Check Now from the Item menu.

Reset the item

by selecting Reset Status from the Item menu.

To find out what changed:

Right-click the Notify item and select What Changed.

Note:

If you requested the Pop Up Message action for the Notify item, clicking OK on the message box does not reset the status of the item, but clicking Open Now does.

If your company has set up an Internet firewall to provide network security, EasyFTP might be blocked from accessing FTP servers, which it will try to do if you Goto an FTP site. Contact your system administrator if EasyFTP cannot connect with any FTP sites.


Retrieving a folder

What happens when Notify retrieves a folder?

When you create a Notify item for a folder, one of the actions you can tell Notify to take when the folder changes is "Retrieve Into A Folder." When Notify performs this action, it retrieves only the files in that folder, not the folder and its files. You must keep this in mind when you specify the folder to which those files will be retrieved.

Example:

If you want to make sure that the folder "C:\company\policies" on your PC has recent copies of all the files in the folder "R:\admin\docs\policies" on your company's network, you would set up a Notify item for the folder "R:\admin\docs\policies" and retrieve it into "C:\company\policies" (not "C:\company").

Tip:

Think of it this way: When you ask Notify to monitor and retrieve the folder C:\MyFolder, it will actually monitor and retrieve C:\MyFolder\*.*.


Retrieving files with Notify

What are all these files in my retrieve folder?

When Notify retrieves a Web page to your PC when it changes, if your destination folder contains a file with the same name as the retrieved file, Notify will rename the retrieved file with an ordinal numeral at the end of a file name.

Example:

If you are monitoring a file named WHATSNEW.HTML and a file named WHATSNEW.HTML already exists in the destination folder, Notify will name the retrieved file WHATSNEW0.HTML (that's a zero, not an "O"). If Notify retrieves the file again and again (and you haven't deleted or renamed the files), it will name the retrieved files WHATSNEW1.HTML, WHATSNEW2.HTML, and so on. The most recently retrieved file will have the highest number in the file name.

Note:

In the Notify window, if you select the Notify item for a file that has been retrieved several times, selecting Open from the Item menu will open the most recently retrieved file (for example, WHATSNEW2.HTML), not the file with the name in the Notify item (WHATSNEW.HTML).

Tip:

To retrieve any monitored item "manually" whether or not it has changed, right-click the Notify item in the Notify list and select Retrieve.

To find out the name of the last file retrieved, right-click the Notify item in the Notify list, select Properties, click the Actions tab, and look in the box labeled Last Downloaded Into.


Schedule Type tab page

This tab page displays, and lets you modify, the schedule settings for the Notify item.

Manually

Automatically

Check Once Every [__] [__]

Starting at [__]    On [__]


Sorting Notify items

To sort Notify items:

Click the header of the column you want to sort by.

Click the same column header again to reverse the sort order.

Note:

An asterisk (*) appears before the name of the column that you have sorted by.


Lets you select a destination folder using Windows' Browse For Folder dialog box.


The local folder (on your PC or network) to which you want the monitored item copied when it has changed.

Note:

When Notify retrieves a folder, it retrieves only the files in that folder, not the folder and its files. Keep this in mind when you specify this destination folder.

Example:

If you want to make sure that the folder "C:\company\policies" on your PC has recent copies of all the files in the folder "R:\admin\docs\policies" on your company's network, you would set up a Notify item for the folder "R:\admin\docs\policies" and retrieve it into "C:\company\policies" (not into "C:\company").


Displays the folder to which the monitored item was retrieved last. This item appears in the dialog box only if the monitored item has been retrieved before.


Tells Notify to display a pop-up message when a monitored item changes.


Tells Notify to retrieve the monitored item into a local folder (on your PC or network) when the monitored item changes. If the monitored item is a file or Web page, the Notify item itself is retrieved. If the monitored item is a folder, the contents of the folder (but not the folder itself) will be retrieved.


A list of recent events, including status messages and error messages,  that affect this monitored item.


The name of the Notify item as it appears on the list in the main Notify window.


The location of the monitored item.


Lets you browse the EasyFTP folder tree and select an FTP site to monitor.


The path of the FTP folder you want to monitor. This should include the name of the FTP site and the full path for the folder.

Example:

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/Updates/win95nt/cafe/


Lets you select a file to monitor using Windows' Browse dialog box.


The full path of the file you want to monitor. you can enter the path directly or use the Browse button to select a file using Windows' file browser.


Lets you select a folder to monitor using Windows' Browse For Folder dialog box.


The path of the folder on your PC or network that you want to monitor. This should include the drive (or network computer name) and the full path for the folder.

Examples:

c:\download\jsmith
\\admin\policy\travel


The name of the Notify item as it appears on the list in the main Notify window.


The location of the monitored item.


WT ItemPath WebPage Browse
Lets you select a Web page to monitor from the list of "bookmarks" or "favorites" maintained by your Web browser. If you use both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, the contents of both lists will be displayed.


WT ItemPath WebPage Path
The URL of the Web page you want to monitor. You can enter the URL directly or use the Browse button to select a Web page from the list of "bookmarks" or "favorites" maintained by your Web browser.


WT ItemType FTP Folder
Create a Notify item for a folder at an FTP site. When any file in that folder changes, Notify will alert you. (To create a Notify item for an FTP file, use EasyFTP or NetFileFind.)


WT ItemType File
Creates a Notify item for a file on your PC or network. (To create a Notify item for an FTP file, use EasyFTP or NetFileFind.)


WT ItemType Folder
Create a Notify item for a folder on your PC or network.  When any file in that folder changes, Notify will alert you.


WT ItemType WebPage
Creates a Notify item for a World Wide Web page.


Tells Notify to check the item for changes automatically, at the interval you specify with the next few controls.

Note:

If Notify is not running (that is, its icon is not visible in the notification area of the taskbar) when an automatic check is scheduled, the check will be postponed until the next time Notify starts.

If Notify is running but disabled (that is, its icon in the clock area is [image]) when an automatic check is scheduled, the check will be postponed until you enable Notify.


The date that Notify will start checking the monitored item.


Tells Notify to check the monitored item for changes only when you tell it to do so (by selecting any of the "Check..." items on any of the Notify menus).


Specify how frequently you want Notify to check the monitored item. Select the time units (minutes, days, hours, and so on) and the number of time units between each check.


The time of day that Notify will start checking the monitored item.


Specify how frequently you want Notify to check the monitored item. Select the time units (minutes, days, hours, and so on) and the number of time units between each check.


Web page event messages

The event log for monitored Web pages contains the date and time of each event, status messages, and error messages. Some messages are generated by the Web server, some by Notify. Here are some of the more common messages:

HTTP Messages

Web pages are retrieved using HTTP [image] Hypertext Transfer Protocol. HTTP provides several status messages which Notify records any time something seems to be wrong.  Although the wording of the message may vary, the numeric codes do not.

301 Moved Permanently
302 Moved Temporarily

The desired web page has moved to a new location. Use your browser to obtain the new address and then change the item properties in Notify.

401 Unauthorized
402 Payment required
403 Forbidden

Monitoring pages which return these codes is not appropriate. You should remove them from your list of Notify items.

404 Not found

Notify contacted the server, but it didn’t have a Web page by that name. The location name may contain a typo, or the page may have been deleted.

410 Gone

The page has been permanently removed from the server.  Most web pages which have been deleted simply return code 404, but this code indicates that the page has been explicitly removed and will not return.

500 Internal server error
502 Bad gateway
503 Service unavailable
504 Gateway timeout

A temporary condition (overcrowding, maintenance, etc.) is preventing the remote server from processing the request Notify sent to it.  The Notify item will probably function correctly later.

501 Not implemented
505 HTTP Version not supported

These codes indicate that Notify made a valid request, but the server at the other end does not have enough capabilities to fulfill it. This type of problem won’t go away unless the server on which the Web page is stored is upgraded.

Notify Messages

Cannot connect to the server.

Notify could not connect to the FTP server, but has no information on why.

File transfer failed.

A retrieve operation failed but Windows didn’t provide a specific reason.

Files added or changed: <files>
Files deleted: <files>

Whenever Notify detects a change, it lists the deleted, added, or modified files in one (or both) of these messages.  When monitoring an individual file, Notify still lists the file in this message.

Notification Event Created.

Notify logs this message the first time it successfully contacts the FTP server.

Retrieve aborted on file: <file>

Notify records this message only if the user interrupts a retrieve operation using the "reset"command.

Starting to retrieve: <files>

When Notify begins retrieving files, it logs this message.  If this message appears immediately below an error message which has about the same time & date, then the error probably occurred while retrieving one of the listed files.


What does Notify do?

Notify monitors Web pages, FTP files, FTP folders, and local files or folders and alerts you when they change.

Notify can tell you when files or folders change on the Internet, on your local network, or on your local system. You can have Notify check any item automatically at an interval you specify. You can also check any or all items "manually."

For example, you could add these items to the list in Notify and be alerted when they change:

Documents updated by work group members in shared folders on your local machine or on their networked machines.

Telephone lists on your company's Intranet system.

The folder at a computer companies' FTP site that contains updated device drivers.

The What's New Web page at your favorite shareware site.

Internet FastFind Help Contents


What is Notify?

Notify is part of Internet FastFind by Symantec. It monitors Web pages, FTP folders, and local files or folders and alerts you when they change.

Notify can tell you when files or folders change on the Internet, on your local network, or on your local system. You can have Notify check any item automatically, at an interval you specify. You can also check any or all items "manually."

For example, you could add these files to the list in Notify and be alerted when they change:

Documents updated by work group members in shared folders on your local machine or on their networked machines.

Telephone lists on your company's Intranet system.

The folder at a computer companies' FTP site that contains updated device drivers.

The What's New Web page at your favorite shareware site.


When monitored items change

What happens when monitored items change?

The Notify icon in the clock area flashes (between [image] and [image]).

The icon adjacent to the item in the Notify list changes to [image].

The new attributes (date, time, etc.) of the watch item are recorded in preparation for the next check.

If you specified any Notify item actions:

A message box will notify you of the change, and/or

The item will be retrieved into a folder.


pop Automatic Check
Notify will check the item for changes automatically, at the interval you specify. The interval may be any number of minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months. You can also enter the date and time you want Notify to start checking for changes.

Note:

If Notify is not running (that is, if its icon is not visible in the clock area) when an automatic check is scheduled, the check will be postponed until the next time Notify starts.

If Notify is not running but disabled (that is, if its icon in the clock area is [image]) when an automatic check is scheduled, the check will be postponed until you enable Notify.


Clock area

The recessed area at the right end of the Windows taskbar where the digital clock is normally displayed.


pop Manual Check
Notify will check the item only when you tell it to do so by selecting any of the "Check..." items on any of the Notify menus.


pop Monitored item
Monitored Item

A file, folder, Web site, or FTP folder that Notify monitors for changes. Notify alerts you when it detects a change in a monitored item.


pop Notify item
Notify item

An item in the Notify list that contains the settings Notify needs to monitor a monitored item.


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