Welcome to NoteTab! An innovative text and HTML editor for Windows 95, 98, and NT4 (and higher).
If you are reading this file from your new NoteTab program, open the file Readme.OTL to quickly discover some of its most original features. See the WhatsNew.TXT file for information on the most recent changes made to the program. Tip: put the cursor in the file name and hit the F7 function key to open it immediately.
Contents
--------
1. Introduction
2. Program Description
3. Key Features
4. Year 2000 Compliancy
5. Ordering Information
6. Installation
7. Uninstalling
8. Dictionaries and Thesaurus
9. Technical Support
10. Legal
11. Distribution License
12. NoteTab differences and links
13. Comments and Suggestions
14. Known Issues
1. Introduction
---------------
NoteTab is a top-rated text and HTML editor for Windows 95, 98, and NT4 (and higher). It is user friendly and feature rich with many innovative productivity tools. Whether you create web pages, write source code, send e-mail, take notes, analyze text, read files, or do anything related to text, you will certainly find NoteTab a worthy tool and a great time saver.
There are currently three variants available. NoteTab Pro provides functionality and performance that will suit advanced users. It is also ideal for HTML editing as it provides tag highlighting. NoteTab Standard (or Std) uses the Windows Rich-edit control and appeals to users who want drag-and-drop editing and like to display variable-pitch fonts. NoteTab Light is the Freeware version; it is similar to NoteTab Std but lacks some of the innovative features.
2. Program Description
----------------------
Unlike MS-Notepad that comes with Windows, NoteTab lets you edit documents of virtually any size. Furthermore, you can open as many documents as your system's memory will allow, each with its own button in the tab bar.
NoteTab is not your typical text editor and it is currently unrivaled by the range of useful features it offers. You can, for example, open links in your default browser, calculate mathematical expressions, create simple outline documents, convert text files to web pages, strip tags from HTML documents, send documents as e-mail, capture text copied to the Clipboard, view detailed text statistics, etc.
One of the most original features which NoteTab was the first to introduce is the Editor Clipbook. This is a flexible tool for handling text clips, which can be anything from a single character to a large "boilerplate" chunk of text, as well as executable scripts. Clips are stored in libraries with a header for identification, and retrieved by selecting the appropriate header from the list or by typing the first matching characters of the header into your document and hitting a function key. Scripts can be written using NoteTab's own Clip language (which supports variables, conditional testing, commands, functions, events, and even keyboard macros), or other languages like Perl and Gawk.
By default, pasting a clipbook item will overwrite any selected text in your document. But by customizing your clip text with simple codes you can do anything from wrapping the clip around a selection (great with HTML tags), to launching other programs, to loading files, to sending the document as e-mail, to calculating the result of functions with multiple variables, etc.
Of course, NoteTab also offers the features you expect to find in a good text editor such as Find/Replace in all open documents or disk files, read and write files in DOS/UNIX/Mac format, sort/join/split/indent lines, change character case and text alignment, convert between ASCII and ANSI, spell checker, thesaurus, automatic indentation, etc.
NoteTab is very customizable. You have a selection of more than 80 commands for the toolbar and the main shortcut menu. The editor's behavior can be fine tuned to suit your needs thanks to many options. NoteTab can even substitute Notepad by simply selecting a menu command. All these great features have earned NoteTab many awards.
Some of the prestigious awards recently earned by NoteTab include:
* winner of the 1998 PC Magazine Shareware Awards in the Applications category
* winner of the 1998 People's Choice Award
* nominated in the 1998 Shareware Industry Awards
* nominated in the 1998 PC User (Australia) Shareware Awards
3. Key Features
---------------
-> NoteTab Std can edit files as large as memory permits (or a theoretical limit of 2Gb) and NoteTab Pro up to 16Mb.
-> Open and edit many documents at once (only limited by system resources).
-> Fully configurable toolbar with flat or standard style buttons (more than 80 commands available).
-> Fully configurable shortcut menu.
-> Web enabled (can open links and HTML documents in browser).
-> Programmable.
-> Integrates support for Perl and Gawk interpreters; scripts can be stored in NoteTab and applied directly to highlighted text or the whole document.
-> Can calculate (type a mathematical expression and NoteTab will calculate the result).
-> Supports outline-type documents that Help you organize your notes and any other kind of information.
-> Supports document templates.
-> Functions to convert text files to web documents, strip HTML tags, sort lines, change case, etc.
-> Each document can have different settings such as font, tab widths, word wrap.
-> Can search/replace text in all open documents or disk files; accepts search tokens.
-> Automatic scrolling for hands-free reading of documents.
-> Options to set margins, page numbering, headers and footers for printing jobs.
-> Text statistics (counts number of characters, words, and frequency of each word).
-> Drag-and-drop files from File Manager or Explorer.
-> Quickly open files and directories from the Favorites list.
-> Can capture text copied to the Clipboard from any application.
-> Can read and write files in DOS ASCII, UNIX, and Mac formats.
-> Lets you choose whether to save program settings in the Windows system registry or the NoteTab INI file.
-> Covers all essential features available in Notepad (including LOG).
-> Y2K (y2000) complient.
-> And lots more...
4. Year 2000 Compliancy
-----------------------
NoteTab Pro, NoteTab Standard, and NoteTab Light are stand-alone applications that are Y2K compliant. They do not rely on the computer date to operate. Furthermore, the software was tested at various dates settings, and showed to function normally as the clock switched to year 2000. NoteTab also operated correctly when the clock was set at various other dates after the year 2000.
Several feature made available to the end-user are included in NoteTab. These include a command to insert the current date into the document, an option to display the current date in printed output, Clip commands and functions to manipulate date formats. No further processing of this date value is performed by the software itself. This date is obtained by querying the operating system date, and displays correctly for all years in all versions.
5. Ordering Information
-----------------------
You can easily order the commercial versions of NoteTab from either of the following links:
http://www.notetab.com/order.htm (main site)
or
http://www.notetab.ch/order.htm (Swiss site)
Site licenses are available and purchase orders are accepted from approved companies and organizations (see web page or Help file for more details).
6. Installation
---------------
If you have the trial version of NoteTab Pro installed on your computer and are upgrading it to the commercial version, it is recommended to first uninstall the trial version before installing the registered version.
If your NoteTab package has an installation program (Setup.exe, or something like NTP450.exe or NTS450.exe), just execute this program to install the editor. You can install this new version over previous ones if you wish. If you like, you can place NoteTab Pro and NoteTab Std/Light in the same directory (note however that the "Remove Program" feature is not recommended in this case).
IMPORTANT: If you are upgrading to a newer version of NoteTab, you may have to move your user dictionary (Default.udt) to the Dictionaries sub-directory. You will also have to reconfigure the spell checker options to match the new directory structure. If you have customized some of the sample Clipbook libraries (HTML.clb, Convert.clb, etc.), these are not automatically moved to the Libraries sub-directory; you will have to do so yourself and overwrite or rename the new sample libraries.
The following information is only relevant if your NoteTab package does not include an installation program: There is no special procedure to follow. Just unzip the files with a utility like ZipMagic (http://www.mijenix.com/) or WinZip (http://www.winzip.com/) into a dedicated folder (directory). The easiest way to set the NoteTab icon on your desktop is to use Explorer. Just select the file NOTETAB.EXE (or NOTEPRO.EXE) and drag it from Explorer to an unoccupied space on your desktop. You can also add a shortcut to it in your Start menu by choosing Settings / Taskbar...
Backup Copies
.............
If you are installing a registered copy of NoteTab, it is your responsibility to keep a backup copy of the distribution package. If you do not keep a backup copy in a safe place (diskette or removable disk), you will not be able to reinstall the registered software if you have a hard-disk failure or lose your installed copy of NoteTab for some other reason. If this happens, you will only be able to reinstall NoteTab by purchasing a new registered copy.
7. Uninstalling
---------------
If your NoteTab package came with an installation program (Setup.exe, or something like NTP450.exe or NTS450.exe), you can uninstall it by using the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall NoteTab icon in the Start menu. It is not recommended to use this feature if you have installed NoteTab Std and NoteTab Pro in the same directory; in this case, use the /UNINSTALL parameter as described below and just delete the main program file (NoteTab.exe for NoteTab Std and NotePro.exe for NoteTab Pro).
The following information is only relevant to users of the distribution package that did not include an installation program:
If you have associated file extensions, or set the option to use the registry instead of an INI file, or if you have used the command provided to replace MS Notepad, you can easily restore the registry and MS Notepad by executing NoteTab with the following command-line parameter (use the Run command in the Windows Start menu and click on the browse button to find the program; NoteTab should not be running when you use this command):
The first example above is for NoteTab Std and the second for NoteTab Pro. Note that the program may be stored in a different location from the example shown above.
If you have a dedicated folder for the editor, just delete that folder and all its files (except documents you may have saved there and want to keep!).
Otherwise, just delete all files with the name NOTETAB or NOTEPRO (NOTETAB.* or NOTEPRO.*), all files with the extensions ".FVR", ".OTL", ".TPL", and ".CLB", CLIPHELP.CLH, WHATSNEW.TXT, and this README.TXT file. All these files are located in the same directory as NoteTab, or their corresponding subdirectories.
If you have executed NoteTab from a CD-Rom, you will find the NOTETAB.INI and NOTETAB.FPR (or NOTEPRO.INI and NOTEPRO.FPR respectively) files in the Windows directory.
8. Dictionaries and Thesaurus
-----------------------------
To keep the size of the commercial distribution package down, dictionaries for foreign languages and the thesaurus file are not included. However, you can download all these files for free from the following pages:
Unfortunately, I cannot offer one-to-one technical support for NoteTab. If you have questions about using NoteTab or would like to learn some time-saving tricks from other users, then please consider joining the NoteTab Mailing list (even if it is just for a short while). I frequently answer questions and also use the list to announce updates and changes to NoteTab. You will find more information about this list on the following web page:
http://www.notetab.com/maillist.htm (main site)
or
http://www.notetab.ch/maillist.htm (Swiss site)
You will also find useful information, links and other NoteTab-related resources (Clipbook libraries, patches, dictionaries, answers to common questions, etc.) by visiting one of the NoteTab web sites listed below:
http://www.notetab.com/ (main site)
or
http://www.notetab.ch/ (Swiss site)
10. Legal
--------
The author of this program accepts no responsibility for damages resulting from its use and makes no warranty or representation, either express or implied, including but not limited to, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This software is provided "AS IS", and you, its user, assume all risks when using it.
The program and accompanying files are copyright material. No part of this material may be distributed with other software packages without the express permission from the author.
Before using this software, please read the license agreement that is displayed by the installation program or the copy in the Help file.
11. Distribution License
------------------------
The following paragraph is an extract from the license agreement regarding the distribution of the Freeware and trial versions of NoteTab:
"Provided that you verify that you are distributing the Freeware or trial version of the SOFTWARE (you can see this information in the window title bar when you run the software: program name should be "NoteTab Light" or "NoteTab Pro trial") you are hereby licensed to make as many copies of the Freeware/trial package of the SOFTWARE as you wish; give exact copies of the original Freeware/trial package of the SOFTWARE to anyone; and distribute the Freeware/trial package of the SOFTWARE in its unmodified form via electronic means (Internet, BBS's, Shareware distribution libraries, CD-ROMs, etc.). You may charge a distribution fee for the package, but you must not represent in any way that you are selling the software itself."
Please read the file License.txt for more details.
12. NoteTab differences and links
---------------------------------
There are five variants of the NoteTab editor (two of which are no longer updated):
1. NoteTab Pro (Commercial)
...........................
-> Works under Windows 95, 98, and Windows NT4
-> Edit files up to 16 Mb each
-> Very fast
-> Multi-level undo/redo
-> Line-count ruler
-> Supports fixed-pitch fonts, including OEM
-> Spell checker and thesaurus (not with trial version!)
-> Full support for NoteTab-Outline documents
-> Search/replace text in files on disk
-> URL and HTML tag highlighting
-> Options for word wrap at column; real, fixed, and smart tabs, etc.
-> Costs $19.95 USD (Maintenance updates are free)
-> Trial version available from...
http://www.notetab.com/ntp.htm (main site)
or
http://www.notetab.ch/ntp.htm (Swiss site)
2. NoteTab Standard (Commercial version)
........................................
-> Works under Windows 95, 98, and Windows NT4
-> Can edit files up to 2 Gb
-> Spell checker and thesaurus
-> Full support for NoteTab-Outline documents
-> Search/replace text in files on disk
-> Supports variable and fixed-pitch fonts
-> Does not support OEM fonts
-> Costs only $9.95 USD!!! (Maintenance updates are free)
-> Order from...
http://www.notetab.com/order.htm (main site)
or
http://www.notetab.ch/order.htm (Swiss site)
3. NoteTab Light (Freeware version)
...................................
Same as NoteTab Std but does not include the following features:
-> No spell checker or thesaurus
-> Cannot replace text in files on disk
-> Can read NoteTab-Outline documents but cannot create or modify them
-> Clip syntax does not support labels
-> No internal support for Perl and Gawk scripts, and console applications
-> No "Reformat Lines" or "Justify" command
-> Cost: Free!
-> Available from...
http://www.notetab.com/snt.htm (main site)
or
http://www.notetab.ch/snt.htm (Swiss site)
4. Mini NoteTab 32-bit v2.63e (Freeware)
........................................
-> Works under Windows 95, 98, and Windows NT4
-> Uses a minimum amount of system resources
-> Very fast
-> Supports OEM fonts
-> Cannot edit files larger than about 41 kb
-> Probably won't be updated anymore
-> Cost: Free!
-> Available from...
ftp://ftp.unige.ch/pub/msdos/win/mnote32.zip
5. Mini NoteTab 16-bit v2.6 (Freeware)
......................................
-> Works under Windows 3.1, Windows 95, 98, and NT
-> Uses a minimum amount of system resources
-> Very fast
-> Supports OEM fonts
-> Cannot edit files larger than 32 kb
-> Probably won't be updated anymore
-> Cost: Free!
-> Available from...
ftp://ftp.unige.ch/pub/msdos/win/mnote16.zip
13. Comments and Suggestions
----------------------------
I receive many E-mails from NoteTab users all over the world, and really appreciate the comments and suggestions sent to me. Much of the feedback I get influences the evolution of NoteTab. However, because of the volume of messages involved, I am sorry to say that I cannot respond to many of them (if I did, I would no longer have the time to develop NoteTab). So please forgive me in advance if I don't reply to your inquiry; it does not indicate that I have ignored your feedback. Some E-mails do get lost (the Internet is not perfect) so if you feel you sent me an important message and did not get a response, please do not hesitate to send it again.
I can be reached by E-mail at (no big attachments please!):
feedback@notetab.com
or by snail mail at the following address:
Fookes Software
Av. EugΦne-Pittard 22 Ter
CH - 1206 Geneva
Switzerland
If you are submitting a bug report, please first check the list of known problems in the last part of this README.TXT file. Also check, if possible, whether the bug has been fixed in the latest update. IMPORTANT: Remember to indicate which program variant and version number you are using (for example: NoteTab Pro v4.5). If you feel you need to send screen shots of error messages, please save them in the GIF format (not JPG) to reduce their size as much as possible. Thank you for sending your bug report to the following E-mail address (no large attachments please!):
bugs@notetab.com
Hope you enjoy using NoteTab!
-Eric G.V. Fookes
14. Known Issues
----------------
-> On computers with the latest version of the MS IntelliPoint software installed, Windows Explorer would crash whenever NoteTab v4.01 was launched. This incompatibility problem has been fixed in v4.5. If you have an older version of the mouse driver and the scroll wheel no longer works in NoteTab v4.5, execute the editor with the following switch in the command line (you only need to do this once):
NotePro.exe /IntelliOn
or
NoteTab.exe /IntelliOn
or you can update your IntelliPoint software by downloading an update from:
If you decide to update the IntelliPoint software at a later date, you should disable the switch after you have installed it by using the following command-line switch: /IntelliOff
-> File Open/Save dialog box does not open: The open and save commands use the standard Windows dialog boxes. On some rare computers, Windows does not always respond to NoteTab's request to display these dialog boxes. Several users say they started experiencing this problem after installing IExplorer. Although it never seems to happen in Microsoft's own applications, this problem has been seen in Netscape, Forte Agent, WordPerfect, and other programs. It is due to a bug in some of the DLLs installed by IExplorer. Updating some of the system DLLs seems to have solved the problem for most users. Please visit the Microsoft web site for such updates: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/
-> The toolbar buttons may not display correctly if you don't have the latest version of a Windows system file. If this is the case on your system, you will have to install a newer version of the ComCtl32.DLL file. You can do this by downloading and installing the following update file (about 500K) from one of the NoteTab sites or from Microsoft's web site:
Some users have also reported display problems with Windows 98. This had nothing to do with the ComCtl32.DLL file. It turned out that the problem was due to bugs in their display driver and was corrected when they installed a newer update of their driver.
-> If you attempt to drag-and-drop or use "Send To" with a large number of files (for example 20 or more), you may get an error message such as "Access to the specified device, path, or file is denied." This message is triggered by Windows and may be due to the length of the file criteria exceeding a certain size.
-> If you are getting the 'No Default Printer Selected' error, and you have installed AS/400 Client Access software, you need to get the latest version of the AS/400 Client Access software. Microsoft's applications have some other way of using printers and bypassing the normal procedure, which explains why they don't exhibit this problem.
-> If you use a default extension with more than three characters, the Windows File Open/Save dialog box ignores the extra characters. This is a Windows problem, not NoteTab. Enter the full extension to avoid this problem.
-> Systems configured to display only 256 colors will not allow certain color combinations for the editor text and list boxes. Incompatible colors are noticeable because Windows will use a different color for the text background; where there is no text, the correct color is used. This is not a bug in NoteTab. You must try other color combinations to correct the problem.
-> The Rich-edit control (a Windows component) used in NoteTab Std/Light cannot undo individual paste operations if these are done one after the other. The control incorrectly assumes this represents a single operation and will undo all the consecutive pastes in one go. To solve this problem, you must enter some text between the paste operations.
-> NoteTab Std/Light cannot display fonts with OEM character sets (Terminal, MS Line Draw,...). This limitation is due to the Rich-edit control provided with Windows. NoteTab Pro, however, uses another type of input control that can correctly display such fonts.
-> The Rich-edit control (a Windows component) used in Notetab Std/Light has a bug that causes the following four characters: æÆôö (ALT-0145 ALT-0146 ALT-0147 ALT-0148) to be converted to: ''"" when you toggle word wrap. Solution: don't change word wrap if you want to use those characters, or use NoteTab Pro (it uses a different kind of input control).
