************************************** HTMLCAL Version 2.0 An HTML calendar maker (c) 1996, 1997 by Timothy C. Barmann tim@cybertalk.com http://www.cybertalk.com/~tim/software/ *************************************** OVERVIEW -------- HTMLCAL is a shareware program that makes Web page calendars. HTMLCAL generates full-page calendars that can be posted directly to your Web site or company intranet. Use it to list upcoming events or meetings. The calendars are designed to be viewed with both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browsers. You are welcome to try out this unregistered program and the calendars it creates for 30 days. When you register, you will receive a personalized copy of HTMLCAL, plus a version that will let you create and edit your calendars directly from any Web browser. Use it to coordinate meetings or projects for your company, or set up a community event calendar that anyone can access and add events to. The program costs either $10 or $20, depending on who you are and what you will use it for. See the registration section, or REGISTER.DOC for more information. I. HOW TO USE HTMLCAL --------------------- HTMLCAL works from the DOS or Unix command line. Usage: C:\>HTMLCAL (you will be prompted for month and year) C:\>HTMLCAL [/mMM][-MM] /yYYYY] [/eEvents] [/hHeader] [/fFooter] [/a] [/b] WHERE: MM-MM is the month or range of months desired. YYYY is the year to create calendars for. Events is the file name of events to place on calendars. See below for description of the events file format. By default, if no events file is listed, HTMLCAL looks for a file with a name comprised of the current year, with an extension of DAT. For 1998, the program looks for a file called 1998.dat. This file is optional. Header is the file name of HTML source you want to appear at the top of all the calendars. Place in this file HTML code for a logo background color, etc. By default, if a header file is not specified, HTMLCAL looks for a file called HEADER.HTM. This file is optional. Footer is the filename of HTML source you want to appear at the bottom of all the calendars. Place in this file HTML source for things such as links to a home page. By default, if a footer file is not specified, HTMLCAL looks for a file called FOOTER.HTM. This file is optional. /a is Auto mode. This optional command is used by itself and allows you to create calendars for each month of the current year without having to enter any other parameters. /b Turns OFF the link bar which otherwise will be appended to the bottom of each calendar. The link bar lets the user switch to any other month by clicking on it. By default, if you don't use this command, the link bar will be placed below the calendar. It looks like this: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec EXAMPLES -------- To create all 12 calendars for the current year, enter: HTMLCAL /a To make a series of calendars for July through December in 1998, enter: HTMLCAL /y1998 /m7-12 For July only, enter: HTMLCAL /y1998 /m7 To make a series of calendars using an events list called myevents.dat from May to Nov., 1998, turning off the link bar: HTMLCAL /m5-11 /y1998 /fmyevents.dat /b To make a series of calendars using an events list called spring.dat, a header file called head.htm and a footer file called foot.htm, for March, April and May, 1999: HTMLCAL /m3-5 /y1999 /espring.dat /hhead.htm /ffoot.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Events file format The shareware version of HTMLCAL requires that you enter events in a data file, while the registered version also allows editing directly from a Web page form. The events file by default is called xxxx.dat, where xxxx is the year. For example, events for 1998 should be stored in a file called 1998.dat The events file is a plain, ASCII text file. Up to 200 events can be stored in the events file. (Any beyond that is ignored by HTMLCAL.) The events file holds the dates of the events and a description, in this format: 07 04 Independence Day ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | | |-- The DESCRIPTION field begins at the 7th character. It can be | | up to 255 characters long, and must end with a carriage return. | | | |------ The DAY of the month field begins at the 4th character | position. Pad single digit dates with a 0, as in this example. | |--------------- The MONTH field begins at the 1st character on a new line. Pad single digit months with a 0, as in this example. The 3rd and 6th character should be a space. The events file should contain all the events for every calendar you are creating. For example, it you are creating a year's worth of calendars at one time, you only need to maintain one events file. HTMLCAL will search through the events file for each calendar it makes, looking for the relevant dates. It's not necessary to put events in chronological order in the events file. The description field in the events file can also contain HTML code, so the event can link to another Web page. For example, lets say you wanted to link to a Web site with directions to a July 4th party on your July calendar. It might be listed in your events file this way: 07 04 Directions to party Each event, including the date, description, and optional link information, cannot exceed 255 characters, and must end with a carriage return. Do not break up a long description with carriage returns. (You must use a word processor that allows you to create lines more than 80 characters long do to this.) The events file can have comments. Commented lines must begin with a semicolon (;) as the first character: ; This is an example of a comment in the events file. HTMLCAL ; will ignore these lines. Multiple events on the same day will be automatically separated by a horizontal line. II. CUSTOMIZING THE CALENDARS ----------------------------- header.htm Use a header file (header.htm) if you want your calendars to have a particular wallpaper or background color. This is also where you can put a link to an image, such as your organization's logo, that you want to appear at the top of all the calendars you create. A typical header file, written in HTML, might contain this code:
This will make the background in all of your calendars white, and will add the file "logo.gif" to the top of all calendars, and add a horizontal rule. Note that it is not necessary to use a header file. By default, if a header file is not specified, HTMLCAL looks for a file called HEADER.HTM. If HTMLCAL doesn't find a header file, it will automatically inserts a command in all the calendars. See an HTML reference book for further help with the code. footer.htm Use a footer file to add something to the bottom of each calendar. A typical use would be to add a set of links to other sites, such as a home page. A typical footer, written in HTML, might look like this:
| HOME PAGE |
This would place a link to http://www.mysite.com at the bottom of each calendar. See an HTML reference manual for further explanation of the code. As with the header file, the footer file is optional. If none is specified on the command line, by default, HTMLCAL looks for a file called FOOTER.HTM. III. BUGS AND LIMITATIONS ------------------------- HTMLCAL can handle up to 200 events listed in the events file. Any beyond that are ignored by the program. Please send any questions, comments or bug reports to me at: tim@cybertalk.com, or stop by my home page at http://www.cybertalk.com/~tim/ IV. VERSION CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS ------------------------------------ Version 2.0, June 1997 * Web calendars display date and time they were generated * Auto mode introduced that creates a calendar for every month of the current year * Added support for Microsoft Internet Explorer * Made each column fixed width, regardless of the events listed * The Unix version now create calendars with the htm extension * Now supports multiple events listed on the same day * Calendars include a no-cache command, to allow for browsers to automatically load dynamically generated calendars * New file name convention used for events data file that incorporates the year Version 1.0, April 1996 * Initial version V. REGISTRATION --------------- HTMLCAL is shareware. You may use it and the calendars it creates for 30 days for free. After that time, you must register the program or stop using it and the calendars it generated. You must register a copy for each site that you intend to generate calendars for. That is, if you are the webmaster for www.yourdomain.com and www.hisdomain.com, you'll need to register two copies. You can register by filling out page enclosed with this package called REGISTER.DOC. Fill it out and mail it to the address below along with payment in U.S. funds. Registration is $10 for individuals or $20 for groups, businesses, organizations, schools, non-profits, etc. Send your registration to: Timothy Barmann P.O. Box 1145 Providence, R.I. 02901 Add an additional $3 if you want the program delivered on disk to anywhere in the continental U.S. (Please e-mail me for overseas postage rates.) Registering will bring you the latest version, plus the necessary CGI programs to allow you to create and edit the calendars directly from a Web page. You must be able to install CGI programs on your Web server to make this feature work. Ask your Internet Service Provider if they allow you to do so if you are unsure. Note that the CGI editing programs are compiled to run on two of the most popular Web server platforms: Windows NT/95 and Unix (SunOS 4.1.3). The HTMLCAL home page explains this in more detail at http://www.cybertalk.com/~tim/software/. Click on Frequently asked questions for more details. Contact the author at tim@cybertalk.com with any questions. VI. LEGALESE ------------ The shareware version of HTMLCAL is not free software. You are required to register this program if you use it or the calendars it creates for more than 30 days. Please see the file REGISTER.DOC for complete registration information. This archive may be freely distributed, as long as it is distributed in its original form and is not changed in any way. The HTML code generated by HTMLCAL is (c) copyrighted by Timothy C. Barmann. You may not replicate or reuse the HTML code in whole or in part. Use this program at your own risk. While I've made considerable effort to make sure this program works properly, I am not responsible for any damage or loss of data, or any other loss that occurs from its use or misuse. No warranty is expressed or implied. I will give technical support by e-mail. VII. CONTACT THE AUTHOR ----------------------- If you encounter any problems with HTMLCAL, please contact me, Timothy C. Barmann, at tim@cybertalk.com. That will bring you the fastest response, but you may also write to me at P.O. Box 1145, Providence, RI 02901.