General Preferences
The Readerware General Preferences tab is used to configure basic
options
such as the user interface, window, tooltip settings etc. Changes made
will take effect immediately and will be saved between Readerware
sessions.
Look and Feel Settings
Readerware supports multiple "look and feel" implementations. The
choices
available will depend on the platform you are using, Windows, Macintosh
etc. The look and
feel determines how components such as buttons and list boxes etc. look
and behave. It also controls how a component reacts to mouse and
keyboard
input. You will have at least one other look and feel choice, a
native
look and feel available for your platform.
If you select the SkinLF you can pick from a list of available
themes
to customize the Readerware display. Themes can change the colors and
the
appearance of windows buttons etc.
Window/Exit Settings
When Readerware is run for the first time, it displays windows in a
default
position and at a size that will fit on a basic 640 by 480 screen.
Today
most computers offer higher resolution modes. With the Remember
Position
setting
on, the default, Readerware will remember the size and position of each
window when you close the application and restore them next time you
open
the application. There are two basic ways to use this feature:
-
You can leave Remember Position on and always have your
windows
open at the location you left them when you last closed Readerware.
-
Establish a new default position and size and select the Options->Save
Window Positions menu item. Then turn Remember Position
off. Readerware will then open all windows at your default location and
size rather than the last used location and size.
Note that the Remember Position option also controls
internal
window dimensions such as column widths in the table
view.
Readerware can display icons on the menu items corresponding with
the
icons on the toolbar. This can make it easier to identify toolbar
button
functionality. By default Readerware does not use icons on menu items.
Set the Use Menu Images check box to display images on
menu
items, clear the box to remove the images. You will need to restart
Readerware
for this option to take effect. Currently it is recommended that you
leave
this option off as it can cause high CPU usage.
Readerware will display a backup reminder dialog whenever you close
the program. It will give you a chance to backup your Readerware
database
and safeguard your data. You can turn this option off by clearing the Backup
Prompt at Exit check box.
Tooltip Settings
All Readerware components, buttons, entry fields etc. have tooltips,
helpful
hints on how to use the component. These tooltips will display if you
leave
the mouse pointer stationary over the component for a short period. By
default tooltips are on for all components. You can turn them off once
you are familiar with the product. You can turn window field tooltips
and/or
toolbar
tooltips on and off independently. Window field tooltips display on
entry
fields in the detail view or column headers
in the table view for example.
Error Handling Settings
Readerware gives you control over how error notification is handled.
-
Dialogs Only - This option will cause Readerware to always
display
a modal dialog with error or confirmation messages. The advantage to
this
approach is that you will not miss a message. The disadvantage is that
they require additional user interaction. For example in this mode
Readerware
will display a confirmation dialog that a book has been added to the
database
after you use the Readerware Web Browser
import
function. This can be useful or it can be disruptive if you are trying
to catalog a number of books.
-
Status Bar Only - All Readerware windows include a status
bar at
the bottom of the window. This area is used to display general status
messages
to keep you informed as Readerware performs various functions. When
this
option is checked, Readerware will display all error messages in this
status
bar. The advantage is that no additional interaction is required . The
disadvantage is that you could miss an error if you are not paying
attention
to the status bar. For example in this mode Readerware will display the
confirmation message that a book has been added to the database in the
status bar, you get the confirmation if you want it, but it does not
disrupt
your input.
-
Dialogs/Status Bar in Auto Mode - If this option is checked
Readerware
attempts to give you the advantages of both the above approaches
without
the disadvantages. For example in this mode Readerware will display
confirmation
messages that a book has been added in the status bar. If you are
searching
and importing a book from several sites, Readerware will display
progress
messages, including book not found messages, in the status bar. If the
book cannot be found at any of the specified sites, an error dialog is
displayed to indicate that the operation failed.
The logging options determine when Readerware will
create log files.
-
User Logging - Operations such as auto-catalog,
import
and export can produce a log file.
This
file is called rwuser.log. The user log file will tell you
which
items were cataloged, not found, imported etc. Check this option to
create
a log file, clear this option to turn logging off.
-
System Logging - This should only be turned on at the
request of
Readerware Technical Support. System logging can severely impact
performance.
Browser Settings
The browser settings determine how Readerware interacts with your
normal
browser.
When searching the web manually you can use your default browser,
Netscape,
IE etc., (see Browser Integration), or
you
can use the built in Readerware Browser.
Normally
Readerware will use your default browser. Check the Enable
Browser
Integration Mode check box to use your default browser, clear
the
box to use the built in Readerware Browser.
Readerware will normally find your default browser automatically. By
default the Let Me Find Your Browser Automatically option
is turned on. Readerware will then determine the location of your
default
browser from operating system settings. If for some reason this does
not
work or if you have multiple browsers installed and do not want
Readerware
to use the default browser, clear this option and specify the specific
path.
The Button Panel
Once you have made your changes, click on OK to save
them
and have them take effect. Click on Cancel to discard
your
changes. Note you only have to click on OK when you have
finished all your changes, you can move between tabs and only click OK
when you are done. This will close the Readerware preferences dialog.
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