
File Usage Monitor			Copyright (C) Moose O'Malley, 
------------------			April 1997.

File Usage Monitor for Windows 3.1, 3.11, 95, NT.

Developed using 16-bit and 32-bit Delphi.

File Usage Monitor simply monitors and logs the usage of 
user-selected files.

In many service oriented companies - particularly in 
Legal Offices, Accountants, Graphic Designers, 
Computer Consultancies, etc - customers / clients are 
billed for each hour of work done on their behalf.

File Usage Monitor enables these companies to justify / support
work invoices sent to clients by logging the amount of
time spent working on computer files relating to each client.

Other uses include helping staff in companies fill in 
detailed time / task recording sheets which require you to
log what work you did during each hour of the day.

As far as I know, nothing like this application exists already,
and this application is completely unique.

I would especially like to thank my brother, Peter O'Malley,
for his original and brilliant idea for this program.
Peter has got a Registered Version of the program, it is
just a shame he uses a MAC not a PC !!  ;)

If a CPU lockout occurs or the PC hangs for a while, I have 
especially coded the program so that such lockouts are
ignored in the log.  i.e. time will not be added to the
logged usage for a file while the PC is hung.

The SHAREWARE version of this program is limited in the 
following ways :
- Support for monitoring 3 files only.
- Much advanced functionality (see "The Future" below) when 
  developed may not be available in the Shareware version.

Registration of this program brings :
- Support for monitoring up to 999 files !
- Support for future advanced functionality - see 
  "The Future" below.
- FREE upgrades for life !
- FREE Technical Support.
- Greater say in future changes / enhancements to the 
  functionality of File Usage Monitor.

Because this program could become so advanced and complex later
on, I cannot guarantee that the Registration Fee will remain
at $5 (Aus).  So, it is definitely better to register sooner
rather that later, because the price could go up !

The 32 bit version of File Usage Monitor (FILE_MON.EXE in the
32bit directory in the ZIP file) is for Windows 95 / NT 
which enables Long File Names to be used, and also 
enables File Usage Monitor to be placed on the Icon Tray.


How to use File Usage Monitor :
------------------------------

File Usage Monitor's main screen consists of a row of buttons 
and a grid.  The grid consists of 3 columns which display 
displays the File Name(s), the current status of each file, 
and the logged usage time so far.

All buttons in this program have Tooltips, so just let the 
mouse pointer hover over the button and pretty soon, a 
Tool Tip help will appear to explain what the button does.

To Add files to the list to be monitored, click on the 
"Add File" button - the leftmost button.

To see the full name and full path for a file, click on 
the file's row in the grid and and the file's full name 
will appear the below the grid.

To remove a file from the list to be monitored, click on 
the row of the grid that the file is in, and then click 
the "Remove File" button - the 2nd button from the left.

To Reset the Logged Usage Time for a file, click on the 
row of the grid that the file is in, and then click the 
"Reset Logged Time" button - the 3rd button from the left.

To halt / stop the Logging of File Usage, simply click 
the "Stop / Halt all logging" on the far right of the 
main window.

To call up help, press the "Help" button, or select 
the "Help" menu and choose the "Help" option.

No other buttons work in this program - yet !!  


Limitations of File Usage Monitor :
----------------------------------

At the moment, this program can only log file usage if file 
locking occurs.  e.g.  When you edit a document in MS Word, 
Word "locks" the document to prevent other accesses until 
you finish editing and close the document.  Excel, Power 
Point, Lotus 1-2-3, Access, WordPerfect, Corel Draw, and 
most large commercial packages perform this locking.

Some programs, like Notepad, Word Pad, Paint Shop Pro, etc 
do NOT lock your files while they are being worked on.  As 
a result of this, File Usage Monitor cannot log any access 
to files within these programs - yet !

But, I am working on ways around this as we speak !!  
(See "The Future" below).

Many DOS programs lock files (such as WordPerfect for DOS, 
Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS, etc), and as long as these are run 
under Windows and other Windows applications are still 
multi-tasking, then File Usage Monitor will monitor file usage 
of files in these DOS programs as well !!

If you are not sure whether the application(s) you are using 
lock open files, select a file for that application in File 
Usage Monitor and see if the "File Status" changes while 
the file is being edited in the particular application.

Support for programs that do NOT lock files is being worked 
on as we speak !!


The Future :
-------------

This is an early release of the program, and many interesting 
things could be done in the future.

This program could well turn into a large and complex 
application, with the following sorts of features : 

- Add a Client column so that the hours spent working on 
  all files for a client can be easily seen.

- Add a Detailed Log File for each file being monitored so 
  that you can see the various start / stop dates / times 
  for when work was undertaken on each particular file.

- Add in a Client Report button which generates a report 
  containing : File name, logged work time (in Hours), 
  with a month by month breakdown and an overall total.

- Add in Sort functionality to sort on the various columns.

- Add in the ability to ignore file usage events of less 
  than 15 seconds (say).

- Add in extra file filters on the Select File dialog, such 
  as *.doc, *.xls, *.wk*, *.ppt, *.drw, etc.

- Help File - full blown, context sensitive help for the 
  application.

- Group Working functionality to generate reports for each 
  client even when many people are working on files relating 
  to the client.

- A Macintosh version of the program.

- Add in functionality to save the File Usage Log periodically 
  (say every 5 minutes), to minimise the impact of a total system 
  crash on the log.

- Add in a Setup screen to enable the user to customise the program.

- Work on getting File Usage Monitor to log file usage in 
  applications that do NOT lock files while they are being 
  worked on.  See "Limitations of File Usage Monitor" above.

- Anything else ?  Just Email me with suggestions / comments !!

The list is almost endless !!

Once you register this program, all future upgrades are FREE !!

What upgrades I do depends on what sort of response I get to 
this program, and what other suggestions I get.

Because this program could become so advanced and complex, I 
cannot guarantee that the Registration Fee will remain at 
$5 (Aus).  So, it is definetely better to register sooner 
rather that later, because the price could go up !


Monitoring How Long Windows has been running :
----------------------------------------------

Need to keep track of how long you use Windows ?
Many people need to do this inorder to coordinate Backups
and other activities.  Well, File Usage Monitor can help !!

Many files that are opened (with write locks) when Windows starts
and are closed down when Windows exits.  These files are perfect
for monitoring how long Windows has been running.

For example, in Windows 95, these files can be used :

	c:\Win386.swp
	c:\windows\system\Mapisp32.exe
	c:\windows\system\winspool.drv
	c:\windows\system\systray.exe
	c:\windows\Win386.swp  (Windows Swap File)

Suitable files are not hard to find - press Ctrl-Alt-Del when 
Windows 95 starts up and look at the list of system files.  
There are other utilities where you can see loads of other 
drivers that are loaded as well if you want to use others.

Or you can hook into files belonging to other Windows applications - 
such as McAfee's virus scan that loads when Windows starts :

	c:\Program Files\McAfee\Vshwin32.exe


Sharware Information :
----------------------

This is NOT free software.

This product is shareware.  

This means that you can try out the software for evaluation 
purposes without charge for a period of 21 days to enable you
to decide whether to purchase / register it.

If you use this software after the 21 day evaluation period
a registration fee is required.  See the Registration Form
in the file register.txt.

Unregistered use of this software after the 21-day evaluation 
period is in violation of U.S. and international copyright laws.

If you do not purchase / register the software after the 21 day
trial period, then you must delete it from your system.

In order to encourage me to develop this software and keep 
developing other software, I encourage you to do the right 
thing and register the software.

I could have easily have made the programs nag you to Register, 
or expire after 21 days of use, but I do not like this approach.

From April 97 on, however, some of the new functionality being 
added to my programs will be available for Registered users only.
I tried to avoid doing this, but now I have been forced to do 
this to try and encourage some Registrations.

I live in the hope that if people use the programs, then they 
will register them.

Registered users will receive FREE upgrades of the program for
the life of the program.  i.e. as long as I keep improving the
program, registered users will get this new / additional 
functionality for FREE.

To Register, please complete the Registration Form in
the file register.txt.


Ammendment History :
--------------------

Vers    Date        Description
1.0     18-Apr-97   First Public Release.
                    Thank to my brother, Peter O'Malley, for his 
                    original and brilliant idea for this program.
1.1     24-May-97   Save settings automatically on Windows shutdown 
                    (Registered Users only).
                    Start Minimised if set in Shortcut / settings
                    (Registered Users only).  
                    Improve application startup - size and position 
                    form before user sees it.
                    Put a Status Bar at the bottom of the Main 
                    Window to hold Icon & object tool tips.
                    Add in Menu items for viewing my Shareware 
                    Catalog, Readme file, and Registration Form.
1.2     13-Jun-97   Save Window Height and Width on exit, and 
                    enable Main Window to be resized.
                    Build a 32 bit version for Windows 95 / NT
                    which enables Long File Names to be used, and
                    also enables File Usage Monitor to be placed
                    on the Icon Tray.
                    Make the "Add Files to be Monitored" button
                    multi-select, so you can add many files at once.
                    Add in a "Reset Usage" for all files button.
1.3     11-Jan-98   Fix a long standing but very elusive problem
                    to do with "DateEncode" errors which occured
                    on some machines under some conditions.
                    Once I could replicate the error, it was
                    reasonably straight forward to get a workaround
                    for what was another bug in Delphi.
                    (3,216 lines of code.)


If this program was not downloaded from my Home Page, then
it is most likely an old version.  The latest version of this 
program is available from my Home page and its mirrors.

Moose
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 EMail         : Moose@rocknet.net.au
 Home Page     : http://www.rocknet.net.au/~moose/
 Mirrors       : See above Home Page.
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