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WorldClock  Version 1.19
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Released August 29, 1998
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Introduction
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WorldClock allows you to select almost any area of the world and find what the current local time is in that area. This is done by either clicking on a world map or, for the geographically impaired :-), by selecting a city or area from a list. In determining the local time, it takes into account whether local Daylight Savings Time is in effect for most major areas of the world.

If you are logged on to the Internet, WorldClock can also check your PC's time against an Internet time server for accuracy. It will automatically reset your PC's clock if it finds any differences.

You can also set up to eight alarms. These can be set for a given time and activated for the current day only or for selected days that you specify.

WorldClock also has a nice calendar feature that includes all Canadian and US holidays; it is even able to calculate the date of moving holidays such as Easter weekend as well as generic holidays such as Thanksgiving. You also have the ability to 'mark' certain days (such as loved one's birthdays) on the calendar. 


Version History
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[08/28/98] Version 1.19:
New to this release is the ability to select places within a given timezone from the popup menu. Changed the way I iconize the application to the System Tray. The old method was preventing users from shutting down their machines if WorldClock was running -- not nice! Also fixed a small memory leak.

[08/03/98] Version 1.18:
Added options to minimize to System Tray and to start minimized. Added option to set clock at user specified intervals. Added '/s' startup paramater. Fixed bug where selecting the GMT timezone causes a 'List Index' error.

[07/21/98] Version 1.17:
Fixed a small problem with date formats in the alarm system. Also added an option to toll hourly bells. This version also includes more cities, updated Daylight Saving Time information for more areas, and a few interface improvements.

[07/15/98] Version 1.16:
Added new time display fonts. Also fixed German date format problem.

[07/11/98] Version 1.14:
Fixed a few time zones and added lots of new cities. Also added 24-hour time display option.

[07/03/98] Version 1.10:
First major update to WorldClock. Fixed many little (and big) bugs.

[06/14/98] Version 1.00:
First release.


Setup Instructions
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There is no setup utility as the whole program is self-contained in one executable file. To install WorldClock, simply put the program into the directory of your choice. Note that although the program itself is contained in one file, an associated options file called WorldClock.ini will be created in the same directory that you installed WorldClock. This file is used to keep track of your configuration.


Using WorldClock
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When you run the program, you will see a map of the world. You can click anywhere on the map to select that area's timezone. You will see the selected zone time display (the right pane) update to reflect the UTC hour shift as well as the local time in your selected timezone. Alternately, you can select an area/city in the listbox at the bottom of the screen. As stated previously, the program takes into account whether or not DST is in effect in the selected timezone. If so, you will see a little 'sun' icon appear just to the right of the timezone display. You will also notice that once you have select a timezone, the 'Select Place in Zone' popup menu item is filled in with all of the places associated with that specific timezone. You can use this feature as a very quick and easy method to select a specific area or city within a timezone.

The time display is broken down into two panes. The pane on the left shows you your local time, while the pane on the right shows you the current time in the timezone you have selected. The time display has header bars to display the name of the selected areas. For your local time, I display what Windows reports as your local timezone. You can customize the typically bland nature of this information (i.e. 'Eastern Standard Time') with your own text. You do this by selecting the 'Set Local Name' option from the popup menu. This allows you to personalize the display to reflect something a little more meaningful (i.e. 'Montreal, Quebec').

Right-clicking anywhere on the WorldClock window will bring up the popup menu. Using this menu you can select whether or not to show the map and/or places segments of the WorldClock window. This can be handy when you want to park WorldClock in a small corner of your screen and take up as little space as possible. Note that there is also a 'Stay On Top' option in the popup menu. As the name implies, this option will force the WorldClock window to always remain above your other windows.

If you minimize the WorldClock program, you will note that the program name on the Windows taskbar changes from 'WorldClock' to display the current location and time of your selected timezone. If the taskbar is cluttered and the WorldClock item is too small to contain the complete text, move your mouse over the WorldClock item and a hint window will popup to display the complete text. You also have the option of minimizing WorldClock to the System Tray (this is where the time is displayed). To activate this feature select the 'Minimize To Tray' option from the menu. Note that if you choose this option, you will lose the taskbar display of the selected area's current time. However, if you move the mouse over the WorldClock icon in the tray area, a hint window will popup to display this time. You can also choose to start your program already minimized. Select the 'Minimize On Launch' option from the menu.

If you don't like my choice of font or colour for the time display, you have the option of changing it. Simply select the 'Set Time Display' option from the popup menu and you can select from several different choices.

Selecting the 'Set Clock' option from the menu (or double clicking on either time display) will bring up the TimeSync screen. Press the 'Check Time' button on this screen to validate your PC's clock against your selected Internet Time Server. You can also ask WorldClock to set your's PC's clock at pre-set intervals. Select the 'Set Clock Every' option from the menu and you can choose from every hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, or 12 hours. If you wish to run the program just to set the clock and then exit, there is a '/s' command line option to do this. (NOTE: This /s option is available only with the registered version of WorldClock.) Obviously, you must be connected to the Internet for all of these clock-set features to operate properly.

You can set up to eight alarms. From the popup menu select 'Set Alarm' and then the alarm you want to set (there are eight available). On the alarm configuration screen you specify the time of the alarm and the frequency. You can choose to set it as a one-time only alarm or to go off for certain days of the week. You can also choose whether or not a sound is played when the alarm goes off. You can choose to use either the internal built-in sound (a ringing alarm clock sound) or any .WAV file of your choice.

You will note that if you move your mouse over the date areas, the dates turn into buttons. Press either of these buttons and a calendar will popup on the side of the main screen. You can move the calendar display around by clicking and dragging while your mouse is over the month name. You can close the calendar display by clicking on the little 'x' at the lower right-hand corner of the calendar screen. (You can also bring up the calendar screen by selecting the 'Show Calendar' option from the popup menu.)

Once the calendar screen is up, you will note that there are two sets of buttons at the top of the calendar. The set on the left allows you to scroll the calendar through the months, while the set on the right allows you to scroll the calendar through the years. If you right click while your mouse is over the calendar area of the calendar screen, you will get a popup menu that allows you to select various options for the calendar. The main use for this menu is to set/reset your 'marked' days. Note that you can mark a day for the current year, or for all years. For instance, if you want to mark an upcoming event (concert, date, whatever) you would only mark for the current year. Birthday reminders, on the other hand, you  would want to mark for all years.


Registration
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WorldClock is distributed as shareware (it has a $10 US registration fee). The trial version has nag-screens which prompt you to register every 4 minutes or so. I have an on-line registration system which you can access from either of my home pages at:

	http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Hills/9562	(Main link)
	http://www.total.net/~fulvio/WC				(Backup link)

You will need a major credit card to register.

If you prefer not to register on-line, you can mail a registration check in the amount of $10 US made payable to Fulvio Castelli to the following address:

           Fulvio Castelli
           44 Courtney Drive
           Montreal, Quebec
           Canada
           H4X 1M5

Please include your e-mail address. Once I receive your check, I will e-mail you the registered nag-free version of the program.

Thank you.


E-Mail Me!
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If you find any problems or bugs, please e-mail me at fulvio@rocketship.com and I will address them as quickly as possible. I'd also like to hear any comments (likes, dislikes, suggestions) that you might have.

I hope you enjoy the program.


Fulvio J. Castelli
July 5, 1998.