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NOTE: THIS PROGRAM IS STILL IN BETA AND MAY HAVE BUGS. IF YOU USE THIS PROGRAM, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. NO LIABILITIES OR CLAIMS ARE GRANTED IN THIS BETA RELEASE. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THIS PROGRAM, IT'S SUPPORTING FILES, OR IT'S SETUP PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM IS GIVEN 'AS IS' AND NO GUARANTEES OR WARANTEES ARE EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. This program is shareware and is intended to be an evaluation copy. However there is no expiration date - it is up to the honest user to register. This program may be freely distributed provided this file, in unaltered form, is distributed with it. Ok, that's the legal mumbo jumbo. If you want some more, please view the End User License Agreement. Now for the real stuff - What FilePreview is and how to use it.

Thank you for taking a look at FilePreview version 1.3, an application that combines the windows explorer and the UNIX head utility. Below is a more detailed description of the use of the application, along with the reaons behind it, the features in it, and whats new in version 1.3. As this is intended as a shareware program, there is also registration information should you feel the need. The trial version lasts for thirty days.

Ok, the first question is why? Well there are two main reasons: Because I wanted to. I was frustrated at opening the wrong files. I wanted to so I could gain experience with the GUI elements of MFC. Yes, this was written with C++ and MFC, not VB. Most of my experience involves software components nobody ever sees so this gives me a chance to write something for the other side of the monitor. Understandably I expect to catch a lot more flak than I'm used to. I was also tired of searching for a file, only to open several files that were not the one I was looking for. I don't use DevStudio for everything, plus not every file is in a project. Hence the need for FilePreview! FilePreview lets the user quickly see the top portion of each selected text file. If it is the one, it can be opened for editing using Notepad or any application the user selects with the "Open With..." command.   Using FilePreview To install, simply run the setup.exe program and install to the directory of your choice. If there are any problems, do not hesitate to contact me. Using file preview is very similar to the regular Windows Explorer. Folders and files are in the left pane. The right pane will contain the file that is currently selected. If running in autoview mode, the file will show up in the right pane as soon as it's selected. If not in autoview mode, you must double-click the file for it to show up in the right pane. The mode is toggled by the menu or the toolbar button the looks like a magnifying glass. The default is to start the application with autoview off. The state of the autoview feature will be stored in the registry after the first use and retrieved each time the application is started. Text may be copied out of the view pane by first selecting the text and then using the hot keys "Ctrl-C" to copy the text to the clipboard. The current file can be opened in numerous ways from the menu or the toolbar. The plain folder or "Open with Default" will open the file with whatever application the file type is registered with in windows. If the file type is not registered with an application a message box saying "No application associated with this file" will be displayed. Choosing "Edit" or the folder with an E with open the file for editing in either Notepad or that file extension's associated application. Please see below for more on file associations. Choosing "Open With..." allows the user to specify the appllication to open the file with, either for editing or viewing. One difference from the explorer however is that File Preview is only a file browser. That means that you won't see "My Computer" or won't be able to see any networked machines. You will be able to see network drives if they are mapped on your machine. Features: Some important features of FilePreview: Searching for text in the currently selected file. Opening the selected file for editing using Notepad. The "Open With..." command for opening a file with a selected application. Sending the file as an email attachment. Selectable viewing mode - auto or manual. Selectable font for viewing file. What's new in version 1.3 Version 1.3 includes a couple of new features which enhance the usability of the program: Saving and restoring the window size and state. User-defined file associations. Several new application icons. Enforcement of 30-day trial evaluation. Ok, so maybe that last one doesn't enhance the usability, but it's worth noting anyway. User-defined file associations The major new feature is user-defined file associations. This allows the user to associate file extensions with an application that is different from the system default. The best example of this is html files. On most systems, the default association for html files is a browser such as Netscape or IE. But if you want to edit those files, you may want to use Notepad or some other editor for editing. If you like Notepad, fine, when you chose "Edit" the file will open in Notepad. If you would like to use some other editor, choose "File->Associations..." to bring up the file associaions dialog. Associations can be added or edited using this dialog. To add a new association, press the "New" button and fill in the entries. To edit or delete an entry, double-click on the entry's extension string. The print option has been removed for the time-being. The reason behind this decision is simple, but all input would be appreciated. I thought printing from another application would offer more possibilities, at least in the near-term. I prefer print-outs that are two column landscaped, which would take a while to implement. I'm still working on implementing printing, but for now some other user-interface options are more of a priority. Comments on this? Email me. What's new in version 1.31 Version 1.31 is really a minor release the eliminates the 64K file-size limit in the viewing window. It also introduces a word-wrap toggle option on the view menu. Below are some questions and answers concerning FilePreview. If you have any comments, suggestions, bug reports, or anything, send an email to my deja-news account and let me know.

Q and A

Q:	Do I need to register?
A:	You need to register if you intend to use the software for more than 30 days. ( And it would certainly be greatly appreciated. :-) ) Seriously, by registering you will be notified and sent a copy of the next release when it is ready. This will include bug fixes and some user enhancements. For registration information, look in the help menu under Registration Information or fill out the registration form.
Q:	Why can't I edit the files in place?
A:	Because of the possibility of someone accidentally editing a file, then viewing several other files without saving the original. Then they would get a very confusing dialog box when leaving the application. So, I thought it better to allow the user to only quickly view the file, search the file, but open the file in a separate application.
Q:	The file does not open in the application I specified or does not open at all. Whats wrong?
A:	Unless the file is in the path, the entire path and application must be specified. For thoroughness, I always specify the complete path anyway just to be sure.
Q:	Why Notepad?
A:	Notepad is on the system path of virtually all Windows machines. Although not fancy it is certainly quick and easy to use. In future versions of FilePreview I intend to allow configuring applications for file types as well as possibly differentiating between opening for editing and opening for viewing.
Q:	I can't see all of my file. Why?
A:	When I removed the use of the edit control I introduced another bug involving horizontal scrolling. If you open a file and the horizontal scroll bar does not appear and allow to see text on the right edge of the file, simply resize the window in the horizontal direction. Believe me, I'm working on this.
Q:	Why can't I see my file associations?
A:	The file association feature depends on a text file, Assoc.txt, being present in the same directory as the applcation. If this file is missing or is not formatted correctly, the data will be lost. If this happens, either make sure the file is present or contact me for a new one. Also check the file preivew website for a generic replacement for this file.
Q:	When will the next release happen?
A:	That depends on how much time I get to devote to this project and how much feedback I get. Hopefully soon, as the changes and additions I'd like to implement don't appear to be extremely difficult.