SmartClock - the intelligent clock

Transparent digital/analog clock for Windows
version 1.3.1

This program is FREEWARE.

Copyright (c) 2000-2002 Pavel Chmelar
All rights reserved


CONTENTS

  [1] Introduction (what is SmartClock?)
  [2] System requirements
  [3] Installation (and uninstallation)
  [4] Getting started
  [5] Configuration notes
  [6] Troubleshooting
  [7] History (what's new in the latest version)
  [8] License and copying
  [9] SmartClock on the web (how to contact me)


[1] INTRODUCTION

 SmartClock is not like other ordinary time displaying tools. It displays
 current time in standalone moveable window, which stays always on top of
 the desktop. You can select between digital and analog mode and, of course,
 you can configure many things like font size, color, shadow and so on.
 But what makes SmartClock so different? SmartClock is TRANSPARENT! You can
 always see (and click) what's behind. And when you need to see more, just
 move the mouse over the display and it will get out of your way.


[2] SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

 SmartClock is written and tested for Windows 98, Me, NT 4, 2000 and XP. It's
 also possible to use it under Windows 95, but it's not recommended due to
 problems caused by the system (the screensaver doesn't start).

 The true transparency is available on Windows 2000/XP only.

 SmartClock has no special hardware requirements.


[3] INSTALLATION

 No installation is required. All you have to do is unpack the files from the
 ZIP archive to any folder and start SMARTCLOCK.EXE. If you want to launch
 SmartClock automatically on Windows startup, create new shortcut in the
 StartUp folder of your Start menu.

 To uninstall SmartClock simply delete it.


[4] GETTING STARTED

 TRAY ICON:
   Tray icon is an icon placed into the taskbar status area.

 CONTEXT MENU:
   Right-click the display or the tray icon to display the context menu.

 CONFIGURATION DIALOG:
   To open the configuration window doubleclick the tray icon or select
   "SmartClock setup..." from the context menu.

 TERMINATING SMARTCLOCK:
   To terminate SmartClock select "Exit SmartClock" from the context menu.

 HIDING THE CLOCK MANUALLY:
   - you can hide the display manually by doubleclicking it. The clock becomes
     visible automatically right after you move the cursor away.
   - pressing down the SHIFT key and doubleclicking the display hides the clock
     permanently. Click the tray icon to make the clock visible.

 MOVING THE DISPLAY AROUND THE SCREEN:
   You can move the display around the screen by dragging it with the mouse.
   But if the window disappears before you can drag it, you need to use
   a little trick: press down the SHIFT key and hold it down while dragging
   the window.

 TRANSPARENCY:
   "Transparency" means that only important parts of the display are visible
   (text, clock hand and tick marks) and the clock window has no background.

   "True transparency" works on Windows 2000 or XP only. It allows you to see
   also through the text, clock hands and tick marks.


[5] CONFIGURATION NOTES

 You can configure SmartClock to display seconds. It looks nice, but causes
 higher processor and memory usage. So it's recommended to leave it disabled
 on slower machines.

 The true transparency is only available on Windows 2000 or XP running in high
 color or true color mode.

 The 3D effect requires high color or better mode.

 The best way to launch SmartClock automatically on every Windows startup is
 creating a shortcut in the StartUp folder of the Start menu. If you have
 created a shortcut in the Start menu, there is no need to enable the 
 "Restart SmartClock on next Windows startup" option, which causes SmartClock
 to be restarted on next startup, but only in case it was terminated
 correctly(!) during previous shutdown.


[6] TROUBLESHOOTING
 
 SmartClock 1.3.1 offers two simple troubleshooting features: resetting the
 clock position and resetting all preferences. You may find the new
 "Troubleshooting" page in the preferences window.

 You may need to reset the clock position especially when the clock disappears
 due to lowering the screen size or changing the layout of desktops (if you
 are using multiple monitors).

 In case you can't access the preferences window (the display disappeared
 and the tray icon is disabled), you are still able to display the
 troubleshooting page by launching SmartClock.exe again.

 
[7] HISTORY

  version | what's new (+), changed (*), removed (-); fixed bugs (!)

->  1.3.1 (March 2002)
          ! Windows XP compatibility;
          + support for multiple monitors;
          + the "Troubleshooting" page, see "[6] Troubleshooting" for
            description.


      1.3 (June 2001)
          + optional and customizable "true transparency" allows you to see
            through the text, clock hands and tick marks. This feature is
            available under Windows 2000 only and requires high color or better
            display mode
          + the analog display allows you to select different colors for tick
            marks and clock hands
          + you can hide the clock permanently by doubleclicking the display
            with the SHIFT key pressed down. Clicking on the tray icon brings
            the clock back
          * the tray icon is now optional
          * the "always on top" feature is now optional - you can toggle it
            from the setup window or from the popup menu
          + it's now possible to display short, long or custom date on the
            digital display
          * improved alarm: snooze now does not modify the alarm time, the
            alarm stays enabled, snooze can be cancelled by resetting the
            alarm...
          * more intelligent transparency routine - eliminates the "pink
            outline" problem (caused by the "smooth edges of screen fonts"
            system option)
          + the four right custom color boxes in the color selection dialog box
            are now used as a history of most recently selected colors
          * the right aligned display flicker has been reduced
          * autohide delay can now be set to 0 miliseconds
          + better display size and position checking
          ! the popup menu now has appropriate width on Window NT


   1.2.99 (February 2001)
          + alarm
          + date (shown as tooltip). Move the cursor over the clock to display
            the date (press down the SHIFT key if you are using the AutoHide
            feature)
          + the AM/PM indicator can be turned off without switching to the
            24-hour mode (these switches are available only if your system is
            configured to use 12-hour mode)
          + 3D text effect (digital display; hicolor and truecolor modes only)
          + new analog display styles
          ! digital display: the display is now drawn properly when the
            font style is set to Italic
          ! digital display: no more display walking when the alignment is set
            to center

      1.2 (December 2000)
          + "Seconds" option
          + "Force 24-hour mode" option
          + you can select between various analog display styles (there are
            three at this time :-)
          * improved configuration dialog
          * new program and tray icon

      1.1 (November 2000)
          + analog display can be resized
          + outline width selector (none, 1 pixel, 2 pixels)
          * better color selection buttons
          * much better analog clock hands
          * AutoHide can be temporarily disabled with the SHIFT key
          - StartUp folder shortcut creation

      1.0 (August 2000)
          = initial release


[8] LICENSE AND COPYING

 SmartClock is Freeware. That means:
  - you may download it for FREE; 
  - you may use it on as many computers as you need;
  - you may freely distribute it, but only in the original package and free of
    charge;
  - it's fully functional - there are no delays, no nag screens and no blocked
    features;
  - it's provided without warranty of any kind and you are using it at your
    own risk.

 
[9] SMARTCLOCK ON THE WEB

 Visit "http://home.worldonline.cz/~cz057881/en/" to get the latest version of
 SmartClock.

 If you've got any comments or suggestions, don't be shy and send me an e-mail
 to "smartclock@wo.cz". If you want to receive notifications about new releases
 of SmartClock, don't forget to mention it in your e-mail.

 Pavel Chmelar.
