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 : [email protected]
Home Page : http://www.rocknet.net.au/~moose/
Mirrors : See above Home Page.
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