Tag: donationcoder

sChecklist For Fast And Easy Lists

sChecklist is one in the long list of useful software to come from DonationCoder. sChecklist was one of the entries for 2014 NANY and was initially released in January 2014, it is currently at v.1.0.7.

To use sChecklist just unzip and launch. Create a new list via the icon, menu or a right click in the left pane. Name the list and start adding entries – using Ins key or right click in the right pane. New items can also be inserted via the clipboard and then checked when needed. Multiple lists can be also added and existing lists can be duplicated. Copy and paste works between lists with the item’s checked state retained when pasting it in another list.

It is possible to sort entries by letter or number or to move all checked items to the top or bottom, individual entries can be moved up or down as well using the arrow icons. The program options are Start with Windows, Minimize on startup, Minimize to tray, Close to tray, Close button (X) minimizes, show gridlines in lists (this is on by default), Auto-size list columns and Display last selected checklist on startup.

sChecklist works on XP and newer and it is possible to export lists to a text file.

September 16, 2014
NANY 2014 Is Here
The latest edition of DonationCoder’s New Apps for the New Year is here. The programs shared this year include the following:
- ImgFloat – an app to overlay the desktop with a recently taken screenshot [with Screenshot Captor]
- Q-FlashCards – an Android program for learning (vocabulary, dates, whatever) using virtual flash cards. Perhaps a good option for learning a new language
- Text Inspection & Manipulation Utility – an utility to inspect and manipulate text. Case conversion, encrypt, sort, search and more
- Zeno’s Alarm – lets you set future events, and it will alert you every time you cover half of the remaining duration
- Esc Close – close a program by just pressing the ESC key thrice … even close a tab by pressing ESC key twice.
- epCheck – a tool designed to let you easily track and view TV series data. Data provided by TheTVDB.com
and many more.

The latter retrieves information for just about any tv series for viewing on the desktop. Search, add a series and then view the information downloaded in a list and description format with number of episodes and seasons plus episode dates and summaries. Past and upcoming episodes are presented in a ‘weekly’ tab that can be configured to show X number of past and future days. epCheck also links to the series’ wikipedia page (Series —> wikipedia) and also includes links to various relevant pages on TheTVDB.com
January 1, 2014
The Weather On Your Desktop with sWeather

sWeather (Version: 1.3.2) is a simple and attractive tool to check the weather and 5 day forecast for any number of locations. Unzip and configure (Using the Options menu or tray icon right click) the program by entering one or more locations. Current temperature and 5 day minimum and maximum forecasts are complemented by barometer, humidity, visibility, wind speed, sunrise, sunset, latitude and longitude values.

Locations can be found using address, town, zip code, country and even by landmark and street. sWeather looks up the location and uses Yahoo! Weather’s WOEID location identifier. When more than one location is added you can cycle through them using the mouse wheel, Page Up/Down, arrow keys or buttons on the right side of the program window. The F5 key refreshes weather data, F2 opens an expanded view where all the weather information is made available in listview.

The program options include using metric units (viewing the temperature in centigrade instead of fahrenheit among others), toggling the temperature tray icon’s visibility, starting sWeather with Windows, starting it minimized, changing the automated refresh time from the default 60 minutes and using different sets of icons.

sWeather is freeware, works on Windows XP and newer and is portable. Don’t forget to click F4 to have some fun with the program. Support questions can be asked on its dedicated DonationCoder thread.

August 21, 2012
Ethervane Echo: Multi-Featured Clipboard Manager

Ethervane Echo is a full featured ‘keyboard centric’ clipboard extender or manager for Windows. It divides captured clipboard items into different categories based primarily on time captured and type, for example last hour and URLs and it can be tweaked for more advanced use. It does and should work when copying from most any source but it does not support images.

The Win+Insert (can be changed in the Preferences (Tool—>Preferences—>Keyboard)) keys are the default way of bringing up the program and Esc the default way to minimize it back to the tray.

Ethervane Echo’s interface is divided into views, these views can be hidden or others added (View —> Manage Quick Views). The intended features and strengths are to find the items after they have been captured using the keyboard and search (with wild card support). A good example of Ethervane Echo’s ease of use is that when the program is brought up just typing starts a search, there is no need to click in the search box, and if required pressing Esc clears the search box. The search box has basic and advanced modes, the former is search as you type and the latter requires pressing enter to start the search.

The interface tries to give as much information as it can by showing the source, time of capture, size and type of a highlighted item and information on the total number of items in its database. Ethervane Echo has a status indicator – the little green check mark on the bottom of the interface – and it can be paused to not capture clipboard items by double clicking on that same icon.

The basic usage uses the usual Ctrl+C keys for copying and then maximizing the program, choosing a clip using the arrow keys and then pressing Enter to paste the chosen – or even multiple clips – into the active window. Right clicking on each clip presents copy, pasting and editing options as well.

An item can be made sticky to remain in the database forever, this can done via the right click menu, Ctrl+S or the Edit menu.

The Database Maintenance section of the Preferences is important because here one can edit the program’s purging or automatic deleting schedule.

Among other features Ethervane Echo is also capable of holding items in memory instead of on disk for privacy reasons (Preferences—>Database). It supports ignoring clips like those captured within an interval (Preferences—>Capturing Clips) of the last capture, from certain programs (Preferences—>Application Filter), duplicates and passwords. Setting minimum and maximum item lengths are also set in the Capturing Clips section.

See the Keyboard Reference section of the help (or Shift+F1) for all available shortcuts. Ethervane Echo can import items from a text file or a Ditto clipboard database (Tools —> Import Clips). Ethervane Echo has been released as part of DonationCoder’s 2012 N.A.N.Y. (New Apps For The New Year) challenge, requires XP and newer and is available in both portable and installer versions.

December 31, 2011
Organize Files With File Bucket

File Bucket is one the many excellent programs and coding snacks from DonationCoder. File Bucket’s main purpose is to copy or move scattered files into one central or organized location. It was created because a user on the DonationCoder forums asked for a program to ease disc creation. The user wanted to automatically copy media files to one single folder and then burn them to a disc. In my opinion the same concept can be applied to backing up files. Working on my system I am using File Bucket and moving files that have been created in various My Documents and other folders into one location so subsequent system backups are easier and cleaner.

File Bucket is divided into four panes or areas, the top left hand side shows all systems drives and below it the folder tree. Highlighting a folder in the tree will show its files in the upper right hand pane. The lower right hand pane is the bucket or list of files and folders that will be moved or copied.

The three buttons on lower left side of the interface act as aids or shortcuts for adding files or folders to the bucket. “Add folder’s file to list” will add only files – from the folder selected in tree – to the bucket, ignoring any subfolders. “Add folder & subfolder’s files to list” will add all files including those in subfolders. “Add to list as a folder” will add the selected folder as is to the bucket thereby moving or copying it as a folder and not only the individual files that are within it. The “Add selected to list” and “Add all to list” buttons work on the folder(s) and file(s) visible just above them. After the bucket is populated the destination folder can be configured and the option to move or copy – or “Delete items to Recycle Bin”, “Save list with absolute paths” and other – chosen.

One other feature that adds another degree of usefulness to File Bucket is the filter (middle right of the program interface). Using the filter one can specify the file formats that will end up in the bucket. For example one can only move *.mp3 or *.jpg files. Any number of formats can be defined in the filter list which pops up when clicking the filter button. The filter(s) must be defined before any files are added to the bucket and in that sense the location of the filter button – and its associated dropdown – is perhaps not the best as one can mistakenly add files to the bucket before ‘reaching’ or getting to the filtering part on the right hand side of the program.

Once used it becomes clear that File Bucket is more difficult to describe than to use and it joins a long list of very useful utilities coded at DonationCoder.

August 7, 2010
Donationcoder.com

Donationcoder is an active and unusual website. It is a one where not only members get help on computer and programming issues but one where useful code and programs are being written and reviewed everyday. What makes donationcoder even more unusual is the section they call ‘Coding Snacks‘. This is where you get ‘Tiny programs coded on demand while you wait’. Through this and other active members and authors donationcoder has, over the years, accumulated a vast array of programs made for a wide variety of useful tasks. Some minor and some pretty innovative and even more useful. Software creation challenges such as the yearly NANY (New Apps For The New Year) challenge have also added to the list of programs available.

Right now a 4th anniversary fundraiser has been setup with the aim of raising $8000 to cover all kinds of costs and any amount of money donated will entitle the donator to a non-expiring key to all the software created and even those that will be created in the future. Other benefits include full access to their shareware discount deals and more.

But most of all donating is a way to support donationcoder, a place where members are helping each other in very concrete means. For a fun, tongue in cheek calculation of how much a person can and should donate check out the Scientifically Proven Optimal Donation Amount Chart.

March 4, 2009