KookieJar: What's new in KookieJar 6.0

I have tried to introduce all the new 6.0 functionality while preserving as much of the original KookieJar design as possible. You may already have noticed that the main program interface has changed very little: a few buttons have been added to the toolbar, and the main KookieJar window now has a drop-down list used to select signatures (because there can be more than one).

The general principles haven't changed, and no functionality has been removed. However, the program has been completely rewritten and changes "under the hood" are immense. This requires that KookieJar 6.0 be installed in a separate directory and you will need to specify your preferred configuration settings; they will NOT be transferred from the previous installation.

CHANGES AND ADDITIONS IN VERSION 6.0 IN COMPARISON TO VERSION 5.9:

1. KookieJar 6.0 can maintain and generate an unlimited number of signatures. Each signature is defined in a separate text file with the .SGN extension. (Note: in version 5.9 this extension was used for template files.)
2. Important changes have been introduced to the way signature formats and templates work. Please see the "TEMPLATES" section, below.
3. In KookieJar 6.0, each signature can be saved in up to THREE formats: plain text, RTF, and/or HTML. (Previously, you could only choose one format.) Consequently, each signature can have up to three templates, one for each format. However, only the template for "plain text" format MUST be specified; the other templates are optional. If you specify that the signature should be saved in RTF (or HTML) format, but do not specify the RTF (or HTML) template, KookieJar will use the plain text format template and automatically convert the signature to the required format (RTF or HTML)
4. KookieJar 6.0 can maintain and use an unlimited number of tagline files (previously called "quote files").
5. In KookieJar 6.0, each signature can only use ONE tagline file. The "Random multifile" selection method is not currently available. (It will be reinstated somewhat later.)
6. Most configuration options now apply only to a specific signature or a specific tagline file. There are now three main configuration dialog boxes:
   • PREFERENCES (F5): edit general program configuration
   • SIGNATURE (F4): edit options for selected signature
   • TAGLINE FILE (F6): edit options for selected tagline file
     (the tagline file which belongs to currently selected signature)
7. The drop-down list at the bottom of the main KookieJar window allows you to select the "current" (or "active") signature. Most operations will be performed only on the signature selected there.
8. When you create new signatures and new tagline files, you are required to give them UNIQUE "titles". KookieJar automatically creates filenames when saving your signature and tagline file settings to disk, and these filenames are not important. KookieJar identifies your signatures and tagline files by the titles you supply.
9. New file types and extensions:
   • SIGNATURE files: extension .SGN. These are the files which define all settings for your signatures. Each signature is contained in a separate .SGN file.
   • TAGLINE files: extension .TGF. These are the files which define all settings for your taglines (quote files). Note that a .TGF file is NOT the file where your random quotes are kept; a .TGF file only maintains the information that KookieJar needs to know about your quotes.
   • TEMPLATE files: extensions .TXT, .RTF and .HTML, depending on format. (The .SGN extension is now used for signature files instead!) These are the templates, including text and tokens, which KookieJar fills in to generate your signatures.
10. KookieJar 6.0 REQUIRES that certain files reside in specific directories:
    • SIGNATURE files (.sgn) must be located in the "\Signatures" subdirectory
    • GENERATED SIGNATURES may be kept anywhere, but by default they are located in the same subdirectory as Signature files ("\Signatures")
    • TEMPLATE files (.txt, .rtf, .html) do not have a fixed location, but by default they are located in the "\Templates" subdirectory.
    • TAGLINE files (.tgf) must be located in the "\Taglines" subdirectory
    • RANDOM QUOTE FILES (the files which contain the actual taglines, to be included in your signatures) may be kept anywhere, but by default they are located in the same subdirectory as Tagline files ("\Taglines")
11. Tagline selection method: KookieJar 6 supports the same tagline selection methods as version 5.9 (except for "Random multifile", but this will be addressed soon). Note, however, that the tagline selection method is a property of the tagline file (not signature), so if several signatures use the same tagline file, they will also use the same tagline selection method.
12. To keep the size and memory requirements of the main executable program to minimum, almost all dialog boxes and many support functions have been moved to a separate library file, called "kj6util.dll". DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE!
13. KookieJar no longer uses registry to store any of its settings.
14. Many dialog boxes are now resizeable and remember their size and position when you reopen them.
15. NEW: Find function (Ctrl+F) allows you to locate taglines by searching for text they contain.
16. NEW: Signature viewer (V), updated automatically when the currently selected signature is generated. (KookieJar no longer uses "quikview.exe")
17. NEW: Report window (F7), where you can browse through information on all existing signatures and tagline files.
18. NEW: You can now configure the activation hotkey (used to bring up KookieJar when minimized) in the Preferences dialog box. The hotkey can be changed WITHOUT having to restart the program.
19. More configuration settings
20. Some keyboard shortcuts have changed (see file "keyboard.txt")
21. KookieJar is now based on Mozilla Public License (see file "LICENSE.TXT") and as soon as it comes out of BETA, full source code will be made available.

HOW SIGNATURES ARE SAVED: FORMATS and LOCATIONS

Templates and signature formats work in a slightly different way now. Before, KookieJar supported five signature formats:

1. plain text
2. simple RTF (plain text template)
3. full RTF (RTF template)
4. simple HTML (plain text template)
5. full HTML (HTML template)

You could choose only one of these formats for your signature.

KookieJar 6.0 has only THREE signature formats:

1. plain text
2. RTF
3. HTML

Each signature can be saved in one, two or all three of these formats. (However, no functionality has been lost; see the next section on Templates.)

To specify formats for a signature, select the "Edit signature" command from the "Signatures" menu, then click the "Locations" tab. The tab contains three checkboxes and three edit fields. Mark the checkboxes to select the formats in which the signature shnould be saved.

For each format selected, you also need to specify the location, i.e. the filename under which the signature will be saved.

Previously, you had to specify only one "Location" of the signature. KookieJar 6 can create not one, but up to three signature files for each signature you define. This is because the same signature can be simultaneously saved in up to three formats: plain text, RTF and / or HTML. Obviously, each format needs a separate file name. This means you need to enter up to three location filenames, one for each format you selected for the signature.

These are the filenames which you will tell your email or news program to use as signatures.

(Signatures in different formats can be saved in different directories, although by default they only differ in the file name extension.)

You only have to specify the location for the text format signature. If you leave the other two Location fields blank, but select their corresponding formats, KookieJar will automatically create default location filenames for these formats, by changing the filename extension to .RTF (for rich text format signature location) and .HTML (for HTML format signature location).

For each format you select here, you also need to specify the template file used to generate signature in this format; see the next section.

CHANGES IN TEMPLATES HANDLING

For each signature format selected on the "Locations" tab, you need to tell KookieJar what template should be used to generate signature in that format. To do so, click the "Templates" tab and specify template filenames for the formats you have selected.

Again, you only have to specify the template for the text format signature. If you leave the other two Template fields blank, but select their corresponding formats, KookieJar will simply use the text format template for the other formats too.

So what about the difference between "simple" and "full" formats?

Even though KookieJar 6 has only three signature format while KokieJar 5.9 had five, no functionality has been eliminated from the program.

To choose between a "simple" or "full" variant of RTF and HTML formats, simply specify the template that you want to use for that format. For instance, if you previously used "simple RTF" format, check the "Rich text format" checkbox, and specify a plain text (.txt) template. If you previously used the "full RTF" format, check the same box and specify an rich text format (.rtf) file as a template.

Examples:

With the "Rich text format" selected on the "Location" tab:

Specifying the template as
     "C:\kookiejar\template.txt"
is equivalent to what used to be called "Simple RTF" format, because you are using a plain-text template.

Specifying the template as
     "C:\kookiejar\template.rtf"
is equivalent to what used to be called "Full RTF" format, because you are using a rich text format template.

Everything else works as before. For the "simple RTF" and "simple HTML" formats, KookieJar will supply its own, default RTF or HTML formatting, or you can use the so-called "format files", as before. The format files can be specified on the "Other" tab. (The Help file for KookieJar 5.9 explains how format files work.) If you specify an RTF (or HTML) file as a template, format files will not be used, and the template must be a well-formed RTF or HTML document.

One other note: you do not even have to specify all three template filenames. It is enough to specify only the template for "plain text" format (this MUST be a .txt file). If you check additional format boxes (RTF and / or HTML), but not specify template files for these formats, KookieJar 6 will use the same, plain text, template, for all formats.

CHANGED TOKENS:

1. old: %QFILE (do not use anymore!)
   new: %QFNAME
   meaning: the file name of the tagline file (filename only, no path)
2. old: %DATELOCAL (do not use anymore!)
   new: %DATELOCALSHORT, %DATELOCALLONG
   meaning: current date according to Windows locale), in Short of Long format
3. old: %ERISTIMESHORT, %ERISTIMELONG (syntax changed)
   new: %ERISTIMESHORT, %ERISTIMELONG (note: NO parameters)
   meaning: current Discordian time. Do not specify time zone.

To learn more about template tokens, please see the Help file for KookieJar 5.9.

NEW TOKENS:

1. token: %QFTITLE
   meaning: unique title of the tagline file used
2. token: %QFDESC
   meaning: description of the tagline file used
3. token: %SIGFNAME
   meaning: current signature filename (no path)
4. token: %SIGFTITLE
   meaning: current signature's unique title
5. token: %SIGFDESC
   meaning: current signature description