Visual DialogScript version 3.51 Release Notes                   6 May 2000
===========================================================================

Welcome to Visual DialogScript!
-------------------------------

Thank you for trying Visual DialogScript, the simple program development
tool for Microsoft Windows. Please take a few moments to read this file.
It contains important information both for new users and upgraders from
earlier versions of the product.

What is Visual DialogScript?
----------------------------

Visual DialogScript is a programming language and development environment
that has been designed to enable you quickly to develop simple dialog-based
programs or batch files for Windows 95 with the same ease as you might have
written a batch file or a Basic program for DOS.

The DialogScript language is easy to learn and similar to, though much more
powerful than, a batch language or macro language. Visual DialogScript also
includes visual tools: a Dialog Editor for designing dialog boxes visually,
and an Icon Editor for creating graphical icons for your programs.  There
is also a Dialog Wizard which generates the code automatically from your
visually designed dialog. Many useful DialogScript programs can be written
in a matter of minutes!

If you are new to Visual DialogScript, try the short Tutorial, then take a
few minutes to read through the User Guide section of the online manual.
This explains how the program works and covers basic concepts of the
DialogScript programming language. There are also several examples which
you can try out by cutting the code from the help file, pasting it into the
editor window, and running it.

System Requirements
-------------------

Visual DialogScript requires the following minimum system
specification:

- A Pentium 75MHz with 16MB RAM, 2MB hard disk space, color VGA display,
  mouse or compatible pointing device

- Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0.

Specifications for programs created with Visual DialogScript :

- Any system running Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0. 


Installing Visual DialogScript on your system
---------------------------------------------

Simply run with a double click on it the file "vds351uk.exe", this will start 
a full automatic installation program.


Removing Visual DialogScript from your system
---------------------------------------------

Visual DialogScript can be removed either by the uninstall applet from the
control panel or by the shortcut " Uninstall Visual DialogScript " in its
Folder.

Registering Visual DialogScript
-------------------------------

We hope you like Visual DialogScript and find it useful.  However, please
be aware that Visual DialogScript is not free or public domain software.

You are granted a license giving limited rights to use the software.  The
conditions of use are described in the License Agreement in the online
help. Basically, you are allowed up to 28 days to use the software for the
purpose of evaluating it. After that 28 days, or once you begin using it
for other purposes, whichever is the shorter, you must purchase a full
license for the software. You are violating criminal and intellectual
property laws if you do not do so.

This version of Visual DialogScript is fully functional.  However, while it
remains unregistered the software can't compile scripts.

This program can be registered through our agents RegNet - The Registration
Network.  RegNet can be located on the World Wide Web at the following URL:

	http://www.swregnet.com/

Registration costs $99.00 US. 

You can register online using your credit card.  RegNet offers secure transactions
for users of NetScape or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 or higher.
To go to the registration page for Visual DialogScript 3 go to:

	http://www.reg.net/product.asp?ID=4240	

Alternatively, you can send a check or money order (in US dollars drawn on a US bank),
made payable to Wintronix, Inc to:

RegNet
	24303 Walnut Street
	Suite 200
	Newhall, CA  91321
	U.S.A.

You can also call the toll-free number 1 800 WWW2REG (1 800 999-2734).  
Callers from outside the US should call  (661) 288-1827.
Upon registration (allow up to 1 working day for your registration to be processed)
you will receive your personal registration key.  This will be sent by email if an
email address was specified when registering.

When you receive your registration key, place it in the program's main directory 
(e.g: c:\program files\Visual DialogScript). The software will then behave as a 
fully licensed version.

Technical support
-----------------

Support for Visual DialogScript is provided via email to:

	support@dialogscript.com

Two levels of support are offered.

Free pre- and post-sales support covers Installation problems, bug reports
and the provision of workarounds (if possible) where a bug is identified,
and simple questions, like "Can you do this using VDS?" 

An extra-cost support plan is also offered which provides support cover for
the following areas:

-	Help achieving a specific task (we will write sections of script
	code)
-	Help debugging a script that won't work
-	Help writing a script (within the limit of two hours worth of work)
-	The provision of interim upgrades of the VDS software by email
	where a bug prevents a script from working or necessitates an
	inconvenient workaround (other customers must wait for the fixed
	version to be generally released.) 

For more information about support, visit the support page on our Web site.

Whatever your support problem, please help us to help you by including the
following information in your request:

-	Your name and company (as specified on registration)
-	The product name and version number (from the About box)
-	The version of Windows you are using
-	The sequence of events (or a section of script code) which will
	enable us to reproduce the problem.

Please do NOT send large screendump files as enclosures as your message may
be deleted.

Known problems
--------------

* The Help menu options to connect to our Web site and to register online
  will only work if your system is set up to automatically associate your
  Web browser with an Internet URL.


Changes in version 3.51
-----------------------

General Changes:
----------------
* Added parameter 'T' to the @windir() function. It returns the system temp directory.

* Added several cursors to the DIALOG CURSOR command. See the example file 'cursors.dsc'.

* Fixed bug caused by the international constant strings when using some 
  hot keys like the Escape sequence.

* Fixed minor bugs into Dialog Designer.

Changes in version 3.5
----------------------

New features:
-------------
* Added full multi-language support to VDS. To this time only English
  and French are available.

* Added TRACKBAR dialog element.
  DIALOG ADD,TRACKBAR,<name>,T,L,W,H,<value>,<Frequency>,<ToolTip>,<Styles>
  Where Frequency is the tickmarks frequency 0..100.
  Possibles styles are: 
    HOR: Horitzontal trackbar
    VER: Vertical trackbar
    LEFT: Tickmars are on the left/bottom
    RIGHT: Tickmarks are on the right/top
    BOTH: Tickmarks are double sided
    CLICK: Make a <ElementCLICK> event

* Totally new design for Dialog Designer introducing a lot of new features.
  
General Changes:
----------------
* Increased the number of long name variable that can be used to 128.

* DIALOG. DIALOG CURSOR now supports new parameters: the previously knew
  WAIT, but also HAND, UP, CROSS, IBEAM, NODROP, DRAG, HSPLIT, VSPLIT, WE,
  NWSE, NS, NESW, SIZE (NT only), CUSTOM. This allows to set the cursor into different   aspects.
  To return to the standard cursor the command is still DIALOG CURSOR. 

* Fixed bug of the Dialog Designer which was responsible of the
  random values given into the Property Editor when changing a value
  and then clicking into another field on the same window.

* Fixed bug of the Dialog Designer causing the impossibility to use
  CTRL+V or SHIFT+INS to fill a field on the Property Editor.

* Fixed minor IDE bugs.

Changes in version 3.01
-----------------------

New features:
-------------

* Added NOTITLE style for dialog, creates non-movable window with
no title bar.

* Added two options to the EXITWIN command:
  LOGOFF - logs the user off the system (the program that issued
           the command appears to remain running)
  FORCE  - forcibly shuts down Windows without allowing programs
           to display any "OK to close" messages or similar.

General Changes:
----------------

* Corrected bug that prevented .ICO files from being loaded into a
BITMAP dialog element. As a by-product of this, it is now possible
to include icons in a .DSR and load them by specifying the byte
offset where they begin.

* DIALOG CLEAR,<bitmap> now actually clears the bitmap instead of
hiding it.

IDE changes
-----------

* Fixed bug that caused default registry key setting from OPTION
  REGKEY to be reset when stepping through script with debugger.

* Fixed bug that caused default INI file section name to be wrong.

* More logical operation of the IDE script run/debug controls:
  - Run and Debug now always start script from line 1.
  - Continue will continue in the mode (i.e. run or debug) in use
    when the script was stopped.

* Fixed bug where script path was not added to history list when
	File, New executed.

* Fixed bug that allowed compiler to try to create EXE in a non-
	existant directory if this was specified in the .DSP file.

* Added editor context menu: Clear All Bookmarks

Dialog Designer changes
-----------------------

* Fixed bug that when elements are on top of a GROUP or TAB element
and that element is moved, the positions of the other elements were
not always updated.

Changes in version 3.0
-----------------------

Important note:

VDS 3 is a major new version. There are many changes compared to VDS 2. 
In the interests of improving the language and the features it offers, some changes 
have been made that will necessitate rewriting parts of existing scripts. 
The most obvious example of this is the DIALOG syntax and the reversing of the first 
two parameters of the LIST command. These changes were made to obtain greater consistency 
in the DialogScript language. Other anomalies, such as the format used for lists of 
binary values by the REGISTRY command and @REGREAD function, have been corrected.

A Script Converter tool is provided which will make most of the mechanical changes 
needed to get VDS 2 scripts running under VDS 3.

Because the script engine has undergone major rewriting there may be more subtle 
differences such as undocumented features which people have previously exploited 
that now longer work the same as before. Therefore it is recommended that all scripts, 
even if they use commands that have not apparently changed, be re-tested thoroughly 
under the new version.

New features:

* Added multi dialog support. Complete modification of the DIALOG command have been done.
  Browse the help file to discover the new syntax.
* Added TAB dialog element.
* Added GROUP dialog element.
* Added MENU dialog element.
* Added BITBTN dialog element, a flat Explorer-type button.
* Added a lot of new styles for some dialog elements. One of the most expected is the MULTI
  for the EDIT dialog element (multi lines edit box). check the help file for more   informations.
* Added 64 Long name variables of unlimited lenght
* Added @DLGPOS function to returns the size and position of a given element.
* Added @FEXP floating-point function. Returns the value exp(value).
* Added @FLN  floating-point function. Returns the value ln(value).
* Added @LOWER function. The complement of @upper
* Added @MOD math function. Returns the value <value1> modulo <value2>.
* Added @MOUSEPOS Returns the X, Y co-ordinates of the mouse pointer, field separated.
* Added @TEXT function. Gets the whole text of a string list into a variable. 
* Added @WINDOW function. Returns the window id of a window related to <window> 
  in a manner specified by the second argument.

Changes:

* @DATETIME. If no format is specified, the value returned is a floating point.
* @DIRDLG. The second argument is now a directory path
* @FILEDLG. This function now has an extra (fourth) parameter MULTI.
* @ITEM. This function now has an optional second parameter ( @item(i,x) ) 
  allowing you to retrieve an item from a list randomly without having 
  to seek to that item first. 
* @REGREAD. This function now returns binary key values as a string of numbers 
  separated by fieldsep.
* @VOLINFO. This function has two new flags. The Y flag returns a text string 
  describing the file system type (for example, FAT32, NTFS.) The Z flag returns 
  the hard disk serial number. The F and S flags which return the free space and 
  total size of a drive return an incorrect result for volumes larger than 2GB in 
  earlier versions of Windows 95. This is because of a bug in Windows 95. The function 
  has been modified to use a new function present only in Windows 95 OSR2 or later and 
  Windows NT 4.0 so that it reports these values correctly when run on those systems.
* BEEP. This command can optionally accept an argument, an integer value corresponding 
  to the constants permitted in the MessageBeep API.
* DIRECTORY. A new operation RENAME has been added
* LIST. This command has changed in one major respect which is that the order of parameters 
  of this command has been changed. Parameter 1 and parameter 2 are swapped round. 
* REGISTRY. REGISTRY WRITE now supports an optional fifth parameter, 
  which can be BINARY or DWORD.
* TITLE. Minor change. See the help file.
* WAIT. The value for the timer interval may now be a floating-point value.
* Complete rewrite of the FILE command. Browse the help file to discover the new possibilities.
* Removed BREAK (Now it's a functionality from the IDE)

There are a lot of others changes in this version. Take a look at the help file
to know more about the VDS 3 improvements.

Changes in version 2.50
-----------------------

Changes:

* Added additional parameters to the LINK command.
* Fixed minor problems.

Changes in version 2.20
-----------------------

New features:

* Added @LOWER function to convert string to lower case.
* @EQUAL function now treats numeric strings as numbers, and has new EXACT
  option for case-sensitive comparisons.
* New functions @STRINS and @STRDEL implemented to allow insertion and
  deletion of characters within strings.
* The @INPUT function now has a PASSWORD option which causes the input
  text to be shown as asterisks.
* The LIST command has a new WINLIST option that creates a list of all the
  main windows in the system.
* A new LINK command lets you create Windows 95 shortcuts (32-bit only).
* A new L pseudo-attribute lets you find out the target of a shortcut
  using the @FILE function.
* You can now have conditional breakpoints by specifying a function after
  the BREAK command.
* A new OPTION, SCALE, will cause a dialog to scale itself in accordance
  with the metrics of the user's screen.

Changes:

* All items in the Tools menu (including the default ones) are now
  controlled by the tool manager. This means you will need to run
  SETUP.EXE to create Registry or INI file entries for the included tools.
* Fixed problem with window IDs being returned incorrectly from some
  window functions.
* Either or both values in an @EQUAL or @GREATER comparison can now be null
  without causing a 'Missing parameter' error.

Changes in version 2.12
-----------------------

New features:

* Added error trapping capabilities. OPTION ERRORTRAP,<label> defines a
  label to jump to if an error occurs, and the @ERROR function lets you
  determine the error code, line number at which the error occurred and
  the contents of the line.

* Added the floating point functions @FATN, @FCOS, @FSIN, @FSQT.

* Added the @BOTH function which returns a 'true' result only if both of
  its arguments are true.

* Added the @SENDMSG function which enables a script program to send
  Windows messages to other windows.

Changes:

* Increased the number of extension DLLs that can be used (ref: EXTERNAL
  command) to 4.

* Fixed problem with message boxes and input boxes not appearing in front
  of dialogs created with ONTOP dialog type.

* (16-bit) Changed the name of some of the accessory programs to avoid
  conflict if it is installed into the same directory as the 32-bit
  version.

Changes in version 2.11
-----------------------

New features:

* Added command line compile option. This feature is provided to enable
  those users who have developed scripts which have become too large for
  the integrated editor to handle to compile them. It also lets you do
  cool things like write scripts that output .dsc files which can then be
  compiled into custom executables.

  To use the command line compiler you must execute the command:

    DS(16) /C script-file-path

  This will create a matching EXE in the same directory.

  Additional command line options are:

    /X exe-path    - specifies alternative path for EXE file

    /I icon-path   - specifies path of icon to use

    /INT           - specifies an integrated EXE to be created

    /16            - (32-bit only) creates a 16-bit executable

  DS.EXE returns an errorlevel of > 0 if the attempt to create an EXE
  fails. DS16.EXE gives no indication of failure as a 16-bit Windows
  program cannot pass an errorlevel value, so it is advisable to delete
  the EXE, if it exists, before running the command line compile, and
  then test for its existence on completion.

Changes:

* Fixed bug causing assignments of strings terminating with a space to be
  null.
* Improved the behavior of the Dialog Editor.
* (16-bit) Fixed bug that caused dialogs to have no minimize button.
* (16-bit) Fixed bug in @VOLINFO with flag N.

Changes in version 2.10
-----------------------

New features:

* Included a Tip of the Day at start-up to inform users of tips and
  featurees.
* Made improvements to the editor include a user-definable tab interval
  and a Smart Enter that starts a new line on the same column as the line
  above.
* The IDE can now optionally create integrated EXE files with the
  run-time engine bound in.
* (16-bit) Included a help contents browser with similar functionality to
  that included with Windows 95.
* Added @NUMERIC function to test whether a string is a valid number.
* Added @HEX function and support for hexadecimal arithmetic (hex numbers
  must be prefixed by a $ character.)
* Added @ESC function to generate an Escape character (equivalent to
  @CHR(27)).
* Added @MSGBOX function which enables you to use the full range of
  Windows message box types.
* Added new window information functions @WINTEXT, @WINCLASS, @WINATPOINT.
* Added WINDOW SETTEXT command to set the text of a window control.
* Added WINDOW CLICK and WINDOW RCLICK commands to simulate mouse clicks on
  a specified window.
* Added DLGTYPE NOSYS and NOMIN to hide the system menu and minimize
  button.
* Added CLICK events for CHECK, COMBO, LIST and RADIO dialog elements
  so an event can be triggered by making a selection.
* Added EXIT events for COMBO and EDIT dialog elements so an event can be
  triggered on leaving the control.
* Added LIST LOADTEXT command to allow text embedded in a script to be
  loaded into a string list.
* Added WINHELP command to enable the Windows help system to be used by a
  DialogScript program.
* Added STOP command (unconditional halt, even within GOSUB).
* Implemented extension interface. An additional command and function can
  be added by means of a specially-written DLL.

Changes:

* Updated the Window Spy to give more information relating to the enhanced
  window functions, such as the mouse position.
* Programs now search their own directory as well as the current directory
  for files without a full path name that are loaded from a script.
* Increased the number of string lists allowed from 4 to 9.
* The @CLICK function now accepts an argument of flags B, R, X, Y returning
  multiple values which can be separated using PARSE. The previous format
  is still accepted.
* Enhanced the @WINEXISTS function to detect the existence of child
  windows.
* Enhanced the @SUM function so it can now sum an unlimited list of
  arguments.
* Fixed problem with @NEXT leaving OK unchanged rather than setting it to
  True.
* Fixed the problem with DIALOG CLOSE destroying the dialog before the
  script finishes when run in the debugger.
* Fixed the problem with trailing spaces on a command line causing
  inconsistent behavior between debugger and run-time.
* Fixed the problem affecting users of some European keyboards in which
  characters generated by pressing the right-hand shift key were not sent
  correctly by Window Send.
* (16-bit) Fixed problems affecting commands and functions that access the
  Registry.
* (16-bit) LIST COPY and LIST PASTE now no longer restricted to a maximum
  255 characters of text.
* (16-bit) Fixed problem with Dialog Editor help not appearing when
  running under Windows 3.1.
* Fixed several problems with Icon Editor, such as Undo not working.
* Fixed some bugs in the Dialog Editor.
* Dialog Wizard now generates code for all events used by the dialog
  without the need to manually refresh the dialog before exiting.
* Improved the error checking and added additional error messages.

Changes in version 2.05
-----------------------

Changes:

* (16-bit) Fixed bug affecting Alt-keys in WINDOW SEND.
* Fixed bug in @NAME function (returned null if no period in filename.)
* Fixed some problems with dialog editor.

Changes in version 2.04
-----------------------

Changes:

* (16-bit) Fixed bug which made RUNM, RUNZ, RUNH all have the same effect
  as RUN.

Changes in version 2.03
-----------------------

New features:

* The OPTION PRIORITY command lets you set the priority level of your
  programs.  (32-bit only)
* The OPTION SKDELAYcommand lets you add a delay between characters sent
  using the WINDOW SEND command.
* The RUN and SHELL commands have an extra optional priority level
  parameter.  (32-bit only)
* In the REGISTRY command and the @REGREAD function you can now use the
  STATS root key to access the Windows performance statistics under
  Registry key HKEY_DYN_DATA.  (32-bit only)

Changes:

* Fixed problem with 32-bit Dialog Editor which caused incorrect wrapping
  of dialog elements when inserting to the editor.
* Fixed bug in Dialog Editor whereby value field clears when value of
  RADIO dialog element is changed.
* Fixed bug in Dialog Editor that caused default style names to always be
  STYLE1.
* Fixed bug in 16-bit runtime that caused first command line parameter
  passed to an EXE program to be lost.
* Fixed problem that caused 'Unable to run EXE' or 'Sharing violation'
  messages on some systems.
* Default INI file handling has been changed to use DS16.INI instead of
  DEFAULT.INI for compatibility with the 16-bit version.

===========================================================================
S.A.D.E. s.a.r.l., 94-96, rue Victor Hugo 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine, FRANCE

        Find us on the World Wide Web at: http://www.dialogscript.com/
