                                    Forecast
                                    ========
Version 1.13 (12 Nov 1998)

Introduction
------------
Originally this program fetched a single JPEG and displayed it in a window.
With the main driving force being to get a up to date weather picture. Then
you could click on the window to make it add pretty weather symbols. Then
you could save the JPEG out.

Now it supports multiple JPEGs from an easily entered location. It even
handles proxied or non-proxied fetches.


Usage
-----
Once run, !Forecast installs an icon on the iconbar. Clicking on it allows
you to enter a URL to fetch. Once you've entered the URL, !Forecast will
begin fetching the graphic. This may take a moment or two, depending on
your connection.

Once the picture is displayed you can save it, or click on it to add symbols
and text. MENU will give you the option to save the picture (without symbols
or annotations), and to refresh the image. You may refresh the image 'now'
to get it in a new window, or after a particular period. If you update after
a period, the new picture will replace the old.


Changing the defaults
---------------------
Changing the defaults is quite easy, if tedious at present. Load
Choices:Forecast.List (if you have a RPC boot sequence, or
!Forecast.Options.List if not) and add entries to the file. Entries are of
the form :

  <spaces><description>
  <spaces><url>

where <url> may be - to do nothing. Increasing the indentation makes a
submenu. You must reload !Forecast to get the changes.

Remember, if you find a problem you have the source code so you could try
to fix it yourself.


DJPEG/CJPEG
-----------
You require version 6a of DJPEG and CJPEG to be in your library for the
processing of progressive JPEGs to work. I don't know where I got my
copies from so I don't want to release them with !Forecast. Doing 

  *djpeg -v
  *cjpeg -v

Will tell you the version of the convertors you have. Forecast will use the
version installed within itself if it cannot find any other version in the
Run path. If there is another, and it is older then the conversion may not
work.


How it works
------------
Oh, just read the code :-)


Wishlist
--------
A way to save your picture of the weather, with annotations. Possibly even
with the text in different colours (purple is horrid). A way to edit the
hotlist.


Updates
-------
This program may (or may not) be updated periodically. By clicking on the
infobox window entries for Author and Version you can move directly to the
web pages for the Justin Fletcher and this application respectively.


Help and message files
----------------------
This application is fully !Help compliant and it is recommended that when
getting to grips with it the help should be used if only to give it some
purpose! It also supports the use of MessageTrans and therefore translation
to another language or changing the messages for the fun of it is much easier
than it might have been.


<BasicLibrary$File>
-------------------
This application requires Justin Fletcher's JFShared library to function.
This can be obtained from Arcade and possibly other bulletin boards. A
version is currently being carried by Hensa, but for the latest version you
would be best off looking at Justin's web page (see below), or contacting him
by one of the other means below.


Compatibility
-------------
This application has been tested on the author's A5000, but due to the lack
of friends with Acorns has not been tested on other systems. Therefore, it
ought to work on any RO3.1 machine. It is likely that it may work on RO3.5,
RO3.6, and RO3.7.


Disclaimer
----------
The author accepts no responsibility for any problems which this application
may cause or loss of data resulting in its use. This application is Public
Domain Freeware. This means that it may be distributed, so long as no charge
other than copying costs are charged for it. The copyright remains with
myself (Justin Fletcher).


Thanks to...
------------
Many thanks to Fonzy (Cam Gregory) and UltraFS for testing this program in
the wee small hours.


Contact
-------
Any comments, queries, donations or bug reports can be sent to Justin
Fletcher at :

E-Mail : networking@thevillage.ndirect.co.uk
URL    : http://www.thevillage.ndirect.co.uk/
IRC    : On #Acorn as Gerph
Tel    : (01842) 812276

Snail Mail :
    Justin Fletcher
    Galadriel
    17b Cromwell Road,
    Weeting,
    Brandon,
    Suffolk.
    IP27 0QT


History
-------
Version 1.00 : 19 Nov 1997
               First version written, whilst hoping that Helen would join IRC.
               She didn't.

Version 1.01 : 21 Nov 1997
               Added little status window and configuration file (Config) so
               that you can set things up yourself. Memory buffering added - no
               more thrashing the hard disc ! Also reports errors too :-)
               Uses SysLog to log status results

Version 1.02 : 21 Nov 1997
               Added a save option.

Version 1.03 : 02 Jan 1998
               Added the 'John Kettley' feature :-)
               (he's a weather man, a weather man, a weather man)
               (so is Micheal Fish)

Version 1.04 : 19 Jul 1998
               Hmm... Why is it only /now/ that people are trying the thing ?
               <sigh> Oh well... Added ability to not use a proxy.
               Fixed image saving.

Version 1.05 : 19 Oct 1998
               Slightly tidier. Really fixed image saving.

Version 1.06 : 24 Oct 1998 (morning)
               Now supports multiple images. It's taken a few hours to do that
               so you'd better be impressed.

Version 1.07 : 24 Oct 1998 (day)
               Automatic conversion of broken JPEGs using DJPEG and CJPEG now
               implemented using taskwindows. It is possible to leave an
               hourglass on the screen /iff/ you quit !Forecast because the
               decoding processes have completed.
               This version appears to exhibit no memory leaks and has all the
               correct messages supplied in the Messages file :-)
               Multiple fetches have been tested and appear to work correctly.

Version 1.08 : 25 Oct 1998
               Lots of bugs discovered by beta testers. I like bugs. Hopefully
               KozzeyCam should now work; although I'm having some problems
               with g0tai's cam on demon's server, but I can't work out why.

Version 1.09 : 29 Oct 1998
               Hey, when did I do 1.08 ? No worries. Added very cool dynamic
               hotlist menu. You'll have to edit the Choices:Forecast.Hotlist
               file, but I'm sure you can cope with that for now.

Version 1.10 : 02 Nov 1998
               Added multi-tasking resolve and connect.

Version 1.11 : 02 Nov 1998
               Fixed multi-tasking resolve. Added auto-refresh.

Version 1.12 : 03 Nov 1998
               Now remembers the location of the progress window. Not across
               sessions, but it's good enough. Thanks to Zappo for this
               suggestion.

Version 1.13 : 12 Nov 1998
               Updated !Help, fixed a few bugs.
