
===============================================================================
 Tail For Win32
 (c) 1998-2000 Paul Perkins. All Rights Reserved.
===============================================================================

Contents
--------

1. Legal Bits
2. Introduction
3. What Is It?
4. How do I use it?
6. Latest Changes
7. Feedback
8. Known Issues
9. Why Shareware?
10. Why should I register?
11. How do I register?
12. Mailing List.
13. Acknowledgements.

--------------
1. Legal Bits
--------------

Disclaimer:
This software is provided 'as is' and any expressed or implied warranties, 
including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability 
and fitness for a particular purpose are disclaimed.  In no event shall 
the author be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, 
exemplary, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, 
procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or 
profits; or business interruption)however caused and on any theory of
liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including 
negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this 
software, even if advised of the possibility of such damage.

Copyright:
'Tail for Win32' is copyright (c) 1998-2000 Paul Perkins. All rights are 
reserved.
The software is given away free of charge in the hope that it might prove of 
some use. Should you find it of use, you are encouraged to register the 
software.
You are not permitted to distribute this software in any way unless you also 
give it away free of charge, and that this readme file accompanies the 
software.


----------------
2. Introduction
----------------

Ever wanted to just type 'tail -f error_log' on Windows?

Envious of your Unix friends that can track changes to a file, in real time, 
as they happen?

Well, now you can with the Objektiv Tail for Win32 you'll be happily monitoring 
your log files like you've never done before.

What's even better, you can track several files all at the same time with the 
patented "Multiple Document Interface"TM technology, with each file having 
its own, fabulous window.


---------------
3. What Is It?
---------------

Tail for Win32 is a Windows version of the Unix 'tail' utility. It can be used
to monitor changes to a text file in real time - ideal for watching error logs.

The program was written in C++ using MFC, and uses Win32 file change 
notifications to monitor when a file changes.

The application uses a 'plugin' architecture, under which all changes are
passed through external DLLs that can perform various functionality.

The first plugin is a MAPI filter. This DLL sends emails via MAPI when a 
keyword is found in the file being monitored. This is only available in
the registered version.

--------------------
4. How Do I Use It?
--------------------

Simple - just use 'File', 'Open' and select the file to be monitored. Once open,
the program will re-read any changes and scroll to the bottom of the file, 
keeping the most recent changes visible.

You can even watch many different files at the same time - great for monitoring
the status of your web server.

The new syntax highlighting means that you can look out for particular keywords.
You can also display only those lines containing the keywords. See the 
configuration section later to enable this feature.


------------------
5. Latest Changes
------------------

4.0.0.4	- First public release.

4.0.0.5	- Added this readme. Fixed some bugs that occur when the file cannot
	  be 'tail'ed.

4.0.0.6 - Now supports non-Win32 drives. ie Can 'tail' on SAMBA shares or
          network drives. Uses polling mechanism rather than file change 
          notifications if FindFirstChangeNotification fails.
          See configuration section to change polling timeout value.

4.0.0.7 - Now works correctly under Windows 95. The Win95 threading model
          would appear to be slightly different to that under NT.
          General re-work of threading architecture.
          File Notifications do not work on non-local drives so changed 
          the notification registration failure message to reflect this.
                      
4.0.0.8 - Finally cracked the SAMBA issue.

4.0.0.9 - Added syntax highlighting. 
          Added facility to filter lines containing keywords.
          Added debug logging to 'tail.log'.                      
          Fixed 99% CPU usage problem (I think!).
          Added lovely flat toolbar.

4.0.0.10- Added more debug (See "Debug" registry key).
          Looked some more at 99% and SAMBA.
          Started work on plug-ins. (Watch this space.)
          Added font-selection dialog.

4.0.0.11- Removed beeping on change. Note that this was
          done as a hack, so the menu item is still present ;)

4.1.1     First shareware release.
          The registered version contains the following enhancents:
          o 'Umlimited' file size. Now handles memory sensibly.
          o Plug-in capability. The plug-in available with this version
            is a MAPI plug-in, allowing you to send emails when keywords 
            appear - Tail can now be used as a remote monitoring and alerting
            application.

To stay informed of changes to Tail, please join the mailing list. See the 
'Mailing List' section for details.

-----------------
6. Configuration
-----------------

Tail is a fairly simple application. A small number of configuration 
settings exist. These are as follows:

Keyword File
------------

This file contains a list of keywords that will be used for syntax 
highlighting. The file contains a single word on each line. The file
should be named 'keywords.cfg', and should be in the same directory as 
the executable.

Polling Sleep Period
--------------------

This registry key controls the time that tail will sleep for before
checking if a file has changed. (Note, that this setting only applies
to files that are not on a local hard disc. Tail will normally use
Win32 file change notifications to detect changes - a much more 
efficient way to do it!) The setting is in miliseconds.
The key lives at 'HKCU\Software\Objektiv\Tail for Win32\Settings\Timeout'.

Other Registry Entries
----------------------

The only other registry entries are used to store the position of the
window, and the state of the tick-boxes against some menu items.
All keys live at 'HKCU\Software\Objektiv\Tail for Win32\'.

If you really want to see some interesting (!?) output, then create a 
key with the name "Debug" and DWORD value "1" within the "Settings" subkey.

------------
7. Feedback
------------

Please mail me with any bugs, comments or other requests at:

	paul@objektiv.org.uk

or visit my website at

	http://www.objektiv.org.uk

and leave a message in the forum.

---------------
8. Known Issues
---------------

o SAMBA still plagues me. It seems that the implementation of SAMBA
varies widely, even between versions of Linux, to such an extent
that I can't really say the SAMBA is supported. If SAMBA works for 
you, then great. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but I've tried my best.

o The 99% CPU usage is still a problem. This, seems to depend
upon the version of Windows; in particular the Service Pack number.

o Some menu items do not maintain there state between sessions.


-----------------
9. Why Shareware?
-----------------

This application has taken around 2 years of part-time effort to 
bring to to where it is today. Granted, it's not the killer app. that
will come to dominate the world, but I know for a fact that it is 
a life-saver for me. I had searched for around 3 years for such an
application and always promised myself that I'd get round to writing 
it someday.

At the time of writing, I'm seeing around 200 downloads of Tail per
month. I'm also receiving emails asking me to license the code to
companies to allow them to incorporate Tail into their products. I 
know that there is a market for the software, and the shareware model
lets me 'sell' the product and continue wth the improvements I'd like. 
One day, I hope that Tail will be a commercial quality product.

The shareware model does not sit comfortably with some people. I know
many people that simply will not use shareware software, as they know
that they will not register the application, and would be ripping off
the author if they used it. Other people download software and use it
over and over, reinstalling it when the nag messages come. 

I have a slightly different approach: if you use this software and find
that you use it to get your job done, then you should register it. Chances
are that you are being paid for what you do, and the registration fee is 
probably the equivalent to the sum your of hourly rate multiplied by the 
time taken to stand at the vending machine deciding whether it's Snickers
or M&M's, summed over one week.

If you use Tail to occasionally look at your log files, and you use it for
private, personal work only: don't worry about it. Register if you like,
or if you feel inclined, send me an e-postcard, but I'm not going to loose
sleep if you don't.

Whichever you choose, please drop me a line if you have any suggestions or
comments. They will always be gladly received.


--------------------------
10. Why should I register?
--------------------------

Tail takes effort to maintain and improve. It has taken many evenings, 
weekends and vacations to get right, and I'd like to keep improving it.
But there's still a long way to go.

1. By registering, you're making sure that I maintain up the energy to keep 
it going, and to fix it when it breaks. Mention that you're a registered 
user when you send me a bug report, and I'll make sure that your fix gets 
priority.
 
2. I'm adding functionality all the time. Entering your license number
turns on selected additional functionality.

3. By registering, you're guaranteed free upgrades to the latest version 
with all the latest functionality included. 

This does not mean that I'm going to let the unregistered version go to the
wayside. I'll still see to your bug reports if you are using an 
unregistered copy, and there are fixes that apply to all versions of the code. 
I'll also continue to add functionality to the base code.

----------------------
11. How do I register?
----------------------

Easy. Go to my commercial website http://tail.objektiv.co.uk/purchase.php 
and enter your details. We can take payment by all major credit and debit 
cards.

A couple of details will be taken from you, and you'll be transferred to the
secure (https) WorldPay site. 

WorldPay have been chosen due to their security, reputation and simplicity of 
setup.

Here, you can pay by Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and the Switch and Solo debit 
cards.

Once that's done, we'll receive confirmation from WorldPay, and I'll email 
your serial number ASAP. Eventually, this process will be fully automated.

BIG SECURITY NOTE: Objektiv does *not* keep any credit card details. Your 
credit card number is only entered when you are transfered to the WorldPay 
site. We do *not* get notified of your card details, and our servers never
contain any payment details. Crackers: go sniffing elsewhere, please.

For your safety, we suggest that you make a note of the WorldPay reference 
number for your transaction. 

-----------------
12. Mailing List.
-----------------

Please join the mailing list. You will be kept up to date with all new 
developments and code-fixes as they happen.

Even if you find that Tail doesn't quite fit your needs, join the list to 
hear when that new feature is added that will make it worth your while 
downloading it.

Please go to the website to find details of the list.

-------------------
13. Acknowledgments
-------------------

Thanks to *you* for using Tail!

Must mention the kind people that have lent a hand to test the 
various versions of Tail on various platforms, in particular Rob 
from MessyFun.com.

-------------------------------------------------
(c) 1998-2000 Paul Perkins. All Rights Reserved.

