|
Getting
Started
INSTALLATION
Installing CLIPFORM is
easy. If you received CLIPFORM as a .ZIP file, simply unzip the files to
the location of your choice (e.g. c:\Program Files\Ivitar Software\ClipForm)
and launch CLIPFORM. The first time it is launched, CLIPFORM will
automatically create Start Menu entries for CLIPFORM, the CLIPFORM user guide,
the CLIPFORM templates folder, and for creating new CLIPFORM templates, and will
also create the necessary Registry entries.
If you received CLIPFORM
as a self-extracting .EXE file, installation is even easier. Simply launch
the setup program and choose a program folder – CLIPFORM does the rest.
CREATING,
EDITING AND LAUNCHING TEMPLATES
CLIPFORM is controlled
by user-defined templates – text files with the .CPF extension, which
can be created using any text editor (e.g. Notepad). By default, templates
are stored in a Templates subfolder of the CLIPFORM program folder.
A shortcut is placed on your Windows Start menu to open this folder.
To create a new
template, simply press the Windows Start button, then choose Programs |
Ivitar Software | New Template. You'll be prompted for a name. A
new blank template will be created and opened in Notepad.
To edit an existing
template, simply right-click on the template in the Windows Explorer and choose Edit.
The template will be opened in Notepad.
To launch a template,
simply double-click on it.
WHAT
TEMPLATES DO
The template
specifies the following information:
-
The source
of the Outlook data to be extracted – either an Outlook folder, or all
currently selected items.
-
The output
destination – either a text or HTML file, an e-mail recipient, or the Windows clipboard.
-
Filters
(optional) to be applied to the Outlook data.
-
Sort
(optional) criteria for the Outlook data.
-
A command
(optional) to be launched after CLIPFORM is completed. You can, for
example, open an extracted text file in Notepad, or launch a macro that will
use the extracted data.
-
The Outlook field
values to be extracted, surrounded by square brackets, along with the format (in the case of non-text
data: dates and times, numerals, and boolean (yes/no) values). (Follow
the links for information on the available field values for contact
items, appointment, task and journal
items, and mail and post items.)
-
(Optional) New in
version 1.4, Outlook field values can be prefaced with a
conditional label which will be included in the output if the Outlook
data is present, but will be omitted if the Outlook data is absent. Include
the desired text within the square brackets; separate from the Outlook field
name with a vertical bar. For example, [E-Mail: |EMail1Address] would
preface e-mail addresses with a label, but would omit the label if the
Outlook item has no e-mail address.
-
(Optional) the [ITEMCOUNT]
directive, to insert the total number of items, and the [#]
directive, to insert the current item number.
-
Text to
accompany the Outlook field values. This can include HTML tags –
making CLIPFORM perfect for creating web pages on-the-fly!
-
(Optional) the [ENDHEADER]
and/or [BEGINFOOTER] directives. Any text that precedes [ENDHEADER]
will appear once at the beginning of the CLIPFORM output. Any text
that follows [BEGINFOOTER] will appear once at the end of the CLIPFORM
output. This is useful for including text information once at
the start or end of the output.
Here's an example of a
simple CLIPFORM template. This template extracts a phone directory.
[Source=outlook://Personal
Folders/Contacts]
[Output=c:\My
Documents\phonebook.txt]
[Sort=FileAs]
PHONE
DIRECTORY
[ENDHEADER]
[FileAs]
[JobTitle]
[CompanyName]
[BusinessAddressStreet],
[BusinessAddressState] [BusinessAddressPostalCode]
Phone:
[BusinessTelephoneNumber]
Fax:
[BusinessFaxNumber]
CLIPFORM comes with several sample
templates which are installed in the Templates subfolder of the CLIPFORM
program folder. Press here to see these
templates. These templates demonstrate some of the uses of CLIPFORM for
working with Microsoft Outlook data. You can use these templates as is,
customize them, or make your own!
|
SOFTWARE