SUMM & REVIEW: Multiple-Item Clipboards

[Mike McGraw <mcgraw -at- BROOKTREE -dot- COM>]

Some while back I asked for your suggestions for ways to clip multiple
snippets of text for the purpose of building simple TOCs for my TECHWR-L
saved-clips files.  I promised to summarize the answers that came in and
here, at long last, is my summary.  Following one of the suggestions I did
come across an excellent shareware clipboard-extension program, so I've
included a brief review of that tool.

Thank you to everyone who took time to send back suggestions.  The technical
communication profession obviously includes many creative and good-hearted
folks; electronic coffeehouses like TECHWR-L are all the richer for
their/your contributions.

*** SUMMARY ***

Here is my original request:=20

Friends,
I'm looking for some small (software) tool that will help me create lists.

Specifically, I'm thinking of the Copy/Paste function common to Windows
programs, which I use now to move information between documents.  It
works, but the "clipboard" holds only one copied item at a time.  What
I'd like to be able to do is to page through a long document (the daily
digest of TECHWR-L messages is a great example) and create a sequence of
small clips (a table of contents).  Creating a TOC of subject headers
for the messages I save is one specific example.


Here are the suggestions I recieved:

From: DWILLIAM -at- WALCOFF -dot- COM
Date: Fri, 05 May 1995 17:21:10 -0500

I don't know if there is such a software program available for indexing that
will work directly with e-mail messages, but I would copy and paste the
entire article or message to your windows-based wordprocessor.
WordPerfect is the one I use and am most familiar with.  It has a function
where you can block the info you want for TOCs (and/or indexes) and
automatically inserts special codes that it later uses to compile the TOC
or index. I imagine that MS Word has a similar feature.

~~Diane Williams
dwilliam -at- walcoff -dot- com  also  dianewms -at- aol -dot- com
-----

From: WBURNS -at- vax -dot- micron -dot- com
Date: Fri,  5 MAY 95 16:20:38 MDT
Subject: A hacker's suggestion

I'm sort of a Windows hacker (i.e., always invent ways to do things I want
to accomplish without knowing the legitimate means), so this suggestion may
be way off base.  This approach would work with Word 6.0 or FrameMaker, but=
 I
can't answer for any other applications.  Try saving your digests as text
files, then open the document in Word or some similarly capable WP program.
(You can also copy the entire document to the clipboard to transfer it into
a new file.)  If you have prespecified paragraph definitions, go through the
document and highlight the lines you want to use for TOC entries.  After=
 you've
changed all the lines you want to the new paragraph format.  (I use Heading=
 1
for this sort of operation.)  If you generate a table of contents, you can
specify that all paragraphs with a specific tag be used

        Example:
=09
        1.  From my mail application, I select the entire text field.

        2.  I switch to WFW 6.0 and paste this text into a new document.

        3.  I go through the document and change every line I want to use
            to Heading 1 format.

        4.  From the Insert Menu, I select INDEX AND TABLES.

        5.  I select the Table of Contents tab.

        6.  In the Show Levels field, I change the number to 1 and click <OK>.
            The application generates a table of contents based on the paragraph
            marker Heading 1.

I just noticed that in Word you have to use a Heading paragraph.  Frame is
different.

Bill Burns                            *
Assm. Technical Writer/Editor         * LIBERTY, n. One of Imagination's=
 most
Micron Technology, Inc.               * precious possessions.
Boise, ID                             *
WBURNS -at- VAX -dot- MICRON -dot- COM                 *                     Ambrose Bierce
-----

From: Reg13 -at- aol -dot- com
Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 20:27:31 -0400

You expressed interest in a multiple-item clipboard tool.
I've seen a couple. One I can recommend is ClipMate (TM) for Windows. From
Thornton Software Solutions. They have a shareware version on CIS, probably
AOL, too. Their phone number is
(716) 227-6505
Best Wishes,
Rogers George (Reg13 -at- AOL -dot- COM)
-----

From: RSMH -at- aol -dot- com
Date: Fri, 19 May 1995 11:16:44 -0400

Windows for Workgroups (ver 3.11) comes with a dynamic clipboard that should
enable you to do this. It is available at most software outlets in the U.S.
for less than $50.

Ron Miller
RSMH -at- AOL -dot- COM
-----

*** AND REVIEW ***

I don't know what CIS is, but I followed up Rogers George's general idea and
zipped over to ftp.cica.indiana.edu, a site that I know keeps thousands of
programs available for download.  Looking around there I found two shareware
"clipboard extension" programs: Clipboard Extender and ClipMate 3.0.  I've
tried them both and am very happy with ClipMate, by Thornton Software
Solutions of Rochester, New York.  The program allows a 30-day trial period;
if you like it, you pay $25.  Here's a brief overview of ClipMate excerpted
from the program's README file:

ClipMate 3.0 runs in Windows 3.1 with a VGA-or-better display, and requires
a mouse or other pointing device.  ClipMate doesn't alter any system files
or create any hidden files.  It's a "clean" application that unzips into its
own subdirectory and has its own icon group.

"ClipMate for Windows v3.0 <ASP> - Clipboard Enhancement.  ClipMate
remembers all items that you copy to the Windows Clipboard [It even saves up
clips from previous sessions for later use - MMc]  Lets you view, edit,
combine, and print clipboard data.  Support for most clipboard formats
including bitmap, picture, RTF, OLE, and more!  Exclusive PowerPaste (tm)
feature provides rapid pasting into applications."

The program has excellent online help, useful since it's powerful enough to
be a little confusing the first time you put it to use.  PowerPaste allows
you to clip a series of text pieces and then paste them back down one at a
time in forward or reverse order.  The "glue" option allows you to
accumulate a series of clips as a single paste item--this is the one I use
to build my TOCs. The tool has other features I haven't explored yet but it
is well worth the asking price if you do lots of cut-and-paste work.

Here's part of a TOC that took me about a minute to put together using=
 ClipMate:

        Pieces saved from TECHWR-L digests 5/25 to 5/26/95
        ****************************************************

        Subject: Re: html editors
        Subject: Video production
        Subject: Re: Citing a radio broadcast
        Subject: Re: Word & Paintbrush
        Subject: NY Job Available
        Subject: Clip Art & Copyright
        Subject: Printers, Fonts, Networks
        Subject: Re: Printers, Fonts, Networks=7F
        Subject: Re: html editors for Mac
        Subject: Buffalo/Rochester head hunters
        Subject: Palm Beaches STC Chapter Web Page!
        Subject: Re. Disaster recovery
        Subject: San Diego Tech. Writing Position
        Subject: Clip art--piece of cake
        Subject: Copyright
        Subject: Re: On-line help questions
        Subject: Contract Technical Writer -- San Jose, CA
        Subject: Re. Screenwriting
        Subject: hyphens in verbs, verbals, adjectives, and nouns
        .
        .
        .

For a trial copy of ClipMate 3.0, ftp to
ftp.cica.indiana.edu/pub/pc/win3/desktop and get the file "clipmt30.zip".
For a list of other available programs, snag the file "index" (~3MB!) from
the /win3 directory.


        Mike McGraw                     product engineering technician
        Brooktree Corp.,San Diego, CA               and
        mcgraw -at- brooktree -dot- com            occasional technical writer