DELTA & HTML Editor for Windows

[maurobio at PUB4.LNCC.BR]

Posted on DELTA-L and TAXACOM

Dear DELTA Users,

+===============================================================+
||             *** PRE-RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT ***                ||
+===============================================================+

        DELCODE: An Interactive DELTA Editor for Windows
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overview
~~~~~~~~
DELCODE is an interactive DELTA data entry and editing system for
the Microsoft Windows operating environment. It is not a simple
text editor, nor a DELTA shell as DIANA or DMS, but a real
'expert' DELTA editor, like Pankhurst's DEDIT and Gouda's DDATA.
It reads DELTA format files directly, and output text files in
DELTA format, following both Dallwitz's CONFOR and Pankhurst's
PANKEY conventions. With DELCODE, the user can simply type in
her/his data at the program's input forms, or select predefined
characters and states from list boxes. It allows to insert,
delete, or modify taxa, characters, and states, without having to
worry about the structure of the DELTA files. DELCODE features
pulldown menus, dialog boxes, and other standard GUI controls.

Features
~~~~~~~~
Features of DELCODE include:

* Output of taxon and character lists in HTML format for the ready
  production of WWW Home Pages;

* Ability to fast processing of huge lists of characters and
  taxon descriptions;

* Cut-&-Paste operations for taxa, characters, and character states;

* Drag-&-Drop files from the Windows File Manager;

* Automatic data input validation;

* Full support to "foreign" characters in character descriptions,
  states, and notes, with automatic conversion to and from ANSI
  and OEM character sets;

* Extensive data reporting facilities, including lists of
  unrecorded characters for each taxon, that can be used as a
  questionnaire for further data collection (an idea I borrowed
  from Pankhurst's DEDIT program); it can also directly print
  numbered taxon and character lists, taxon descriptions coded in
  DELTA format, and statistical summaries of the characters;

* Ability to call the INTIMATE program (great piece of software
  indeed!) to edit images of characters and taxa and generate
  the appropriate directives files (TIMAGES, CIMAGES) directly
  from inside DELCODE;

* An online, context sensitive, hypertext-based, Windows help system
  providing full information about all of the program's features
  and the DELTA format for coding taxonomic descriptions.

Hardware Requirements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DELCODE is written in Borland Pascal 7.0 with Objects and the
Object Windows Library to run under Microsoft Windows 3.1 or
higher in Enhanced Mode on the IBM-PC and compatible computers.

Distribution
~~~~~~~~~~~~
DELCODE will be freeware, but will not be released over the
Internet *before* a trial period by a 'Review Panel' of selected
users, who will be responsible for testing, suggesting changes
and improvements and, of course, hunting some bugs. Full credit
will be given to all members of this panel for their help and
support.

Ths purpose of this announcement is to notify interested users
and give them the opportunity to apply as Beta-testers and
members of the DELCODE Review Panel.

Applications will be accepted until December 29th, 1995. Selected
applicants will receive a copy of the DELCODE program by January
5th, 1996. All copies will be sent by e-mail, as a
self-extracting binary compressed file in UUENCODED format,
unless explicitly requested on diskette. The distribution package
will also contain further instructions and some suggested
directions for testing the program.

Users from non-English speaking countries are strongly encouraged
to apply as potential translators of versions of DELCODE into
their own native languages (the program was designed to be easily
translated into any language - you will need only an ordinary
plain ASCII text editor).

Applicants should send me their complete snail and e-mail
addresses, hardware configuration, operating environment (eg.
Windows 3.1, Win 95) and current DELTA projects (giving number of
taxa and characters). Please also specify if you can offer to
translate DELCODE into other languages. On the basis of this
information, I will select up to 10 users to constitute the
Review Panel (this being the maximum number of people I suppose
to be able to reasonably support during the trial period).

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

   + - - - - - - - - - - - Prof. Mauro J. Cavalcanti - - - - - - - - - - - +
   | Departamento de Biologia Geral              Universidade Santa Ursula |
   | Rua Fernando Ferrari, 75, Botafogo      22231-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ |
   | Phone: +55 (021) 551-5542 ext 148                              BRASIL |
   |                     Internet: maurobio at omega.lncc.br                  |
   + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +