
			 - OperaOmnia - by OiPaz - 


		Version 2.23 -- for 32 bit Windows Systems

			    URL: www.oipaz.net
			  eMail: OiPaz@oipaz.net




 --- 0. Table of Contents --------------------------------------------


	0. Table of Contents
	1. Introduction
	2. Legal Stuff
	3. System Requirements
	4. How to INSTALL
	5. How to UNINSTALL
	6. How to Use
	7. For Developers!
	8. Release History
	9. Feedback, Suggestions, Bug-Reports
	A. Acknowledgements




 --- 1. Introduction -------------------------------------------------


	OperaOmnia  is  a  versatile  program  for  the  management of
	music, texts and images collections, optimised  for  MP3s  and
	for use on non-rewritable supports like CD-Rs.
	OperaOmnia automatically classifies the multimedia contents of
	the disk and offers direct and intuitive consultation.

	Future  updates  will  be available in my HomePage, at the URL
	http://www.oipaz.net/




 --- 2. Legal Stuff --------------------------------------------------


	OperaOmnia is  *FREEWare!*.  This means You pay NOTHING to its
	Author and that You will not  receive  any  kind  of  customer
	support. NO guarantee, either implicit or explicit, is offered
	on the software or for damages that its use may cause.
	The  Author  declines  any  responsibility for the notoriously
	frequent   conflicts   between   Microsoft-produced   software
	components.
	
	Everybody can use and redistribute OperaOmnia on the condition
	that they will not ask  any  money  for  it,  except  for  the
	hardware   support   and   mailing  expenses  (which  must  be
	documented). Another condition for the  free  distribution  of
	OperaOmnia  is  that  the  software  must  always be delivered
	together with these files (.inf e .ocx are hidden files):

		AutoRun.inf		-Auto run of the CD-R
		Leggimi.txt		-Readme.txt in Italian
		Readme.txt		-This file of informations
		RichTX32.ocx		-Additional Control 
		[Varie]\VB6 Setup.exe	-Installation of the  required
					 libraries




 --- 3. System Requirements ------------------------------------------


	OperaOmnia  requires  an  IBM-compatible multimedia PC with at
	least a Pentium 100 MHz processor (or similar).

	OperaOmnia  works  under  32  bit  Windows  and  does not need
	particular resources apart  from  the  normal  RunTime  Visual
	Basic  v6.0  libraries  which  are included, if needed, in the
	file [Varie]\VB6 Setup.exe
	OperaOmnia  requires  an external program to play music files.
	The directory [Varie] should contain a  complete  distribution
	of WinAMP, but any other program capable of managing Playlists
	in M3U format will do.




 --- 4. How to INSTALL -----------------------------------------------


	Before installing anything we suggest  You  just  try  to  run
	OperaOmnia:   it   may   run  already!  If  it  does  not  run
	automatically, just use  the  file  [Varie]\VB6 Setup.exe  and
	follow the prompts.
	It could be necessary, once and for all, to register then file
	RichTX32.ocx by typing, in a DOS Window, the command:
		regsvr32 RichTX32.ocx
	If  regsvr32.exe  is unobtainable, You should provide the full
	path (usually it is in the subdirectory SYSTEM,  or  SYSTEM32,
	of the main Windows directory).

	It  is  also  possible  (and  highly  advisable)  to  create a
	shortcut to the OperaOmnia.exe file of the CD-R in  the  Start
	Menu  or on the Windows Desktop. If the program does not start
	automatically when You insert the CD-Rom into the reader,  You
	can  click on this link or double-click on the program icon to
	run it.
	Before  creating  a  link  to  the  executable  we suggest You
	consult §6 to have a complete list of  the  available  command
	line parameters.
	
	A  program  for  playing  music  files  is also needed if Your
	computer does not have  one  already.  The  directory  [Varie]
	should  contain  a  complete  distribution  of WinAMP, but any
	other program capable of managing Playlists in M3U format will
	work.




 --- 5. How to UNINSTALL ---------------------------------------------


	If, for some reason, You do not like OperaOmnia, just close it
	(if it is running) and... that's it!

	OperaOmnia  does  NOT  leave any traces on the HD or Registry,
	so in theory You do not need to  remove it.  However,  if  You
	added  links  or shortcuts to the executable in the Start Menu
	or on the Desktop, or if  You  had  to  install  Visual  Basic
	libraries,  these  can  be  cancelled  and removed. Remove the
	Visual Basic libraries through the usual  "Add/Remove"  applet
	in  Windows Control Panel,  but be careful: they may be shared
	by other programs!




 --- 6. How to Use ---------------------------------------------------


	Select  the  album and tracks You want to listen to, and press
	on "Play"!
	By  holding  down  the  <CTRL>  key  You  will  make  multiple
	selections in the albums or  tracks  list.  Holding  down  the
	<SHIFT> key, the selected tracks will be played.

	If the  tracks  are  in  MPEG-Audio  format,  OperaOmnia  will
	automatically  show the total duration of the selected tracks.
	Text notes or images associated to the  selected  albums  will
	appear in their windows.

	OperaOmnia  can  be  called  with  the  following command line
	parameters (n indicates the number of pixels):
		/L:n		-initial width;
		/A:n		-initial height;
		/X:n		-initial horizontal position;
		/Y:n		-initial vertical position;
		/MAX		-maximizes main window;
		/AZ		-lists tracks in alphabetical order;
		/2		-halves the main window;
		/TESTI		-displays only texts;
		/IMMAGINI	-displays only images;
		/DUPLICATI	-displays only duplicated tracks;
		/ORIGINALI	-displays only original tracks;
		/ROOT:percorso	-specifies the  directory  address  of
				 all the multimedia contents;
		/?  /H  /HELP	-shows informations about OperaOmnia.
	Caps  and  blank  spaces  are  not  compulsory.  Any incorrect
	parameter will be ignored.

	The  program  can  also  be  run without mouse, with the usual
	Windows character interface.  Some more hot keys are available
	next  to  the  usual  active   keys:   <F1>-<F10>   correspond
	respectively to the ten keys of the main window of OperaOmnia,
	ordered from top to bottom; <CTRL+F1> changes the state of the
	albums select-deselect button;  <CTRL+F3>  does  the same with
	tracks; <F11> halves/doubles the dimension of the main window;
	<F12>  or  <CTRL+I>  display the  "Informations About" window;
	<DEL> inverts the selections in the albums or tracks lists.

	The use of OperaOmnia should be intuitive and immediate.  Each
	button  has  its  own  descriptive ToolTip, which appears when
	holding the mouse pointer on it for a few seconds.




 --- 7 For Developers! -----------------------------------------------


	If You want to realise a CD-R that runs OperaOmnia,  You  MUST
	include  all  the  files  listed  in §2 together with the file
	OperaOmnia.exe. The .exe file analyses  the  contents  of  its
	directory   and   subdirectories,  therefore  it  need  to  be
	inserted in the directory root  of  the  CD-R.  This  will  be
	given  for  granted  in  the  rest of this ReadMe file (if You
	want to insert it in another directory, You will just have  to
	update the AutoRun.inf file).
	It  is  advisable  (but  not  compulsory) to insert a complete
	distribution of a M3U player in the directory [Varie].

	Rules You should follow:

	a) Insert a 480x480 pixels  image,  in  JPEG  or  GIF  or  BMP
		format,  with  .jpg  or .gif or .bmp extension, in the
		directory [Varie]; OperaOmnia will display it in a  CD
		shape,  as  "cover" of the program. The file name will
		appear in the title bar of the program.
		The file can be left empty.
		It is suggested to avoid the use  of  GIF  files  with
		trasparency, as it would slow down the start-up of the
		program.

	b) The album list displays all the  directories  with  a  name
		starting  with  "[",  having up to five characters and
		ending with "]". Always  try  to  have  all  directory
		names  that  can  be unambiguously identified by their
		five characters in brackets.
		For example, You can use this format:
			[nnnn_]  Xxx
		where  nnnn  is a four-digit number (usually the year)
		and "_" can be substituted with  a  letter  when  more
		directories  have  the  same  year,  in order to avoid
		repetitions. Xxx is an optional title; the  two  empty
		spaces before the title are optional too.
		The  directory  [Varie] appears in the list only if it
		contains music (see rule c).
		Any other directory will be ignored.

	c) The contents  of  each  directory/album  must  follow  this
		classification:
		-All music tracks must be  in  a  subdirectory  called
			Brani and have a three-characters extension;
		-All texts  (in TXT format)  must be in a subdirectory
			called Testi and have a .txt extension;
			The  tracks  list  displays  only  the  tracks
			accompanied by a text file;
		-All images (in JPEG, GIF or BMP format)  must be in a
			subdirectory called  Immagini and have a .jpg,
			.gif or .bmp extension;
			GIF animation is not supported.
		Any other subdirectory will be ignored.
		Any pre-compiled PlayLists or any other elements  that
		OperaOmnia does not use directly can be put as much as
		You like.

	d) The  text  file  name  must  be  the  same  name   of   its
		corresponding  music  file  (except for the extension)
		and can have any of these formats:
			nn)  Xxx
			nn.  Xxx
			nn - Xxx
			Xxx
		where nn indicates the progressive track number in TWO
		digits;  the  other symbols have the meaning described
		above.  The  two  empty  spaces  are  obligatory  when
		present.  The  last format listed (free format) is not
		suggested, as it would not allow  chronological  track
		listing.
		It  is  also  possible  to use the format described in
		§7.b for  directory  names  (only  suggested  for  the
		tracks in the directory [Varie]).

	e) The text notes of each album should be put in  a  TXT  file
		called Nota.txt within the subdirectory Testi.
		It is also possible to insert an introductory text for
		the whole collection in the directory [Varie],  in TXT
		or RTF format, .txt or .rtf extension.  If RTF is used
		the font of the last type (which can be a blank space)
		of  the  file  will  be used to display all the others
		texts and notes of the collection.

	f) Images (of any dimension) must always be square-shaped.  If
		an  album  has  no images, or if there are no selected
		album, the "cover" is displayed (see §7.a).

	g) The same track can often appear in more album  directories.
		In this case,  to avoid wasting space,  the music file
		can be included just once in the CD-R, and substituted
		with a link in the other directories. The link must be
		a  text  file  with .OO extension, containing only one
		line with the complete  address  of  the  music  file,
		relative to the OperaOmnia executable file.

	h) The translation of a track's lyrics will automatically next
		to the original lyrics if there is enough room and the
		TXT file has this structure:
			Original lyrics (in K lines)
			(Blank line)
			                -+----+---------+----+-
			(Blank line)
			Translated lyrics (in K lines)
		Please note that there are  16 blank spaces before the
		separator.

	This should be all, I hope!
	Otherwise just try and try again, and look at the content of a
	pre-existing  OperaOmnia  multimedia collection  to help clear
	Your doubts.




 --- 8. Release History ----------------------------------------------


	Version 2.23 - February 23rd, 2001
		Added the parameter /IMMAGINI.
		Renamed the parameter /3 as /TESTI.
		Updated URL and eMail address of OiPaz.
		Minor cosmetic changes.

	Version 2.22 - February 22nd, 2000
		Added the parameter /MAX.
		Reactivated automatic display of images when only  one
			album is selected.
		Reversed the functionality of <CTRL> key.
		Eliminated routines  (not working)  for  managing  RTF
			format in the texts of the tracks.
		Minor cosmetic changes.

	Version 2.21 - February 21st, 2000
		Added the file ReadMe.txt in English.
		Merged the two windows of texts and notes.
		Replaced the <INS> key with <F11>.
		Swapped functionalities of right click and left  click
			in the start-up window.
		Fixed a bug in the manager of parameter /?.
		Fixed a bug in the calculation of the durations of the
			selected tracks.
		Fixed a bug in the manager of de/selection buttons  of
			albums and tracks.
		Minor cosmetic changes.

	Version 2.20 - November 11th, 1999
		Added a pointer to the  original  album  next  to  the
			duplicated tracks name.
		Activated right  Mouse  button,  double  clicking  and
			keyboard for closing the start-up window.
		Substituted the faulty Setup.exe file.
		Eliminated "OK" and "ReadMe" buttons from the start-up
			window, which can now be moved around.
		Fixed some defects in display.
		Minor cosmetic changes.

	Version 2.11 - November 2nd, 1999
		Improved <SHIFT> and  <CTRL>  use  in  the  album  and
			tracks selections.
		Compiled in native code with Visual Basic v6.0.
		Fixed a bug in refreshing  images  when  pressing  the
			<INS> key.

	Version 2.10 - October 2nd, 1999
		Added capability to display only original  albums  and
			tracks, or only the duplicated ones.
		Added management of <SHIFT> and  <CTRL>  keys  in  the
			albums and tracks selection.
		Added management of <SHIFT> and <CTRL> keys  in  image
			selection.
		The <INS> key and the black arrow now work  also  when
			the main window is maximised.
		OperaOmnia does  not  list  the  directories  with  no
			musical content in the albums any more.
		Minor cosmetic changes.

	Version 2.00 - September 1st, 1999
		First publicly distributed release.

	Version 1.59 - May 1st, 1999
		First complete beta demonstrative release.




 --- 9. Feedback, Suggestions, Bug-Reports ---------------------------


	Any  comments,  suggestions  and (most of all) bug-reports are
	welcome at OiPaz@oipaz.net

	It is advisable to specify  "OperaOmnia" in the subject field,
	and to report  the version and some info about the Windows and
	Visual Basic environment of Your computer.




--- A. Acknowledgements ----------------------------------------------


	The Author wants to thank all the people who helped  him  with
	ideas  and  valuable suggestions, and the beta testers. Thanks
	for Your patience! :-)

	And, obviously, thanks to Laura!!

	Well, that's about it, happy playing!!!




 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 	OperaOmnia is a registered trademark of OiPaz. ;-> 
 	Visual Basic, Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft.
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
