Contents:
- SipFind
- Problems reported by users
- Product plan
Dear SIP user,
I just come back from my trip to the US where I had the pleasure to meet with eight SIP customers
(7 customers and one prospect really). During this trip I finished the program SipFind which
is described
in this Newsletter and I need to report on three problems conveyed to me on this trip. Also
I announce
what I am working on today.
SipFind
This new utility is like the Windows Find but for MUS files. You can specify strings, fonts,
numbers, etc. to be located in a set files and on one or all online drives. Like the Windows Find
you can specify a date/days filter. The output can be sorted by name, date, Score license number
and what have you. This product is FREE to licensed SIP users. It will be part of the standard
delivery. If you want it now I can email a new SIP Control Center which calls it.
Problems
While meeting with customers over the last three weeks, I encountered the following issues:
1. When running SipAnlib, a run time message was given in the DOS box:
Overflow on line 1570 at 0923:0B9D
The reason for this was a DRW with an invalid format that happened to occur in c:\LIB.
After removing the invalid DRW file, this worked.
The solution will be to ignore a library which has the DRW suffix but is apparently not from
the Score family. I will look into this.
2. The set up of project parameters is misleading concerning \LIB. This is because the
initial MUS directory is set to C:\LIB while at installation time the PREF file is addressed
and it can be anywhere. Though it works as designed, the situation is impractical when you
have \LIB as a subdirectory of \SCORE. The solution will be to assume the default library to
be where the PREF file is and not allow it to be changed by the user other than at reinstallation.
The change is forthcoming.
3. One of my users has a far-from-standard Windows setup in that he modified the color and
font appearance (Settings, Control panel, Display, Appearance).
This causes the SIP panels to be garbled as the different font causes the instructions to be
at different spots on the panels. My advice: use the default font of Windows.
4. On top of that, the same user has configured two screens while SIP is not supporting this.
Most things works except the Score Help (giving an appropriate message) and the file display
as done when you double-click the
Beethoven picture. It interprets the two screens as one and the button to exit falls off the
screen. There is no solution to this problem yet.
Product plan
A couple of programs are under development, and although I usually work on one at a time, customers
who commission a specific development go first (that is when they talk money).
Currently I work on SipTpose, a transposition program superior to what PAGE or macro's can
do for you. It will cost US$ 50.-. Like the rest of the SIP suite utilities it will be called
from the SIP Control Center.
Then there is a program on the drawing board called SipNash. It is an input program and editor
for Nashville type TAB. Eventually it may be extended to other type tablature (any number of strings,
lute, banjo, kantele, flute, etc.).