*********************************************************************
***      READ THIS ENTIRE FILE BEFORE USING WINCODE v2.7.3        ***
***                                                               ***
***   THE V2.7 SPECIFIC HELP FILE WILL BE AVAILABLE STARTING      ***
***   NOV.15, 1996 - KEEP AN EYE ON OUR WEB SITE FOR DETAILS...   ***
***                                                               ***
*********************************************************************
***                                                               ***
***   SEE THE "NEW FEATURES/OPTIONS" SECTION BELOW FOR INFO       ***
***   RELATING TO BETA VERSION UPDATES - VERY IMPORTANT!!!        ***
***                                                               ***
***   [ 10/31/96 GHS ]                                            ***
***                                                               ***
*********************************************************************

PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING FILES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

README.TXT
HELPME.HLP
VSDLINK.DAT
LICENSE.TXT


WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
---------------------
This is Wincode v2.7.3 *RELEASE*. It will NOT expire :-).

We were hoping that this would be the 32-bit release version but
unfortunately we decided to revamp Wincode again :-). We are going
to be releasing several BETAs in the coming weeks which offer a new
and improved interface (we hope!). The Wincode Engine technology is
also being incorporated into other _Snappy_ software that will also
be released soon and will hopefully make internet life easier. Keep
an eye on our Homepage for details...

Info on Wincode can be easily obtained by sending a BLANK e-mail to:

   wincode@snappy-software.com

You will receive an auto-reply of the latest news. Also check out
the new Wincode Info page at:                         

   http://www.members.global2000.net/snappy/wincode.html



CTL3DV2:
--------
The file CTL3DV2.DLL is used by Wincode to give it the "3D" look.
This file, however, is included with many other products and may
already be installed on your system. By default, the Installer will
NOT copy this file to your system. It may be in use by Windows and
would yeild an (harmless) error. For your benefit (read = Just In
Case), we have included a RENAMED copy of the file with the Wincode
archive. If any Wincode dialog appears "old-style" (i.e. white face
and boxed edges), you can install the CTL3DV2.DLL. The procedure is
quite simple:
  1) The file MUST be located in the Windows SYSTEM directory.
  2) If you do not see the file there, copy the included file
     CTL3DV2.JIC to your Windows SYSTEM directory and rename it
     CTL3DV2.DLL.
  3) If you DO see a file there, check the version number and make
     sure it is at LEAST version: 2.26.000. If not, rename it (for
     backup) and do step 2 above.
  4) Thats it!


ARCHIVING:
----------
In preparation for the coming releases, we have created a new file
archive naming system as follows:

   WCxxxyzz.ZIP

where
   WC   =  Wincode  
   xxx  =  the Wincode version number
   y    =  R for official release or B for beta
   zz   =  either 16 for 16-bit version (Win3.1x) or
           32 for 32-bit version (Win95/NT)

For example, WC271B16.ZIP would be Wincode v2.7.1 for Win3.1x BETA
release.


AVAILABILITY:
-------------
With the formation of the _Snappy_ Software internet site, users now
have a place where they are guaranteed to be able to get the latest
news and updates for _Snappy_ software. Please note that our
"official" server is ONLY online between midnight and noon Eastern
Standard time 7 days a week. It is NOT a 24 hour server though we CAN
receive e-mail round the clock. You may get a WARNING message but
please know that your e-mail *will* be delivered. Note that the times
listed here are maintained given that our internet provider is up and
running and our server is not in use for development...

Please send any feedback to:

   feedback@snappy-software.com

Please send any bug reports to:

   bugs@snappy-software.com

Check out our HomePage for further details at:

   http://snappy-software.com/

PLEASE NOTE: There is now a _Snappy_ HomePage MIRROR site that is
online full-time (24 hours/7 days). We encourage you to please use
that site whenever possible - it will always have the latest release
of Wincode and it is *MUCH* faster for downloads. It can be found at:

   http://www.members.global2000.net/snappy/


NEW FEATURES/OPTIONS:
---------------------
New to version 2.7.3c RELEASE:

 - Several small code enhancements.

 - Information updates.

New to version 2.7.3a RELEASE:

 - Bug fix in UUE "special" decode algorithm.

 - Bug fix in Scripting code.

 - Information updates and non-expiring FULL release.

New to version 2.7.2g BETA:

 - All new Hook intergration features. Check out our Homepage or see
   the HELPME.HLP file for details! This includes new automated hook
   scripts for AOL and WinCIM to make encoding a snap!

 - Several minor bug fixes. This is *hopefully* the last BETA release!

New to version 2.7.2f BETA:

 - The AUTO DETECT feature has again been improved! There are now TWO
   "auto-detect" types. "AUTO-1" (aka "quick-pass") uses the same
   detection mechanism described below for version 2.7.2a-e. This
   method will scan the input file for the FIRST occurence of a known
   code-type "signature". It will then treat the entire input file as
   if it contains only the detected code-type. This is the case for
   95% of input files. "AUTO-2" (aka "full-pass") will scan the
   entire file and "log" ALL the different DETECTABLE code types. It
   will then proceed to process the input file using each code type
   detected. So a file can contain a MIX of UU, XX, USR, BASE64
   (MIME), BINHEX and BTOA data and *ALL* files will be decoded!

   IMPORTANT NOTE: MIME files that are "message/partial" should NEVER
   exist in ONE file. This is a limitation of MIME structured files.
   You should save these file parts into SEPARATE files and Wincode
   will handle them. A Content-Type of "multipart/mixed" CAN exist in
   a SINGLE file - that is the correct MIME format. Please refer to
   RFC1521 for further details.

 - File renaming is now handled more gracefully. If the Interactive
   Mode is set to "High", Wincode will prompt the user for the
   required information. If the Interactive Mode is set to "Medium"
   or "Low", Wincode will create a suitable valid DOS filename for
   you! There are three cases where this comes in handy:
     1) The file has no defined internal name.
     2) The filename being decoded exists.
     3) The filename being decoded is not a valid DOS 8.3 filename.
   In case (1), Wincode will create a name based on the input
   filename with an extension based on the detected file-type if
   it can be detected (i.e. ".jpg" for JPEGs, ".gif" for GIFs, etc.
   The default is ".dat" for an unknown type. See below for info on
   the built-in file-type detection mechanism). In case (2), Wincode
   will (if Auto-Overwrite is not enabled!) create a NEW filename
   for you (using the original filename) by appending a number
   (starting at '1') to the "name" part. In case (3), Wincode will
   first truncate the name to 8.3 (if necessary) and then convert any
   illegal characters to underscores (_). 

New to version 2.7.2d,e BETA:

 - Ability to detect "file-types" based on binary signatures. This
   ability is used both in assigning MIME Content-Types when encoding
   and for assigning appropriate file extensions when decoding. For
   encoding, Wincode can understand 74 MIME types. For decoding,
   which applies ONLY to UU, XX, BASE64 (MIME) and BTOA code-types,
   Wincode can recognize 49 "file-types" (i.e. JPEGs, GIFs, Word
   Files, etc). The detected file-type information is also written
   to the Report File to help you later identify (if necessary) the
   appropriate viewer needed for the data, etc.

 - Several bug fixes were implemented. Most notably, MIME support
   again and a "decode-hang" bug :-(

New to version 2.7.2a,b,c BETA:

 - Yet another coding algorithm has been added: BTOA. As part of our
   goal to support all Binary/ASCII conversion methods in one
   (quality :-) product, Wincode now supports encoding/decoding of
   BTOA v4.0 and v5.2. This algorithm supports simple compression,
   several checksum options and will generally create encoded files
   that are smaller than other methods due to its conversion
   algorithm (mod 85).

 - We have changed the "File Open" dialogs to be more intuitive.
   There is now a Code Type combo-box that will let you change the
   en/de-code type on-the-fly. This feature *WAS* in previous
   versions of Wincode, however, it required that you double-click
   the dialog title bar (it would cycle through the code types).
   People wrote in that it was not very intuitive...so we listened
   :-) You will notice that the "All Files" button is gone :-(
   However, the "All Files" functionality (which is to "select" all
   files that are of a given "type" - i.e. "*.txt") is *STILL*
   available. Just HOLD DOWN THE CTRL KEY and select "OK" - Wincode
   will process "all files" of the listed type.

 - The AUTO DETECT decoding option will now try to detect the code
   type by scanning the ENTIRE file. It will adjust the code type to
   the FIRST type that it encounters. If there is more than one
   encoding type in a file (*highly unlikely*), you will have to
   decode the non-detected portions manually (better yet, try Winsort
   first which may help). Wincode tries to recognize UU, XX, User
   Defined, BASE64 (MIME), BINHEX and BTOA. It can NOT Auto-Detect
   "raw" BASE64 or BOO. These two coding types should NEVER exist in
   a file which contains extraneous data - this makes it "nearly"
   impossible to detect the algorithm! The detection scheme works by
   identifying certain unique aspects of each coding algorithm. It is
   NOT fool-proof ;-) :-)

 - Several bug fixes were implemented. Most notably we have again
   improved Wincodes ability to handle MIME files (now recognizes
   some "non-standard" headers - again, we don't agree with the
   programs that create non-standard MIME files, but we do it for
   completeness sake ;-)

 - MAJOR overhaul of the Wincode EPD. The E-mail/Post option has now
   become both easier to use and intuitive. Wincode now has an
   "Address Book" which can store addresses/descriptions etc. The
   Wincode EPD has been patched to work with a few "problematic" SMTP
   servers we encountered plus it now can handle CC:, BCC: and will
   deliver mail in a "bulk" fashion thus lessening the load on your
   e-mail/newsgroup server.

 - Scripting has been modified (as noted below) to work with the new
   Wincode EPD. Notably, four commands are no longer valid (compared
   to version 2.7.1 BETA). This should not present much of a problem.
   We welcome any comments to our changes...

The following notes have been kept for completeness sake...
(RE: 2.7.1 BETA/2.7.0 release)

New to version 2.7.1 BETA:

 - Yet another coding algorithm has been added: BOO. This simple
   coding algorithm was (is) used in cross-platform file transfer
   where software could automatically encode/decode the data. It
   requires PREVIOUS knowledge of the decoded files output size.
   Otherwise, inherent flaws in the coding algorithm (NOT bugs in
   Wincode) CAN produce decoded output that is 1 to 3 bytes LARGER
   than the original encoded file. Most files can tolerate the
   appended NULL bytes, but it is not recommended.

 - Improved "Concatenation" option. Actually, this option has been
   extended to allow for file "splitting" as well. The splitting
   feature can be used to overcome the BOO limitations stated above.

 - Several fixes and code optimizations. Especially with regard to
   Win95.

NOTE: The following scripting section reflects the v2.7.2 BETA
standard. It does not represent the original text included with
Wincode v2.7.1 BETA.

 - New simple YET powerful scripting ability. Wincode can now
   function using a scripted language. This feature allows for
   repairing of damaged files (see below) but also allows you to
   "program" Wincode. The scripts take the following form (a more
   EXTENSIVE explanation will accompany the OFFICIAL (non-BETA)
   release of Wincode - sorry!):

   - All scripts begin and end with a keyword WINCODESCRIPT located
     in the FIRST column of a text file (it can be ANYWHERE in the
     file as long as the keyword starts in column one).
   - The following commands are recognized (items in brackets MUST
     be provided). Anything that is not a "command" is treated as
     a comment:

     CLOSE
     
        - close the Wincode application.

     CONFIG [filename]

        - [filename] is a preconfigured WINCODE.INI file that Wincode
          will dynamically load into memory and use.

     DECODE [filename]

        - [filename] will be decoded immediately using the active
          configuration (if not part of "GROUP" - see below).

     ENCODE [filename]

        - [filename] will be encoded immediately using the active
          configuration (if not part of "GROUP" - see below).

     EPD [ON/OFF]

        - toggles the Wincode E-Mail/Post Daemon option. The
          "E-Mail/Post TO:" dialog will appear (when files are
          encoded) to allow you to select a receiver/newsgroup.

     GROUP

        - used to mark a subset of files that will be treated as a
          "group" (i.e. a "batch job"). This is used for specifying
          a series of files that will be ZIPped into one file then
          encoded. Valid values are either "ENCODE" or "DECODE"
          followed by the file specification. The "group" ends with
          the keyword "GROUP" at which point Wincode will process the
          batch job.

     MINIMIZE

        - this minimizes the Wincode application window.

     REPAIR [CREATE/FIX]

        - this is a special script language keyword RESERVED by
          Wincode to create "Repair" scripts. Wincode can use these
          scripts to repair "damaged" decoded files. A scenario is
          given below...

     RESTORE

        - this maximizes (opens) the Wincode application window.

     UNHOOK

        - this unhooks the Wincode application.

     UNZIP [ON/OFF]

        - toggles the Wincode UNZIP After option.

     ZIP [ON/OFF]

        - toggles the Wincode ZIP First option.

   - Example:

; here's a sample script
WINCODESCRIPT

; first lets minimize wincode to get it out of the way :-)...
  MINIMIZE

; lets grab a few files, zip them up and encode them
; toggle zip option
  ZIP ON

; start a group of files
  GROUP

; grab some files (this doesn't encode them till the next "GROUP"
; keyword)
    ENCODE c:\autoexec.bat
    ENCODE c:\config.sys

; end the group of files
  GROUP
; at this point, Wincode processes the files as a batch job...

; thats done...

; now lets post a DOOM wad file...
; ZIP is still ON from above!
; enable the e-mail/post daemon
  EPD ON

; encode and send it!
  ENCODE c:\doom\mydoom.wad

; At this point, Wincode prompts for a destination. Enter the proper
; newsgroup and away we go :-)

; thats done
;
; etc, etc - you get the picture right?
;

; lets see wincode again :-)...
  RESTORE

; done!
WINCODESCRIPT

   - NOTE on scripts: all changes to the Wincode options (i.e.
     enabling posting, zip options, etc) exists ONLY during the
     execution of the script. When Wincode is finished, it reloads
     a copy of the orginal configuration BEFORE the script was
     executed...

 - As mentioned above, there are now new scripting commands which
   allow Wincode to REPAIR damaged files. How? Well, it is best
   explained in the following scenario. Note that this requires
   interplay with the person that originated the encoded file. The
   lines in the scenario below represent the ORDER of events, where
   * = receiver and + = sender:

    * I receive a 3MB (!) encoded file from a friend and try to
      decode it.
    * Wincode is chugging along when it realizes that the last 100K
      is missing or damaged. Agh! I just spent 30 minutes downloading
      this e-mail from "your-favorite-inet-provider-here" which cost
      me $XX.XX!
    * Luckily, I had both "Error Checking" and "Create Report Files"
      enabled. I see in the report file that Wincode has created a
      Repair Script(!) located in the same directory as the recent
      damaged output file. This is called the "CREATE" repair script.
    * Now what? Well, I take this tiny (100-200 byte!) file and mail
      it to the friend that sent me the original 3MB file. I SAVE THE
      DAMAGED DECODED FILE (YOU DO NOT NEED THE ENCODED ONE :-).
    + (S)he takes the Wincode Script and feeds it to Wincode. This is
      done by selecting File|Script... or Drag & Drop and checking
      the "Script" option.
    + Wincode prompts for the original "template" data file (i.e. the
      file which was originally encoded and mailed to me). My friend
      enters the FULL path using the convenient dialogs :-)
    + Wincode analyzes the file, comparing it to data it has stored
      in the repair script. If all is OK, it does two things:
        1) creates a new Repair script called the "FIX" script
        2) extracts and encodes the portion of the orginal file that
           was damaged in the receivers (my!) copy. In this scenario,
           it is around ~130K worth of data.
    + My friend takes these two files and e-mails them back to me.
    * After a 1 1/2 minute download of the files (vs 30 min. for
      original file), I am ready to repair the data.
    * I save the two separate files in the same directory as the
      original damaged decoded file (for neatness :-)
    * I open Wincode and feed it the NEW script file.
    * Wincode first prompts me for the location of the DAMAGED file I
      wish to fix (which I SAVED above). I give it a full path and it
      once again verifies the data.
    * Now Wincode prompts for the location of the "repair data". This
      is the small 130K data file my friend sent back.
    * Wincode then starts patching the original file. When done, it
      re-scans the ENTIRE output file and verifies the data. If all
      went well, I have now fixed the damaged file and saved a few
      online buck$ :-)

   Simple, no? The events, in "flow-chart" form, are:

    -----------              -------------------      -----------------
-> |decode data| -> bad? -> |script file created| -> |mail to orginator|
    -----------              -------------------      -----------------
         |                                                    |
         |                 --------------------------------------------
       good?              |use script to create new FIX script and data|
         |                 --------------------------------------------
         |                                 |
         |                 ------------------------------------
         |                |mail fix and repair data to receiver|
         |                 ------------------------------------
         |                                 |
         |                 ------------------------------------------
         |                |use script and data to repair damaged file|
         |                 ------------------------------------------
    -------------                          |
   |happiness :-)|<----------------------- /
    -------------


New to version 2.7.0 RELEASE:

 - YES, it now supports BINHEX ENCODING and DECODING! We have even
   included an encode option that will allow you to add the correct
   MAC Finder info (See the HELPME.HLP file 'A Simple Encode Example'
   Note for details). The BINHEX algorithm supports RLE (Run Length
   Encoding) which can dramatically reduce the size of the resulting
   encoded file (ZIPped files do not benefit much, however).

 - The AUTO DETECT decoding option will now try to detect the code
   type of the file. It tries to recognize BINHEX and BASE64 but will
   default to UU/XX/User Defined code type. The detection algorithm
   is VERY simple and only scans the first 16K of each input file.
   (POST-NOTE: Much improved in later versions, see above)

 - If you have a Winsock setup, Wincode can now automatically handle
   e-mailing and Posting of encoded documents. Just drag and drop :-)
   If you do NOT have a Winsock or are not planning to use Wincodes
   e-mail/post features, then you can delete the files WCESOCK.EXE to
   conserve disk space :-)

 - Now includes integrated Virus Scanning using a DOS based virus
   scanner.

 - Winsort now can filter out HTML conversion codes. This allows one
   to decode files that were saved using a WWW browser. To see this
   effect, try using one of the many Net Search engines to locate an
   encoded article from an Internet Newsgroup. When you save this
   article (or retrieve it from the cache), it will contain special
   HTML escape codes which corrupt the encoded data. Winsort can now
   rescue these files.

 - The Hooking feature has been updated to fix two major
   incompatibilities. First, it is now more "aware" of the types of
   Windows it can and cannot hook. This resolves the issue with the
   Dropper application. Second, and most importantly, the "grayed
   menu" bug has been fixed. There is a NEW option, 'Double Hook
   Menu', in the Hook Tuning section. Enabled the double hook and
   Wincode will dynamically monitor the applications menu and make
   adjustments as needed. This works great for MDI applications (e.g.
   Free Agent) which change the main menu when different windows are
   selected. If the Wincode menu disappears, just click the menu and
   it will reappear!

 - The HELPME.TXT text file has been converted to a Windows HELP
   file. This FREE Help will now start any time an unregistered user
   selets a Help option within Wincode.

 - revamped interface to the latter Windows 3.11 "look" - yes, Win95
   is here but we have updated Wincode to use the 3-D look. You will
   need CTL3DV2.DLL to take advantage of this feature. This DLL is a
   part of many newer Microsoft application distributions.

 - new Configuration dialog - tabbed notebook. Makes life much
   easier :-)

 - Use of Common Dialogs for file encode/decode. In fact, if you
   select 'File|Encode' or 'File|Decode' you can also now change the
   CODE TYPE by double clicking the dialog TitleBar...

 - Improved speed. Code was ported to Borland Delphi (which explains
   the larger file size - sorry!) and there will be a TRUE Win95
   32-bit version available sometime after Borland releases Delphi32
   (Delphi 2.0 is scheduled for release on March 1, 1996).

 - Fixed Code bugs and the "disappearing Wincode" bug...

 - Improved the interactive Drag and Drop code to allow selection of
   different Code Types for encoding vs decoding.

 - Added links to the Auto E-mail/Post engine.

 - Expanded the ButtonBar and menus to include a few other essential
   features.

 - Many internal updates and code enhancements that will come as a
   nice surprise to hardcore Wincode users... :-)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

[GHS 10/31/96]
