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 How It Works
You upload a simple text file to a web server. What web server? Any web server!
You distribute your copy of iDirectory to the people who need it. What people? Anyone! How many people? As many as you need or want. There is no per user license for iDirectory.
When it needs to update, iDirectory downloads the file from the web server, and processes it in seconds.
 Simple, Powerful, and Fast
The display is simple and easy to understand. As it's shown here, iDirectory is set to search on last names. Type "c" and within a split second, only entries where the last name starts with "c" will be displayed. Type "ca", and just as quickly, only entries that start with "ca" will be displayed. iDirectory can filter thousands of entries in a fraction of a second on any relatively current computer. If iDirectory is still filling out the list as you type another character, it will immediately stop the current filter and start again with your new match string.
Not Just Starts With
iDirectory also supports "contains" searches. Just check the box, and iDirectory will display all entries where the last name has your match string anywhere in it.
Match on Anything
iDirectory will search on any column, just by selecting that radio button. Or, you can search on all of them at once by selecting All. iDirectory will still be fast and responsive!
Resizable
The iDirectory window is resizable. It remembers the position and size you left it in for the next time you launch it.
You Control the Columns
The first column is always assumed to be the name, in last, first format. You specify what the remaining three columns will be in your import file. The radio buttons change automatically to reflect your choices.
Automatic Updates
iDirectory is set by default to get new data every three days. But a user can change the update frequency, choose to forgo an update and be reminded next time, or reset the update timer. On the other hand, a user can update right away by clicking the Update button.
Preferences:
Click on the Prefs tab, and the users is able to get help, and control several aspects of the way iDirectory functions and appears.
Highlight Search Text After:
Whenever a certain amount of time goes by without any changes to the search text, iDirectory highlights all of the search text, to facilitate starting a new entry. This setting controls how many seconds have to go by.
Fetch New Data Every:
iDirectory stores all the data it needs in its preferences file, so most of the time, you don't need to wait for a slow network connection. It just loads the data and is ready to go. Of course, as time goes by this data gets out of date. This setting controls how many days iDirectory waits between requests to update the data.
Background Color
This controls the background color of iDirectory. This has no effect on functionality; it is purely cosmetic.
You Control the Additional Tabs
You control the addtional tabs by what you put in the data file iDirectory loads. You can have up to twenty tabs, although that many would be hard to fit in a standard iDirectory window unless all the names were very short. Each tab can contain plain text, including tabs for formatting, or HTML. iDirectory uses a simple HTML parser, so it doesn't understand everything, but you can control the size, style, and color of text. |
