From the time you first run Information Retriever, you have a 30-day trial period to evaluate it. During that time, Information Retriever will be fully functional. If you decide you like Information Retriever, you should register and pay for it ($15.00). At the end of the trial period, if you do not pay for Information Retriever and input the unlock code you receive, Information Retriever will be deactivated. That is, it will no longer retrieve information for you. It will be reactivated when you input the unlock code, which you will receive when you pay for Information Retriever.
There are several ways to pay for Information Retriever. The easiest way to register a single copy is to go to the LeithauserResearch.com site. From there, you can go to the payment page (links are in the third paragraph on the home page). Scroll down the page to the place where Information Retriever is listed. Input the serial number that appears on the registration screen for Information Retriever (the screen that asks you to register and input your unlock code) and then click on the "PayPal buy now" button. You will be sent the unlock code by email. You will normally receive this code within a day, although it may take a little longer under unusual circumstances (Internet problems, etc.).
You can also pay for Information Retriever by clicking on the Print button to print a form. You can then mail this form to the address given on the form or fax it to the fax number given on the form. You can pay by enclosing a check or by filling out the credit card information on the form. You can also pay by phone using your credit card. The number to call is 386-410-6769.
Volume discounts are available. Call 386-410-6769 or send an email to [email protected] with information on how many copies you want to license for a price quote.
What Information Retriever Does
Information Retriever is a software program for Windows computers that helps you store and retrieve small pieces of information, like phone numbers, addresses, credit card information, or anything that can be described in a short phrase. Once you input a piece of information and assign a handle to it, you can easily recall that information by inputting just a few letters of that handle, or the data. For example, suppose you store several people's phone numbers, including one you label "Bill's phone." Let's assume that you also store Bill's address under the handle "Bill's address." When retrieving this information, if you search the handles for "Bill", Information Retriever will retrieve both Bill's phone number and address. If you search the handles for "phone" (or even just "pho"), Information Retriever will show you all the phone numbers you have stored. If you search the data instead of the handles, you can retrieve the handle "Bill's phone" by inputting a few digits of Bill's phone number. You can even tell Information Retriever to search both the handle and the data for the string of characters you input. You can print the results of your search, or copy and paste them into documents or text boxes in other programs.
Setting up Information Retriever
The first thing to do when you run Information Retriever is to input some data with handles. On the main Information Retriever window, click on "Edit Data" on the top menu bar. This will display the Edit Data Form.
This form allows you to add data, edit data, and delete data. It starts up in the Add Data mode.
To add data, simply type the handle in the box beside the Handle label, then hit the Tab key or click on the Data text box and then type the data. For example, to store Bill's telephone number, input "Bill's telephone number" (or any similar phrase you like) for the handle, then store the actual phone number in the data field. Then hit the Enter key on your keyboard or click on the Add button. The information will be stored and added to the list of current information in the center of the window. Repeat the process to store as many pieces of data as you like.
To edit data or handles, click on the Edit option button in the frame at the top of the Edit Data Form. Then click on the item of data you want to edit on the list in the middle of the form. (You can scroll this list if it is too long to see all the data items.) When you click on the item, the handle will appear in the Handle text box and the data item in the Data text box. Edit either or both of these, then click on the Replace button or press the Enter key on your keyboard. The new handle and data will replace the old.
To delete items, click on the Delete option button in the frame near the top of the Edit Data Form. Then click on the item in the list you wish to delete. Then click on the Delete button or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
You may add, edit, or delete as many items as you wish. When you are finished, click on the Close button or press the Esc key on your keyboard to return to the main screen. You can, of course, come back to the Edit Data Form at any time in the future to add, edit, or delete handles and data.
The main screen
The main screen of Information Retriever has a frame labeled "Search" containing option buttons labeled "Handle", "Data", and "Both". You can use these to select whether you want to search for a string in the handle, the data item, or both. Below this frame is a text box labeled "Search for." Type a few characters (letters or numbers) in this box. As soon as you start typing, Information Retriever searches for any handle or data or both (depending on your option button selection) containing the string of characters you have typed. In the list box below the "search for" text box, Information Retriever will list the handle followed by the corresponding data for any item where the search string was found. Handles and data will disappear as you continue typing if those items do not contain the full string you have typed. If you have typed a string that is not contained in any handle or data, a blue message will appear saying that no matches were found. Note: The search is case insensitive. This means that capitalization does not matter. Inputting "phone" as a phrase to look for will all bring up items containing "PHONE" or "phone" or "Phone".
Once you have data appearing in the list box, clicking on an item in the list box will put that data item in the computer clipboard (without the handle). This means that you can then paste this data into a document or other text box just by clicking on that text box and pressing Shift-Ins. This can be particularly useful if you store Web site URLs, email addresses, or similar data in Information Retriever. Just click on the item in Information Retriever's list box, then click on the URL or email field in your Web browser or email program and press Shift-Ins to insert the item.
You can print the entire contents of the list box by clicking on the Print command on the menu bar at the top of the main screen. The list is output to your default printer.
Resizing and moving the main screen
You can make the main screen wider or narrower, taller or shorter. As you do this, the text and list boxes will expand or contract to fill the form. This will allow you to see longer text, or reduce the form so that it does not take up unnecessary space. To change the size of the main screen, move the mouse cursor to the right side or the bottom of the form until it becomes a two-headed arrow. Once you have this two-headed arrow, press the left mouse button and move the mouse. The main form will change size.
You can move the form by moving the mouse cursor to the top blue bar, holding down the left mouse button, and moving the mouse. When you exit Information Retriever and then run it again, it will have the same size and screen location it had when you exited it.
You can move and resize the Edit Data Form in the same way, but it will not retain the changes you made after you close that screen.
Exiting Information Retriever
You can exit (shut down) Information Retriever by either clicking on the Files menu and then clicking on Exit, or by clicking on the X at the top right corner of the main screen.
The Register option
If you have not yet registered Information Retriever, a Register option will appear on the top menu of the main screen. Clicking on it will display the registration screen, which also appears when you first run Information Retriever until it is registered. Once you register Information Retriever, this option will disappear from the top of the main screen and the registration screen will no long appear when you first run Information Retriever.
Uninstalling Information Retriever
To uninstall Information Retriever (totally remove it from your computer), click on the Files menu and then on "Uninstall Information Retriever". If you do this, Information Retriever will ask if you really want to do this. If you click on the Yes button, Information Retriever will be totally removed from your computer. You should only use this option if you have decided that you do not want to use Information Retriever ever again.
Bug reports, help requests, suggestions
If you need help with this program, have found a bug, or have a request for additional feature, please contact Leithauser Research. The best way is to send an email to [email protected]. You can also call Leithauser Research at 386-410-6769 .
If you are suggesting an additional feature or other improvement, we will make these changes and release a new version soon if we believe these improvements would have broad appeal. You will be notified when the new version is released. If we feel that the changes you suggest are not commercially viable, we can still create a custom version of Information Retriever for you for a fee. Contact Leithauser Research if you are interested in this.
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