As the instructions indicate, your purchase includes TURNKEY SETUP AND TRAINING.  This means that once you 
load PC/ANYWHERE on at least one workstation (not the server) and attach a modem and phone line, we can dial in, 
load and configure the software, and provide screen by screen training.   While we have included installation 
documentation which would let you do it yourself, we STRONGLY recommend you let us do it while you watch and 
follow along.  However if you are a "do it yourselfer" you can follow this and the included documentation, so long as 
you promise (and we mean promise) to let us dial in the minute you get stuck doing anything.  This not only includes 
our software, but anything from a problem setting up the network to wrestling with plug and play settings with an audio 
card.

Accessories: 

NewsReady32 can interface with any on-air console's remote start and stops and LEDs if you have purchased the 
Broadcast Tools AT-1616L universal relay controller, (sold separately, 1 controller per on-air workstation).   The device 
allows up to 3 audio cards in the on-air computer to be controlled with separate start or stop buttons on your on-air 
console.  The device accepts dry closure, and other output signals and is jumper configurable.  In addition, for each 
audio card/channel, we latch a SPDT relay closed during the duration of play, and provide an EOM pulse at the end, 
so you can drive a host of LED/tally information points on the console.  6 inputs, and 6 relays are used on the 
controller for these purposes.  The other 10 ins and outs are reserved for future use.  The device connects to a COM 
port.  A special software driver must be installed on a workstation to drive this device and a change to the ini file must 
be made, call for details or information on how to purchase.   We also offer 4 port cards if you need to capture more 
than one wire service on the computer serving as the capture station.  (Cannot be the server).   Audio cards can be 
supplied by us or any vendor.  We work with all windows compatibles sound cards, and recommend the 
SoundBlaster64 GOLD over all others unless you want to spend big bucks on professional balanced models.

Custom Folders: 

One of the most important aspects of the newsroom is where they will file their finished newscasts.  NewsReady32 
works with standard folders (directories) and *.TXT files and long file names are supported.   However, to keep news 
people from getting lost in the many drives, servers, and directories that make up the system, the NewsReady32 
Installation Handout directed you to create Custom Folders.   Think of Custom Folders as fences that keep users from 
getting lost and filing in the wrong place.   At least one has to be setup, assuming you want to dump everything in one 
folder, but most newsrooms benefit from several.  After custom folders are created you can then create subdirectories 
(using windows explorer or any other program).  Whenever you put subdirectories in a custom folder, the custom folder 
becomes a file cabinet forcing someone to use the subfolders contained within it.  And you can go as many levels 
down as you like.

For example:  You could create folders one for each day of the week.  Many newsrooms are "day based" stories are 
filed into the day.  Someone at midnight decides which stories are to be archived at the end of the day or moved into 
the next day for re-use.  (NewsReady 32 includes a program called purge which can be put in the windows task 
manager on a computer to automatically clean out any number of folders based on the age of the files.)

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
etc.

In addition you might want to have folders under Monday.  For example Assignments, Newscasts, Shorts, 
Storyboards.  Thus when you save, you choose the day, then the folder the item goes in.  You can make this as simple 
(and quick) or as branched as you want.

Some stations also create folders for each newscast, especially full service newsrooms who do more than simple 3-7 
minute "short form" newscasts.  You could create a 0500am folder, and 0600am folder etc.  In this fashion, writers file 
into the newscast folder.  You might also have permanent templates that are copied into each newscast hour.   
NewsReady32 even allows you to create rundowns, structured orders to how the files are arranged in a folder.  In this 
fashion, if a news hour is broken into files or "frames" you can create almost a television like rundown, the system lets 
someone reading on the screen automatically go to the next file in the list so they can prompt the scripts on the air, 
complete with audio cuts embedded in the texts.

You might also want to create audio folders in a similar fashion.   And you might want to create a folder called 1999 
Archive.  (Each year you could create another folder).  And in this folder you could create months, Jan, Feb etc. So 
when you want to archive, you archive to the year and month the file was written.

There are limitless possibilities.  Put some thought into this, or follow whatever scheme your old newsroom system 
used, assuming you like that.

Custom folders work with the F4 SAVE and F6 ARCHIVE and F10 OPEN keys in the NotePads. (where you type 
scripts).  Whenever you save, archive, or open an existing file, the custom folders guide you to exactly where you want 
to put your work.

The FileLog screen (where you look at lists of your scripts) and the AudioLog screen (where you look at lists of your 
audio files) also work with custom folders.  When you choose CTRL-L (select) to choose a folder, a simple up/down, 
left/right ENTER menu lets you quickly jump to any folder you want to view.

Since the NewsReady32 system stores all data in standard directories as TXT or WAV files, system administrators can 
organize and locate these folders anywhere in their LAN/WAN environment and employ a host of 3rd party systems, 
web integrators, and backup mechanisms.
Ordering Custom Folders/Making Changes: 

Custom folders are ordered in the system in the order you created them in the ADMIN program: 
(WIRE\INSTALL\SETUP32.EXE)  To change the order, you can use a text editor and edit the 
WIRE\SYSTEM\CUSDIR32.DAT file directly.  The format is simple.  Be careful not to screw up the syntax.  You can 
order the folders anyway you like.

You can also add folders at any time.

NewsReady32 users do NOT have to be kicked off the system when making changes.  You can literally make changes 
and additions on the fly.  The next time a user saves a file, or does a lookup, the change is dynamically updated.

Separating text and audio folders/subfolders: 

While you can use the same folders for text and audio, some stations want specific folders to only show up in the text 
areas of the system (Notepad, FileLog etc) and audio folders to show up in the AudioLog.  This can be done by 
creating ignore lists.

There is a $TXTIGNR.DAT and an $AUDIGNR.DAT file in the WIRE\SYSTEM directory.

Simply put the directory/folder names in the $TXTIGNR.DAT file you don't want to show up when saving scripts or 
looking up scripts in the FileLog, and do the reverse with the $AUDIGNR.DAT file.

In other words, put audio folder names in the $TXTIGNR.DAT and text folder names in the $AUDIGNR.DAT file, 
unless the same folder has both text and audio in it.

Only put the name, not the path.  I.e if the directory you want to ignore is F:\FOLDERS\MONDAY\SCRIPTS, you would 
only put the word SCRIPTS in the file.

The structure of the file is simply a list of names, one per line, left justified, i.e

name1
name2
name3

order doesn't matter.

Most newsrooms want to divide their wire service into categories.

This is accomplished by configuring "searches" in the wire browser by hitting F2 SEARCH, and choosing NEW 
SEARCH.  You can also EDIT and DELETE existing ones.  The NR32 manual explains how searching works.  You 
can also call us to set them up for you.

Searches are specific to each user you setup in the system.  (Users are setup in the SETUP program, see 
NewsReady32 Installation handout.)

If you are trying to setup a base list of searches common to all users, this can be done at system installation by 
copying the file containing the searches from your user, to everyone else's.

All users are setup as folders under WIRE\USERS.

For example user DAVE, is WIRE\USERS\DAVE

The $SEARCH2.DAT file contains the searches, so if you copy the file from the user you setup to everyone else's, 
everyone will start with the same searches.

The searching system also provides quick searches, by wire service category, priority, or headline or text.  We find 
Headline and Text searches particularly useful.

These are partial searches matches, type in any part of a headline, or text within a story you want to find and 
NewsReady searches the entire wire history.

All searches are multi-tasked, as soon as you see a found story, you can view, print, or cut/copy from it.

Update of wire browser:

The wire browser is set to periodically update the listing of wire service stories. The default setting for this is every 30 
seconds. The wire browser will only update if the top story is highlighted.

Some users find that 30 seconds is too often of an update. If you wish to lengthen this time, you will need to edit the 
$config.wr file for the user. This file is in the wire\users\[username] directory, where [username] is the name that you 
type in when you start Newsready32. In this file, there is a line that begins with a lower case 'u'. It will be something 
like 'u 1 30'. The 30 in this line means that the wire browser is to update every 30 seconds. Change this value to the 
number of seconds you want to use for the update time.

To completely disable the automatic update, change the '1' in this line to a '0' (that is, the digit zero).

NOTE: At any time, you can press the F3 key to update the wire browser, even if automatic update is disabled.

NOTE: Each user has their own $config.wr, so you will need to edit this file for every user you want to have a different 
automatic update time, or for every user who wants automatic update disabled.

Capitalization of wire service stories:

Some people prefer to have their text completely capitalized, and others prefer that text be in the standard mixture of 
upper and lower case. Each user can choose to have their own preference.

To change from one setting to another: Edit the $config.wr for the specific user. In the file is a line that begins with a 
lower case 'e'. The line will look something like 'e 1 1 0 0'. To change capitalization, change the last digit. A '1' 
indicates that all characters will be capitalized. A '0' (the digit zero) indicates that the text will be a mixture of lower and 
upper case. Do not change the other digits on this line.

You'll notice that the NewsReady32 NotePad can time out your newscast, both the words you read on the air, and any 
audio cuts you embed, whenever you hit the CTRL-T key (or click on the TIME button or pull down).   We also update 
the current total whenever you save the file, so it shows accurately in the FileLog.

The default words per second is set to 3.5 words per second.  If this isn't right for a user, you can change it.

Like before, you have to edit that users' $config.wr file.

There is a line that begins with a small letter "x"

Change the 3.50 to whatever number you need after the x.  Save.

When the user restarts, that time will be reflected immediately.

Note:  The time calculation is based on the last person who saves the file.  So any file already stamped with a time, 
you'd want to go to the FileLog, hit ENTER on the file.  Hit the space bar (or anything to change the file slightly), hit 
ESCAPE and say "Y" when it asks you to save changes.  The time will be updated.

Any new file you create from that point on of course is calculated with the current read speed.

Also, keep in mind that if someone else opens your story to read on air, the time shown would be your read speed.  
Currently there is no easy way to auto-update the time based on the user, although if they hit CTRL-T at anytime, 
they'd see the time for them immediately.

In the planner, you can have up to 6 different page names. This way, you can keep personal notes and plans separate 
from other types. The first two page names are fixed: Futures and Personal. You can assign names to the other four 
page names.

NOTE: All users will share the same page names. However, Planner entries made on one computer will NOT show on 
the other computers. All Planners are specific to the user name entered when Newsready32 is started.

To assign or modify the planner page names, edit the file SYSTEM.INI, in the System folder. The System folder is in 
the folder where Newsready32 is installed. The system.ini file might not exist.

In System.ini, look for a section that shows [PLANNER]. If this section does not exist, add it.

Immediately below [PLANNER] add lines for the button names. Use the following format (do not indent):

    [PLANNER]
    Button3=Interviews
    Button4=Meetings

Note: if you do not assign a button name, none will be listed in the planner. If you do not need all six planner pages, 
you do not need to assign names to all the buttons.

In Newsready32, to switch between pages, use Ctrl-#, where # is the page number. So, from the above example, to go 
to the Meetings page, you would press Ctrl-4. This only works if the Planner is your active window.

Most Windows programs let you open multiple files or multiple windows of the same type, etc. This can be a very 
useful and powerful feature, but it can become confusing when too many things are open. Other Windows programs let 
you open one or only a few files or windows at a time. This keeps things simple, and makes but some people find it 
limiting.

NewsReady32 lets you choose which method you prefer. The mode is specific to the user: each user can choose the 
method that best suits the way they work. For most users, we recommend Classic mode.

Standard mode permits you to open multiple wire browsers, notepads, file logs and audio logs. Any time you press one 
of the buttons at the top, or use Alt-#, a new window is opened.   Some users may find this confusing! 

Classic mode only lets you open one of each; in fact, the wire browser is always open in Classic mode. You cannot 
close the wire browser in Classic mode. For all other windows in Newsready32, if you click the button at the top, or use 
Alt-#, it will switch to that window if one is open. If that window is not yet open, it will open a windows of that type. This 
enables you to quickly switch between open windows. For example, if you want to quickly move between the wire 
browser and the notepad, you can use Alt-3 and Alt-1 to do this.

Moreover, Classic mode keeps the windows always in a split or full screen view, controlled with the F8 key.  The F8 
key will always split the current window with your notepad.   While Standard mode does this as well, Classic Mode 
locks the window positions so that it is impossible to accidentally resize or close them.   For customers who use our 
DOS based WireReady, Classic mode makes the windows program retain the similar look and feel of the original 
program while providing all the benefits of pull downs, and using the mouse.

In the user directory's ini file, i.e USERS\DAVE\DAVE.INI (if the user is DAVE) you will find a group of settings under 
the bracketed entry [NewsReady32 -NewsDAD]  (or something very close to this)

Change the Mode= from Standard to Classic. 

Split Mode:

You can choose whether splitting with the F8 key splits horizontal or vertical.

In the user directory's ini file, i.e USERS\DAVE\DAVE.INI (if the user is DAVE) you will find a group of settings under 
the bracketed entry [NewsReady32 -NewsDAD]  (or something very close to this)

Change the Split=  from Horizontal to Vertical

Changing the F10 Open Mode 

Some stations want the NewsReady32 to work like a conventional word-processor. To this end, the NotePad(s) will let 
you open files you have written and saved previously.  The Open box lists your custom folders so computer novices 
can find their stuff, while also providing a standard 32 bit open box found in any common word-processing system.  
Users can explore the entire desktop, network directories and drives your network administrator has given them access to.
 Files can be drag/dropped/moved and deleted.  Since NewsReady32 is text file compatible, files 
created with other word-processors, when saved as text, can also be read into the NewsReady32 system.

Keep in mind users can also go to the FileLog screen, pull up a folder, browse it, and open any file directly by double 
clicking on it or hitting ENTER.  F10 Open is just another way to do this without having to go to the FileLog.

In the WIRE\SYSTEM\system.ini

[NotePad]
Open Mode=[Advanced or Simple]

i.e the Open Mode line looks like
Open Mode=Advanced
or
Open Mode=Simple

If these two lines are not present the default mode is advanced.

Some customers may not want users to be able to explore and open files into their Notepad in this fashion.  In Simple 
Mode, hitting F10 Open only gives the user a box to type in a file name.  They must use the name in order to load it.  
(The path is set under SETUP in the NotePad pull down)

In this fashion, templates or other files can be setup in a folder and users must type in the name to load it.   This works 
especially well for templates as file names are easily memorized and can be typed in quickly.

This option is global to the entire system, and once set effects all users the next time they login.

Versions 2.1 and above have a spell checker.  If you are using version 1 and are downloading version 2.1 or a later 
version for the first time from our web site, be sure to also download the SPELL.EXE file and follow the directions for 
adding the spell checker files.  These versions will not run without those files.  Note: customers who are installing from 
disk on any version after 2.100 will have these files loaded automatically so downloading is not necessary.

Version 2.1 and above includes on-line help files.  When users select help, we automatically open their default web 
browser and let them read the user-manual, on screen with hypertext links.  These files are added to the system 
directory automatically when installing from disk on any version greater than 2.1   If you are using version 1 and are 
downloading version 2.1 or a later version for the first time from our web site, be sure to also download the help file 
shown and follow the directions for adding the spell checker files.  Updates to our manuals will be posted to our web 
site and you can download and upgrade your on-line help at will.

As the main installation handout indicates, the preferred configuration is a single installation instance on your server so 
that all users are running off a common set of configuration files, text and audio files (data), wire service feeds, and 
program files.

As a default, when you install our software, everyone runs off the network WR_WIN.EXE file.

In some cases, when you are running a single installation instance off a network server, running the program off the 
local drive of workstations makes the program run faster.  This is especially true if you have remote users logging into 
the LAN through slower connections like ISDN, 56K frame relay, or even Dial up networking over dial-up analog 
modems.  These and other unstable network connections which are prone to regular disconnects would regularly kick 
you out of the program (GPFs and others), by running the executable off the local drive, you will generally have more 
chances to save and exit more gracefully when network problems occur.

Another benefit of running the executable locally is that you can upgrade the master EXE (WR_WIN.EXE) on the 
server at will without having to kick all your users off the system when you do an upgrade.

To run the WR_WIN.EXE off a local drive, you must make a short cut on your desktop that calls it.

For the program line, put WR_WIN.EXE s=network install path.

I.e if the system is installed in F:\WIRE, you would put WR_WIN.EXE s=F:\WIRE
It is advisable to also put the network install path in for the working directory.

VERY IMPORTANT:  Two spell checker files must also be put in the same directory where you put the copy of 
WR_WIN.EXE. Make sure 100.SUP and WRS32.DLL are also put side by side the WR_WIN.EXE.  You can find these 
files in the WIRE directory on your server where the main WR_WIN.EXE resides.

You can employ batch files and other methods for automatically comparing local executables with the network copy, so 
for example if you upgrade the server, users will automatically upgrade their local WR_WIN.EXE copy the next time 
they log in.

Please check our web site monthly for the latest upgrade.   We are making rapid improvements to the system based 
on user suggestions or discoveries.   The user name is good and the password is customer.