Freda - ebook reader program for Windows Mobile

[Marseille]

So I felt like some variety last night, and went into eReader to choose from a much larger selection than I currently have in epub, but I couldn't make myself read with it. All that bright white light pouring off the lettering from the top and bottom winmo bars alone was enough to make it miserable. My color scheme in Freda is just right -- the best reading experience I've had since I used my old monochrome Palm m500, and I really have no desire to undo that.

Full screen reading probably sounds like a small feature to some people (like, for example, fictionwise), but to me it's a huge deal -- and since I'm the one doing the reading, my opinion is the only one I care about.

So now I'm trying to convert some of my old standbys to epub so I can increase my Freda-compatible selection. Hopefully it's easier than it looks.

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

All that bright white light pouring off the lettering from the top and bottom winmo bars alone was enough to make it miserable. My color scheme in Freda is just right -- the best reading experience I've had since I used my old monochrome Palm m500, and I really have no desire to undo that.

Full screen reading probably sounds like a small feature to some people (like, for example, fictionwise), but to me it's a huge deal

I never cared about full-screen reading until I switched to black background and red text for reading in the dark. Now my experience is just as you described. Question for Jim:

Can there be an option to make the action key (the one in the center of the movement circle) toggle between full-screen and windowed mode? That's how Mobipocket Reader works on mine, and it's very handy. Right now, I get a small menu which includes screen options, but I'd like to be able to set it to simply toggle the screen.

So now I'm trying to convert some of my old standbys to epub so I can increase my Freda-compatible selection. Hopefully it's easier than it looks.

I hope you're trying Calibre.

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by starrigger

I hope you're trying Calibre.

It's go for stage 2. Stage 1 is what I'm worried about though.

[yuanlong]

Originally Posted by Jim Chapman

I've also added various features so that when you start the application it quickly brings you back to wherever you were before you last exited. Hopefully that will make this sort of thing go a bit more smoothly.

Thanks for making this application and found it to be very good. I was hoping that what you mean up there is there it will go back to the page where you last read that book. If its not, would be be able to add this function in?

[Jim Chapman]

Originally Posted by yuanlong

Thanks for making this application and found it to be very good. I was hoping that what you mean up there is there it will go back to the page where you last read that book. If its not, would be be able to add this function in?

Yes this feature is already in v1.0, but there were some problems with it. I've done some work on it since then, and the version 1.1 should do what you need. That release is nearly ready now.
It will remember your position in the last 20 books that you opened.

Thanks for using Freda,

Jim

[emai7s2]

Jim,

I think that the "find" function in Freda currently defaults to "search backwards". Could you possibly change this to "search forwards", or let the user determine the default?

Thanks!

[Jim Chapman]

Originally Posted by emai7s2

the "find" function in Freda currently defaults to "search backwards".

Oops. A bug. I will fix so it defaults to forwards (or if you have searched before, it will search in the same direction you did last time).

Good spot! Thanks,

Jim

[Jim Chapman]

Originally Posted by starrigger

Can there be an option to make the action key (the one in the center of the movement circle) toggle between full-screen and windowed mode?

The whole subject of keys and keypads needs a little thought. The problem is that I need Freda to work sensibly with as many different phone form-factors as possible, so I can't assume that any particular button is present or absent on the device that Freda is running on. I think the only assumption I can safely make is "if this is a non-touch-screen phone, then it will have keys (or equivalent D-Pad control) meaning up/down/left/right/select". If I program the 'select' control to do something different than 'open menu' then I make the program unusable on a non-touch-screen phone (because there is then no way to bring up the menu). As an optional setting, it could be safe (if I could find some way to reliably detect whether the phone has a touch screen) ... but it's a complicated subject, and I really want to address it in the context of a carefully thought through re-engineering of Freda's controls.
So the short answer is "I am not going to hurry this one - i.e. it's not going in v1.1".
Thanks for using Freda,
Jim

[dioib]

Jim, if you could add a {Copy "Word"} option to the menu then users could use it along with MDict.

[Jim Chapman]

Originally Posted by dioib

Jim, if you could add a {Copy "Word"} option to the menu then users could use it along with MDict.

In v1.1, I've implemented dictionary lookup with program code that:
1) Copies the selected word into the clipboard
2) Launches SlovoEd (I asked, in another MobileRead thread, whether anyone had any other dictionary programs they wanted me to integrate with, and I got no answers).

So if you can tell me how to find the right path name for MDict, I will add code that uses MDict for the lookup instead (i.e. I'll look for SlovoEd and use it if I find it; if I don't find it, I will try with MDict). Obviously I need a path that works for all localisations (so \Program Files\MDict.exe is probably wrong, since it won't work for locales where the path is '\Programas\MDict.exe' or whatever). It's probably in a registry key somewhere.

Thanks,

Jim

[dioib]

Originally Posted by Jim Chapman

In v1.1, I've implemented dictionary lookup with program code that:
1) Copies the selected word into the clipboard
2) Launches SlovoEd (I asked, in another MobileRead thread, whether anyone had any other dictionary programs they wanted me to integrate with, and I got no answers).

So if you can tell me how to find the right path name for MDict, I will add code that uses MDict for the lookup instead (i.e. I'll look for SlovoEd and use it if I find it; if I don't find it, I will try with MDict). Obviously I need a path that works for all localisations (so \Program Files\MDict.exe is probably wrong, since it won't work for locales where the path is '\Programas\MDict.exe' or whatever). It's probably in a registry key somewhere.

Thanks,

Jim

You don't install MDict like other apps (you just pour the files in a directory and lunch it), but it has a resident mode (like SlovoEd, I think) that once you have a word in clipboard, clicking on it's resident icon would bring up pop-up menu (which can be maximized if needed) and gives you the definition plus pronunciation (if you have installed one of its user generated sound modules). The main advantage of MDict over all other dictionaries is the wide range of possibilities it offers for just no bucks (for which we are always grateful to Rayman Zhang); if there was a better dictionary out there I would definitely buy it, but there is simply none. So, in case of MDict, if only the copy option was available, it would suffice.

[Klutzys]

I'd be happy to if I knew where it was. Where do you think I would find a log file on my iPAQ handheld pocket PC. I have never had to get a log file

Tam

Originally Posted by Jim Chapman

Can you send me the log file (\program files\freda\logfile.txt) - if it exists.

I've checked Freda out on the 2003 emulator (using Microsoft Dev Studio) and it works on that ... so it's not an obvious problem. For v1.1 I will do some more work to make a 2003-compatible build, but if you are able to send me the logfile it could point me in a useful direction.

Thanks,

Jim

[Jim Chapman]

Originally Posted by Klutzys

I'd be happy to if I knew where it was. Where do you think I would find a log file on my iPAQ handheld pocket PC. I have never had to get a log file

Tam

You'll need to use the File Explorer to navigate to Program Files folder, and within that folder then find the folder called Freda. Click on the Freda folder and you should see a list of files. The list should include one called 'logfile' - that is the file I want.

Thanks,

Jim

[Jim Chapman]

Hi all,

Freda version 1.1 is now in a fit state for testing - so if anyone would like to volunteer to help with that, I would be eternally grateful

Please PM me (or email home@jim-chapman.net) and I will send you the CAB file. If you tell me whether you're running WM5 or WM6, I'll send you the right CAB file for your platform.

Thanks,

Jim

[chaley]

Hello Jim

I sent you email about testing V1.1. If you didn't get it (spam filter issue probably), PM me to let me know.

I also made some suggestions that I will copy below, so they are available for criticism by others.
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Suggestion: my wife is currently reading a long book, New York, by Edward Rutherfurd, that fails to paginate. I have tried all the obvious things to make more memory available, to no avail. If pagination fails, is it reasonable to paginate the chapter (using the TOC to define chapters) and provide page numbers for that? Or if not the chapter, perhaps the EPUB segment? In this latter case, one would need all of the segment number, the current page number, and the last page number.

And as long as I am here -- in V1.0 the value of the checkbox 'Search Subfolders in Library' is not saved. Result: the library is empty next time one goes back to it. I am working around this by using Calibre to put the titles in one directory, but that has its own problems, such as very long file names and overly-large directories.
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Charles