Version 84 of NewzPoint

Description

Newzpoint is an information browser written in Tcl/Tk. NewzPoint can display multiple web pages in a two-tiered tab layout system using Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the display engine. This tab system allows for quick accessibility for each web page. NewzPoint also keeps all these web pages current by pulling content from the web at a constant (yet adjustable rate). Buttons located in the Toolbar are available to assist with navigation, help and configuration.

Initial options are saved in a configuration file 'newzpoint.ini' which is read at startup, on exit the current configuration changes and saved (including window placement and tab poisition).

Requirements

Tcl/Tk version 8.3.4 (or greater) or TclKit
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 (or greater)
Microsoft Windows 95 (or greater)

Installation and Execution

Windows Executable

The easiest way to get NewzPoint is to download a single executable containing TclKit and NewzPoint [L1 ] (around 1.1 Mbytes). Place it in a directory and run the newzpoint.exe file. If you already have newzpoint then put newzpoint.exe in the same directory as the current newzpoint.ini file.

TclKit - Scripted Document

If you want to use TclKit to run the Scripted Document then download newzpoint146_tclkit.zip[L2 ]. Unzip all the files to a directory and run the newzpoint.bat file.

Tcl/Tcl Script

If you want all the scripts and you Tcl/Tk installed then download newzpoint146.zip[L3 ]. Unzip the file (keep the tree structure) and run the main.tcl file located in the root directory.

Configuration

Current version is 1.4.6 (4/25/2002) This version has the following changes:

Remembers last state (even iconic or maximized)
Update rates on the pages are fixed
Override current page update if being viewed (done through the configure page) ~ default is to allow updates
Spaces allowed in tab names
Delete a page implemented (turns page refresh off and deletes it from the ini file)
fixed some more 8.4 issues (-col)
able to drag and drop a link or page to the tab areas to cause a page add to occur
Associate TclKit with the .bin extension if user agrees (only in the TclKit version)

see newzpoint.ini file for information on what it being loaded

Requested Features

Make the normal MSIE Keyboard bindings work
Delete a page "on the fly"
Restore ability to plug-in stock and weather tickers to bottom (as in version .8)
Ability to load different set of pages at run time
Ability to change the order of the pages or the groups, via alphanumerical sorting or e.g. listbox to change the order by hand
Ability to define a startup group and page
Keybindings to change the page or/and group (like (Shift-)Control-Tab under MS Windows to change between notebook tabs)
Ability to save and to reload the configuration file
Make it cross platform (with a Gecko based component???)
[Add your request here] or submit a patch/request to MPJ

jcw Neat! ... I'm editing this page inside NewzPoint... :o)

MPJ thanks stevel for showing me how to generate a scripted document (now noted in the installation section).

This would be interesting if I could use it with Netscape Communicator or Opera. -- CLN

LV Sure wish something like this was available using TkHTML/Browsex/some Tcl/Tk web browsing functionality - so that it could actually run cross platform!

MPJ Maybe tkGecko or tclxpcom as a HTML rendering component on *nix because tkHTML seems too slow for more than a couple of pages. Sorry...

MPJ I just found an overview of NewzPoint in Japanese [L4 ] ... very cool :-)

MPJ I just saw that Mozilla [L5 ] has tabbed browsing. I don't know if it has auto-refresh or can save the state of all of its tabs. I need to check this out again (hope it crashes less then the last time I looked :)

Category Application Category Internet