An Offline Web Browser -- SPIS Webview v4.0 -- Offline Browser for Web site distribution, including editor, compression, customisation, CGI, scripting and search features (original) (raw)

What is SPIS Webview?

SPIS Webview is an offline web page browser. That means you can use it any time you like, on any computer you like without having a connection to the Internet!

Here are four excellent reasons to use Webview:

1. It's small -- just on 900K -- so Webview plus pages can all fit on a single floppy disk!
2. It's highly versatile -- including features like text searching, scripting, in-built editor, page compression and a self-extracting compressed version.
3. It's capable. Currently, Webview supports most of the HTML 3.2 specifications, including frames, and many of the more popular HTML 3.0 features, as well as having some useful extensions for Windows, such as being able to play Windows sound files directly, or run external programs. For a full rundown of its HTML support, see support.htm in the downloaded zip file.
4. It's adaptable. In addition to using Webview's standard and optional features, you can have SPIS Ltd make you personalised, custom versions of Webview for purposes such as:
   • Catalogues or presentations
   • Sample disks for web sites or for other software
   • Scripted (automated) demonstrations
   • Offline publishing using HTML
   • Surveying or remote data entry (with the web forms used to collect and save the information)

We encourage you to try SPIS Webview out by downloading a copy, looking at the sample pages that come with it and, of course, at your own favourite web pages.

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What can Webview do?

Basically, you can expect Webview to display anything another web browser could do when offline, plus a few useful additions of its own. Here's a quick smorgasbord:

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Custom Extensions to Webview

SPIS Ltd are very happy to assist you with custom versions of Webview. Customisation might include:

• "Branding" of your version (e.g. Xanaduck Corporation WebLook)
• Automated script-driven operation for demonstration purposes using Webview's scripting option.
• Creating archives of compressed, protected pages using Webview's optional page compressionor self-extracting archive utilities
• Create a single file self extracting archive, that contains all your web pages as well as the Webview program
• Support for additional file or image types
• Special extensions, such as form-based data gathering using Webview's Local CGI option
• You can show or hide the File Menu, the Status Bar, the Location Box, as well as optionally show some additional toolbar buttons, including Exit and Help buttons. You can even replace the Location Box (or underlay the toolbar) with a bitmap of your own design.

With any customisation options, we're happy to negotiate terms which allow you to redistribute your special version of Webview (see the registration information).

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Registration and Licensing Information

New Zealand residents: please add 12.5% GST to all prices given here

Registration entitles you to:

• A personal code to remove the registration reminder
• Any options you select when you place your order (you can add them separately at a later date if you wish)
• If you order multiple copies, a license to make and distribute that number of copies
• Free updates (by downloading from this web site) as far as version 4.9

Single-user registration for the standard version of SPIS Webview is only NZ20(aboutNZ20 (about NZ20(aboutUS9). We have generous quantity discounts for multiple licenses, and special prices for a "runtime only" version (no File|Open) -- very useful for those considering Webview to support their own presentations and Web site demonstrations...

To place an order, download your own version, run it and fill out the form on the Webview home page which it automatically loads. This will create a file called "ORDER.TXT" on your disk. If placing a credit card order, you can print and fax that file to or email it to . If paying by cheque, print and mail the file, with payment enclosed, to:

Pricing information:

• 1-2 copies: NZ20each(approxNZ20 each (approx NZ20each(approxUS9)
• 3-20 copies: NZ15each(approxNZ15 each (approx NZ15each(approxUS7)
• Unlimited copies (Standard version): NZ299(approxNZ299 (approx NZ299(approxUS130)
• Unlimited copies (Runtime): NZ199(approxNZ199 (approx NZ199(approxUS85)
• Options (add):
• Editor: NZ10percopy(NZ10 per copy (NZ10percopy(99 unlimited copies)
• Scripting: NZ10percopy(NZ10 per copy (NZ10percopy(99 unlimited copies)
• Local CGI: NZ10percopy(NZ10 per copy (NZ10percopy(99 unlimited copies)
• Full text Search: NZ10percopy(NZ10 per copy (NZ10percopy(99 unlimited copies)
• Site compression and self-extracting archive utilities: $NZ60 (one time fee)
• "Standard" customisation: $NZ50 (one time fee)

Note: the above "Options" prices are for one copy of Webview. If you want quantity pricing for the options, pleased and specify the numbers you'll be needing.

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What's New in V4.0

• Frames! Webview 4.0 now supports frames.
• Scripts now handle frames. You can specify which frame will scroll, and which frame will load the next page.
• The Search Pages can be called into a frame specified in the INI File, along with the results. If there are no frames open when the Search page is opened, then it will use the full screen

Additions in earlier versions:

• The latest version of the Page compression utility uses a more efficient compression algorithm. It is compatible with archives produced using the old version, but any new files you add to your archive will be more efficiently compressed.
• Webview now supports being distributed as a self extracting archive, with all the executable files, web pages and graphics compressed into one bundle. This is new feature is provided as part of the Page compression option
• Improved user interface
• Webview offers a full text search of all the HTML files in Webview's root directory and below. This can also be used for searching compressed page archives as well. To implement the Search option, all you need to do is create your own customised result page.
• Our page compression tool can now also be used to compress the Webview INI (control) file, enhancing the security of your distributed version
• You can place a copy of Webview's INI file in your windows directory -- this will only be used if Webview can't find a copy in it's own directory
• You may run more than one copy of Webview at once by using the switch -s,
  e.g. webview.exe -s
• you can pass parameters to programs which are called directly from links, by use of the "?"
  e.g.
• More Customisation options
• Calls the Windows Media Player to play .avi and .mid files automatically
• Can save the HTML page as Text, automatically stripping the HTML Tags
• Handles client-side image maps
• The tags recognise BGCOLOR, BORDERCOLOR attributes
• PLAIN attribute added to the
  tag to remove bullet points
• Scripts support setting a background .wav file that will play while the rest of your demonstration is being displayed.
• Better control over your script via "SingleStepOn" "SingleStepOff" and "Stop" commands
• Optional Print, Home, and Contents buttons.
• You can define "Helper Applications" for files with particular extensions, e.g. call Word to run DOC files.

We've added several optional features which are great for those using Webview for training, demonstrations and offline applications. You won't find them all in any other browser!

• Built-in text editor. How better to learn (or teach) HTML and tweak and improve your pages than with a simple text editor built right into your browser?
• Scripted demonstrations. You can now tell Webview to automatically display a set of pages (even sections within pages) in sequence. You can control the rates at which pages scroll and load, whether or not the user can pause the demonstration -- there's even a single step mode!
• Page compression and self-extracting EXEs. Another great bonus for distributing demonstration sites. Use this to benefit from the 3 "S's" -- Speed, Security and Size. Our optional page compression utility will let you compress your entire web site into a single archive, reducing the disk space required by up to 50%. Not only that, but page display from the archive will be significantly faster than from ordinary pages on CDROM or floppy disk, and the user will not be able to directly edit or view them.
• Local CGI. Who needs a server to run web applications? When your users push a form button, Webview can now call any external program, pass it the information from the form and optionally wait for a response page to be generated. Ideal for search engines, data logging or Web site simulation!

All the above options are enabled in the evaluation version so you can try them out. In addition, we've made the following universal improvements (some were introduced in earlier versions):

• Add CDROM=Yes to the [Setups] section of Webview.ini, and Webview will happily run from a CDROM or write-protected disk.
• Images are cached, so they load faster second time around
• Transparent image display is supported, even for PNG and BMP images which normally do not offer transparency
• Links which directly load images are supported

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Downloading SPIS Webview

You have three zip file download options from which to choose. To start your download, just click the one which appeals to you:

• Webview 4.0 and sample pages (844K) -- a full run-through with many examples. Also available via FTP
• Webview 4.0 only (589K) -- enough to run it with your own pages (most links from the sample Webview home page to the "Special Features" pages won't work). Also available via FTP
• Webview demo pages (255K) -- the compressed pages omitted from the "Webview only" download, in case you want to come back for them later... Also available via FTP

Once you've downloaded the file you chose, unzip it into a directory of your choice, and use either Program Manager's File|Run (Windows 3.x) or Start|Run (Win95/WinNT) to launch the Webview.exe program -- it will display a page similar to this one with many example links on it.

Enjoy!

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