The Readerware Newsletter

Readerware 2.72 is now shipping. New portable barcode reader support, why drag your books, music and videos to your computer, take your barcode reader to your shelves.

New tech tip, how to insert page breaks in the report writer and more.

Readerware 2.72 Now Shipping

Release 2.72 is now available for all products (Readerware, ReaderwareAW and ReaderwareVW), and all platforms, (Windows, Mac OS X and Linux). A full list of the changes included in 2.72 is available online:

Readerware 2.72 changes

Some of the highlights in this release.

Readerware now supports the Symbol CS-1504 and CS-2000 portable barcode readers. These small barcode readers can store hundreds of barcodes and you can upload them directly into Readerware. All Readerware platforms are supported, Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Readerware now extracts unadulterated images from Amazon. You may have noticed that Amazon recently began adding 30% off stickers to many of their images. Useful when you are shopping Amazon, but not the kind of image you want in your Readerware database.

A couple of important bug fixes in this release, so it is recommended that all users upgrade. The Readerware Server now removes open connections left behind after a system crash or power failure. The open connections could cause a database open error when the server was restarted.

Access to National Libraries like The Library of Congress had problems with an expired session, this could cause auto-catalog to fail if run more than once in a Readerware session.

Download Readerware 2.72

Upgrade Policy

Most of you know this by now but Readerware 2.72 is a free upgrade. All 2.x upgrades are free. I haven't been spelling this out in the newsletter and every issue I get few e-mails asking how much the upgrade will cost.

You can always download the latest 2.x release for free. If ever want the latest version on CD, you can order it from the web site for $12.

Readerware CD

Portable Barcode Reader Support

You may remember a while ago Readerware added support for the Qode key chain portable barcode reader. Unfortunately the company is no longer around and you can't find the reader anywhere.

Many of you asked if Readerware could support the new CS-1504 portable barcode reader from Symbol Technologies, Inc. There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that both the CS-1504 and the CS-2000 are now fully integrated into all Readerware products. There are no separate utilities to run, you can upload from either device right into the Readerware wizards.

If you check out these scanners on the Symbol web site you will notice that they are for Windows only. But not with Readerware, both products are supported on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

So what's the bad news? Many of you asked if Readerware could support the AirClicker. This is a Symbol CS-1504 and it is available at a very good price from AirClic and partner sites like Beeline Shopper. Unfortunately Readerware cannot support the AirClicker. Their barcode reader is actually a modified CS-1504, all the data is encrypted. So it is not possible for Readerware to upload all those "Top Secret" barcodes from an AirClicker.

There is full information on the web site about setting up both scanners for use with Readerware on all platforms:

Portable Barcode Readers

Using either device in Readerware is very simple. You just have to select the model and port you are using. Readerware does the rest, connecting to the scanner and uploading barcodes right into the wizard.

Uploading Barcodes to Readerware

As Readerware supports both the CS-1504 and the CS-2000, you might be wondering which model is best. There isn't a lot in it. The capacity of the CS-2000 is slightly higher. The CS-2000 can store about 500 barcodes, the CS-1504 about 400. The CS-1504 is smaller and will fit on a key chain. The CS-2000 will fit in a pocket. I find the CS-2000 more comfortable to use, it fits in the hand better. I also found that the scanner is a little more reliable.

Both these scanners are serial devices, the CS-1504 comes with either a serial cable or a USB cable. I recommend the serial version unless you absolutely must have USB. USB support is very poor, Symbol only supports Windows 98 and Windows 2000. There is no support for Windows XP, Mac OS X or Linux. You must use the serial cable version on all platforms other than Windows 98 and Windows 2000.

CS-2000
CS-1504

Readerware Barcode Page Changes

Now that portable barcode reader support has been added to all Readerware products, I have updated the web site barcode pages.

You can find information the on various types of barcode readers and specific models. All the information you need to decide which kind of barcode reader is right for you.

Readerware Barcode Pages

Readerware Search Page Changes

The Readerware search pages are used with the drag and drop interface to catalog some new additions to your collection or to lookup older titles without an ISBN. You can also use them as a starting point for your online shopping trips.

Some new links were added recently. You can now jump directly to the bestseller and new release pages at most major sites.

But there is more here than meets the eye. It is pretty obvious what you will get when you select the new releases page at Amazon. But what about half.com? This takes you to the half.com "just in bin". Not new releases as such but the newest arrivals at half.com. You never know what treasures you might unearth there.

Same is true of the bestseller link to Book Closeouts. Some great bargains on just about anything.

So check out the new releases and bestseller links on the Readerware search pages. Select the store from the site drop down list and the new releases or bestseller link from the request drop down list.

Readerware Book Search Page
Readerware Music Search Page
Readerware Video Search Page

Technical tip - Adding page breaks to a report

The Readerware Report Writer allows you to create reports and web pages in virtually any format. You create an HTML template and Readerware merges in the data. You can then print the output or save it as an HTML file.

One question that has come up a few times lately is how do you insert a page break in a report?

Most of us are familiar with the basic HTML formatting commands like tables, paragraphs, headers etc. But there are a lot more options out there.

You can add a page break to a report using the DIV tag. For example:

The ReaderwareAW distribution now includes a sample template that details how to add a page break. take a look at "PageBreakExample.html".

A good source of basic HTML information is the free HTML tag reference manual at the Netscape developer site. You can view it online or download your own free copy.

HTML Tag Reference

Your Feedback

Your feedback is always welcome and does make a difference. Please send in your comments. E-Mail support@readerware.com.

Thanks for your support.