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Introduction to
Garden® Utils
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Thank you for getting Garden® Utils for Programmers! Adjust the window size using the slider above (in portrait orientation) or to the left (in landscape). Scroll the window using normal browser scroll dragging.

Please at least skim this introduction before experimenting with the app, and read it in detail at some point.

This introduction is an example of using the app to read files. You switch files by tapping on the name in the list.

There are two lists of files: The built-in Help files, and Docs that you add and may modify. You switch between them using the Help/Docs control in the upper-right.

The Numbers Screen

Tapping the Numbers button in the upper-left brings you to the Numbers Screen. This screen lets you enter a 32-bit value and view it in a variety of formats: Decimal, hexadecimal, RGB and RGBA color values (with 0-255 or percent components), and as a Unicode character.

Switch between the different formats by tapping on any of the four options below the value display.

Enter values with the entry controls at the bottom. Switch between controls by tapping the keyboard "Toggle" button, or by pressing, holding, and releasing on that button to get a list.

When displaying RGB or RGBA values and using the decimal keyboard, the "," button switches to the next color component, and the "%" button changes the current component from 0-255 to 0-100%.

Tapping the top area will display a menu of things you can do with the displayed value, including adding it to a logging file, emailing it, copying it to the pasteboard, replacing it with a value on the pasteboard, and switching to editing the logfile.

Swiping from left to right in the top area switches to editing the logfile. Swiping from right to left switches to this Files Screen.

The Files Screen

The Files Screen displays the contents of a wide variety of file types, including text, HTML, images, PDF, and some document formats like ".rtf", ".xls", and ".doc". It has a "hex dump" capability for examining all file types, and a close-up mode for examining images.

When viewing the Docs listing, a Tools button is available.

There are tools for adding blank files for you to edit, as well as adding images from the device photos list, from the camera (if present), and from the pasteboard. You can also "Open In" a wide variety of file types from other apps, including Mail. The Docs folder is accessible with iTunes File Sharing.

There is a tool for renaming or deleting files in the list, as well as for emailing them or opening in another app.

Text and HTML files may be edited as text. All files may be viewed in a variety of forms including text, hex, and with URL encoding/decoding.

Images may be examined with the Examine Image tool. This lets you view the image at various magnifications. You can set an Origin X/Y position as well as a Size by dragging. The color value of the pixel at the origin is displayed. The origin and size may be used to create a new, cropped image.

HTML files may use special URLs to get or set the Number Screen value, add to the logfile, and do a few other simple operations. This is explained in the Technical Notes file. Also, files with a ".nolist" extension are only shown in the Rename/Delete listing. This lets you have extra files for HTML images, etc.

The Logfile

Many of the operations make use of the current logfile. This is a text file in the Docs directory. If no logfile is set, one will be created.

You can make any text file the current logfile by selecting it and using the Set as Logging File tool. The current logging file will have a checkmark on its row in the file list.

Additional Documentation

Read the other files in the Help section for additional documentation.

The app support web site is:

www.gardenutils.com

The "News" help file attempts to read the latest news from the app support site, so you need to be connected to the Internet to use it.

The "Sample Files" help file reads the latest list of free downloadable files from the app support site. These samples show you some of the ways that you can use the app to have reference material at your fingertips, and you may find them useful in their own right. Once downloaded, you can edit them yourself.

Note: With all files that you download for use in this app (or any web page viewer) make sure you are familiar with the source. While this app restricts what HTML pages and other viewed files have access to, it does give them some access to the documents in the app's Docs directory, including the ability to create new files.

About the app

This app was created by Dan Bricklin. Dan is best known for co-creating VisiCalc, the pioneering spreadsheet program back in 1979, as well as Dan Bricklin's Demo Program in the mid-1980's. Most recently, he is the author of the popular Note Taker HD app for the Apple iPad.

The app icon was created by Michal Blaustein of Extra Plus.