Some Advanced Settings for the Firefighter Calendar:
Display alternate shift schedule on startup
Display alternate message file on startup
Display Kelly days in an alternate color
Select platoon colors in RGB hexadecimal
Create a custom ellipsis string
Set title text for printed calendars
Set title height for printed calendars
Adjust page margins for printed output
Adjust spacing between wallet calendars
Change vertical offset of wallet calendars
Minimize or Close program to System Tray
Display alternate shift schedule on startup
An alternate shift schedule can be loaded on startup by specifying the .ini file as a command-line parameter using the "/i" switch. Example using file "usps.ini" (should be all on one line):
"C:\Program Files\Erickson\ShiftCal\shiftcal.exe"
"/ic:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Erickson\ShiftCal\usps.ini"
Note that if the path contains spaces, the string must be enclosed in quotation marks (this applies both to the program name and to the .ini file).
This technique can also be used to create a desktop shortcut. Create a shortcut on the desktop in the usual fashion, then right-click on the icon and select "Properties" from the local menu.
Edit the "Target" edit control to add a space, "/i", and the name of the desired .ini file. The resulting string would look similar to the example above.
Key point: although the filename alone will work if the .ini file is local, it is safer to use the full pathname.
Display alternate message file on startup
An alternate message file can be loaded on startup by specifying the .dbf file as a command-line parameter using the "/d" switch. Example using file "cvfd.dbf":
"C:\Program Files\Erickson\Shiftcal\shiftcal.exe" /dcvfd.dbf
This technique can also be used to create a desktop shortcut. Create a shortcut on the desktop in the usual fashion, then right-click on the icon and select "Properties" from the local menu.
Edit the "Target" edit control to add a space, "/d", and the name of the desired .ini file. Example using file "wsfd.dbf" (should be all on one line):
"C:\Program Files\Erickson\ShiftCal\shiftcal.exe"
"/dC:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Erickson\ShiftCal\wsfd.dbf"
If the desired .dbf file is not local, use the full pathname.
Display Kelly days in an alternate color
To display a user's Kelly days in an alternate color, create a "phantom" platoon with the desired foreground and inverse colors, then replace the platoon entry in ShiftRotation with the "phantom" platoon identifier.
For the following example, we will assume that the user works a 24-on, 48-off rotation with a Kelly day every seventh shift, and that the user is assigned to the "C" platoon.
The ShiftRotation was "ABC", but since the user gets a Kelly day every seventh shift, we need to create a ShiftRotation 21 days long similar to the following:
[Shift Schedule]
ShiftRotation=ABCABCABCABCABCABD
Notice that the last "C" shift entry has been changed to a "D".
Create entries for the "D" platoon in the [Colors] section of the .ini file:
[Colors]
DPlt=Yellow
DInv=Black
Set StartDate to the day following a Kelly day:
[Shift Schedule]
StartDate=12/22/2000
Save the changes to the .ini file and reload it (e.g. with File | Ini File).
Note: we suggest using a naming convention to distinguish .ini files that display Kelly days from the generic shift schedule. For examples of naming systems used to describe RDO and debit day systems, see:
Camp Pendleton Fire Department
Select platoon colors in RGB hexadecimal
We have had several agencies that use "gold" as one of their platoon colors comment that "yellow" is a poor substitute, especially on printed output.
The list of named colors in Windows is fairly limited, so we have added the ability to use RGB color saturation to specify platoon colors.
To set a platoon color using RGB, use the following format:
There are many excellent sites on the web that list RGB values for common colors; we suggest performing a search on the keywords RGB, hexadecimal, and color.
Create a custom ellipsis string
When a message is too long to fit into the current date grid square, the message is truncated and an ellipsis (...) is displayed.
To replace the ellipsis with a custom string, create an entry in the [Config] section of the .ini file. Example:
[Config]
Ellipsis=-->
Set title text for printed calendars
Every time I print a calendar, I have to change the title so it doesn't print "Erickson Enterprises". How can I permanently set my preferred title?
- Open the "Print Options" dialog (accessed via File | Print Options)
- Type your preferred title into the "Title" edit control and click on "Ok"
- Save your changes by selecting Settings | Save Settings
This will create an entry in the [Config] section of the .ini file, (which can also be edited manually). Example:
Title=Chihuahua Valley Fire Dept
Note that additional edit controls are provided when the "Wallet" tab is selected. These may be used to enter additional information to appear at the top of "portrait" mode wallet calendars, which result when printing to business card stock in "landscape" mode.
Set title height for printed calendars
The default title height is one-tenth of the page height; it can be defined either as a fraction of the page height or as a fixed height in printer-specific pixels. To set a fixed height, create an entry in the [Config] section of the .ini file. Example:
TitleHeight=300
Adjust page margins for printed output
Page margins (as well as paper size and orientation) can be set using the File | Page Setup option. If any of the user-specified margins are smaller than the printer's unprintable region, the margin(s) will be resized to the minimum size supported by the active printer.
Adjust spacing between wallet calendars on business card stock
If calendars do not print at the same relative location on each business card on a page (e.g. the printed calendars "creep" up or down the page), the offset between cards can be modified by setting a value for the BCOffset variable in the [Config] secion of the .ini file.
The default setting is 0 (if no entry for "BCOffset" appears in the .ini file, a value of 0 is assumed). If the wallet calendars are too close together (e.g. move up the page rather than printing at the same location on each successive card), increase the value of BCOffset; if the calendars are too far apart (e.g. appear to move down the page), decrease the value of BCOffset. Example:
BCOffset=3
Most modern printers are quite accurate in the placement of objects on the printed page. Nevertheless, the inkjet printer we most often use for wallet calendars requires a BCOffset of 3 for optimum results.
Change vertical offset of wallet calendars on business card stock
If wallet calendars start printing too high or too low on your particular combination of printer and business card stock, the entire printout can be moved up or down on the printed page by creating an entry in the [Config] section of the .ini file.
For calendars printed in the printer's "portrait" mode (which results in "landscape"-mode business cards), add the following keys to the [Config] section of the .ini file:
WalPortTop=
WalPortLeft=
For calendars printed in the printer's "landscape" mode (which results in "portrait"-mode business cards), add the following keys to the [Config] section of the .ini file:
WalLandTop=
WalLandLeft=
Positive numbers move the printout down the page or to the right, while negative numbers move the printout up the page or to the left.
The offset is measured in the printer's native resolution in pixels. For example, a value of 30 will move the printed output one-tenth inch on a printer with a native resolution of 300 dpi.
Here is an example for one of our printers that prints 0.05 inch too high in portrait mode (and therefore 0.05 too far to the left in landscape mode):
[Config]
WalPortTop=15
WalLandLeft=15
No entries were made for WalPortLeft or WalLandTop, since the printer places these edges accurately.
Minimize or Close program to System Tray
Version 3.4.7 added support for minimizing or closing the Firefighter Calendar to the System Tray.
To place the application in the System Tray when the "Minimize" option is selected, add the following line to the [Config] section of the desired .ini file:
MinimizeToTray=True
To place the application in the System Tray when the "Close" option is selected, add the following line to the [Config] section of the desired .ini file:
CloseToTray=True
The user may specify either or both of these options. To restore the application, either:
Double-click on the System Tray icon; or
Right-click on the System Tray icon and choose "Restore"
To close the application while it is active, use File | Exit.
To close the application while it is in the System Tray, right-click on icon and choose "Close".
