Python Gutenberg E-text Project

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1. Introduction

PyGEMZ is a free cross-platform program for converting plain text and zipped text files from Project Gutenberg into zTxt files. The conversion process involves the following steps:

• read in plain text (.txt) or compressed text (.zip) e-text file,
• identify lines to flow into paragraphs,
• insert bookmarks in places matching user-specified text patterns,
• write out zTxt formatted output (.pdb) file.

Users interact with the program through its graphical interface. This and accompanying documentation sections explain how various operations can be performed with the built-in controls found in PyGEMZ.

1.1. Quick Start

People who want to jump right in can follow these steps to begin converting e-texts downloaded from Project Gutenberg. If you don't understand any step, check for more detailed descriptions given in later sections of this guide.

1. Start the PyGEMZ program (by either entering pygemz.pyw on the command line or selecting PyGEMZ from the PyGE group of Windows Start).
2. Enter the location of the e-text file to be converted in the field labeled "Input File", or open file browser by clicking on the Choose... button. Click on OK button in file browser to select input file.
3. If file name in "Output File" field is not right, enter correct output file name, or open file browser and choose an existing file name to use.
4. Enter PDA document title in "Palm Title" field.
5. Click on Convert button and wait for "Done" to appear in bottom status line.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 for other e-texts to be converted.

1.2. Notations

For this and all accompanying documentation sections for PyGEMZ, the following notational conventions will be observed.

1.2.1. Menu commands

Menu commands are invoked by selecting menu items from the menubar located at the top of application window. Menu items may be hierarchically arranged, with submenus under each menu item. Menu items may be selected by left clicking on an item with the mouse, or entering an optional keyboard accelerator key combination on the keyboard.

The top level menu commands are shown on the menubar. In PyGEMZ, the top level menu commands are: File, Edit, and Help. An example view of a PyGEMZ menubar is shown in the figure below.

Menu commands will be shown in this documentation as an italicized path, representing a series of menu commands. An example menu path is File->Exit, representing the sequential selection of the File menu item from the menubar and the Exit menu item from a submenu that appears underneath File when it is active.

1.2.2. Button commands

Buttons are another common graphical control used in PyGEMZ. They are activated by moving the mouse cursor on top and clicking with the left mouse button.

Button controls will be shown in this documentation as dark text inside a gray box. An example button illustration is OK, representing a button often used for continuing an operation.

1.3. Basic Operations

This section describes the bare essential commands for starting and stopping the program; along with calling up help to explain how to perform other, more interesting, things.

1.3.1. Starting

PyGEMZ may be started in a variety of ways, depending on what is customary for other applications on the machine it is installed on and specific installation options. Common methods could include clicking on a desktop icon, picking from a Start program list, clicking on the executable file name within a file browser, or entering the executable path on a command line.

1.3.2. Stopping

Invoking the File->Exit menu command will halt the program and close its application window.

1.3.3. Help

Invoking the Help->Contents menu command will result in the display of a help viewing window containing usage documentation for the program.

1.3.4. About

Invoking the Help->About menu command will result in the display of a small informative message box containing a brief description of the program.