dreamer wrote:UPDATE 7/25/14: Events now work again! I forgot to add, that you can also add music to your segments. I uploaded this so I'll have a backup if I fudge anything else. I will now separate all versions of the program.
Hi to all Prevue Guide Forum community members. I've been a long time fan of Sneak Prevue, from when it first premiered, taking over my local public access channel 3 in 1993. I lived in SE Michigan, USA at the time, and we had MediaOne as our cable provider. It was a sad day when Sneak Prevue was finally brought off the air in 2008, but I'm grateful there are still many people who want to hold onto a treasured piece of the past!
Not one to just sit back and watch, I decided that a simulation app would be a great way to enjoy Sneak Prevue again!
I've developed one as a result.
You can download the current version release of the app, v.0.79a here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/w8otz ... .79a-+.rar
Please read the change log, and the readme.txt files included in the .rar carefully before using the program. This was really developed for Sneak Prevue enthusiasts and was named "Sneak Prevue Simulator" during development, but it was named differently to avoid potential legal issues during distribution.
HOW TO USE IT:
Basically, you add events(channel listings) and enable/disable features in the program. As you do this, you'll notice the program picking up the new input, and automatically changing and expanding itself to your preferences. Events are added in the program, and saved into a text file for later use. You shouldn't have to venture outside the program to fully enjoy its features, it's all offline.
1. In order to see results quickly, go to "Events>Manage Event Listings" and add your desired events.
Buttons of interest
a. "Add To Event List" button: Click this to add an event with the specified information. Remember to fill out all textfields above this button before clicking it.
b. "Execute Search" button: Click this to search in the events list, using any criteria typed in the textfield to the left of the button. If you want to use multiple criteria, separate each criteria with semicolons. For example, "Sports;PM" without the quotes will search for any event contaning "Sports" AND "PM".
c. "Remove Event" button: Click this to remove the selected event in the event list box to the left.
2. Now, go to "Time/Date>Set Time and Date" to manage your app's clock. You'll want to set it to the same date and time your events have, so you can see them. Click the "Confirm" button at the bottom of the options window.
3. Then, go to "Segments>Manage Segments" to edit your segments. In the upper left corner, you'll see a combobox with the label "Movie" to the left of it. Select this and choose "Enabled". Make sure at least one of your events has "Movie" as their event type! Leave all other options as is. Click the "Confirm" button at the bottom of the options window.
4. Go to "Background>Set Backgrounds" to set your graphic data. These are what wil display as the background for each segment. Locate the first textfield, with the label "Movie" to the left. Click the "Browse" button at the opposite side. Now, find the graphic file you want to use as your background for the movie segment. Once this is done, set the month and year right below the textfield with the path to your background in it. Once the month+year is correct, click "Add".
Now, simply wait. Your events/background should show up, once the correct segment has displayed.
Once you start the program for the first time, you won't see a whole lot on-screen:
pgs001.png
However, you can start adding events and other data into the program:
pgs002.png
You can event adjust the time and date!
And you can also add graphic backgrounds:
pgs004.png
And eventually, you can come pretty close to simulating Sneak Prevue on your desktop!
I have developed this application as a labor of love and a token of friendship to all fans of Sneak Prevue young and old.
Please enjoy, and let me know if there are any features/bug fixes you guys would like in the next version release!