Nearest Colour version 1.1
Bryn Kingsford, March 2000
bryn@mds01-8.eng.uow.edu.au

Check the websites for updated versions:
 - http://mds01-8.eng.uow.edu.au/utils/
 - http://www.simtel.net/simtel.net/


===============================================================================
Nearest Colour Agreement
===============================================================================

This software is provided "AS IS," without a warranty of any kind.
ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING
ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED. BRYN KINGSFORD, MDS, OR
THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES SUFFERED
BY LICENSEE AS A RESULT OF USING, MODIFYING OR DISTRIBUTING THE SOFTWARE
OR ITS DERIVATIVES. IN NO EVENT WILL BRYN KINGSFORD, MDS, OR THE UNIVERSITY OF
WOLLONGONG BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST REVENUE, PROFIT OR DATA, OR FOR DIRECT,
INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, HOWEVER
CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF
OR INABILITY TO USE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF BRYN KINGSFORD, MDS, OR THE UNIVERSITY
OF WOLLONGONG HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

This product is free. You may not make a profit from this product in any
manner, except in the case of Shareware/Freeware distributions, where
profit made is to cover costs of distribution eg, CD-ROM distributions on
magazines, etc.

If you redistribute this application, you must include all files provided
in the official distribution available at :
MDS Utilities website - http://mds01-8.eng.uow.edu.au/utils/
Simtel.Net - http://www.simtel.net/simtel.net/

If you redistribute the Nearest Colour and CAcoFile source-code, you must
include all files provided in the official distribution available at :
MDS Utilities website - http://mds01-8.eng.uow.edu.au/utils/

Redistribution of the remaining parts of the source-code (namely the
C++ classes) is bound by seperate agreements, and may require
permission from other authors (see 5. Credits).

Use of the source code is bound by agreements at the top of each source
file. These agreements differ for nearestcol.exe and CAcoFile.
Furthermore, CRegistryKey and associated classes, and CTrayIcon
have seperate agreements.

===============================================================================
PLEASE NOTE:
Use of the application or source code means you agree to the above conditions.
If you don't agree to these, then you can not use the product or source-code.
===============================================================================


The contents of this file are :

1.  Introduction
2.  Installation/Removal
3.  Registry Usage
4.  Instructions
5.  Credits
6.  Version and History Information
7.  Trademarks, Copyrights, etc.


1.  Introduction

Nearest Colour loads a Photoshop Swatch file (.aco) and allows
you to search these colours to find the nearest colour to one you
enter.

Nearest Colour, at the moment, only supports RGB colours in
swatch files. The next release will support CMYK and Greyscale
colours. The following is a list of colour types that Nearest
Colour knows of, although cannot convert or search on:
 - HSV
 - LAB
 - GREYSCALE
 - CMYK - PANTONE
 - CMYK - FOCOLTONE
 - CMYK - TRUMATCH
 - CMYK - TOYO

If you have any comments or suggestions, or know conversion algorithms
for the above formats to RGB colour mode, please send an email to
bryn@mds01-8.eng.uow.edu.au

If you enter a colour and Nearest Colour reports a colour
that is incorrect, please include both colours in an email,
and possibly the swatch file you are using (compressed if
possible). Please note that the closest colour to your colour
might be unsupported by Nearest Colour, therefore Nearest Colour
is returning the closest colour it can understands. If your swatch
file contains unsupported colours though, Nearest Colour will tell
you this when it loads the file.


2.  Installation/Removal

Installation
 - Create the directory you wish Nearest Colour to reside in.
 - Copy nearestcol.exe and nearestcol.ico to this directory.
 - You can delete readme.txt (this file), or keep it for future
   reference.

Removal
 - Delete the directory and its contents
 - If you are comfortable with the process, delete the registry
   keys Nearest Colour creates (see 3. Registry Usage)


3.  Registry Usage

Nearest Colour creates the following keys in the registry:
 - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\MDS Utils\ - MDS Utilities key
 - Nearest Colour\ - The Nearest Colour key [subkey of MDS Utils]

   Note: Deleting the MDS Utils key *might* effect other applications.
   Nearest Colour uses only the 'Nearest Colour' subkey.
   Other applications may have installed and use the 'MDS Utils' key.


4.  Instructions

GENERAL
Run nearestcol.exe to start the application.
Click 'Browse' or 'Swatch File...' on the menu to select a swatch file.

At this point, Nearest Colour will attempt to load the file and the
colours it contains. It will notify you if errors occur.

You may also pass a swatch file name to nearestcol.exe, to have Nearest
Colour load that file at startup. Create a shortcut to Nearest Colour,
open the shortcut properties, and modify the 'Target' value so that
the absolute path of your desired swatch file follows nearestcol.exe, eg:
C:\dir\nearestcol.exe C:\Photoshop\Goodies\Color Palettes\Web Safe Colors.aco

Click 'Colours' to select your colour from the standard Windows colour
picker. When you have selected your colour, Nearest Colour will display
your colour and the results of the search.

You may also paste a HEX RRGGBB value into the User Colour edit box.
Substitute empty spaces with '0'. Paste won't work unless the length
of the pasted text is 6 characters, eg: 00FF00 (green - DV).

VIEW MODES
Nearest Colour has two view modes, normal, which you see when you first
run the app, and compact. Compact view mode is a tool window. In this
mode, an icon is placed in the system tray (on your task bar next to
the clock). To bring Nearest Colour to the foreground in this mode,
left-click the icon in the tray. To display the menu, right-click this
icon. You can switch between modes as you see fit.

Nearest Colour will remember the last location of each of the modes,
and the mode you were in when you exit, and use this mode and place
the window in this position when it is restarted.


5.  Credits

Nearest Colour uses the following C++ Classes in its code:

CRegistryKey and associated classes for registry access.
Copyright 1998 JetByte Limited
http://www.jetbyte.com/

CTrayIcon for the tray icon in compact view mode.
Copyright 1998 Antti Markus (antti@pld.ttu.ee)
http://www.winfiles.com/ - section : Authoring and Programming Tools,
                                     C and C++ Tools and Components
(if someone knows Antti's website with this class, please email me)

CAcoFile for aco functionality.
Copyright 2000 Bryn Kingsford
http://mds01-8.eng.uow.edu.au/utils/


6.  Version and History Information

Version 1.1 :
  Version 1.1 loads all aco files reliably, regardless of whether it
  supports all colours in the file. 1.1 still only supports and can
  search on RGB colours.

Version 1 :
  Version 1 supported only aco files with all the same colours reliably.
  The only type of colour version 1 supported was an RGB colour.
  The understanding of .aco files in this release was limited.


7.  Trademarks, Copyrights, etc.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Photoshop is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
All other trademarks are property of their registered owners.