  ==============================================================
            Welcome to Dye Spy (Version 1.1)
  ==============================================================

Dye Spy is a tool designed to help Windows users identify and 
capture colors from any application currently visible on the 
screen.  This is particularly useful to someone creating a Web page 
or using Microsoft Paint or Windows Paintbrush (or other paint 
program) who wants to duplicate an unusual color that already 
exists in another bitmap but who can't quite come up with the 
correct combination of RGB values.  When Dye Spy is active, it will 
identify the color of the pixel directly under the mouse cursor's 
hotspot anywhere on the screen, display a large swatch of that 
color in its own window, and list the color's RGB values.  The 
color can be copied to the Windows Clipboard or even added to a 
color palette which can be saved in either Windows Paintbrush or 
Microsoft Paint format for later use. 



Requirements:
==============
Dye Spy is designed to run only in a Windows environment.  It was 
created under Windows 3.1 and may or may not run with earlier 
versions of Windows.  It will run as a 16-bit application in the
Windows 95 environment.

Three Visual Basic runtime files need to be present in your
WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, VBRUN300.DLL, THREED.VBX, and COMMDLG.DLL.
These files are not distributed with the program due to their large
size and the fact that most Windows users already have them 
available.  If you don't have them on your system, you should find
them available for downloading from the same place that you
obtained Dye Spy.  They're also available from most online 
services, BBS's, and the Internet.

The memory requirements for Dye Spy are relatively small.  The 
program itself uses less than 100K of your available Windows memory 
It calls on some routines from common Windows .DLL and .VBX files 
but these are common to many Windows applications and are generally 
loaded most of the time anyway.

Installation:
==============
The files necessary to install and run Dye Spy are distributed in 
a compressed format as a .ZIP file.  This file was created with 
PKZIP (v2.04g).  If you experience any difficulties "unzipping" 
this file with an earlier version of PKZIP, I suggest that you 
obtain the latest version and try again.  However, since you're 
reading this file, I would assume your unzipping was successful.  

The following files should be present in the directory into which
you unzipped the distribution file:
			cmdialog.vb_
			dyespy.ex_
			dyespy.hl_
			readme.txt
			regform.txt
			setup.exe
			setup.lst
			setup1.ex_
			setupkit.dl_
			ver.dl_

Please ensure that these are indeed the files you received!

Dye Spy is designed to run in a Windows environment and comes 
with a self-installing program called SETUP.EXE.  You should 
be able to run this program directly from the File Menu of the 
Windows Program Manager by selecting the RUN option, or through
File Manager by locating the program in the directory into which
you unzipped the distribution file and double-clicking on it.

SETUP will prompt you for the drive and directory into which you
wish to install the Dye Spy program and help files.  You may accept 
the default or specify a directory of your choice.   If the 
directory specified does not exist, SETUP will create it.  It will 
then further decompress and copy the files.  It will also copy, if 
necessary, one additional system file, CMDIALOG.VBX, to your
WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory if, and only if, that file either does not
exist, or is found by SETUP to be an older version.  Finally, SETUP
will create a Windows Program Group called Dye Spy for the program. 
Once installation is complete, you may, of course, choose to move 
Dye Spy to any other Program Group that you wish and delete the 
unique group. SETUP does NOT touch your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS 
files.

That's it!  Dye Spy is now ready to run.  Further information on 
the program is available by double-clicking on the Help icon which 
was created in the new Program Group or by choosing the Help option 
from the menu bar once you've started the program.

Uninstall:
===========
If you decide not to keep and register Dye Spy, you may uninstall 
it simply by deleting the ..\DYESPY directory and its files, along
with the DYESPY.INI file (if one has been created) in your 
WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.  On your desktop, delete the Dye Spy 
icons and the Dye Spy Program Group.

Conditions:
============
Dye Spy (v1.1) is a copyrighted work by Jeffrey Buck -- 
Copyright  1997 -- All rights reserved.

This program is offered as "shareware", and as such is NOT placed
in the public domain.  It may be freely copied and distributed
provided such copies retain all files in the original distribution
set, as noted above, and these files remain unaltered.  No charge
may be made for such distribution beyond a nominal disk/duplication
fee. 

Dye Spy is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, either 
express or implied. In no event shall the author be held liable 
for any damages arising out of the use of this program. Your use 
of the program signifies your acceptance of these terms.

I hope you find Dye Spy to be a useful utility that will save you 
many frustrating hours of trying to recreate those special colors 
you've seen on your screen, especially the fancy graphics that show 
up in Web pages these days.  Try it for free for 30 days.  If you 
like it and keep it around for future use, please honor the 
shareware concept and register your copy by sending a nominal fee 
of $8.00 (U.S.) to me at the address below.  You'll receive a 
registration code by return mail (or E-mail if you provide an 
address) which you can enter to turn off those annoying (!) 
reminder notices.  All registered users will be notified when 
future versions become available, and where they can be downloaded 
from. If, for some reason, you need a copy of Dye Spy on disk, 
please add an addtional $3.50 (U.S.) to your payment and I'll be 
happy to send you one.  No additional registration or upgrade fee 
would ever be required for registered users.

If you choose not to keep and register Dye Spy, due to 
limitations in the current version, I'd still be interested in 
hearing from you if you have suggestions for future enhancements 
that you think would make it a useful program.  If those features 
are included in a future version, I'd be happy to let you know when 
it becomes available.

Please indicate in any correspondence where you obtained your copy
of Dye Spy, its version number and, if you have one, your
E-mail address.  Thanks.


A Registration Form is included in this package as REGFORM.TXT for 
your convenience.

Registration payments and comments to:

			Jeffrey Buck

	Compuserve:	70313,3616

	Internet:	jrbuck@compuserve.com

	Snail mail:	17879 Gail Court
			Prunedale, CA  93907

     ==========================================================

Change Log:
============

v1.1 -- Released 12/6/97
======================== 
     >> When "AutoLoad Palette" fails because the palette file
	can't be found, the program now notifies the user and
	offers the opportunity to open a different palette.

     >> Added ability to read and write palette files in the 
	Microsoft Paint (Windows 95) format.

     >> Enhanced the Copy function to copy the RGB color values to
	the Clipboard along with the bitmap swatch.  The text is in
	the '#rrggbb' format used in HTML to facilitate pasting 
	into a Web page.

     >> Added function to Paste any color previously copied to the
	Clipboard into the currently selected palette entry.

     >> Added an "Easy Capture" function to permit sequential
	filling of the palette entries by simply pressing a Function
	key when the mouse pointer is over a desired color.

     >> Added an "Auto Capture" function to permit automatic
	sequential filling of palette entries solely via mouse 
	movement.

     >> With the addition of the new options, moved the option
	values off the menu and into a box that pops up when
	"Options" is selected from the menu bar.  This facilitates
	the setting of multiple option values at one time.

     >> Improved the RGB text format on the task bar when Dye Spy
	is minimized in the Windows 95 environment.


v1.0 -- Released 1/2/97
========================
     >> Original version.

