1. Minimize button -- this will minimize the client to either the system tray or the taskbar, depending on the user settings.
2. Help button -- opens the help dialog.
3. Connections list -- (with 'connected' icon) -- Lists all of the connections the user is currently configured to receive alerts from.
4. Alert list -- (with 'unconnected' icon) -- Lists all of the alerts the user is currently configure to receive from the specified connection.
5. Alert -- A single Alert ID
6. Alert count -- The number of alerts received that correspond to this ID.
7. Connect / Disconnect button -- connects or disconnects the main netChimes socket that receives alerts from the web server. On connection, netChimes will send login username and password to each connection the user has signed up for. On successful logins, the server will add the IP address of the client to the list of connected clients.
8. Tools button -- Opens the Tools dialog to assist users in configuring their server.
9. Configure button -- Opens the Configuration dialog to assist users in configuring their list of connections, alerts, or access to the basic client options.
10. Blank area -- Clicking on any blank area permits the user to drag the interface. Right-clicking on any blank area opens the context menu.

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1. General Settings include
   • Run on Startup -- netChimes willlaunch automatically on Windows startup.
   • Connect Automatically -- netChimes will automatically connect to the saved Connections when it starts.
   • Always On Top -- netChimes will remain 'above' all windows on the screen.
   • Minimize to System Tray, Taskbar -- Which area netChimes will minimize to.
   • Default Alert Sound File -- the location of the default sound file for netChimes. You can browse for this file, and then test it from this interface.
     
2. Configuration Overrides include:
   • No Audio Alerts -- turns off all audio alerts
   • No Visual Alerts -- turns off all visual alerts
3. Connections list -- list of currently saved connections (if any). Double-clicking on an item is the same as selecting it and clicking "edit"
4. At-a-glance Connections information -- highlights important information regarding the currently selected Connection.
5. Connections buttons include:
   • New -- add a new Connection
   • Edit -- edit the selected Connection
   • Delete -- delete the selected Connection
     
6. Alert list -- list of currently saved Alert IDs (if any) that correspond to the currently selected Connection. (this is blank if there is no selected Connection)
7. At-a-glance Alert information -- highlights important information regarding the currently selected Alert ID. Also includes ability to test associated sound.
8. Tools buttons include:
   • New -- add a new Alert ID
   • Edit -- edits the selected Alert ID
   • Delete -- deletes the selected Alert ID
   • Reset Count -- resets the count of the selected Alert ID back to 0

1. Name of Connection (this is the name that appears in the interface and has nothing to do with server settings)
2. URL of connection -- must be formatted as http://www.mydomain.com or www.mydomain.com
3. UserName -- the username which the client should use to login to the Connection.
4. Password -- the password which the client should use to login to the Connection.
5. Remember Password -- if this box is checked, netChimes will remember your login password. If this box is unchecked you will be prompted for your connection password.
6. Information box -- gives you information about the currently focused item.

1. Alert ID -- this is the unique ID that netChimes will try to match with the ID sent by the server during a netChimes alert. This is used to distinguish different events.
2. Sound File -- this is the WAV file configured to play whenever netChimes receives this alert. This may be left blank.
3. Test button -- A selected WAV file can be tested using this button.
4. Browse button -- Browse for the WAV file to associate with this Alert.
5. Number of Alerts Between Sounds -- Choose how often you would like the Alert to audibly and visually respond to the server alert. For instance, if this is set to '5', netChimes will alert once, then stay silent five times, then alert again, and then stay silent five more times.
6. Enable Audio Alert -- play the sound file when this Alert is received. Unchecking this box will silence this Alert.
7. Enable Visual Alert -- flash the netChimes icon when this Alert is received. Unchecking this box will stop the flashing associated with this Alert.
8. Information box -- gives you information about the currently focused item.

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1. Brief introduction to the Tools Dialog
2. Username / Password generation form.
3. netChimes PHP code -- this code should be copied and pasted into each document that will be sending netChimes an alert. A unique Alert ID is assigned in order to indentify the Alert.

For more detailed discussion on the Tools Dialog, look here.

This menu will appear after right-clicks on the background of the main interface, as well as right-clicks to the netChimes icon in the system tray.

1. Open -- Used to open the netChimes interface when it is minimized to tray.
2. Connect / Disconnect -- connects or disconnects the main netChimes socket that receives alerts from the web server. On connection, netChimes will send login username and password to each connection the user has signed up for. On successful logins, the server will add the IP address of the client to the list of connected clients.
3. Configure -- Opens the Configure Dialog box. For more information, see here and here.
4. Tools -- Opens the Tools Dialog box. For more information, see here and here.
5. Help -- Opens the Help system.
6. About netChimes -- Opens the About box.
7. Exit -- Exits the netChimes applications

Before the client can be used, the server must be configured to use. By clicking on the Tools button, you are presented with the Tools Dialog interface (see the interface here). Although the amount of instructions in this dialog might seem prohibitive, don't worry -- the instructions were written in order to be as clear as possible. Following the instructions from step 1 through step 4 will get your server set up and ready to go:

1. The first step consists of creating a password file. In order to add or remove passwords from the password file, use the form elements provided to the right of this step's instructions. You can enter as many username / password pairs as you would like, to allow as many users as you want have access to your netChimes events.
2. The second step is to upload the files. This has been made as easy as possible -- when you have entered some information into the password file an icon label "Drag Me" appears to the right of these instructions. Simply drag this icon into the root directory of your website in your favorite FTP application, and netChimes will copy the files there automatically! (There is only one icon, but several files are uploaded). If your FTP client does not support drag-and-drop, you can drag-and-drop the icon into a location on your hard drive, and can upload the files from that location.
3. The third step is very important. Because the PHP scripts need to be able to read and write to the file that contains a list of all current connections, called netChimes_connections.php, this file must have the correct access priveledges to allow PHP full access. Changing the access priveledges can be done either through the FTP client you have used to upload the files, or, if your FTP client does not give you this option, it can be done through a telnet session to your web server. Many web hosts will also provide tools in the website hosting control panel which will enable you to modify the access priveledges. On a UNIX or Linux based system, this is known as chmod, and must be set to 666. On a Windows based system, simply specify that the file should be given write access from everybody. This step must be completed succesfully before the netChimes client can log into the server.
4. The fourth step is to enable your current website files for netChimes support. This is very easy, and simply involves cutting & pasting the provided lines of code into each file you wish to send a netChimes alert. The server must also send a special netChimes Alert ID, which can be any text or number sequence without spaces. The netChimes client receives this ID and uses it to determine which alert has been received. You can specify as many different Alerts as you like. To program the alert into the webpage, replace the XXXXXXX in the text with the unique alert ID you have chosen.

Now you're ready to connect to the server and start receiving alerts!

Now that the server is set up, it is time to set up the client to receive events from the server. You can use the same client to connect to as many servers as you like, which is useful if you own or operate many different servers. After opening the Configure dialog using the Configure button (see the interface here), you can add new connections to the netChimes client. Use the "New" button in the "Connections" area to accomplish this. The required information is:

1. a name for the connection (this is how the connection will appear in the main interface)
2. the URL of the connection (in the format www.mydomain.com or http://www.mydomain.com)
3. a username you wish to log into the connection with, and
4. the password to verify the username.

This information can be edited later by either double-clicking on the connection entry in the Connections box, or by selecting the entry in the box and clicking the "edit" button.

The second step is to add Alert IDs to the connection. After selecting a Connection in the Connections box, you are able to use the "new" button in the Alert IDs area to add new alerts. To add a new alert, you are only required to fill out the actual Alert ID, but this dialog presents you with many more options. You can set netChimes to only play the alert sound / visual every X number of alerts, or you can choose to turn off the sound or visual alert for an individual alert. You can also specify which sound file you would like to associate with the alert, and test the sound file (only WAV files are supported).

Now that the alerts are set up, you can minimze netChimes to the taskbar or tray and wait for visitors on your site! But to get the most out of netChimes, you can configure the client in several ways. Please read more information about the Configure Dialog here.

Before netChimes will work, the server must be configured to enable netChimes communications. This is very simple and can be accomplished largely through the Tools dialog (see more information here and here). After following the instructions and uploading the necessary files, configuring your site to become netChimes compliant is an easy task. It only requires that you copy the following code into your PHP files for them to alert the netChimes client:

	<?
	   include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . "/netChimes_send.php");
	   sendChime("XXXXXXXX");
	?>

The only work you must do now is choose the Alert ID you would like to associate with this file. This ID will replace the "XXXXXXXX" in the code above. So for an alert on your Downloads page, you might use the following Alert ID:

	<?
	   include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . "/netChimes_send.php");
	   sendChime("DownloadPage");
	?>

The Alert ID can be any alpha-numeric word, but you should avoid spaces and unusual characters.

Whenever a user accesses this page, the server will send the Alert ID to any netChimes clients that are currently connected to the server.