How do I get started quickly with Ultra Recall

[bookman]

I just bought Ultra Recall and I'm trying to get productive quickly.

I took a look at some of the sample files and thought that using Software Inventory would be a great way to learn the ropes.

It was only after some frustrating time messing around I discovered (in a note in the help file) that they were read only and I had to use Save As to create a non read only version.

I wanted to bring the Software Inventory into my own Urd file. But I could not find a way until I decided that maybe I should just drag the folder into my file and presto, it worked.

After looking at one of the entries eg Roboform, I found that it displayed actual Webpage in the large box just below the Installer field.

So after some playing around, I discovered the Tools, Form, Program which showed me the "form" But I could not see a field for the large box below the Installer field.

How is it done ?

Is there a much simpler way to get a handle on the power of Ultra Recall without feeling that I'm stumbling around.

Or am I missing something basic here ?

I'm a "power" computer user, having been a long-time Ecco Pro user (until it was abandoned by Netmanage) and used many other PIM related software

But I feel somewhat frustrated by the learning curve I'm experiencing at the moment with Ultra Recall but I can see its great potential.

Where can I find some additional tutorials (other than 4 of them on the website) to get started quickly and start feeling somewhat more productive with Ultra Recall ?

[quant]

Originally posted by bookman
I'm a "power" computer user, having been a long-time Ecco Pro user (until it was abandoned by Netmanage) and used many other PIM related software

But I feel somewhat frustrated by the learning curve I'm experiencing at the moment with Ultra Recall but I can see its great potential.

Where can I find some additional tutorials (other than 4 of them on the website) to get started quickly and start feeling somewhat more productive with Ultra Recall ?

I'm sorry, but I have to disappoint you. There is no shortcut! You either go through the whole help, watch the flash demos http://www.kinook.com/UltraRecall/demos.html read some tips from users, or you will struggle. It might be good idea to go through the whole options menu and see what all the options mean and how can you use them. Typical example, is that you start searching for "Win2000" and after much effort you will realize that there is a setting for keywording words that contain numbers. So if you didn't check this option, you won't find your items containing Win2000 (unless you use advanced search with wildcard)

I'm "power computer user" as well, but it took me about a week to get to the grasps with UR. After about a month I thought I know all the features, but I was still finding bits and pieces that I didn't know about and could find use in UR. Good luck!!! :)

But don't worry, the time invested will pay back when you realize how much can UR really do and how much it can help you in whatever you use it for ...

[bookman]

Thanks for your encouragement. Ecco Pro (with it's great flexibility) itself required a lot of investment in time.

I just thought that somehow, it would be in the interest of software developers to make it more intuitive for us users to get a better handle of the power.

That way, their adoption rate would be higher and they would get better traction too.

Anyway, looks like it's the nose to the grindstone.

And by the way, does anyone know how to get the webpage to display in the large box below the Installer field from the Software Inventory sample that I referred in my original post above.

[quant]

Originally posted by bookman
Any by the way, does anyone know how to get the webpage to display in the large box below the Installer field from the Software Inventory sample that I referred in my original post above.

that is just a linked website (you also have an option to store it localy in your UR file). Type any website in the address bar, after loading the website, right click and choose "Add to ... (link)". Depending on the setting, it will store it either as a child of current item or in the imported directory ....

[Michael]

I've searched too !

- Import the Website

- go to the Item Attributes

- switch "Template Item" to "Program"

- click on the website

- click yes

thats it


Michael

[$bill]

If you could learn Ecco, you can do anything...I think that it was one of the hardest programs for me to master, bar none...

I concur with Quant's suggeston - watch the videos. That got me off to a good start...

[bookman]

Originally posted by Michael
I've searched too !

- Import the Website

- go to the Item Attributes

- switch "Template Item" to "Program"

- click on the website

- click yes

thats it


Michael

Thanks Michael

I just tried what you suggested and wow, it works although at this juncture of my Ultra Recall journey, I cannot discern the difference between Add to Ultra Recall (Copy) or Add to Ultra Copy (Link).

But I presume that Copy means stored offline copy and Link means a dynamic link - they certainly look the same and probably would until I find my internet connection down. I guess I will figure this out along the way.

But what I would like to know is, if I diligently read through the manual, would I find the instructions you just posted above or I would be still in the dark !

[bookman]

Originally posted by $bill
If you could learn Ecco, you can do anything...I think that it was one of the hardest programs for me to master, bar none...

I concur with Quant's suggeston - watch the videos. That got me off to a good start...

Yes, Ecco is indeed a tough program to learn. But the power is inspiring. In fact I still use it when I need a good outliner to organize my thoughts.

I have still yet to find an outliner that can match its power and flexibilty in being able to view the data from many different views.

In fact I'm hoping that I can find in Ultra Recall a software that will make me truly want to start using a "real" PIM again.

I have stopped using Ecco as a PIM a couple of years after it was abandoned and I hate to admit, have been wandering in the wilderness all these years from Outlook, Treepad, besides trying many others.

But I like many other Ecco refugees I believe are still looking for something that could replace it. Many are still actively using it, a testament to its flexibility and power.

So we just make do with what we can, a mixture of Ecco, Outlook (simply because it will continue to exist and it makes for a good conduit to synchronize other databases to PocketPCs and other programs), My Life Organized, GTD Add-Ins.

Perhaps with Ultra Recall I hope I have reached the "promised land" !

I will certainly take your advice and watch the videos.

[zargron]

Warning to all new Ultra Recall users:

1) UR is very powerful!

2) UR cannot be learnt in one day!

The online help is, (as you would expect since it is associated with a high performance information management tool), very thorough and very well organised. The 2nd chapter "Getting Started", has a sub-heading "Samples" where the second paragraph says:
-------------------
Note: The sample databases are read-only. To modify a sample database or use it as a template for your own use, click File | Save As on the menu to save the database in your personal folder. The saved copy will not be not be read-only.
-------------------
If you want to learn UR in a week or less - read through the help file from top to bottom TWICE whilst playing with the sample files. (Ideally) you wouldn't even know about the sample files and how to manipulate them until you get to the above mentioned chapter. I suggest that a reasonably experienced computer user, having the usual pressures of life, will take most of a week to go through the help file twice. (NOTE: Don't try to understand everything that is in the help file. Simply familiarise yourself with what UR can do and how the help file is laid out.)

During that time, come up with a few crafty database ideas that you can throw at UR. Have the intention of: "OK UR - let's see what you've got - can you handle this punk - well can you?". Spend the latter part of the week trying to implement your ideas, reviewing the sample databases, re-reading the help file, and of course browsing the UR support forum.

Then - convinced of UR's worthiness - buy it and enjoy the journey. As "quant" alluded to, even as you become an experienced UR user, you will continue to be startled by tasty little titbits in places you least expect !!!

[zargron]

Originally posted by bookman
But what I would like to know is, if I diligently read through the manual, would I find the instructions you just posted above or I would be still in the dark !

Sorry bookman - forgot to answer your question.

Please see previous post: "Warning to all new Ultra Recall users"

[ashwken]

For the Sample Database - Software Inventory (C:\Program Files\UltraRecall\Samples\*.urd), Save As to new file.

In Software Inventory, for the Item - Notes\My Software contains three topical folders - Development, Applications, Libraries. Each of these topical folders contain Items of the Document Type.

All of the nodes off the root are considered Items.

There are a couple of different Item Types:

the Text Type Item has a Detail Pane of text (rtf), this type of Item is represented by the Templates - Appointment, Contact, Folder, Project, Task, Text.

the Document Type Item has a Detail Pane of file url (local or remote), this type of Item is represented by the Template - Document. The handling of this Item Type is governed by Tools | Options | Documents tab and Browser tab. Basically the Document Item is a file and it's handled by the internal Browser or an external program.

the Search Type Item has a Detail Pane of Search...


In Software Inventory, select the Folder - Templates, right-click, Insert Child, Document, give it a name. This creates a Template of the Item Type Document.

From the Menu Bar chose Tools | Attributes, Insert to create an Attribute (data fields).

From the Menu Bar chose Tools | Forms, Insert to create a Form. Here you place your Attibutres as they'll appear on the Form.

The new Template that was created should still be selected, do a CTRL-4 to reveal the Item Attributes Pane. Under the Group-Template click in the Value field for the Atrribute - Form, chose the Form you just created from the drop-down list. Under the Group-System click in the Value field for the Atrribute - Icon, to change the Icon.

This is how the Template - Program was created.


In Software Inventory, for the Item - Notes\My Software select one of the topical folders. From the Items Attribute Pane, under the Group-System click in the Value field for the Atrribute - Default Child Template, chose the Template - Program from the drop-down list.

This sets the default Item for child creation - Insert, Imports, external sends Link or Store, drag-drop.

To collect the webpages, look at Tools | Options | Import - Insert imported items at selected item in Data Explorer pane, if selected you control the location of where Items are created from sends, if not selected the default location is Imported Items.

If you send to Imported Items, after a capture session these Items can be distributed to their desired locations via the ALT-L Link/Move/Copy Items popup (available from any node), a nice little shooter.

(edited 2007-05-19):
Just realized that if you send to Imported Items you'll be governed by it's Default Child Template setting. Something to consider if you want control over Child Item creation.

From your Browser, displaying the desired page to capture, either use the Icons buttons in the Icon Bar, or right-click on the page and select Copy (Store) or Link (same choice for Icon Buttons), or more ways.

If you want content to be available when off-line, you want to Store.

If you are Linking to local files, you might want to consider building a File Storage subFolder Structure underneath the location of your data file. Then when importing you will have a url that has a relative path (transporting and distribution considerations).


Working With Forms and Templates and Stuff

Forms can only be assigned to Templates.

You might consider using the Attribute - Item Title, in the first row of your Forms.

Template Items can be created from Office documents, and can be viewed via the internal broswer.

UR will import Windows File | Properties | Summary data, if there are matching UR Attributes present. These Windows File Properties can be assigned across multiple selections in Windows Explorer.

All of these topics are better covered in the Help file and on this message board.


Later,
KenA

[bookman]

Thanks KenA and everyone else for your suggestions and help.

I really appreciate the special insights all of you have given me.

I can't wait to get on with the Ultra Recall journey. I get the feeling that the mountain is high but the view will be exhilarating.

So I will climb, but I think it would take me much more than a week to even get above the foothills and I will come back for more oxygen at the forum which makes the climb at least bearable.

I get a sense of deja vu as I read your suggestions.

Somehow it reminds me of the exhilarating time when I discovered Ecco Pro and the earlier Polaris Packrat 4.1 ( which was quite good during their time for those of you who remember).

But I had to abandoned them because both award winning PIMs stumbled and fell into the ravine of abandonedware - what a terrible waste.

The only difference this time is that I strongly believe Ultra Recall is here to stay as I read what is in this forum and the community spirit I'm experiencing and looking at the speed of Ultra Recall development over the last couple of years.

Thank you guys for your help once again.

[zargron]

Yes bookman... come... come towards the light...

[wordmuse]

Personally, I found UR to be incredibly easy to use. I've had to use the help only occassionally, though I should probably use it more because some of my questions in this forum are answered in the help file (so call me lazy).

If you're in a rush to be on top of it, and if you've never used this kind of software before, I guess it could be tough. It's a feature rich program and even though intutitive, it still takes time to understand all the features and how they are implemented.

But if you're not in a rush and have time to play with it, I can't imagine that an ECCO user would have ANY difficulty at all.

(For semantic processing (including outlining), I really miss the DOS programs MaxThink and Houdini - nothing else comes even close - not even the Windows version of MaxThink. I think someone could make a killing creating Windows apps similar to those two tools, but that's another story...)

Regards,
Bal

[bookman]

Originally posted by wordmuse
Personally, I found UR to be incredibly easy to use. I've had to use the help only occassionally, though I should probably use it more because some of my questions in this forum are answered in the help file (so call me lazy).

If you're in a rush to be on top of it, and if you've never used this kind of software before, I guess it could be tough. It's a feature rich program and even though intutitive, it still takes time to understand all the features and how they are implemented.

But if you're not in a rush and have time to play with it, I can't imagine that an ECCO user would have ANY difficulty at all.

........
Regards,
Bal

Yes, you are right. An Ecco user should not have ANY or perhaps not have too many.

But I guess I was in a hurry to get productive and that was my mistake.

In hindsight, taking the advice of people here, it does make sense to read the manual first to get a flavor of it.

Just an aside - I think it's useful to read the manual on the web for a start rather than the one that came with the program.

The web manual is more of an overview if you don't click on too many links. Kind of give you a more bird's eye view.

The manual that came installed runs into a lot more detail that would be useful as one delve much deeper into the program.

So I should say as you test UR:

1. Read the web manual quickly once through without trying to follow every link.
2. Read or use the installed manual more as a reference as you delve deeper.