What is WavBeg?
by Kevin Provance

WavBeg is a new way to request wavs (and other supported sound files) from your chat friends!  This new feature is only available with WavMan Professional.  To take advantage of this new tool in trading wavs and other sound files and are still using older versions of WavMan, you'll need to upgrade to WavMan Professional.

WavBeg when used between two people using WavMan makes the wav trading experience more structured, involving only the person who played the file and the person who begged for it.  This is the new alternative to trading files instead of merely sending the file to the entire chat room.  It's been a few spoiled apples that ruined the bunch in that process who would turn the unsolicited email into AOL's TOS which would result in unhappiness for all involved.  WavBeg is meant to rectify this issue.  For it to be effective, both parties should be using WavMan so that those who are begging have quick access to the WavLog history and its choices and the file player who can log the WavBeg so that it can be fulfilled to that user, and any other user who may beg for it.

The WavBeg interface is divided into two parts:  Logs and Begs, each accessible by the drop down list at the top of the WavBeg window.  When the WavLog nad or WavBeg options are respectively activated, WavMan makes a log entry for each sound file played or begged for in any given chat room.  By default, logs are sorted by chat room as shown in the top left pane of the WavBeg window and sub sorted by date as shown in the left bottom pane.  Alternatively  log entries can be sorted by date and sub sorted by chat by setting the appropriate option (discussed below).

Logs
Each entry includes the name of the file played, who played it, the full path to the file on your system if it exists and finally the time the file was played.  WavLog entries will appear with one of three different facial icons.

A red "displeased" face indicated a file that was played in the chat room that you do not have in your wav categories.  Do not confuse not having a file in your wav categories and not having the file on your computer.  WavMan only looks in your wav categories for the existence of files played in the chat room as part of it's managing your sound files.  If you have recently downloaded sound files that are not part of your wav categories, WavMan will not see it and thus not recognize it's existence.  A log entry with the red face are "beggable" entries which you can beg for from the user who played it via the chat room.

A green "smiley" face indicated a file played in a chat room that you do have listed in your wav categories.  These files are not "beggable" as you already have them.  These can be filtered out of your WavBeg window by setting the appropriate option (discussed below)

A yellow "beg" face is a file played in the the chat room that is not listed in your wav categories, but you have already "begged" for at some previous point in time.  This time will be listed under the "file name" column until the beg has been fulfilled.  The entries are still "beggable" in the event the user who played the file needs a nudge.  ;-)

There are three way in which to beg for a file played by another user in the chat room.  Begs can be initiated by clicking the appropriate button at the top of the WavBeg window or by double-clicking a beggable entry, which will use the default method for begging (by chat).  This can be changed via the WavBeg preferences, discussed below.

By Chat - WavMan will send a preformatted beg command into the chat room specifically directed to the person who played the file.  This command is structured in a very specific way so if the person who played the file is using WavMan, the beg will be logged for later fulfillment.  This method of WavBegging is most useful if the chatter who played the file is still in the chat room.  If they are not, WavMan will let you know so you can use one of the other two options for WavBegging.

By Email - WavMan will send a preformatted email to the chatter who played the selected file in the WavLog window.  This method is useful for begging if the person who played the file in the chat is not online, not in the chat room or if you wish to beg for the file privately.  It is important that when WavMan creates this Email that you do not disturb the test it puts into the email.  You may add addition text to the email below the preformatted text.  This is necessary in the event the person you are begging the file from is also using WavMan so that the WavBeg is logged for later fulfillment.

By IM - WavMan will send a preformatted IM to the individual who played the selected file in the WavLog window.  This is useful for WavBegging the person who played the file in the chat room who may no longer be in the chat room, or in the event you wish to beg for the file privately.  When WavMan creates the IM, it will automatically be sent for you.  If that individual is not online, you will be notified as such.

Folders, Logs and entries can be deleted by clicking on the respective entry and clicking the "delete" icon indicated by the large red X.

Begs
By clicking the drop down list at the top of the WavBeg window, you can switch the interface from WavLog to WavBeg.  Click "Logs" in that list and select "Begs".  The window will change into a three paned window.  The first pane is of course the Folders and Logs, the second pane is a list of files begged for on that given day (or chat room, if you have your preferences set that way).  The third pane is a list of persons who have begged for the selected file.  Remember, for each file you select, the list of folks who begged for it will change as well.  If there are entries within the Beg pain, they will be shown with the yellow "beg" face, as show above, the name of the file requested and the full path to it's location on your computer.  The Beg pane will show entries which consist of the user who begged for the selected file and the time that it was begged for.  These names include a check by default.  If you wish to send that file to someone in your list at a later time, you can remove the check next to their name and they will be skipped when fulfilling the request.

Once you've determined which WavBeg to fulfill, either click the Email button or double-click the file.  WavMan will create, address and fill out the email just as if you had if you had used the "Email a wav" feature.  Once the beg has been fulfilled, the entry and names will automatically be deleted.

Simple Mode vs Display Mode
The WavBeg window can be displayed in one of two ways.  By default it open in Display Mode where all panes are displayed, regardless whether the Log or Beg window is open.  By clicking the bottom at the top of the WavBeg window that represents a folder (much like Windows Explorer does), the WavBeg windows will close the Folder and Log panes.  You can then resize the window so that it's shown much smaller.  WavMan will remember these sizes between modes...so you don't have to.

Preferences
By opening the WavMan Preferences window and selecting the "WavBeg" item to the left you can now access the available preferences for the WavBeg feature!

General

• Open in simple mode - When checked, this will instruct WavMan to open your WavBeg window in Simple mode instead of Display mode.
• Open with Chat Room - When ticked, instructs WavMan to open the WavBeg window when the chat room window is open.
• Filter files in WavLog that I already have - When checked, WavLog entries with green smiley faces will not appear.

Logging

• WavLog enabled - This is checked by default and enabled WavMan to log all sound files played in the chat room.  Unchecking this will turn off that feature and no wav activity will be logged.
• Log By - Choose between Date (default) and Chat.  When Date is chosen, the folder pane in the WavBeg window will display Dates instead of chat room names.  When Chat is selected, the folders will be logged by chat room.

Begging

• Accept WavBegs - This is checked by default so that WavBegs are logged for later fulfillment.  Unchecking this check box will disable the feature and begs from other members will be ignored.
• Show popup for new beg - When activated, you will see a tray balloon for each file that is begged from you.  It's a simple notification feature.
• Send WavBeg using... - By choosing either Chat, Email or IM, this will instruct WavMan which begging method WavMan will use when double-clicking any given WavLog entry.
• Automatically Send The Email - By checking this, WavMan will automatically send the mail it creates when begging by Email.  When unchecked, you will have to send that Email manually.

Misc
If I have done my work correctly, WavMan has been logging file played activity for months now.  You could conceivably have months worth of WavLog data, but no WavBeg data as this feature has not been available till now.  Feel free to beg using that old data, but since it's old, you might consider using the Beg By Email option.

This feature is new and still might have bugs and features that do not work properly.  If so, please file proper bug reports via the WavMan Support Form.  Please do not send direct emails with statements like "such and such a thing doesn't work."  I won't answer those.  Sorry.

Most importantly, enjoy!  I've been working on this feature for nearly a year in my spare time.  I hope you find it useful.  :-)

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