TIM Standard is all that TIM FREEware is but we now go to the next level of innovatation and flexibility. For only £10 (or equivalent other currencies) you get a whole lot more.

You will have access to the built-in word processor where you can use mixed fonts and sizes, insert pictures and weblinks and you have the ability to transfer the text from your Quick Notes. In addition you can customise TIM Standard with themes to enhance your experience that are saved when you choose one. You can also change the title of the opening splash screen, which means that you create multiple TIM applications on your local computer (not network drive) that deal with different subjects.

All TIM versions operate the same core functions as described in TIM FREEware, so I will not repeat what has been written there. You should however become aquainted with TIM FREEware in order to take advantage of all that TIM has to offer.

You will have downloaded TIM FREEware and may have already created a number of groups and associated topics. But you would like to have more word processor functionality where you would like to mix font styles and sizes, add pictures and web links. Standard word processing functions is one of the significant features of TIM Standard and to access this enhancement is simplicity itself.

You need to purchase a key code that will convert TIM FREEware to TIM Standard. It only costs £10 (or equivalent currency) and you can purchase it online or send me a cheque for that sum to the address at the footer. A site license is available for a modest fee of £99, enabling you to use this version on as many computers in your workplace as you like, but not a network drive. You will need to purchase TIM Business for network working.

Once you have purchased the key code(it does not matter where you live), the key code will be emailed to to you. Then all you have to do is simply click on Help at the top of TIM FREEware and select Register from the menu and then enter the key. TIM FREEware will automatically change itself to the TIM version you have paid for, in this case TIM Standard, and away you go. It can't get any simpler than that.

Having purchased your key for TIM Standard for (£10) as soon as this is entered in the registration box, your TIM FREEware becomes TIM Standard. All that you have created remains untouched. At first, apart from the name changing from TIM FREEware to TIM Standard nothing else seems to have happened. On the contrary a lot has happened. Using our example from TIM FREEware where we are creating an expert system based upon the author J.R.R. Tolkien, double-click on the Topic that we created, namely Biography in the Topics List. This opens up the in-built word processor that is linked to the Topic that you clicked on.

We now have a powerful enhancement to TIM. You can now insert web links, pictures and use mixed fonts within the program thereby enhancing what you have already written in Quick Notes, the content of which can also be transferred to the word document if you wish.

Other features include the ability to change the theme permanently, as well as cusomise the title of the whole application. This is an advantage as can install TIM Standard on a single computer as many times as you like, and each can be involved with a particular subject. I will now discuss these in more detail.

Using the built-in wordprocessor

When you have created your topic as described in TIM FREEware there are two ways to activate the word processor.

1. Double-click on the selected Topic

The first way to activate the inbuilt word processor is to simply double-click on a Topic, in this case our example "Biography" topic.

Click on pictures to enlarge

If this is a new document then a blank document will be opened up. Until you save the document it will not be permanently associated with the selected document. If you are familiar with a word processor then the menu buttons at the top of the screen will be familiar to you because they are pretty standard..

Click on pictures to enlarge

Like a word processor you can simply type in your information manually or copy and paste information from another application such as a Webbrowser.

Sometimes if you copy text from somewhere it may be in a font that you may not wish to use. Of course you can select all the text in the document and change the font in the normal way, but there is a special button in the TIM word processor that automatically formats the document to Verdana font size 10.
2. Transfer of Quick Notes

The second way to use the inbuilt TIM word processor is to transfer the text within Quick Notes into the document document. You will find at the top of the Quick Notes area, a button marked "Transfer". Clicking on this button will transfer what is written in Quick Notes to the word processor which then opens up with the transferred text copied.

Click on pictures to enlarge

If there are web links listed in Quick Notes these will be transferred across and become active within the page of the word processor. The default font is Verdana but you can change this if you wish.

You can now use all the functions that you would expect with a word processor such as inserting a picture, changing fonts (size and colours), background font colour etc, with the toolbars at the top of the screen.

If you press the "back button arrow" forgetting to save any changes to your work, don't worry. You will be prompted to save your work automatically. The word processor has an intelligent save process. If you make a change to a document, even if it is only one letter, it knows and will prompt you to save. However, if you look at the document, but do not make any changes then if you press the back arrow it will return you to the main screen. You can override the autosave by clicking on the "save" button, the one with the blue diskette icon , as you would in any word processor.

From henceforth if you select a topic on the main page and click on it, the saved page will be opened up as you had saved it. It is linked permanently to the topic.

Inserting a Picture

Inserting a picture is easy. You can either copy a picture from another application such as a webbrowser and paste it into the document or you can load it from a file.

Click on pictures to enlarge - picture pasted into document - or inserted from a file.

Modern applications allow you to change the look and feel of the program and TIM Standard is no exception. There are over 60 themes (skins) that are supplied with TIM and by selecting any of them the entire program will take on the chosen theme. To change a theme we click on the menu at the top of the screen.

When you select your preferred skin you will be asked if you wish to use it. If you do the theme will be saved. The next time you load TIM Standard, your chosen theme will automatically be loaded. You can return to the default windows screen at any time by clicking on Reset to Windows Default