FAQs for A WorkLife FrameWork

What is a  Diary?

In A WorkLife FrameWork, a Diary is a specialized Mathematica Notebook.  As such it can be opened, edited,  and manipulated in any compatible version of Mathematica. Of course, those functions that A WorkLife FrameWork uses to work with Diaries require a licensed version of A WorkLife FrameWork.

Although a Diary is a specialized Notebook, it is a very general entity and is ideal for a wide variety of organizational and creative uses, from being a place for simple Journaling using Mathematica's typesetting and computational abilities, to an organizational framework and repository for computations, reports, automatically generated content, and very much more.

Along with each Diary that you create with A WorkLife FrameWork comes an automatically created set of directories where other objects are placed, such as non-Diary Notebooks, Packages, Databases, other external files, and more.  

What version of Mathematica does A WorkLife FrameWork work with?

A WorkLife FrameWork requires Mathematica version 5.1 or later for Windows XP or Macintosh OS X..  A version for Linux will likely be validated and released shortly.

Is A WorkLife FrameWork Palette driven or Function driven?

The first interface that a new user encounters when using A WorkLife FrameWork is its array of palettes and dialogs that expand the things that you can easily do with Mathematica.  It is generally not necessary to go beyond this for much of the work that you will do with the Package.  

However, behind the functionality of the Palettes and dialogs is a wide array of new functions and parameters for Mathematica. These can all be accessed as functions that you can execute in Mathematica's Front End and within programs that you write in Mathematica. In this way you can both broaden the scope of A WorkLife FrameWork into areas that are relevant the way you work, and share these with other users of the package.  (Also, Scientific Arts is interested in considering new ideas for inclusion into the package.)

New functionality that you create with A WorkLife FrameWork's underlying functions can be embodied within palettes and buttons using functions supplied by the package.  Many of the Palettes in A WorkLife FrameWork can contain user-specified buttons and, using A WorkLife FrameWork's functionality, custom designed palettes can be created.  

Can the Diaries and Notebooks that are created with this package be used if the package is not installed on someone's computer?

Yes.  All of the Diaries and Notebooks that are created with A WorkLife FrameWork can be opened and edited, added to, and so on, in any compatible version of  Mathematica.  Of course the functioning of the various buttons that are present in any toolbars that are in the Notebook do depend on having an installed and licensed version of A WorkLife FrameWork.  And any code that you have written that makes use of functions supplied by A WorkLife FrameWork require it to function.

Can I share Notebooks and Diaries with people who don't have A WorkLife FrameWork?

Yes.  They will be available to anyone who has a compatible version of Mathematica or MathReader subject to the limitations that WorkLife FrameWork-specific content (buttons and so on) will not function without an installed and loaded licensed version of A WorkLife FrameWork.

If I Encrypt a Notebook with A WorkLife FrameWork, can someone else open that Notebook if they don't have A WorkLife FrameWork?

Yes, assuming that they have the password that you used to encrypt the Notebook with.  By loading A WorkLife FrameWork  and then executing the function ExportableDecryptingFunction[], a Notebook will be opened that you can send to a third party.  In it is code for Decrypting an Encrypted Notebook.

Can I continue to use the Notebooks that I create with the Trial Version of A WorkLife FrameWork if I choose not to purchase a use license?

Yes.  All of the Notebooks that you create with A WorkLife FrameWork are conventional Mathematica Notebooks.  If you do not have A WorkLife FrameWork installed in your system—or if you do have it installed but have not loaded it—all of the Notebooks (including Diaries which are specialized Notebooks) can be opened and accessed.  Some of the features within these Notebooks—particularly buttons and other active features that depend on having A WorkLife FrameWork installed and loaded—will not function, but all cell contents and other material in your Notebook will be usable and can be accessed, edited, copied, and so on as usual.

Is A WorkLife FrameWork a Personal Information Manager (PIM)?

A WorkLife FrameWork isn't intended to be a replacement to your PIM, but it can work in concert with it on several levels.  One way is to import your contact information into a Database within A WorkLife FrameWork.  This can be done with the function CreateDatabaseFromVCards. Other interfaces are planned and also will be added based on suggestions from our users.

Does A WorkLife FrameWork replace my usual email client?

No,  A WorkLife FrameWork allows you to compose emails within a Mathematica Notebook.  When you send the email from within the Mathematica Notebook, it is automatically relayed to your default email client from which you then send the email.

In this way you are able to compose an email from within the context that you are generating the ideas that are included in it, and to keep a copy of what was sent within that context.

Also, you can use this fuctionality to create tempalte emails that you then forward to your email client as needed.  There are, of course, many other uses for this functionality.

When I Blog from within A WorkLife FrameWork can I use mathematical expressions?

Absolutely! One of the key advantages of Blogging from within A WorkLife FrameWork is that you can create technical and graphical content directly within  your blog postings. Mathematica's HTML export capabilities produce web content that strongly resembles that which appears in a Mathematica notebook.

Can I use A WorkLife FrameWork to Blog with my on-line Blogging service?

The Blogging functionality of A WorkLife FrameWork is principally designed to be used with an FTP program (either a stand alone one or one that is part of a web site design application).  When Mathematica Notebooks are rendered into HTML, many of the elements of the Notebook—such as equations, special characters, and so on—are rendered as images, GIFs, that are automatically placed in the HTML web page.  

Is the Database functionality of  A WorkLife FrameWork based on an SQL Database?

The Database functions in A WorkLife FrameWork are written purely in Mathematica and are a simple-to-use alternative to Mathematica's Database Link.  It is not intended as a substitute for a true relational database, nor for one based on SQL.  But it is often useful to have a simple, easily transportable, database for projects that you might be engaged in.  Tables in A WorkLife FrameWork can be easily transferred to an SQL database if that is needed.

What are some of the statistics of the Package?

There are 44 palettes in the package, 6 of which are user specified custom palettes.

44

The package has about 1400 functions and parameters

1594

Of these, well over 700 are currently intended for users.

717

The package consists of in excess of 50,000 lines of Mathematica code in addition to several hundred pages of documentation, various templates, and other features.  

Why was A WorkLife FrameWork created?

I created A WorkLife FrameWork incrementally over the course of two years principally as a tool to use in my own work.  It has evolved over time as the one way that I interact with Mathematica and frame the process of my own technical work, and also much of my own personal writing and other creative work.

In a sense Mathematica itself was designed as a personal tool—for Stephen Wolfram's work—and marketed to a broad community.  With this same development model I transitioned A WorkLife FrameWork from a tool set evolving for my personal needs to one oriented towards the needs of the Mathematica Community.

What are the plans for the continuing evolution of A WorkLife FrameWork?

A WorkLife FrameWork is an evolving tool set and will continue to evolve in response to its User Community.  In this regard it is very important for the installed base of users of A WorkLife FrameWork to contact Scientific Arts with applications that you have created using A WorkLife FrameWork, suggestions, feature requests, and, of course, bug reports that you want to share. [Do not send Scientific Arts, LLC Confidential, Proprietary, or otherwise privileged materials.  All materials that you send to Scientific Arts will be assumed to be in the Public Domain.  If there are materials that you wish to discuss with  Scientific Arts, LLC that are not in the Public Domain, please contact  Scientific Arts, LLC prior to send such materials.]

These potential changes will be cycled out to A WorkLife FrameWork user community through several venues. Bugs will be fixed promptly and fixes will appear in the next released version of the package.  Suggestions, feature requests, and new applications—depending on the degree to which they would be of interest to the user community—might find their way into the product.  Alternatively, they might prompt a blog entry in the WLFBlog (at http://scientificarts.com/worklife/wlfwblog), they might appear in a downloadable plug-in for the product, or they might appear as a code snippit contained in and FAQ.  

What are the plans and policies with regard to updates and upgrades for A WorkLife FrameWork?

Because A WorkLife FrameWork is continually evolving and that evolution is strongly driven by its users' needs and suggestions, updates within all major version numbers are free of additional charge. Please send us your suggestions for either new features or enhancements of current features.

What is the most current version of A WorkLife FrameWork?

The version number of the most current version of A WorkLife FrameWork can be found in the left hand column of its product page at http://scientificarts.com/worklife.

What version WorkLife FrameWork do I have?

You can find out the version of A WorkLife FrameWork that you are using by first loading it and then executing

$WorkLifeFrameWorkVersionNumber

from within a Mathematica session.  

Can a customized version of A WorkLife FrameWork be created by Scientific Arts for my company's use?

Yes.  Through a consulting contract, Scientific Arts can create a version of A WorkLife FrameWork suitable to your company's detailed requirements.  Contact  Scientific Arts, LLC at consulting@ScientificArts.com to initiate a discussion.  

We have a Site License for Mathematica, can we purchase a Site License for A WorkLife FrameWork matched to our Site License for Mathematica?

Yes.  Please contact Wolfram Research Inc. at http://www.wolfram.com/products/license/  for a quote on such site licenses.  Or contact Scientific Arts at info@scientificarts.com and we will put you in touch with the appropriate representative at Wolfram Research, Inc.

We have a Network License for Mathematica, can we purchase a Network License for A WorkLife FrameWork matched to our Network License for Mathematica?

Yes.  Please contact Wolfram Research Inc. at http://www.wolfram.com/products/license/  for  a quote on such network licenses.

If I use A WorkLife FrameWork am I required to use its organizational paradigm for my work in  Mathematica?

The WorkLife Framework provides a convenient paradigm for organizing all of your work in Mathematica based on the use of "Diaries" and other forms of Mathematica Notebooks which are automatically placed in directories within a Diary's directory.  However, you are not required to use this paradigm to encompass all of your work in Mathematica.

One of the great advantages of A WorkLife FrameWork is that it provides a plastic environment and set of tools for your creative work.  The organizational paradigm for Diaries and their associated Notebooks and other files can be purposed to a wide variety of creative uses.  This paradigm can be used within and in addition to whatever current organizational setup has evolved in your work, or it can be a basis for designing such a framework.

In the sense that A WorkLife FrameWork is a tool set for creative work in Mathematica, the organizational paradigm that it offers is yet another tool that you can use to design how you engage with your work and explorations.

How will A WorkLife FrameWork develop in the future?

A WorkLife FrameWork is a set of tools that I use every day—in fact it is the primary way that I interact with Mathematica, and Mathematica is my primary tool for doing technical and many other classes of creative work.  Because of this, and because of the additional ideas that come into Scientific Arts as user input and wish lists, A WorkLife FrameWork  will continue to be developed and evolved quite actively.

Is there a Trial Version of A WorkLife FrameWork?

Yes.  A WorkLife FrameWork is available in a 15 Day trial version.  Please download A WorkLife FrameWork and send a password request to worklifetrial@scientificarts.com.  In order to obtain a password you must send:

Your first and last name

Your email address

The value of your Mathematica $MachineID

The value of the Mathematica parameter $NetworkLicense

The value of this Mathematica parameter $MachineID can be obtained by executing

    $MachineID

and the value of the Mathematica parameter $NetworkLicense can be obtained by executing

    $NetworkLicense

from within a Mathematica session.  

The value of the output is your $MachineID and is in the form 1234-56789-12345 where, of course, the integers will be different for your particular Mathematica $MachineID.  The value of $NetworkLicense will either be True or False.

A convenient Mathematica function is included with A WorkLife FrameWork that will automatically generate the needed information in the form of an email.  This is the preferred way to request a trial password.  After you have downloaded and installed A WorkLife FrameWork open the file named TrialPasswordRequestForm.nb, enter the information in the required fields and then click on the button.  An email will be created in your default email client that you may then send to Scientific Arts.

Is the Trial Version of A WorkLife FrameWork fully functional?

Yes.  There is no difference between the trial version and the purchased version of A WorkLife FrameWork except that the password for the former will only last for 15 days.

I allready have a process for organizing my Mathematica materials and work, how would A WorkLife FrameWork help me in this respect?

While A WorkLife FrameWork provides an organizational structure for you to use, it is not required that you use this for all of your work in Mathematica.  When you create a new Diary, this structure is automatically put in place for that Diary—including all of the various notebooks, packages, Blogs, Databases, and various other non-Mathematica files that you choose to associate with that Diary.  You can, of course, place any Mathematica Notebooks that you create from within Mathematica into any directory that you find convenient based on your own habits and requirements.

Of course A WorkLife FrameWork is far more than simply a convenient organizational paragdim: that is but one aspect of its broad toolset.

Where are the most up-to-date FAQs for A WorkLife FrameWork located?

The most up-to-date list of FAQs for A WorkLife FrameWork is on the web at http://www.scientificarts.com/worklife/faq.

How did you create this FAQ?

This FAQ was created directly from A WorkLife FrameWork within a Diary. Within the Diary, individual FAQ items were tagged using A WorkLife FrameWork Tagging Palette .  Then, using that Palette, a Notebook was created with only those tagged items from the Diary that were intended for the FAQ by using the palette button for just that purpose. The resulting Notebook was exported to a Web page within a template using A WorkLife FrameWork's' function HTMLSaveWithTemplate.