thisiscool.com: Num-Num

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Num-Num™ Help

v1.00: Mac OS X

Welcome to Num-Num™! Click here for Terms of Use.

Please choose from the help topics below:

Introduction
Overview
Quick Start
Adding and Removing Languages
Keyboard Shortcuts
Installing/Uninstalling
Terms of Use
About the Author

Introduction

Thank you for choosing Num-Num™, the fun, free, educational, extensible number spelling program! With versions available for Windows, Mac OS X, Windows CE, PalmOS and also Linux, etc. (Java version)!

Be sure to visit http://www.num-num.com/ for tips, tricks and updates.

International users: for a translation of these instructions in your language, go to http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ and enter the URL http://www.num-num.com/Num-NumOSX.htm.

Usage of this program indicates your acceptance of the Terms of Use. If you do not agree with these terms, exit the program immediately and uninstall it.

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Overview

Overview

Num-Num™ helps you count and spell numbers in a foreign language. You can use it when you write checks or to practice counting. The rules for spelling a number are external to this program; one can therefore easily add support for additional languages.

Num-Num™ lets you enter the number you want to spell. You can also step sequentially through a series of numbers (one, two, three...) so you can learn how to count. Num-Num can spell numbers in a variety of formats (cardinal, money, year or ordinal).

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Quick Start

Quick Start

Simple Operation

Enter the number you wish to spell and press [Convert]. You can select another language or another output format. Press the [<] and [>] buttons to go to the next or previous number. (See also Keyboard Shortcuts for keyboard shortcuts for this dialog.)

More Details

The maximum range is -999999999999.99 to 999999999999.99. Fractional numbers are not allowed for dates and cardinal numbers. Do not use thousands separators (type 10000, not 10,000 or 10.000). The Money format does not always reflect the colloquial usage, but should be a reasonable approximation.

Terminology

A cardinal number is a normal number (one, two, three), whereas an ordinal number indicates order (first, second, third). A distinct format is needed for years because numbers like 1967 are spoken differently as a cardinal number ("one thousand nine hundred sixty seven") than a year ("nineteen sixty seven").

Advanced

The rules for spelling a number are external to this program; one can therefore easily add support for additional languages.

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Adding and Removing Languages

Adding and Removing Languages

Overview

The rules that Num-Num uses to spell a number are external to the program. This means that you can add rules for additional languages and also remove rules.

The Languages Box

To organize languages, choose File > Languages... from the main menu or press [⌘+L]. This will bring up the Languages Manager dialog. (See also Keyboard Shortcuts for keyboard shortcuts for this dialog.)

Organizing Languages

You can change the order in which the languages appear in the main window's popup button by selecting a language and clicking on one of the arrow buttons. You can also drag and drop languages to rearrange them in the list.

Removing a Language

To remove a language, select it and click [X].

Adding a Language

To add a language, you need to know how to:

download a file from the Internet and save it to a folder (directory) of your choice
navigate to this file from an Open File screen

To download and install a new language:

Go to http://www.num-num.com/Num-Num.htm
Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will see a list with all available languages.
Right-click on the name of the language you want to add (the lefthand column, for example: English) and choose Download Linked File.
Save the language file to a folder.
In the Languages Manager dialog, click [+].
Navigate to the file you downloaded and open it.
Click [OK] to close the Language Manager dialog.

Developing Your Own Rules

Are you a hacker interested in creating rules for a new language? Then visit http://www.num-num.com/Num-NumDevl.htm to find out how.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Num-Num is designed for easy keyboard navigation. Here is a list of shortcuts.

Main Window

Shortcut	Command
⌘ + L	Display the Language Manager dialog.
⌘ + N	Display usage notes for the current language.
⌘ + [	Go to the previous number.
⌘ + ]	Go to the next number.

Language Manager Dialog

Shortcut	Command
⌥ + [	Move selected language to top of list.
[	Move selected language one place up.
]	Move selected language one place down.
⌥ + ]	Move selected bottom to top of list.
⌘ + +	Add an external language.
⌘ + -	Remove the selected language from the list.
⌘ + R	Readd all built-in languages to the list.

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Installing/Uninstalling

To install, simply run the application from its .dmg file. Alternatively, you can copy the application to the folder of your choice.

To uninstall, unmount the .dmg file if you're running it from there, or else drag the application to the Trash if you've copied it to another folder.

Num-Num saves certain values to the OS X user defaults database. To clear these, type the following from a Terminal window:

defaults delete com.thisiscool.NumNum

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Terms of Use

Num-Num is a trademark of Mohan Embar, Inc.

Usage of this program indicates your acceptance of the following license conditions. If you do not agree with these terms, exit the program immediately and uninstall it.

This program comes with no warranties, either express or implied. In no event will the copyright holder be liable from any damages resulting from the use of this software.

This program is PropagandaWare. If you continue using this program seven days after the first use, you agree to visit the following websites:

You are exempt from this agreement if you do not have Internet access.

Permission is granted to any individual or institution to copy or redistribute this software provided that:

it is not altered in any way
it is not sold for profit
this copyright notice is displayed
if made available for download on a non-FTP web page, that a link be made to www.num-num.com whenever possible

Developed in Objective C++ using Xcode 2.4.1.

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About the Author

Mohan Embar is one of those rare finds that has both outstanding technical and communications skills. Both an excellent mentor and developer, he has worked in a wide variety of projects, such as commercial desktop applications, object-oriented billing systems, servlet frameworks and low-level UNIX printer drivers. He has both domestic and international experience with companies such as Nortwestern Mutual Life, Deluxe Data Systems, France Telecom, Docudesk, Société Générale, Cyco Software, and Kraft, Inc. He is fluent in English, French and Dutch and has a working knowledge of German, Spanish and Italian.

Mohan is also bilingual in C++ and Java and loves switching back and forth between the two languages, while making full use of the idioms of both. Visit the Cool Demos section at http://www.thisiscool.com/coolprogs.htm to see more cool programs written in C++, Java and other languages like Delphi and JavaScript.

Mohan Embar singlehandedly:

invented the number transformation language
wrote the Java and native C++ (Win32, OS X, PalmOS, WinCE) versions of Num-Num
wrote the English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, German and Dutch rules
authored the accompanying documentation and online help.

Is it creative and well-programmed? Is the documentation nicely written? Check out his other demos, download the source code and scrutinize it. If you like his work, you can try to hire his services if he's available. Click here to contact Mohan. (Contract positions only: no full-time positions, headhunters or consulting firms, please.)

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