number nine software

Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to see the FAQs for iTriTracker, otherwise, read on for answers to the most frequently asked questions related to ScratchPad and Melon. Should you have a question that's not answered below, contact us with your question and we'll do our best to provide an answer.

General

• How much does it cost?
• Do I need to have a PayPal account to purchase your products?
• Can Melon or ScratchPad be installed on a USB thumb drive?
• How can I submit a request for an enhancement?
• What enhancements are currently under consideration for the next release?
• I'd love to see XYZ functionality included. Why won't you add it?

Melon/ScratchPad

• Where do I configure my e-mail settings?
• Why does Melon/ScratchPad sit in the System Tray when minimized?
• Can I resize the window used to add notes/tasks via the system tray?
• What about the Melon Reminder window? Can I resize that too?
• I'm upgrading Melon/ScratchPad, will I lose the notes I've already added?
• Is there a help file available?
• I'm experiencing something not answered above. Are there any known issues?
• What's the full text to Ode to the Throne?

General

How much does it cost?

You may purchase Melon for US$14.95. ScratchPad may be purchased for US$9.95. If you are interested in licensing multiple copies of Melon or ScratchPad in a commercial environment, please contact us with your requirements. Volume discounts are available based on the number of seats licensed.

Do I need to have a PayPal account to purchase your products?

No, you do not have to have a PayPal account to purchase any of Number Nine Software's products. When you decide to purchase your copy of our software, simply click the link next to the phrase "Don't have a PayPal account?" (on the PayPal page) and you will be taken to a secure webpage where you can enter your payment information.

Can Melon or ScratchPad be installed on a USB thumb drive?

During the installation process, when asked for the destination, select your thumb drive as the destination (e.g., U:\ScratchPad or U:\Melon, where U: is the drive letter for your thumb drive). (It's recommended you create the destination folder prior to installation as some thumb drives have exhibited problems w/ regard to creating the initial directory during the installation routine.) Once you've finished the installation, you can launch the application and the information will be saved to your thumb drive.

The second part of the installation is to install Melon or ScratchPad on each of your other machines from which you'll be using your thumb drive. Be sure to specify the same location (e.g., <ThumbDriveLetter>:\Melon or <ThumbDriveLetter>:\ScratchPad) so that the same information can be accessible from your remote computers.

How can I submit a request for an enhancement?

You can either submit a request online or by selecting Send Feedback from the Help menu.

What enhancements are currently under consideration for the next release?

Our customers are always making suggestions for things they think should be included in a future release. If there's something you'd like to see included, please give us a shout and maybe it'll show up in the next version.

I'd love to see XYZ functionality included in the next release. Why won't you add it?

Sometimes we get great suggestions and implement them immediately because they have a lot of bang for the buck. Other suggestions come in that would really positively impact the application from a functionality standpoint, but impact it negatively from a performance standpoint. We have to balance these two views to ensure we provide the best little note-taking and/or task-making applications out there while minimizing impact on our user community's computers. That being said, keep those suggestions coming. There's nothing better than seeing a feature that you suggested as part of the final product!

Melon/ScratchPad

Where do I configure my e-mail settings?

You don't. Well, to be more specific, you don't within Melon or ScratchPad. Our applications make use of the default e-mail client configured on your computer to send messages. Actually, they don't even send messages, we just create an e-mail for you to massage and then it's up to you to actually send the message.

Why does Melon/ScratchPad sit in the System Tray when minimized?

Because it doesn't make any sense for it to take up space on your Start bar. We felt that while Melon or ScratchPad are applications you might want to have accessible at all times, it might be hours between when you want to add notes or check the deadline of a task. By having it in your system tray, it's available to you whenever you want while not cluttering up your Start bar.

We see that as a good thing and hope you'll agree with us.

Can I resize the window used to add notes via the System Tray?

Yes, simply move your mouse cursor over the border until it turns into a double-headed arrow. You may then resize the window to your liking.

Be aware that if you try and resize the window beyond the allowed boundaries, the window will be resized to the default size the next time it appears.

What about the Melon Reminder window? Can I resize that too?

Yes, simply move your mouse cursor over the border until it turns into a double-headed arrow. You may then resize the window to your liking.

Be aware that if you try and resize the window beyond the allowed boundaries, the window will be resized to the default size the next time it appears.

I'm upgrading Melon/ScratchPad, will I lose the notes I've already added?

If you're upgrading from a previous version of Melon or ScratchPad, simply run the uninstall routine from the previous version and then run the installation routine from the current version. Depending on which version you're upgrading from, you may be be prompted with up to two message boxes. The first one you encounter will ask the following (Melon users will encounter similar messages):

Answer YES to this question. The second one you will be faced with will be the following:

Answer NO to this question.

If you really want to be sure you don't lose your notes, copy the Scratch.XML file from the installation directory to a secure location before running the uninstall mechanism. By default, Melon is installed in C:\Program Files\NumberNineSoftware\Melon; ScratchPad's default location is C:\Program Files\NumberNineSoftware\ScratchPad.

Beginning with ScratchPad 1.4, you will be able to store your notes in a remote location. This location can be ascertained by launching the Options functionality via the ScratchPad menu.

Is there a help file available?

A help file is included with both Melon and ScratchPad. You may access this via the Melon/ScratchPad program groups or via the menu.

I'm experiencing something not answered above. Are there any known issues?

There are a few known issues of which we're aware. They are as follows:

• When you install ScratchPad as an administrator, yet use it as a regular user, you may experience problems saving notes.

• Depending on your local date format, you may get a message saying the date format is invalid. This has been corrected in and we recommend you upgrade to the latest version.

• In previous versions, when checking for updates from within ScratchPad, if you don't have an active connection to the Internet, you used to encounter an error. This has been addressed in version 1.5 (or later) by checking for an active connection before trying to get update information.

What's the full text to Ode to the Throne?

Yes, this has actually been asked a few times so we decided to toss it out for all to enjoy (it's one of the entries visible in the ScratchPad screenshot):

I did sit down on the seat
A stack of books were at my feet
I took off my shorts, my shirt, my hat
And on the toilet, I did shat.