During 2021, Chris Hall released a new application called RingBind, intended as an alternative way to present user manuals and other publications on screen. At the point it was noticed here in the Bunker and reported on this site it had reached version 0.15 – and after the most recent update it now stands at version 0.18.
Available from !Store, the most recent change provides a facility to select the background colour for the Bound file, and the version before that provided a way to create screen shots of the displayed file, amongst other things.
The files displayed by the application – the Bound file mentioned above – are actually collections of Draw files, so the program is making good use of something that has been a part of RISC OS since the very start. When turned into a Bound file, the program will then display them as though they’re pages in a ring-bound manual, open on your desk – hence the name.
When a document is displayed by RingBind, controls are shown at the bottom to move back and forth through it, along with a progress indicator bar which shows how far into it you are, and chapters (or other key points) are shown as tabs down the right, allowing a quick flick to the relevant page.
Instructions are included within the application on how to create a suitable set of files ready to be combined together into a Bound file, with notes on pitfalls to be avoided (such as font limitations).