Tips for Getting Started

Demo Mode Limitations

The DHRC2 and DH_KeyGen modules are both fully functional without registering them, except that DH_KeyGen will generate License Keys for only 2 User IDs: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. This gives you what you need to run the demo .se1, and to try everything out to see how it works, while at the same time curtailing the distribution of the License Key generator to casual downloaders, who may not have the same interest in preventing its proliferation as those who are using the system to protect their software.

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• The DH Boolean Logic modules perform the standard logical operations of AND, OR, and NOT on the Bool data type used in SynthEdit Sub-Controls. They allow you to set up compound conditions, such as

NOT (Registered? OR In Demo Period?)

• DH_StickyNote, which is used to provide some text documentation in the demo.

If you don't already have them, you'll need to copy theses modules to your SynthEdit/Modules folders before you run the demo .se1. All other modules in the demo file are standard SynthEdit modules.

Running the Demo .se1

The demo file is named DH_RegControl_Synth_Demo.se1. The project is a simple subtractive synth VSTi. The synth itself is inside the container named "Little Synth", and that container, along with the DH_RegControl components, are inside of the main VST container.

Before you actually start working with the demo, here's the scenario. For purposes of this demo, I've set up the following policies for the product:

• There will be a 30 day demo period.
   
• The synth will be fully functional during the demo period.
   
• While the synth is unregistered, there will be a button on the interface to allow the user to bring up the Product Registration dialog at any time.
   
• The registration button should not be displayed after the product is registered.
   
• After the demo period has expired, if the synth has not been registered, no audio will be output.
   
• The word "Unregistered !" will be displayed prominently on the GUI until the synth is registered. This will be replaced by the user name of the registered user upon registration.
   
• The Product Registration dialog will include a button that links to my Web site, where a license can be purchased.
   
• I've assigned a Product ID of "SynthDemo001". (For actual products, I would recommend using longer Product IDs consisting of arbitrary strings of characters.)

How are each of these rules implemented? The length of the demo period, the Product ID, and the link to my Web site are done just by putting entries in the DHRC2's Properties:

The other items depend on the DHRC2's "Registered?" and "In Demo Period?" outputs. A detailed explanation of how these are set up is provided in Using the Output Pins to Control Access. For now, we'll just take a quick look at how the synth is controlled by the registration system's outputs, which all come together in a final decision at the output of the AND Gate. All I've done is to bring the connection between the main volume knob and the VCA it controls outside of the LittleSynth container to a Many-->1 switch. If the registration system gives a positive result, the knob is connected. Otherwise, a fixed value of 0 is connected. This method hardly uses any CPU, while putting a switch in the actual audio stream would use a considerable amount.

Now we'll get some hands-on experience with how the system works.

On the synth's GUI, click the blue arrow to the right of the words "Please Register" to bring up the Product Registration dialog. For now, click the "Try Demo" button to exit.

Next, we'll simulate what happens when the demo period expires. Demo Days has to be entered in both the DHRC2 and the DHRC2A modules, so we need to change it in both places. First locate the DHRC2A module in the DH_RegControl_Synth_Demo_VST structure. It's near the center of the structure, slightly above the middle.

Right-click on it, open up the Properties, and change Demo Days to 0.

Now, find the DHRC2 module. I've blanked out the module's title, so that it won't show up on the panel view. It's located on the left slightly above the middle.

Right click on it, select Properties, and set its Demo Days to 0. This change brings up the Product Registration dialog. Note that "Try Demo" is no longer offered as an option. Click "Cancel". Now, restart the audio. The synth outputs no sound in this state. Go back to Properties of both the DHRC2A and DHRC2 modules, and set the Demo Days back to 30. When the Product Registration dialog is displayed, the demo option will again be available. Click "Try Demo", and the synth will resume working. Of course, in the actual situation, the system date will be checked against the original installation date to determine the number of days left.

Next, we'll register a user. Go to the main SynthEdit structure window, and click the DH_KeyGen module to open it. Enter the synth's Product ID, SynthDemo001, and one of the demo User IDs, "Mickey Mouse" or "Donald Duck". Click Generate. Drag over the License Key to select it, right click and choose Copy, then click OK.

Now, you get to be Mickey (or Donald). Click the "Please Register" button, enter your User ID, and paste the License Key into the Product Registration dialog.

Click "Enter Key". You'll get a Thank you message box, and now the synth will be fully functional. The "Please Register" is no longer displayed.

Although I chose in this example to remove the "Please Register" button from the panel once the product is registered, you may decide to keep the Product Registration dialog accessible, perhaps from a setup panel. While you're working with the demo in SynthEdit, you can still use the "Please Register" button in the VST's structure window even when it's not visible on the panel.

Feel free to experiment further with the demo. You can use the DH_KeyDelete to remove the registration information from the Registry and "unregister" the product. (Note: This change won't take effect until the next time the dialog is displayed.)

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