This page contained outdated software that has been removed. The newer version is available here

I am delighted and more than a bit proud to break ground on this new section for Dynamic Templates. With any luck, this effort will ease the load on the folks who make the templates that contain specific dates -- mainly calendar variants.

One approach to this is the "Mail Merge" concept that has been repeatedly discussed and is an excellent way to approach the problem. Here is a link to a very detailed set of instructions for creating a calendar that way.

However, I am a programmer by trade and I like creating software solutions to the problems. Rather than overprinting a static form, I have created software to draw it on the fly, allowing for more variation and customization that cannot happen with a static form. In this month-based template that debuts here, the days that are not part of the displayed month are printer in a lighter shade of grey to emphasize the days of the displayed month, much like the official D*I*Y Planner forms.

This is multi-platform software. Below are download links for pre-built, static, binary applications for both Windows and Mac OS X as well as the source code. Through the Nordic Magic of the Qt Libraries, both of these applications were built from the same source code. This source can be built on any platform supported for Qt 4.3

Here's a shot of the Mac version:

And here's the Windows version:

I would like to believe the application is intuitive easy to use, but what I call easy may not be so for other folks, so here are some basic instructions.

• Be sure you have the font "Blue Highway" installed as it is hard coded into the application
• Use the "Page Setup" button to set paper size and margins
  Use the calendar widget and the First/Last Month selectors to set your page range.
• Set your line width to look good on the display.
• The "Print" button will send multiple pages through your printer drivers. Mac folks have the built-in "Save to PDF" feature available. You Windows folks have various freeware available to achieve the same feature. Another thread has already hashed this out. Here's a link to it.

As an added treat, if you scale the page so you can see all of it, you will see it scroll as it prints to the printer or to a PDF file.

Please let me know if you encounter problems. I do not consider this totally finished. There are refinements to be made, but it is, I believe, Ready for Prime Time.

License:
License granted to me (Dan White) by Douglas Johnston to duplicate the D*I*Y Planner forms look and feel under the Creative Commons NC-ND License. The source code is declared under GNU GPL. (Not attached 'cause there is a newer version)

Language:
That's part of the Nordic Magic. It should be multi-lingual. Please let me know if you have any language related difficulties

Current known problems:
On the Mac, there is an issue with PDF's and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Use Preview to view/print any PDF's you create. I am still trying to place the blame. Either Qt or Apple. Based on some of the feedback at Big Nerd Ranch about PagePacker, I suspect Apple's PDF drivers.