Main IDL Page after Logon
Use IDL to Create your own Web Site
Using IDL Remotely and Retrieving Information to Your Local IDL
Internet Dive Log (IDL) is the first and last web-enabled scuba diving application that you will ever need to use. The program was designed by divers and will continue to be enhanced by your requests. Updates will occur over the Internet very smoothly and easily. There is virtually nothing you need to do to keep up on the latest version of the software.
IDL also offers you the ability to share your data with your dive buddies and others interested in diving. Likewise, you will be able to search for the latest data on your favorite dive sites, and make informed decisions before booking your next trip to a new dive location.
IDL is a complete scuba diving reference tool. Not only does it keep track of every detail of your dives, it also will keep track of travel, dive resorts, dive shops and photos of your trip. What, you don’t have a camera? No problem. Chances are someone you dove with does, and they took incredible pictures that they will now be able to share with you over the web.
IDL also interfaces with downloadable dive computers. This feature will make adding your dive data much simpler. All you need to do is plug your dive computer into your PC and your dive will be created for you. Then you can fill in the fun details of your dive, without having to remember all of those boring numbers.
Dive computers currently supported:
Citizen HyperAqualand ; Suunto Spyder ; Suunto Vyper ; Suunto Cobra ; Suunto Stinger ; Suunto Mosquito ; Aqua Lung Matrix Master
Many dive resorts and dive shops now also have computers connected to the Internet. You can use the computer at their location to enter in your dive data, and when you get home all of your data will be there. You may want to check with them first to make sure that they do have a computer for access and they are running IDL.
Left your logbook at home or lost your luggage with your logbook? No problem. With IDL, the dive shop you are diving with can check your records from anywhere and you won’t miss a dive.
The first time you run IDL you will be prompted for a Diver Name, Email Address and Password. The Diver Name and Email Address are used for identification purposes through the IDL server. The password is used for security both locally on your PC and on the IDL server. IDL does not connect to your email server, so the password does not have to be your email password. Once your local account has been created the IDL login screen will appear.
IDL Login Screen
From the IDL login screen, select your name from the top combo box then type in your password. You may also have multiple divers using the same copy of IDL. If you do, you can add a new diver to the program from the login screen by selecting “Add New Diver” from the combo box. This will ask you for the Diver Name, Email Address and Password, again for the new diver.
If this is your first time running IDL the Configuration dialog box will be displayed. The configuration options will be covered later in this document.
Once you have logged into IDL you will need to complete the information about yourself in the Divers page. Please note that the dive information in the Divers page will be calculated automatically by IDL and updated as needed. The Owner Name and Owner Email at the bottom of every page are also fields you cannot change. These fields indicate who owns the current record. Over time you may have data from many other divers in your logs.
IDL Divers Page
Dive log Page
Dive Computer Page
The
button takes you to the first record in the log.
The
button goes to the previous or prior record.
The
button goes
to the next record.
The
button goes to the last record in the log.
The
and 
add and delete records from the log.
You will also notice a box in the lower right.
If
this box is checked it indicates that a copy of this record is on the server.
Use the toolbar shown on the right to navigate from one page
to another. Click on the named tab or picture icon that interests
you. This will take you from one page
to another. There are several choices for navigation tools in the
Screen Layout option under the menu option File, Configure. Click the < and
> buttons and watch your IDL layout change. Once you have the layout
you prefer, Click OK.
You may also use the drop-down combo box (shown below) in the upper left corner of the screen. This box gives you a quick and easy method for selecting the page you would like to view. Note: If you do not see the combo box on your page, click File, Configure and use the Screen Layout option to select a layout with this combo box visible.
Many of the fields in each record are also navigation tools themselves. For example if you are looking at a dive log and want to go to the dive site detail page, just double click on the dive site name. The diver name, dive operation, dive master and all dive buddies operate in the same manor.
The File menu:
File Menu
- Change Login - Allows you to modify your name, email and password you use to Login to IDL.
- Test Connection - This checks to see if you can communicate with the IDL server to share database records and pictures. You will receive a message for both if either success or failure.
- Units - Select Imperial or Metric for values to be displayed throughout IDL.
- Enable Internet Functions: This option is always enabled.
Automatically Synchronize - When selected IDL will Quick Synchronize your data to the IDL Server upon closing IDL.
Enable Record Sharing: Selecting this option enables others to search your logs and view your dive data. If you do not wish to share your logs, do not select this option. Additionally, you will not be able search for and view others' logs.
Share Contact Information: Selecting this option allows others to view the contact information you entered into your Divers page, i.e., address, telephone, etc. If you do not want others to have this information, do not select this option.
Enable Picture Sharing: This allows others to search, view and copy your pictures. If you do not want others to have access to your pictures, do not select this option.
Share Data with DAN: Check this box if you would like to share your dive logs with DAN to assist with Project Dive Exploration, leave this box checked. If you do not want to share your dive logs with DAN, de-select this box.
Shared Picture Quality: This setting provides you the ability to lower the quality of the pictures that you share on the IDL server. By default, this setting is 100%. Setting this to 50% will allow adequate picture quality while decreasing the time it takes to download the picture to the server and when others select the picture to view.
- Dive Computer Setup: Select your dive computer you’ll use for the downloads and which serial port you connect to your PC for your dive computer.
- Screen Layout: Sliding this bar to the left or right allows you to select the various navigation tool bars you want to use.
- Background Font Color: Allows you to select the font color you want to use.
Print -
Dive Logs - Prints all or selected dive logs. Launches a Print Preview and you can select which logs to print.
Blank Page - Prints a blank log page.
Equipment List - Prints the information about each piece of equipment you have entered.
Print IDL Page - Prints the current IDL page you have open.
The Edit menu provides standard Windows' editing features:
The Tools menu provides you with several neat functions:
Drop-Down List Editor - Provides a way for you to edit several of the drop down lists in your pages. Add, remove or modify.
Nitrox Calculator - Enter in your O2%, depth and time and this calculator will calculate your maximum depth, contingency depth, your O2 partial pressure, Equivalent Air Depth and your % of 02 exposure.
Sort All Dives - Puts your dives in sequential order (renumbers your dives) based on the date and time you logged your dives.
The IDL Server menu provides you with several services.
IDL Server Menu
Check for Updates checks the IDL server for any updates and prompts you to update if one is available. If you have the latest version, this message "You have the latest version" will be displayed on the bottom status bar.
Quick Synchronization with Server gives you the ability to backup and share your data with others.
Full Synchronization with Server provides the same service as Quick except that Full checks the server to see if you have updated data on the server that needs to be copied locally.
Send Feedback allows you to specify new features you would like to see, or just send your comments to the IDL team. These enhancement requests get posted directly to the IDL database for tracking by the IDL team.
The Web menu offers you the ability to generate your own web pages based on the information you entered in IDL. You will have the following choices:
Create a web site from logs uses templates to create web pages based on your diver information, dive logs and trip reports. These web pages will also include your pictures.
Publish web site to IDL server copies your web pages you've just created with the "Create a web site from logs" option, to the IDL server.
View your local web site opens your local web pages that were generated when you selected "Create a web site from logs". Even if you posted these web pages to IDL, they are still located on your local hard disk.
View your IDL web site opens your web pages that are currently on IDL's server.
The Help menu gives you a few options to obtain help:
Help Menu
Online IDL Manual connects to the IDL web site to view this manual.
Release Notes contains information about the changes made in the different versions of IDL.
E-mail IDL brings up your default email program with the IDL email address so you can send an email to the IDL team with any questions or comments you may have.
Immersions Web Site brings up your default internet browser and takes you directly to the Immersions web site.
The About menu specifies the version you are currently running and alerts you to your program copy expiration date.
About Menu
| Diver Name | Diver's name |
|
Dive Number |
Automatically calculated, sequential number of the diver's dives. |
|
Start Time |
The time you enter the water |
|
End Time |
The time you exit the water |
|
Surface Interval |
The time since your last dive. This is calculated based on the prior dive in the log . The format is in Days, Hours, Minutes. The maximum Days is 999. |
| Pressure Group
Start / End |
Based on whatever dive tables you use to plan your dives. |
|
Btm Time |
Total time of the dive. |
|
Max. Depth |
Maximum depth of the dive. |
|
Avg. Depth |
Average depth of the dive. |
| Feet / Meters | Click on either Feet or Meters to change between the two and the representation of the values of Maximum Depth and Average Depth. Once changed, it will stay to your selection until changed again. |
|
Air Start |
The amount of air in your tank at the start of the dive. |
|
Air End |
The amount of air in your tank at the end of your dive. |
|
Air Used |
This field is automatically calculated based on Air Start and Air End. |
|
Dive Type |
The type of dive i.e., beach, lake, river, wall, etc. |
| Dive Rating | The personal rating you award this dive. 10 is best, 1 is worst. 0 indicates no rating was entered for this dive. |
|
Location |
City, State, Country of the dive. |
|
Dive Site |
Name of the dive site. |
|
Dive Shop |
Dive company used (if applicable) for boat/ guide for the dive. |
|
Comments |
Comments about your dive. |
|
Pictures |
Click on Add Picture to add pictures taken of and/or at this dive site. |
| Buddies | Enter your Dive Master and /or buddies who accompanied you on your dive. |
| Water | Enter the type of water you were diving - fresh or salt, the type of entry - shore or boat, the visibility in the water in either Feet or Meters, and the maximum and minimum water temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius. |
| Weather | Enter the air temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius, the weather conditions and the time of day of your dive. |
| Misc. | This field allows you to track your video/film label for the video/pictures taken on the dive. |
| Dive Suit | Under this tab, select the dive apparel you wore on the dive. This is also where you log the weight you carried on your weight belt or integrated in your BC. Click on either lb or kg to change between the two and the representation for weight. Once changed, it will stay to your selection until changed again. |
| Diver Name | Diver's name. |
| Home Phone | Diver's home phone number. If you do not want this information shared, be sure to de-select the Share Contact Information option in the Configuration settings under File, Configure. |
| Work Phone | Diver's work phone number. If you do not want this information shared, be sure to de-select the Share Contact Information option in the Configuration settings under File, Configure. |
| Diver's email address. This information is always shared whether you select Share Contact Information or not. | |
| Address | Diver's home address. If you do not want this information shared, be sure to de-select the Share Contact Information option in the Configuration settings under File, Configure. |
| City | City the diver lives in. This information is always shared whether you select Share Contact Information or not. |
| State/Province | State or Province the diver lives in. This information is always shared whether you select Share Contact Information or not. |
| Post Code | Post Code for City/State/Province diver lives in. This information is always shared whether you select Share Contact Information or not. |
| Country | Country diver lives in. This information is always shared whether you select Share Contact Information or not. |
| Date of Birth | Diver's birthday. If you do not want this information shared, be sure to de-select the Share Contact Information option in the Configuration settings under File, Configure. |
| Number of Dives | This is an automatically calculated field based on the dives entered for each diver. As you enter your dive buddies and dive masters, they are added to the Divers Page and their number of dives will also be calculated. Additionally, once you download a diver's dive record from the server, every time you synchronize with the server, their record will be updated to reflect the latest number of dives that diver has logged to the server. |
| Max Depth | This field is automatically entered based on the diver's logs. Again, if you have others' logs either entered by household members or downloaded from the server, this field will also be completed based on their dive logs. Click on either Feet or Meters to change between the two. Once changed, it will stay to your selection until changed again. |
| Total Bottom Time | This field is automatically entered based on the diver's logs. Again, if you have others' logs either entered by household members or downloaded from the server, this field will also be completed based on their dive logs. |
| Certifications | Each diver completes this section based on their level of certification. As you download others' logs, if they have completed this field, you will be able to view this information. To add a certification, click on the Add button, enter the certification level, enter the certification date, enter the instructor and the dive shop. To delete, highlight the certification you wish to delete and click on the Delete button. |
| Picture | Click on Add Picture to add a picture of the diver. |
| Dives | These are automatically displayed based on the dive logs either entered or downloaded from the IDL server. |
| Emergency | This is information that is not shared if the Share Contact Information is not selected. Enter important emergency contact name, phone number, insurance information, DAN ID, level and expiration. |
| Notes | This is an open area to log notes regarding a diver. This information is always shared whether you select Share Contact Information or not. |
| Dive Site | The name of the dive site. |
| Location | City, State / Country location of dive site. |
| Dive Type | Select from the drop down list what type of dive the dive site offered. |
| Dive Site Rating | Your personal rating of this dive site. 10 is best, 1 is worst. 0 indicates no rating was given for this dive site. |
| Comments | Any comments you have regarding this site. |
| Picture | Click on Add Picture to add a picture of the dive site. To delete the picture shown or to modify the Title of the picture, double-click on the picture. |
| Picture List | Any pictures that have been added at the dive site page, in your dive logs or if you downloaded others' pictures from this dive site. To delete a picture in the list or modify the Title of the picture, double-click on the Title. |
| Find More Pictures | Takes you to the Search page and automatically fills in the search criteria for pictures of the particular dive site. |
| Company Name | The name of the resource. |
| Type | Using the drop down selector, choose the type of resource that best describes the company. |
| Phone 1 | The main phone number for the company. |
| Phone 2 | A secondary phone number for the company. |
| Fax | A fax number for the company. |
| Address | Address of the company. |
| City | City the company is located in. |
| State / Province | State or Province the company is located in. |
| Post Code | City, State or Province post code. |
| Country | Country where the resource is located. |
| E-mail address for the company. Highlight and double-click their e-mail address to open your default e-mail application to send the company an email. | |
| Web Address | URL for the company. Highlight and Double-click the URL to open your browser and go directly to their web site. |
| Comments | Any personal comments you may have for this resource such as a particular person you deal with, etc. |
| Rating | A personal rating you attribute to this resource. 10 is the best, 1 is the worst. 0 indicates no rating was given. |
| Location | Location of your trip. |
| Trip Number | Automatically assigned when you add a report. |
| Start Date | Starting date of your trip. |
| End Date | Ending date of your trip. |
| Travel Agent | Name of the travel agent you used to arrange your trip. |
| Dive Shop | Name of the dive shop you used for your dives. |
| Lodging | Name of the location of your accomodations. |
| Room Rate | Total charges for your accomodations. |
| Air Fare | Total charges for your airfare. |
| Dive Cost | Total cost of your diving (including rental gear). |
| Meal Cost | Total cost of your meals. |
| Misc. Cost | Miscellaneous costs. |
| Total Cost | This is automatically calculated based on what you enter in room rate, air fare, dive cost, meal cost and misc. cost. |
| Number of Dives | Automatically calculated based on the number of dives added in the dive column (dives from your logs). This field can be manually entered in case there are dives that you did not log. |
| Trip Report | Enter your trip report here for others to see! |
| Dives | Click on Add Dives to search your dive log and add the dives you did on this trip. Once added, you can double-click on the dive to go to that record in your logs. |
| Pictures | Add pictures taken on your trip that do not have to do with your dives. For example, pictures of your accommodations, people you met or land excursions you experienced. |
| Rating | Your personal rating of this trip. 10 is best, 1 is worst. 0 indicates no rating was given. |
|
Type |
Select the type of equipment you are entering from the drop down list selector or enter your own type if yours is not listed. |
|
Make |
Manufacturer of your equipment. |
|
Model |
Model name or number of your equipment. |
|
Color |
Color of your equipment. |
|
Size |
Size of your equipment. |
|
Serial Number |
Serial number for your equipment. |
|
Purchased From |
Where you purchased your equipment. |
|
Price |
Price you paid. |
|
Purchase Date |
Purchase date of the equipment. |
|
Warranty |
Warranty period. |
|
Description |
Detailed description of this equipment. |
| If willing to sell, Asking Price | Sales price of this piece of equipment if you wish to sell it. |
|
Comments |
Any additional comments regarding this equipment. |
| Picture | Picture of your equipment. |
| Maintenance | Area to log what maintenance has been done for this equipment and when. |
Download from Dive Computer
Record is not configurable (Start Time, End Time, Dive #, SI, Max Depth...)
|
Title |
Title that describes your picture. |
|
Dive Site or Trip Number |
Dive site where the picture was taken or Trip Number associated with your trip report where the picture was taken. |
|
Location |
General location where the picture was taken. If the picture is to be referenced in a trip report, this Location must match the Location field in the Trip Report. |
|
Date / Time |
Date and time the picture was taken. If this picture was entered in your dive log, the date and time of the dive will be entered here. |
| Video / Film Label | Enter the name of the video or film label you have to identify where this picture is located. If this picture was entered in your dive log, the Video / Film label will carry-over from your log. |
|
Description |
A detailed description regarding your picture. |
|
List Box: |
An alphabetic list of all the pictures currently in your records. |
| Picture | Double-clicking on the picture enlarges the view and gives you the options to delete the picture, change the title and the description. |
|
Simple Search |
This is the easiest search function. Simply type in what you are looking for, or you can use an abbreviation of what you are looking for (i.e., Coz for Cozumel), increase or decrease the number of records to return and select whether to Search Logs or Search Travel. |
| Search Logs | Searches dive logs on the server for the Simple Search you entered. |
| Search Travel | Searches trip reports on the server for the Simple Search you entered. |
|
Data Type |
Select from the drop down selector where the information is you are looking for. This is a function of an Advanced Search. |
|
Fields |
When you select a Data Type, the fields for that data type will be available from the drop down selector. Select the field most likely to contain the information you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for a specific diver's logs, select Dive Log under Data Type and Diver Name in the Field. |
| =, <, > | After you've selected the field that contains the data you are searching for, you can query based on whether the field is equal to (=), less than (<) or greater than (>) a text pattern you enter. |
| Field Text | |
|
Number of records to return |
|
|
Download all listed |
How would you like to easily create a web site so your family and friends could read about your diving experiences and view your pictures? IDL's web feature uses templates to create your pages and with one simple click of a button will convert your diver information, dives and trip reports into separate web pages and allow you to use these pages on your own web site or post them to IDL's web site as your own.
Once you've entered your dives and your pictures, Click on the Web menu item at the top of your screen. You will have the following choices:
Create a web site from logs
Publish web site to IDL server
View your local web site
View your IDL web site
If you are ready to create a web site, click on Create a web site from logs.
How to Personalize your Web Templates Used to Generate your Web Pages
The templates used to create your web pages are located in the "web_templates" directory under the IDL install directory. There are three templates that you can customize. If you intend to customize these files it is required that you move these files into a directory under "web_templates" called "custom" and edit the files in the "custom" directory. If you do not do this your custom templates will be over written by IDL upgrades. These are:
IDL DiveLog webscript.html
IDL Divers webscript.html
IDL TripReport webscript.html
When customizing these templates, it is important that you put the background pictures and any additional clipart or pictures you use for your template in your HTML path. Your HTML path is under the subdirectory HTML located in the directory IDL was installed. Under the HTML subdirectory, you'll find a subdirectory that is named with the first two characters in your first name. Then you will find another subdirectory that is named with your full name_email address. For example, Bob Smith installed IDL in C:\Program Files, Internet Dive Log. The directory Bob would put his web template graphics is:
C:\Program Files\Internet Dive Log\HTML\Bo\Bob Smith_bsmith@email.com
Several Important Notes:
Do not change the location and or name of a picture in the Properties fields of any picture that is already synchronized to the IDL server.
You can add your own pictures to the web templates, but the reference to the pictures in the html code cannot have a path and the pictures you add must be in your HTML path as described above.
Only use .jpg or .gif type cliparts. If your pages contain any other type of graphic, they will not be displayed. Most graphic applications will allow you to "Save As" a different file type.
The following are instructions for using a remote system to add dive information and how to retrieve that information from the server to your local IDL.
1. Be sure your local IDL installation is set up to Enable Record Sharing (File, Configure).
2. Initiate a Quick Synchronization (IDL Server, Quick Synchronization with Server). This will ensure any changes you made to your local records are copied to the Server.
3. Install IDL at the dive shop or remote location.
4. Create a user account for yourself with the same user name, email address and password you use at home. This user name, email address and password MUST be EXACTLY the same or the security will not allow the synchronization to occur.
5. Initiate a Full Synchronization (IDL Server, Full Synchronization with Server). This will copy everything from the server to your account on the dive shop's / remote site's IDL.
When the Full Synchronization occurs, you will be prompted with a message indicating that a particular record is on the server but not local. You can simply click the "Copy All Local" button and all of your information on the server will be copied to your account on the dive shop's IDL. If you choose "Copy It Local", you will need to select this for all of your records found on the server that you want local. The "Copy All Local" option saves you time in this case.
6. Enter your new dive data (dives, resources, divers, etc.).
7. Initiate a Quick Synchronization when you are done to be sure all the local changes you made get copied to the server.
Now when you arrive home, before adding or changing anything, initiate a Full Synchronization and again, you will be prompted with a message indicating that a particular record is on the server, but not local. These were the records you added remotely that are not currently local on your PC. Again, you can click the "Copy All Local" to copy all of the information that is on the server, but not currently on your local PC.
If you arrive home and make changes before issuing the Full Synchronization, be sure to issue a Quick Synchronization before issuing the Full Synchronization so your current changes are saved on the server and not overwritten.
You can use IDL offline and synchronize at a later time when you do connect to the internet. IDL was developed with that in mind so you do not have to be connected to the internet at all times. You can use multiple computers to enter your information - a home PC, a laptop while traveling and even a computer at a dive resort - and when you synchronize your data, you will receive prompts/questions that allow you to copy the individual records from your local PCs to the IDL server and vice versa.
On our web site, http://www.immersions.com/idl , there is a FAQ that details keeping copies of your IDL records on another computer, which you may find interesting to read.
This document was last updated on 09/05/2000.
Internet Dive Log, the Immersions Screen Saver, and all contents of this web site Copyright © 1999-2001 Immersions. All rights reserved.