To get started, download and install kitchi. Run kitchi. 

You will need to fill in at least one input, one output, and one schedule event and press the “Start” button to get it to work.

On the left side of the application, you will see the start of a configuration tree. The configuration tree consists of one or many data-streams. Each data-stream ties one or many input sources to one or many output sources at scheduled times. The schedule may contain one or many scheduled events.  The schedule node itself may be right-clicked and edited to choose whether or not the data-stream is processed immediately in addition to the scheduled events.

Double-click on an input and select a Method such as "http" and Datatype such as "rss".  Many of the available option fields will get filled in with default values. Option fields also contain drop-down boxes to help provide hints as to what can be used as parameters.  Many times you are not limited to what is in the drop-down boxes. Input name is optional and not used anywhere. Input description is also optional, but is used. Example: if you are showing Slashdot rss files, you could set the input-description to “News from Slashdot...” to have that also show up on the output devices.

Double-click on an output and select a Method and Datatype, click on "defaults" button and fill in the parameters.

Double click on an event and select an event-type and fill in the details.

More events may be added by right-clicking on the "schedule" node and selecting "new event".

Try right-clicking on various nodes in the configuration-tree to view available options for that each node or item.

When completed, click “Start" and kitchi will run the datastreams at your scheduled times.

You may save these datastream trees for later re-loading. 

If you would like to have kitchi work with your cell-phone, try using the wap output device and have kitchi FTP the data to your web-server. Be sure the filename extension is “.wml”. Another option for cell-phone usage is to email a small text file to your phone using kitchi.

The marquee and html output Datatypes may be used independently, but may look even better if you include the resulting output of these into your existing intranet or internet pages.

In practice, I find it useful to send data to an LED sign, cell phone and web-page.  That way if someone sees a story of interest on the LED sign, they can go to an intranet site where the same headlines are also shown, click on the title which takes them to the full text of the story, if available. Running two LED signs, one above the other, running at different speeds provides an interesting visual effect. If you don't have a real LED sign yet, you may use the "marquee" Datatype which will write some html-like code which may be loaded in a Microsoft-compatible web browser to have a software scrolling sign.

The "Run as NT Service" part of the software will allow kitchi to run immediately when the computer is turned on and will automatically load and run your kitchiConfiguration file in the background even if no one is logged in.

To make this work:

• (purchase kitchi using the Secure Purchase button from within kitchiConfig) - kitchi will recognize a successful purchase and will automatically and immediately reconfigure itself as a registered application
• load a saved kitchiConfiguration file using kitchi.
• Select menu->File->kitchiService Configuration-->Save -- (this saves your configuration file with the name Configuration.kcx to the directory the application was installed)
• Select the radio button, "Run Scheduled Events in Background as Service"
• Click "Start”
• You may close kitchi -- kitchiService should run all the time and run in the background.

Running kitchi as a Windows Service has many advantages and is recommended.

Please periodically check the menu option, “Check for updates” as new inputs, output, features, documentation and bugfixes will be made available.

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