The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) presents PAD, the ultimate tool for authors! PAD is the future now and PAD is...free!

Above you see a screenshot of PADGen, the PAD file generator

Q: What is PAD?

A: PAD is the next generation dataset that will allow Authors to communicate specific and most often requested information regarding their products to the Online Communities and Vendors abroad. PAD was designed with the future in mind.

Q: Why do Authors need PAD?

A: Authors are constantly asked for information regarding their products. Be it via email or by filling out online forms. The PAD dataset contains all the most frequently requested information and it is all in one spot! Online download sites such as MSN, ZDNET, TUCOWS and CNET are already supporting this endeavor. More will follow in their footsteps!

Q: Why should Vendors and Webmasters support PAD?

A: Imagine getting all the information you need in one shot without having to go back to the Author for more info! By using an XML extractor you can obtain the information you need quickly and easily! Q: How can I get support for PAD?

A: We have a newsgroup set up specifically for this project. Please stop by and post your questions here: news://news.asp-shareware.org/asp.Pad_Support

Q: What does a PAD file look like?

A: PAD uses next generation web technology, XML! With XML, data can be easily extracted and parsed by any XML toolkit. We already have a complete set of tools available for vendors, authors and end users alike.

Q: The shareware industry can change in a snap, we've seen that with the rapid growth of the Internet. Is this dataset extendable?

A: Yes! By creating simple HTML forms this dataset is easily modified to grow with the industry. See below for more information.

Q: Well this PAD stuff sounds great, but it looks complicated to create. Is there an easy way to generate the PAD file?

A: Glad you asked! Yes we have a full line of FREE tools that will allow you to create and modify your PAD files. We also have tools that will let you create your own HTML template file as well as extractor tools for Vendors/Webmasters to use to easily extract the data.

Q: Where do I put this PAD file?

A: The PAD file should go in two places. The first is inside your ZIP file so that anyone distributing your software can quickly extract the file and retrieve any information that is pertinant to them. The second is on your website. In the near future we hope that you will simply have to submit your name and the URL to your PAD file to the download sites and they can extract all the information in a snap!

Q: All this sounds great but how much is it going to cost to use this new standard?

A: It is FREE!!! The ASP has made certain that this standard and tools supplied are available free to all of the Authors and Vendors that wish to participate.

Go Online to find out more...

Authors:
PADGen: The PAD file generator program.
PAD Repository - Add your files here.
PAD Extensions: List of available extensions.
Create your XML file online!(Prototype!)

Webmasters/Vendors:
PAD Repository - Get a complete listing of PAD URLs directly from our site.
PAD and Active Server Pages: Using an NT server with IIS to run your Shareware Download site? Check out this sample/demo submission page!
PAD Extractor: Used to extract data from a PAD file click here.
Defining PAD Extensions: How to expand the PAD dataset.
PAD Converter: Allows you to generate an HTML template and merge any PAD file with the created template.
PAD Dataset: Layout and validation requirements of the PAD file.

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