Libris Britannia 4/science library(b).zip/science library(b)/PROGRAMM/DB_CLIPP/0327.ZIP/EZDBASE.DOC

Text File | 1986-03-05 | 32KB | 618 lines

                        EZdBASE Features

    The EZdBASE formatting utility provides a sophisticated, yet easy
to use, software development tool to create menus and data
entry screens for the IBM Personal Computer.

    EZdBASE provides a powerful screen editor that allows a user to
type a menu or data entry screen exactly as it should appear
as part of a dBASE program.  Once completed, the user simply
enters a file name for the screen and EZdBASE automatically will
generate the necessary dBASE source code to create the desired
command file.  Both a .PRG and a .FMT file are generate to replicate
your screen in dBASE.  The .PRG file is useable only with dBASE II
unless some of the syntax is modified using an editor of your
choice.  The .FMT file may be used in conjunction with both dBASE
II or dBASE III or dBASE III Plus applications.  EZdBASE also will
generate a dBASE II or III data file to match the fields of
information specified on your screen.

    Menus are the true backbone of virtually all hobbyist and
business-oriented software.  As the name implies, a menu simply
provides the user with a display providing options which are
available for use within a given application.

    Data entry screens are the heart of any programming
application involving the storage or retrieval of data.  These
screens normally serve a dual function.  They provide
information to a user much the same as a menu would, and they
allow the user to enter and store information either for later
use in a program or for updating a data file.  Applications can
range from the simple name and address file to sophisticated
accoun-ting applications which manage the financial affairs of a large
department.

    In either case, the reliability and accuracy of the data
entry into an automated system is greatly enhanced by use of data
entry screens.  EZdBASE generates dBASE command files which
transform the IBM Personal Computer into a screen-oriented editor
for data entry purposes.  It provides total flexibility both in
designing screens and ultimately in using those screens as part
of a dBASE application.

    EZdBASE also provides the user with the flexibility to recall
previously stored menus and data entry screens for revision or
modification.  Thus, if a particular application involves the creation
of several menus in which portions of each menu are identical, the
user can simply recall the first menu, make the necessary changes,
and then store the revised menu under another command file name.
This preserves the original menu while creating a new one in minutes.

    The EZdBASE editor also includes many sophisticated word
processing features to enhance the user's ability to design
screens quickly with minimal effort.  Lines of text can be
centered, copied, moved, deleted, or swapped with one or two
keystrokes.  In addition, multiple lines of text can be moved up or
down the screen simply by pressing a single function key.


    The user also has access to the entire 256 ASCII characters
available on the IBM Personal Computer.  This provides an easy
facility for drawing boxes, graphs, diagrams, and the like with
minimal effort.  EZdBASE further enhances this capability by
providing a REPEAT function which will repetitively retype the
last ASCII character entered either across or down the screen.
Thus, a bar graph can be constructed on the screen in seconds using
the EZdBASE formatting utilities.  Finally, double and single-line
boxes can be constucted around menus using a single keystroke.

    This EZdBASE user's guide provides step-by-step instructions
for creating simple menus or very sophisticated data entry
screens with minimal effort.  It also will show you how to get
the most out of the EZdBASE system.

                    User-Supported Software

    EZdBASE was commercially marketed at a retail price of $100
per license for over 3 years.  In an effort to expand the utility
of the dBASE programming language to all users, EZdBASE now is
provided through public bulletin board systems without charge.  It
may not be sold or otherwise transferred to other users for
profit. Those wishing to be kept abreast of enhancements in the
program or those wishing merely to express appreciation for the
countless hours of programming which EZdBASE will save may send a
contribution of $20 to Automated Office Systems, 4160 Club Drive,
Atlanta, Georgia 30319.  Your written comments and suggestions also
are welcome.

                Using EZdBASE for the First Time

    EZdBASE is designed for use with the IBM Personal Computer
running PC-DOS 1.1 or higher.  You must purchase either of these
operating systems from a licensed IBM dealer before EZdBASE will
run.  Certain other prerequisites are necessary in order to use
this program.  Your system should have at least 128K of memory as
well as two diskette drives and either an 80-column monochrome
monitor or an 80-column RGB color monitor.  You obviously must also
own either a version of Ashton Tate's dBASE or the Clipper compiler
or the dbIII Compiler. While EZdBASE will function quite properly
without dBASE, the screens and data files generated with EZdBASE
will be of little value since they are intended for integration
into dBASE application software.

                        EZdBASE Overview

    This documentation and the EZdBASE system assume that you
have at least some familiarity with the main commands in dBASE
as implemented on the IBM Personal Computer.  To use menus
generated by EZdBASE, you need only minimal familiarity with
dBASE; however, to get the most out of this software, you
should read one of the elementary texts on dBASE.

    EZdBASE is a powerful tool to assist in quickly writing
dBASE programs.  It can reduce the time required to write
dBASE command files from several hours to only a few minutes
in many cases.

    For data entry screens, EZdBASE will create all of the dBASE
source code necessary to emulate "block mode" data entry.
This is commonly found only on minicomputers and large mainframe
systems.  EZdBASE also will generate the necessary source code to
display or capture into dBASE memory variables all data subse-
quently typed or previously stored by users of the system you
create.  It will even create the dBASE data file to support your
menus and screens.

    EZdBASE creates menus and data entry screens for display on
an 80-column monitor.  EZdBASE also permits utilization of the
entire ASCII character set featured on the IBM Personal
Computer.  Since the dBASE screen editor only supports 72
columns and 128 ASCII characters in display mode, you cannot
modify some EZdBASE command files using the dBASE editor.
Several methods of modifying EZdBASE screens which include ASCII
characters above 127 are outlined in a subsequent section of this
user's guide.

                  Getting Started with EZdBASE

    You start the EZdbASE program by typing EZDBASE at the DOS
prompt.  You then will be prompted to select the type monitor you
are using.  Pick a choice from the options listed.  For PC/AT
owners, make certain that you do not choose an option which is not
supported by the video cards installed in your system. EZdbASE then
will inquire whether you wish to use a previously stored menu.
This option allows you to reload a previously generated menu for
modification.  To use a previously created menu, simply type an
upper or lower case y.  If you do not wish to work from a previous
menu, type n.

    If you opted to use a prior menu, you will be prompted to
enter the name of the menu.  Type in the filename you desire, but
do not type in the extension (e.g. to use SAMPLE.PRG, type in
SAMPLE and press RETURN).  If you are using a prior menu, it will
display on the screen.  Otherwise, a blank screen will appear.
In either case, this screen is your "canvas" for creating menus
and data entry screens.

    Once you have "drawn" your screen the way you want it to be
displayed as part of your dBASE program, simply press the F10
function key to exit from the EZdBASE screen editor.  If you press
F10 by mistake, simply press ESCape to return to your menu. Other-
wise, EZdBASE will ask whether you wish to save the screen you just
created.  If you enter n, your screen will be destroyed.  To save
the screen, type the letter y.  EZdBASE then will prompt you to
name the screen.  This screen name must conform to the file name
conventions implemented on the IBM Personal Computer, i.e. file
names can be up to eight characters long.  Do not add a file
extension (such as .TXT or .PRG) since EZdBASE knows the proper
extensions to use to be compatible with dBASE.  You may
specify a particular disk drive on which to save the menu by
typing the drive letter and a colon before typing the name of
the screen.  For example, entering B:TESTMENU would tell EZdBASE
that you wish to save your screen with a file name of TESTMENU
and that it should be stored on the diskette in Drive B of your
system.  If that file already exists, you will be warned.  You
have the option of erasing the existing file or selecting another
name.  If you are designing a display menu, that completes your
work.  EZdBASE will prepare the dBASE command file to replicate
your screen in seconds.  You then will be asked whether you wish to
create another menu.  Typing an n to this question will return you
to DOS.  Typing a y will loop you back through the EZdBASE program.
A later section of this user's guide covers the remaining steps in
the event you are creating a data entry screen.

                      EZdBASE Screen Editor

    Once EZdBASE loads any prior menu you may have selected, it
will place you in the EZdBASE screen editor.  This editor is what
you will use to actually create your menus and data entry
screens.  The EZdBASE screen editor makes maximum use of the
function keys and cursor control keys on the IBM Personal
Computer.  WARNING:  If you use a function key enhancement
program such as ProKey, make certain that you disable it before
running the EZdBASE program or many unexpected results are likely
to occur.  For the remainder of this manual, use of the
convention ALT + C means that while holding down the ALT key, you
should tap the C key.  Then release both keys.

                      Special Control Keys

    HOME - Moves the cursor to top left corner of screen.

    END  - Moves the cursor to bottom right corner of screen.

    ARROWS - Move cursor one space in direction indicated.

    CTRL + RIGHT ARROW - Retypes the last ASCII displayable
                         character in the current cursor
                         position.

    CTRL + PG DN - Retypes the last character typed in the
                   next line down at the current cursor position.

    INSERT - Moves all text on the current line one space right.

    DELETE - Deletes character at current cursor position.

    ALT + C - Copies current line of text to any other line.

    ALT + M - Moves current line of text to any other line.

    ALT + E - Erases all text on the current line.

    ALT + D - Deletes the current line of text and rolls up
              the text below it to fill in the deleted line.

    ALT + I - Inserts a blank line at the current line and
              rolls down existing text. Last line on screen
              is erased to make room for the blank line.

    ALT + S - Swaps current line of text with any other line.

    ALT + 3-digit number -  Allows the entry of all 256 ASCII
                            characters available on the IBM
                            Personal Computer using numeric keypad.

                     Repeat Key Utilization

    It should be noted that the Ctrl + Right Arrow and the Ctrl
+ Pg Dn functions are particularly useful in drawing diagrams,
boxes, or charts using the IBM Personal Computer graphics
characters.  Consult the back of the BASIC manual furnished with
your IBM Personal Computer for a complete listing of these
characters and their ASCII codes.  To display one of these
characters, simply hold down the Alt key and (at the same time)
enter the three-digit ASCII code of the character desired using
the numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard.  For
example, to draw a solid horizontal line, hold down the Alt key
and enter 196 using the numeric keypad.  Then release the Alt key
and the line will appear.  To draw the line across the rest of
the screen, hold down the Ctrl key and then hold down the right
arrow key on the numeric keypad.  EZdBASE will continue to draw
the line until you release both keys.  Several alternate methods of
drawing boxes are described in future sections of this Guide.

                     Using the Function Keys

         ESC -  Field identifier code generated.

          F1 -  Displays the function key instructions.

          F2 -  Centers text in the current cursor line.

          F3 -  Moves target row UP to the next line.

          F4 -  Moves target row DOWN to the next line.

          F5 -  Rolls UP all lines beginning at target row.

          F6 -  Rolls DOWN all lines from target row.

          F7 -  Copies target row UP to next line.

          F8 -  Copies target row DOWN to next line.

          F9 -  Erases contents of the target row.

         F10 -  Exits from EZdBASE screen editor.


                   EZdBASE Data Entry Screens

    As already noted, data entry screens are used to display
information and to allow a program to accept data from the
keyboard for storage in memory variables or data files.


    EZdBASE operates identically to generate data entry screens
and menus with one exception.  With data entry screens, you draw
a screen which specifies where different fields of information
should be displayed and entered on the screen.  For example, to
create a data entry screen for a name and address file, you
probably would want a user to be able to display and enter the
following pieces of information: full name, address, city, state,
zip code, and telephone number.

    Creating data entry screens using EZdBASE can save many
hours of programmer time.  All you have to do to designate a
"field" of information is to press the ESC key which will display
a SMILE character on your screen.  This character marks the
beginning of a data entry field.  You then tell EZdBASE what type
of data can be entered in this field and the maximum number of
characters which can be entered for this field.  This is done
using one of the following dBASE codes for each character.

     Character                  Meaning of Character
        #                       Only numbers may be entered.
        9                       Only numbers may be entered.
        X                       Any character may be entered.
        A                       Only alphabetic characters.
        !                       Only capital letters entered.
      Space                     Field terminator character.
 Other character                Literal which cannot be changed.

    After EZdBASE encounters a SMILE character on the screen, it
looks for the next space character which signifies the end of
that field of information.  Make certain that you do not type a
space character in the middle of a field you are designating or
EZdBASE will interpret the space as an end-of-field marker.

    If you type any character other than #, 9, X, A, and ! to
designate a character in a field, then dBASE interprets this
character as a literal which cannot be modified by the user.  For
example, if you designated a field as ###/###-####, then dBASE
would allow the user to enter nine numbers in the positions you
have designated. The user would have no control over the / and -
characters which would be displayed and stored regardless of what
numbers were entered.  This would be appropriate for entry of
telephone numbers.  Other common examples would be a format of
##/##/## to force a user to enter a date in the proper format or
###-##-#### to assure proper entry of a social security number.
CAUTION: dBASE knows the difference in upper and lower case
letters!  dBASE interprets the lower case a and x as literals
which cannot be modified while an upper case A or X indicates
that any character can be entered in the field.  Make certain
that you use upper case A's and X's if what you desire is for the
user to be able to enter any character in the field.  Also make
certain that a SMILE character precedes each field you wish to
designate by pressing the ESC key in front of the beginning of
each field.  Remember: a field begins immediately after the SMILE
character and ends with the first space character following a
SMILE character.  Warning: A field designator code cannot be
placed in column 80.  The far right column of the screen always
should be left blank if a field has been drawn to the right margin.

    Once you have finished designing your data entry screen,
press the F10 function key to exit from the EZdBASE editor.  When
prompted for whether to save the screen, press the y key.  Then
enter a name for your screen and press the return key.  You now
will be prompted to enter a FIELD NAME for each field you
designated on your screen.  These field names will be used as
part of the dBASE command file generated by EZdBASE.  If you
are linking your data entry screen to an existing dBASE data
file, the field names in your data entry screen must match the
field names in your dBASE data file or the information in the
file obviously will not display.  You can also create, display,
or enter information for dBASE memory variables using EZdBASE
screens.  In this case, you should name the fields to coincide
with the names you wish to assign to the dBASE memory variables.
Field names may be up to 10 characters long although 8 characters
is the recommended maximum to match the maximum file name length
under DOS for dBASE data bases and indexes.

    After you enter a name for a field, EZdBASE will ask whether
the field will be DISPLAY ONLY.  What this means is whether you
wish the user to be able to enter data into this field (as
opposed to simply displaying data) when the screen is used in a
dBASE application program.  Typing any character other than y
will create your field with display and update capability.  You
then will be asked whether this field should be initialized as a
memory variable.  Typing any character other than n will
initialize the field to blanks (spaces) each time the screen is
used in dBASE II applications.  This option has no effect in dBASE
III since you must use the SET FORMAT TO syntax with the .FMT file
generated by EZdBASE.  WARNING:  If you do not initialize memory
variable fields and a field is not linked to a data file with a
corresponding field name, you will get an error message when you
run the screen in dBASE II since the variable has never been
"created" as far as dBASE is concerned.

    If you forget to enter a field name for a field, EZdBASE
will automatically label the field for you using the following
naming convention.  The first field is named V1, the second V2,
etc.  For the first time computer user, it is entirely possible
to generate menus and data entry screens by doing nothing more
than drawing the screen, assigning it a name, and pressing the
return key in response to every other question asked.  EZdBASE
obviously is not intended to support that degree of novice user
although it certainly can.

    When you have finished naming all of your fields, EZdBASE
will ask whether you want a dBASE data file generated to
support this data entry screen.  If you type Y, then EZdBASE will
ask whether you want a dBASE II or dBASE III data file created.
Type either a 2 or 3 to indicate your choice. A dBASE data file
with the same number of fields and the same field names as are
displayed on your screen then will be generated.  It should be
noted that each of the fields will be a character field even
if you have indicated that numeric data will be placed in the
field.  The screen, however, will prevent users from entering
character data in a numeric field.

    When EZdBASE creates a data file, it names the file using
the same file name you specified for your screen except that the
file extension .DBF is used to tell dBASE that this is a data
file.  If you already have a file of the same name, EZdBASE will
warn you.  You have two options: (1) you can destroy the existing
file in which case EZdBASE will create a new one to match your
screen or (2) you can cancel your request to create a data file.
There are many situations in which you may wish to intersperse
data fields and memory variables on the same screen.  Obviously,
in these instances, you would not want EZdBASE to create a data
file for you since it would falsely interpret what you intended
to be memory variables as data fields.  In short, the file
creation utility is provided to assist the novice user.  It is
strongly recommended that dBASE data files be generated using
the either the dBASE or Clipper CREATE commands which provide
greater flexibility.

                       dBASE III Limitations

    EZdBASE generates both a .PRG command file and a .FMT format
file.  The .PRG command file utilizes dBASE II syntax which will
"bomb" if run under dBASE III without modifying commands such as
ERASE which in dBASE III has become CLEAR.  The format file,
however, can be used as is.  To use it, issue the command SET
FORMAT TO FileName and then issue a READ, EDIT, or APPEND command.
When you finish using the format file, close it with the SET FORMAT
TO command.

          Customizing EZdBASE Command Files for dBASE II

    EZdBASE generates dBASE II command files (programs) which
tell dBASE how to display and accept data for use in your data
base application.  As is true with other command files, they may
be customized to suit your application.  Much of the remainder of
this user's guide focuses on advanced methods to get the most out
of EZdBASE.  If you are just beginning your dBASE career, you can
stop reading here for several weeks at least.

    One of the major drawbacks of many commercially available
screen and program generators for use with dBASE is their
inflexibility in tailoring command files to a given application.
In most such systems, for example, one cannot enter new data into a
data base without redisplaying an entire screen (including the
screen mask, i.e. the part that doesn't change from record to
record).  This causes substantial delays in the data entry process
in addition to far greater I/O activity with the processor.

    EZdBASE has been designed with modular programming in mind.
Each piece of a command file generated by EZdBASE is designed to
allow the user to easily insert code to perform special
additional functions such as edit checks, looping, scanning of a
data base, etc.  In this regard, EZdBASE command files first
initialize any memory variables you have designated.  EZdBASE
command files then "paint" the screen mask consisting of all the
data on your screen which does not change.  Then EZdBASE command
files display or accept field data which may or may not be
modified depending upon your desires.  With this modular
approach, it is a simple matter to insert several lines of code
to loop through an entire data file without ever redisplaying the
screen mask.  To do this, simply begin a DO LOOP immediately
before the GET commands and insert the necessary tests at the end
of the command file to determine whether to advance to the next
record in the file.  The simplest example would be to place a
file in USE before calling the screen and then to insert the
command DO WHILE .NOT. EOF at the beginning of the GET commands
and then just before the RETURN command insert the following
commands:

              WAIT
              SKIP
              ENDDO

    These commands have the effect of looping the user through
your entire data base with a pause after displaying each record.
Other more sophisticated approaches certainly are possible.  A
standard one is to include a memory variable allowing a user to
select one of several options as part of each data entry screen.
The necessary code then can be inserted to take the appropriate
action within the EZdBASE command file.

          Modifying EZdBASE Files with the dBASE Editor

    You will note in most instances the dBASE editor can be
used to modify EZdBASE command files.  There are some limi-
tations to this which unfortunately are limitations in the dBASE
editor rather than in EZdBASE.  The first is that lines of text
cannot exceed 77 characters.  The second, and most important
limitation, is that the dBASE editor only supports 128 ASCII
characters, half of those available on the IBM PC.  What this
means in practical terms is that, if you use the graphics
characters to draw your EZdBASE screens, then you cannot use the
dBASE editor to enhance these command files or you will damage
all of the graphics characters in the display.  These command
files must be edited using an editor which supports the 256 ASCII
characters.  EDLIN provided with DOS will work; however, most
word processors will not.

     Special Screen Attributes with dBASE II, Release 2.4

    Beginning with Release 2.4 of dBASE II, users have the
capability to set screen attributes within dBASE II command
files.  EZdBASE also allows you to set these attributes for any
screen you design.  The only limitation is that any EZdBASE
screen which is generated using these attributes must be used in
conjunction with Version 2.4 or later of dBASE II.

    For the first time user, a screen attribute is simply a code
which tells the computer what type of character display you
desire.  Using the IBM Personal Computer monochrome display, the
following choices are available: normal, highlighted, reverse
video, underscored, and highlighted underscore.  Using a color
graphics card, various foreground and background colors can be
set depending upon whether the type of monitor attached.

    EZdBASE allows you to set two different screen attributes
for each line of any screen you design.  In dBASE terminology, you
may set one of the above screen attributes for SAY statements (i.e.
text which merely displays on the screen) and another screen
attribute for GET statements (i.e. the data entry fields on your
screen).  You also may tell EZdBASE whether to "paint" the entire
screen.  Painting is a simple concept.  If you design a data entry
screen and use only five lines of text on the screen, EZdBASE
normally would generate SAY and GET statements for only those five
lines rather than for all 23 lines of the screen.  This saves
storage space for command files and also speeds up use of dBASE
since 80 null characters do not have to be written to each blank
line of the screen.  In some instances, particularly if you are
using an RGB color monitor, displays can be improved dramatically
by "painting" background colors to the entire screen.  If you
choose the "paint" option, EZdBASE will generate a line of SAY
statements for each line on the screen, regardless of whether there
is any text on each line.  This will assure a solid color back-
ground when using an RGB monitor.  A word of caution is in order.
If you select the paint option and are using a monochrome display,
make certain that you have inserted SCREEN ATTRIBUTE CODES on the
lines following any line with unusual screen attibutes such as
underscoring or reverse video.  This will allow you to reset the
screen attributes to a more normal display.  Otherwise, the screen
attributes will remain as you last set them.

    Telling EZdBASE that you want to set screen attributes for a
given line of text on the screen is very simple.  Position the
cursor in the first character position of the line on which you
want to set screen attributes and press the tilde (~) character
on your keyboard. When you complete work on your screen and press
F10, EZdBASE will display a menu and prompt you for screen attri-
butes on each line containing a tilde in the first character
position.  If you wish to leave a screen attribute as it is, press
RETURN.  When the screen is generated, the tildes will be changed
to spaces.

    EZdBASE has been designed not only to speed up the program
design phase of data base management but also to improve upon the
tools already available using dBASE.  A little experimentation will
go a long way in this regard.

                   Drawing Boxes with EZdBASE

    This version of EZdBASE includes virtually the entire IBM PC
graphics character set under the ALT, SHIFT, and CTRL function key
combinations.  By holding down one of these characters and then
pressing a function key, you can generate the graphics character
without reference to the IBM PC character set.  The ALT function
keys provide most of the double line graphics characters while the
SHIFT function keys provide most of the single line characters.
The CTRL function keys are used to generate the intersection
graphics characters for both single and double-line graphics (+).
The CTRL + F9 and CTRL + F10 keys fully automate simple box drawing
by pressing a single function key.  Simply position the cursor at
the position where you want the upper left corner of the box to
be.  Press CTRL+F9 or F10 then move to the bottom right corner of
the box you wish to draw and press <RETURN>.  Presto! Your box is
drawn.

    For specialized boxes and boxes inside boxes, you will need
the individual graphics characters.  The function key layout is
outlined below.  Remember that these must be pressed in conjunction
with either the ALT or SHIFT keys or disaster may strike.  See the
previous discussion of what the function keys do if pressed by
themselves.

         F1                   F7                     F2
          ___________________________________________
          |                    |                     |
          |                    |                     |
   F9 --> |          F10       |                     |
          |          /         |                     |
          |         /          |                     |
       F5 |____________________|_____________________| F6
          |                    |                     |
          |                    |                     |
          |                    |                     |
          |                    |                     |
          |                    |                     |
          |____________________|_____________________|
         F3                   F8                     F4


Credits & Disclaimers:

    dBASE is a trademark of Ashton-Tate, Inc.
    Clipper is a trademark of Nantucket, Inc.
    ProKey is a trademark of Rosesoft, Inc.
    IBM and IBM Personal Computer are trademarks of
      International Business Machines.
    EZdBASE is a trademark of Automated Office Systems.

    EZdBASE and this user's guide are copyrighted and may not be
distributed in whole or in part for profit without the express
written permission of Automated Office Systems.  The EZdBASE
program is licensed for non-commercial use unless a license fee
has been paid. Any violation of this license agreement terminates
the license.  Automated Office Systems makes no express or implied
warranty as to the fitness of this program to meet your particular
needs.  Nor are we responsible for any consequential damages which
you may encounter as a result of using this software.