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INS1
INS1 is a networked multiuser database which can also be used on
a standalone PC. INS1 is available as a shareware product which
will run on a single system using the MS-DOS operating system and
up to five systems on a network using NETBIOS.
You are free to copy the shareware disk for other people but it
may not be resold. The INS1 shareware disk is not disabled in
functionality and does not have any inbuilt expiry.
If you begin to use INS1 regularly please register. The
registration charge is £15 or $25 including VAT and postage and
after registering you will receive a printed copy of the manual
and a registered copy of the software for up to 10 systems.
If you have any problem using INS1, please contact Information
Network Software.
Postal address: Information Network Software
P.O. Box 1243
Marlow
Bucks SL7 1WH
England
E-mail address: ins@cix.compulink.co.uk
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation.
Netware and Novell are registered trademarks of Novell Inc.
Netware Lite is a trademark of Novell Inc.
_________________________________________________________________
INS1 USER GUIDE
CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
System Requirements . . . . . v
Chapter 1 Installation . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 A Brief Overview . . . . . 1
1.2 Installation Procedure . . . 2
Chapter 2 Change Options . . . . . . . . 5
2.1 Datagroup Options . . . . . 5
2.2 System Options . . . . . 9
2.3 Print Options . . . . . 12
2.4 Select Colours . . . . . 14
2.5 Save Options . . . . . 15
2.6 System Reload . . . . . 15
Chapter 3 Datagroup Update . . . . . . . 16
3.1 Select Datagroup . . . . . 17
3.2 Write Record . . . . . 17
3.3 Read Record . . . . . 18
3.4 Change Record . . . . . 18
3.5 Delete Record . . . . . 19
3.6 Find Records . . . . . 19
3.7 Read Records . . . . . 21
Chapter 4 Datagroup Management . . . . . . 22
4.1 Select Datagroup . . . . . 22
4.2 Save Datagroup . . . . . 22
4.3 Load Datagroup . . . . . 23
4.4 Unload Datagroup . . . . . 23
4.5 Change Field Name . . . . . 24
4.6 Delete Field Name . . . . . 25
4.7 Exchange Record Name . . . . 25
4.8 Replace Field Contents . . . 27
iii
iv
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5 Infopage . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.1 Infopage Edit . . . . . . 29
5.2 Infopage Functions . . . . . 34
5.2.1 Read . . . . . . 34
5.2.2 Find . . . . . . 35
5.2.3 Use . . . . . . 37
5.2.4 Record . . . . . . 37
5.2.5 Fields . . . . . . 38
5.2.6 Set . . . . . . 38
5.2.7 Write . . . . . . 39
5.2.8 Value . . . . . . 40
5.2.9 Total . . . . . . 41
5.2.10 Add . . . . . . 41
5.2.11 Count . . . . . . 42
5.2.12 Repeat / End . . . . 43
5.2.13 Blank . . . . . . 44
5.2.14 Page . . . . . . 44
5.2.15 Heading . . . . . . 44
5.2.16 Text . . . . . . 45
5.2.17 Date . . . . . . 45
5.2.18 Index . . . . . . 46
5.2.19 Length . . . . . . 46
5.2.20 Exit . . . . . . 46
Chapter 6 Additional information . . . . . . 47
6.1 Menu structure . . . . . . 47
6.2 Record Format . . . . . . 50
APPENDIX A Error Messages . . . . . . . . 51
1 INS Errors - User Interface . . 51
2 DG Errors - Datagroup . . . . 55
3 NET Errors - Network . . . . . 67
APPENDIX B Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . 71
1 Application example . . . . . 71
2 Preparing a new application . . 75
APPENDIX C Network Installation . . . . . . 77
_________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
INS1 software is designed to organise and structure information
on a single system or network of systems and provide the controls
to manage the information. Each person using INS1 can control is
own local processing and display of the information accessed from
one or more systems on the network.
The software can equally be used for consolidating text
information from a number of sources or operate as a distributed
spreadsheet. The software may be used on a single PC or on a
network of PCs which may be used as workstations or servers.
Information on the network is organised into datagroups. A system
on the network may hold several datagroups according to its
capacity. Each datagroup resides on a specific user workstation
or server and is held in RAM with a back up copy on disk. Access
controls are provided to define the access rights of each user
for reading, updating and managing the information held in the
datagroup.
The Infopage provides a means of processing, displaying, printing
and updating information from one or more datagroups on the
network. The specific information required by the Infopage is
obtained via the network without the need to transfer or
duplicate files.
Security on the network is accomplished without the use of
passwords. Instead, access rights are validated on each
communication on the network. The access rights are linked to
the physical address of the requesting system on the network.
INS1 is ideally suited to applications where there is a need to
share information and where the structure and content of the
information frequently change. It is also well suited to
applications where timely information is needed relating to
different aspects of a business operation, together with a
consolidated picture which reflects the current position.
v
Introduction vi
_________________________________________________________________
System Requirements
A system using INS1 requires the following minimum configuration:
* An IBM PC, or PC compatible, running MS-DOS or equivalent
operating system.
* One floppy-disk drive for 3.5" disks.
* Sufficient Random Access Memory for the application.
* A hard disk.
* For network applications, a local area network with network
driver conforming to the NETBIOS interface.
The INS1 disk contains the INS1 program file INS1.exe, a text
copy of the manual in INS1man.doc, the batch files for network
installation and a set of files relating to an application
example. The software supplied is configured for the number of
systems displayed on entry to INS1. Copies of INS1 configured
for different numbers of systems may be installed on the same
network.
__________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 1 INSTALLATION
This chapter explains how to install INS1 on your system. Follow
the instructions in this chapter and you will then be ready to
begin entering the information for your application.
If INS1 is being installed on a network, the network hardware and
software is installed prior to the installation of INS1 (see
Appendix C). The installation procedure below can then be used
to install INS1 on each system.
1.1 A brief overview
There are four steps to the installation of INS1:
step 1: Make working copies of the INS1 disk
step 2: Copy INS1 to the hard disk
step 3: Load INS1
step 4: Set System Options
The application example provides an introduction for use with the
tutorial (Appendix B). To review the example, first make working
copies of the INS1 disk and copy INS1 to the hard disk. Then
place a copy of the INS1 disk in the A or B drive and type INS1
at the DOS prompt C>
The tutorial in Appendix B describes this application example and
explains how to set up your own application.
1
Installation 2
_________________________________________________________________
1.2 Installation procedure
1.2.1 Make working copies of the INS1 disk.
Make one or more working copies of the floppy disk supplied.
Also you will need to prepare one or more blank formatted disks
for use when setting up new INS1 application. To copy all the
files on the INS1 floppy disk, place the INS1 disk in the A drive
and a blank formatted disk in the B drive and type
xcopy a:\ b:\ /s
1.2.2 Copy INS1 to the hard disk
Place a copy of the INS1 floppy disk in drive A (or B). To copy
INS1.exe to the hard disk type the following DOS command at the
prompt C>
copy a:\INS1.exe (or copy b:\INS1.exe)
1.2.3 Load INS1
Place a blank formatted disk in the A or B drive. Type INS1 at
the prompt C> then press the Enter key.
Once the program is loaded the following message appears:
system.opt not on A or B (Enter) Retry (Esc) Default options
This indicates that the file containing the system options was
not on the disk in the A or B drive. Default system options are
used, which can be adjusted later using the Change Options menu
(Chapter 2). Press the escape (Esc) key and the Main Menu is
displayed.
Installation 3
_________________________________________________________________
1.2.4 Set System Options
If INS1 is being installed on a network, the system name must be
defined in order to identify this system to other users on the
network. If the system name is not defined, INS1 will operate
with local datagroups only.
The system options are described in Chapter 2.1. From the Change
Options menu select System Options. Then select Display System
Options. The default values are displayed. At the System
Options menu select System Name and enter the name to be used to
identify this system. This name must not be the same as the name
for any other system on the network.
If after defining the system name you receive the message:
N010 Network driver not responding
this indicates that the network software has not been correctly
installed. Refer to Appendix C Network Installation.
Default options may be used for all other system options. At the
System Options menu, select Save Options to save the system
options in the file system.opt on the A or B drive.
The installation procedure is now complete and new datagroups can
be defined and datagroup records entered using the Datagroup
Update commands described in Chapter 3.
Installation 4
_________________________________________________________________
1.2.5 INS1 file types
The table below lists the file types used by INS1. Files may be
located on any drive with the exception of the files system.opt
and dglist.lst which must be on the A or B drive.
Filename Defined in
INS1 Software INS1.exe
System Options system.opt
Datagroup List dglist.lst
Datagroup files filename.rec dglist.lst
Datagroup Options filename.dgo dglist.lst
Infopage Filepath filepath system.opt
Infopage Menu filepath\ . .\menu
Infopage Files filename.inf filepath\ . .\menu
Infopage output filename.fpr filepath\ . .\menu
to disk
The datagroup options file filename.dgo has the same name as the
corresponding datagroup file filename.rec holding the datagroup
records.
Infopage files are accessed using the Infopage Filepath. If the
Infopage Filepath is set to c:\Infopage then the file
c:\Infopage\menu will contain the menu text and filenames for the
first level menu. If filepath\filename.inf is used to generate
Infopage output to disk, the file filepath\filename.fpr will be
contain the output from the Infopage.
A floppy disk can be set up for each application with the
infopage files and datagroups located on the hard disk. The
files system.opt and dglist.lst on the floppy disk define the
required system options and datagroups for the application.
_________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 2 CHANGE OPTIONS
The functions available from the Change Options menu are covered
in this chapter. The Change Options menu allows you to change
the system, datagroup, printer and screen colour options.
Datagroup and system options are saved on disk following any
changes to these options. All other options including printing
and screen colours are saved on disk using Save Options.
2.1 Datagroup Options
Select Datagroup:
Select Datagroup provides a list of all local and remote
datagroups which are currently defined for this application. The
cursor keys are used to choose a particular datagroup. If the
datagroup is remote then the datagroup access level must be C
(Controller) for the Datagroup Option changes to be accepted.
Display Datagroup Options:
From the Change Options menu select the Datagroup Options entry.
Then select Display Datagroup Options (Default values shown).
DATAGROUP OPTIONS
Datagroup Name:
Datagroup System:
Datagroup Filename:
Datagroup Access: Default Access (Access List entry)
Autoload Option: Autoload Option (Autoload Request)
NEW VALUES CURRENT VALUES USED VALUES
Datagroup Fields: 40 40 0
Datagroup Records: 100 100 0
Record Memory: 20 20 0
5
Change Options 6
_________________________________________________________________
The datagroup options for the number of fields, records, and
record memory control the allocation of memory. It is not
possible to directly change the current values of these datagroup
options. Instead, any changes to the new values are activated as
current values when the datagroup is next loaded. The used
values indicate the part of the current value which is in use. As
new records are added, the used value increases until the current
value is reached. Then the new value of the datagroup option
should be increased and the datagroup reloaded.
Datagroup Name:
The datagroup name uniquely identifies a datagroup. The
datagroup name is the first field name in any record within the
datagroup. Records within the same datagroup must all have the
same datagroup name and different record name. Deleting the
datagroup name has the effect of removing the datagroup from the
locally defined list of datagroups. If the datagroup is remote
and you are the controller of the datagroup, the datagroup is
also deleted from the list of datagroups on the remote system. If
you do not wish to delete or change the datagroup entry on the
remote system, delete the datagroup system before changing the
datagroup name.
Datagroup System:
The datagroup system defines the name of the system on which the
datagroup is located. If there is no datagroup system defined
the datagroup is local.
Datagroup Filename:
The datagroup filename defines the disk file holding the records
for this datagroup. If the datagroup is remote then the file is
located on the system defined by datagroup system. After the
datagroup name and datagroup system have been entered for a
remote datagroup, the datagroup filename is returned by the
remote system if the datagroup already exists. To change the
datagroup filename of a remote datagroup, you must have user
access status of C (Controller).
Change Options 7
_________________________________________________________________
Datagroup Access:
The datagroup access menu entry is used to change the default
access option and the datagroup access list. In Display Datagroup
Options, the Datagroup Access entry gives the default access,
followed by your datagroup access list entry in brackets. The
default access option defines the base access level for all
systems using this datagroup.
The datagroup access list displays the list of currently defined
systems and their individual level of access to this datagroup.
The access level is checked on every request and access will be
given if either the default access option or the datagroup access
list provides a high enough access level.
Access levels are defined as:
N - no access No access to this datagroup
R,r - read access Read only access to the datagroup
via Datagroup Update or Infopage
W,w - read/write access Access to all Datagroup Update
and Infopage requests including
Change, Write and Delete record.
C,c - controls access Access to all datagroup functions
including Datagroup Management
and Datagroup Options
If the access level is R, W or C the address of the system
accessing the datagroup is checked and an entry in the datagroup
access list will indicate that access is from 'This Address'. If
the access level is r, w, or c the address is not checked and an
entry in the datagroup access list will indicate that access is
from 'Any Address'. If the access level in the datagroup access
list is D (Default Access) then the access level is as currently
defined by the default access option.
If System B attempts to access a datagroup on System A and the
default access level of the datagroup is r, w, or c then, if
System B is not currently listed in the datagroup access list for
the datagroup on System A, an entry is placed in the list with
access level 'D'.
Change Options 8
_________________________________________________________________
To delete a system from the datagroup access list, the system
must be listed as no access in every datagroup abd must not be
defined as the datagroup system on any datagroup.
Autoload Option:
When the system is loaded initially, or as a result of selecting
System Reload from the Change Options menu, the Autoload Option
defines which datagroups are to be loaded on that system. If the
datagroup is remote, ther is an Autoload Request option which
means that when the home system is loaded, an Autoload request
will be sent to the remote system.
Datagroup Fields:
The Datagroup Fields option defines the maximum number of fields
in any record in this datagroup. Datagroup Fields can be set
between 2 and 500 depending on the application. The record format
is described in Chapter 6.2.
Datagroup Records:
The datagroup records option defines the maximum number of
records that will be accepted. The datagroup records option is
used to define the size of datagroup access tables. If the same
field is used several times within any record, then this setting
may need to be increased beyond the actual number of records in
the datagroup. Each record with a duplicated field counts as an
additional record.
Record Memory:
The RAM memory needed to hold all of the records in the
datagroup. Record memory of 100 kilobytes will reserve sufficient
RAM to hold up to 400 records of 250 characters.
Change Options 9
_________________________________________________________________
2.2 System Options
From the Change Options menu select System Options. Then select
Display System Options (Default values shown).
SYSTEM OPTIONS
System Name:
LAN Adapter Number: 0
Infopage Filepath: a:\infopage
Spare memory DOS: Total:
NEW VALUES CURRENT VALUES
Datagroups: 10 10
System Fields: 50 50
System Records: 100 100
Datagroup Memory: 100 100
Infopage Cells: 40 40
Change Options 10
_________________________________________________________________
System Name:
The system name is the name used by NETBIOS to recognise the
system on the network. It is also used as the reference for
checking the access rights associated with a user request to
access the datagroup. The system name can be up to 15 characters
and must not be duplicated on the network.
LAN Adapter Number:
If there are two or more LAN cards in the system, the LAN
Adapter Number identifies which LAN card is being used. The
default setting is 0.
Infopage Filepath:
The infopage filepath defines the path for accessing the infopage
menu and infopage files. The default for the infopage filepath
is a:\infopage, and with this setting, the first infopage menu is
defined in a:\infopage\menu.
Spare Memory DOS: Total:
This indicates how much RAM memory (in kilobytes) is available
for use. If the word Total is not displayed, your system is not
currently configured to use extended memory. For systems with
more than 1 Mbyte of RAM, install extended memory by modifying
the CONFIG.SYS file as described in the MS-DOS User Guide.
Datagroups
Defines the maximum number of datagroups (local or remote) which
can be accessed by this application.
Change Options 11
_________________________________________________________________
System Fields
Defines the system maximum number of fields for datagroups on
this system. System fields should be greater than or equal to
the highest value of datagroup fields in any local or remote
datagroup being used by this application.
System Records
The maximum number of records on any datagroup located on this
system. System records must be greater than or equal to the
value of datagroup records for each datagroup located on this
system.
Datagroup Memory
Where extended memory is used, datagroups are moved from DOS
memory to high memory when not in active use. Datagroup memory
defines the size of DOS memory allocated for use by any
datagroup. Each datagroup must fit within the datagroup memory
size. If extended memory is not used, datagroup memory is set to
0 and all datagroups must fit within DOS memory.
Infopage Cells
This defines the number of cells available to each Infopage. The
option Infopage Cells can be set from 2 to 260. Refer to
Chapter 5 for a description of the operation of the Infopage
before setting the level for your application. The default value
of 40 cells may be used and the setting changed later if
necessary.
Change Options 12
_________________________________________________________________
2.3 Print Options
From the Change Options menu choose Print Options. The Print
Options menu is displayed as below:
PRINT OPTIONS
Display Print Options
Printer Port
Page Length
Line Spacing
Bottom Margin
Left Margin
Boldface Heading
Infopage Output to Disk
Display Print Options:
Provides a display of the print options for Infopage output.
Printer Port:
There is a choice of the parallel ports (LPT1 to LPT3) or one of
four serial ports (COM1 to COM4). Most locally attached PC
printers use a parallel port. If you wish to output to any device
such as a printer or a modem on the serial port of your system,
select one of the serial ports. The default setting is LPT1
which is equivalent to PRN.
Page Length:
The number of lines per page. The default setting is 70 which
corresponds to an A4 page with a line spacing of 6 lines per
inch.
Line Spacing:
Line spacing is defined as n / 72 inches or 72 / n lines per
inch, where n is between 1 and 85. The default setting is 12
corresponding to 6 lines per inch.
Change Options 13
_________________________________________________________________
Bottom Margin:
The printer will form feed at the end of each page when n lines
have been printed, where n is ( Page Length - Bottom Margin). The
default setting is 10. With a Page Length of 70 and a Bottom
Margin of 10 there will be 60 printing lines on the page.
Left Margin:
The character position on the printed page (numbering from 0 at
the leftmost position) where printing is to start. The default
setting is 0. The range for Left Margin is 0 to 79.
Boldface Heading:
The Heading function (Section 5.2.15) allows a line within the
Infopage to be designated as a heading. When this line is output
to the printer, the heading will be printed in boldface text if
this option is set.
Infopage Output to Disk:
This option can be set in order to send the Infopage output to
disk instead of a printer. This may be required if the
information generated from the Infopage is to be processed or
printed by another system. The output to disk is the same as the
output to a printer except that the printer control characters
(escape sequences) are omitted. When this option is set and the
Infopage Print menu entry is selected from the Main Menu, then
the output generated by running the selected Infopage will be
directed to a file with the same filename as the Infopage but
with filetype .fpr instead of filetype .inf.
Changes to Print Options are not saved on disk unless this is
requested using Save Options.
Change Options 14
_________________________________________________________________
2.4 Select Colours
From the Change Options menu choose Select Colours.
SELECT COLOURS
Background
Heading
Window
High-light
Text 1
Text 2
The choice of colour for each of the above six categories is
changed by selecting that menu entry. Repeated selection of the
same menu entry will bring the screen colour option back to its
original setting. All text in the screen colours menu is
displayed in the Text 1 colour except the menu entry Text 2 which
is displayed in the Text 2 colour.
Background refers to the background colour of the menu and
Infopage display.
The Heading colour is used for the menu heading and also for the
Infopage heading lines.
The Window colour is used for the menu, record and action or
error message lines.
The High-light colour is used for the menu selection bar.
Text 1 is the text colour for all text with the exception of the
field contents of a record.
Text 2 is used for the field contents of a record to contrast the
name and contents lines in the display of a record.
When the required screen colour changes have been made press Esc.
The screen colour options can be saved by selecting Save Options
from the Change Options menu.
Change Options 15
_________________________________________________________________
2.5 Save Options
Save Options saves the following options in file system.opt on
the A or B drive:
- System Options
- Print Options
- Screen Colours
The list of datagroups is saved in the datagroup list file
dglist.lst. For each datagroup the following information is
stored:
- Datagroup Name
- Datagroup System
- Datagroup Filename
- Autoload Option
The drive chosen by INS1 to save the files system.opt and
dglist.lst is the drive which supplied the system.opt file during
loading. If default settings were selected during loading then
the drive which contained a floppy disk in the drive during
loading is selected.
2.6 System Reload
System Reload has the effect of reloading the system from disk.
It is required when changes to the following system options are
to be put into effect:
Datagroups
System Fields
System Records
Datagroup Memory
Infopage Cells
Any datagroup with the autoload option set will be loaded as a
result of system reload.
_________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 3 DATAGROUP UPDATE
The Datagroup Update menu provides read and write access to the
records in a datagroup. When setting up a new datagroup, choose
a field for the record name. The record name allows you to
uniquely identify the record so that you can read, change or
delete the record. Next define all the field names for the
record. New field names can be added at any time by including
them in a record being written.
To define a new datagroup select the Change Options menu, then
select Datagroup Options.
Enter the following information:
- Datagroup Name: Name for this datagroup
- Datagroup System: If the datagroup is on another system, enter
the system name of that system. If the datagroup is on the
home system, leave the datagroup system blank.
The following message should be received after defining the
Datagroup System:
Create new datagroup (Enter) Continue (Esc) Cancel
Press Enter to save the datagroup in the datagroup list on the
remote system.
- Datagroup Filename: File to hold the datagroup records.
If the datagroup is local and the file is to be held on floppy
disk, insert a blank formatted disk in the specified drive.
Once the filename is defined, the files filename.rec and
filename.dgo are created on the system where the datagroup is
located. Default values may be used for the other options at
this time.
Once the datagroup has been defined, the datagroup can be loaded
using Load Datagroup (Section 4.3). Then the Datagroup Update
menu can be used to Read, Write, Find, Change and Delete records
in the datagroup.
16
Datagroup Update 17
_________________________________________________________________
3.1 Select Datagroup
Select Datagroup displays a list of all local and remote
datagroups which are currently defined for this application. The
cursor keys are used to select the particular datagroup for
updating. Only datagroups which are loaded can be updated.
Datagroups are loaded using the Load Datagroup request in the
Datagroup Management menu.
3.2 Write Record
At the Datagroup Update menu, select Write Record. The
datagroup name for this datagroup is displayed at the top of the
record. Enter the record name and the field name and contents of
each field. Once the record has been entered, press function key
F10. The record is then stored in record memory and saved in the
datagroup file on disk.
For each subsequent record, the same field names as were used in
previous records will be displayed. If the field name Date is
used, today's date will be entered as the contents for the field.
Some of the fields may be left with a blank field contents and
these field names may be deleted using function key F2 before
writing the record to disk. New field names may be entered in
any record provided the maximum number of fields option is not
exceeded. While entering a new record, you can use the Ctrl and
Enter key together to make room for an additional field at any
position in the record following the record name. If a field
name and field contents are both blank when the record is saved,
the subsequent lines are moved up to avoid blank fields within
the record.
If a field name continues to be included in the fields at the
start of a Write Record request, even though the field name is no
longer in use within the datagroup then, to remove the field
name, use Save Datagroup followed by Load Datagroup.
Each record is written to the datagroup filename located on the
system holding the datagroup.
Datagroup Update 18
_________________________________________________________________
3.3 Read Record
At the Datagroup Update menu, select Read Record. Next enter the
record name for the record which you require.
If a record name of ABC* is entered, the record returned will be
the first record in alphabetical order which begins with the
letters ABC. If instead of entering the record name, the
function key F6 is selected, the first record (in alphabetical
order) is selected. In all cases the F6 key can again be used to
select the next and subsequent records.
3.4 Change Record
At the Datagroup Update menu select Change Record. As with Read
Record, you can specify the record name or request the first
record (F6). Once the required record has been selected, press
function key F10 and the cursor is activated at the start of the
record name. Any field name or contents can now be changed with
the exception of the datagroup name. While changing a record you
can use the Ctrl and Enter key together to make room for an
additional field at any position in the record following the
record name.
If the record name is changed this is, in effect, creating a new
record which is a copy of the old record except for the record
name. There is the option of retaining or deleting the old
record. A record can also be changed from the Find Records or
Read Records menu entry.
While a record is being changed, the record may not be changed
by other users. If a record is incorrectly left in a state where
it cannot be changed, first retry closing the update from the
system which originally requested the change. If this is not
possible, use Load Datagroup to load the datagroup from disk.
Datagroup Update 19
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3.5 Delete Record
At the Datagroup Update menu, select Delete Record. The record is
identified using the record name. The function key F6 can be
used to select the first or subsequent records. To delete the
record press function key F10 while the record is being
displayed. Immediately following deletion it is possible to
restore the record.
When a record is deleted, it is also deleted on disk. This is
accomplished by saving a delete marker on disk. A delete marker
consists of just the datagroup name and record name of the record
being deleted. During subsequent loading of the datagroup the
delete markers have the effect of deleting the record. By
accessing the datagroup file from the operating system
environment it is possible to retrieve deleted records which will
remain in the datagroup file until the next Save Datagroup.
3.6 Find Records
At the Datagroup Update menu, select Find Records. Find Records
searches the datagroup to obtain a list of records which meet a
set of matching conditions.
If a single entry is given as the set of matching conditions:
Field name 1
Field contents 1
then the Find records function will display a list of records
which all have Field contents 1 in their Field name 1.
Datagroup Update 20
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If the list of matching conditions is:
Field name 1
Field contents 1
Field name 2
Field contents 2
then the list of records will be those records which match on
both fields. Up to 16 matching conditions can be given.
The Find records function needs to be defined more precisely in
the case where there is more than one appearance of the same
field name in a record. The sequence of operation is:
- A list of records which match on Field name 1 and Field
contents 1 is prepared. The same record may appear more than
once in the list if the Field name 1 is duplicated in the record.
- Each record occurrence in the list is checked for a match
with Field name 2 and Field contents 2, and those records not
matching the conditions are eliminated from the list.
If a field name of ABC* is chosen then all the field names
beginning with ABC are included and the matching condition is
fulfilled if a record has the required field contents in any one
or more of the fields selected by ABC*.
If a field contents of ABC* is chosen then all records with a
field contents beginning with ABC will match for that field. If
the field contents is * then all records with any field contents
(which is not blank) in this field, will match the condition.
The resulting list of records is sorted into increasing
alphabetical order of record name. The length of the list can be
up to the value of the maximum number of records for the
datagroup. Enter the list of matching conditions by entering the
field name and contents.
Once the matching conditions have been entered, press F10 to find
the matching records. A list of records is displayed giving the
record name for each record. There are twenty entries per page
and the PgDn key is used to view subsequent pages. The up and
down arrow keys allow identification of a specific record and the
Enter key selects that record which may then be displayed or
changed. The record is changed using function key F10 which then
allows the change of a record as described in Section 3.4.
Datagroup Update 21
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3.7 Read Records
At the Datagroup Update menu select Read Records. Next, either
specify the record name or select the first record. A list of
records in alphabetical order is produced, starting with the
record specified. Specifying record M* will provide a list of
entries starting with M and continuing to the end of the
datagroup.
Once the list has been produced, the specific record can be
displayed or changed. The record is changed by selecting
function key F10 which then allows the change of a record as
described in Section 3.4.
_________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 4 DATAGROUP MANAGEMENT
The Datagroup Management menu provides functions to save the
datagroup records on disk and to load the datagroup from disk.
Functions are also provided to make changes to the field names in
all records and to the field contents in selected records.
4.1 Select Datagroup
Select Datagroup provides a list of all local and remote
datagroups which are currently defined for this application. If
the datagroup is remote then the User Access Level must be C
(Controller) for these Datagroup Management requests to be
accepted.
The Datagroup Selection List provides information on each
datagroup as follows:
Datagroup Name Datagroup System Loaded Status
If the datagroup is remote, the loaded status reflects the last
known status of the datagroup. This status is updated when the
datagroup is selected.
4.2 Save Datagroup
The Save Datagroup function will save a loaded datagroup on disk.
If the datagroup is local the save takes place on the local disk,
otherwise if the datagroup is remote the save takes place at the
remote system.
At the Datagroup Management menu, select Save Datagroup. You
will then see the message:
Filename (Enter) Save (Esc) Previous menu
datagroup filename
The filename offered is the datagroup filename as defined in the
Change Options menu under Datagroup Options. The datagroup can
be saved to a different filename by changing the filename for
saving and pressing the Enter key.
22
Datagroup Management 23
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If this file already exists you will see the message:
This file already exists (Enter) Overwrite (Esc) Cancel
You can then decide to cancel the request (Esc), re-enter Save
Datagroup and give a different filename. Alternatively press
Enter if you wish to overwrite the existing datgroup file.
Each time the datagroup is saved, a datagroup options file is
also saved on the same disk using file type .dgo.
4.3 Load Datagroup
Load Datagroup loads the records in the specified datagroup
filename. At the Datagroup Management menu, select Load
Datagroup and the following message is displayed:
Filename (Enter) Load (Esc) Previous menu
datagroup filename
The file name for loading can be changed by deleting the
datagroup filename and entering another file name.
If the datagroup is on a remote system and the requesting system
has controller access status then the datagroup is loaded from
disk at the remote system. If the requesting system has read or
read/write access status then the datagroup is only loaded if it
is not currently loaded.
4.4 Unload Datagroup
This request releases the RAM memory used by this datagroup. The
datagroup is no longer loaded and Datagroup Update and Infopage
requests will not be accepted.
Datagroup Management 24
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4.5 Change Field Name
Before using this function, save the datagroup in another file.
Change Field Name allows a field name to be changed in all the
records in which it occurs. In records in which the field name
occurs more than once, all entries containing the given field
name are changed. The field name is changed without affecting
the field contents.
If the datagroup name is changed in all records, then the
definition of the datagroup name must also be changed from the
Datagroup Options menu. If a field name is changed in a
datagroup, any references to this field name from an Infopage
will have to be changed also.
At the Datagroup Management menu, select Change Field Name
At the prompt:
Field name (F10) Change Field Name (Esc) Previous menu
enter the name of the field to be changed and press Enter.
At the prompt:
New field name (F10) Change Field Name (Esc) Previous menu
enter the new name of the field and press F10.
At the prompt:
Filename for modified records:
enter the name of a new file to receive the modified records.
The records are read from record memory, modified and output to
the specified filename. During this request the datagroup
records in memory are not changed. To activate the records with
the new field name select Load Datagroup and load the modified
records from the specified filename. Then use Save Datagroup to
overwrite the old datagroup file. If this is to become the new
datagroup filename, the Datagroup Filename entry in the Datagroup
Options must also be changed.
Datagroup Management 25
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4.6 Delete Field Name
Before using this function, save the datagroup in another file.
Delete Field Name completely removes the given field name and
contents from all records. It cannot be used on the datagroup
name.
At the Datagroup Management menu, select Delete Field Name
At the prompt:
Field name (F10) Delete Field Name (Esc) Previous menu
enter the name of the field to be deleted and press F10.
At the prompt:
Filename for modified records
enter the name of a new file to receive the modified records.
The records are read from record memory, the selected field is
deleted and the records are output to the specified filename.
During this request the datagroup records in memory are not
changed. To activate the records with the deleted field, select
Load Datagroup and load the modified records from the specified
filename. Then use Save Datagroup to overwrite the old datagroup
file.
4.7 Exchange Record Name
Before using this function, save the datagroup in another file.
This function changes every record in the datagroup to make use
of a different field in the record as the record name. The
information in the field contents of the specified field is
exchanged with the current record name, without changing the
datagroup name or field name.
For a field to qualify for provinding the record name, it must
satisfy the following conditions:
1. The field must occur once and only once in every record.
2. The field contents cannot be the same in two records.
Datagroup Management 26
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In order to check these conditions follow the procedure below to
request the change and any records where the conditions are not
met will be identified.
At the Datagroup Management menu, select Exchange Record Name.
At the prompt
Field name (F10) Exchange Record Name (Esc) Previous menu
enter the name of the field which is to provide the new
record name and press F10.
At the prompt:
Filename for modified records
enter the name of a new file to receive the modified records.
The records are read from record memory and checked against the
above conditions. Then the record name is exchanged with the
selected field contents and the records are output to the
specified filename. During this request the datagroup records in
memory are not changed.
If errors occur during this process, note the records which fail
the conditions and use the Datagroup Update menu to resolve any
duplications. Once the exchange record name function has been
completed, the specified filename will contain the
modified records. To activate the records with the new
record names, select Load Datagroup and load the modified records
from the specified filename. Then use Save Datagroup to
overwrite the old datagroup file.
Datagroup Management 27
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4.8 Replace Field Contents
Before using this function, save the datagroup in another file.
At the Datagroup Management menu select Replace Field Contents.
This function takes the given field name and finds all the
records with the given current field contents. The current field
contents are then replaced with the new field contents.
There are three pieces of information required:
The field name
The current field contents
The new field contents
A request to Replace Field Contents giving:
Cost Centre
615
SL70
will replace 615 with SL70 in every Cost Centre field containing
615 as the contents.
If the current field contents of 4* is chosen, then the request
refers to all entries beginning with 4.
The sequence:
Extension
4*
54
will change all extension numbers starting with 4, in any record,
to start with 54.
Datagroup Management 28
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At the prompt:
Filename:
enter the name of a new file to receive the modified records.
The records are read from record memory, the selected field
contents is replaced and the records are output to the specified
filename. During this request the datagroup records in memory
are not changed. To activate the records with the replaced field
contents, select Load Datagroup and load the modified records
from the specified filename. Then use Save Datagroup to overwrite
the old datagroup file.
If a number of Replace Field Contents requests are to be made,
the datagroup must be loaded from the new file after each
request.
_________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 5 INFOPAGE
The Infopage operates using information obtained from datagroups
on the network. An Infopage can have up to 260 cells which are
identified using the form <A0> for cell A0 through to <Z9> for
cell Z9. The cells hold functions which can access information
from the datagroups when the Infopage is executed.
There are three Main Menu functions controlling the editing and
execution of the Infopage:
Infopage Display
Infopage Print
Infopage Edit
From the Main Menu, select Infopage Display. The first level
Infopage menu is displayed to allow the selection of the next
menu level or a particular Infopage. Once selected, an Infopage
file will be executed, including the referenced cell functions,
to produce a display. At the end of each page the following
function keys on the keyboard can be used:
(F2) Update Update a selected record
(F4) Print Start printing
(F10) Infopage Edit the current Infopage
The operation of Infopage Print is similar to Infopage Display
with the Infopage output being sent to the display and to the
selected printer.
5.1 Edit Infopage
Edit Infopage is used to set up the Infopage menus and to create
and edit the Infopage files. Menu access to Infopage files can
be one or two levels allowing for up to 16 or 256 Infopages for
each Infopage Filepath.
29
Infopage 30
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5.1.1 Edit Infopage Menus
To set up an Infopage menu structure for the first time, first
choose a setting for the Infopage Filepath (default a:\infopage)
and set up the directory path using the DOS command mkdir. If
you plan to use a two level menu, then set up additional paths
within the Infopage Filepath directory.
After loading INS1 select Edit Infopage from the Main Menu. The
first level menu is displayed with blank entries. Use function
key F2 to enter the menu title. Then use the cursor keys to
select each menu entry and use function key F10 to change the
menu entry. If this is to be a single level menu structure, enter
the Menu Entry which is to appear in the menu box, followed by
the '\' character followed by the name of the file to hold the
Infopage. If this is to be a two level menu structure, enter the
Menu Entry followed by the '\' character followed by the
filepath.
The file content of the menu file (Infopage Filepath\menu) for a
single level menu structure is:
Infopage File selected
Menu Title
Menu Entry 1\name1.inf Infopage Filepath\name1.inf
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Menu Entry 16\name16.inf Infopage Filepath\name16.inf
For a two level menu structure the first level menu defines the
file path to the second level menu files. For example the
first level menu file Infopage Filepath\menu may contain:
Infopage Filepath selected
Menu Title
Menu Entry 1\path1 Infopage Filepath\path1
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Menu Entry 16\path16 Infopage Filepath\path16
Infopage 31
_________________________________________________________________
Then the level 2 menu file Infopage Filepath\path1\menu may
contain:
Infopage File selected
Menu Title
Menu Entry 1\name1.inf Infopage Filepath\path1\name1.inf
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Menu Entry 16\name16.inf Infopage Filepath\path1\name16.inf
When a two level menu structure is being used, the system will
access menu file Infopage Filepath\pathn\menu when Menu Entry n
is selected at the first menu level. This menu file contains the
second level menu entries which select a particular Infopage.
After each change, the menu is saved in Infopage Filepath\menu or
Infopage Filepath\pathn\menu. Once the menu structure has been
defined, selecting an infopage from the menu results in Infopage
Edit access to the Infopage file corresponding to the menu entry.
If the Infopage file does not exist, an empty Infopage is
displayed for editing.
5.1.2 Edit Infopage Files
Infopage Edit provides the ability to edit the Infopage and the
associated cells which are defined for that Infopage.
Each Infopage consists of 60 lines of 80 characters. The Del and
<- Del keys can be used to delete characters. New text is
inserted on the line (there is no overwrite mode). The insertion
of text is blocked if it would result in the loss of text at the
end of the current line.
Holding the Ctrl key down while pressing Enter inserts a blank
line above the current line. Holding the Ctrl key down while
pressing the delete key (Del or <- Del) will delete the current
line of text.
By entering a character sequence of the form <Xn> or [Xn] and
pressing F10 the cell edit window is opened. The cursor can also
be positioned anywhere on the cell when function key F10 is used.
Infopage 32
_________________________________________________________________
The cell is made up of the following entries, not all of which
are required for every function.
Function
Result name
Datagroup name
Record name
Match name 1
Match contents 1
Match name 2
Match contents 2
Match name 3
Match contents 3
Match name 4
Match contents 4
The function can be set to any of the functions defined in
Chapter 5.2.
The result name defines the field within the record which is to
provide the information (cell output) which will be displayed at
the position of the cell when the Infopage is executed.
The placement of the cell output is aligned with the left side of
the cell for <Xn> and with the right side of the cell for [Xn].
<A2> [A3]
Marketing 145.53
If two cells are placed adjacent to each other then the cell
output from the cell to the right will be displaced as necessary
to ensure that there is one space between the text from the
cells.
<A2><A3>
Marketing Department
If the | character is placed between the cells then there is no
space between the text.
<A2>|<A3>
MarketingDepartment
Infopage 33
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In some cases it may be required to evaluate a cell without
generating any output to the display or printer. This is
accomplished using a second right bracket.
<A2>> or [A2]]
In a cell the record name is used on a Read or a Find request to
identify a specific record or ( using * ) a range of records.
There are four match name and match contents entries. These are
only used by the Find, Add and Count functions and provide a set
of match conditions for selecting a record or group of records.
The Text function uses the first matching conditions to allow
conditional output of text.
If a field name is changed in the datagroup, it may be required
to make corresponding changes to cells in the Infopage. The
function (F6) Replace, which is entered from the Infopage Edit
Main Menu entry, will replace the current cell entry with a new
cell entry in all cells in the Infopage.
Press (F6) and enter the current and new cell entries.
Current cell entry:
New cell entry:
On pressing Enter the text will be replaced in all the cells in
this Infopage which have a cell entry which matches the current
cell entry.
Once the Infopage and associated cells have been entered or
edited the function key F2 will save the Infopage on disk for
future use. If you leave the Infopage without saving the
changes, a warning message is given:
Leaving Infopage: (F2) Save changes (Enter) Abandon changes
(Esc) Go back
This gives the option of overwriting the previous Infopage file
on disk (F2), abandoning the changes (Enter) and staying with the
previous Infopage file, or going back (Esc) to edit the Infopage.
Infopage 34
_________________________________________________________________
5.2 Infopage Functions
An Infopage contains cells which use specific functions for
information access and processing. The functions Value, Total,
Add and Count are arithmetic operations performed on information
from the datagroups. The Repeat/End function pair allows the
repeated execution of one or more lines of the Infopage with the
cell output being different on each pass as a result of executing
a Read, Find, Set, Fields or Record function. This is explained
more fully in this chapter. The Infopage is processed line by
line from the top down and on each line from left to right.
Cell reference: For some entries in the cell, the text may be
replaced by a cell reference such as <Xn> where X is from A to Z
and n is from 0 to 9. In this case the output of cell Xn is used
for the cell entry. Cell references may take the form <Xn><Xn> or
<Xn>|<Xn> (space or no space between text) and may reference
several cells which will be combined to form the cell entry.
5.2.1. Read
The Read function reads a specific record from the datagroup.
Cell contents
Function Read
Result name Field name for result
Datagroup name Datagroup name
Record name Record name of required record
If a record name of the form M* is used, the first entry (in
alphabetical order) in the datagroup with a record name beginning
with M will be chosen. When the cell is next executed the next
entry in alphabetical order is used.
The Result name can be set to = in order to signify the use of
keyboard input. When the Infopage is executed, processing will
stop at this cell with the prompt:
Result name:
If a different prompt message is required, this can be entered in
the Result name field after the =(space). When the Result name
is typed and the Enter key is pressed, the processing of the
Infopage continues.
Infopage 35
_________________________________________________________________
The record name can be set to = or =* in order to enter the
record name from the key board when the Infopage is run. If
the record name is set to =*, the keyboard input ABC is treated
as ABC* for the purposes of record selection.
The datagroup name, record name or result name may be specified
by using a cell reference such as <B2> . In this case, the cell
output of cell B2 is used by the current cell. Cell B2 must be
processed before any cells which reference B2. B2 must be on a
preceding line or in a preceding column on the same line.
Once the record has been selected, the specific field is
identified by the result name. If this field appears more than
once in the the record, the first appearance, or the one
identified by the result name index is chosen. The result name
index takes the form Field name(n) to select the nth appearance
of the field in the record.
5.2.2 Find
The Find function prepares a list of records which meet a set of
matching conditions given in the cell.
Cell contents
Function Find
Result name Field name for result
Datagroup name Datagroup name
Record name Record name
Match name 1 Match conditions
Match contents 1 1
Match name 2 Match conditions
Match contents 2 2
Match name 3 Match conditions
Match contents 3 3
Match name 4 Match conditions
Match contents 4 4
Both the match name and match contents entries may end with the
character * to signify that any records which match on the
characters before the * in match name or match contents will be
included in the list of matching records.
Infopage 36
_________________________________________________________________
The Find function uses the match conditions to search the
datagroup for any records which meet all of the match conditions.
The request will be accepted with anywhere from 0 to 4 match
conditions supplied. If no record satisfies the conditions, the
result contents for the cell will be blank.
Any of the following cell entries may contain an = which
indicates input from the keyboard:
Result name
Record name
Match contents 1
Match contents 2
Match contents 3
Match contents 4
If the cell entry is =* then the input from the keyboard has
the * added to signify that any contents which start with the
given keyboard input will be accepted. The entry =* cannot be
used with result name. The required prompt for the result name
can be entered in the result name cell entry after the =(space).
The ability to reference the cell output of another cell is also
available with the Find function. A cell reference may be used
in any of the following cell entries:
Result name
Datagroup name
Record name
Match name 1
Match contents 1
Match name 2
Match contents 2
Match name 3
Match contents 3
Match name 4
Match contents 4
The list of records produced by the Find function is placed in
increasing alphabetical order of the result name field. The
result name is used to select the specific field from within the
record. If the field identified by result name appears more than
once in the record, then all occurrences will be included.
The Find function generates a list of records and when placed
within a Repeat loop will use successive records from the list on
each pass.
Infopage 37
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5.2.3 Use
This function takes the form Use(cell) where the cell can be
anywhere between A0 and Z9 as long as the cell is within the
Infopage Cells option as defined in System Options.
The cell contents for the function Use are as follows:
Function Use(Xn)
Result name Field name for result
The function Use(Xn) means: Use the record already obtained by
cell Xn and access the field contents defined by the result name.
The result name may be set to = to accept keyboard input and a
user defined prompt can be included after the =(space). The
result name may use a cell reference to another cell <Xn>. If the
field identified by result name occurs more than once in the
record, then the first appearance of the field, or the one
identified by the result name index, as for the Read function,
is chosen. If the field identified by result name does not occur
in the record, the cell output is blank. If the field identified
by result name is not used in the datagroup, an error message is
given.
5.2.4 Record
The Record function is used to output the field names and
contents of a record. When the cell is enclosed within a Repeat
loop the cell generates consecutive field names and field
contents from the specified record, excluding the datagroup name
and record name. The cell entry is:
Function Record(Xn)
The sample Infopage below can be used to display or print all
records in a datagroup.
<A0>
Datagroup name
<A2>
<A0>
<A3>
<A1>
<A1>
Infopage 38
_________________________________________________________________
The cells in the above example have the following functions:
<A0> Repeat <A1> End
<A2> Read <A3> Record(A2)
Datagroup name
Datagroup name
*
5.2.5 Fields
The Fields function is used to generate the field names of a
datagroup. Depending on the result name, this may be all fields
(excluding the datagroup name) or selected fields in the
datagroup.
Function Fields
Result name Field name
If the result name is ABC* then the Fields function will return,
on successive execution of the cell, the field names (excluding
the datagroup name) beginning with ABC. A result name of *
requests all field names except the datagroup name.
5.2.6 Set
The Set function provides a set of field contents currently in
use in the datagroup for the specified field name.
The cell contents for the Set function takes the form:
Function Set
Result name Selected field name
Datagroup name Datagroup name
The result name of = will prompt input from the keyboard. A user
defined prompt message can be entered after the =(space). The
result name and datagroup name may reference another cell <Xn>.
As an example of the use of this function a field name of
Department may have in various records the field contents of
Production, Sales, Marketing, Finance and Personnel.
Infopage 39
_________________________________________________________________
Successive execution of the cell containing:
Set
Department
Network Records
would produce a result contents of:
Finance
Marketing
Personnel
Production
Sales
The cell could then be used as a reference by other cells to
generate information on a departmental basis.
5.2.7 Write
The Write function provides the ability to update a specific
field of a record from the Infopage Display menu. One cell
containing the Write function is placed in the Infopage but no
action is taken until the function key (F2) Update is selected
at the end of the display of the current page.
Cell contents
Function Write
Result name Name of field to be written
Datagroup name Datagroup name
Record name Record name of selected record
When the (F2) Update key is selected, the specified record is
read from the local or remote datagroup and the datagroup name
and record name are displayed. Press Enter and the field
identified by the result name is displayed ready for change. As
with the Read function, the result name can be set to = in
order to signify the use of keyboard input. Also the record name
can be set to = or =* in order to input the record name from
the keyboard.
The datagroup name, record name and result name may use a cell
reference (see chapter 5.2).
Infopage 40
_________________________________________________________________
Once the record has been read from the local or remote datagroup
a prompt is given, requesting the result name field contents to
be entered and showing the current contents of the field.
Datagroup name Record name
Field name:
After the record has been updated, the current page of the
Infopage is redisplayed showing the changed information.
5.2.8 Value
The Value function evaluates an arithmetic expression consisting
of numbers and cells. The cell contents for Value takes the
form:
Function Value(expression)
For example: Value( 100 + ( A3 * 59.95 ) )
means: Take the cell output of A3
Multiply by 59.95
Add 100
The cell output of A3 must be a number otherwise an error
message is displayed:
Value: Result is not a number
If the cell output of A3 is blank its value is taken to be 0. The
Value function accepts the operators + - * / (plus, minus,
multiply and divide ) and also the relational operators < less
than, > greater than and = equal to. A < B has the value 1 if
A is less than B and 0 if A is greater than or equal to B.
The number of decimal places for the answer is taken from the
first number or cell in the expression. The expression
Value(0.175*103) gives the result 18.025 whereas the expression
Value(17.50*103/100) gives the result 18.02.
The expression Value( A3 * 0.175 ) is expressed to the same
number of decimal places as A3.
Infopage 41
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5.2.9 Total
The cell contents for Total takes the form:
Function Total(Xn)
or Function Total
The Total(Xn) function adds together the cell output of cell Xn
executed since the last Total(Xn) function and places this as the
cell output for this cell. Cell Xn can contain any of the
functions: Value, Add, Count, or Total.
The Total function (without reference to a cell) adds together
the cell output of all Value functions executed since the last
Total function.
5.2.10 Add
The function Add is used to add together the contents of a
particular field in all the records which match the given
matching conditions. The cell contents for the Add function are
similar to the cell contents for the Find function:
Function Add
Result name Field name
Datagroup name Datagroup name
Record name Record name
Match name 1 Match conditions
Match contents 1 1
Match name 2 Match conditions
Match contents 2 2
Match name 3 Match conditions
Match contents 3 3
Match name 4 Match conditions
Match contents 4 4
The contents of the field specified by result name must be
numeric and a blank field contents is taken as zero.
Infopage 42
_________________________________________________________________
If the result name is set to = the result name is entered from
the keyboard following the prompt:
Result name: (Enter)
If a different prompt message is required, this can be entered in
the result name field after the =(space).
5.2.11 Count
The Count function counts the number of times a set of match
conditions are met. It is equivalent to using the Find function
to generate a list of records and then counting the number of
entries in the list. The cell contents for the Count function
are similar to the cell contents for the Find function:
Function Count
Result name Field name
Datagroup name Datagroup name
Record name Record name
Match name 1 Match conditions
Match contents 1 1
Match name 2 Match conditions
Match contents 2 2
Match name 3 Match conditions
Match contents 3 3
Match name 4 Match conditions
Match contents 4 4
The following example uses the datagroup described in Appendix B.
To count the number of PCs in the London Location then the
following form should be used:
Function Count
Result name Personal Computer
Datagroup name Network Records
Record name
Match name 1 Location
Match contents 1 London
Infopage 43
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5.2.12 Repeat / End
The Repeat and End functions cause the repeated execution of the
Infopage between the lines containing the Repeat and End
cell functions. The cells containing the Repeat and End functions
are placed on different lines of the Infopage and any other text
or cells on these lines will be ignored. The Infopage lines
between the Repeat and the corresponding End are repeated until
the 'exit' indication is given by a cell containing one of the
functions; Read, Find, Set, Fields, Record or Exit.
Normally there is one cell within the Repeat/End block which
controls the number of repetitions. If no such cell is
present, then the Infopage continues on the line following the
End function.
The cell contents for Repeat and End take the form:
Function Repeat
Function End
More than one Repeat / End pair can be used in the same Infopage.
<A0> Cell <A0> has the function Repeat
<A2>
<A3>
<A0>
<A4>
<A1> Cell <A1> has the function End
<A1>
In the example above cells A2 and A3 are executed, then cell A4
is repeatedly executed until the 'exit'indication for cell <A4>
is reached.
The cells A2 and A3 are executed again followed by the repeated
execution of A4. This continues until the 'exit' indication
occurs in cell A2 or A3.
Infopage 44
_________________________________________________________________
5.2.13 Blank
The function Blank will prevent the display or printing of an
Infopage line if no text has been output on the current line
before the cell containing the function Blank. This can be used
to suppress the display of a blank line used to execute cells of
the form <Xn>> or [Xn]].
5.2.14 Page
The Page function provides the Infopage page number which starts
at 1 and is increased by 1 each time the cell is executed.
Function Page
If the Page function is used, then the PgUp (page up) key can be
used to display up to 3 previous pages. Only one Page cell per
Infopage will be accepted, and this cell should be placed on the
same line or above all other cells which are accessing
information or performing calculations. If the Page function is
present, the Infopage display is refreshed periodically to keep
the information up to date with changes in the referenced
datagroups. The page up facility is only available with Infopage
Display and not with Infopage Print.
5.2.15 Heading
The Heading function identifies a particular line of the Infopage
as a heading and several consecutive lines may be labelled with
the same heading cell anywhere on the line.
<A2>
<A2>
<A2> <A2> has the function Heading
If the heading is contained within a Repeat/End loop then the
heading is displayed at the top of each new screen. If the
heading is not contained within a Repeat/End loop, the heading is
displayed when the output to the screen (Infopage Display) or
printer (Infopage Print) reaches the end of the page after which
the processing returns to the current line on the Infopage. If
the Boldface Heading option is set in the Print Options menu,
then the printout of the heading lines will be in boldface text.
Infopage 45
_________________________________________________________________
5.2.16 Text
The function Text is used to extract part of the text from the
cell output of another cell. The match conditions 1 can be used
to determine whether the text is to be output or the cell output
left blank.
Function Text or Text(s,e) or Text(Xn,Xn)
Result name Cell reference or text
Match name 1 Cell reference or text
Match contents 1 Cell reference or text
When the function text is of the form Text(s,e) where s and e are
numbers, the text obtained using the result name is selected
between character position s (1 to 80) and position e (1 to 80).
Text(9,19) with a result name of 1992 05 14 May 1992 Tue will
select the text 14 May 1992. The character start and end
positions can be obtained from values supplied by other cells
using the form Text(Xn,Xn).
A result name of = will prompt input from the keyboard. A user
defined prompt message can be entered after the =(space).
If the match conditions are used, the text will only be output if
match name 1 is equal to match contents 1. The character * can
be used in match contents 1 to search for text in any position in
the text defined by match name 1.
*text Search for the text at the end of match name 1
text* Search for the text at the start of match name 1
*text* Search for the text anywhere in match name 1
If a cell reference is used in the match conditions and this
references the current cell then the text defined by result name,
after the selection of part of the text using Text(s,e), is used.
5.2.17 Date
The function Date generates today's date as the cell output. The
date format is: 1994 02 01 Feb 1994 Tue If a field name of
Date is used within a record, today's date is inserted as the
field contents by Write Record. This format for the date ensures
that the Find function can sort records in date order.
Infopage 46
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5.2.18 Index
The function Index takes the value 1 the first time the cell is
executed and is increased by 1 on each subsequent execution. If
the Repeat/End block in which the Index cell is located is re-
entered then the Index is set to 1.
5.2.19 Length
The Length function is used to obtain the character length of the
specified cell output.
Function Length(Xn)
Result name Cell reference or text
If there is no result name specified, then the Length function
returns the number of characters in the output of cell Xn. If
the output of cell Xn is blank then cell output is 0.
If a result name is defined then the function Length searches for
the text specified by result name in the output of cell Xn. If
found, the Length function returns the character position (1 to
80) where the matched text begins. If there is no match, then the
cell output is 0.
5.2.20 Exit
The Exit function will cause an exit from a Repeat/End block if
the match conditions 1 are met.
Function Exit
Match name 1 Cell reference or text
Match contents 1 Cell reference or text
The Exit function will exit the Repeat/End block if match name 1
is equal to match contents 1. Used together with a cell refernce
to a cell with the function Index, it allows a Repeat/End block
to be executed a specific number of times.
_________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 6 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
6.1 Menu Structure
MAIN MENU
Infopage Display
Infopage Print
Infopage Edit
Datagroup Update
Datagroup Management
Change Options
Infopage Display INFOPAGE DISPLAY
Menu Entry 1
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Menu Entry 16
Infopage Print INFOPAGE PRINT
Menu Entry 1
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Menu Entry 16
Infopage Edit INFOPAGE EDIT
Menu Entry 1
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Menu Entry 16
47
Additional Information 48
_________________________________________________________________
Datagroup Update DATAGROUP UPDATE
Select Datagroup
Write Record
Read Record
Change Record
Delete Record
Find Records
Read Records
Datagroup Management DATAGROUP MANAGEMENT
Select Datagroup
Save Datagroup
Load Datagroup
Unload Datagroup
Change Field Name
Delete Field Name
Exchange Record Name
Replace Field Contents
Change Options CHANGE OPTIONS
Datagroup Options
System Options
Print Options
Select Colours
Save Options
System Reload
Datagroup Options DATAGROUP OPTIONS
Select Datagroup
Display Datagroup Options
Datagroup Name
Datagroup System
Datagroup Filename
Datagroup Access
Autoload Option
Datagroup Fields
Datagroup Records
Record Memory
Additional Information 49
_________________________________________________________________
System Options SYSTEM OPTIONS
Display System Options
System Name
LAN Adapter Number
Infopage Filepath
Datagroups
System Fields
System Records
Datagroup Memory
Infopage Cells
Print Options PRINT OPTIONS
Display Print Options
Printer Port
Page Length
Line Spacing
Bottom Margin
Left Margin
Boldface Heading
Infopage Output to Disk
Select Colours SELECT COLOURS
Background
Heading
Window
High-light
Text 1
Text 2
Additional Information 50
_________________________________________________________________
6.2 Record Format
A record consists of the datagroup name and record name followed
by one or more fields up to the value of the datagroup fields
option. The datagroup name and the record name comprise the
first field of the record. The datagroup name is the same for
all records in the datagroup. No other field may have the same
name as the datagroup name. The record name uniquely identifies
a record. A field name or a field contents can be up to 79
characters on a single line. Any spaces at the end of a line are
removed.
Upper case and lower case letters are held in the record as
entered. All comparisons ignore case so that the field names of
SURNAME, Surname and surname identify the same field. Any Read
or Find request will accept upper or lower case letters for the
field name or contents.
All records need not use the same field names and fields with
the same name may appear more than once in the same record. The
total number of different field names (including the datagroup
name) in all of the records must not exceed the datagroup fields
option for the datagroup. Also the number of fields in any one
record must not exceed the datagroup fields option for the
datagroup.
The record structure is as follows:
datagroup name
record name
field name
field contents
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
field name
field contents
The format of a record on disk is in the same order, with line
identifiers and an End Of Record mark. A delete marker on disk
takes the form:
datagroup name
record name
If there are several records with the same record name in the
file being loaded, the last occurrence of the record in the file
will replace previous occurrences in the file.
_________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX A ERROR MESSAGES
General Information.
If the error message starts with * then the error message was
sent by a remote system. If the error message occurred as a
result of executing an infopage cell then the cell number is
given in the error message. A cell number can be any identifier
from A0 to Z9 that is within the range of the Infopage Cells
option as defined in the System Options. Some error
messages provide additional information on the line below the
error message to give the system, datagroup, field or file name
associated with the error condition.
1 INS Errors - User Interface
I000 Out of range error
An error has occurred which does not have an associated text
message. This may happen if the message is from a remote system
which is using a different vintage of INS1 software.
I001 Cell number is out of range
The cell takes the form <Xn> where X is any upper case letter
from A to Z and n is any single digit from 0 to 9. The cell
number is derived by taking the numbers 0 to 25 for A to Z,
multiplying by ten and adding the digit n. This gives cell
numbers from 0 (A0) to 259 (Z9). The cell numbers used in the
Infopage must be less than the Infopage Cells setting in the
System Options. The cell number which is out of rangemay be the
cell <Xn> given in the error message or a cell referenced during
the execution of <Xn>.
I002 Invalid function
The function number in the given cell is not one of the possible
Infopage functions. (Read, Find, Use, Set, Record, Fields,
Write, Value, Total, Add, Count, Repeat, End, Blank, Page,
Heading, Text, Date, Index, Length, Exit)
51
Appendix A Error Messages 52
_________________________________________________________________
I003 Value: Brackets do not match
The Value function has reported that the expression contains an
unequal number of left and right brackets.
I004 Value: Syntax error
The expression cannot be evaluated because of a syntax error.
This can be caused by expressions such as:
Value( 100 + ( * A0 ) ) and Value( 100 + () + A0 )
I005 Value: Invalid character
The characters which are allowed are:
A to Z for cells
0 to 9 for cells and numbers
. decimal point for numbers
* / + - < > = operators
( ) brackets
I006 Value: divide by zero
The Value function found an attempt to divide by zero.
I007 System fields option exceeded
The list of match conditions used by the Find, Count or Add
function exceeded the System Fields option. To use all four
match conditions, the System Fields option must be at least 6. If
only the match conditions 1 are used, the System Fields option
must be at least 3.
Appendix A Error Messages 53
_________________________________________________________________
I008 system.opt not on A or B
The floppy disk in the A or B drive does not contain the file
system.opt. Replace the floppy disk in the drive and press Enter
to retry or press Esc to start INS1 using default system options.
I009 Referenced text is too long
When using a cell reference to define an Infopage cell entry, the
number of characters in the resulting text exceeded 80
characters.
I010 Not enough room for system memory
When allocating RAM for system memory, and before starting to
load any datagroups, there was insufficient RAM memory available.
The System Options:
Datagroups
System Fields
System Records
Infopage Cells
Datagroup Memory
will cause this error if set too high. Depending on the
application it may be possible to reduce one or more of these
options (Chapter 2.2). Then reload the system.
I011 Cell reference error
The Use function referenced a cell which did not contain a Read
or a Find function.
I012 Field name not found
The Write function was requested to overwrite a field which is
defined in the datagroup but was not found in the specified
record.
Appendix A Error Messages 54
_________________________________________________________________
I013 Write request to record name
The field name given during a Write request was the datagroup
name. The record name can not be changed from the Infopage.
I014 No more entries found
This message is issued by Read Records or Find Records if the
next record is requested when the last record in the list is
being displayed.
I015 Datagroup name not defined
An attempt was made to select a datagroup for updating or
management with the datagroup name not defined. Enter the
datagroup name using the Datagroup Options menu.
I016 Create new datagroup?
While entering the datagroup system definition the remote system
has reported that it does not currently hold a datagroup of that
name. The choice is provided to enter the datagroup as a new
datagroup on the remote system (Enter) or cancel the request
(Esc).
I017 Delete old datagroup name?
When a datagroup name is changed using Change Options, Datagroup
Options, the old datagroup name is deleted before the new
datagroup name is saved. When the old datagroup name is deleted
the datagroup name, datagroup system and datagroup filename are
all cleared. The datagroup files are not deleted. If the
datagroup is remote, these entries are also cleared on the
remote datagroup. Press (Enter) to delete the old datagroup name
or (Esc) to cancel the request.
Appendix A Error Messages 55
_________________________________________________________________
2 DG Errors - Datagroup
D001 Record not found
The record was not found in the datagroup.
D002 Record name already in use
A Write or Change Record request causes this error message if the
new record name is already in use by another record. To save the
record, modify the record name to one which is not in use.
D003 Field name not found in this datagroup
The specified field name is not defined in the datagroup. All
the valid fields in a datagroup are displayed at the start of a
Write record request from the Datagroup Update menu.
D004 No matching records found
There were no records in the datagroup which meet the specified
match conditions.
D005 Record has only one field
A Write or a Change request resulted in an attempt to write a
record consisting of just the datagroup name and record name.
This is not accepted because the combination:
Datagroup name
Record name
on disk is interpreted as a delete marker.
Appendix A Error Messages 56
_________________________________________________________________
D006 Record has no record name
A Write or a Change request resulted in an attempt to write a
record without a record name. The record was not accepted.
D007 Record memory full
During the loading process the record memory option was exceeded
before all the records in the datagroup file had been loaded.
If the error message occurs at the start of a write record
request, then the current value of record memory may not be
sufficient to accept the new record even though the used value is
less than the current value. Increase the record memory option
and reload the datagroup.
D008 Field name not found
During the execution of an Exchange Datagroup Name request, the
field name which is to become the new datagroup name was not
found in the specified record.
D009 Name duplication
During the execution of an Exchange Record Name request, the
field name which is providing the new record name was found to be
duplicated in the specified record.
D010 Contents duplication
During the execution of an Exchange Record Name request, the
field name which is to provide the new record name was found to
have a blank field contents or the same field contents in two or
more records. Use Read Records to obtain the field contents of
the specified record. Then use Find Records to identify all
records with the same field contents in order to resolve the
duplication.
Appendix A Error Messages 57
_________________________________________________________________
D011 No more records found.
Indicates that the end of a Read or Find list has been reached.
D012 Cannot delete the datagroup name
An attempt was made to delete the datagroup name using Delete
Field Name. This is not allowed. It is possible to exchange the
datagroup name and then subsequently delete the field once it is
no longer the first field.
D013 Unknown message type
The message received is of an unknown message type. Check the
compatibility of the INS1 software vintage number of the
communicating systems. The vintage code (AA) of the system
requesting information should be less than or equal to that of
the system providing the information.
D014 Datagroup not loaded
An attempt was made to access a datagroup which is not loaded.
D015 Invalid character in a number
This message is issued if a function finds an invalid character
in a number. Valid characters are 0 to 9 and '.' as the decimal
point.
D016 Disk drive not specified
Filenames should be of the form D:path\name.type. where D
represents the drive letter (usually A: B: or C:). This error
occurs if the second character in the filename is not ':' .
Appendix A Error Messages 58
_________________________________________________________________
D017 Disk drive not ready
The most likely cause of this error is that there is no floppy
disk in the drive being accessed.
D018 Unable to open file
The system was unable to open a file for writing. If the
specified filename is a:\infopage\menu then exit from INS1 and
type mkdir infopage at the A: drive prompt A:\>
D019 Datagroup name duplicated
The datagroup name was found as a field within the record.
D020 Maximum number of records exceeded
The number of records in the datagroup exceeded the datagroup
records option set from the Datagroup Options menu. Increase the
datagroup records option (Chapter 2.1) and load the datagroup
(Chapter 4.3). This error may occur with a smaller number of
records that the actual datagroup records option, if some field
names are used more than once in some records.
D021 Maximum number of fields exceeded
During the loading process, a record was encountered which
exceeded the datagroup fields option. Increase the datagroup
fields option (Chapter 2.1) and load the datagroup (Chapter 4.3)
This message is also used if a record being written to a
datagroup has too many fields. Check that the field names being
used are already defined for this datagroup. Any new field names
may be the cause of this error message. Use Display Datagroup
Options to check the current value of the datagroup fields
option. This datagroup option should be increased if necessary by
the controller of the datagroup.
Appendix A Error Messages 59
_________________________________________________________________
D022 Maximum number of datagroups exceeded
The number of datagroups saved in the datagroup list file
exceeded the datagroups option in the System Options. Any
datagroups beyond the limit have not been loaded. Increase the
datagroups option (Chapter 2.1), then reload the system.
D023 Not enough room for datagroup memory
When allocating RAM memory for the datagroups there was not
enough memory available. The allocation of memory to datagroups
is controlled by the following options in the Datagroup Options
menu:
Datagroup Fields
Datagroup Records
Record Memory
If extended memory is in use and there is some spare DOS memory
(ref: Display System Options), increase the datagroup memory
option from the System Options menu.
Alternatively if the datagroup can still be made to fit within
the available RAM, these options should be reduced for the
datagroup which caused the error.
It is also possible to release DOS memory by reducing the RAM
allocation for system memory (Ref: error I010).
D024 Datagroup fields > System fields
An attempt was made to load a datagroup, either locally or
remotely, with the datagroup fields option for the datagroup set
to a higher value than the system fields option. The system
fields option or the datagroup fields option should be changed so
that datagroup fields is less than or equal to system fields. A
change to system fields requires a system reload whereas a change
to datagroup fields requires the reloading of the datagroup.
If this error message is received from a remote datagroup
(message begins with *), then the system fields option or the
datagroup fields option should be changed on the remote system.
Appendix A Error Messages 60
_________________________________________________________________
D025 Datagroup loading in progress
The specified datagroup is currently being loaded from disk.
While a datagroup is being loaded, any datagroup requests will be
rejected using this message. Also, there are restrictions on the
simultaneous loading or saving of datagroups on the same system.
D026 Datagroup file not found
Indicates that the filename given for loading was not found on
the disk in the selected drive.
D027 The new field name was not provided
A Change Field Name request was made without specifying the new
field name.
D028 Options file not found
Associated with each datagroup file of the form D:\Filename.rec
is a datagroup options file D:\Filename.dgo . This options file
contains the following datagroup options:
Datagroup Fields
Datagroup Records
Record Memory
Datagroup Access
The options file is created by defining the datagroup filename
using the Datagroup Options menu.
Appendix A Error Messages 61
_________________________________________________________________
D029 This record is being changed
This record can not be changed as it is being changed from
another system which is identified in the error message. The
record will be available for change once the current change is
completed. If records in a datagroup become permanently
unavailable for change from the Datagroup Update menu then this
condition can be cleared by reloading the datagroup.
D030 Overwrite existing file?
The Save Datagroup command will give this message if the filename
chosen for saving already exists. The file may be overwritten
(Enter) or the Save Datagroup request cancelled (Esc).
D031 User name is already in the access list
When updating the datagroup options in a remote system, a request
was made to change a user name to another user name which already
exists in the list. The request was rejected.
D032 Datagroup saving in progress
The specified datagroup is currently being saved to disk. While a
datagroup is being saved any datagroup requests which involve the
writing or deleting of records will be rejected using this
message. Also, there are restrictions on the simultaneous loading
or saving of datagroups on the same system.
D033 Datagroup in file
When loading a datagroup it was found that the datagroup name in
one or more of the records did not match the datagroup name for
the datagroup. The datagroup name in the file is given in the
error message. If all the records in the file have the same
datagroup name, the datagroup name should be changed to match the
datagroup name used by the file.
Appendix A Error Messages 62
_________________________________________________________________
D034 Datagroup name already exists
When updating the datagroup name, a request was made to change
the datagroup name for this datagroup to a datagroup name which
is already in use by another datagroup. The request was
rejected.
D035 Datagroup not found
The specified datagroup was not recognised by the remote system.
Check that the datagroup name has been correctly specified. The
datagroup may have been removed from the system or moved to
another system.
D036 User access level not high enough
The access level is defined for each user as:
N - No Access
R,r - Read Access
W,w - Read / Write Access
C,c - Controls Access
D - Use Default Access
The message indicates that the request exceeded the default
access level for the datagroup and exceeded your access level in
the datagroup access list. For example, a Datagroup Update, Write
request when the access level is Read Access. The controller of
the datagroup is able to increase the access level to provide the
required access (Chapter 2.1).
Appendix A Error Messages 63
_________________________________________________________________
D037 Record format error
When loading a record from disk, the record did not conform to
the record format a defined in Chapter 6.2. The record name of
the record causing the error is given.
D038 Maximum number of systems exceeded
The maximum number of systems permitted is displayed when the
system is first loaded. Depending on the configuration supplied,
it may be 10, 50 or 250 systems. The error can occur during
loading or during changes to the datagroup system option or user
access list.
D039 Disk write error
The request to write a file on disk was not completed due to
errors. One cause of this error is that the disk is full.
D040 Disk read error
The request to read a file failed due to a read error.
D041 Disk is write protected
An attempt was made to write on a floppy disk which is write
protected. This message only applies to files being written to
drives A and B which are assumed to be floppy disk drives.
Appendix A Error Messages 64
_________________________________________________________________
D042 Access from invalid network address
When the datagroup access list is prepared, each entry contains
the system name, access level and physical network address for
each user. If the access level is upper case (R,W or C) the
network address from which the datagroup access originated is
checked to ensure that the address is the same as the network
address of the system when the access level was defined by the
datagroup controller.
This message will also occur if the network interface card has
been changed in the system which is attempting to access the
datagroup.
D043 Invalid file name
This error is given if there are too many characters following
the : or the last \ in a file name. The limit is 8
characters for the Infopage filepath and 12 characters for the
datagroup filename.
The datagroup filename set from the Datagroup Options menu will
only be accepted if the file type is .rec (or .REC). Also all
datagroup management requests require a datagroup record filetype
of .rec (or .REC ).
D044 System name not defined
An attempt was made to communicate with a remote system when your
own system name is not defined on the network. Use Change
Options, System Options to define your system name.
Appendix A Error Messages 65
_________________________________________________________________
D045 Result name not found in this datagroup
The result name given in the cell is not one of the field names
defined in the specified datagroup.
D046 Datagroup defined as remote on system
The datagroup being accessed is not located on the system which
you have specified as the datagroup system. The datagroup may
have been moved to the system specified in the error message.
D047 File name not defined
A datagroup management request has been made without specifying
the filename, or a change datagroup option request has been made
without defining the datagroup filename.
D048 Datagroup records > System records
An attempt was made to load a datagroup, either locally or
remotely, with the datagroup records option for the datagroup set
to a higher value than the system records option. The system
records option or the datagroup records option should be changed
so that datagroup records is less than or equal to system
records. A change to system records requires a system reload
whereas a change to datagroup records requires the reloading of
the datagroup.
If this error message is received from a remote datagroup
(message begins with *), then the system records option or the
datagroup records option should be changed on the remote system.
Appendix A Error Messages 66
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D049 Invalid system name
A system name may not start with the letters IBM or the
character *. Also your own system name may not be used in the
definition of a remote system. The datagroup system entry is
blank if the datagroup is local. Controller access is given to
datagroups on the local system and this error message is
displayed if your own system name is entered in the datagroup
access list.
D050 Datgroup system not defined
An attempt was made to communicate with a remote datagroup when
the datagroup system was not accepted. This may occur if the
maximum number of systems has been exceeded.
D051 System name entry in use
When changing or deleting an entry in the datagroup access list,
the old system name could not be deleted because it is still in
use as a datagroup system or datagroup access list entry. Check
the other datagroups for a reference to this system. The system
entry in the datagroup access list can be deleted if the access
level is 'no access' in every datagroup and the system is not
defined as a datagroup system in any datagroup.
Appendix A Error Messages 67
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3 NET Errors - Network
N001 System name not defined
An attempt was made to communicate with a remote system when your
own system name is not defined on the network. Use Change
Options, System Options to define your system name.
N002 No response from remote system
The system which is defined in the Datagroup Options as the
datagroup system is not responding. The system may not be
operational on the network. If the datagroup system has just
been defined for the datagroup, check that the name has been
correctly entered.
N003 Session closed by the remote system
The remote system has closed this session, probably because the
system operator has requested a system reload or has shut
down the system or INS1 application. All sessions are also closed
if the system name is changed. Repeat the original request and if
the remote system is now active the request will be accepted.
Appendix A Error Messages 68
_________________________________________________________________
N004 Network error number:
The network error numbers provided with this message have the
meaning given in the table below:
1 Illegal buffer length
2 Buffers full, no receive issued
3 Illegal command
5 Command timed out
6 Message incomplete, issue another command
7 Illegal buffer address
8 Session number out of range
9 No resources available
10 Session closed
11 Command cancelled
12 PC DMA failed
13 Duplicate name
14 Name table full
15 No deletions, name has active sessions
16 Name not found or no valid name
17 Local session table full
18 Remote session table full
19 Illegal name number
20 No callname
21 Cannot put * in name
22 Name in use on remote adapter
23 Called name cannot equal name or name #
24 Session ended abnormally
25 Name conflict detected
33 Interface busy
34 Too many commands outstanding, retry later
35 Bridge field not 00 or 01
36 Command completed while cancel occurring
37 Reserved name specified
38 Command not valid to cancel
51 Multiple requests for the same session
54 Maximum number of applications exceeded
56 Requested resources are not available
64 System error
65 ROM checksum failure
66 RAM test failure
67 Digital loopback failure
68 Analogue loopback failure
69 Interface failure
80 Network adapter malfunction
Appendix A Error Messages 69
_________________________________________________________________
N005 Maximum number of fields exceeded
A record has been received which has too many fields to be
accepted by the local system. Increase the system fields option
in System Options for the local system. Then reload the system.
N006 Specified name is not on the network
An attempt has been made to communicate with another system on
the network but the specified system name is not currently
operational on the network. When updating the datagroup access
list the specified system must be active on the network so that
the physical network address can be recorded.
N007 This name is used by another system
If the message occurs during initial loading or during a system
reload, this indicates that the system name is already present on
the network. The system name entry is cleared and the loading
process continues although attempts to load remote datagroups
will result in the error message: N001 System name not
defined.
If the message occurs when changing the system name using the
System Options menu, it indicates that the new system name is
already present on the network.
If the message occurs when updating the user access list, more
than one system on the network was found to have the same system
name when checking the physical address of a requesting system.
N008 Unexpected reply message received
In communicating with a remote system, a reply was received of
the wrong message type. This indicates an incompatibility
between the software of the communicating systems or that there
are data errors on the network.
Appendix A Error Messages 70
_________________________________________________________________
N009 Reply message from the wrong datagroup
In communicating with a remote system, a reply message was
received from the wrong datagroup.
N010 Network driver not responding
This message indicates that the network software has not been
correctly installed prior to loading INS1. As a result, there is
no communication over the network. Refer to Appendix C Network
Installation.
________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX B TUTORIAL
1 Application example
The application example provided on disk illustrates the use of
INS1 for recording information on the allocation of computer and
communication facilities.
Before reviewing the application example install INS1 on the hard
disk. Then place a copy of the INS1 disk in drive A and type
INS1 at the prompt C>
If your drive A cannot be used, place a copy of the INS1 disk in
drive B and type INS1 at the prompt C:> You will get errors
during loading because INS1 is looking for the datagroup
filenames and the infopage filepath on the A drive. Press (Esc)
for each error until the Main Menu is displayed. Then select
Change Options, System Options to change the drive letter for the
infopage filepath from A: to B: (move cursor, then delete A and
type B). Use Change Options, Datagroup Options for each
datagroup to change the drive letter for the datagroup filename
from A to B. Then select System Reload and INS1 should be loaded
with no errors.
After the system has loaded, the MAIN MENU is displayed. From
the Main Menu, select Datagroup Update and then the menu entry
Select Datagroup. The Datagroup Selection List shows that there
are four datagroups defined, namely:
Datagroup directory
System directory
Application Example
Monthly Charge
Both datagroups are loaded, which means that the records have
been loaded into RAM memory from disk.
Select the Application Example datagroup and then from the
Datagroup Update menu select Read Records followed by function
key F6. A list of record names is displayed, and any one of the
entries can be selected for display. Select one of the records
and the record is displayed with the datagroup name at the top
followed by the record name. The field names and field contents
are displayed with a different colour for names and contents.
71
Appendix B Tutorial 72
_________________________________________________________________
Press the escape key (Esc) twice to return to the Datagroup
Update menu. Then using Select Datagroup, select the datagroup
Monthly Charge. Using Read Records followed by function key F6,
the list of chargeable items is displayed. Each record contains
the datagroup name, record name and an additional field which
defines the monthly charge for the item. Use the escape key
(Esc) to return to the Main Menu.
At the MAIN MENU select Infopage Display. A choice of Infopages
is presented. Select the first entry which has the title
Telephone Directory. The directory information is displayed in
alphabetical order by surname.
Press function key F10. The Infopage which created the directory
display is now shown and is made up of text and cells of the form
<Xn> where X is an upper case letter and n is a number from 0
to 9.
Position the cursor on cell <A2> and press function key F10. The
contents of cell <A2> is displayed, showing that it has the
function Read. The record name of * indicates 'all records'.
Press escape (Esc) to return to the Infopage and examine cells
<A1> and <A7>. These cells contain the functions Repeat and End
which means that the line containing cell <A2> will be repeatedly
executed until all records have been accessed.
Return (Esc) to the Infopage and examine cell <A3>. The cell
function Use(A2) means: Use the record accessed by cell <A2>
and choose the field defined by the Result name (in this case
Department).
The cell <A0> identifies the first three lines as the heading.
Since the heading is outside the repeat loop it will be displayed
at the top of each screen page when using Infopage Display
and at the top of every printed page when using Infopage Print.
If the heading is within a repeat loop, then the heading will
appear each time the repeat loop is executed.
The cell <B0> contains the Page function which provides page
numbering. It also enables the use of the PgUp key to return to
previously displayed pages.
Try making changes to the Infopage or cells to see the effect on
the information displayed.
Appendix B Tutorial 73
_________________________________________________________________
Now return to the Infopage Display menu and select the next entry
which is Telephone Directory: London.
Select function key F10 to view the Infopage which is similar to
the Infopage for the Telephone Directory. Note that cell <A2> is
a Find request selecting only those records for the London
location.
Return (Esc) to the Infopage Display menu and select
Equipment Summary and then Equipment Summary by Department. This
is a three page display which makes use of the functions Set,
Count and Add. Select function key F10 to display the Infopage.
Examine cell <A2> which contains the function:
Set
Department
Application Example
The datagroup Application Example refers to three departments,
namely Marketing, Personnel and Sales. Since cell <A2> lies
within a Repeat/End loop, the cell will produce the result:
Marketing
Personnel
Sales
on each successive execution.
Cells <B3> <A4> <A5> <A6> and <A7> all refer to cell <A2> so that
the information generated by each cell relates to the department
as defined by cell <A2>.
Cell <A3> also contains the Set function, this time for Personal
Computers. When cell <B3> is executed, it will refer to cell
<A2> for the Department and cell <A3> for the type of Personal
Computer.
The Count function used in cells <B3> <A4> <A5> and <A6> will
count the number of records satisfying the matching conditions.
The Add function used in cell <A7> adds together the contents of
the Network Ports field in every record which satisfies the
matching conditions.
Appendix B Tutorial 74
_________________________________________________________________
Return to the Infopage Display menu and select Monthly Charge,
then Monthly Charge by Department. This Infopage makes use of
the function Value. Select function key F10 to display the
Infopage and examine cell <C3>. The Value expression generates a
monthly charge based on the departmental count of each chargeable
item and a monthly charge for each item. Cell <C8> contains the
function Total which gives the sum of the previously executed
Value functions.
To examine the effect of changes to the Application Example
datagroup on the information display, return to the Main Menu
and select Datagroup Update. From the Datagroup Update menu
select Write a Record. Enter one or more additional records,
introducing new locations departments or new entries in other
fields. Then return to the Infopage Display menu to see the
effect of the changes on the information displayed.
Appendix B Tutorial 75
_________________________________________________________________
2 Preparing a new application
The preparation of a new application can be divided into the
following steps.
- The information to be recorded.
- The information to be displayed or printed.
Information to be recorded:
The information required for the application must be organised
into datagroups.
The general format of a record is described in Chapter 6.2. The
choice of the reference for the record (record name) will depend
on the main association of the record. Define the datagroup name
and field names for the records in each datagroup. New fields
may be added later without the need to change previous records if
the new field does not apply to them.
Information to be displayed or printed.
INS1 provides a one or two level Infopage menu structure
corresponding to the file directory paths starting from the
Infopage filepath.
Once you have decided on the menu structure and contents, the
information to be displayed by each Infopage can be defined.
Appendix B Tutorial 76
_________________________________________________________________
Issues to be considered in the preparation of an Infopage are:
- The use of Repeat / End.
- The use of Set to provide a reference for each page.
- The use of Read or Find for datagroup access.
- Will any field appear more than once in the same record
and if so should one entry or all entries be displayed?
- Is the = ( or =* ) option to be used, requesting input
from the keyboard to control information display or
printing?
- Will it be necessary to enter updates from the Infopage
using the Infopage Write function?
- For calculations, the use of Count, Add, Value, and Total.
_________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX C NETWORK INSTALLATION
Before commencing installation, ensure that the INS1 software is
configured for a sufficient number of systems for the
installation. The number of systems supported is given in the
initial display when INS1 is loaded. The installation procedure
makes reference to the A drive as the 3 1/2 in floppy disk drive
for loading INS1 on the network. The B drive may be used instead
of the A drive but it will be necessary in this case to change
the datagroup filename drive letters from A to B as described in
Appendix B.
To install INS1 on a network:
1. Install the network adapter cards in each system.
2. Connect the local area network cabling and terminators.
3. Install INS1 on the network.
4. Test INS1 on the network.
1. Install the network adapter cards
If the Workstations on the network are IBM PC/AT compatible
buses, then 16-bit network cards should be used. If the
Workstation is IBM PC/XT compatible then 8-bit network cards must
be used. The data path used on the network must be set to an
8-bit data path if there are any XT type computers on the
network. Otherwise a 16-bit data path can be used which will give
faster response times. If the card is a 16-bit card and the
network is using an 8-bit data path then the card should be
configured for an 8-bit data path. Follow the user manual for the
installation of the network card.
Before installing the network adapter cards in the PC, check the
network adapter user manual. Some of the older type of ethernet
cards require switch settings and option straps (jumpers) to be
correctly set. More recent ethernet cards are configured using an
installation disk supplied with the card.
77
Appendix C Network Installation 78
_________________________________________________________________
2. Connect the local area network cabling and terminators
Ethernet networks can be set up using thin coaxial cables or
thick coaxial cables. The thin coaxial system uses T-connectors
connected to the BNC connector on the network adapter card. The
thick cable system uses Ethernet transceivers which are connected
to the 15-pin connector on the network adapter card.
Refer to the network adapter user manual for cabling procedures.
3. Install INS1 on the Network
INS1 runs on a network using a network driver conforming to the
NETBIOS interface. The NETBIOS interface driver is not supplied
with INS1 but is included with the following products (not a
complete list).
Windows for Workgroups (Windows 3.11) Microsoft
Netware Lite Novell
Netware Novell
Before installing INS1 on a network, place a copy of INS1.EXE on
the hard disk. With the supplied disk in the A drive enter the
DOS command:
copy A:\INS1.EXE C:\
INS1 with Windows for Workgroups
INS1 operates with Windows for Workgroups (Windows 3.11) using
the NETBIOS protocol for communication on the LAN. To install
INS1 on Windows for Workgroups, first place INS1 as a DOS
application in the Windows Program Manager, then complete the
Network Setup to provide a NETBIOS driver.
Appendix C Network Installation 79
_________________________________________________________________
To place INS1 in the Program Manager window:
- Go to the File menu in Program Manager
- Select New, then Program Group
- Enter the description: INS1
- Go to the File menu in Program Manager
- Select New, Program Item
Description: INS1
Command Line: INS1
Working Directory: C:\
Network Setup:
- From the Network Window, select Network Setup
- Select Drivers
- Select Add Adapter
- Choose the network adapter corresponding to your network
card (e.g. NE2000)
- Choose the settings for Interrupt and Base I/O Port
- Select IPX/SPX Compatible Transport with NETBIOS and set
as the default protocol
- Complete the on-screen instructions which will restart your
computer
When the system restart is complete, start Windows 3.11 and
double click on the INS1 icon in the application window.
INS1 with Netware Lite:
INS1 will operate using the NETBIOS interface driver supplied
with Netware Lite. To install the NETBIOS interface driver from
Netware Lite, follow these steps:
- Save a copy of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files
COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT C:\AUTOEXEC.SAV
COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS C:\CONFIG.SAV
- Install Netware Lite on the system following the
instructions provided, but without rebooting the system.
- Restore the autoexec and config files to their previous
state by typing:
COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.SAV C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
COPY C:\CONFIG.SAV C:\CONFIG.SYS
Appendix C Network Installation 80
_________________________________________________________________
The network driver must be chosen to match the network card. the
most commonly used drivers are NE2000 for 16-bit and NE1000 for
8-bit operation. The INS1 disk contains two batch files, INSNE2
and INSNE1. These batch files contain the following batch
commands:
INSNE2.BAT INSNE1.BAT
NWLITE\LSL NWLITE\LSL
NWLITE\NE2000.COM NWLITE\NE1000.COM
NWLITE\IPXODI A NWLITE\IPXODI A
NWLITE\NETBIOS NWLITE\NETBIOS
The files called by INSNE2 or INSNE1 were installed by the
Netware Lite installation process:
LSL.COM, NE1000.COM, NE2000.COM, IPXODI.COM and NETBIOS.EXE
These are the only files required by INS1. If your network card
is not compatible with NE2000 or NE1000, create a batch file
similar to the INSNE2/INSNE1 batch files, but substituting the
appropriate network file from the nwlite directory in place of
the NE1000.COM and NE2000.COM.
Place a copy of the INS1 disk in the A drive and type:
C> copy A:\INSNE2.BAT (or copy A:\INSNE1.BAT)
Then type:
C> INSNE2 (or INSNE1)
This will install the NETBIOS network interface on your system.
Edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and enter INSNE2 (or INSNE1) on the
last line of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The NETBIOS network
interface software will be loaded each time the system is
rebooted. Reboot the system now to install NETBIOS on the
system.
Appendix C Network Installation 81
_________________________________________________________________
4. Test INS1 on the network
First select one system (System A) to act as the server. System B
represents any other system on the network.
System A:
If using DOS, type INS1 to load INS1 with the application
example. If using Windows, double-click on the INS1 icon. Unload
all active datagroups and from the datagroup management menu use
Load Datagroup to load the datagroup named "System directory".
This datagroup has a datagroup access level of w Read/Write with
no check of the network address.
At the System Options menu enter the system name for System A.
System B:
Place a blank formatted disk in the A drive of System B and
start INS1. An error message reports that file system.opt was
not on the a or b drive. Accept default options.
At the Change Options, System Options menu define the System Name
of System B.
At the Change Options, Datagroup Options menu, enter the
Datagroup Name of System directory. Then enter the Datagroup
System as System A. System A will respond confirming that the
datagroup is loaded on system A.
From the Datagroup Update menu select Write record to enter a new
record in the System directory datagroup. Enter the system name
of System B as the record name and enter the details of the
person using System B. Complete the record adding or changing
field names to suit your requirements. The record with record
name of "Record template" may be deleted.
Repeat the procedure for System B for the next system.
Appendix C Network Installation 82
_________________________________________________________________
Error conditions
a) If the message Network driver not responding occurs when
the system name is defined, this indicates that the network
driver is either not installed or is not being correctly
addressed. If the network driver is provided by Netware Lite,
type INSNE2 (or INSNE1) to install the driver.
b) When INS1 is operating with Windows for Workgroups, set
DMABufferSize=064 in the SYSTEM.INI file [386Enh] section.
c) Check that the LAN adapter number set in the INS1 System
Options (default 0) corresponds to the LAN Adapter Number for the
network card.
d) If INS1 still does not operate correctly on the network, exit
from INS1 and test the network using the network operating system
platform without INS1. Then recheck the installation of INS1 on
two selected systems. To check that the network driver is
correctly installed, start INS1 and define the System Name
(Change Options, System Options) for each system. The driver is
correctly installed if you get the message:
Placing System Name <Name> on the network. Please wait . . .