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+--------------------------------------+
| VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN Registration Form |
| Version 7.2 & 7.2W |
+--------------------------------------+
Registration fee: $20.00 (one fee covers both programs).
You may try out these programs free of charge for a reasonably
brief evaluation period. If you decide that you want to continue
to use them on a regular basis, please fill out this form and
return it with your check for $20.00 payable to W. A. Jackson to:
W. A. Jackson
6529 Matilija Avenue
Van Nuys, California 91401
Registration entitles you to use the programs, get technical
support and receive future upgrades, all in accordance with the
terms and conditions set forth in the User Manual. The
registration fee is refundable if you are dissatisfied with the
program for any reason within 90 days after registration.
Name: ________________________________________
Company:* ________________________________________
Street Address: ________________________________________
City/State/ZIP ________________________________________
Telephone:* ________________________________________
Preferred Disk Format: _____ 5.25" _____ 3.5"
Do you run under (check all that apply):
DOS?____ Windows?____ OS/2?____
Do you want to receive the source code?* _____Yes _____No
(VIDEOCAT only; VCATWIN source code is not currently being
released. If you are not experienced in C Language programming,
the source code will be of no interest or value to you.)
Where did you obtain your copy of VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN*____________
_______________________________________________________________
Comments/Suggestions:* ________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
* Optional entries.
VIDEOCAT
Videocassette Catalog Program
(Standard Edition)
Version 7.2
DOS - OS/2 Bound (FAPI) Program
USER MANUAL
_______
____|__ | (tm)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
Copyright 1986 - 1991
William A. Jackson
6529 Matilija Avenue
Van Nuys, California 91401
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page i
Table of Contents
GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What this Program Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Minimal Instructions for the New User in a Hurry . . . . 3
Minimal Change Summary for the Old User in a Hurry . . . 3
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Known System Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Compatibility with Prior Versions . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Compatibility with the Windows Edition (VCATWIN) . . . . 7
License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Disk Vendors, Bulletin Boards, etc. . . . . . . . . . . 8
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Warranties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
ASP Ombudsman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
General Tips on Running VIDEOCAT . . . . . . . . . . . 13
If You Have Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Source Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Development History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
A - Add a record to the catalog . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Star 1 LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Star 1 FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Star 2 LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Star 2 FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Star 3 LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Star 3 FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Director LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Director FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Subject Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Form Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
MPAA Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Rating Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Color Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Format Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Cassette No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Index No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Comment Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
C - Change a record in the catalog . . . . . . . . . . 24
D - Delete a record from the catalog . . . . . . . . . 25
F - File Conversion from Prior Versions . . . . . . . 26
G - Configuration Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Add-Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Color/Mono Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Data Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Disk Paths for Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Printer Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
L - Label Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
R - Review Current Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page ii
S - Search Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
T - Tally Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
U - Update Data Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
W - Whole Catalog Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
E - Exit from program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
WHAT IS SHAREWARE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
ASP MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
ASP Software Support Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
ASP Registration Payment Policy . . . . . . . . . . . 45
ASP Policy on No Crippling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
ASP Ombudsman Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
ASP Misc. Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
* * * *
"You have all your videotapes alphabetized on
index cards."
-- Billy Crystal to Meg Ryan in "WHEN HARRY
MET SALLY..." (1989).
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 1
GENERAL INFORMATION
What this Program Does
______________________
VIDEOCAT is a specialized database program designed for
cataloging a collection of movies or similar materials stored on
videocassettes. Each record contains the following information:
- title
- year of release
- subject type
- form type
- quality rating
- MPAA audience rating code
- actors (maximum 3 names)
- director
- cassette number
- index number on cassette
- color/black & white
- sound type
- running time
- video/film format
- free-form user comments (3 lines)
Using the program's Add function you build a data file of
records containing this information for items in your video
collection. This program was designed for collections of
theatrical motion pictures; however it has custom configuration
options which permit adaptation to different types of materials.
Other functions permit you to Change or Delete records previously
entered.
While the program is on-line you can use the Search function
to get a screen or printed listing of records which match search
criteria which you specify. For example, you can get a listing
of all comedies, or all movies with John Wayne, or all movies
released in 1939. You can also cause the program to print a hard
copy complete catalog to use when the program is off-line. The
catalog can be printed in title, year or cassette number
sequence.
There is also a label-printing utility which can print
labels for your videocassettes. A variety of standard and
special label formats are supported.
Configuration routines allow you to specify the paths where
your files are located, force monochrome operation on a color
display, set up special control sequences for your printer,
change the text descriptions for classification codes, cause the
Add function to skip fields you don't want to use, and display
system data.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 2
Other utilities perform an analysis of your collection and
convert data files created under Version 5 or Version 6 of this
program so that they can be used under Version 7.
This program has been designed with large collections in
mind. Theoretically the program could handle data files with up
to 65,535 records. For all practical purposes the number of
records is limited only by available disk space, with each record
taking up 384 bytes.
Note that this program is for cataloging YOUR collection.
The small demo file included with the distribution package is for
demonstration purposes only. A surprising number of users assume
that this is a database of all videos available for rental and
write complaining that I haven't included enough videos.
When I first released VIDEOCAT, I think it was the only
program of its type. Others have come along since, some of which
are very good. I think that VIDEOCAT offers several advantages
which distinguish it from some of the alternatives:
(1) the size of the data file is limited only by
the availability of disk space;
(2) supports a variety of readily available label
stocks;
(3) the program can be run in either real mode
(DOS or the OS/2 compatibility box) or OS/2
protected mode;
(4) the record structure is designed to meet the
needs of serious collectors;
(5) user configuration options enable adaptation
to specialized applications;
(6) the user interface is fairly intuitive,
making the program easy to learn;
(7) the program is distributed with a
demonstration data file which permits the new
user to immediately check out all features;
(8) minimum system requirements make the program
accessible to virtually anyone operating in
an IBM-compatible PC environment;
(9) I have an established record of continuous
interaction with users and regular updates
reflecting their suggestions;
(10) source code is available; and
(11) a Windows edition is available without extra
charge which is data-file-compatible with the
standard edition. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 3
I believe that VIDEOCAT is currently the most fully-featured
program available, shareware or commercial. Many users tell me
that they have tried other programs and VIDEOCAT is the only one
which meets all their needs.
Minimal Instructions for the New User in a Hurry
________________________________________________
Okay, you just got this program and you want to see what it
can do right away without reading a lot of documentation. For a
quick demo, put the files VIDEOCAT.EXE and VCATDEMO.DAT on the
current path and type VIDEOCAT <return>. The instructions which
appear on the screen should be sufficiently informative to permit
you to fool around for a while and check out the various
features. You will see the message "No previous setup found - use
demo data file? (Y/N) -> ". Enter Y if you want to run a demo
with the sample demo data file.
If you decide you want to use the program to catalog your
own videocassette collection, you can either enter the
Configuration Menu (choice G on the Main Menu) or exit the
program and run it again, this time entering N when asked if you
want to use the demo data file. You might also read the rest of
this manual. I have discovered that in the real world users
often will not read the manual until they get into trouble.
Minimal Change Summary for the Old User in a Hurry
__________________________________________________
Okay, you've used Videocat before and you don't want to read
the whole manual to try to figure out what's new. Here's a quick
summary.
The big news is that a Windows edition, VCATWIN Version
7.2W, is being released concurrently with Version 7.2 of the
standard edition of VIDEOCAT. VCATWIN has its own user manual,
and will not be discussed in detail in this document. To run the
Windows edition, you must have Microsoft Windows, Version 3.0 or
later, installed in your system.
If you are currently using Version 7.1 the only change you
will really notice in Version 7.2 of the standard edition is that
you can now customize all data descriptions, not just subject and
form. Should you install the new version even if you don't plan
to use this new feature? Absolutely! There are also a lot of
changes that are not visible to you but make the program more
resistant to error.
If you are currently using Version 7.0, this is what you
will find new in Version 7.1:
- Improved code optimization has reduced the
size of the VIDEOCAT.EXE file and may also
have increased execution speed a little. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 4
- Some typographical errors have been removed
from the display screens.
- Some of the printed output routines now ask
whether or not you want an initial formfeed
(to assure that printing starts at the top of
a page).
- The Search function now allows you to search
by cassette number.
- The Tally Statistics function now has a
printer output option and options to produce
reports listed in either frequency order or
alphabetical order.
- The lower-case translation option of the Update
procedure has been improved to recognize and
capitalize Roman numerals.
- The editing of name data has been improved to
eliminate errors in handling names which include
commas.
- A new option has been added to the Configuration
function which enables you to control which record
fields you are automatically prompted to fill
during an Add transaction.
- The Whole Catalog function has new options for
output sorted in title sequence, year sequence, or
cassette number sequence.
- There are a number of improvements in the label
printing function, including the addition of
support for the use of file folder label sheets
and VHS label sheets in laser printers.
If you are currently using a version earlier than Version
7.0, then the following features will also be new for you:
- The new demo routine uses the special file
VCATDEMO.DAT to avoid the risk of overwriting
your own data file when installing an update.
- If the program finds an existing
configuration file, it uses it automatically
without asking you to verify the path
configuration. If you do want to change the
paths for your data and work files, you can
do so through the Configuration Menu (select
G from the Main Menu).
- The Configuration Menu also gives access to
new features to custom configure the subject VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 5
and form descriptions, force monochrome
operation even though you have a color
display, install custom codes to control your
particular brand of printer, and display a
variety of system data.
- The label printing function has many new
options for different label stocks and label
formats.
- You can now use lower case letters in data
entries if you want. The Update function has
options for case conversion for existing
records. The search function is case-
insensitive, so the use of upper and lower
case letters is significant for readability
only.
- Both the Search and Whole Catalog functions
give you an expanded choice of screen and
printer report formats.
- The Search function now permits a search for
a conjunctive combination of multiple search
keys.
- There are several new data fields in the
record structure, most significantly room for
three 60-character free-form comment lines.
Occasionally a user will tell me, "I don't think I need the
new features, so I guess I will just continue running the old
version." I do not recommend this. While some of the changes
are apparent to you as new features, new versions also involve
improvements in the efficiency of existing features and the
correction of bugs which could cause an error under some unusual
combination of circumstances.
System Requirements
___________________
Version 7.1 is a "bound" or "family applications program
interface" (FAPI) program; it will run under either DOS (real
mode) or OS/2 (protected mode). Although the compiler guarantees
compatibility only with DOS Version 3.x, it appears to run
correctly under DOS 2.10, DOS 4.0 and DOS 5.0.
This program requires a minimum of 200k of free memory in
order to run. If you have a whole bunch of device drivers,
virtual disks and terminate-and-stay-resident programs installed
and reducing available memory, you might have trouble. When
running under DOS this program does not make use of expanded or
extended memory (except that you can use a ramdisk or vdisk which
you have created in expanded or extended memory if you have the
facility to do so). When running under OS/2 in protected mode VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 6
this program can make use of all available memory, which will be
of practical advantage if your data file is large and you use the
Tally Statistics function or the sorted output feature of the
Whole Catalog function (these routines do their work by creating
very large structures in memory).
This program has been tested on the IBM PC, XT, AT and PS/2
series of computers and a variety of clones. It should work on
close compatibles; however experience with user comments
suggests that some clones are not as compatible as claimed.
Although all testing has been on machines with color displays,
the program is intended to run on monochrome displays as well. I
have found that different brands of video adapters and monitors
render colors differently. Color combinations which look great
on my system sometimes appear dim and lacking in contrast on
other systems. Thus I have included a Configuration option to
force monochrome operation on a color system for those who find
the color rendition unsatisfactory.
The program could run with as little as one floppy drive;
however this would limit the size of the data file which could be
created. Dual drives or a hard drive will greatly increase
capacity, as will high density drives. A RAMDISK (VDISK) can be
used for temporary files to speed processing. The size of your
data file will be approximately equal to the number of records
multiplied by 384 bytes. You need to have enough disk space
available for your data file and a temporary work file of the
same size. If you want to use the sorted output option of the
Whole Catalog function, you will need additional free disk space
equal to approximately twice the size of your data file.
A printer is required if printed output is selected. You
can get along without a printer if you never select a printed
output option. Almost any standard printer should work
successfully for most routines. There is a Configuration option
which allows you to specify special control sequences to
initialize and restore your printer state and to turn an
emphasized print mode on and off. To use this option you will
have to dig into your printer manual to find out what to enter.
Those output options which offer special features for the Hewlett
Packard Laserjet II have not been tested on any other machine.
I have no idea whether they will produce satisfactory results on
laser printers which claim to be HP compatible.
Known System Incompatibilities
------------------------------
VIDEOCAT is rather memory-intensive and may not run
correctly if you have a small amount of memory installed or if
have little memory free because you have loaded numerous device
drivers and gadget programs that use up memory. Several users
have reported apparent conflict with TSR's (terminate-and-stay-
resident programs, such as DesqView and Sidekick) which
disappear when VIDEOCAT is run without TSR's loaded. Several
users have reported problems running VIDEOCAT from program VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 7
selector shells (such as DOSSHELL) and menu utilities. I
suspect these are also TSR's. If VIDEOCAT does not load or
freezes after loading, or will not run correctly from a program
selector, try booting with fewer TSR's and device drivers and run
VIDEOCAT directly from the DOS prompt rather than from menu or
program selector shells.
If you are running under DOS 4.0 or 5.0, try entering the
command MEM / PROGRAM sometime; you might be surprised at how
much stuff you have taking up memory space all the time.
These incompatibilities have only been reported when running
under DOS. No incompatibilities have been reported when running
under OS/2 protected mode.
Compatibility with Prior Versions
_________________________________
If you created a data file under a version of VIDEOCAT in
the 5.x or 6.x series, you must convert your existing
BASEFIL5.DAT to the current format in a file named VCATDATA.DAT,
which can be processed by the Version 7.x series. Use the
command for File Conversion in the main menu of the program.
Note that if your data file was created or converted under
Version 4.x, you must first use Version 5.x or 6.x to convert
from BASEFILE.DAT to BASEFIL5.DAT.
There are several new fields in the new record format. When
you perform a file conversion these additional fields will be
initialized in an empty state. Since they are all optional
entries, the program will work fine if you don't bother to add
these entries to your old records. You can, if you wish, use the
Change function to add data in the new fields.
Compatibility with the Windows Edition (VCATWIN)
________________________________________________
Data files created under VIDEOCAT 7.x and VCATWIN 7.x are
completely interchangeable (although the standard edition
requires that the data file be named VCATDATA.DAT, while the
Windows edition (VCATWIN) supports multiple data files and
permits data files to have any name.
License
_______
This is "user supported software", or "shareware". It is
NOT in the public domain but is protected under the copyright
laws of the United States. You are granted a limited license to
use, copy and distribute VIDEOCAT subject to the following
conditions: VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 8
1. You may make personal, non-commercial use of VIDEOCAT
during a reasonably brief trial period; if you become a
registered user (see Registration below), your license for
personal use becomes perpetual;
2. You may distribute copies to others who may also make
royalty-free use during a relatively brief trial period and may
obtain a perpetual license by becoming registered users;
3. You may upload copies of the applications package
(executable file and manual, but NOT source code) to electronic
bulletin boards and information services;
4. You may make a modified version of the program for your
own use only;
5. You may not modify the program or its documentation or
source code in versions you distribute to others;
6. You may not charge any fee for copying and distribution
of VIDEOCAT other than reasonable costs of copying, information
service on-line charges, shareware disk distribution charges, and
similar nominal costs not exceeding $10 for this program,
provided that you clearly disclose that the program is shareware
and that payment of your distribution charge does not excuse the
obligation to pay a registration fee to the author.
Disk Vendors, Bulletin Boards, etc.
___________________________________
Disk vendors, electronic bulletin boards, user groups,
computer clubs, swap meets, etc. are all welcome to distribute
VIDEOCAT, subject to the restrictions in item 6 under "License"
above.
My current practice is to mail major releases of VIDEOCAT to
vendors approved by the Association of Shareware Professionals.
I simply don't have the time or inclination to answer mail from
other organizations with sure-fire, get-rich-quick schemes to
promote this program and help me achieve fame and fortune if only
I will part with a little front money.
I find that users who have obtained VIDEOCAT from disk
vendors, bulletin boards or swap meets often have received very
outdated versions. The best way to be sure you have the most
recent release is, of course, to become a registered user.
Registration
____________
VIDEOCAT is shareware. It is NOT free software. If you are
not familiar with shareware, read the "What is Shareware" section
towards the end of this manual. The author depends upon your VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 9
integrity in becoming a registered user if you choose to continue
using the program after a brief trial period.
The shareware concept is based upon the expectation that
users who test a program and decide they want to continue using
it will register with the author and send in a registration fee.
Electronic bulletin boards and disk vendors charge only for their
distribution services and do not pay any royalties to shareware
authors. Honest vendors explain this system clearly; shady
operators obscure it. If you did not understand that
registration and payment of a fee to the author was expected,
complain to the vendor you dealt with and any magazine in which
it advertises. Do not sent me a letter saying that you "bought"
VIDEOCAT from some disk distributor and now expect full support
without compensating the author. I also have no control over the
quality of diskettes used by disk vendors. If you got a
defective diskette from a disk vendor, complain to them, not to
me.
Since this is essentially an honor system, your voluntary
compliance is fundamental to the continued viability of the
shareware concept which enables the economical distribution of
professional quality programs for special applications which do
not represent a large enough market to justify marketing through
conventional retail channels. VIDEOCAT would never have reached
its current stage of development without the support and
encouragement of registered users. Although it is obvious that I
am not going to retire on royalties from VIDEOCAT, there are
costs associated with its distribution and maintenance and I do
expect the project to support itself financially.
Aside from the appeal to your integrity, there are several
practical advantages which I would suggest make it worthwhile for
you to become a registered user:
- The version you have may not be the most
current version; if it is not current, you
will receive the most current version by mail
on disk when your registration is received.*
- Registered users usually get reasonably
prompt responses to questions and requests
for help. (Frankly, I do not have a lot of
patience or motivation in dealing with
questions from non-registered users.)
- Registered users always get the next
significant** upgrade free of charge by mail
on disk shortly after it is ready for general
distribution.
- After the first significant** upgrade,
additional upgrades will be made available to
registered users at a nominal handling charge
(currently estimated at $5).
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 10
- Registered users sometimes get an advance
peek at new features through interim editions
sent to them for "Beta" testing.
- Registered users often see their suggestions
reflected in changes to the program.
- Registered users are provided with complete
source code on request without additional
charge.
* I'll confess that sometimes I run a little late in processing
registrations. I will not, however, cash your check until I have
acknowledged your registration and made sure you have the most
recent release.
** Interim releases are occasionally mailed to some users with a
request that they act as "Beta" testers and report problems,
comments and suggestions. Mailing of an interim release does not
count as a significant upgrade.
VIDEOCAT is not "crippleware" or "ransomware". The same
version is distributed to all and you do not have to pay extra to
get a version that really works.
Registration is accomplished by simply mailing the
registration form which is included in the documentation file
with a check for $20 to
William A. Jackson
6529 Matilija Avenue
Van Nuys, California 91401
Please use the registration form. Users who send me a
letter instead typically omit such important information as what
version they now have and what disk size they prefer.
$20 is a bargain. I have seen authors of clearly inferior
programs request two, three or four times as much. If you send a
letter with a long list of questions you would like answered
before deciding whether to part with your $20, don't expect a
reply. If you send a check for a lesser amount, I will accept it
as a "conscience" payment, but don't expect to get the privileges
of a fully registered user. If you send a check for a greater
amount, I will accept it gracefully.
There is no extra charge for foreign registration, although
I will send your updates by surface mail which can take a couple
of months to reach overseas locations. An international postal
money order denominated in U.S. dollars is the most convenient
means for foreign users to register. Videocat contains no
cryptographic or other security functions and is not, to the best
of my knowledge, subject to any U.S. export restrictions.
This is a one-time royalty, although additional upgrades
beyond the first after registration may be subject to a nominal
handling charge. I make no guarantees as to how long or how VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 11
often future upgrades will be released and I reserve the right to
discontinue development and support of VIDEOCAT at any time.
One royalty payment covers both VIDEOCAT and VCATWIN; it is
not necessary to register the two programs separately. The
royalty is the same ($20) regardless of whether you use one
program or both.
I am continually surprised at how long old versions continue
in circulation and it has occurred to me that someday I may move
and registrations may continue to come to my present address
after the expiration of the time during which the post office
will forward mail. If you should find that your registration is
returned as undeliverable, you can try to contact me through
electronic mail on Compuserve or you could try to get a current
address from the Association of Shareware Professionals.
Warranties
__________
Did you seriously expect warranties with user-supported
software? Just to make sure that everything is perfectly clear,
this software comes without any warranties, express or implied,
including warranties of merchantability or suitability for
intended purpose. It is distributed to you "as is" and "with
faults". Under no circumstances shall the author be liable for
any consequential damages.
I do have a liberal refund policy (although no one has yet
asked for a refund). If for any reason you are dissatisfied with
VIDEOCAT within 90 days after registration, I will cheerfully
refund your royalty payment on request. Your remedy for any loss
or damage caused by this software shall in any event be limited
to a refund of your registration fee.
ASP Ombudsman
-------------
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006
or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536"
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 12
Installation
____________
VIDEOCAT.EXE is the only file you need to get started.
Paths are supported, so you can install it on any disk and
directory or subdirectory you want. When the program is run (and
you do not use the demo data file), it will look in the currently
active directory for the configuration file VIDEOCAT.CFG and
create a new configuration file if none is found. The program
will also create the data file VCATDATA.DAT and the work file
VCATDATA.TMP if these do not already exist. The currently logged
path is the default for these two files, but the program will ask
you if you would like to use different paths for these two files
and your choices will be recorded in the configuration file. You
can change these paths later from the Configuration menu. If you
have a data file which was created under VIDEOCAT Version 5.x or
6.x, you should first convert it using the File Conversion option
from the Main Menu.
If you have already been running Version 7.0, the only thing
you need to do is replace the executable file VIDEOCAT.EXE with
the current version. You do not need to make any changes in your
data and configuration files.
I will insert a brief description of paths, since this
subject is a mystery to some users new to computing. You can
organize a disk to have a multi-level file structure with
subdirectories to keep your root directory from becoming
cluttered with a large number of unrelated file names. You
create a subdirectory with the DOS command MD (Make Directory)
and the name of the subdirectory you want to create. You can
make a subdirectory the current directory with the DOS command CD
(Change Directory) and the name of the subdirectory you want.
The path is the complete specification of the path DOS must
follow to find a directory or subdirectory, with levels separated
by backslashes (\). If you want to make a subdirectory for this
program, then from the C> prompt on your hard drive enter MD
VIDEOCAT; to make it the current directory, enter CD VIDEOCAT.
Copy your VIDEOCAT files into that subdirectory. When asked by
the program to enter the path for your data file, enter
C:\VIDEOCAT. To return to your root directory enter CD C:\.
Videocat does not directly support the use of multiple data
files. If you have distinct collections which you wish to
catalog separately, you can install more than one copy of
Videocat in separate subdirectories. This will permit you to
maintain separate data files.
Note that the program distribution package comes with a
small data file VCATDEMO.DAT. This is for demonstration purposes
only. If the program finds this file and no preexisting
configuration files, it will ask if you want to run with the demo
file. If you answer Y, the demo file will be used and no
configuration files will be set up. If you answer N, the demo
file will be ignored and you can proceed to configure the
installation and create your own data file. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 13
Some users assume that the message about a demo file means
that this is a demo version of the program and not the real
thing. Not true. Once you answer the configuration questions a
configuration file will be created and you will no longer get the
demo file message. Some users assume that the way to create
their own data file is to use the Delete and Add functions to
alter the demo file. If you have done this, you can simply
rename the file VCATDEMO.DAT to VCATDATA.DAT so you won't lose
the work you did changing the demo file.
You can put the work file on a RAM disk (VDISK) if you want,
although recording it on permanent media provides a sort of
automatic back-up in case of damage to the base data file, as the
content of the two files is always identical except when an
update is in active progress. In the event of a power failure or
other mechanical error during an update, one of the two files
should be readable, as they are never both open for writing at
the same time.
Several features give a choice between printer and screen
output. When printed output is called for, the program directs
it to PRN:. If you have a parallel printer (most common type),
just turn it on and be sure it is connected and ready. If you
have a serial printer (typical of daisy wheel type printers), you
will need to run the appropriate DOS commands or OS/2 setup to
initialize your serial port and redirect PRN: to COM1: (or COM2:,
as appropriate) BEFORE running VIDEOCAT. See your DOS manual or
printer manual for details. VIDEOCAT has no built-in routines
for selecting and initializing a serial printer. Note: most
users have a parallel printer, and all you have to do is be sure
it is turned on and ready to print. If your printer is not ready
or properly connected, any of a number of things will happen: (1)
you will get a warning message either from the program or the
operating system telling you that there is a problem with the
printer; (2) the program will hang up; or (3) you will find that
output is being sent into the Twilight Zone. Also note that if
you do not have a printer, the program will work fine as long as
you never select printer output.
General Tips on Running VIDEOCAT
________________________________
VIDEOCAT is run by simply entering VIDEOCAT from the prompt.
This version adds a quick-start option which can be used to
bypass the three opening title and information screens and go
directly to the main menu. To use the quick-start option, add
the command line argument Q after the program name, i.e. type
VIDEOCAT Q and then hit return. The Q argument should be
separated by one or more spaces from the program name and can be
either upper case or lower case (or, for that matter, can be any
word beginning with an upper or lower case letter Q). I
recommend that you not use the quick-start option until you are
comfortable with the program and its installation.
The program is menu-driven. Each menu option is described
in detail in this Manual. Brief descriptions appear on the VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 14
screen which may be enough if you are fairly intuitive and don't
like reading manuals. Remember that new data adding, changing or
deleting records in the data file will not be reflected in the
disk file until the Update function is invoked. If you exit from
the program without updating, all new data you have entered will
be lost and the disk data file will remain unchanged.
All items of input data can be any combination of letters
and numbers. If your entry is not legal for the particular
response requested, you will be prompted to enter it again. All
entries are buffered, meaning that they are not acted upon until
you hit the Return (or Enter) key. Before hitting that key, you
can backspace and change your entry. Leading and trailing blanks
are always ignored; however blanks between non-blank characters
are treated as significant. Letters can be upper or lower case.
The menus and Search functions ignore the case of letters. Thus
if a particular menu choice you want to select is code 'A',
entering either 'A' or 'a' will have the same result. In the Add
function any item of requested data can be omitted by simply
hitting return. If, for example, there is only one actor in a
film, you do not have to enter any additional names when prompted
for the second and third actor names. It is strongly recommended
that you always enter a title and year. These are the fields
that determine the sequence of the data file and every record
must have a unique combination of title and year.
It is prudent to make a backup copy of at least the data
file on another diskette. If your collection is large, you will
spend many hours building your data file. Physical damage to the
disk or abnormal termination during an update could result in
loss of your entire data file. If you have a backup, you will
not have to reconstruct the entire data file but only the items
added since the last time you made a backup copy. BACKUP DATA
FILES FREQUENTLY! If you have a casualty to your data file and
your work file, VCATDATA.TMP, is undamaged, you may be able to
replace the damaged base file by simply using the DOS commands
COPY or RENAME to generate a new VCATDATA.DAT.
Let me repeat, for emphasis, that your backup data file
should be on ANOTHER diskette. If you have a hard drive crash, a
backup file on your hard drive will not do you much good. If
your data file gets to be too large to fit on a diskette, I would
recommend that you use a file compression utility such as PKZIP
or ARC.
If You Have Trouble
___________________
My experience with users has convinced me that most
questions can be answered and problems solved by simply reading
and following the Manual carefully.
Next to failure to read and follow the Manual, the most
common cause of trouble is a not-so-compatible compatible. I do
not have either the time or the opportunity to test this program VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 15
on every kind of clone produced in the garage workshops of
Taiwan. I have eliminated all direct calls to the BIOS, which
should reduce compatibility problems. The most common
manifestation of compatibility problems is a messed-up screen
display: either very strange color combinations or characters out
of place. In most cases these problems do not prevent the
program from being functional. Try using the configuration
routine to force monochrome operation and see if that cures your
problems.
Another common cause of trouble is lack of general
familiarity with computer terminology and operations on the part
of novice users. If this is your problem, try inviting a
computer whiz over to dinner and extract a little free tutoring.
VIDEOCAT is rather memory-intensive and may conflict with
other programs which stay resident in memory. See the note on
known system incompatibilities above.
Some user problems do indeed uncover bugs in the program. I
encourage you to report suspected bugs with a fairly complete
description of the problem, the circumstances under which it
occurs, and relevant information about the computer system you
are running it on. If you discover a bug due to my programming
error, I will fix it as soon as possible.
You can send questions, complaints, comments and suggestions
by regular mail to the address given above. It may be helpful
to give me your phone number, because sometimes I have difficulty
understanding the problem description and a phone call is the
simplest way to clear up the confusion. I apologize for not
providing my phone number, but I have learned from other
shareware authors that users in distant places sometimes forget
about time zone differences and call at the most peculiar times.
If you are a Compuserve subscriber, you can send E-mail to me at
account number 71571,1234. Users who provide PARTICULARLY
VALUABLE bug reports or suggestions for improvement MAY be placed
on my subscriber list even if they made no voluntary royalty
contribution payment. That is the only reward for contributing
ideas.
Source Code
___________
Registered users will be provided with the complete C
language source code for the current version of VIDEOCAT on
request. Previously I uploaded some earlier versions on bulletin
boards. More recently I have decided that access to the source
code should be one of the privileges of registered users, so I
will not be making the source code available by any means other
than diskette in response to a registered user request.
Version 7.1 calls OS/2 functions, so at the moment the
Microsoft C Compiler, Version 6.0, is the only compiler which I
am sure can handle it. You can successfully compile under DOS, VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 16
provided that you have installed the protected mode libraries;
however you will achieve better optimization if you compile under
OS/2. There are some other OS/2 C compilers coming onto the
market, but I have not tested any other than Microsoft. If you
are a programmer but use a different compiler or are not running
OS/2, you might want to send me a note that you want the source
code for VIDEOCAT Version 5.0; that version was written to
compile successfully under either Microsoft C, Borland Turbo C,
or Computer Innovations C86PLUS.
The source code is extensively commented. I have gone to
great lengths to use mnemonic data names and make program logic
clear. Version 7.1 has very extensive changes in source code
from Version 7.0 - far more extensive that one would suspect from
simply observing program operation.
Users who are not programmers will not find the source code
useful.
Development History
___________________
I first wrote VIDEOCAT to catalog my own video collection.
Friends started asking me for copies, so I spruced it up a bit
and started distributing it as shareware.
Versions 1 and 2 were written in UCSD Pascal for the Apple
II series of computers. Versions 3 and 4 were written in C and
complied with the Computer Innovations C86 compiler for the IBM
PC family of computers. Version 4.0 was the first to be
published. Version 4.1 quickly followed to correct a user-
reported bug. Version 4.2 added support for multiple drives to
permit the creation of larger data files and also added printed
output options.
Version 5.0 added support for paths and the current
configuration routine. It was also developed so as to compile
successfully under three widely used compilers: Microsoft C;
Borland Turbo C; and Computer Innovations C86PLUS. Because of
differences in the way that these compilers implement data
structures, the only way to get all three to produce identical
data files was to change the record structure to fit on even
word boundaries. This necessitated a file conversion routine for
data files created under the Version 4.x series. Versions 5.1
and 5.2 incorporated a number of convenience and aesthetic
changes.
There were two major changes in Version 6.0. Most
significantly, it was developed under OS/2 as a "bound" or
"family" program. It should run under either DOS or OS/2 without
any apparent difference. The second major change was adding a
label making facility.
There were several interim 6.x versions which were
distributed for "Beta" testing only. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 17
Version 7.0 made a number of additions to the record format,
including a free-form comment field, enabled the use of lower
case letters, added new display and printer configuration
options, added new output options for video and printer output
(including support for labels specially designed for
videocassettes), permitted search by multiple search keys, and
made a number of cosmetic improvements, as well as numerous
programming changes not visible to the user.
Reports from Beta testers of Version 7.0 showed an
interesting change from prior correspondence: instead of
suggesting new features to be added, most suggested relatively
minor adjustments to make existing features smoother and more
convenient. Some even complained that the program now has too
many features!
Version 7.01 was an interim release implementing a number of
user suggestions, including correction of some typographical
errors, making the initial formfeed optional for some printed
reports, adding a search by cassette number option to the Search
function, and adding a printed output option to the Tally
Statistics function. Version 7.01 was also compiled under
Microsoft C, Version 6.0, with increased code optimization.
Version 7.02 was another interim release which added options
for sorting output in the Whole Catalog function so that catalog
lists could be produced in title sequence, location sequence or
year sequence. Version 7.02 also involved very extensive changes
in the internal coding of the program which would not be apparent
to the user but should improve performance and reduce risk of
error.
Version 7.03 (another interim release) added a new custom
configuration option for the Add function to omit prompting for
record fields which the user does not desire to fill. The
algorithm for translating block capital names to a normal mixture
of upper and lower case letters was improved to recognize Roman
numerals. Data entry functions were improved to correct an error
in handling names which include commas.
Version 7.04 (another interim release) corrected a number of
minor errors in the label printing routines and added support for
laser printer file folder labels. There were some minor changes
in format for some of the label types already supported.
Version 7.05 (another interim release) added support for the
United Ad Label VHS label format for laser printers, cleaned up
some printed format options in the Tally Statistics function, and
provided an option to produce statistical reports with items
listed in either alphabetical or frequency sequence.
Version 7.1 incorporated the changes made in the interim
releases with corrections of a number of bugs reported by Beta
testers.
Version 7.2 responded to request from a number of users that
all data descriptions, and not just subject and form, be capable VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 18
of customization. A number of minor bug fixes and less visible
improvements also went into Version 7.2. More significantly, a
Windows edition, VCATWIN Version 7.2W, was released concurrently
with Version 7.2 of the standard edition.
Future changes will probably involve acting on a number of
user suggestions that I just haven't gotten around to. Other
possible enhancements might be mouse support or a Presentation
Manager version.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 19
FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS
A - Add a record to the catalog
_______________________________
This is the basic function for adding a record to the
catalog. It can be a video item other than a motion picture, but
in general the formats used in this program are primarily adapted
to theatrical motion pictures. Note that records created by the
Add function are temporarily stored in memory and not actually
placed in the data file until the Update function is performed.
The Add function is invoked by entering A <cr> while you are
in the main menu. [note: either 'A' or 'a' can be entered; '<cr>'
indicates a carriage return, a key which may be labeled either
"Return" or "Enter" on your computer] The initial response will
be a message telling you to get ready to enter data for a movie
record and to hit <cr> when you are ready to continue. Then
various items of data will be requested. If there are fields
which you do not wish to use and would like to have omitted from
the Add function, see the description of the Configuration
functions.
Title ->
________
Enter the title of the movie or other item. The maximum
size is 40 characters; the program will not permit you to enter
more. It is suggested that the words "A", "An" or "The" at the
beginning of a title be appended to the rear after a comma. For
example, instead of entering "THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI",
enter "BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE". This keeps the
alphabetical sequence a little more meaningful. For an episode in
a series, it is suggested that the series title be entered first,
then the episode title. For example: "STAR TREK: GAMESTERS OF
TRISKELION" and "STAR TREK: SPOCK'S BRAIN".
Note that since the program sorts the titles in ASCII
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange) sequence,
titles beginning with punctuation marks or numeric characters
will come before titles beginning with alphabetical characters.
Thus the movie "1941" will be placed near the beginning of the
catalog before titles beginning with letters and not in the N's
as is common in the organization of published movie guides.
The title is a semi-mandatory entry. More than one record
can have the same title (thus allowing for remakes), but the
program will not permit two records to have both the exact same
title and year of release. Minor variations in the title field
will allow cataloging of several versions of the same film. For
example: "TOPPER" and "TOPPER [COLORIZED]"; "A STAR IS BORN
[EDITED FOR TV]" and "A STAR IS BORN [UNCUT]"; "CITIZEN KANE
[COPY 1]" and "CITIZEN KANE [COPY 2]"; etc.. Likewise you can VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 20
indicate when a title continues over more than one cassette, e.g.
"GONE WITH THE WIND [PART 1]" and "GONE WITH THE WIND [PART 2]".
The title field can also be used to keep track of blank tape
segments. For example, if you decide that "PORKY'S" isn't worth
keeping, just use the Change function to change the title field
to read "BLANK - 94 MINUTES". You can then use the Search
function to find all listings which have the word "BLANK" as part
of the title field, then use Change again when something new is
recorded in the same space.
Year ->
_______
Year is intended to be the year of release of a production,
normally expressed as 4 numeric digits, e.g. "1939". The program
treats the year as a 4-byte character string, so non-numeric
characters will not be rejected.
Year is also a semi-mandatory entry, as the combination of
title and year constitutes the "key" for identifying and sorting
records. If you don't know the year for sure, either look it up
in a published movie guide or make a reasonable guess. You must
enter something.
Star 1 LAST name ->
___________________
The program allows for recording the names of up to three
actors and one director. The first prompt asks for the LAST name
of the first of the three actors. The maximum combined length of
the first and last names is 30 characters; any excess length will
be truncated from the first name. In response to the LAST name
prompt, enter the actor's last name, including prefixes and
suffixes which are properly part of the last name. For example:
"VON STROHEIM" and "FAIRBANKS, JR.". In that last example the
program will replace the comma and space with a single space,
turning it into "FAIRBANKS JR.". This is necessary because the
comma character is the delimiter which separates first and last
names in the way the name is stored by the program. Comma-
deletion was added in Version 7.03; if you have a data file
created under a prior version you may find that any names which
included commas are somewhat garbled. You can use the Change
procedure to clean them up.
Try to be consistent in the way you enter names. Different
spellings will be treated as different names.
Note that you could use the name fields to enter some other
type of descriptive data which is meaningful to you. One user
who catalogs educational material uses the name fields for the
names of courses in which the tape is used rather than actor
names. The addition of the comment filed in Version 7.0 and
later is intended to make it unnecessary in the future to bootleg
comments in the name fields. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 21
Star 1 FIRST name ->
____________________
Now enter the first name. For example, "ERIC" and
"DOUGLAS". If middle names or initials are important, they
should be appended to the FIRST name. For example: "LESLIE ANN"
and "GEORGE C.".
Star 2 LAST name ->
Star 2 FIRST name ->
Star 3 LAST name ->
Star 3 FIRST name ->
Director LAST name ->
Director FIRST name ->
______________________
Respond to these in the same manner described above. Note
that these entries are all optional and can be omitted by simply
hitting <cr>.
Subject Code ->
_______________
A list of character codes corresponding to 42 enumerated
subject categories will be displayed on the screen. Pick the one
which seems most appropriate and enter the corresponding single
character. If you enter an illegal code, the query will recycle
until you enter a legal code. This is an optional entry, so
simply hitting return without having entered any code is a legal
response, and the record simply will not have a subject code. If
you don't like the selection of subject descriptions, you can use
one of the configuration routines to change them, but do so
cautiously.
Form Code ->
____________
A list of character codes corresponding to 24 enumerated
form descriptions will be displayed on the screen. As in the
case of subject code, you must enter a legal code or the request
will recycle. It is also an optional entry and you can skip it
by simply hitting <cr> with no code entered. You can also custom
configure the form descriptions.
MPAA Code ->
____________
A list of character codes representing the audience
suitability ratings of the Motion Picture Association of America
will be displayed. Once again, selection of an illegal code will
cause the menu to recycle, but skipping this entry by simply
hitting <cr> is permitted. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 22
Rating Code ->
______________
A list of character codes will be displayed corresponding to
8 enumerated rating descriptions. The rating system is one
commonly used in movie guides and TV schedule listings. Whether
you rate a movie based on your personal opinion or that of
professional critics is up to you. This entry is optional.
Color Code ->
_____________
A list of character codes corresponding to 4 types of color
characteristics will be displayed. You can pick one or skip this
item by simply hitting return without a code.
Format Code ->
______________
A list of character codes corresponding to 14 types of film
and video formats. You can pick one or skip this item by simply
hitting return without a code.
Minutes Length ->
_________________
This entry may be up to 3 characters long and may be any
combination of numbers and letters, although it is recommended
that the characters be numeric and represent the running time in
number of minutes.
Cassette No. ->
_______________
This entry may be up to 4 characters long and may be any
combination of numbers and letters. It is recommended that you
use numeric characters only. It can be omitted, although in the
cataloging of a large collection this is the most useful single
piece of information. So far only one user has complained that
this is not a large enough field. Perhaps some day there will
be a more powerful version of this program for collections
exceeding 9999 cassettes. If you include non-numeric characters,
you may cause unintended effects on range selection aspect of the
label printing utility.
Index No. ->
____________
This entry may also be any combination of letters and
numbers up to 4 characters in length. It is recommended that you
use numeric characters only. If you have multiple items on the VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 23
same cassette you may either place the tape counter number or the
sequence number. By sequence number, I mean coding the first
movie "1", the second "2", and so on. Fanatics may prefer to use
tape counter numbers. This entry is optional, but I strongly
recommend that you use it. When the Label function prints a
label for a cassette it will print multiple items in Index Number
sequence. Using non-numeric characters in this field may produce
unintended effects on the sorting sequence for label printing.
Comment Lines
_____________
The program will next display a small text editor window in
which you can write free-form comments in 3 lines of 60
characters each. The cursor can be moved using the arrow keys,
Home, End, and the Enter/Return key. Text can be deleted using
the Delete or Backspace keys. Text entry is in typeover mode.
Hit the Esc key when finished. NOTE: if you find that the
operation of the backspace or delete keys does not seem correct,
avoid using these keys. I have occasionally encountered some
transient bugs in the operation of this edit window which have
defied explanation but do not seem particularly harmful.
This field can be used to store any other data (e.g. Oscars
and other awards) or a short plot summary, or any other
information you might want to file with the record. Since you
can search your data file for information contained in the
comment lines, this is an easy way to add new kinds of search
keys, such as names of script writers, musical score composers,
production studios, etc.
Verification
____________
After all the items of data have been entered, the complete
record will be displayed on the screen for verification. You
will have three action options: accept the record as is; change
the record (in which case you will see a display like that
discussed below under the Change function); or discard the record
without attempting to change it. Note that if you have used the
add-fields feature of the Configuration function to block
prompting for some fields, you can choose to fill them at this
stage.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 24
C - Change a record in the catalog
__________________________________
The purpose of the Change function is to change the data
recorded for a record already in the catalog. Any item can be
changed. To invoke Change, enter C <ret> when in the main menu.
You will be asked to enter the title and year of the record to be
changed and warned that unless they exactly match an existing
record the change procedure will be aborted.
After you have entered the title and year of the record to
be changed, the program searches for it and displays it if found.
You will be prompted to indicate which data field you want to
change. Items which are currently empty can also be filled in at
this time. After selecting an item and entering a change, the
record will be redisplayed with changes. You can continue to
make additional changes to the same record until you enter the
code indicating that you are finished making changes.
Note that the Change function searches the base file and not
pending transactions for a record to be changed. Thus you cannot
change a record which you have just entered as an add but have
not yet processed to the base file through an Update. Changes
are not effected in the base file until after an update. If you
Exit before Updating, your changes will be lost.
Note also that the Change function actually generates two
transactions: a delete transaction for the existing record and an
add transaction for the changed version. This will become
visible to you if you use the Review function to inspect pending
transactions.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 25
D - Delete a record from the catalog
____________________________________
The purpose of this procedure is to delete a record which
already exists in the catalog disk file. It will not delete a
record which is merely in the current work batch awaiting an
update.
To invoke delete, enter D <ret> when in the main menu. You
will be warned that you must enter the title and year of an
existing record; if there is not an exact match, the delete
transaction will be discarded. Note that the match must be
EXACT, character for character (including all embedded spaces and
punctuation). These data items are entered in the same way as
described under the section on the add procedure. The program
will search for a matching record and display it if found and ask
you to confirm that this is the record you wish to delete.
The Delete function was deliberately designed to require
that you enter a title and year which exactly match an existing
record in order to minimize the risk of accidental deletions.
Its exacting nature can be a bit annoying when minor errors in
data entry prevent you from getting the desired action. When
this happens, use the Search function to get a display of the
record in question and make careful note of the title and year
you will have to enter in the Delete function.
Deletes, like adds and changes, are not effectuated
immediately but are stored in RAM until you invoke the update
function. If you exit without updating, the transactions will be
lost and the disk file unchanged.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 26
F - File Conversion from Prior Versions
_______________________________________
A data file (named BASEFIL5.DAT) which was created under a
version of VIDEOCAT in the 5.x series or 6.x series must be
converted to a new format before it can be used with Version 7.0
of the program. There was no change in format from the Version
5.x series to Version 6.x. If you have a data file created under
Version 4.x (named BASEFILE.DAT), you will need to first use
Version 5.x or 6.x to convert to the file format used in those
versions (BASEFIL5.DAT), then use Version 7.0 to convert to the
latest format (VCATDATA.DAT). If you have never used a previous
version of VIDEOCAT, you do not need to be concerned about file
conversion at all.
If you have a data file created under Version 5.x or 6.x, it
is named BASEFIL5.DAT. It must be accessible for file
conversion, but need not be on the same drive or path as the
program. Enter F <ret> from the main menu and follow the
instructions displayed. Your old file will not be changed, but a
new version in the new format will be created under the name
VCATDATA.DAT. Because the record format has been made larger,
your new data file will be larger than your old one, even though
the new data fields will be empty until you change them. You
should make sure that you have free disk space available for a
new data file about twice the size of your old one.
If your old BASEFIL5.DAT is in a different subdirectory than
the one which you have designated for the base data file in your
current configuration, then you will have to know the path to the
old file so you can enter it when prompted. Let's assume that
you installed Videocat Version 6.0, including the data file, in a
subdirectory on your C drive called VCAT6 and now you are
installing Version 7.0 in a new subdirectory called VCAT7. When
you are prompted to enter the correct path for the OLD data base
file, you would enter C:\VCAT6.
Note that you only need to perform file conversion once. It
is suggested that you keep a copy of the old BASEFIL5.DAT as a
backup just in case of some problem, but all future additions and
changes should be made to VCATDATA.DAT. No provision has been
made for conversion from the new format back to the old, as it
would seem to serve no useful purpose.
File conversion is a nuisance, but is necessary when the
record size is changed. A few bytes of the space I added this
time has been reserved for future use, so it may be possible to
avoid another file conversion in the next upgrade.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 27
G - Configuration Changes
_________________________
This is a collection of new features added in Version 7.0 to
respond to users who wanted more options to custom configure
VIDEOCAT for their needs
Add-Fields
__________
This feature permits you to specify the fields you will be
automatically prompted to fill every time you Add a new record.
The initial default setting calls for every field in the record
to be prompted during an add (although you can simply hit return
to go on to the next field without entering any data). This
feature enables you to select which fields will be prompted
during an add so that you will not be bothered with prompts for
fields you never use. Note that even though you are not prompted
for a field you set to N, it is still accessible during the final
edit phase of an Add transaction and through the Change
procedure, so you may also wish to turn off automatic prompting
for fields you seldom use and fill them when appropriate by one
of the other methods.
When you invoke this feature, all of the fields and their
current settings (Y or N) will be displayed. The menu lets you
select any field to change its value. Enter the letter
identifying the field on the menu and you will be prompted for
the new value. Enter Y or N. When you are done, hit the Esc key
instead of a field letter. Your choices will be saved in a file
named "VCATADDF.CFG". When you run the program in the future, it
will check for the presence of this file and use the values saved
in it. If you erase this file, the original defaults will be
restored.
Note that the Update procedure will not add a record to the
data file which duplicates both the title and year of an existing
record. Thus, if you choose not to use the year field, you had
better be sure all your titles are unique. If you don't use the
title fields, you had better be sure all your years are unique.
If you don't use either the title or the year field, your data
file will be limited to exactly one record. If you set the title
field to N, you will get a warning message advising you that this
is not recommended (but you can do it if that is what you really
want).
This feature was added to appease that contingent of
VIDEOCAT users who have been complaining that the program is
getting cluttered with too many features they do not want to use.
At the same time it does not reduce functionality for that other
contingent of VIDEOCAT users who are constantly clamoring for a
more complex record structure.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 28
Color/Mono Display
__________________
A few users have had problems with readability of displays
because of the color rendition on their systems. If you have
this problem, chances are you would be better off with VIDEOCAT
operating in a monochrome mode. This choice on the configuration
menu allows you to do that. If you choose monochrome operation,
a file will be created to save this choice so that the program
will automatically start in that mode in the future. You can
change back and forth as many times as you wish.
You can also use the monochrome option if you just plain
don't like the color combinations I have selected. Perhaps some
future version will let you selected any combination of colors
you like, but for the time being your only choice is between the
colors I chose and no colors at all.
Data Descriptions
_________________
This option permits you to re-define the text descriptions
for any of the data category codes used in the program. Although
the descriptions written into the program ar adequate for
collections composed of a variety of theatrical motion pictures,
some users have very specialized collections (educational, adult,
etc.) and would like to change the set of subject and form
descriptions to permit a more detailed classification scheme
particularly adapted to their material. Others find that they do
not use one of the sets of classification codes and would like to
redefine the set for some other use. For example, if your entire
collection is VHS video and you do not find the format code
useful, you could redefine it to use as a national origin
category by replacing the existing descriptions with the names of
countries.
These changes are recorded in configuration files created
when you use this option. I caution you to plan carefully before
using this feature, as frequent changes in subject and form code
definitions may introduce hopeless confusion in your data file.
If you play with this feature and then decide that you would like
to go back to the original definitions, just erase the files with
a .CFG suffix and things will go back to normal.
The following .CFG files created under the standard edition
of VIDEOCAT can be used with the Windows version, VCATWIN, and
vice versa.
VCATCOLR.CFG custom color type descriptions
VCATFMAT.CFG custom format descriptions
VCATFORM.CFG custom form descriptions
VCATMPAA.CFG custom MPAA rating descriptions
VCATRATG.CFG custom quality rating descriptions
VCATSOUN.CFG custom sound type descriptions
VCATSUBJ.CFG custom subject descriptions
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 29
Disk Paths for Files
____________________
The first time you run VIDEOCAT (other than in the demo
mode) you will be automatically asked if you want to specify
paths for your data and work files. Once these paths are stored
in a configuration file, VIDEOCAT will not ask you to set or
change them unless the configuration file cannot be found or
contains invalid path information. This option in the
Configuration Menu allows you to change the paths specified for
your data and work files. Before running the program you should
make sure that you have created any new subdirectories you plan
to use and have copied the appropriate files to the paths you
intend to specify.
The program is intended to give you the opportunity to
correct errors in path specification from within the program.
If, however, things seem to have become hopelessly messed up, you
can return to the initial installation routine by erasing the
file VIDEOCAT.CFG and starting the program again.
If you change the path locations of your files when
reorganizing your hard disk, you may need to change the files
configuration of VIDEOCAT.
Note that if you have installed the program or its data
files on removable media (floppy disk or removable hard drive)
and change the slot in which the media is inserted, the drive
identifier may change, causing your previously verified path
configuration to become invalid and confuse the program.
Printer Configuration
_____________________
This option allows you to specify control sequences to be
sent to your printer and the beginning of a print job, at the end
of a print job, to turn emphasized printing on and off, and to
select a special print mode for label printing. If you use this
option, these codes will be sent to your printer during each
print job and the titles in printed output will appear in
emphasized type; labels will be printed in whatever mode you have
chosen (e.g., condensed print).
For HP-compatible laser printers, the control sequences you
enter will be used in printing Search and Whole Catalog listings;
for labels, however, type style is completely controlled by the
program and will not be altered by the printer configuration
option.
In order to use this option you will have to dig into your
printer manual (or possibly a technical reference manual which
must be ordered separately) to find out what control sequences
can be used for special effects on your printer. You will be
asked to enter those codes in decimal ASCII values by this
configuration option. The form of the codes you enter must be a
series of DECIMAL NUMBERS separated by spaces. Do not enter VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 30
hexadecimal numbers! If your printer manual lists these control
sequences in non-numeric form (e.g. "Esc E") you must use an
ASCII conversion table (which seems to be an appendix in
virtually every computer programming book) to convert to decimal
ASCII numbers (e.g. "Esc E" = 27 69). If you have a Hewlett-
Packard LaserJet, note that when Hewlett-Packard Printer Control
Language calls for a number to be inserted in a command string,
it is the ASCII character representation of the number. For
example, a pitch value of "16.66" characters per inch has the
ASCII representation 49 54 46 54 54. Multiple control strings
can usually be concatenated; you printer will probably recognize
that each Escape character (ASCII 27) signals the beginning of a
new command.
I know it would be more convenient for you if the program
provided you with a menu of different printers and you could just
select yours, but I simply don't have the resources to acquire a
couple of hundred different makes and models of printers and
figure out how to adapt this program for each of them.
If none of this makes any sense to you, don't try to use the
printer configuration option; just use your printer in plain
vanilla mode or invoke special features through switch settings
rather than software control.
If you run the printer configuration routine and then
experience strange printer behavior and wish you hadn't tinkered
with this option, you can simply erase the file VCATPRNT.CFG and
reset your printer to its normal state to get back to the way
things were originally.
If you have installed custom printer configuration and then
get a new printer, don't forget to change the custom printer
configuration to fit your new printer.
If you use more than one printer, you can install multiple
copies of VIDEOCAT.EXE in different subdirectories and create a
different printer configuration files for each.
System Information
__________________
This feature enables you to view a lot of information about
your computer's hardware and operating system configuration. It
provides information only.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 31
L - Label Maker
_______________
The label maker is invoked by entering L <ret> from the main
menu. You will be asked to enter the range (lowest, then
highest) of cassette numbers for which you wish to produce
labels. This function uses a great deal of memory to sort the
titles out by cassette and index numbers, so there is a limit to
how many labels you can process in a single run. This will vary
according to the amount of memory available in your computer and
under your operating system. As a rough rule of thumb, I would
suggest that you not print labels for more than 200 cassettes at
a time. If you get a "running out of memory" message, try again
with a smaller number. The very first time you use this
function, I would suggest that you limit the range to 10 or 12
cassettes just to be sure that your printer setup is working
properly.
If you have followed my recommendation to use only numeric
characters in cassette numbering, the sequence will be pretty
predictable. If you include alphabetic characters, you may have
to give more thought to how you would designate ranges. All
entries are right-justified and padded with leading blanks; the
sequence is ASCII.
Before the labels are printed, you will be asked to chose
among various output options depending on the type of printer and
labels you are using. These choices make a considerable
difference in the format of the labels. Label formats currently
supported on standard printers (continuous feed labels) are:
address labels
Beta spine labels
VHS spine labels
If you used the printer configuration option under the
Configuration menu, the control code you specified will be sent
to the printer before labels are printed and the normal control
code will be sent to the printer after the labels are printed.
This enables you to set your printer to condensed printing mode
in order to get more information on small labels, if you know how
to specify the right control sequence.
You can get acceptable results using the option for
continuous form 3.5 x 15/16 inch labels. This is the size most
commonly used for address labels and is readily available. I
recommend you use tractor-feed if you have it, as friction-feed
is less precise. Load the label strip so that the first printing
position for the print head would be just within the upper left
corner of the first label to be printed. The program will ask
for your printing pitch (pica, elite or condensed) and print as
much information as can be squeezed on the label. Some
information may be truncated (cut off) because of space
limitations. Titles will be printed in index number sequence
(i.e.in the order the movies are recorded). Titles without index VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 32
numbers will be printed in alphabetical order. If there are
more movies than can be printed on a single label, additional
labels will be printed for the same cassette number to continue
the listing. Make sure that your printer is ready before
commencing printing operations.
For purists who never record more than one film per
cassette, there is an option to print only one record per label
and include more information.
There are some additional output options which require
special VHS or Beta spine label stocks probably not available at
your local computer store. Suggested sources of supply (I get no
commissions) are:
Virginia Specialty Products
P.O. Box 985
Vienna, Va 22180
[(703) 280-1742]
[best source for small package sizes]
[slow in filling orders]
United Ad Label Co.
650 Columbia Street
P.O. Box 2216
Brea, Ca 92622
[(800) 423-4643]
[best source for bulk packages]
[quick to ship]
There is a separate set of options for Hewlett Packard compatible
laser printers. I have only tested this on a Hewlett Packard
LaserJet II, so I don't know whether there are compatibility
problems with other brands. The program uses HP printer control
language for this option which may cause unpredictable results on
non-compatible printers. The laser printer labels currently
supported are:
Poster (uncut label sheet) (HP 92285W)
File Folder Labels (HP 92296G)
VHS Spine Labels (UAL PV541/Avery #5199)
The numbers shown are Hewlett-Packard (HP) and United Ad Label
(UAL) and Avery stock numbers. The address and telephone number
of United Ad Label are given above. You can order HP items
directly from Hewlett Packard at:
Hewlett-Packard
HP DIRECT
P.O. Box 611298
San Jose, CA 95161-1298
(800) 538-8787
I found the Avery video labels in stock at my local Egghead
Software store and have seen them in a number of mail order
catalogs. If you own a laser printer, do yourself a favor and
request a catalog from Paper Direct, telephone (800) 272-7377. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 33
Other companies produce similar products. Note that using
labels not specially designed for laser printers may cause
damage.
I have chosen to support United Ad Label's VHS spine labels
for laser printers (Stock Number PV541PV). Recently Avery came
out with VHS spine labels in exactly the same format. The Avery
VHS labels are sold in a combo pack with sheets of spine labels
and face labels in the same box (Avery Stock Number 5199). You
can use the Avery video spine labels with VIDEOCAT or VCATWIN,
but the face labels are presently supported only in VCATWIN.
There used to be an Avery product for VHS labels which I rejected
because it had both horizontal and vertical labels on the same
sheet (the LaserJet forces a form eject every time you change
orientations). The UAL product and the new Avery product both
have all horizontal (portrait orientation) labels.
Note also that HP recommends that you open the back "Face
-Up" door of the HPLJ II to minimize paper jams and internal wear
when printing labels. If you want to try this on any brand or
model of laser printer other than the HP LaserJet Series II,
please read your manual carefully to be certain that you are
following all procedures prescribed for label printing.
The print fonts used are standard internal fonts on the HP
LaserJet II, so you don't need any font cartridges or soft fonts.
The font is selected by the program and your own default settings
will be restored after the program finishes printing labels.
As in the case of all printer output, VIDEOCAT uses the
device PRN:, which is normally the primary parallel port (LPT1:).
This is the usual and most common printer interface. If your
printer is connected to a secondary parallel port (LPT2:, etc) or
to a serial port (COM1:, COM2:, etc.) you must use the
appropriate DOS or OS/2 commands to initialize your port and
redirect PRN: before running VIDEOCAT. If you are trying to run
a serial printer under OS/2, good luck! [If you didn't
understand anything in this paragraph, don't worry; chances are
you have a common printer setup which will work fine.]
The program has no way of knowing whether you actually have
your printer loaded with label stock. Thus you can test the
label maker functions on plain paper in both standard and laser
printers.
R - Review Current Changes
__________________________
The purpose of this procedure is to review changes, adds and
deletes which have been entered but not yet processed to the disk
file through an update.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 34
To invoke the Review function, enter R <cr> from the main
menu. The transactions awaiting posting will be displayed on the
screen. This is useful to remind yourself of what you have
already entered and to confirm that you want to process the
changes to the disk file before doing so. There is no provision
for editing these pending transactions. If you find that you
have made errors, your choices are: (1) update anyway and correct
the errors in a subsequent batch; or (2) exit without updating
and discard the entire batch of pending transactions.
Note that there are two kinds of transactions displayed:
adds and deletes. The Change procedure actually generates two
transactions: one to delete the old record and a second to add a
new record reflecting the changes.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 35
S - Search Catalog
__________________
The purpose of the Search function is to search through the
data file for those records which match some specified search
criteria and display or print out the matching records.
To invoke the Search function, enter S <cr> from the main
menu. The search menu will then appear giving you a choice of
search keys. You can specify as many as you want. The keys are
used conjunctively, so if you choose the subject Western and the
name John Wayne, only entries which satisfy both criteria will be
displayed.
Note that when you search by title or by comment, the search
is for any record which contains the key you enter as a
substring. Thus entering "WAR", for example, would match with
"WAR AND PEACE", "WAR GAMES", "WARRIORS", "WARM HEARTS, COLD
FEET", and "PRIVATE WAR OF MAJOR BENSON, THE", all of which
contain the "WAR" character sequence somewhere within the title.
When you are not sure of the exact title of a movie, this makes
it possible for you to search by entering only as much of the
title as you are sure of. Similarly, this permits searching the
comment field for fragments of information, such as "Oscar". The
search is not case-sensitive, so "Oscar" will match with "Oscar",
"OSCAR", "oscar", "OsCaR", etc..
For name searches, no distinction is made between the Star1,
Star2, Star3 and Director fields. If the name you enter matches
any of these fields, the record will be considered a match.
You can search by cassette number, but not by index number.
This simply reflects my experience that the only time I want to
search by location is when a cassette is missing and I want to
find out what was on it. The list of titles will usually remind
me of who borrowed it.
You will be given a variety of screen and printed output
options to choose from. If your collection is large, you may
find that it really speeds things along to use one of the short
output options (1 line per record showing only title, year,
cassette and index). The usual advice applies to printed output
options.
If you choose a printer output option you will be asked if
you want an initial formfeed. You may wish to have an initial
formfeed to be sure that your print head is positioned at the top
of the next page if you have done some printing which has left
your print head in the middle of the current page (e.g., you
decided to save something by hitting the Print Screen key).
Note that if the search finds no matching items, there will
be no output at all before you are returned to the main menu.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 36
T - Tally Statistics
____________________
The purpose of the Tally function is to compile and display
or print certain statistics about the composition of your entire
video collection. The statistics shown include tables of numbers
and percentages for subject, form, and rating. Tables are also
displayed listing names of actors and directors and years of
release. You will be prompted to indicate whether you want
screen or printed output and whether you wish the items in each
report section listed in alphabetical or frequency order.
In a large collection, these tables can occupy many screens
or pages. If you have chosen screen output, you will be prompted
to indicate whether you want to continue to the next screen of
the current table or quit and proceed to the next statistical
routine. If you have selected printed output, the screen will
tell you which statistical routine is currently being printed; if
you hit the Esc key the current page will be completed and the
program will then jump to the next statistical routine.
The algorithm used to construct a list of names or years
sorted in frequency or alphabetical order uses a great deal of
memory. In the event that available memory is exhausted, the
routine will continue, but will only be able to increment the
count for names and years already encountered. Thus if your
collection is large and available memory limited by your computer
or operating system, the name and year tables may not be entirely
complete. Note that if you are running under DOS or in OS/2 real
mode the program can only access 640k of memory, regardless of
how much memory you have installed. If you are running under
OS/2 protected mode this function will be able to use all
available memory.
The algorithm also has a "Big Oh" in excess of 1, which is
fancy computer science lingo for a program whose processing time
increases more than proportionally as the volume of data
increases. This happens because each time another record is
analyzed, the lists of names and years to be searched and
rearranged is larger than before. You will find this function
really slows down after processing a few hundred records. I have
designed the function to display the title from the record it is
currently working on so that you will see something happening on
the screen and know that progress is being made, rather than
wondering if your computer has died.
This function gives you a choice between screen and printed
output and reports in alphabetical or frequency order.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 37
U - Update Data Base
____________________
The purpose of the Update function is to update the disk
data file with the adds, changes and deletes entered during the
current session. These transactions are held in memory for batch
update to the disk file in the interest of efficiency. As the
disk data file grows larger, the time consumed by a file update
increases significantly. Batch updating minimizes the amount of
physical reading and writing of disk files. Do not forget to
Update before exiting from the program, however, as the current
change transactions are in volatile memory and are not
permanently recorded until an Update is performed. [Note: since
the C programming language does not directly support indexed
files, a sequential update is more or less unavoidable.]
To perform an Update, enter U <ret> from the main menu.
Update uses a temporary data file to merge the old base file with
the new transactions, then writes the temporary file back to the
base file. At this point you will have the opportunity to select
case conversion options to be performed during the update. If
you have a converted data file created under a previous version,
you can change either the titles or the actor/director names or
both converted from the previous all-uppercase to lowercase with
leading characters capitalized. In most cases this will result
in correct capitalization (although the capitalization algorithm
cannot recognize that some words -- such as acronyms -- are
intended to be all caps and "Fred MacMurray" will turn into "Fred
Macmurray"). The algorithm does recognize and capitalize Roman
numerals from I through X. It also recognizes "Mc" prefixed
names (but not "Mac"). If you don't like the result, you can
change back the next time you perform an Update.
While the Update is in progress the screen will display the
number of the record currently being read from or written to the
base file so that you will know what is going on and that
progress is being made. If there should not be enough room to
create the temporary file, the function should abort without
altering the base file. If there should not be enough room to
write the entire temporary file back to the base file, the base
file will be incomplete, but the temporary file will be complete
and you can copy VCATDATA.TMP to VCATDATA.DAT after making some
room. An abnormal termination (e.g. a power loss) during the
update may result in making one of the files unreadable
(whichever one was open for writing at the time).
I have rarely had an error resulting in data loss; however
this is a good time to repeat the warning that making frequent
backups of your base file is a good way to minimize the
consequences if it should happen. The most common error I make
is neglecting to be sure that there is enough room for the
creation of the work file on a VDISK which I also use for editor
backup files. This is when the multitasking capability of OS/2
really comes in handy, because I can invoke the session manager VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 38
to change to another screen group without terminating VIDEOCAT,
clean up the file space problem, and then return to VIDEOCAT
exactly where I left off. Under DOS I would have to exit from
VIDEOCAT and lose the current transactions in order to clear out
space on the VDISK.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 39
W - Whole Catalog Listing
_________________________
The purpose of this function is to list all the records in
the entire catalog. The user can select title sequence, year
sequence, or location sequence. A variety of screen and printer
output options are available (the same options as in the Search
function).
If title sequence is selected, the program will immediately
begin to produce the listing, since that is the order in which
the permanent data file is organized. If location or year
sequence is selected a sorting routine will take place before the
listing is produced. During the sort some messages will be
displayed simply to keep you informed of what is going on. The
sorting involves the creation of intermediate temporary files on
your currently active drive which will be deleted when the
routine is completed, but will occupy space while the sorting
process is active. TO SUCCESSFULLY USE THE SORTED OUTPUT FEATURE
YOU MUST HAVE FREE DISK SPACE ON YOUR ACTIVE DRIVE EQUAL TO
APPROXIMATELY TWICE THE SIZE OF YOUR DATA FILE (VCATDATA.DAT).
If sufficient space is not available the routine will terminate
and issue a warning of an error in attempting to write a sorted
file. If the process should be abnormally terminated (such as by
power loss, rebooting or Ctrl-C) you may find that the
intermediate files have not been deleted. One may be named
VCATSORT.DAT (created in the currently active path); others may
have system-assigned names, typically numbers without file
extensions (most likely created in the root directory). These
can be safely deleted using the DOS erase or delete commands. I
expect that in some future version I will add an option in the
Configure function which will enable you to designate another
path, such as a ramdisk, for these temporary files.
If your data file is too large in relation to accessible
memory to be sorted in one pass, the program will create a series
of temporary sorted files and then merge them. Remember that
under DOS or OS/2 real mode only 640k of memory is accessible; so
if you have a lot of memory it is definitely advantageous to run
this program under OS/2 protected mode so as to be able to make
use of all memory.
Note that if your collection is large, the display of
complete data, and especially the printing of a hard copy catalog
with complete data, can take quite a while. You may find it more
efficient to use the short format options unless you really need
all of the data displayed. During a long print-out I recommend
that you not leave your printer unattended in case of a paper jam
or ribbon break, events which seem to happen, in accordance with
Murphy's law, only when you decide to step out for a coffee break
during a long print job.
If you choose a printer output option you will be asked if
you want an initial formfeed. You may wish to have an initial VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 40
formfeed to be sure that your print head is positioned at the top
of the next page if you have done some printing which has left
your print head in the middle of the current page (e.g., you
decided to save something by hitting the Print Screen key).
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 41
E - Exit from program
_____________________
The purpose of this function is to terminate the VIDEOCAT
program and return to DOS or OS/2. If you have entered any adds,
changes or deletes during the current session, be sure to Update
before Exiting. If you can't remember whether you have pending
transactions, use Review to check. If the program detects that
you have unprocessed changes pending, it will ask if you want to
update before exiting. An Update is not performed automatically
because you may make a deliberate choice not to update because of
errors in data you have entered.
To Exit, enter E <cr> from the main menu. The Exit function
does give you one chance for second thoughts if it detects
unprocessed changes; otherwise it proceeds directly to terminate
the program. If you indicate that you do wish to update files,
the update function will be called and the program will terminate
when it is completed.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 42
WHAT IS SHAREWARE?
[Reproduced from a Publication of the
Association of Shareware Professionals]
This file will help you understand what shareware is and how
the "shareware system" works. It was written by the Association
of Shareware Professionals (ASP -- a professional association of
shareware authors) at the request of the Shareware Distribution
Network (SDN -- an association of BBS Sysops providing reliable
distribution of shareware around the world), for the express
purpose of giving BBS users a better understanding of shareware.
You've probably heard the terms "public domain", "freeware",
"shareware", and others like them. Your favorite board probably
has many programs described by one or more of these words.
There's a lot of confusion about and between these terms, but
they actually have specific meanings and implications. Once you
understand them you will have a much easier time navigating the
maze of programs available to you, and understanding what your
obligations are, or aren't, with each type of program.
Let's start with some basic definitions.
"Public domain" has a very specific legal meaning. It means
that the creator of a work (in this case, a piece of software)
who had legal ownership of that work, has given up ownership and
dedicated the work "to the public domain". Once something is in
the public domain, anyone can use it in any way they choose, and
the author has no control over the use and cannot demand payment
for it.
If you find a program which the author has explicitly put
into the public domain you are free to use it however you see
fit, without paying for the right to use it. But use care -- due
to the confusion over the meaning of the words, programs are
often described by others as being "public domain" when in fact
they are shareware or free, copyrighted software. To be sure a
program is public domain you should look for an explicit
statement from the author to that effect.
"Copyrighted" is the opposite of public domain. A
copyrighted program is one where the author has asserted his or
her legal right to control the program's use and distribution by
placing the legally required copyright notices in the program and
documentation. The law gives copyright owners broad rights to
restrict how their work is distributed, and provides for
penalties for those who violate these restrictions.
When you find a program which is copyrighted you must use it
in accordance with the copyright owner's restrictions on
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distribution and payment. Usually these are clearly stated in
the program documentation.
Maintaining a copyright does not necessarily imply charging
a fee, so it is perfectly possible and legal to have copyrighted
programs which are distributed free of charge. Such programs are
sometimes termed "freeware", though this term was in fact
trademarked by the late Andrew Flugelman and the legality of its
use by others could be questioned. In any case, the fact that a
program is free does not mean that it is in the public domain --
though this is a common confusion.
"Shareware" is copyrighted software which is distributed by
authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors,
and copies passed among friends. It is commercial software which
you are allowed to try out before you pay for it.
Shareware authors use a variety of licensing restrictions on
their copyrighted works, but most authors who support their
software require you to pay a "registration fee" -- the purchase
price of the software -- if you continue to use the product after
a trial period. Some authors indicate a specific trial period
after which you must pay this fee; others leave the time period
open and rely on you to judge when you have decided to use the
program, and therefore should pay for it. Occasionally a
shareware author requires registration but does not require
payment -- this is so-called "$0 shareware".
The shareware system and the continued availability of
quality shareware products depend on your willingness to register
and pay for the shareware you use. The registration fees you pay
allow authors to support and continue to develop their products.
As a software user you benefit from this system because you
get to try the software and determine whether it meets your needs
before you pay for it. Authors also benefit because we are able
to get our products into your hands with little or no expense for
advertising and promotion. As a result it is not unusual to find
shareware products which rival retail software that costs several
times the amount of the shareware registration fee.
ASP members' shareware meets additional quality standards
beyond ordinary shareware. Our members' programs must be fully
functional (not crippled, demonstration, or out of date
versions); program documentation must be complete and must
clearly state the registration fee and the benefits received when
registering; members must provide free mail or telephone support
for a minimum of three months after registration; and members
must meet other guidelines which help to insure that you as a
user receive good value for your money and are dealt with
professionally. We also provide an Ombudsman program to assist
in resolving disputes between authors and users. For more
information on the ASP or to contact the ASP Ombudsman, write to
ASP, P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006. You can also contact the
Ombudsman on CompuServe via an EasyPlex (electronic mail) message
to 70007,3536.
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 44
ASP MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
[Reproduced from a Publication of the
Association of Shareware Professionals]
The following are the general standards that ALL ASP authors
(full members) have agreed to follow. Each was passed by at
east a 2/3 vote of those members voting and is binding on all
authors. They consist of a support policy, a policy on payments,
a policy on no crippled software, an Ombudsman policy and some
miscellaneous items:
**** ASP Software Support Policy ****
1. All ASP members' shareware products must provide
support (included in the purchase price) for a minimum
of three months from the date of registration. If the
support is by telephone, there may be a limitation on
BOTH the total connect time and the period after
purchase during which it is available without
additional cost so long as the connect time is at least
30 minutes during the required three months. Support
may be provided for a fee after this initial period has
elapsed. The support policy must be clearly stated in
the shareware documentation.
2. Support during the initial period may be one or more of
the following:
- mail support
- telephone support (if this is the only
support provided, at a minimum an answering
machine must be available 4 hours per day;
this support may be limited to thirty
minutes of connect time at the option of the
author)
- for communications products, or ones
associated to a communication product by BBS
or major communications service
- by any alternate method approved by the Board
of Directors by a two thirds vote (of those
directors voting)
3. The minimum level of support required by this policy
involves answering questions and fixing serious bugs
during the minimum three month period. For problems
involving a specific hardware or software environment
or feature, the author may choose not to modify the
program. In that case, if the report is within three
months after purchase, then the author shall offer to
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4. Any money sent to an author to register an unsupported
product shall be promptly returned with an explanation
that the product in question is no longer supported.
5. Known incompatibilities with other software or hardware
and major or unusual program limitations are noted in
the documentation that comes with the shareware
(evaluation) program.
**** ASP Registration Payment Policy *****
1. The Documentation must clearly describe how to register
the product and what goods and/or services the user
will receive for registering.
2. Fees must be expressed in fixed monetary amounts.
Voluntary payments or contributions may not be
solicited, although phrasing such as "if you use and
like this product, please register" is allowed.
3. Multiple levels of registration may be set, as long as
each level individually satisfies the above two
requirements.
**** ASP Policy on No Crippling ****
The principle behind shareware is "try before you buy." ASP
believes that users have a right to try a fully functioning
shareware program in their regular computing environment.
Accordingly, ASP authors agree that:
(1) The executable files (and/or items linked in
with executables) in their shareware and
registered versions will be the same (with
the exceptions noted below)
(2) All the program's features will be fully
documented.
(3) Registration encouragement procedures which
in the judgment of the Board are either
unreasonable or unprofessional are not
allowed.
Exceptions to a strict interpretation of this policy are as
follows:
- to save disk space, tutorial and additional
explanatory material may be left out of the
shareware documentation.
- the shareware version may have registration
encouragement procedures absent from the
registered version (or which can be
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 46
disabled with a code only provided to
registered users).
- the registered version may include sample
files not included in the shareware version.
- if source code is offered with the registered
version, it may be withheld from the
shareware version.
- the author may provide two shareware
versions: one a small version which the
author designates the distributed version
in normal circumstances (e.g. language tools
in C only available in one model) so long as
the full shareware version is available from
some public source (possibly for a small
distribution fee) and may be copied for trial
purposes. The small version's documentation
must clearly describe how users may obtain
the full shareware version.
- the author may provide an enhanced retail
version of the program so long as it is not
(in the opinion of 60% of the BoD) merely an
attempt to circumvent this no crippling
policy.
- registered users may be provided bonus
utilities unrelated to (and which do not
change) the basic functionality of the
program.
- registered users may be given utilities which
provide a convenience but which are not
essential.
- exceptions approved by the ASP board of
directors by a 60% vote of those voting.
**** ASP Ombudsman Policy ****
1. The board shall set up the office of Ombudsman and
appoint someone to that position. The Ombudsman's sole
role shall be to mediate disputes between ASP members
and their customers. The Ombudsman shall report to the
board situations where he feels board action or
knowledge is appropriate.
2. All ASP members and vendor associate members are
required to cooperate with the Ombudsman when
approached by him/her.
3. If the ASP logo or name is used by any full member in
any ads/docs etc in connection with any shareware
VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 47
program, then that member shall include the following
statement with their shareware programs:
"This program is produced by a member of the
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP
wants to make sure that the shareware principle works
for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-
related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP
Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem
with an ASP member, but does not provide technical
support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send
a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536"
4. This statement is only required if the ASP name is
otherwise used by the author and it is only required in
programs and/or versions distributed as shareware. It
can be in any file provided with the shareware version
of the program. In addition, members are free to
include it in printed docs, ads and other mailings if
they wish.
5. The first sentence may be replaced by "<Member's name>
is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP)." If an author's company is a
company member, then the company name may be used
instead of <member's name> if the policy applies.
6. If the ASP logo or name is used by any ASP approved
vendor in any ads/catalogs etc , then that vendor must
include the following statement with their catalogs and
newsletters and is encouraged to include it with all
disks sold:
"Company X is an approved vendor and associate
member of the Association of Shareware Professionals
(ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to
help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute
or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write
to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA
98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536"
**** ASP Misc. Standards ****
The program has been thoroughly tested by the author and
should not be harmful to other files or hardware if used
properly.
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Any discussion of the shareware concept and of registration
requirements is done in a professional and positive manner.
The program author will respond to people who send
registration payments, as promised in the program's
documentation. At a minimum, the author will acknowledge receipt
of all payments.
The author will keep the ASP apprised of changes in mailing
address and of any changes in the status of his programs.