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Software Vault: The Gold Collection
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Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
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GITDB.HLP
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1993-04-24
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The Guitar Database
The guitar database will allow the user to enter
relevant data about any guitar, then the data can
be retrieved at any time. Records can be inserted,
deleted, and edited. Once the record has been
selected, the user can show a picture tied to the
guitar data, find another record, browse the entire
database or quit the database. The database files
are located in the AXE \ DB directory. The data
record has the following format:
Manufacturer:
Model:
Year:
Top Value:
Mid Value:
Low Value:
Picture Path and Name:
Notes: (4 lines)
As you may have surmised, the database will be
PARTIALLY filled with existing pictures but any
number of pictures and or guitar records can be
added. When you want to add or delete pictures to
view, simply edit the "Pic" field. This is the
user's database. It will be as good as the user
makes it by enhancing the data. Arren-San Software
will continue to upgrade all included databases and
make regular distributions available. The guitar
database currently has about 3000 entries. The
actual upper limit for any Guitar Data Manager
database is about one billion records.
While in the existing database, you can request to
access another database, while closing the current
db. The commands can be accessed by moving the
arrow keys to the desired selection and pressing
<Enter>. To exit the database, simply choose Quit,
or enter q <Enter> and y for yes at the prompt.
The database one person keeps can be read and used
by anyone using this db. Utilities also exist to
transform files into and out of *.dbf format
(dBase files) ( See tools below). Finally, just
about any format picture file can be input and
viewed by GDS.
The actual database functions are as follows:
Use database - the program brings you up in GIT
Use index - default is manuf., model, year
Create database - for new databases
Create index - sort records in a different order
Head - first database record
Tail - last database record
Browse - search database forward - summary
Next - next record
Curr - current record
Prev - previous record
Find - search by sort criteria
Add - add a new record
Edit - change an existing record
Delete - delete an existing record
Show - displays the image in the PIC field.
Print - Print Inventory, Purchases or Sales.
Show field names
Show index names
Show index definition
Quit
The SHOW function has a limitation that must be
adhered to. For viewing images from within the
database, GDS will only allow approximately 10
images per session. After 10 showings of any
combination of images, the viewer stops working.
Simply exit the database, re-enter the database,
FIND where you were previously and continue. The
database SHOW function is for limited quick
reference, not viewing the entire picture base. The
suggestion is to use GUITARS (and the LIB???
pictures) to take in the beauty of the pictures.
This is a viewer limitation and beyond the control
of Arren-San Software.
DATABASE TOOLS
This set of procedures is applicable to any Guitar
Data Manager database.
Any database needs basic maintenence procedures,
and Guitar Data Manager is no exception. Five
different tools are included, but cannot be invoked
from within the application. The usage of these
procedures will be so limited that direct access is
a waste of program memory. To use these tools,
simply go to the database directory, AXE \ DB and
enter the tool desired.
These procedures, in order of relative importance,
and the necessary parameters are as follows:
DATABASE CLEAN-UP
PRESSDB.EXE
This tool will compress and rewrite ( clean up )
the database. This is usually only necessary when
heavy alterations have been made to a database. One
instance where this is not true is when the
database can only be accessed up to a certain
point, but more data definitely exists. At that
point, possibly a record has been corrupted or an
index pointer is set incorrectly. A good rule of
thumb is to run pressdb.exe after the addition or
deletion of about 500 records, when a database is
obviously not functioning properly, or when the
database is performing noticeably slower than it
has previously.
To run pressdb.exe first go to the AXE \ DB
subdirectory. Simply type "pressdb db", where db is
the database desired. For example, "pressdb invent"
will rewrite the inventory database. If the user
simply types "pressdb", the program will prompt for
the database desired.
As with any utility, ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP OF THE
FILE BEING MANIPULATED BEFORE MANIPULATING. For
sensitive databases, make floppy backups, as
the data manager can always be restored; the user's
data, in the event of some disk malady, cannot.
DATABASE EXTRACT
DUMPDATA.EXE
Dumpdata will extract all data from the database
and display to the screen or redirect to a disk
file. This is a raw dump where all that comes out
is each database record, with fields listed in
database order, delimited by a "|". A dump of the
guitar database would look like this:
Stk # | Manuf | Model | Year | Serial # | .. etc.
The dump will use any database and index requested.
The syntax is as follows:
Dumpdata database index [>outfile].
For example, if the user simply types "dumpdata"
the program will prompt for the database desired,
then the index desired ( the default is the
physical index, or how the data was entered ). At
this point data will spew out on the screen. If the
output is desired to be placed into a file, use the
outfile parameter. For example, "dumpdata git
manumod >gitdb" would dump the guitar database
using the manumod index and create a file named
gitdb.
DATABASE CONVERSION
DBTODBF.EXE
DBFTODB.EXE
If the user currently uses dBase, or something
compatible, these utilities will convert data from
dBase to Guitar Data Manager (dbftodb) or vice
versa (dbtodbf). Again, the syntax is "dbf
"dbtodbf". Both have extensive prompts due to the
information required ( file from, file to, how to
handle data, etc ).
These functions are not included with the demo
due to space constraints.