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WBase V1.3 - Finished 24 May 1992 © 1992 Simon Dick WBase now now needs reqtools.library to run, this is because I decided that the GFA-BASIC built in versions of some of ReqTools commands took up too much space. Also if it can find it, WBase uses kd_freq.library for its file requester instead of the ReqTools version if it is found,but you are able to choose which you want to use. If the powerpacker.library is found then it is used to decrunch files. The file FR_User.doc is the manual for the kd_freq file requester. This program is Freeware which means that you can copy it and give it to anybody you want as long as you don't ask for any money for it except perhaps a small amount for disks and copying and that you don't need to send me any money to use it (but I wouldn't mind if you did, and you would get the next couple of versions). You aren't allowed to commercially sell any version of WBase! Well at least not without my permission. About WBase =========== I wrote this because I kept on finding that I needed to quickly use a database on Workbench, but all of the others which I have got all took up too much space on the Workbench for my liking so I thought that I might as well write my own as I had already written a database in AmigaBasic but which was much to slow to be really useful so I started to convert it to GFA Basic when I got it, but soon gave up and just rewrote it from scratch, here is the result. This will run if you have only half meg but will be most useful with more memory, as it takes up about 260K. I haven't been able to test this out thoroughly with Kickstart 2.0 yet, but I believe that it works though. I'm not responsible for any data which is lost or any damage which is caused due to any problems though. I never thought that I would actually do more than one version of WBase, and here I am working on the third released version! The Menus ========= File New - This lets you create a new database in memory. You can have a maximum of 20 fields and a maximum of 300 records. After finding out how big a database you want it them goes and asks you for each fieldname one at a time. If you use every single character in each field and use ten fields then you will only be able to use 150 records, so it stands to reason that you will probably be able to use five fields and 300 records. Load - This lets you load a previously saved data file. It handles both crunched and uncrunched files . It also does a bit of checking to make sure that the file is valid. Save Crunched - This saves a crunched version of the data which is currently stored in the memory. This only works if you have version 35 or above of powerpacker.library installed. It crunches it with best efficiency with a medium speedup buffer if you are interested. Uncrunched - This just saves out the data stored in the memory as an ASCII file which you can easily edit in any text editor if you don't like the editing in WBase. There is a section on that later on. Delete- This simply lets you delete a file from a disk, it hasn't got anything to do with deleting records from memory. About - Tells you stuff like my address and the version of WBase. Quit - This lets you exit from WBase (why would you want to do that ?). You can also do this by clicking on the close gadget, pressing escape or pressing 'Q' while the window is active. Edit Record - This lets you change the data which has already been entered into memory. Fieldname- This lets you change any of the current fieldnames. Delete All - If you select this it erases all of the records which where stored in memory (after making sure you didn't accidentally select it). Section - This lets you delete a section of records from memory (eg. from 1 to 14 or 102 to 324). Single record - This lets you delete a single record, unfortunately you need to know the actual record number beforehand though (another way to delete a single record is to view it and press 'D' to delete it). View All - This lets you look through all of you records one by one. There are the following options: F - Goes forward one record P - Prints the current record B - Goes back one record M - Lets you mark and unmark a record G - Lets you jump straight to a record by the record number D - Lets you delete the current record E - Lets you edit the current record The left cursor key moves you back a record and the right cursor key moves you forward one record. The up cursor moves to the end of the file while the down cursor key moves to the beginning. Section - This is done in the same way as the Delete Section (I mean by entering the start and finish record numbers not by deleting the records!) apart from that it has the same options as for View All. Single - You type in the number of the record that you want to view. It has the following options: P - Prints the current record F - } these don't do anything B - } M - Lets you mark a record D - Lets you delete the current record E - Lets you edit the current record Q - Lets you quit to the menu The cursor keys also move you through it in the same way as in View All. Marked - This lets you view all of the records which you have marked and has the same options as View Single has. Print (this menu can be disabled by using the Printer menu item, see later for more information) All - If you select this then WBase will ask you if you are ready to print before printing each record and also allowing you to cancel printing that record. Section - The same as the above except for being able to choose a section of records to view. Single - This lets you view a single records by record number. Marked - This lets you print all of the previously marked records. Sort All - All that you need to tell this options is what field you want the whole file to be sorted by. Section - This works the same as the above except that it asks for start and finish record numbers as well and it only sorts the records between those numbers (inclusive). Misc. Input Record - This is one of the more important functions as it allows you to enter data into the data file which is currently in memory. It opens a window and shows you previously entered data. It also now works for multiple records being input, to cancel input press the Cancel gadget. WARNING: if you press Cancel while it is on the last field of the record then the whole record will be wiped. You should OK the last field and then Cancel the first field on the next record. Search for data - This is mostly pretty straight forward except for one part, that is when it asks you for the field to search in, if you enter 0 there then it searches through all of the fields and not just by one. This has the same options as View Single has except that 'F' and 'B' go forward and backwards. Palette - This option will bring up a palette requester. Not much point to having it in a database but it only added a few lines so I thought I might as well put it in. Printer - This simply toggles whether or not the Printer menu will be enabled or not. If there is a tick next to it then it is enabled. Command - If you select this it allows you to run programs from within WBase. If you run this from either CLI or workbench it will display all output in a tiny window in the top left of the screen, which means that it is now alright to use the ARP 'ARun WBase NOIO' command as it doesn't try to write to the CLI. Also if you can't remember (or can't be bothered to type in) a command then you can type in '*' and you can select the command using a file requester, after you have selected it you are given the chance to add extra options to it. You also need the Run command in the C: directory. Shrink/Expand - This is a toggle switch which lets you swap between a full screen version of WBase and the original 'Shrunk' version. This can be handy if your Workbench is getting a bit crowded. File Requesters KD_FReq - This chooses the file requester from kd_freq.library to be used for all file selections, it has a tick next to it if it is selected. I personally prefer this requester. ReqTools - This chooses the file requester from reqtools.library to be used for all file selections, it has a tick next to it if is selected. Asl req - This chooses the file requester from asl.library. This is ghosted if you are running less than WB2.0 because the requester only works on WB2.x. Because of that I haven't been able to test it as I have got WB1.3, it is based on an example piece of code though so it should work. I don't know how to use any extra features, just how to call it and get the filename! Gadgets ======= In version 1.3 of WBase I have added gadgets to WBase in its expanded mode, the size of WBases screen depends on you WB screen. For example, if you are an NTSC user then WBase will open a NTSC screen (640x200) and if you are a PAL user, then WBase will open a PAL screen (640x256). If you are running in Interlace then WBase will open an interlaced screen (either 640x400 or 640x512). WBase finds out what screen mode you are using by finding out the vertical size if your WB screen and choosing the screen which is closest. WBase only supports Productivity mode if your Workbench is either 480 or 960 pixels high. The gadgets are in the following order from left to right: File - Load, save and delete Input record View Sort Search Print Command Quit They aren't exactly very obvious what each one is. If anyone can do a better job of them please can you send me your own version of them. They must be 80 pixels across by 32 pixels down or less. I will choose the best ones and use them in the next version. Other Features ============== - WBase scans some possible places which viruses may attach themselves to, they are only checked when WBase is loaded. I don't make any claim that WBase can replace a virus killer (because I know it can't!). It may not be viruses which alter the vectors as it could be things like real virus killers, recoverable ram drives, PPLoadSeg, etc. So be careful if you agree to clear anything. - WBase tries to trap guru meditations, so that you should be able to save your data before the computer crashes. I haven't managed to test it as Amigas never guru when you want to them, do they? I am not sure if it works with KS2.0 though as I haven't got it (yet). - WBase supports crunched files as long as you have powerpacker.library V33+ installed. I haven't implemented it very well though as I can't read the file straight from memory, so that it needs to save the decrunched file to somewhere. It tries places in this in order - T:, RAM:, DF0:. I am planning to change this soon though. ARexx Interface =============== In this version I just added an ARexx interface (which I had been planning to do for a while). I haven't actually got ARexx (or WB2.0) so I haven't been able to test it out, so if you find any bugs please could you report them as quickly as possible so that I can fix them. For the ARexx interface too work you need rexxhost.library (which should be included with WBase) and rexxsyslib.library in the LIBS: directory. You will also need to run RexxMast to be able to send commands to WBase. Here is the list of commands that WBase supports:- ABOUT Just brings up the About requesters. I doubt if you will use this, but I put in just in case. CHANGEFREQ <1|2|3> This lets you change the default file requester. Number one is kd_freq, number two is reqtools and number three is Asl. CURFREQ This returns the number of the file requester that it being used. At the moment three are used, number one is kd_freq, number two is reqtools and number three is Asl. DELETE <record number> This lets you delete a single record. You are asked for confirmation first. DELETEALL This is exactly the same as 'Delete All' in the menus. DELETESEC <start record> <end record> This allows you to delete a section of records between start and end inclusive. EDIT <record number> This lets you edit the specified record in the usual manner. EDITFIELD [field number] This lets you either edit all of the fields or just the one specified. EXEC <command> This automatically runs the command. The Run command is needed in the C: directory. EXPAND This 'enlarges' WBase from its Workbench window to its full screen mode. FILEREQ <title> This is for you own use. It returns the selected filename in 'result'. FRONTW This simply brings either the shrunk window or the full screen to the front and activates it. INPUT This brings up requesters to allow you to input records in the normal way. KILL [filename] This lets you delete a file. If you don't specify a filename then the current file requester will appear to allow you to select a file. LOAD [filename] This allows you to load a data file. If you don't provide a filename then the current file requester will appear to allow you to select a file. MAXFIELDS This returns the number of fields used in the current data file. It is returned in 'result'. MAXRECS This returns the maximum number of records which can be used. It is returned in 'result'. NEW This is the same as 'New' in the File menu. It pops up requesters to find out the data at the moment. I may add the option to create a new database totally from ARexx in the next version if that's what people want. PALETTE This brings up a colour requester. It returns the colour selected as the result. PRINT <record number> This allows you to print out a single record. PRINTALL This is exactly the same as 'Print All' in the menus. PRINTSEC <start record> <end record> This prints out a section of records between start and end inclusive. Before printing each record you are asked to confirm the printing of that record. PRTMENU <ON|OFF> This lets you enable and disable the Printer menu. 'PRTMENU ON' enables the menu and 'PRTMENU OFF' disables the menu. QUIT Allows you to quit from WBase using ARexx. It does the same as 'Quit' in the menu does, except that it doesn't ask for any confirmation even if you have an altered database, so be careful. RECSUSED This returns the number of records which have been used in the current database. It is returned in 'result'. SAVE [filename] This allows you to save a data file. If you don't provide a filename then the current file requester will appear to allow you to select a file. SEARCH <string> This searches the whole database (in every field) for the string that you supplied and displays it in the normal way. SHRINK This reduces WBase from its full screen mode to its Workbench window mode. SORTALL <field number> This sorts the whole file by the field number specified. SORTSEC <field number> <start record> <end record> This sorts a section of the file (between start and end inclusive) by the field number specified. VERSION This returns what version of WBase this is. It could be useful later if I add new ARexx commands and you want to know if the version of WBase which is running supports them. The version number is returned in 'result'. VIEW <record number> This simply lets you view a single record, the same as 'View Single' in the menus does. VIEWALL This is exactly the same as 'View All' in the menus. VIEWSEC <start record> <end record> This allows you to view a section of records between start and end inclusive. WBase file format ================= This section is for anybody who either wants to allow their database to load in WBase files or anyone who wants to be able to change things like the maximum number of records available in a file. Lets suppose that you created a database with three fields: Name Age Address And you said that you wanted a maximum space for ten records. If you did that then here is what the data file will look like: WB10,2,3 Name Age Address John Smith 46 London The WB at the beginning is WBases check to make sure that it is a WBase file. The ten is the maximum number of records and the two is the number of records which have been used with one added onto it. The three is the number of fields which the database has. It doesn't matter how many characters the numbers take up as long as they have a comma separating them.The next three lines are the field names, the number of lines depends on how many fields you have put in before. There aren't any quotes around the fieldnames or data because they are a bit pointless. The data is listed after the fieldnames in the same format. One note: if you leave spaces on either side of the text it gets stripped away as soon as it is loaded into WBase. In later versions of WBase, if I need to save more data then I will save it at the end of current files, so that files saved by previous versions will still be able to be read. Possible future improvements ============================ - Including graphics as fields (what do you think? And how could it work?). - Reading a powerpacked file straight from memory instead of from a temporary file. - Using a disk based file instead of keeping it in memory or dynamically allocating memory as I need it instead of reserving about 200K at the start. I think I know how I could do this in theory (it's very hard from GFA-BASIC though, as the standard way of getting more memory wipes out all current data). - Any necessary bug fixes - Any other suggestions that you make. (Please suggest something as I am running out of ideas !!! I will attempt to include it if it is sensible enough.) Please send any bug reports, ideas about improvements,criticism (constructive), and anything else to: Simon Dick, 31 Salisbury Road, Bexley, Kent DA5 3QE, England Just a warning, but if nobody sends me any ideas then there may not be any future upgrades for WBase, unless I can think of some other things to add. I will also be happy to try to help you if you can't work some function out, both in WBase and GFA-Basic (most commands), just write to me and I will try to help you out. If anyone is interested, I have just finished writing a test version of WNet, a file sender which works through the serial port, it also allows the sending of messages and commands, you can also get files from the other computer. If anyone would like to test it for me, I can't as I only have one Amiga, please send a disk and postage and I will send you the test version. kd_freq.library is Copyright 1990,1991 Khalid Aldoseri. powerpacker.library and reqtools.library are Copyright Nico François. Thanks to Olaf Barthel for his rexxhost.library without which WBase probably wouldn't have an ARexx interface! Changes from V1.2 ================= - I made WBase totally dependent on the reqtools.library instead of it being an optional extra, which also decreased the size by about 10K because I didn't need to use some GFA-Basic functions which increased the size. I have more than made up for that with other stuff though! - I worked around the bug in the previous version which wouldn't allow you to move the window or use any of the system gadgets on the WBase window by opening the window once, closing it and then opening it again. It's an awkward method, but it works! - I decided to give the user a choice of which file requester to use. There are three choices, the kd_freq.library requester (which comes up as the default if you have it), the asl.library or the reqtools.library requester which is always available. - I decided to use the GetLongA function of ReqTools to input the numbers instead of getting a string and converting it. This helped make WBase a tiny bit smaller as now I don't need to do any range checking for those sections. - I fixed a small bug which occurred when you chose a command from the file requester which had a space in its path. It looked for the first section before the space, it now puts quotes around it and treats it all as a command. - Got rid of the annoying quotes around the different fields in the saved file. So you can load up files from previous versions, when WBase comes across an entry with quotes on either side it strips them off as well as any extra spaces on either side. - Added the option of turning it into a full screen (well, sort of anyway!) database with gadgets. - Fixed a bug in the search routine which recorded more than one occurrence of the pattern in the same record and for some reason displayed the fieldnames as well occasionally. - Changed WBase so that it now doesn't save an icon with each data file. - Altered the method which I used to edit the fieldnames, instead of asking which field you want to edit it goes through all the fields allowing you to edit them. - Now when you input records you can see the previous fields which you have typed in and also it automatically continues asking you for more files until you press cancel, which will delete the record you are currently on so it is best if you start a new record and then press cancel. - Removed the old method of choosing the number of fields because of the increased maximum number of fields. - Added checks for some more vectors in the virus checker section. Some of them I can't fix as I don't know what they were originally, so you are only told about them. - I removed the option to save a PowerPacked file as I don't really see the point of having it included as you can easily crunch the file with PowerPacker after saving it normally. WBase still supports loading crunched files though. - I finally added an ARexx interface to WBase. I can't test it as I haven't got ARexx. If anyone finds any bugs in it please could you report them too me as soon as possible as I will probably start work on the new version quite soon after this is released. Changes from V1.1 ================= - I added support for reqtools.library instead of the old req.library. - A much better file requester thanks to reqtools.library. - The search printed the records into the small window instead of opening a new window for it. - The 'Print Section' and 'Print Single' weren't actually included accidentally. - Before, if you tried to load a crunched file which wasn't a WBase file it wouldn't delete it from disk which meant that you had a file called WB.tmp floating around somewhere. - You can now go forward AND backwards in the view and search sections. - You can now exit from viewing a section. - Some functions didn't let you cancel them, this is fixed now. - If you select cancel after selecting 'New' your file is now kept. - You are asked if you are ready to print before printing each record. - Changed the position of the window slightly as it got in my way. - You can now delete records while you are viewing. - You can also go to records while you are viewing all or a section. - And you can even edit records while you are viewing them instead of having to remember which number they where. - I have included the option of marking records. You mark records while you are viewing and you can then go back and either view or print the marked records. When you delete records the marks are all cleared. - If you have reqtools.library installed then choosing how many fields you want is made much easier (try it). - You now have the option of crunching files before you save them to disk. This only works if you have V35+ of powerpacker.library installed. (It should have been included with this program) - Apart from using the menu to quit you can also press escape or 'Q'. - WBase is now more multitasking friendly. In previous versions it just used a loop to check the menus, etc., but now it uses Wait() to wait for them. It also seems slightly faster this way as well. - The file requester remembers the last file and last directory which were used and puts them ready in the next file requester. - WBase can now use the kd_freq.library file requester if reqtools.library isn't found.