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My Little Realm's Public Library v/2.5 ____________________________________________________________________ General Information ____________________________________________________________________ Important Public Library is protected by copyright. It is not freeware, and it is not in the public domain. This is the evaluation version of My Little Realm's Public Library. It is a full-featured, fully functional program. You are welcome to try it on your computer to ensure that it functions on your system as it should, and that it meets your individual needs. If after 30 days you decide to keep using Public Library, you must register the program with the author. To print an order form, press <$> in the Options Window. Bonus! Purchase any MLR stand-alone program before 12/31/94 and receive another absolutely free. See DESCRIBE.TXT for details. Thank you for trying Public Library! ______________________________________________________________________ Introduction Public Library is really two programs in one. It keeps track of the outstanding books, magazines, videos, etc., that you borrow from your public library on the one hand, and it also maintains a historical file of your borrowings so that you can see what you and your realm members have been reading over the years. The Historical Mode contains a powerful Search function that lets you find records with specific information in a given field. For example, if you wanted to see what one member of the realm has been reading, simply invoke the Search function, select the Reader field to search on, and then enter the reader's Quickey. Public Library will display all of the works that that reader has borrowed over the years. You can even print the results, if you like. Public Library is a great way to keep track of research material, too, especially for high school and college students who tend to be somewhat less than organized. It also helps minimize the book and video fines (in some areas 25 cents and a dollar, respectively) that can add up so quickly. To find out what you have outstanding at any point in time, just run Public Library and press 2 in the Options Window. It's that easy. ____________________________________________________________________ Overview Interface. Public Library's screen consists of three types of windows: a Working Window, a Viewing Window, and an Options Window. If you are using a color monitor the Viewing Window is always green, the Working Window red and the Options Window blue. Enter the pound sign, <#>, in the Options Window to install the color mode. You select processes (like adding, updating, or deleting records) in the Options Window. In general, you create records in the Working Window, and you view your records in the Viewing Window. ---------------------------- Extended processing options. Several processing tasks, called extended processing options or EPO's, are not listed in the Options Windows, because they are functions that only occasionally need to be performed. EPO's are used to "extend" a program's power and functionality. One EPO you should be aware of initially is the Change Quickeys function. You invoke it by pressing the backslash in the Options Window. To find out what EPO commands are employed by Public Library, enter <?> (the question mark) in the Options Window. The EPO's of Public Library are defined at the end of this document. ---------------------------- Quickeys. There are two types of Quickey lists in the Public Library Routine. The first is for the names of the readers of your realm, or, more precisely, for their initials. The second group of Quickeys is for your libraries. To enter your Quickey names, press <\> in the Options Window. The Quickeys in Public Library give you single key access to the names of the readers in your realm and to the libraries you frequent. Enter them once, and you'll never have to enter them again. See the section "Extended Processing Options" for full details. ____________________________________________________________________ Getting Started Note: If you have a color monitor, press the pound sign in the Options Window to install the color mode. If portions of the screen appear garbled, press <#> again to return to the monochrome mode. The very first thing you'll want to do with Public Library is make the program uniquely yours. To do that, you will have to enter the names of the readers in your realm and the libraries you visit. The Change Quickeys function is invoked by the backslash key (\) entered in the Options Window. Public Library will ask which Reader Quickey you want to change. The reader entry can be up to three letters long; initials are usually used although any string combination is acceptable. Public Library keeps up to six readers' initials. After you've entered all of your readers' initials, press <esc>. Public Library will then ask for the names of the libraries you frequent. You can enter up to four, and the names can be up to ten characters in length. After you enter the names of your libraries, press <esc> once more to return to the Options Window. Recommended reading: Please take a few moments to peruse this document. While Public Library is not difficult to learn, it can do a great deal more than simply remind you which books are out, who borrowed them, and when they're due. Exiting Public Library. If you've made changes to your data file, Public Library will so notify you when you attempt to return to your operating system and ask if you want to save the changes. You will almost always respond with <Y> or <enter> to save the changes. If, for some reason, you do not want to save the changes, press <N>. Following either response, you'll be returned to DOS. If you press <esc>, Public Library will instead return you to the Options Window from where you can resume processing. Why would you ever want to not save changes? Home programs must take into account the unwanted help of children who occasionally get into a program and wreak havoc. Should you find that someone you love is "helping you" with Public Library, don't get angry. Just exit the program and don't save the changes. ____________________________________________________________________ Program Information ____________________________________________________________________ Options Window for the Outstanding (Books Due) mode. _______________________________________ | | | 1 Enter new books 4 Delete | \ | 2 Return books | \ | 3 Change/View Choice: _ | \ |_______________________________________| \ <enter> Options Window for the Historical mode. _______________________________________ / | | / | A View D Search | / | B Sort E Delete | / | C Print Choice: _ | / |_______________________________________| ++ The Outstanding Mode ++ The Public Library works in two modes: Outstanding and Historical. To switch between the two modes press <enter> in the Options Window. You'll see the options in the Options Window change as shown above, and the title box alternately displays "Outstanding Mode" and "Historical Mode", so you'll always know which mode you're in. The first mode deals with the books that are currently due at your libraries. In other words, if you've just taken a book out of one of your local libraries or returned one, use the Outstanding Mode to make or update the necessary records. Note: Public Library always starts in the Outstanding Mode. The second mode is the Historical mode which maintains a list of all of the works you've ever borrowed and returned. It is described later in this document. ______________________________________________________________________ Option # 1, entering your books. Press 1 in the Options Window. Your cursor will go into the Working Window where you'll enter the title, author, and other information about the books you've taken out of your library. If you need to back up through the fields, press the up arrow. To advance through the fields, press the down arrow key or <enter>. ~ Field Definitions ~ - Title field (35, required). Leading prepositions and articles should be placed at the end of the title so that sorting takes place on the first key word. Title: Tontine, The ____________________ - Author field (30 total, optional). In the Public Library program, an author's name is entered with the last name first, as in the following example: Author: Stone, Irving To skip the author entry, press <enter>. ____________________ - Date field (required). This field is constructed along the manner of the American date format of mm/dd/yy. On the first record it displays a date two weeks in the future. Make the necessary changes, if any, and press <enter>. Public Library then echoes that date in the subsequent records you create, making it very easy to enter a lot of books. Public Library will accept dates that are up to one year in the future (remember, these are due dates), and it will accept records with dates from the current and previous months, just in case you don't get the books logged promptly. ____________________ - Library Quickey field (single character entry, optional). Only Quickeys are accepted in this field. You cannot manually enter a library name. So if you want to enter a library name for a given record you must do it using the Quickeys. To skip this field simply press <enter>. Public Library will display the libraries you listed in your library Quickey file (up to four are allowed) in the box on the lower right side of your screen. ____________________ - Reader Quickey field (3, optional). Enter one of the six Quickeys in this field. The Reader Quickeys are displayed in the box in the lower right part of your screen. ____________________ Echoic entries: Date, Library and Reader fields. The Date, Library and Reader fields are echoic entries. That is to say, once a record has been entered, each of these fields will echo its previous value to the screen in subsequent records until you alter its value or exit the Enter New Books function. If the echoed value is the entry you want, just press <enter>. For example, if you borrow six magazines from your local library and all of them have the same due date, you only have to enter the date for the first record. After that, Public Library will echo that date and all you have to do is press <enter> to accept it. The same procedure holds for the library and reader entries. Should you wish to change an echoed value for the Reader or Library entries, merely pretend the echoed name isn't there and enter what you would have had the echo not been displayed. ____________________ Backing up through the fields. You can back up through the input fields by pressing the up arrow. You can advance through the fields by pressing the down arrow; it acts as the enter key in this respect. The only time you cannot advance through a field without entering something is when you're in a field that requires an entry, such as the Title field. ______________________________________________________________________ Option # 2, returning your books. At a glance, the Public Library's Return function can tell you: the titles of the works currently borrowed the authors of each the dates each work is due the borrowers, and the libraries to which each must be returned Public Library automatically displays your outstanding books in the Viewing Window and asks for the record number of the book you have returned. (The record numbers are displayed on the left side of the Viewing Window.) Enter the record number of each of the works you have returned, and Public Library will highlight them. After you've highlighted all of those returned, press <enter> or <esc> without entering a record number. (If you inadvertently highlight the wrong record, reenter that record number to turn off the highlight.) After you press <enter> or <esc>, Public Library will check to see if you have highlighted any of the records in the Books Due file. If you haven't, Public Library automatically returns to the Options Window. If you've highlighted any of the works, Public Library will display the following confirmation prompt: ____________________________________________ | | | Press: 1 To confirm your updates. | | 2 To ignore your updates. | | 3 To recheck your updates. | |____________________________________________| More elaborately, the three options allow you to: Press 1 to tell Public Library to go ahead and update the Books Due file; press 2 to leave the Return function without updating the Books Due file; or press 3 to go back to the beginning of the Return function and make some last minute changes (like highlighting another record or turning off a highlighted record). Note: Public Library does not remove the records marked returned from the Outstanding file and append them to the Historical file until you exit the Public Library program. This means that if you mark several works returned and then decide to view the Historical file, you won't find your recently returned records at the end of that file. All of the file changes are made when you exit the program. Hence, the returned works can still be viewed by invoking the Return function. On the next occasion you use Public Library, you'll find those returned books in the Historical file. Note: If you mark a book returned, you can change it to outstanding again in either of two ways: One, use the Update function and highlight the incorrect record. Don't forget to confirm the update. Two, use the Change function before exiting the Public Library program. Public Library will display a sub-menu of the fields you can change. Select <6> (Returned). ___________________ You can use the Update function to view your Books Due file (properly called the Outstanding file). If you have more than one screenful of books, you can use the up and down directional keys to view the others. When you've finished, press <esc>. Note: If you are merely viewing your records, remember that you should not highlight them in this function. If you do, they will be considered "returned", and Public Library will display the confirmation prompt shown above. If you should happen to forget, simply press <esc> when the confirmation prompt is displayed and Public Library will ignore your highlighted records and return to the Options Window. Important: You should ensure that all entries are correct while the records are in the Books Due file. Once a record is marked returned, it is moved to the Historical file and cannot be modified. ______________________________________________________________________ Option # 3, correcting and viewing records. You can change any of the fields in the Books Due file. Public Library will want to know the record number. The record numbers appear on the left side of the Viewing Window. To return to the Options Window, press <enter> (without entering a record number) or press <esc>. After you enter a record number, Public Library displays a sub-menu of the fields that you can change in the Working Window and highlights the record in the Viewing Window so you'll know which record's data you're changing. Be sure you have the correct one. To turn off the highlight (i.e., to avoid making changes to the highlighted record), press <enter> (nothing else) or press <esc>. When the sub-menu is displayed showing the six fields you can change, select the appropriate field's hotkey, and Public Library asks for the new field value. If you enter the wrong hotkey press <esc>, and Public Library will restore the original value, even if you've already typed in something. If the menu number you chose was <6> (return status), you can undo the change by simply entering <6> again. Since the return status is either yes or no, all you do to change the status is to select menu number <6>. The instant you select <6> the return status is changed to the opposite value. To change it back, you simply press <6> again. This function is also handy if you simply want to peruse your Books Due file. If you have more than a screenful, you can use the scrolling keys to view those records not on screen. Important: You should ensure that all entries are correct while the records are in the Books Due file. Once a record is marked returned, it is moved to the Historical file and cannot be modified. ______________________________________________________________________ Option # 4, deleting your records. Public Library will ask for the record number of the record you want to delete. It will then highlight that record and ask you if you are sure you want that record deleted. Verify the contents of the record before you respond. If you respond <Y>, the record is deleted. If you press <esc>, <N>, or <enter>, Public Library will turn off the highlight. After you respond yes or no, Public Library will ask for the record number of the next record you want to delete. Give it the next record number if you want to delete another record or press <esc> (or <enter> without entering a record number) to leave the Delete function and return to the Options Window. If you delete the last record in your Books Due file, you will automatically be returned to the Options Window. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ++ The Historical Mode ++ When you press <enter> in the Options Window, Public Library switches between the Outstanding Mode and the Historical mode. If Public Library is in the Outstanding Mode, simply press <enter> to access your Historical file. Public Library displays "Historical Mode" in the title box on the upper right of your screen. The Historical mode of the Public Library Routine allows you a unique perspective on your realm members' reading habits over the years. There might also be times when you want to go back and re-read an unusual work you had read years before but can't quite recall the name of the work or the author. The historical log also allows you to keep detailed records of your research. And if friends ask what the children of the realm were reading when they were such and such an age, you'll be able to look up the answer quickly and easily using Public Library's Search function. Note: The records of the works declared returned in the Outstanding Mode are added to the Historical file when you exit the Public Library program. Public Library puts those returned records at the end of the Historical file, maintaining a nearly chronological account of your borrowings. This structure of the Historical file is not altered by Public Library's Sort function. ______________________________________________________________________ Option <A>, viewing the historical records. Use the directional keys to browse. You can have Public Library highlight specific records by entering the record numbers of those you want to focus on. To turn off a record's highlight, reenter that record's record number. To return to the Options Window, press <enter> (without entering a record number) or press <esc>. ______________________________________________________________________ Option <B>, sorting the historical records. You may sort by title, author or reader. If you wish to print your records in a sorted order, run the sort first and then run the Print function (option <C>). ______________________________________________________________________ Option <C>, printing the historical records. Public Library prints the title, author, date (due), library, and the reader. If you want your listing in a sorted order, run the sort first, then invoke the Print function. ______________________________________________________________________ Option <D>, searching the historical records. You can tell Public Library to search on any of four fields: the Title field, the Author field, the Date field, or the Reader field. Give Public Library the string (called a keyword) that you're looking for, and it will search the specified field in every record for any occurrence of the keyword. When a search is performed on the date field in Public Library, you must enter the search date in the format mm/dd/yy. You can use the question mark as a wild card. A single wild card in either position of the month, day or year makes that segment wild. That is to say, if you entered 1?/?2/93, both the month and the day segments would be considered wild, and Public Library would only look for records that had been created in 93. Both the month segment and the day segment have been declared wild with the inclusion of the question marks. If you entered 10/1?/91, Public Library would retrieve those records that had been created in October of 1991. ______________________________________________________________________ Option <E>, deleting the historical records. This Delete function is a little different from the one in the Outstanding Mode. In the Outstanding Mode, you delete one record at a time. In the Historical mode, you select all of the records you want to delete, and then have Public Library delete them all at one time. Confirmation is required before the deletions are performed. Use the directional keys to find the records you want to delete, and enter their record numbers. Public Library will highlight your selections. After you've highlighted all of the records you want to delete, press <esc> or <enter> (without entering a record number). If you highlight a record and then change your mind, enter that record number again, and Public Library will turn off the highlight. Only highlighted records are deleted. If you've highlighted any records, Public Library will tell you how many records you've marked for deletion and display the following sub-menu. ____________________________________________ | | | Press: 1 To confirm your deletes. | | 2 To ignore your deletes. | | 3 To recheck your deletes. | |____________________________________________| If you've changed your mind at this point, you can press <3> to look over the deletions you're making and add others or turn the highlight off any that you've decided to keep. If you simply want to abandon the Delete function, press <2> or <esc>. To carry out the deletes, press <1>. Special note: If you have sorted your records before running the Delete function, Public Library will tell you that it will restore the Historical array to its original structure before it continues with the Delete function. If you have more work to do using the sorted structure, you might want to finish that work first before you delete any records. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Extended Processing Options. EPO Definition <\> Change the Quickeys. Both reader and library Quickeys are changed by issuing this command. Public Library asks for the reader Quickeys. After you enter those, press <esc> to advance to the library Quickeys. When finished with those, press <esc> to return to the Options Window. Reader Quickeys can be three characters long. Library Quickeys can be up to ten characters long. - - - - - - - - - <#> Switch between black/white and color modes. - - - - - - - - - <$> Print an order form for Public Library. - - - - - - - - - <?> Display the EPO's for the Public Library Routine. ______________________________________________________________________ On reading . . . Americans deny themselves a valuable resource when they ignore their public libraries. A chance to read is a chance to explore ... the world around us, the world inside us. It enhances lives by enlarging the worlds we perceive physically, spiritually, metaphysically, and metaphorically. Like looking through different lenses on a sophisticated camera, reading allows you to view your world with whole new perspectives. The works you read don't have to be revolutionary to make you think. Nor do they have to be written by Nobel Prize winning authors to have impact. And they certainly don't have to appear on the best selling lists to entertain. But they do have to be read to be enjoyed. Do yourself a favor. Keep a library book around the realm, even if you're not sure you'll have time to finish it. There's no rule that says you have to read it cover to cover. And if, at a later date, you decide you really do want to finish that book but you can't recall the name of the author or the title, don't worry about it ... My Little Realm's Public Library will remember for you. ______________________________________________________________________ + The End + ______________________________________________________________________ (c) Copyright 1991 - 1992 John L. Salisbury