The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/dblte10j.zip/DBMANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1992-12-19 | 45KB | 864 lines

                           DBLITE VERSION 1.0h
                               TITLE PAGE

                          dbLite is Copyrighted
                        1992, All Rights Reserved

                          by:  Mike Seither
                               6900 Hastings St.
                               Metairie, LA 70003





                      DBLITE VERSION 1.0h
                       Table of Contents

SECTION 1. . . . . . . . ABOUT DBLITE. . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

     I.a.. . . . . . . . Brief Description . . . . . . . . .1
     I.b.. . . . . . . . Programmer Notes. . . . . . . . . .2
     I.c.. . . . . . . . General Specifications. . . . . . .2
     I.d.. . . . . . . . What Is a "Lite" Data Base? . . . .2
     I.e.. . . . . . . . Recommended Instruction Procedure .3
     I.f.. . . . . . . . Running DBLite from Window. . . . .4

SECTION II . . . . . . . GETTING STARTED

     II.a. . . . . . . . Defaults and Modes. . . . . . . . .4
     II.b. . . . . . . . Adding and Deleting Labels. . . . .4

SECTION III. . . . . . . EDIT MODE

     III.a . . . . . . . Toggling Menu/Edit Mode . . . . . .5
     III.b.. . . . . . . Editing Keys. . . . . . . . . . . .5
     III.c.. . . . . . . Editing Records . . . . . . . . . .6
     III.d.. . . . . . . Copying Lines . . . . . . . . . . .6
     III.e.. . . . . . . Special Characters. . . . . . . . .6

SECTION IV . . . . . . . MENU OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . .7

     IV.a. . . . . . . . Using Menus . . . . . . . . . . . .7
     IV.b. . . . . . . . File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
     IV.c. . . . . . . . Print Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . .8
     IV.c.1. . . . . . . Laser Printing. . . . . . . . . . .8
     IV.c.2. . . . . . . Laser Stock . . . . . . . . . . . .9
     IV.c.3. . . . . . . Dot Matrix Printing . . . . . . . .9
     IV.d. . . . . . . . Append Record Menu Option . . . . .9
     IV.e. . . . . . . . Delete Record Menu Option . . . . .9
     IV.f. . . . . . . . Insert Record Menu. . . . . . . . .9
     IV.g. . . . . . . . Record Sort . . . . . . . . . . . .10
     IV.h. . . . . . . . Search Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .10
     IV.i. . . . . . . . Capture Menu. . . . . . . . . . . .10
     IV.j. . . . . . . . Quit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

SECTION V. . . . . . . . TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT
                         DBLITE FILES. . . . . . . . . . . .11

SECTION VI . . . . . . . LABELS AND LISTINGS . . . . . . . .11

     VI.a. . . . . . . . Label Stock to Buy. . . . . . . . .11
     VI.b. . . . . . . . Listings. . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

SECTION VII. . . . . . . NOTES ON PRINTERS . . . . . . . . .13

SECTION VIII . . . . . . REGISTRATION NOTICE . . . . . . . .13

     VIII.a. . . . . . . DBLite Registration Form. . . . . .14

SECTION IX . . . . . . . COPYRIGHT NOTICE. . . . . . . . . .15

...................... dbLite Version 1.0h ...............................

SECTION I               ABOUT DBLITE

I.a.                    Brief Description

dbLite is a program written for the IBM PC and compatible computer. It is
DOS based but will run in a window in the Windows operating system.  It was
written to keep track of data of all types.  Mailing lists, rolodex phone
lists, DayRunner and other Address Book lists, things-to-do lists,
inventory lists, and other applications which require data acquisition and
retrieval.  It outputs printed lists and labels utilizing either laser or
dot matrix printers.  It will probably work with a daisy wheel using the dot
matrix format.  It will address envelopes directly, one at a time, and,
using labels, it can be used to address many all at once. It makes a fine
mailing list maintenance program.  It works best, however as a simple,
uncomplicated information management tool.  The people and things it can
catalogue are limited only by your imagination.

I.b.                    Programmer Notes

I wrote dbLite for myself.  I tried keeping track of names, addresses and
phone numbers using various products, starting initially with the original
SideKick (a very good Borland product) and then with various upgrades of
that program.  I tried to set up a data base using dBase (now also a
Borland product) with various formats and output forms and tried to print
labels and keep track of phone numbers in my DayRunner (a DayRunner, Inc.
product) using a pen or pencil in their pages designed for them.  I printed
whole pages from my computer using various programs, poked holes in the
edges and stuck them into the book.  I filled my hard disk with all sorts
of programs which really were overkill to do what I wanted.  I wanted to
keep track of names and address.  I wanted to have some mailing labels for
frequently mailed-to contacts.  I wanted an electronic rolodex to search
and find names for people I wanted to call.  I wanted to be able to sort by
any field and rearrange the data base quickly.  I wanted to easily save my
work and easily recall it.  I didn't want a lot of set up.  I wanted
something small, simple, quick, and effective.  I also wanted to be able to
use the program at home to catalogue my VCR tapes, producing labels and
listings for reference.  Finally, I wanted an easy to use program to give
to my friends and relatives who didn't want to learn to use dBase or
WordPerfect but who did want to maintain a mailing list and print labels
for envelopes.  It could be used by my mother-in-law for her volunteer
work.  It could be used by a friend who maintains a list of clients for her
real estate business. Finally, it could be used by my wife to maintain our
Christmas mailing list.  All these uses are now being accomplished with
dbLite.  I keep track of my contacts on my computer using it.  I am using
Windows and I pop it up to address envelopes, call contacts and maintain a
things to do list.  I find it useful.  I tried to make it as attractive and
colorful as I could since I have to look at it every day.  Lastly, I am
offering it to you to try.  The following is intended to help you better
understand the program's strengths and limitations and to allow you to get
started using it.  I wrote the program with the idea of not needing
documentation but a friend of mine told me I wasn't being realistic.  In
fact, he felt strongly enough about the need for documentation that he
wrote a large part of it himself.  Many thanks David.

                                Page 1


I.c.                    General Specifications

dbLite can maintain lists of up to 725 entries per file.  This effectively
limits your one file list to that many records.  Since you can only sort on
one file it could limit the size of your mailing list.  Since it can
maintain a basically unlimited number of files (limited only by disk space)
the potential is there to maintain very large numbers of records.  The rub
here, however is that you must separate them into files no greater than 725
records each.  However, since the intended market for such a "lite"
database program is for small business, home and individual use,  I didn't
anticipate the need for much more than 725 or so records per file.  Large
mailing lists are better maintained on more complicated programs like those
referred to in I.b. above.  They don't sort records, they index them.  They
do not allow quick and dirty loading and editing and searching and printing
but they do have large-volume capacities.  They also don't sell for ten
bucks.

dbLite can be used not only as a database of mailing labels but to store
records of any kind.  It sorts by any line to organize data and it searches
by any string to help locate entries.  dbLite gives you up to 175
characters of storage space for each record.  This is divided into 5 lines
of 35 characters each. This is ideal for mailing labels, but this structure
also gives you flexibility to organize your information into
subcategorizes.  You can sort based on these subcategorizes.  Of course,
you can also print labels and manage files directly from dbLite.

I.d.                    What Is A "Lite" Data Base?

dbLite is a small, pre-structured, static format data base.  The basic unit
of a data base is a "record".  dbLite's record format is already defined
when you start the program.  Many data bases require you to define what
your record structure will be before you start recording information.  This
makes them versatile but adds to the complexity of learning how to use
them.  If you were setting up dbLite's record structure you would tell your
data base program that you would have five "fields" per "record" and that
each field would contain up to 35 characters and that those characters
could be anything, from numbers to text to special characters.  You will
notice when entering data into a field (one line of each record is one
field) that none of the information from one line can spill-over onto the
next line, which is what usually happens with a word processor.  A data
base must keep each field separate.  In order to properly use a data base
and put all of it's power to use, you should be consistent in what you
enter into each "field".  Since there are five fields per record, you
should consistently enter a recurring type of field in the same row of your
record each time.  This will allow you to organize your data at will (by
sorting).  You will not have to enter alphabetical entries in any order.
You can randomly enter records a few at a time or all at once and in no
particular order.  If you consistently put the same recurring "type" of
information on the same record line each time you enter your data, then you
will be able to later sort your records based on the information which is
contained on each line.

                                Page 2


I.e.                    Recommended Installation Procedure

dbLite will run with no setup and no installation.  Wherever the program
resides, whether on a floppy, or on a hard drive's sub- directory, it can
be run simply by typing "dblite" (without the quotation marks) from the
command line.  If you run from a floppy drive, just format a diskette, copy
dblite.exe onto it and away you go.  You will notice that there are a
number of other files included with the program when you got it.  The
<filename>.LBL files (all the files ending in .LBL) are data files which
the program uses to help you figure out how to run the program.  As you
learn what you are doing, you will be creating your own data files with
your own names and they will start appearing along with the data files that
came with the program.  After you are familiar with running dbLite, you can
delete the included files to conserve disk space.  Initially, you should
load and read them as a way to help you learn how to use the program.  I
expect most people who use the program for any length of time will run the
program from a hard drive.  I recommend that your hard drive be organized
into sub-directories.  I find that creating a sub-directory called UTILITY
is a handy method of working with a handful of DOS programs which don't
require a large amount of disk space and which are not really major
applications.  Your major spreadsheet, your major work processor and things
like windows should all have their own setup of hard drive subdirectories.
Smaller, handy programs which handle minor tasks, such as Vern Beurg's
LIST.COM and Phil Katz's PKZIP.EXE fall into the heading of utility
programs.  They are relatively compact and can be combined into a UTILITY
sub-directory.  If you have no such sub-directory and would like to create
your own, from the DOS prompt (C:>) type "CD\" (again, without the quote
marks) and ENTER.  This will put you in your root directory.  Next type "MD
UTILITY" (no quotes) and ENTER.  This will create a sub-directory called
UTILITY onto which you can copy utility type programs.  Next copy all the
files which came with dbLite to the UTILITY subdirectory.  If they are on
drive A:, then:

                COPY A:\*.* C:\UTILITY
                           | <note the space between * & C>

will do the trick.  Next, place yourself on the hard drive with "C:", path
to the UTILITY subdirectory, "CD\UTILITY" and from there you can execute
dbLite.  All your data files will be created in that sub-directory and will
be easier to manage.

                                Page 3


I.f.                    Running dbLite from Windows

If you adhere to the above procedure and install all your dbLite files onto
the UTILITY subdirectory and you have Microsoft's Windows 3.x running on
your hard drive, you can add dbLite to your Window's running environment.
From the sub-group window from which you wish to run dbLite, click File,
New, Program Item, OK, then type Description: dbLite, Command Line:
C:\Utility\dbLite.pif, Working Directory: C:\Utility, then click on Change
Icon and type C:\Utility\dblite.ico and finish by clicking on all OK's.
This should effectively install the program into the group you are
currently windowed to.  To change the Window's group, you simply have to
click, drag and drop the dbLite icon from one group window to another.
This process will work if you have all of the files which came with the
program (such as dblite.pif and dblite.ico) and they are all copied into a
sub-directory named UTILITY.  If you are familiar with Windows you can
follow your own methodology.

SECTION II               GETTING STARTED

II.a.                    Defaults and Modes

When you start dbLite, the default label file is automatically retrieved.
Unless you specify otherwise, this file is named ADDRESS.LBL.  If you have
obtained this program as a package from a shareware distributor or
downloaded it from a bulletin board, it came with a DBLITE.DFL file which
names a default data file.  The original setup for the DBLITE.DFL file is
to load a file named HELP.LBL.  So, the first time you run the program the
help file will automatically load.  If you change the default file through
the menuing system (FILE - CHANGE DEFAULT FILE) you can load the file you
would like to see each time the program runs.  With no default file value
the program loads ADDRESS.LBL.  Note:  if you start the program from a
different sub-directory other than where it resides (assuming your path
statement includes this sub-directory) then that sub directory's DBLITE.DFL
file will dictate, or if none, ADDRESS.LBL will autoload.  If there is no
such file, one will be created with zero records.  Once the program is up
and running the main menu is displayed and you are placed into Menu mode.
dbLite has two modes:  Menu and Edit.  In Menu mode, the cursor is in
either the main menu or a submenu, and you can tell dbLite what to do with
the data file on the screen (print it, save it, etc.).  In Edit mode, the
cursor is in the text of a record, and you can type information into that
record of that data file. While in the main menu, press Escape to go to
Edit mode.  While in Edit mode, press Escape to go to the main menu, or F1
to see a summary list of editing keys.

II.b.                   Adding and Deleting Labels

To add a record at the end of the file , select "Append Record" from the
main menu, or while in Edit mode, simply move the cursor below the last
record and a blank record will be added, into which you can type
information.  Additionally, you can insert a blank record into a file at
any point.  Select Insert Record from the Main Menu, hit ENTER to select
that option.  Toggle into edit mode and type in a new record.

                                Page 4


SECTION III             EDIT MODE

III.a.                  Toggling Menu / Edit Mode

To get into Edit mode from the main menu, press Escape.  The cursor will be
put into the record shown and you can edit the information there. Although
you can see more than one record at a time, the cursor will always stay in
the record designated by the small left and right arrows.  To get a feel
for the way the program works, push [ESC] several times and watch the info
box on the right side of the screen display switch from Edit & Scroll to
Menu Mode.  In Edit mode, the Menu Window disappears and your cursor is
placed into the current record edit window (the window that the four little
arrows point at).  In Menu Mode the Menu Window reappears and the cursor is
placed inside for a menu decision.  Edit mode is designed to allow you to
move from record to record using page up and page down.  In edit mode you
can create records, change records and review records.  Page up and page
down moves you from record to record.

When you are positioned in the last current record, hitting page down
creates a new last record, which initially is blank.  Thus you can create
records on the fly in edit mode by paging down after each record is edited
and entering information into the newly created last record.  When you are
positioned in the current last record you can see how many records exist in
your current file by viewing the information window on the right side of
the screen.  This window tells you how many total records currently exist
in your file.  It also tells you which record you are editing at the
moment.  If, for instance you are adding records to a file and you are
currently editing number 10 of 10, when you page down you will then be
editing number 11 of 11.  A new blank record is added to the end of the
file when you page down and you are ready to type in your information.

To edit existing records, use ESC to switch into edit mode.  Page up or
page down to find the record you wish to edit by placing it into the
current record edit window ( the one with the arrows ) and make the
changes.

III.b.                  Editing Keys

While in Edit mode, press these keys to move in the ways indicated:

Up/Down Arrow           Line up/down
  /Enter
PgDn/PgUp               Next/Previous Record

Home/End                Start/end of text on line
Tab/Shift-Tab           5 space tab/5 space reverse tab

Control-Home            First Record
Control-End             Last Record

Alt-Delete              Delete line
Alt-Insert              Insert line

Note: Pressing the F1 key in Edit Mode will show help on these keys

                                Page 5


III.c.                  Editing Records

While in Edit mode, type in the information you want on each line. Note
that dbLite does not have a "wordwrap" feature.  Even though the program
has text editing features, it is data base.  Each line of text is a field
in a record. Each box contains an idividual record and each line in the box
is a field. Use the up and down arrows to move between lines, or Enter to
move to the next line.  Normal edit mode in dbLite is overtype.  That is
everything you type will replace what is already there.  If you wish to
insert text in the middle of an area, then press the [INS] key and you will
see the cursor grow and you will be in insert mode.  Each line is limited
to 35 characters.  dbLite will beep when you type in the 35th character on
a line as a warning that the line is full. However, if you type information
into the middle of the line, existing text can "fall off the edge," and
there is no way to retrieve it.  If you will use a laser printer to print
labels, you should limit lines to somewhere around 29-32 characters.
Printing in the three across label format used in copying machine labels
and in laser labels will truncate the rightmost edge cutting off anywhere
from 3 to 6 characters.  For more information, see the "Laser Print Stock"
help screen. While in Edit mode, you can press F1 for a summary of
file-movement keys, or Escape for the main menu.

III.d.                  Copying Lines

dbLite has a one-line "clipboard" feature.  This keeps you from having to
type in the same line over and over.  To use the clipboard, type in the
line once, then press Alt-M.  This "marks" the line.  Then, whenever you
would like to use that line again, press Alt-C. This copies the line to
wherever the cursor is.  (Use the Alt key like the shift -- hold it down
while you tap the other key.)  If you want to put a different line on the
clipboard, repeat the "marking" process using Alt-M.  The new line will
replace the old one on the clipboard.  The contents of the clipboard are
not saved when you exit dbLite.

III.e.                  Drawing Boxes

You can place boxes and shading into your labels.  These characters are
treated just like letters or numbers.  Use the function keys for this
purpose.  Here are the available keys and the characters they generate:

F2  ╔   F3  ═   F4  ╗   F5  ║   F6  ╚   F7  ╝   F8  ░   F9  ▒   F10  ▓

Alt-F2  ┌   Alt-F3  ─   Alt-F4  ┐   Alt-F5  │   Alt-F6  └   Alt-F7  ┘

Alt-F8  ▄   Alt-F9  █   Alt-F10  ▀

Use the Alt key like the shift -- hold it down while you tap the other key.

For example, use boxes to create this label showing a return address:

╔═════════════════════════════════╗  Use F2, F4, F6, and F7 for the
║ ░▒▓       MR. BILL         ▓▒░  ║  corners; F3 for the horizontal lines;
║ ░▒▓  1600 Pennsylvania Av  ▓▒░  ║  F5 for the vertical lines;
║ ░▒▓  Washington, DC 10606  ▓▒░  ║  and F8, F9, and F10 for the
╚═════════════════════════════════╝  shading at the left and right.

                                Page 6


SECTION IV              MENU OPERATION

IV.a.                   Using Menus

dbLite is controlled by various menus.   Loading files, printing,
searching, quitting and other commands are all accomplished by a menu
system.  When dbLite loads you are immediately placed into the Main Menu.
When in any menu, you can select the option of your choice in three ways:

1.  Press the first letter of the option, which will highlight the option,
    then press Enter.
2.  Use the up and down cursor arrows to highlight the option, then press
    Enter.
3.  If you have a mouse, point to the option, and click the left button.

Exceptions:  1.  If there is more than one option in a menu starting with
the same letter, pressing that letter will cycle you between each of those
options.  Enter will then select that option.  2.  Pressing a letter will
not work in the Print menu.  In this menu, you must use the up and down
cursor arrows, or point and click with the mouse. To back out of a menu
choice, press Escape (more than once if necessary).

IV.b.                   File Menu

dbLite will save your labels in a file on disk so that you can use them
again, and will retrieve a file of labels for you.  The File menu provides
the following options:  To use a file already on disk, select "Load An
Existing File," then highlight the file you want to use (if you don't see
the one you want, press Page Up or Page Down) and press Enter.  To begin a
new, empty file, select "Create A New File."  You will be asked for a name
for the new file.  This name can be up to eight characters.  dbLite will
automatically add the filename extension .LBL.  Type in the name, press
Enter, and dbLite will give you a blank file to work with.  Before
executing either of the two options above, dbLite will ask what you want to
do with the file already displayed.  For information about the menu it
displays, see the Quit Menu menu option section.

IV.b.1                  Advanced File Options

To write your changes to disk and continue working with the same file,
select "Save File And Continue."  Note that dbLite will NOT keep the old
version of your file on disk as a backup, so select this option only if
you're sure you are happy with the file as you have changed it.  To change
which file is automatically retrieved when you start dbLite, select "Change
Default File."  To wipe out a file from disk, select "Delete A File," then
highlight the file to delete (if you don't see the one you want, press Page
Up or Page Down) and press Enter.  By the way you can't delete the file you
are currently editing.  To work with files in another directory, select
"Change Drive/Directory," then type the full path name of the directory and
press Enter.

                                Page 7


IV.c.                   Print Menu

You can print labels on Hewlett-Packard compatible laser printers, or on
Epson-compatible dot-matrix printers.  Select the Print menu, and highlight
the type of printing you want to do.  The Print menu is unlike other menus
in that you cannot press the first letter of the option you want to move
the cursor to that option.  You must use the up and down cursor arrows to
highlight the option.  When you tell dbLite exactly what you want to print,
you will first be prompted to make sure that the labels are positioned in
the printer and that the printer is on-line.  Do so and then press Enter.
While dbLite is sending the information to the printer, you will not be
able to do other work in dbLite.  Once the "Please wait, printing in
progress" box disappears, you can resume work.  Usually, this will be
before the printer is finished printing.  There are some differences in the
printing options available on laser printers vs. those available on
dot-matrix printers.  Currently the laser printer has more options.  I
suppose there is no reason why a Dot Matrix Printer couldn't output
copying machine labels so I will add that feature soon.

IV.c.1.  Laser Printing

To print the record the cursor is on onto an envelope , select "Envelope."
This option positions the information in a manner appropriate for an
envelope.  To print a listing of information in the file including record
numbers but not in label format, select "Listing."  This will print a
listing of all records The "Deposit" option is useful for stamping "For
Deposit Only" and your bank account number on the backs of checks.  You
must design the label for this purpose.  "Deposit" will position the
printing in a manner appropriate for the back of a check.  Note: the laser
printer must feed from a center manual feed slot.  To print the record the
cursor is on onto label stock , select "This Label."  An entire page
of copies of the same label will be printed.

If you would like to print one particular label on one position of a page
of laser printer labels, you can utilize the capture feature.  First delete
or rename your old capture file, if you have one.  Next, capture the one
label to be printed.  Load the Capture file.  Look at your page label stock
and decide where you want it to print.  Count from left to right, top to
bottom where the label will be printed on the sheet.  If it is to be the
upper left hand corner you simply need to tell it to print all labels and
your record showing, record #1 will print in the upper left hand corner.
If it is to go in the middle of the first row, you will insert a blank
record prior to your record and print all records.  The principal is to
insert blanks prior to the record's actual appearance on the sheet.  Of
course if all you want is one label, you could also simply type that one
into the record number position where you wanted it printed on your sheet.
You do not need to insert blanks after the record, only before.  To print
all records in the file being displayed, select "All Labels."  For
additional important information about laser printing, see the section
called "Laser Print Stock."

                                Page 8


IV.c.2.                 Laser Print Stock

You can print labels on "Laser Printer Label Stock" or on "Copying Machine
Label Stock."  Which you should choose depends on the type of labels you
use.  In either case, dbLite prints labels 3-across on 8 1/2-by-11 label
sheets. "Laser Printer Label Stock" prints 30 labels per page, 10 rows of
3, with a 1/2-inch margin on the top and bottom.  "Copying Machine Label
Stock" prints 27 labels per page, 9 rows of 3, with a one-inch margin on
the top and bottom. dbLite assumes that each label is 1 by 2 5/6 inches.
One minor note:  dbLite defaults to a 12-pitch font to print labels.  The
common laser printer stock utilized cannot fit more than about 29-30
characters on any one label.  Thus full 35 character fields are not
supported for laser printer label stock.  Plan your labels in advance to
use no more than 29 of the 35 characters dbLite allows you on each line if
you want laser labels stock printed.  (Excess characters are simply
truncated.)

IV.c.3.                 Dot-Matrix Printing

dbLite prints on continuous-feed, 1-across labels only.  Select the option
you want under "Dot Matrix Printers" on the Print menu.  To print the
record the cursor is on onto label stock , select "This Label."  To print
the record the cursor is on onto an envelope, select "Envelope."  This
option positions the information differently on the printout, in a manner
appropriate for an envelope.  To print all records in the file being
displayed, select "All Labels." To print a listing of information in the
file including record numbers but not in label format, select "Listing."
This will print a report on regular 8 1/2-by- 11 paper and is useful for
referencing your file.

IV.d.                   Append Record Menu Option

In a data base program, "append" simple means to add a record to the
current end of the file.  Thus, when you choose "Append Record" from the
main menu, a blank record is automatically added to the end of the file and
you are placed into edit mode and your cursor goes to the new record for
data entry.  So, when you want to add records to the end of your file, use
"append".

IV.e.                   Delete Record Menu Option

To delete a record, place the cursor on the label, select "Delete Record"
from the main menu, then press "y" and Enter to confirm the delete or "n"
and Enter to abort the delete.  Warning:  dbLite has no "undo" option.
Once you delete a label, it is gone.  Therefore, you may want to save your
file before making deletions.

IV.f.                   Insert Record Menu

Option To insert a record into the file, place the cursor into the record
(in edit mode) you want the new record to become (for example, if the
inserted record should be #27, place the cursor in current record #27).
Then select "Insert Record" from the main menu. dbLite will add a blank
record, and you can enter information there.  You also may want to insert
blanks for print formatting purposes.

                                Page 9


IV.g.                   Record Sort

Menu Option Sorting is straight-forward.  To sort (arrange) your file by
one or more lines, select "Record Sort" from the "Main Menu".  Then tell
the program on which line to sort.  The program will then arrange your file
alpha-numerically.  It will put your records in order based on the line you
chose.  You can sort as many times as you please.  You can save and rename
each sorted file.

IV.h.                   Search Menu

Select the Search menu.  Then select the appropriate option to move to the
first label or the last label or to find specific text, select the Search
menu, then select Text Search. Type in the text you want dbLite to search
for and press Enter. dbLite is not case-sensitive for searches.  It will
find partial words and any series of letters.  Note: dbLite will search
only forward from the label being displayed on the screen, not backward.
Therefore, it is advisable before using Text Search to move to the first
label in the file.  To find all specific occurances of a word, start at the
first record and work toward the last.  A "beep" sound indicates that there
are no ( or no more ) occurances of the entered text.

IV.i.                   Capture Menu

Moving labels from one file to another and building one unique file from
many others is accomplished with the capture feature.  To build a single
file of records selected from several other files you can select the
Capture menu. This menu allows you to "capture" a selected record to a file
called CAPTURE.LBL.  Thus to build a new and unique file of labels from
various other files you would load each file which includes records to be
built.  Capture each record to the capture file, then finally rename the
capture file with the name of the file which you intended to create.  You
can also use capture to append a number of selected records from one file
to another. First capture all the records from one file to be appended and
then load the file to be appended and select the menu option "Append
Captured Labels to This File" from the "Capture Menu".  The capture file is
a type of hard buffer to store temporary work to move records among files.
It is saved as a file and is retained between sessions.  You can delete the
old capture file utilizing the "Delete A File" option from the "File Menu"
but only if it is not the file currently being edited.  If you simply want
to combine two files of records, use DOS.  Exit to DOS.  The command:

C:\CURDIR>Copy FILEONE.LBL + FILETWO.LBL FILETHRE.LBL

will create a file called filethre.lbl which will have the contents of both
fileone.lbl and filetwo.lbl.  This "concatenates" the two files into a
third.  It does not alter the contents of either of the two files used for
building the third.  Obviously you will be substituting your own drive and
subdirectory for C:\CURDIR and your own file names for FILEONE.LBL,
FILETWO.LBL and FILETHRE.LBL.

                                Page 10


IV.j.                   Quit Menu

To exit dbLite, select the Quit menu.  You will then see another menu of
three options.  Select the one you want, or if you change your mind and
decide you do not want to exit, press Escape to abort the exit process.  If
you DO NOT want to save your work, select "Do Not Save/Ignore Changes."  If
you DO want to save your work, and if you want the file you have just
finished revising to replace the previous version of the file on the disk,
select "Save Current File With Changes."  If you DO want to save your work,
but you want to retain the old version of your file on disk as well as the
version you have just finished revising, you must enter a new file name for
the newly revised version.  Select "Save File With New File Name."  You
will then be prompted for a new file name, which can be up to eight
characters.  dbLite will automatically add the filename extension .LBL.
Once you have made your selection and press Enter, you will return to the
operating system.

SECTION V.              TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT DBLITE FILES
                    (for propeller-heads only, others need not apply)

dbLite label files are assigned the extension .LBL by dbLite.  They are
ASCII text files with no file headers or delimiters.  Since the length of
each record is 175 bytes, the total file length is exactly equal to the
number of records times 175.  If you are brave, stupid or technically
competent ( or a combination ?) you can edit these files outside of the
dbLite environment.  Do not alter the 35 x 5 record structure or you will
harm your record integrity.  Do not insert carriage returns, line feeds or
other special characters into the file.  In fact if something strange is
going on on your screen when you edit a file, it is likely that such
characters have been introduced into a file.  Finally, spaces (decimal 32)
(hex 20 ) fill the voids between all characters.  Nulls (0's) will not
properly hold their space in a print.  If you print is out of wack it is
probably because the file is filled with nulls and not spaces.  Converting
from CSV's to fixed record length of 35 x 5 (and back again) is fairly
straight-forward in a programming environment.  The only problems I've
encountered is double quotes in text strings which need to be converted.
Avoid double quotes in raw record data prior to converting either way, it
confuses the process.  I have crude programs that do the conversions.  At
your request, I will include them with source code onto your registered
diskette.  They are only for people who intend to convert their files into
and out of spreadsheets and or data bases.

SECTION VI.             LABELS & LISTINGS

VI.a.                    Label Stock

Printing label stock which I have tried and which works:

Dot Matrix Printer Labels: Avery #4145, 3 1/2" x 15/16" 1,000 labels (1
    across) [or equal]
Laser Printer Labels: Avery #5160 100 sheets: 8 1/2" x 11" 3,000 labels: 1"
    x 2 5/8" (30 per page) [or equal]
Instant-Stik Copier Labels: Maco #M-5351 100 sheets: 8 1/2" x 11" 3300
    labels 1" x 2 3/4" (33 per page but only 27 print) [or equal]

                                Page 11


>>> note: I am not necessarily recommending that you run copy machine
labels through your laser printer.  You can if you so choose, but it is not
really recommended by laser manufacturers.  I've done it with no harmful
effects but who knows what might happen to you, eh?  The drill on this is
to have both a laser printer and a copy machine, run your stock printing
sheets on regular paper through the laser and then use these paper stock
formats for creating labels via your copying machine.  Why did I fool with
copier labels?  They cost about half as much where I shop and I can get 27
per sheet.  I do like the laser labels better, however.


VI.b.                   Listings

Why listings?

1.  Set up your VCR library with one label per movie as follows:

Line1:  GOON MIT DER VIND               [title]
Line2:  Drama, four stars               [description]
Line3:  Library cabinet                 [location]
Line4:  Beta / VHS / 8mm                [format]
Line5:  0001_L                          [catalogue #]

(what I mean by catalogue number is develop a numbering system for your
tapes and store them in that order so you can find them when you want to
see them)

2.  Once you have typed up records for all your movies:

        A.  Print labels and stick 'em on / 2 or 3 per tape is okay

3.  Sort by title (line 1) and print a listing for reference,
    then print a 2 x 4 list (phone#)* which will give you a quick
    reference listing showing only the title and catalogue number so
    you can quickly check to see you if have the movie and if so
    what number it is.  Your complete listing gives you complete
    information from your record and your 2 x 4 listing gives you
    quick reference and access and your labeling system allows you to
    catalogue your tapes and store them in order.

  * Yes, this means the 2 x 4 list (phone#) can indeed be used
    for more than just a phone number listing...

4.  Store you tapes in the order in which you catalogued them.

Your Christmas list can be organized similarly.  Once you have all your
friend's mailing labels typed in, save the file under a different name
(start with friends.lbl then save as phones.lbl and add a phone number on
the fifth line for the phones.lbl file) and print up a listing for future
reference and print up a 2 x 4 listing to get a phone number list for quick
reference.  When you want to send everyone a letter type all the
FRIENDS.LBL file onto labels and adhere to envelopes.  To send one letter
just call up your friends name with RECORD SEARCH, TEXT SEARCH and type in
the name, when it comes up, tell the program to print an envelope, stick it
in and print the one envelope out.

                                Page 12


SECTION VII.            NOTES ON PRINTERS

I have access to a limited number of printers.  What you are looking at is
the first formal release of dbLite outside of beta testing.  I believe that
the program will work with a majority of fairly standard printers because I
have left out most fancy formatting.  The program is rather utilitarian in
nature and because I wanted it to work with a lot of different printers
with virtually no set up, I purposely kept the formatting to a minimum.

The program works with various dot matrix printers I have used which follow
the IBM/EPSON standard.  If you want special characters to print and they
don't, read your printer manual about setting your printer to print such
characters, it is probably a dip switch setting or a menu selection.

I currently have a Panasonic Laser Partner model KXP 4420 which emulates
the HP laser II standard.  I don't have an envelope tray and feed envelopes
into a center feed manual feed area above the paper tray.  Legal envelopes
print right where they should.  If you have a right side manual feed your
envelopes probably won't be printed in the right area.  If you register
your copy of this program and complain about it I might fix it.

Future support of various printers and related problems is contingent on
registration.  If you register, then let me know what you would like to see
and I will work on it.  Labels should print on any laser printer which
emulates the HP II standard.  If it don't, let me know.

SECTION VIII.           REGISTRATION NOTICE

dbLite is shareware.  You may use it for a limited period (30 days) to
evaluate it at no charge.  To continue using it legally, you must send
$10.00, check or money order to:

                        Mike Seither
                        6900 Hastings St.
                        Metairie, LA
                        70003-3029

>>>Technical support for dbLite is provided to REGISTERED USERS ONLY.<<<

Obviously, if you immediately like the look and feel and performance of the
product, you really should register it.  I will be providing support for it
to all register users with mailings and updates which will either be free
or at a very nominal charge ( the first upgrade, which is your registered
copy is free ).  You will have a direct link to the sole producer of the
program and your individual inputs and concerns will be addressed.  Fill
out the following page or use your own format for registration.

                                Page 13


VIII.a.                DBLITE REGISTRATION FORM

Please register my copy of dbLite Vers. 1.0h.  I am enclosing $10.00, check
or money order made payable to "Mike Seither".  I will receive the latest
version of the program with helpful utilities and data files.  I will be
included on a newsletter mailing list.  My comments and suggestions may be
used in the newsletter to help other users of dbLite.

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________

City: ____________________________________________________________

State: __________ Zip: __________

Diskette Size: 5 1/4" ____    3 1/2" ____

Comments: ________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Suggestions: _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

I use dbLite for: ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Mail to:                     Mike Seither
                           6900 Hastings St.
                        Metairie, LA  70003-3029

                                Page 14


SECTION IX.            COPYRIGHT NOTICE

dbLite is copyrighted, 1992, by Mike Seither.  All rights reserved.  dbLite
is written in compiled Microsoft BASIC PDS 7.1 (a trademark of Microsoft
Corporation).  Any decompilation, reverse- engineering, alteration, etc. is
prohibited.  Distribution of this program is limited to the normal
shareware channels.  It is not intended for resale by any individual other
than those distributing shareware by charging a minimal copying charge to
defer costs.  Its proper distribution should include all documentation and
help data files.

************************* END OF FILE DBMANUAL.DOC *************************