home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The 640 MEG Shareware Studio 2
/
The 640 Meg Shareware Studio CD-ROM Volume II (Data Express)(1993).ISO
/
business
/
linkages.zip
/
LINKAGES.MAN
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1987-07-08
|
66KB
|
2,179 lines
LINKAGES - The Family Relationship Database
By Vincent C. Jacobson
Distributed by Solid Software
P.O. Box 42102
Plymouth, MN 55442
(612)559-0926
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page I
REGISTRATION
You are encouraged to copy and share this program with others. If
you find it to be useful, I trust you to send a $49 payment. Upon
receipt of your payment, you will become a registered owner and
receive notices of software revisions and updates as they become
available.
DISCLAIMER
In no event will the author be liable to you for any damages,
including any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or
consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to use
these programs, even if the author has been advised of the
possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party.
PERMISSION TO COPY:
Individuals are granted permission by the author to freely copy the
LINKAGES programs and documentation for their own use or to share
with others, so long as no price or other consideration is charged.
Computer clubs and other non-profit organizations are granted
permission by the author to freely copy the LINKAGES programs and
documentation and share it with their members, so long as:
1. No price or other consideration is charged. However, a
distribution cost may be charged for the cost of the diskette, so
long as it is not more than $10 total.
2. Club members are informed of the user-supported concept and
encouraged to support it with their donations.
3. The program or documentation are not modified in any way and
are distributed together.
Companies are granted permission by the author to copy the LINKAGES
programs and documentation for use on other computers and at other
locations in the company, providing the full registration fee of
$49 has been paid for the original copy of the program.
LINKAGES User's Manual - Rev 0.3 - June 20 1987
Copyright (C) 1987 Vincent C. Jacobson
Table of Contents
1. Welcome to LINKAGES 4
1.1 What are Genealogical Records? 4
1.2 Read Me Before Starting 5
1.3 More to Come 6
2. Getting Started 6
2.2 Equipment requirements 7
2.2 The LINKAGES Diskette 7
2.3 Backing Up 7
2.4 Installation 9
2.4.1 Single Floppy Diskette System 9
2.4.2 Dual Floppy Diskette Based System 10
2.4.3 Hard Disk Based System 10
2.5 Starting LINKAGES 11
3. The Desktop 11
Help 12
Escape 12
The Command List 12
4. The Card 12
5. Locating / Selecting a Card 13
F1 - Help 13
F2 - See Cards on Desk 13
F3 - Create a New Card 13
F4 - Search for Card Number 14
F5 - Search by Full Name 14
F6 - Search by First Name 14
F7 - Search by Ancestors 14
F8 - Search by Descendants 14
F9 - Peek at Card 14
6. Displaying / Editing a Card 15
6.1 Is This OK? 15
6.2 The Edit Field 15
6.3 Choices 16
6.4 Do You Wish to Add a (Linkage)? 17
6.5 Comments 17
7. Report Output 18
7.1 Hard Copy of Cards 18
7.2 File Index 18
7.3 Work Sheets 19
7.4 Full Reports 19
7.4.1 CHARTS 19
7.4.2 COMPOSED REPORTS 20
7.5 Report Configuration Files 22
7.6 Print Where? 23
8. Setup 24
8.1 System Setup 24
8.2 File / Card Setup 25
9. Data Files 26
10. Error Messages 26
Appendix A - ASCII Text Files 27
Appendix B - Report Configuration Files 28
Appendix C - Printer Setup Files 29
Appendix D - Data File Structure 30
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 4
1. Welcome to LINKAGES
LINKAGES is a software package designed to create and maintain
genealogical records using a computer. LINKAGES does not require
expert knowledge in either the genealogical or computer fields. It
does, however, allow individuals having advanced skills to take
advantage of additional features as they see fit.
A computer is very good at certain things. It can keep a lot of
information in a very small space, find things very quickly, has
legible handwriting, can type reports quickly and easily, etc. It
can send things over a phone line to another computer or a printer
without having to worry about spelling errors and other things that
go wrong in people to people communications. In general, a
computer can be very helpful in processing information once that
information has been made available to it.
You might think that it is handy if a computer asks lots of
questions to help you remember all the things you wish to do. This
is only partially true. A well designed program will not get in
the way of how you are used to doing things. For example,
genealogical data is often written onto a form. It is much more
comfortable to show the form on the screen and fill it out than to
answer a lot of questions without seeing what is happening.
The Card is the primary element of this software. The activities
performed include such things as getting cards (from a file),
displaying cards, creating cards, editing cards, printing cards and
filing cards. We have endeavored as much as possible to maintain
the image of working with index cards and a file cabinet.
1.1 What are Genealogical Records?
The records maintained by LINKAGES are in a format typically used
in a physical card file system. They contain information about the
specific individual and information about relationships (LINKAGES)
with others. Each card has a sequential record number, and cards
may be printed (exactly as shown on the screen) then filed
numerically for a hard copy backup of the data.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 5
1.2 Read Me Before Starting
In a new software package, some terms need to be defined to relate
the situation to the real world. We've chosen to make this
software look like a manual card filing system. Some of the key
components of the software are defined below.
Card - A form used to enter the data, and filed for later
reference, a modified family group sheet.
Card Number - A sequential number assigned to a card by the
computer. Used to keep track of where it is in the file
and for general reference.
Index - A cross reference between a card number and specific
information, such as last name alphabetically.
File - A place where the cards are saved (in numerical order).
Think of it as a drawer in a file cabinet.
Desktop - A place where cards being worked on may be set down
temporarily (so we can remember to finish them).
Chart - A portion of the data presented in a visual format.
Report - A physical representation of portions of the data,
formatted to present the information according to a
specific set of rules.
As some of the screens in the program ask questions, they assume an
understanding of these terms. These definitions lay a groundwork
for better understanding of working with LINKAGES.
On line help is always available by pressing the F1 key. The best
way to become familiar with the program is to use it. As far as
this manual goes, the getting started section is essential reading.
The tutorial manual will be helpful to first time users. Other
sections may be read immediately or saved as references when
questions arise later. Try not to get too bogged down in details
until you get a feel for the flow of things.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 6
1.3 More to Come
This is the initial software release. As the product matures,
additional features will be added. Customer input will also result
in addition of new features not yet being considered. Priority
items on the new feature list at this time are:
o Additional report formats
o Added configurable features in card format
o Linkage of individuals between separate files
o "File librarian" facility to allow multiple individuals
to work on the same project, sharing and reconciling
data.
o Mailing list / Label printing
2. Getting Started
In this section, we discuss the things you must do before using
LINKAGES.
LINKAGES is ready to run on your IBM personal computer as you
received it. A little preparation will make its use more efficient
and avoid trouble later. Specifically, you will need to:
o Make backup copies of the LINKAGES source disk.
o Prepare a formatted diskette to store data.
o Install the LINKAGES program, according to your system
requirements.
o Set up LINKAGES to use your printer, display, etc.
o Print a copy of the manual.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 7
2.2 Equipment requirements
LINKAGES works on the IBM PC, IBM XT, IBM AT, and fully IBM PC
compatible computers.
A minimum of 256K of memory is required to operate. LINKAGES takes
advantage of all system memory up to 640K as needed. A few tasks
performed by LINKAGES are memory intensive, and can not be done
with the minimum 256K of memory. An example is printing a pedigree
chart 7 generations across (that's using condensed print on 14 inch
wide paper). In these cases, LINKAGES will complain about running
out of memory, then tell you it can not print the chart.
LINKAGES works entirely in "character graphics" mode. Either a
monochrome or graphics display adapter may be used. If color is
available, LINKAGES may be set up to take advantage of it.
Your operating system must be DOS version 2.0 or later.
2.2 The LINKAGES Diskette
One LINKAGES diskette contains all the files necessary to install
and operate LINKAGES. The files contained on the release diskette
are:
README The latest information (not covered in the manual)
LINKAGES.EXE The program itself
LINKAGES.TUT The tutorial manual
LINKAGES.MAN This manual
LINKAGES.HLP Information shown on help screens
TTY.SET The setup file for a generic printer
IBM.SET The setup file for an IBM compatible printer
ITOH8510.SET The setup file for a C. Itoh model 8510A printer
OKI192.SET The setup file for an Okidata model 192 printer
NECP567.SET The setup file for a NEC P5, P6, or P7 printer
SETUP.EXE A utility to do initial system setup.
AUTOEXEC.BAT A file used if you want to boot off your LINKAGES
program disk.
INSTALL.BAT A batch file used for installing LINKAGES
ANSWER.COM A utility used by INSTALL.BAT
If you want a copy of the manual printed, boot your computer using
your DOS system disk, then enter the command:
PRINT B:LINKAGES.MAN
2.3 Backing Up
As with any software or data which is important to you, backing the
data up is very important. You probably have a favorite way to
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 8
back up disks, but if you don't, DISKCOPY (a program that came on
your DOS master disk) is probably the safest, fastest thing to use.
The LINKAGES disk you received should be backed up and the original
put in a safe place before you try to do anything else. Once this
is done, you can work with the copy. If it gets messed up beyond
hope in the process, you can always get a fresh copy and start
over.
As you are working with your data files, you will have a lot of
time and effort invested in your data. It is very important to
keep back-up copies of your data disk in a safe place in case of
disaster (like your dog eating your floppy disk box, or spilling a
cup of coffee on it). The safest way to maintain back-up copies is
a rotating system. It goes something like this:
Set up three sets of disks labelled
LINKAGES BACKUP DATA DISK FOR: SMITH, JONES
DATE:
Each time you have entered a significant amount of data for a
file, find the back-up with the oldest date, put a write
protect tab on the data disk, and copy the data files to the
back-up something like this:
COPY A:*.CRD B:
COPY A:*.KEY B:
Or use whatever drive letters are appropriate for your setup.
Then scratch out the date and write todays date on the back-
up. Tiny labels are handy to cover up the mess after you've
done this a number of times.
If you find that the files have been somehow messed up, copy
from the newest back-up. DON'T USE THE BACKUP DISK ITSELF,
BECAUSE IF YOUR COMPUTER IS AT FAULT IT WILL EAT YOUR BACKUPS
JUST AS FAST AS IT ATE THE ORIGINAL. It is possible that the
error has been there for a while and you've already copied it
to your back-up. If so, an older copy usually can save the
day.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 9
2.4 Installation
A file is provided on the LINKAGES diskette to help you. If you
want to leave it to automation, boot your computer using your DOS
system disk, install the LINKAGES disk in drive A:, and type
"INSTALL". This file will ask you a number of questions, then copy
the appropriate files to your working disks. The sections below
describe in some detail how we suggest setting up the system.
These are the same rules followed by INSTALL.
2.4.1 Single Floppy Diskette System
First set up the program to work on your system by running
SETUP:
SETUP
With single drive copying and all the disk swapping, it is
usually a good idea to put a write protect tab on the LINKAGES
source disk (AFTER you have run SETUP). If you have only one
disk drive, you will normally want to be able to boot off the
LINKAGES program disk. You should format a disk as a system
boot disk (format a: /s), label it "LINKAGES PROGRAM DISK",
and copy the files required to start LINKAGES to it:
copy LINKAGES.EXE B:
copy LINKAGES.CFG B:
copy AUTOEXEC.BAT B:
Then get a normally formatted disk, label it "LINKAGES DATA
DISK", and copy the rest of the operating files to it:
copy LINKAGES.HLP B:
copy *.SET B:
copy *.RPD B:
When you are done, you will be able to install your new
LINKAGES program disk, power the system up, then after the
LINKAGES cover menu is displayed, install the LINKAGES data
disk, and you're off and running.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 10
2.4.2 Dual Floppy Diskette Based System
You first must decide whether you will want to be able to boot
off the LINKAGES program disk. There will be plenty of room
on the disk, so it is probably a good idea. You will need two
formatted disks. If you intend to boot using the program
disk, one of them should be formatted as a system disk. Get
the disk you intend to use as the program disk, label it
"LINKAGES PROGRAM DISK", and copy the operating files to it:
copy LINKAGES.EXE B:
copy LINKAGES.HLP B:
copy *.SET B:
copy *.RPD B:
copy AUTOEXEC.BAT B:
To set up the program go to drive B: and run setup:
B:
A:SETUP
and when SETUP is done, go back to drive a:
A:
The data disk is ready to go without copying any files. When
you are using LINKAGES, you will have the program disk in
drive A: and the data disk in drive B:.
2.4.3 Hard Disk Based System
You will probably want to place the LINKAGES files in their
own subdirectory to keep them together, however, all you
really need to make LINKAGES work is to be working in the same
subdirectory as the LINKAGES files, or to have the LINKAGES
files on your path (See your DOS manual about what this means
if you don't know and really care). The example we will use
is to copy LINKAGES to it own subdirectory called LINKAGES.
You will be using your hard disk, so the prompt will be
C:> or something like that.
You will begin by setting up and using a new directory:
md \LINKAGES
cd \LINKAGES
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 11
You will then place your LINKAGES diskette in drive A: and
copy the necessary files:
copy A:LINKAGES.EXE
copy A:LINKAGES.HLP
copy A:*.SET
copy A:*.RPD
To set up the program, run setup:
A:SETUP
You will probably want to create a batch file which changes
directories to where you want to keep your data when you use
LINKAGES.
2.5 Starting LINKAGES
LINKAGES is executed by entering the command "LINKAGES" when you
have the DOS prompt. If you are using a hard disk, you will need
to have the directory containing LINKAGES selected, or have
LINKAGES installed where the DOS PATH can find it. (See your DOS
manual for a description of DOS PATH usage.)
3. The Desktop
The LINKAGES screen is used like the top of your desk as you are
filling out genealogical data sheets. It is used to work on the
cards, but also for looking things up in the index, preparing
reports, and other activities.
Each card is placed on the desk (actually the screen) and you use
the UP / DOWN arrows and ENTER key to move through the form,
filling in data as you go. When you "create a new card" you are
actually getting a new, blank file card and starting to fill it
out. When you have been using a card and you work on another, you
also set the one you've been using on the desk. When you add a
relationship (parent, etc.) with an individual for whom a card
doesn't already exist, you also start a card for the new individual
and lay it on the desk. When you are using the search menu, you
can "see the cards on the desk" along with their status, such as
"new", "unchanged", or "changed". This is very useful for
remembering which cards you've been working on and have to finish.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 12
A few items always appear on the desktop. The top and bottom lines
of the screen are used to indicate what most of the important keys
are used for.
Help
The top left of the screen indicates: F1 - Help.
The F1 key can be pressed any time and helpful information
regarding the present activities will be displayed.
Escape
The Escape key is one of the most heavily used keys in this
program. It can always be used to "back out" of what you are
now doing, and often allows you to cancel what you almost just
did. The upper right corner of the screen tells what the
Escape key will do right now.
The Command List
The bottom of the screen shows a selection of the important
keys right now. They include keys like the UP / DOWN arrows,
ENTER, and sometimes some of the function keys. The brief
descriptions are usually sufficient to remember what to do
next.
4. The Card
The card is the heart of LINKAGES data entry functions. It
contains most of the data normally found on a family group sheet,
plus other information as established when the file is set up (See
File / Card Setup).
Each card is assigned a number by LINKAGES. The number is
sequential in the order the card was created, starting with 1. The
card number actually corresponds to the number of the first RECORD
occupied by the card. If an individual has a large number of
children or a lot of comments, the card may occupy more than one
record. When this happens, some CARD NUMBERS WILL APPEAR TO BE
MISSING. Don't let this bother you, since what has really happened
is that the "missing" numbers are transparently part of another
card.
The first few lines of the card contain blanks for information
important for all individuals. LINKAGES allows you to add other
categories you may consider important. LINKAGES is designed to be
flexible and you may decide on any category you desire for your
family.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 13
Following the option categories, are the personal LINKAGES. These
include Spouses, Parents and Children. One entry is provided for
each personal linkage. The card is expanded and entries inserted
whenever a personal linkage is added. Examples of this will be
shown later.
Below is a summary of the information displayed for each type of
linkage.
Spouse - Name, Card Number Reference, Marriage Date, Location,
Marriage Ended Date and Reason (Divorce, Death, Annulment
or Other)
Parent - Name, Card Number Reference, Relationship
(Biological, Adopted, Step or Other)
Child - Name, Card Number Reference, Birth Date, Place and
Relationship (Biological, Adopted, Step or Other)
Each card provides ample space for comments concerning the family
member. The special accomplishments of the person, battles fought,
anecdotes, etc. would be entered here. A full screen text editor
facilitates entering the comments.
5. Locating / Selecting a Card
You will begin working in the system by "Getting a Card". You can
create a new card or get an existing card. Either way you start by
pressing the Get a Card function key (F2). A window appears
displaying your options at this point.
F1 - Help
Help as always is available to answer some of the basic
questions you may have about getting a card.
F2 - See Cards on Desk
Whenever a card is created, displayed or modified, it is
placed on the "desk". This function will allow you to
see which cards have currently been in use and help
remind you which cards need to be completed.
F3 - Create a New Card
This function allows you to create a blank card for an
individual being added to the file.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 14
F4 - Search for Card Number
If you know the card number you are looking for, you may
ask for it specifically. You will also be shown the
names of individuals with reference numbers close to the
number requested.
F5 - Search by Full Name
If you want to find an individual's card, knowing his
name, you may enter his full name (or part of name). The
screen will list all cards with leading characters
matching the character pattern entered
F6 - Search by First Name
This function is similar to Search by full name, except
that the first name is the key item in the search rather
than the surname.
F7 - Search by Ancestors
Upon locating a card, the F7 key will display a pedigree
chart pertaining to the name on the card. Any of the
displayed ancestors may be selected.
F8 - Search by Descendants
Upon locating a card, the F8 key will display a
descendant chart for the selected individual. Any of the
displayed descendants may be selected.
F9 - Peek at Card
The PEEK key is available from within most of the search
/ selection screens. When you press PEEK, the card for
the presently highlighted individual is displayed. PEEK
is usually used to verify that the highlighted individual
is the one you were really looking for without actually
bringing it onto the desktop.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 15
6. Displaying / Editing a Card
Once you get a card it is displayed on the screen. At this point
you may change or add to the displayed information.
You can move from item to item on the card using the ENTER, UP /
DOWN arrow keys, or TAB / BACKTAB keys. The display indicates how
each item may be modified. Responses vary from simply entering
data in a highlighted "edit field" to answering Yes/No questions to
working in a full screen editor. Each of the typical responses is
described below:
6.1 Is This OK?
This entry involves correcting the name at the top of the card, or
modifying a linked relationship (parent, spouse, or child). A
highlighted message appears at the right edge of the screen
indicating:
<- Is this entry OK? Yes
A suggested answer is shown. Pressing 'Y' or 'N' changes the
answer. When ENTER, UP / DOWN arrows, or TAB / BACKTAB are
pressed, the answer is accepted. If the answer is yes, no action
is taken and the cursor moves to the next line (up for the case of
the UP arrow or BACKTAB keys). If the answer is no, a window
appears and additional questions are answered.
6.2 The Edit Field
The edit field appears as a highlighted line of a length equal to
the maximum number of characters for the present selection. Data
is entered by simply typing in the data. If you try to type more
than the maximum number of legal characters, or you try to back
past the beginning of the line, LINKAGES will beep at you and
refuse to do it.
Special keys available when entering data in the edit field are:
INS Changes data entry between typeover mode (underscore '_'
cursor) and insert mode (solid block cursor).
In typeover mode each character entered types over, or
erases anything that occupied its position before.
In insert mode, the rest of the line is "pushed" to the
right as each new character is entered.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 16
DEL Erases the character at the cursor and moves the balance
of the line to the left one position.
BACKSPACE The dark colored key with a left arrow erases the
character to the left of the cursor and move the balance
of the line one position to the left.
LEFT / RIGHT Arrow Keys - The light colored LEFT and RIGHT
arrow keys move the cursor back and forth within the edit
field.
Home - Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line.
End - Moves the cursor just past the last (nonblank) character
in the edit field.
ENTER (or RETURN, or funny looking hooked left arrow) is used
to exit the edit field and move to the next edit field
(which may be on the same line).
ESC - is used to exit as described in the top right corner of
the screen. It is often the same as the ENTER key. In
some cases (such as creating a new card) it is
interpreted to say "I didn't really mean it".
UP / DOWN Arrow Keys - These keys are used to exit the edit
field and move up or down to the next editable line.
TAB / BACKTAB Keys - These keys are used to move between
fields without changing anything.
You may leave the edit field by pressing the ENTER or escape keys,
UP or DOWN arrows, or TAB / BACKTAB keys.
6.3 Choices
Many places, LINKAGES needs an answer selected from a list of
relevant choices. When this happens, a list of choices is
presented with selection numbers as below:
What is the relationship?
1 - Biological
2 - Adopted
3 - Step
4 - Other
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 17
The suggested choice is highlighted. Pressing any of the values (1
- 4) or the UP / DOWN arrows will move the highlight to a new
choice. Pressing ESC, ENTER, or TAB /BACKTAB continues, selecting
the highlighted choice.
6.4 Do You Wish to Add a (Linkage)?
A linked member is a spouse, parent, or child with whom a
relationship has been indicated. This window is where the process
of establishing such a link takes place. For each type of linked
member, new links are added to the end of the already existing
links.
Immediately after answering "Is this entry ok?" for the last member
of each type of link, a window pops up asking whether you wish to
add another.
If you choose to add one, you will be given the option of creating
a new card or using an already existing card. This new or existing
card will be linked to the card presently being displayed. You may
enter as many as applicable.
For the cases of parents or children you will be asked what the
relationship is, be it Biological, Adopted, Step or Other.
For the case of a spouse, you will fill in the marriage date and
place and, if the marriage has ended, the reason for and date of
termination.
6.5 Comments
A section is reserved at the end of the card for comments of any
kind. A full screen text editor becomes active when you get to the
section under the word "Comments". You enter data by typing
whatever you want to enter. The cursor keys are used to move
around and add or modify data anywhere in the comment section.
There is no real limit to the amount of data you may enter, as
LINKAGES keeps expanding to use more cards as space is needed. The
keys function within the comment section are almost identical to
those described under "Edit Field". Additional functions provided
here are CTRL-BACKSPACE to delete the current line and automatic
paragraph formatting.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 18
7. Report Output
The reports output by LINKAGES consist of printing copies of
individual cards, indexes of all the cards in the file, and
combinations of pedigree / descendant charts with copies of cards
optionally attached.
When LINKAGES is ready to print, you will be able to choose whether
to use a printer or "print" to a text file (see "Print Where?").
7.1 Hard Copy of Cards
Cards to be printed are selected either individually or as all
cards in the file. The selection may take place in one or many
passes, building a list until you have selected all the cards you
want to print. Then they are printed by pressing the function key
indicated for printing. You will be able to decide how many cards
you want printed on a page before starting.
When cards are about to be printed, you will be asked if you wish
to add blank work sheet entries to each card. This option makes
the printed card into a work sheet which is handy for checking and
sending to members of the family adding information and comments.
See "Work sheets" for more information.
7.2 File Index
If you are maintaining hard copies of your cards in a file cabinet,
you will want an index to help find them. This report selection
allows you to print copies of an index to all cards in the file in
one of three orders:
o Numerical
o Alphabetical by first name
o Alphabetical by surname
No further decisions need to be made since the an index always
contains all cards in the file. You are ready to print, and will
be asked the "Print Where" questions.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 19
7.3 Work Sheets
A worksheet is a card form with blank lines added for writing in
additional information. It is used for printing the information
presently entered, while making it easy to fill in additional facts
manually. This would be mailed to individuals asking for missing
information.
A blank worksheet is basically an empty form. Non-blank worksheets
have all the information from a card plus additional blanks to be
filled in. The number of blank worksheet entries is normally one
spouse, two parents, and four children. The number of blank
entries may be changed and blank worksheets may be printed under
the selection: Reports / Worksheets. These changes, if saved
become a permanent part of the LINKAGES configuration and are used
whenever worksheets are printed.
Whenever cards are going to be printed, LINKAGES will ask if blank
worksheet entries are desired. If the answer is yes, LINKAGES will
take care of the rest.
7.4 Full Reports
It is important to underline the distinction between CHARTS and
COMPOSED REPORTS before dealing with full reports.
7.4.1 CHARTS
A chart is a visual, or symbolic representation of the data.
The types of charts LINKAGES can produce are pedigree charts
and descendant charts.
Pedigree Charts
This is the familiar tree shaped chart. It contains an
individual's name and card number, along with date and
location of birth, death, and first marriage. A line connects
each individual with his or her ancestors visually showing the
family lineage.
Descendant Charts
This chart is printed in the indented format, where the
individual is shown with spouses if any (marked using a '+'
sign) and each generation of descendants indented one more
level.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 20
7.4.2 COMPOSED REPORTS
A composed report is a body of information, printed according to a
specific set of rules. A COMPOSED REPORT ALWAYS CONTAINS ONE OR
MORE CHART, but the specific arrangement of the sections is
organized by you before you print it. The process of establishing
these rules and arrangement are what we refer to as "COMPOSING A
REPORT".
To compose a report, you will be shown the report composition menu
for either a Pedigree or Descendant chart (they are both the same
menu) and asked to change any of the rules you wish. The report
composition menu allows selection of the individual on which the
chart will be based, how many generations, printer setup selection,
how many generations to be placed on each page, information to
formulate page headers if desired, and a choice as to whether the
cards specific to this chart be attached.
When done composing a chart, finish by pressing ESCAPE. You may
then add another chart to the report, or delete, edit, review,
etc. After adding as many charts as desired choose "Quit" from the
report composition menu. You will now have the option to print the
report if desired.
The menu tells how many charts now comprise the report, which one
you are now looking at, and the details of that particular chart.
An example is shown below:
+-Pedigree (Chart 1 of 6) ---------------+
| For: Jones,Harvey Bernard |
| Generations: 45 Bloodline Only (yes)|
| Fmt: 17 char/in,8.5 in paper Gen/pg:4 |
| Lines/in:8 Att. Cards(yes)Pg Head(yes) |
+----------------------------------------+
Pedigree (Chart 1 of 6) - This line specifies the type of chart
(pedigree or descendant) and which chart is being viewed (in this
case this first chart in report composed of 6 charts total).
Charts are numbered within a report. A chart will not fit on a
single page if it contains more generations than the selected
"Gen/pg". In this event the chart is continued on additional
charts. If a report contains only one chart, it is labelled "CHART
1" and any continuations are labelled "CHART 2", etc. If the
report contains more than one chart, the first one is labelled
"CHART 1-1" and continuations are labelled "CHART 1-2", etc.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 21
For: Jones, Harvey Bernard - This is the subject of the chart. The
full name listed on the subject card is shown in this line. When a
subject is selected, the same screens used for selecting cards
throughout LINKAGES are used.
Generations - This entry specifies how many total generations are
to be printed in the chart. If all generations are wanted, use a
big number (999 is handy).
Bloodline Only - You may specify for each chart whether to only
include biological relationships or if all relationships (step,
adopted, etc) should be shown.
Fmt: 17 char/in,8.5 in paper - This indicates the printer character
pitch to be used. When selecting this item, paper width is shown
as well as a recommended number of generations (wide) to make each
page. NOTE: This paper width is illustrative only. LINKAGES
ignores this paper width and uses the width stated in the printer
setup for its actual calculations.
Gen/pg: - The number of generations (wide) to put on a single page.
Lines/in - The line spacing to use for this specific report.
Att. Cards - Should each card referenced in this chart be printed
as well.
Pg Head - Should a header be printed at the top of each page? If
the answer is yes, an opportunity is given to enter the text to
appear in the header. Several symbols have special meaning within
the body of the page header:
@p@ Location for page number
@file@ Name of base file used for chart
@date@ Place todays date here
@name@ Name of chart's subject
When the report is being printed, these symbols will be replaced by
appropriate text.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 22
7.5 Report Configuration Files
A report configuration file is an ASCII text file (see Appendix A)
which contains instructions to LINKAGES about how to compose a set
of reports. The instructions are implemented using several key
words. The text MUST start in the first column or it is ignored:
.PEDIGREE followed by a number declares the start of a
pedigree chart. The number is the number of generations to be
printed in the chart. If no number is present, 999 is used.
.DESCENDANT followed by a number declares the start of a
pedigree chart. The number is the number of generations to be
printed in the chart. If no number is present, 999 is used.
.CHARPERINCH followed by a number is the printer font size
to be used for this chart in characters per inch.
.GENPERPAGE followed by a number is the number of
generations (wide) to be printed on a page.
.LINESPERINCH followed by a number is line spacing in line
per inch to be used for this chart.
.BLOODLINEONLY indicates that relationships which are not
biological (step, adopted, etc) should be excluded from this
chart.
.INCLUDECARDS indicates that copies of all the cards
referenced in this chart should be printed
.HEADER The line following this one contains text to be
used for a page header for this chart.
A report configuration file must use the file name extension
".RPD". A file (sample.rpd) is supplied with the LINKAGES release
disk, and a copy is listed in Appendix B of this manual as an
example. When the menu item "Load Report Configuration Files" is
selected, all available report configuration files are listed and
you may select one by pressing ENTER.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 23
7.6 Print Where?
Whenever you choose to print anything, you will be given a chance
to choose where to print the cards. The choices are the printer or
a text file on the disk.
If you choose the printer, printing will begin immediately
according to the printer setup you've already selected. You will
be given a chance to review the printer setup, and select a
different printer or change the normal printer settings before
proceeding. The normal printer setup is used for printing cards
and indexes. The composed reports have specific selections for
each component of the report, and can only be revised under
"Compose Reports".
If you choose a file, LINKAGES will check to see if the file
already exists. If it does, you may choose whether to:
Try a different name You want to leave the old
file one alone.
Destroy the old file You don't care about the old
one
Append to the old file You are building a composite
report on disk
Cancel You want to think it over
After choosing the file, LINKAGES also wants to know what character
translation to use:
No translation You will be viewing it on an
IBM compatible display.
ASCII characters only You plan to print it someplace
sometime, and want it to go on
any printer.
System Printer You plan to print it on the
type of printer now configured
in the system.
The situations in which you will be using these various options may
not be obvious immediately, but they will come in very handy when
you need them. Once these selections have been made, LINKAGES will
proceed with the printing it has been asked to do.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 24
8. Setup
8.1 System Setup
System setup allows you to set specific criteria for your system,
including printer setup, directions for LINKAGES to follow when
looking for data files, and the color attributes used when
displaying on a color monitor. The printer setup and "Where are
Files" are shown on the screen, and the color attributes are always
visible.
+---------------------------------------+
|+ Printer Setup ----------------------+|
|| Type: IBMCOMP port:lpt1:||
|| Normal characters per inch 10 ||
|| Normal lines per inch 6 ||
|| Paper size (in):8.5 wide,11.0 long ||
|| Send form feed new page (yes) ||
|| Send CR with LF (yes) ||
|+-------------------------------------+|
|Data Files (.CRD) found on: |
| B:\ |
|Index files (.KEY) found on: |
| B:\ |
+---------------------------------------+
PRINTER SETUP - allows you to select the type / model of printer
you will be using with your system. When the set up printer option
is selected, you may select a different printer from the selection
of printer setup files on your disk, and / or modify any of its
working parameters.
WHERE ARE THE FILES - allows you to change where LINKAGES looks for
its data files.
COLORS - presents a screen with a matrix showing all of the colors
that LINKAGES knows how to produce on the display in use. You can
pick what to modify colors for (like borders, text, edit field,
etc.) then try them on by using the LEFT / RIGHT / UP / DOWN arrow
keys to move to different colors in the matrix.
SAVE CHANGES - write a system configuration file to the disk so
LINKAGES can reload the setup information next time you use it.
IMPORTANT: If you will be working with LINKAGES on a boot disk,
then replacing it with a data disk while you are actually using it,
be sure to have the boot disk in the disk drive when you save the
configuration file. LINKAGES looks for this file before you have a
chance to change disks.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 25
8.2 File / Card Setup
The physical appearance of the card may be configured to a certain
extent using this section. A card contains several entries which
always appear whether they are used or not. The number of entries
and their contents may be altered before a file is created.
When you enter this feature, you may choose to use the default
settings, or load another file to extract pertinent data. This
allows you to say "I want to make a new file and set it up just
like JONES".
IMPORTANT: ONCE A FILE HAS BEEN CREATED, THESE ITEMS ARE FIXED FOR
THE LIFE OF THE FILE. IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE ANY OF THESE, DO IT
BEFORE CREATING YOUR DATA FILES.
These configured items may be in one of three formats:
1 [label] 12 Jan 1987 Place:_____________________
2 [label] Jan 12 1987 Place:_____________________
3 [label]:_____________________
You may choose which of the three formats to use and enter the
label text to go with it. Three of the configured items are
special to LINKAGES. They are used to indicate birth, death, and
marriage statistics. For these three items, LINKAGES will only
allow you to use types 1 and 2, and none of them may be deleted.
When the configuration menu is shown, the first one in the list is
marriage. This is the only on that appears in a different order
than it is actually shown on the card. LINKAGES will not allow you
to insert another item before marriage, although you may change the
label and the type.
After you have set the format, exit by pressing ESC. You will be
given an option on the way out of creating a file using your new
setup. You can then "get a card" and begin using your new file
immediately.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 26
9. Data Files
The information contained in this section is not important for
typical use of LINKAGES. It is provided as general information and
for use by advanced users.
LINKAGES creates and uses two data files in its operations. The
files are created when you tell LINKAGES to create a file and give
a name. The two files are called "NAME.CRD" and "NAME.KEY".
NAME.CRD will contain all the data you enter. It is organized in a
very specific format (see Appendix D).
NAME.KEY contains an indexing system for rapidly finding a named
card. The data is maintained using a balanced binary tree (B-TREE)
structured database.
The two files are kept synchronized using an access transaction
number maintained in each of the files. If this number does not
match, there is sufficient information in NAME.CRD to rebuild
NAME.KEY and LINKAGES does just that automatically.
Whenever LINKAGES opens a file to use it, a unique temporary file
(called: 8_digit_number.TMP) is created and placed on the same disk
as the opened file. Whenever LINKAGES references a file, it makes
sure the temporary file (checking name, time, and date) is still
there to prevent you from accidentally putting in a different disk
without LINKAGES finding out. LINKAGES will keep badgering you and
refuse to do anything until you put in the right disk.
10. Error Messages
There may be times when LINKAGES will detect an error and ask for a
response from you. For example, if you try to print a report and
your printer is not ready, a message box will appear on the screen
to tell you of the problem and ask if you want to try again. You
should check the printer and then tell linkages to try again by
pressing the Y key. In general these messages are clear enough
that you will be able to respond appropriatly.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 27
Appendix A - ASCII Text Files
An ASCII Text file is a "what you see is what you got file". With
many word processors, the word processor embeds special information
in the file which it uses for directions to itself (such as printer
character size and where new pages start). When the word processor
shows this information on the screen, this information is not seen
(ie. what you see is not what you got). A number of files you may
wish to create for LINKAGES must be ASCII text files. There are
several ways to create such a file:
Use a text editor - These are different than word processors
in that they show exactly what is in the file, and usually
don't have as many fancy features for report formatting. Some
examples are:
- IBM Personal Editor II (my favorite)
- PC Write (a fine shareware product)
- Edline (part of DOS, a last resort)
Use a word processor in non-document mode. WordStar and
others have this feature.
Use a word processor and "Print" the document to a file.
If you want to find out whether the file you are working with is a
"what you see is what you get" file, try using dos commands to
"type" it or "print" it (see your DOS book for information on using
the type and print commands). It should look identical to what is
displayed using the word processor.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 28
Appendix B - Report Configuration Files
The distribution disk contains a sample report configuration file
called SAMPLE.RPD. Its contents are as shown below. Please not
that the two lines following .HEADER are really one long line that
just appears as two lines because it is so long.
; Sample report configuration file
; The directive: ".PEDIGREE n", etc sets the number of generations,
; 0 or no value is used to mean ALL
.PEDIGREE
.HEADER
@date@ File:@file@ Pedigree Chart for @name@
Page @p@
.INCLUDECARDS
.LINESPERINCH 8
.CHARPERINCH 17
.GENPERPAGE 4
.DESCENDANT
.HEADER
@date@ File:@file@ Descendant Chart for @name@
Page @p@
.INCLUDECARDS
.LINESPERINCH 8
.CHARPERINCH 17
.GENPERPAGE 18
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 29
Appendix C - Printer Setup Files
The printer setup file is a file containing instructions to
LINKAGES about what characters should be sent to the printer to
produce a printout as close as possible to what you see on the
screen. The file is in a very simple format. It is an ASCII text
file (see Appendix A). THE FIRST CHARACTER of each line is the
key. LINKAGES looks for the following first characters:
Period - this is interpreted as the start of a special
reserved word. The possible words are:
CPI10 - How to set 10 characters per inch
CPI12 - How to set 12 characters per inch
CPI17 - How to set 17 characters per inch
LPI6 - How to set 6 lines per inch
LPI8 - How to set 8 lines per inch
In each of these cases, the reserved word should be followed
by a series of comma separated decimal numbers (zero is not
legal) which represent exactly the values the printer needs to
enter the stated modes.
Decimal digit - This is interpreted as the 'next' value in the
character set translation table. The first of these is used
to print the IBM graphic character zero (a smiling face) and
each line starting with a decimal digit is used for the next
character (through 255). If fewer than 255 entries are in the
file, LINKAGES will complain about a short file and do no
translation on any characters following the end of file.
Any other character - LINKAGES assumes this is a comment and
ignores it.
If you decide to make your own printer setup file, it is easiest to
start with a copy of one of the files provided on your release
disk. The files range from IBMCOMP.SET which does an absolute
minimum of translation to TTY.SET which assumes an incredibly
stupid printer.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 30
Appendix D - Data File Structure
This section describes the technical details of the "NAME.CRD"
files created and maintained by LINKAGES.
All data in the file of more than one byte in length is in INTEL
(least significant byte first) format. The contents of the file
are as follows:
HEADER SECTION
4 bytes Binary offset into file to start of Data Section
4 bytes Binary Offset into file to B-TREE configuration section
3 bytes Signature, ASCII characters "CRD"
2 bytes Card data structure revision rev / subrev
2 bytes File structure revision rev / subrev
4 bytes Access transaction number for CRD/KEY synchronization
FILE CONFIGURATION SECTION
2 bytes Number of bytes contained in a data record
2 bytes Card number (head of linked list) of deleted card
6 bytes Number of configured events of each type (max 6 types)
20 ea, 10 byte structures, each with
1 byte type of configured event
1 byte index, which of this type
8 bytes Name to be used with this event
1 byte Number of external files with links to this one
32 ea, 9 byte arrays Names of external files linked to this one
B-TREE CONFIGURATION SECTION
Detailed information not supplied
DATA SECTION
2 bytes Number of records in file
1 record size (size determined above) RESERVED
1 record size for each record in file
END OF FILE
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 31
FORMAT OF CONFIGURED EVENTS
The dates used in a record consist of a 4 byte value with the
following meaning:
first 12 bits year
next 4 bits month
next 5 bits day of month
next 3 bits date qualifier
next 1 bit Julian calendar
next 7 bits Optional field
Event types 0 and 1 each contain a date followed by 25 bytes of
text, or a total of 29 bytes.
Event type 2 is a 26 character array.
LINKAGES BETA Release 1.06 Page 32
FORMAT OF EACH RECORD
2 bytes - Number assigned to this record
2 bytes - Number of continuation card if continued, or next deleted
if deleted
2 bytes - Flags, bit 0,1- sex: 1=male, 2 = female, else unknown
bit 2 - RESERVED
bit 3 - This is not a valid (start of) card
bit 4 - This card is deleted
bit 5 - This card has been edited since
creation
balance- RESERVED
1 byte - Number of characters used by name(s)
SPECIAL CASE FOR CONTINUATION CARD - DATA POOL CONTINUES HERE
94 bytes- Address, phone, etc
21 bytes- Occupation
29 bytes- Birth event
29 bytes- Death event
1 byte - Number of spouses linked to this card
1 byte - Number of parents linked to this card
1 byte - Number of children linked to this card
2 bytes- RESERVED
DATA POOL STARTS HERE
Number of characters used by name (from above) - Name(s) as null
terminated strings
29 bytes each - Configured events types 0 and 1 (mixed)
26 bytes each - Configured events type 2
37 bytes each - 2 byte record number, 29 byte event, and 4 byte
termination date for each spouse linked to this card
Date option field used for cause of termination (low
4 bits), and 'which' name to use for spouse (high 3 bits)
3 bytes each - 2 byte record number, 4 bit 'which' name to use for
parent, and 4 bit relation code for each parent linked
to this card
3 bytes each - 2 byte record number, 4 bit 'which' name to use for
parent, and 4 bit relation code for each child linked
to this card
Balance comment text
