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Text File | 1992-09-24 | 23KB | 524 lines

BIBL's revision history (since release 5.24) ======================================== 7.62a September 24, 1992. Changed BIBL's listing of keywords used. Now lists keys in a single column. Each term used is preceeded with a '___' so you can check off ones you want to work on. Verify Keywords/Subject screen during ADD or EDIT reworked a bit. Status line now changes when this option is running. More corrections / improvements in the various output options under User Selects (option M on Export menu). Registered version, removed the "preceed author with tab" question under bibliography. It wasn't particularly helpful. A better approach is to use Bibliography function to create a BIX file. Then create a new database and import the BIX file into it. Then under User Selects option you have additional output options. 7.61b Cleaned up a few anomalies in the User-Selects Export Option...particularly option C and E. Option E now inserts a TAB character that passes muster with most word processors. 7.61 User-Selects output option under Export (option M) enhanced. BIBL now allows you to not only specify the fields to be included in a report but to also specify the order of the fields as well. In earlier releases you could not control the order in which the fields appeared--just which ones. Now the order in which you list the fields to be included is the order in which they will appear in a given citation. With the ability to modify the order of fields included in "user-selects" options N and O (title first and location first) are no longer needed and have been removed. BIBL now offers a couple of different formats for a "User-Selects" report (x, y and z show 3 different fields in the illustrations below): Option A = All fields flush left xxxxx yyyyy zzzzz Option B = 2-8 fields indented under the first field xxxxxxxxxxxx yyyyyyy zzzzzzz Option C = Soft returns between fields xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. zzzzzzzzzzzz Option D = 1st field indented, subsequent fields flush left xxxxxxxx yyyyyyyyyyyyy zzzzzzzzzzzzz Option E = Tabs between fields, CR/LF after final field: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[TAB]yyyyyyyyyyyyyyy[TAB]zzzzzzzzzzzzzz[RETURN] 7.60b Fixed problem with the User Selects export option. If you chose option E (soft returns), there was a hard return put in after line 9 and line 10 of a note field. Now BIBL correctly adds the linefeed ONLY at the end of the NOTE. Format option "C" under User-Selects has been changed. This no longer produces a BIX file (no need for that since BIX creation has been in the program for some time). Instead, this now produces a citation with NO hard returns between fields, and a hard return at the end of the cite. Should be helpful for users dumping databases to a word processor or desktop publishing system (to create a catalog). 7.60a During record display (as when searching or listing) only those fields that have some value stored will be labelled. In situations where you don't fill in all the fields, this makes for a less busy screen. *REGISTERED VERSION* Added ability to modify the descriptor field label. Now defaults to Keys: and Keyword Search. Changes made throughout the program to reflect the new default field label. You may now interrupt BOOLEAN searching by pressing any key. Unless you are logging matches to disk you can stop both FULL and BOOLEAN search by pressing any key as the graph displays. If you have fewer than 50 records, you don't see the graph...and you'll have to be pretty quick to interrupt the search... 7.51b Global find/replace now offers an AUTOMATIC switch. Once you're satisfied that only intended changes are being made, you can answer "Automatic" to the 'Make this change?' prompt and BIBL will finish making the change to all affected records in the database without asking. Fixed problem with registered user version and boolean searching (when logging matches to disk). Prior to the fix, if you didn't give a name to the output file, BIBL sent the output to the screen...total hosing out the display! Now BOOLSRCH is given as the default name if none is specified. 7.51a Changed the way BIBL handles indexed-field searches. Now runs more like the non-indexed search behavior introduced in 7.50. All matches are initially gathered together, then the user is presented a set of matching records. You can move freely about the set (forward, backward, or randomly via the JUMP command). You may also edit or delete records within the set without being immediately returned to the search menu. Size of Match array (for indexed or non-indexed searching) increased to 650 matches. If your query results in more than 650 matches, you'll have to revise it...BIBL shows only the first 650 matching records. 7.50c Added code that checks to see the a slash is contained on any command line option. BIBL was having a bit of confusion if you used command line switches and then put the name of a database on the command line. If you specify a particular database on the command line, it MUST be the first argument. For example, suppose you have two databases and want to run BIBL in monochrome mode with the database DEMO active as the program begins. Type BIBL DEMO /M [return] not BIBL /M DEMO. 7.50b Registered version only Fixed Boolean search so that you can't export to disk during a boolean search if you're running program in OPAC (read-only) mode -- that is; you started BIBL with the /p switch. 7.50 Major reworking of PUBLISHER, LOCATION, FULL and BOOLEAN search function (all non-indexed searches). Gone are the klunky "End of File Reached" messages and the blinking 'wait' as BIBL searched... BIBL now runs through the entire database looking for matches before showing you any matching records. By gathering all matches ahead of time, we've cut out the long delays that often accompanied moving back and forth between matches--BIBL no longer has to search for each additional match, but 'knows' where all the matching records are. If your database has more than a couple hundred records, you'll immediately notice the improvement. Changing the search algorithm also enabled the addition of a JUMP command to these searches. Once the set of matches has been collected, you can JUMP from one match to any other, if desired. Sequential movement through the matches (Forward & Backward) is still supported. Another improvement here is the ability to edit records that are a part of the matching set...without having BIBL return you to the search menu once the change has been filed! The one drawback to this new algorithm is that BIBL must limit your match set to no more than 600 records. If you conduct a search that results in more than 600 matches, only the first 600 will be shown. You'll receive a "match limit exceeded for this search" message...which indicates you should narrow your search. This limit was imposed to keep from imposing a serious RAM requirement on users who rely more on indexed retrieval. BIBL now requires approximately that 462K of RAM be free at the DOS prompt when BIBL loads. 7.43a ability to interrupt totalling process (under Maintenance) introduced. By pressing any key while the totalling process is underway you can abort the totalling and return to the Main Menu. + Mouse support enhanced. BIBL now better supports double clicking on file names (e.g., picking a database or selecting a file to view). + Added field-based input for global change procedure and several other functions within the program. Some users were having problems with their cursors not tracking correctly during these functions. Problem has been fixed. + further work on fixing the problem of errant characters left on the screen when using a mouse (known in programming circles as "mouse droppings"). We hope this has been eliminated but only time will tell... 7.42a Under delimited export, note field is now written as 10 separate lines...this was done to assist those users who are breaking the note field up and using it as several smaller fields. Note will now be written as: "note field line1","line2","line3","line4 ..." and so on thru 10 lines rather than: "line1 line2 line3 line4 ..." where all ten lines were written as one long line. 7.41b Added code to halt BIBL's startup if sufficient RAM isn't available. Previously, checked for available RAM only when ready to initialize in-memory index pages. Note: BIBL needs a minimum of 454K free RAM to operate. 7.41a Verification of SUBJECT (in addition to verification of descriptors) has been added to the ALT-V command that appears during data entry and/or edit. Value field does not display for a given item unless a number (value) has been entered for that item. In this way, only users who want to use the value field will ever see it. It always appears during data entry and data editing, but displays on searches (or when using the LIST option) only when that item has information in the field. When doing data entry, if you do not want a value to appear, just RETURN through the 000.00 displayed in the value field. BIBL will not display the 000.00 value or the 'Value:' label during searches or during 'list' 7.40 Added ability to track value in a record (e.g., replacement cost). Each field stores a value (6 character limit XXX.XX) which can be totalled for a given database under maintenance (option V). The value field is exported to a BIX file (the label is "VL=") and the VL= field will be read into a BIBL record when using the ASCII import option. The only export file that contains value is the BIX file! Do not include a $ in the value. BIBL will convert any '$'s to '0's before computing the value of the record...but you're better off not putting any $ signs in the field. 7.30 Minor update. Added a few vertical bars to the status line and made a few internal changes to cut down on stack usage. 7.20 New reindexing algorithm implemented. Cuts reindexing speed in half for users of REGISTERED version (sample database of 444 records reindexes in 8 seconds! 486/33 test machine with 2 Mb disk cache & 8 Mb RAM). SHAREWARE version also shows improvement but not quite as much (since REGISTERED version will use of EMS memory (if available) or additional RAM for index storage). Same dramatic improvements available in BIBL/NET SHELL TO DOS now frees all but 140K. The prompt is no longer changed to "Type EXIT to return to BIBL" but using a different heap compression technique, much more RAM is now available. 7.10 Compile date July 10, 1992. Registered version Added ability to redefine field labels on data entry and edit screen for any field, as well as the ability to redefine how BIBL refers to five fields throughout the program: AUTHOR, TITLE, PUBLISHER, LOCATION, and SUBJECT. You may use up to 9 characters names for these fields. This change is made for each individual database--meaning you can have some databases that use BIBL's default values and some that you assign special display text for. Basically, you create a *.DBL file for any database you want to relabel. For example, to relabel DEMO.DAT you create an ASCII text file named DEMO.DBL (DBL = DataBaseLabel). See BIBL.DOC for complete details. The length of the fields may not be changed. Shareware version The modification feature discussed above is limited to the location field and it's associated label. 7.01 Compile date July 6, 1992. Minor fix to User-Selects option on export. Author was appearing in output even if not selected. 7.00e Compile date June 18, 1992. Still working on minimizing the number of times the mouse incorrectly disturbs the screen (leaving a character or hole lying around on a screen). Think they're finished off, but you never know. 7.00d Compile date June 15, 1992. Minor tweak to color set when using the /m (monochrome) switch at startup. Makes the add/edit screen much more visible for laptop users. 7.00c Compile date June 10, 1992. Minor fix to problem with mouse cursor making a black hole on the registration information display (SHAREWARE only). 7.00b Compile date June 9, 1992. Minor fix to clear up a problem with the data entry screen. 7.00a Compile date June 4, 1992. Release 7.0 is a fairly significant rewrite of major portions of BIBL. First, the database structure has been changed -- to increase the note field from 7 to 10 lines (now 700 characters)...and to add 2 fields that will be used at a later date for internal operations. Mouse users will notice that the data entry screen and the edit screen are now mouseable...you may click on a field to edit it's contents. Verify Descriptors (now ALT-V on the data entry or edit screen) may be done at any time during data entry or editing. It is no longer necessary to finish editing before being able to check new descriptors against the existing database. A multitude of line editing commands are now supported during the add/edit function. If you know WordStar commands (or one of the Borland editors), you quickly recognize these commands: ^F or CTRL -> word right ^S - character left ^A or CTRL <- word left ^D - character right ^T - delete word right ^Y - delete line ^E - up one line ^X - down a line ^H - backspace and more. BRX updated to reflect new structure of database. The changes made in the data entry/edit function were necessary to add the underlying support for two improvements scheduled for release in late summer: a variable length note field and a text-editor (with word wrap) for entering (or editing) it. Stay tuned... 6.51a Added ability to IGNORE CASE when conducting a global 'find and replace' on a given field. Search routines for 'find and replace' also further optimized (to increase speed). 6.50b Basically just a recompilation of the program after upgrading our programming toolkit with the latest release of TurboPower's Object Professional (1.14). 6.50a Due to several large improvements (well, they seemed large during the coding but represent only a few things on the screen) we've jumped to 6.5 (no 6.42). GLOBAL CHANGE improved. An index rebuild is no longer necessary after making changes...BIBL now updates the index as you make your change. This will be a significant time saver for sites with large (1000+) databases--saving a lot of time that was once spent waiting for reindexing to finish. DELIMITED FORMAT export has been improved. Now BIBL puts all information for each field inside a single set of quotes. As a result, the chart below shows the maximum field length for each field exported: Author 140 chars Title 210 chars Publisher 140 chars Class 40 chars subject 30 chars Desc 70 chars note 490 chars DESCRIPTOR field support improved. BIBL now records up to 9 terms in the descriptor field. Previously system recognized and indexed only the first 8 terms. One additional descriptor per record is now possible (of course, only if you can fit all nine terms into a 70 character field). If you have an existing database, you should rebuild the indexes to pickup any 9th term that might be in your records... BACKUP improved. When a ZIP/LZH or ARJ backup is completed successfully, BIBL now reports the size of the backup file to you after processing finishes. This will help you judge where to move the backup (to disk or tape or some other method). BIBL will offer to copy the file to another drive (A-Z) for you. Note that BIBL will put the file in the ROOT directory of the drive you suggest (e.g., A:\xxxxxx.zip). You CAN NOT direct the file to another subdirectory (this should pose no problem since most users want the file on diskette and typically don't use subdirectories on them). 6.41a Compile date April 9, 1992. BIBL now updates the index as records are added from a BIX file...no longer necessary to rebuild system indexes after reading in records. This should those sites reading BIX files into large databases on slow computers--no time wasted reindexing records that didn't change. During data entry, BIBL will strip commas out of the descriptor field, replacing them with a space. Be sure to use '-' (hyphens) to join multi-word terms! 6.40b Limited release. BIBL now correctly reports that a full record search was done under bibliography creation on the BIBLIOGRAPHY STATUS screen. In release 6.40a, this field was accidentally left blank. 6.40a REGISTERED VERSION ONLY. BIBL now supports full record searching under Bibliography creation (Option D under Export). UNREGISTERED VERSION ONLY BIBL will now allow you to create a bibliography based on the location field. Prior to this release, this was blocked for unregistered users. 6.30e Compile date March 20, 1992. Specify database on command line. 6.30d Compile date March 12, 1992. Fixed minor display quirk. 6.30c Compile date March 9, 1992. READONLY version (interim LAN release) 6.30b Compile date March 5, 1992. File viewer safety feature added. No longer bombs if file-to-view is larger than available memory. 6.30a Compile date March 4, 1992. Search progress graph added. Better MONOCHROME support. 6.20a Compile date February 20, 1992. Two new export options added. 6.11a Minor modifications. 6.10a Compile date February 12, 1992. Convert SHAREWARE no longer appears on menu of REGISTERED VERSIONS 6.0b Compile date January 29, 1992. Interface returns to older look 6.0a Compile date January 28, 1992. Large external editor support added to SHAREWARE release. 5.91b Compile date January 24, 1992. Onscreen spelling error fixed 5.91a Compile date January 21, 1992. OR searching fixed. 5.90a Compile date January 10, 1992. Verification of keywords added. 5.80b Compile date January 3, 1992. Couple of minor cosmetic changes. 5.80a Compile date December 9, 1991. Limit Boolean searches to descriptor 5.70 Compile date November 22, 1991 Boolean improved again. 5.60b Limited release. {Boolean AND/OR/NOT searching improved 5.60a Limited release. New boolean multi-term incorporated. 5.54d Compile date November 14, 1991 {final fix to bibliography function} 5.54c Compile date November 13, 1991 {worked on bibliography function} 5.54b Compile date November 6, 1991 {date field reworked, backup checks path for archive utilities, turns off those not found} 5.54a Compile date November 4, 1991 {fixes major bug in releases 5.51c-5.53} 5.53b Compile date November 1, 1991 {minor date tweak} 5.53a Compile date October 31, 1991. {fixed 8088 bug} 5.52b Compile date October 24, 1991. {reworked indexing graph} 5.52a Compile date October 15, 1991. {EMS for registered users improved} 5.51c Compile date October, 1991 {EMS for registered users introduced, converted to BTree Filer 5.22} 5.51b Compile date October 1, 1991 {few typos fixed} 5.51b compile date: September 17, 1991. {Jump added to LIST function} 5.51a BOOLEAN search has been expanded. Boyer-Moore algorithm used in FULL and BOOLEAN search now. 5.50a New structure introduced. 10 more characters for descriptor, 7th note field. ASCII (BIX) file import added in SHAREWARE version. 5.41a BACKUP database function added to Maintenance Menu. 5.40B Compile date August 30, 1991 {changes to BIX functions, publisher field increased by 70 characters} 5.40A Test version. Limited release. 5.34E A bit more work to better support monochrome users. 5.34D menus reworked for 'cleaner' looking screens on mono monitors 5.34C Indexing progress graph moved and expanded. 5.34B Ability to stop during a global change session added. 5.34A GLOBAL find & replace added. 5.33A ASCII Import function added in registered version. 5.32b Minor problem...forgot to tell BIBL to look for BIBL.HLP 5.32a Store files on other drives (registered version only) 5.31 Labelled export added to bibliography (registered version only) Transfer option added to display windows. Purge added. 5.30E Bug fix on file view window 5.30D Fixed bug in the delete a database function. 5.30C Fixed memory pointer problem--during testing of release 5.30, discovered that on rare occassions the system would hang during call to external editor. 5.30B Limited release. 5.30 MULTIPLE DATABASES! 5.27 Now BIBL asks before creating new database if one isn't found. 5.26 SET FILE PROTECTION feature added to BIBL. {removed in later release} 5.25 (limited distribution) 5.24 self-registering capability added to BIBL.