Acorn User 1/AU_CD1.iso/demos/a_to_i/impactpro/!ImpactPro/!Help

Text File | 1993-10-08 | 9KB | 180 lines

ImpactPro  © Circle Software.
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ImpactPro is a professional version of the Impact! database program.

Demo Instructions
=================

To load the program, insert the floppy disc into the drive, and click on the floppy
drive icon to the left of the icon bar to display the main disc filer window.  Then
double click on the ImpactPro icon in the normal way to start the program running.
(Note that the use of the adjust (right hand) button will also automatically close
the filer display.)  In a few moments, the ImpactPro icon will appear on the right
of the icon bar.

Viewing a Database

To view the sample Videos file supplied on this disc, click select  on the
ImpactPro! icon on the icon bar to display the Edit Database dialogue box.  This
box allows any database to be viewed or edited. Then click menu over the
Database box in the top right hand corner, and select Videos from the displayed
menu. When you do this, the record card for this database will be displayed.

The selected database may be browsed by clicking select on either of the two blue
arrows in the Edit Database window, to move forwards or backwards through the
database records, the record data being displayed on the record card. In this mode,
records are displayed in whatever order they were entered.

Searching

To find a specific entry, click menu over the Director box on the record card. A
pop-up menu will be displayed, showing the field name. Move the pointer over
the blank entry to display the caret, and enter 'spielberg' (lower case), and type the
Return key. The first record containing this director's name will be displayed.

To find other films directed by the same gentleman, again click menu over the
Director box, but this time click on the name with the adjust button. The next
appropriate film will be displayed. As adjust keeps the menu open, further clicks
may be used to find any further films, if any. A 'bleep' from the computer
indicates that no more matching records could be found.

Relational Fields

The customer's name and address fields on the Video card are in fact foreign
fields, that is, they have been imported from the Addresses database, and are
relational fields. This means that the data displayed is not stored in the Videos
database, but in the Addresses database. The Name field has been defined as the
key field, and is not editable.  If you click with the Adjust button on any of these
foreign fields, the appropriate record card will be displayed, showing the selected
record.

Indexes

ImpactPro allows any number of indexes to be created, on any field or  fields in
the database.  Click menu over the Index box to display all defined indexes, and
choose the Titles index.  The effect of this index may be switched on and off by
clicking on the tick box to the right, but for now leave it ticked.  Clicking on the
arrows will now allow you to browse through the database in sorted film title
order. Note that the '1st' button will select the first film in the index. All indexes
are automatically kept up to date when records are added or deleted.

The Customers and HiredOnce indexes are examples of indexed sub-sets.  That it,
they have been created using filters, so that only records containing a selected
records have been included.

Filters

ImpactPro  allows sub-sets of records to be made from a database, and this is
done by defining Filters. A filter may be selected as before by clicking menu over
the Filter box and selecting the Borrowed  filter. This filter has been defined to
select all records having a customer's name entered, and was used to create the
Customer's index.  If the Index feature is turned off, and this filter selected,
browsing with the arrows will only display videos which have been borrowed, but
not in any sorted order.

Complex Filters may be defined to select on multiple criteria, by making simple
menu selections using the Edit Filter option from the icon bar menu. This is
beyond the scope of these brief notes, but may be fully explored using this demo
version.

Field Maps

These are ordered selections of database fields, which may be stored under a
reference name for future use.  Select the Edit - F.Maps option from the iconbar
menu, and select a database as before. Click on 'New' and enter a sutiable name,
then click the Menu button over the Fields box, and select fields in whatever
order is required. Finally, click on the Save button.

Field maps may be used in many situations, such as during export, data merging,
or label printing.

Data Entry.

This mode is invoked by clicking select on the Data entry box so that a tick is
displayed.  When this is done, the record card will be cleared ready for entry.
Simply enter the required text followed by the Return key, which will advance the
caret to the next field. Return in the last field will cause the data to be written to
disc, and the card cleared ready for the next name and address.

Exporting Data

Data may be extracted from the database by clicking menu over the ImpactPro
icon on the icon bar, and selecting the Export option, to display the Export Data
window. (The previous windows may be closed at this point.)  This window is
opened with settings conforming to the Acorn draft CSV file standard,

This window functions in the same manner as the first, and you should now select
the Video database, and the Customers index. The only extra action needed is to
select the fields required, by clicking menu over the Fields box.  Do this, and click
adjust (to keep the menu open) on the fields required, using select on the last field
(to close the menu). The only other action required is to select 'All records' and
click on '1st' to select the first record in the index.

At this point either of the two file icons in the 'Save as' sub-window may be
dragged to any application which will accept them, including a printer driver. The
choice of icon only affects the exported file type, not it's contents.

It is also possible to export individual fields from the displayed card, to include
them in other documents, etc.

Labels

A quick method of printing a single label, without resort to Impression, is
available via the Export Window. First select the required fields as above, then
select a 'New line' instead of a 'Comma' as a field separator, and de-select Quoted
Text'.  Next select the 'Single record' option and browse to the require record.  The
data card may be displayed to facilitate this. Finally, drag the text icon directly
onto your printer icon.

Alternatively, select the Labels option from the iconbar menu. This provides a
dialogue box from which you may print multi-column labels directly to a printer,
by dragging the icon to the required printer driver, or in fact to anywhere on the
desktop that will accept it.

Reports

An important feature of ImpactPro is it's ability to merge data directly into an
Impression document, and facilities are even provided to help construct the
document.  To produce a report, select Reports from the icon bar menu to display
the Report Box.

Select the Videos database as before, click Menu over the Document box and
select Report.  The Report document will be loaded by Impression, if this has
been seen by the filer, otherwise install Impression (or Junior) and try again. As
this report specifies its own indexes etc, there is no need to select these.

Move the document to one side, and click on View in the ImpactPro Report Box.
After a few moments, a full report on the state of video hire will be produced. To
print this, simply click Print. In the Viewed state the document may not be edited,
clicking on Clear will return the document to an editable state. If you wish to
make a permanent document to save elsewhere, click on Fix.

Creating a Database

As stated above, you cannot create new databases using this demo version.
However, you can see how easy this is, by going through the motions. To do this
select the Edit option, and Card sub-option from the icon bar menu. This will
cause the Edit Data Card box to be displayed. From this box, existing databases
may be modified, or new ones created by clicking on 'New'. When you do this, a
blank record card will be displayed.

To design a database, simply choose field types required from the Edit Card Box
box, and drag them onto the blank card. A placement grid is provided to aid the
layout. Text legends may be included on the card by entering these in the Legend
box, and dragging it onto the card.  Fields may be grouped together by dragging
the Box item onto the card. All placed items may be further moved by simple
dragging, or be altered in size by dragging one edge at a time using the adjust
button.

Further alterations may be made by clicking Menu over a placed item, or the card
background, and choices made from the displayed menus. This should be largely
self explanatory.

Registration.

You may unlock ImpactPro's full potential NOW by
registering this copy. This may be done by phoning
for a security code, and quoting your credit card
number.  The Manual will be posted to you.