ARM Club 1/ARM_CLUB_CD.iso/contents/apps/databases/progs/addresses1/!Addresses/!Help

Text File | 1994-07-28 | 11.6 KB | 228 lines

!Addresses
v 1.32 (28-Jul-1994)

This program is Shareware.
This means that you can copy this program to anyone you like, but if you
find the program useful, you should register, as explained below. This
entitles you to the latest version of this program, and of all my other
applications.
If you do copy the program it should be in its original format, with ALL of
the accompanying files. That is : !Boot
                                  !Help
                                  !Run
                                  !RunImage
                                  !Sprites
                                  Code
                                  MakeCode
                                  Messages
                                  Sprites
                                  Templates


Purpose
-------
A powerful address book, featuring sorts and searches, and also with space
for up to 500 addresses.


To use
------
[For this !Help file, a record is defined as an entire window-full of data,
i.e. name, address, post-code, telephone number, and other, and an entry is
defined as the name, address (all 5 lines), post-code, telephone number, or
other details (both lines)]

   Double click on the icon in the filer window to load the application. This
will install an icon on the icon-bar. Clicking menu (the middle mouse button)
on this icon will allow you to start a new file, look at the info about the
program, to save the current file, and to quit.

   To save the current file, move the pointer across to the save dialog box
and either enter a full pathname and filename in, e.g. 'adfs::0.$.Addresses',
or enter just the filename, e.g. 'Addresses', and drag the icon to a filer
window.


   Clicking select on the icon on the icon bar will open the main window, as
will double-clicking on a saved file, and as will dragging a saved file icon
onto the icon on the icon bar. When the main window is open, there is the
obvious space to enter the name, address, post-code, and any other details
about the person, e.g. telephone number.

   Clicking menu (the middle mouse button) on the main window will open a
menu, allowing you to open the control window, open the search window, open
the sort window, open the correspondance window, perform a specific action on
the record currently being edited, show the information about the program,
save the current file, and to quit the program. Also, when the main window
has input focus (i.e. when you can type into the window), F3 will open the
save window, F4 will open the search window, F5 will open the sort window,
F6 will open the control window, and F7 will open the correspondance window.

   From this menu, two save options are provided. The first is a conventional
save box to save the whole file. The other option : 'This record' allows you
to save the record which is being edited at that point in time. When using
this, it is necessary to specify which entries are to be saved, before saving
as above. Alternatively, select the 'All non-blank' option, which saves all
lines which are not blank. The 'This record' option is greyed out if the
'Name' entry in the current record is empty. To print just one record, use
this option and drag the icon directly onto the printer icon on the icon bar.
If you select 'All non-blank' then the window will change to say 'All
non-blank except'. Thus if you wish to save, for example, the whole record,
except for the telephone number, then turn on 'All non-blank' and also turn
ON the option 'telephone'. (N.B. Ram transfer is supported for this option)

   The control window, opened with F6 or by selection on the menu, allows you
to step through the records one at a time in either direction (the plain left
and right arrows), to go to the last record (the right arrow against the
line), to go to the first record (the left arrow against the line), and to go
to a specific record (the writable icon). The control window also shows you
what record you are currently editing and how many records there are in
total. To add a record, click on the plain right arrow in the control window,
whilst editing the last record. This will check to see if the 'Name' entry is
blank. If it is blank it will not let you add another record. (I entered this
as a precaution against ending up with 500 blank records, which would make
for a very large file).

   The search window, opened with F4 or by selection on the menu, allows you
to search through the database for a given string. The search text is entered
in the writable icon. It is also possible to select how the search is carried
out : on all records, or just specific numbers; on all entries, or just
specific ones; with case-sensitivity on or not.

   If the search is to be carried out on all records select the icon in the
window. If, however, you wish to be specific, select the icon starting
'from', and specify your starting record, and your ending record. If the
search is to be carried out on all entries, that icon should be selected.
However, to specify, clicking select on name, address, post-code, or other,
will turn off 'All entries'. To search two entries, clicking adjust (the
right mouse button), will turn that option on, and also keep the other ones
on. If the search is to be carried out with case-sensitivity on, i.e. an
entry with 'Neil' in it, would only be found with 'Neil', and not with
'neil', the case-sensitive box must be marked. If the search is not to be
carried out in a case-sensitive manner, then the option must be off.
N.B. A case-sensitive search is slightly quicker than a non case-sensitive
one. Clicking on the icon marked 'Previous' enters into the writable icon the
last string which was searched for. The search string includes wildcard
capabilities. These are the (fairly) standard ? and * wildcards. A ?
represents a single character, and a * represents any string. (N.B. At this
time, mixing of wildcards is not allowed. If you do try to do so, an error
message will occur, reminding you (politely of course!) that you cannot do
so.) The search is started by pressing return when the caret is in the search
text writable icon in the search window, or by clicking on the OK icon.

   The sort window, opened with F5 or by selection on the menu, allows you
to sort the records. N.B. At the moment, it is only possible to sort the
entire database, and not just a specific area. The sort can be ascending,
e.g. 'A' before 'C' before 'E', etc., or descending, e.g. 'Z' before 'A'.
The sort can only be carried out on one entry at the moment, selected from :
'Forename'                         - the left-most text in the name entry
                                     before the first space.
'Surname'                          - the right-most text in the name entry,
                                     after the first space.
'Address 1' through to 'Address 5' - the five lines of the address entry.
'Post code'                        - the text in the post code entry.
'Other 1' and 'Other 2'            - the text in the two lines of the other
                                     details entry.
The sort is started by clicking on the OK icon.

   The correspondance window, opened with F7 or by selection on the menu,
allows you to keep track of correspondance. Up to 10 exchanges can be
recorded. To use this function, click on one of the icons in the
correspondance list. This should update the writeable icon at the top of
the section, should update the 'file' option, and indicate whether the mail
was sent or received. This can all be set up as is necessary by clicking on
the relevant icons. Also, to the right of the 'Sent'/'Received' icons are two
other icons. Clicking on these will open a window, asking for a date when the
mail was sent or received. Opening the menu from this window will allow you
to automatically enter today's date.
   Dragging a file icon onto the writeable icon at the top of the
correspondance icon will enter the filename as the name of the
correspondance, will set the file option, and this will ungrey the 'Run'
icon. Clicking on this icon will run the file which is specified. Also note
that in the section of the window from which the correspondance is selected,
green represents sent, and red represents received.

   To delete an address, open the main menu, by clicking menu on the main
window, move the pointer down to 'Address' and across. There you will see
'Delete', 'Insert', 'Raise' and 'Lower'. Selecting 'Delete' deletes the
current record.

   Selecting 'Insert' from the same menu inserts a blank record before the
record that is currently being edited.

   Selecting 'Raise' or 'Lower' from the same menu swaps the record which is
currently being edited with the one higher or lower repsectively.

   A similar function is available for the correspondance records. Click on
the record you wish to perform the action on, and after that the routine is
the same as before.

   To merge two files, load one into the program. Then, holding down shift,
drag the icon from the filer window into the main window, or onto the
program's icon on the icon bar. This should add the second data file to the
end of the first.

   If the file has been modified, and you try to load another file, create a
new one or quit, then a window will open. This will ask you whether you are
sure you wish to continue with your chosen command. Clicking on the 'No' icon
will just return you to the data file as it was, whilst clicking on the 'Yes'
icon will carry on with what you asked to do. The program will show whether
you have edited the file or not by the presence (or absence) of a star in the
title box of the main window. i.e. If the file has been modified, it will
show 'Addresses *', otherwise it will just show 'Addresses'.

   Finally, the program counts its errors and their time intervals. If it has
to report five errors, each one being within two seconds of the previous one,
then the program will kill itself. This solves (hopefully!) the problems of
an unbreakable error loop.


List of keyboard short cuts
---------------------------
      Key                            Function
      F3                         Open save window
   Shift-F3                    Open save record window
      F4                         Open search window
      F5                          Open sort window
      F6                        Open control window
      F7                      Open correspondance window
      F8                             Lose caret
    Ctrl-Q                          First record
    Ctrl-W                           Last record
    Ctrl-A                         Previous record
    Ctrl-S                           Next record


Bugs & Improvements
-------------------
Please report any bugs found and any possible improvements you can think of
to me at the address shown below.


Registering
-----------
To register, send £5 to me, at the address shown below, stating what version
of which programs you have. You can enclose your own disk for the programs,
and if you do so you can deduct 50p from the price. Registering entitles you
to upgrade to later versions of the same programs and to get new programs
for the price of £1. Any additional contributions from overseas towards
postage would be greatly appreciated.


Neil Walker.
16, Finderne Drive.
Wymondham.
Norfolk.
NR18 0HU.


Legal Notice
------------
This program is supplied 'as is'. I therefore cannot be held responsible
for any loss of data, profits or any other loss, either directly or
indirectly, that may be incurred by the use (or misuse) of this software,
even if I am aware of the possibility of such a loss. However, I can assure
you that in its original state, the program contains no deliberate viruses,
or damaging procedures, except where these are necessary for the fulfilment
of the program's function.