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VIDEOCAT
Videocassette Catalog Program
Version 6.0
DOS - OS/2 Bound (FAPI) Program
USER MANUAL
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
Table of Contents
GENERAL INFORMATION
Minimal Instructions for the User in a Hurry...............1
What this Program Does.....................................1
System Requirements........................................2
Compatibility with Prior Versions..........................3
License....................................................3
Warranties.................................................5
Installation...............................................5
General Tips on Running Videocat...........................6
If You Have Trouble........................................7
Source Code................................................7
Development History........................................8
FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS
Add a Record to the Catalog...............................10
Title................................................10
Year.................................................11
Actor Names..........................................11
Director Name........................................12
Subject..............................................12
Form.................................................12
MPAA Audience Rating.................................12
Critical Rating......................................13
Cassette Number......................................13
Tape Index Number....................................13
Change a Record in the Catalog............................14
Delete a Record from the Catalog..........................15
File Conversion from Prior Versions.......................16
Label Maker...............................................17
Review Current Changes....................................19
Search Catalog............................................20
Title Search.........................................20
Year Search..........................................20
Name Search..........................................20
Subject Search.......................................21
Form Search..........................................21
MPAA Code Search.....................................21
Rating Search........................................21
Exit to Main Menu....................................21
Output Options.......................................22
Tally Statistics..........................................23
Update Catalog Disk File..................................24
Whole Catalog Listing.....................................25
Exit Without Updating.....................................26
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 1
GENERAL INFORMATION
MINIMAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE USER IN A HURRY
Okay, you just downloaded this program and you want to see
what it can do right away without reading a lot of documentation.
For a quick demo, put the files VIDEOCAT.EXE and BASEFIL5.DAT on
the current path and type VIDEOCAT <return>. The instructions
which appear on the screen should be sufficiently informative to
permit you to fool around for a while and check out the various
features. If you decide you want to use the program to catalog
your own videocassette collection, exit from the program, erase
the demo file BASEFIL5.DAT, and run the program again to start
cataloging your own collection. You might also read the rest of
this manual.
WHAT THIS PROGRAM DOES
VIDEOCAT is a specialized database program designed for
cataloging a collection of movies or similar materials stored on
videocassettes. Each record contains the following information:
- title
- year of release
- subject type
- form type
- quality rating
- MPAA rating code
- actors (maximum 3 names)
- director
- cassette number
- index number on cassette
Using the program's Add function you build a data file of records
containing this information for items in your video collection.
Other functions permit you to Change or Delete records previously
entered.
While the program is on-line you can use the Search function
to get a screen or printed listing of records which match search
criteria which you specify. For example, you can get a listing
of all comedies, or all movies with John Wayne, or all movies
released in 1939. You can also cause the program to print a hard
copy complete catalog to use when the program is off-line.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 2
There is also a label-printing utility which can print
labels for your videocassettes. Limited information can be
printed on standard 3.5" x 15/16" labels on almost any printer.
If you have a Hewlett Packard Laserjet II you can print more com-
plete labels on uncut label paper which can then be cut to the
exact size for the label area on a videocassette.
Other utilities perform an analysis of your collection and
convert data files created under Version 4 of this program (no
conversion required for files created under Version 5).
This program has been designed with large collections in
mind. The record format has been kept fairly compact and the
number of records is limited only by available disk space.
Note that this program is for cataloging YOUR collection.
The small data file included with the distribution package is for
demonstration purposes only. A surprising number of users assume
that this is a database of all videos available for rental and
write complaining that I haven't included enough videos.
When I first released VIDEOCAT, I think it was the only
program of its type. Others have come along since, some of which
are very good. I think that there are three things advantages
which distinguish VIDEOCAT from some of the alternatives: (1) the
size of the data file is limited only by the availability of disk
space; (2) no special labels or other supplies need to be pur-
chased from the publisher; and (3) source code is available.
There is one difference which some may view as a disadvantage:
the record format does not allow for a lengthy free text descrip-
tion. This is a deliberate choice to keep the record compact and
reflects an assumption that most users will be cataloging large
collections of theatrical releases. It is probably an annoyance
for those who catalog home movies.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Version 6.0 is a "bound" or "family applications program in-
terface" (FAPI) program; it will run under either DOS or OS/2.
Although the compiler guarantees compatibility only with DOS Ver-
sion 3.x, it appears to run correctly under DOS 2.10.
This program has been tested on the IBM PC, XT, AT and PS/2
series of computers. It should work on close compatibles;
however experience with user comments suggests that some clones
are not as compatible as claimed. Although all testing has been
on machines with color displays, the program is intended to run
on monochrome displays as well.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 3
The program could run with as little as one floppy drive;
however this would limit the size of the data file which could be
created. Dual drives or a hard drive will greatly increase
capacity, as will high density drives. A RAMDISK (VDISK) can be
used for temporary files to speed processing.
A printer is required if printed output is selected. You
can get along without a printer if you never select a printed
output option. Almost any standard printer should work success-
fully for most routines. The special routine for the Hewlett
Packard Laserjet II has not been tested on any other machine. I
have no idea whether it will produce satisfactory results on
laser printers which claim to be HP compatible.
COMPATIBILITY WITH PRIOR VERSIONS
If you created a data file under a version of VIDEOCAT in
the 4.x series, you must convert your existing BASEFILE.DAT to
the current format in a file named BASEFIL5.DAT, which can be
processed by either Version 5.x or Version 6.x. Use the command
for File Conversion in the main menu of the program. Note that
if your data file was created or converted under Version 5.x, no
further conversion is necessary.
There is one change in record content introduced in Version
6.0: there is now a field for MPAA code. This uses a byte which
was present but unused in the previous version, so there is no
compatibility problem. You can, if you wish, use the Change
function to add the MPAA code to old records, but if you don't
the program will simply ignore that field (it should contain a
binary zero in records created under prior versions).
LICENSE
This is "user supported software", or "shareware". It is
NOT in the public domain but is protected under the copyright
laws of the United States. You are granted a limited license to
use, copy and distribute VIDEOCAT subject to the following condi-
tions:
1. You may make personal, non-commercial use of
VIDEOCAT;
2. You may distribute copies to others for their per-
sonal, non-commercial use;
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 4
3. You may upload copies to electronic bulletin boards
and information services;
4. You may make a modified version of the program for
your own use only;
5. You may not modify the program or its documentation
or source code in versions you distribute to
others;
6. You may not charge any fee for copying and dis-
tribution of VIDEOCAT other than reasonable costs
of copying, information service on-line charges,
and similar nominal costs
VIDEOCAT is currently distributed by several organizations
which charge $5 to $10 for a diskette which typically contains a
number of related user-supported and public domain programs.
This is considered generally within the spirit of the above
restrictions, as long as their prices remain modest and they
fully disclose to purchasers in advance that the programs they
distribute are user-supported or public domain and may be subject
to a request that the user make a royalty payment directly to the
author.
Voluntary contributions in any amount are welcome. Although
the royalties I have received divided by the number of hours put
into developing VIDEOCAT yields a return well below minimum wage,
the occasional receipt of a note from an appreciative user with a
check enclosed is proof that people really use the program and
are not just downloading it from bulletin boards out of
curiosity. This, in turn, is a strong incentive to continue
maintaining and enhancing the program. Those who send a con-
tribution go on my mailing list to receive the next update on
diskette as soon as it is ready. Contributors also receive
faster and more courteous replies to questions. Contributions
may be sent to
William A. Jackson
6529 Matilija Avenue
Van Nuys, California 91401
I have suggested a contribution of $20 because it seems a fair
amount to me in comparison to contributions requested by authors
of shareware of comparable utility and programming complexity.
Some users choose to send some different amount which they feel
is more appropriate. That's fine. I do not guarantee that there
will be future updates or how long you will stay on my mailing
list to get them, but I suspect that there will be more and so
far I have kept every contributor on the list to receive them.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 5
If you choose to send a contribution, please mention the
version number which you have so I will know whether or not to
send an immediate update. Also indicate whether you prefer 5.25"
or 3.5" diskettes. Finally, let me know if you want the C lan-
guage source code for the program [see below].
WARRANTIES
Did you seriously expect warranties with user-supported
software? Just to make sure that everything is perfectly clear,
this software comes without any warranties, express or implied,
including warranties of merchantability or suitability for in-
tended purpose. It is distributed to you "as is" and "with
faults". Under no circumstances shall the author be liable for
any consequential damages.
INSTALLATION
VIDEOCAT.EXE is the only file you need to get started.
Paths are supported, so you can install it on any disk and direc-
tory or subdirectory you want. When the program is run, it will
look in the currently active directory for the configuration file
VIDEOCAT.CFG and create a new configuration file if none is
found. The program will also create the data file BASEFIL5.DAT
and the work file WORKFILE.DAT if these do not already exist.
The currently logged path is the default for these two files, but
the program will ask you if you would like to use different paths
for these two files and your choices will be recorded in the con-
figuration file. Every time you run the program you will be told
what the current configuration is and asked if you want to change
it. If you have a data file which was created under VIDEOCAT
Version 5.x, you should first copy it to the desired directory
and it can be used without change. If you have a data file which
you created under Version 4.x, you will have to use the File Con-
version Utility listed in the main menu to convert the file.
Note that the program distribution package comes with a
small data file BASEFIL5.DAT. This is for demonstration purposes
only. Erase this file before running the program with real data
so that a new data file will be created.
You can put the work file on a RAM disk (VDISK) if you want,
although recording it on permanent media provides a sort of
automatic back-up in case of damage to the base data file, as the
content of the two files is always identical except when an up-
date is in active progress. In the event of a power failure or
other mechanical error during an update, one of the two files
should be readable, as they are never both open for writing at
the same time.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 6
Several features give a choice between printer and screen
output. When printed output is called for, the program directs
it to PRN:. If you have a parallel printer (most common type),
just turn it on and be sure it is connected and ready. If you
have a serial printer (typical of daisy wheel type printers), you
will need to run the appropriate DOS commands to initialize your
serial port and redirect PRN: to COM1: (or COM2:, as appropriate)
BEFORE running VIDEOCAT. See your DOS manual or printer manual
for details. VIDEOCAT has no built-in routines for selecting and
initializing a serial printer. Note: most users have a parallel
printer, and all you have to do is be sure it is turned on and
ready to print. If your printer is not ready or properly con-
nected, any of a number of things will happen: (1) you will get a
warning message either from the program or the operating system
telling you that there is a problem with the printer; (2) the
program will hang up; or (3) you will find that output is being
sent into the Twilight Zone. Also note that if you do not have a
printer, the program will work fine as long as you never select
printer output.
GENERAL TIPS ON RUNNING VIDEOCAT
The program is menu-driven. Each menu option is described
in detail in this Manual. Brief descriptions appear on the
screen which may be enough if you are fairly intuitive and don't
like reading manuals. Remember that new data adding, changing or
deleting records in the data file will not be reflected in the
disk file until the Update function is invoked. If you exit from
the program without updating, all new data you have entered will
be lost and the disk data file will remain unchanged.
All items of input data can be any combination of letters
and numbers. If your entry is not legal for the particular
response requested, you will be prompted to enter it again. All
entries are buffered, meaning that they are not acted upon until
you hit the Return (or Enter) key. Before hitting that key, you
can backspace and change your entry. Leading and trailing blanks
are always ignored; however blanks between non-blank characters
are treated as significant. All letters entered are converted to
upper case by the program. In other words, if at a particular
choice you want to select code 'A', entering either 'A' or 'a'
will have the same result. Only certain entries are mandatory
(title, year, subject, type, rating); others can be omitted by
simply hitting return. If, for example, there is only one actor
in a film, you do not have to enter any additional names when
prompted for the second and third actor names.
It is prudent to make a backup copy of at least the data
file on another diskette. If your collection is large, you will
spend many hours building your data file. Physical damage to the
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 7
disk or abnormal termination during an update could result in
loss of your entire data file. If you have a backup, you will
not have to reconstruct the entire data file but only the items
added since the last time you made a backup copy. BACKUP DATA
FILES FREQUENTLY! If you have a casualty to your data file and
your workfile, WORKFILE.DAT, is undamaged, you may be able to re-
place the damaged base file by simply using the DOS commands COPY
or RENAME to generate a new BASEFIL5.DAT.
IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE
My experience with users has convinced me that most ques-
tions can be answered and problems solved by simply reading and
following the Manual carefully.
Next to failure to read and follow the Manual, the most com-
mon cause of trouble is a not-so-compatible compatible. I do not
have either the time or the opportunity to test this program on
every kind of clone produced in the garage workshops of Taiwan.
The most common manifestation of compatibility problems is a
messed-up screen display: either very strange color combinations
or characters out of place. In most cases these problems do not
prevent the program from being functional.
Some user problems do indeed uncover bugs in the program. I
encourage you to report suspected bugs, particularly in this ver-
sion as porting the program to OS/2 has involved a very large
number of changes and I do know that the compiler I am using has
some bugs in it. If you discover a bug due to my programming er-
ror, I will fix it as soon as possible. If you discover a bug
due to a compiler error, I will contact Microsoft to see if there
is a "work around".
You can send questions, complaints, comments and suggestions
by regular mail to the address given above. If you are a Com-
puserve subscriber, you can send E-mail to me at account number
71571,1234. If you are a Source subscriber, you can send E-mail
to me at account BBB259. Users who provide particularly valuable
bug reports or suggestions for improvement get the next update
free by mail even if they made no voluntary royalty contribution
payment. That is the only reward for contributing ideas.
SOURCE CODE
Commencing with Version 5.0 I started publishing the source
code for VIDEOCAT. At the time I though I was simply being help-
ful to novice programmers who wanted to see how it was programmed
and to more experienced programmers who might want to try to
modify it, so I only sent it when specially requested by those
with some familiarity with programming in the C language. More
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 8
recently the phenomenon of "computer viruses" and "Trojan horses"
has given the publication of source code a new significance. If
you are familiar with C programming, you can review the code and
compile it yourself to be guaranteed that there are no hidden
dirty tricks.
It is my intention to routinely upload the source code to
bulletin boards and include it in the distribution package. Nor-
mally I will be distributing the code for the current version.
Version 6.0 calls OS/2 functions, so at the moment the Microsoft
C Compiler, Version 5.1, is the only compiler which can handle
it. If you are a programmer but use a different compiler, you
might want to send me a note that you want the source code for
VIDEOCAT Version 5.0; that version was written to compile suc-
cessfully on either Microsoft C, Borland Turbo C, or Computer In-
novations C86PLUS.
Remember that the source code is also copyrighted and is
distributed as shareware subject to the condition that no user-
modified version of VIDEOCAT be placed in public distribution.
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
I first wrote VIDEOCAT to catalog my own video collection.
Friends started asking me for copies, so I spruced it up a bit
and started distributing it as shareware.
Versions 1 and 2 were written in UCSD Pascal for the Apple
II series of computers. Versions 3 and 4 were written in C and
complied with the Computer Innovations C86 compiler for the IBM
PC family of computers. Version 4.0 was the first to be pub-
lished. Version 4.1 quickly followed to correct a user-reported
bug. Version 4.2 added support for multiple drives to permit the
creation of larger data files and also added printed output op-
tions.
Version 5.0 added support for paths and the current con-
figuration routine. It was also developed so as to compile suc-
cessfully under three widely used compilers: Microsoft C; Borland
Turbo C; and Computer Innovations C86PLUS. Because of dif-
ferences in the way that these compilers implement data struc-
tures, the only way to get all three to produce identical data
files was to change the record structure to fit on even word
boundaries. This necessitated a file conversion routine for data
files created under the Version 4.x series. Versions 5.1 and 5.2
incorporated a number of convenience and aesthetic changes.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 9
There are two major changes in Version 6.0. Most sig-
nificantly, it was developed under OS/2 as a "bound" or "family"
program. It should run under either DOS or OS/2 without any ap-
parent difference. The second major change was adding a label
making facility.
Future changes will probably involve smoothing out a few
rough spots left from the OS/2 conversion. Once the OS/2 Presen-
tation Manager is distributed, it may stimulate further changes
in the user interface. Mouse support is a possibility.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 10
FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS
A - Add a record to the catalog
-------------------------------
This is the basic function for adding a record to the
catalog. It can be a video item other than a motion picture, but
in general the formats used in this program are primarily adapted
to theatrical motion pictures. Note that records created by the
Add function are temporarily stored in RAM and not actually
placed in the data file until the Update function is performed.
The Add function is invoked by entering A <cr> while you are
in the main menu. [note: either 'A' or 'a' can be entered; '<cr>'
indicates a carriage return, a key which may be labeled either
"Return" or "Enter" on your computer] The initial response will
be a message telling you to get ready to enter data for a movie
record and to hit <cr> when you are ready to continue. Then
various items of data will be requested.
Title ->
--------
Enter the title of the movie or other item. The maximum
size is 40 characters; any excess characters will be truncated
(chopped off at the end). It is suggested that the words "A",
"An" or "The" at the beginning of a title be appended to the rear
after a comma. For example, instead of entering "THE BRIDGE ON
THE RIVER KWAI", enter "BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE". This
keeps the alphabetical sequence a little more meaningful. For an
episode in a series, it is suggested that the series title be en-
tered first, then the episode title. For example: "STAR TREK:
GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION" and "STAR TREK: SPOCK'S BRAIN".
Note that since the program sorts the titles in ASCII
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange) sequence,
titles beginning with punctuation marks or numeric characters
will come before titles beginning with alphabetical characters.
Thus the movie "1941" will be placed near the beginning of the
catalog before titles beginning with letters and not in the N's
as is common in the organization of published movie guides.
The title is a mandatory entry; the program will drop any
record lacking a title. More than one record can have the same
title (thus allowing for remakes), but the program will not per-
mit two records to have both the exact same title and year of
release. Minor variations in the title field will allow catalog-
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 11
ing of several versions of the same film. For example: "TOPPER"
and "TOPPER [COLORIZED]"; "A STAR IS BORN [EDITED FOR TV]" and "A
STAR IS BORN [UNCUT]"; "CITIZEN KANE [COPY 1]" and "CITIZEN KANE
[COPY 2]"; etc.. Likewise you can indicate when a title con-
tinues over more than one cassette, e.g. "GONE WITH THE WIND
[PART 1]" and "GONE WITH THE WIND [PART 2]".
The title field can also be used to keep track of blank tape
segments. For example, if you decide that "PORKY's" isn't worth
keeping, just use the Change function to change the title field
to read "BLANK - 94 MINUTES". You can then use the Search func-
tion to find all listings which have the word "BLANK" as part of
the title field, then use Change again when something new is re-
corded in the same space.
Year ->
_______
Year is intended to be the year of release of a production,
normally expressed as 4 numeric digits, e.g. "1939". The program
treats the year as a 4-byte character string, so non-numeric
characters will not be rejected. Any characters beyond 4 will be
truncated.
Year is also a mandatory entry, as the combination of title
and year constitutes the "key" for identifying and sorting
records. If you don't know the year for sure, either look it up
in a published movie guide or make a reasonable guess. You must
enter something.
Star 1 LAST name ->
-------------------
The program allows for recording the names of up to three
actors and one director. The first prompt asks for the LAST name
of the first of the three actors. The maximum combined length of
the first and last names is 30 characters; any excess length will
be truncated from the first name. In response to the LAST name
prompt, enter the actor's last name, including prefixes and suf-
fixes which are properly part of the last name. For example:
"VON STROHEIM" and "FAIRBANKS, JR.".
Note that you could use the name fields to enter some other
type of descriptive data which is meaningful to you. One user
who catalogs educational material uses the name fields for the
names of courses in which the tape is used rather than actor
names.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 12
Star 1 FIRST name ->
--------------------
Now enter the first name. For example, "ERIC" and
"DOUGLASS". If middle names or initials are important, they
should be appended to the FIRST name. For example: "LESLIE ANN"
and "GEORGE C.".
Star 2 LAST name ->
Star 2 FIRST name ->
Star 3 LAST name ->
Star 3 FIRST name ->
Director LAST name ->
Director FIRST name ->
----------------------
Respond to these in the same manner described above. Note
that these entries are all optional and can be omitted by simply
hitting <cr>.
Subject Code ->
---------------
A list of character codes corresponding to 42 enumerated
subject categories will be displayed on the screen. Pick the one
which seems most appropriate and enter the corresponding single
character. This is a mandatory entry. The query will recycle
until you enter a legal code.
Form Code ->
------------
A list of character codes corresponding to 24 enumerated
form descriptions will be displayed on the screen. As in the
case of subject code, you must enter a legal code or the request
will recycle.
MPAA Code ->
------------
A list of character codes representing the audience
suitability ratings of the Motion Picture Association of America
will be displayed. Once again, you must select a legal code to
continue.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 13
Rating Code ->
--------------
A list of character codes will be displayed corresponding to
8 enumerated rating descriptions. The rating system is one com-
monly used in movie guides and TV schedule listings. You must
pick one. Whether you rate a movie based on your personal
opinion or that of professional critics is up to you.
Cassette No. ->
---------------
This entry may be up to 4 characters long and may be any
combination of numbers and letters. It can be omitted, although
in the cataloging of a large collection this is the most useful
single piece of information. So far only one user has complained
that this is not a large enough field. Perhaps some day there
will be a more powerful version of this program for collections
exceeding 9999 cassettes.
Index No. ->
------------
This entry may also be any combination of letters and num-
bers up to 4 characters in length. If you have multiple items on
the same cassette you may either place the tape counter number or
the sequence number. By sequence number, I mean coding the first
movie "1", the second "2", and so on. Fanatics may prefer to use
tape counter numbers. This entry is optional, but I strongly
recommend that you use it. When the Label function prints a
label for a cassette it will print multiple items in Index Number
sequence.
After all the items of data have been entered, the complete
record will be displayed on the screen and you will be asked if
it is correct. If you answer "Y", the record will be placed in
RAM storage and added to the disk file at the next invocation of
the Update function. If you answer "N", the record will be dis-
carded.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 14
C - Change a record in the catalog
----------------------------------
The purpose of the Change function is to change the data re-
corded for a record already in the catalog. Any item can be
changed. To invoke Change, enter C <ret> when in the main menu.
You will be asked to enter the title and year of the record to be
changed and warned that unless they exactly match an existing
record the change procedure will be aborted.
After you have entered the title and year of the record to
be changed, the program searches for it and displays it if found.
You will be prompted to indicate which data field you want to
change. After selecting an item and entering a change, the
record will be re-displayed with changes. You can continue to
make additional changes to the same record until you enter the
code indicating that you are finished making changes.
If you have a base file created under a prior version and
you entered less than four characters in the year field of a
record, you may find that the change function will not be able to
match it. This is because prior versions left-justified data in
this field and the current version right-justifies. All old
records will be automatically adjsted to the right-justify the
year field the first time you run the Update function, and you
should not experience problems matching old records in the Change
and Delete functions thereafter.
Note that the Change function searches the base file and not
pending transactions for a record to be changed. Thus you cannot
change a record which you have just entered as an add but have
not yet processed to the base file through and Update. Changes
are not effected in the base file until after an update. If you
Exit before Updating, your changes will be lost.
Note also that the Change function actually generates two
transactions: a delete transaction for the existing record and an
add transaction for the changed version. This will become
visible to you if you use the Review function to inspect pending
transactions.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 15
D - Delete a record from the catalog
------------------------------------
The purpose of this procedure is to delete a record which
already exists in the catalog disk file. It will not delete a
record which is merely in the current work batch awaiting an up-
date.
To invoke delete, enter D <ret> when in the main menu. You
will be warned that you must enter the title and year of an ex-
isting record; if there is not an exact match, the delete trans-
action will be discarded. Note that the match must be EXACT,
character for character (including all embedded spaces and
punctuation). These data items are entered in the same way as
described under the section on the add procedure. The program
will search for a matching record and display it if found and ask
you to confirm that this is the record you wish to delete.
If you have a base file created under a prior version and
you entered less than four characters in the year field of a
record, you may find that the change function will not be able to
match it. This is because prior versions left-justified data in
this field and the current version right-justifies. All old
records will be automatically adjsted to the right-justify the
year field the first time you run the Update function, and you
should not experience problems matching old records in the Change
and Delete functions thereafter.
Deletes, like adds and changes, are not effectuated im-
mediately but are stored in RAM until you invoke the update func-
tion. If you exit without updating, the transactions will be
lost and the disk file unchanged.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 16
F - File Conversion from Prior Versions
---------------------------------------
A data file which was created under a version of VIDEOCAT in
the 4.x series must be converted to a new format before it can be
used with Version 5.x or 6.x of the program. There was no change
in format from the Version 5.x series to Version 6.x. If you
have a data file created or previously converted under Version
5.x, you do not need to convert again for Version 6.x. If you
have never used a previous version of VIDEOCAT, you do not need
to be concerned about file conversion at all.
If you have a data file created under Version 4.x, it is
named BASEFILE.DAT. It must be accessible for file conversion,
but need not be on the same drive or path as the program. Enter F
<ret> from the main menu and follow the instructions displayed.
Your old file will not be changed, but a new version in the new
format will be created under the name BASEFIL5.DAT.
Note that you only need to perform file conversion once. It
is suggested that you keep a copy of the old BASEFILE.DAT as a
backup just in case of some problem, but all future additions and
changes should be made to BASEFIL5.DAT. No provision has been
made for conversion from the new format back to the old, as it
would seem to serve no useful purpose.
For the most part, the effects of data file conversion will
be invisible to the user. You will notice that the data file has
a new name (to enable the program to detect whether it is in the
new or old format). You may also notice that the cassette and
index numbers are now right-justified instead of left-justified.
This change was made to support the label making function which
sorts records by these fields.
File conversion is a nuisance, but became necessary when, in
Version 5.0, I had the idea that I would write source code which
would operate identically regardless of which of three different
compilers was used. It turned out that some compilers added an
extra byte to the record structure to force it to end on a word
boundary. Thus I added an extra unused byte so that all com-
pilers would produce identical records. In Version 6.0 I decided
to put that extra byte to use by adding a field for MPAA Code.
New records you create through the Add function will require you
to enter an MPAA Code. If you want to add the MPAA code to
records created under prior versions, you can do so through the
change procedure, but you don't have to. Your old records will
have a binary zero in the MPAA Code byte and the program regards
this as a legal entry instructing it not to display any MPAA
Code.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 17
L - Label Maker
---------------
The label maker is a new function in Version 6.0, added in
response to numerous user suggestions. It is invoked by entering
L <ret> from the main menu. You will be asked to enter the range
(lowest, then highest) of cassette numbers for which you wish to
produce labels. This function uses a great deal of memory to
sort the titles out by cassette and index numbers, so there is a
limit to how many labels you can process in a single run. This
will vary according to the amount of memory available in your
computer and under your operating system. As a rough rule of
thumb, I would suggest that you not print labels for more than
200 cassettes at a time. If you get a "running out of memory"
message, try again with a smaller number. The very first time
you use this function, I would suggest that you limit the range
to 10 or 12 cassettes just to be sure that your printer setup is
working properly.
Before the labels are printed, you will be asked whether you
have an ASCII (standard) printer or a Hewlett Packard Laserjet
II. This choice makes a considerable difference in the format of
the labels.
If you have any printer other than an HPLJ II, choose A.
The program will control the printer using only standard ASCII
commands. The program assumes that you will be printing on con-
tinuous form 3.5 x 15/16 inch labels. This is the size most com-
monly used for address labels and is readily available. I recom-
mend you use tractor-feed if you have it, as friction-feed is
less precise. Load the label strip so that the first printing
position for the print head would be just within the upper left
corner of the first label to be printed. The program assumes 10
cpi (pica) and 6 lpi (standard line spacing). The cassette num-
ber will be printed vertically at the left margin and the movie
titles will be printed horizontally (and may be truncated because
of space limitations). Index numbers will not be printed, but
the titles will be printed in index number sequence (i.e. in the
order the movies are recorded). Titles without index numbers
will be printed in alphabetical order. If there are more movies
than can be printed on a single label, additional labels will be
printed for the same cassette number to continue the listing.
Make sure that your printer is ready before entering A <cr>.
If you have a Hewlett Packard Laserjet II, you can use a
more elegant label printing option by entering H <cr>. I have
not tested this on other brands which claim to be HP compatible,
so I don't know how serious compatibility problems might be. The
program uses HP printer control language which may cause unpre-
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 18
dictable results on other types of printers. The H option re-
quires the use of uncut (1 label per page) label paper designed
for use in laser printers. I use Hewlett Packard Laserjet
Labels, Reorder no. 92285W. You can mail order direct from HP if
you can't find them in stock locally. You can also try a test
run on plain paper before buying label paper. Note that using
labels not specially designed for laser printers may cause
damage. Not also that HP recommends that you open the back
"Face-Up" door of the HPLJ II to minimize paper jams and internal
wear when printing labels. If you want to try this on any brand
or model of laser printer other than the HP LaserJet Series II,
please read your manual carefully to be certain that you are fol-
lowing all procedures prescribed for label printing. The program
will print up to 13 labels on a sheet in a size custom designed
to fit the label area on the outside edge of a VHS cassette.
After printing, you will have to cut your labels out using scis-
sors or a paper cutter. Because of the larger label size and
smaller type face, the HP format labels can contain more titles
and print complete titles with index numbers. The print font
used is one of the standard internal fonts, so you don't need any
font cartridges or soft fonts. The font is selected by the
program and your own default settings will be restored after the
program finishes printing labels.
A note of caution for users with other brands or models of
laser printers. My experience with user comments has made it
clear to me that, with respect to computers, many brands which
claim to be "IBM compatible" are far short of being 100% com-
patible. The worst that happens is the program doesn't work as
intended; it is almost impossible for the program to physically
damage the computer. I do not know if compatibility problems
with HP Laserjet clones will be as benign. The HP label printing
option of this program has only been tested on a genuine Hewlett
Packard LaserJet II with genuine Hewlett Packard Laserjet Labels,
following all manufacturer's recommendations. Under these condi-
tions, it works magnificently. I do not know what trouble may
lurk for those who use "HP compatible" equipment and materials.
As in the case of all printer output, VIDEOCAT uses the
device PRN:, which is normally the primary parallel port (LPT1:).
This is the usual and most common printer interface. If your
printer is connected to a secondary parallel port (LPT2:, etc) or
to a serial port (COM1:, COM2:, etc.) you must use the ap-
propriate DOS commands to initialize your port and redirect PRN:
before running VIDEOCAT. [If you didn't understand anything in
this paragraph, don't worry; chances are you have a common
printer setup which will work fine.]
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 19
R - Review Current Changes
--------------------------
The purpose of this procedure is to review changes, adds and
deletes which have been entered but not yet processed to the disk
file through an update.
To invoke the Review function, enter R <cr> from the main
menu. The transactions awaiting posting will be displayed on
the screen. This is useful to remind yourself of what you have
already entered and to confirm that you want to process the
changes to the disk file before doing so. There is no provision
for editing these pending transactions. If you find that you
have made errors, your choices are: (1) update anyway and correct
the errors in a subsequent batch; or (2) exit without updating
and discard the entire batch of pending transactions.
Note that their are two kinds of transactions displayed:
adds and deletes. The Change procedure actually generates two
transactions: one to delete the old record and a second to add a
new record reflecting the changes.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 20
S - Search Catalog
------------------
The purpose of the Search function is to search through the
data file for those records which match some specified search
criteria and display or print out the matching records.
To invoke the Search function, enter S <cr> from the main
menu. The search menu will then appear giving you a choice be-
tween seven types of searches.
T - Title Search
----------------
Enter T <cr> to search by title. The program will then
prompt for the entry of a title in the same manner as in the Add
function. In this case, however, you can enter either a complete
or partial title. The program will then search for every record
whose title field includes the character string you have entered.
Thus entering "WAR", for example, would match with "WAR AND
PEACE", "WAR GAMES", "WARRIORS", "WARM HEARTS, COLD FEET", and
"PRIVATE WAR OF MAJOR BENSON, THE", all of which contain the
"WAR" character sequence somewhere within the title. When you
are not sure of the exact title of a movie, this makes it pos-
sible for you to search by entering only as much of the title as
you are sure of.
Y - Year Search
---------------
Enter Y <cr> to search by year. The program will then
prompt for the entry of the year of release in the same manner as
in the Add function. All entries with matching year of release
will be displayed or printed.
N - Name Search
---------------
Enter N <cr> to search by name. The program will then
prompt for the entry of a name in the same manner as the Add
function (i.e. last name, then first name). All entries having a
matching name field will be printed or displayed, regardless of
whether the matching name is in the Star 1, Star 2, Star 3 or
Director field.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 21
S - Subject Search
------------------
Enter S <cr> to search by subject. The program will then
display a table of subject codes and prompt you to enter one in
the same manner as the Add function. All records having the
specified subject code will be displayed or printed.
F - Form Search
---------------
Enter F <cr> from the search menu to search by form. The
program will then display a table of form codes and prompt you to
enter one in the same manner as the Add function. All records
having the specified form code will be displayed or printed.
M - MPAA Code Search
--------------------
Enter M <cr> from the search menu to search by MPAA Code.
The program will then display a table of MPAA Codes and prompt
you to select one in the same manner as in the Add function. All
records having the specified MPAA audience rating will be dis-
played or printed.
R - Rating Search
-----------------
Enter R <cr> from the search menu to search by overall
quality rating. The program will then display a table of rating
codes and prompt you to select one in the same manner as the Add
function. All records having the specified rating will be dis-
played or printed.
E - Exit to the Main Menu
-------------------------
If you change your mind and do not wish to proceed with a
search, enter E <cr> from the search menu and you will be
returned to the main menu.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 22
Output Options
--------------
After you have selected the type of search, you will be
prompted to choose the type of output you desire.
If you enter S <cr>, you will get a screen display which
pauses each time the screen is full and waits for you to signal
that you are ready to continue by entering a <cr>; if you enter Q
<cr> the display of search results will be terminated and you
will be returned to the main menu.
If you enter C <cr> the program will display all matching
records continuously on the screen until the entire base file has
been searched. It will not wait for you to signal whether you
want to continue or quit.
If you enter P <cr> the records will be sent to the printer
and printing will continue until the search is complete. Be sure
that the printer is connected and on line ready to print.
Note that if the search finds no matching items, there will
be no output at all before you are returned to the main menu.
----------
It is possible that in some future version of VIDEOCAT you
may be able to combine search criteria, e.g. westerns with John
Wayne. At the moment, however, you can only specify one data
field to be checked for matching.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 23
T - Tally Statistics
--------------------
The purpose of the Tally function is to compile and display
certain statistics about the composition of your entire video
collection. The statistics shown include tables of numbers and
percentages for subject, form, and rating.
Version 6.0 adds a new feature to Tally. Tables are dis-
played listing names of actors and directors and years of release
in order of frequency. In a large collection, these tables can
occupy many screens, so you will be prompted to indicate whether
you want to continue to the next screen of the current table or
quit and proceed to the next statistical routine.
The algorithm used to construct a list of names or years
sorted in frequency order uses a great deal of memory. In the
event that available memory is exhausted, the routine will con-
tinue, but will only be able to increment the count for names and
years already encountered. Thus if your collection is large and
available memory limited by your computer or operating system,
the name and year tables may not be entirely complete. The algo-
rithm also has a "Big Oh" in excess of 1, which is fancy computer
science lingo for a program whose processing time increases more
than proportionally as the volume of data increases. This hap-
pens because each time another record is analyzed, the lists of
names and years to be searched and rearranged is larger than
before. Those of you who are programmers may be interested to
know that the algorithm involves doubly linked lists with con-
tinuous bubble sorting. If anyone has a more efficient solution,
I'd like to hear about it. You will find this function really
slows down after processing a few hundred records. I have
designed the function to display the title from the record it is
currently working on so that you will see something happening on
the screen and know that progress is being made, rather than won-
dering if your computer has died.
The Tally function does not give you a built-in choice of
printer output, but it does pause each time the screen is full
and you can use Shift-Print Screen to print the screen content
before continuing if you want to keep a hard copy.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 24
U - Update Data Base
--------------------
The purpose of the Update function is to update the disk
data file with the adds, changes and deletes entered during the
current session. These transactions are held in memory for batch
update to the disk file in the interest of efficiency. As the
disk data file grows larger, the time consumed by a file update
increases significantly. Batch updating minimizes the amount of
physical reading and writing of disk files. Do not forget to Up-
date before exiting from the program, however, as the current
change transactions are in volatile memory and are not per-
manently recorded until an Update is performed.
To perform an Update, enter U <ret> from the main menu. Up-
date uses a temporary data file to merge the old base file with
the new transactions, then writes the temporary file back to the
base file. The screen will display the number of the record cur-
rently being read from or written to the base file so that you
will know what is going on and that progress is being made. If
there should not be enough room to create the temporary file, the
function should abort without altering the base file. If there
should not be enough room to write the entire temporary file back
to the base file, the base file will be incomplete, but the tem-
porary file will be complete and you can copy WORKFILE.DAT to
BASEFIL5.DAT after making some room. An abnormal termination
(e.g. a power loss) during the update may result in making one of
the files unreadable (whichever one was open for writing at the
time).
I have rarely had an error resulting in data loss; however
this is a good time to repeat the warning that making frequent
backups of your base file is a good way to minimize the conse-
quences if it should happen. The most common error I make is
neglecting to be sure that there is enough room for the creation
of the workfile on a VDISK which I also use for editor backup
files. This is when the multitasking capability of OS/2 really
comes in handy, because I can invoke the session manager to
change to another screen group without terminating VIDEOCAT,
clean up the file space problem, and then return to VIDEOCAT ex-
actly where I left off. Under DOS I would have to exit from
VIDEOCAT and lose the current transactions in order to clear out
space on the VDISK.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 25
W - Whole Catalog Listing
-------------------------
The purpose of this function is to list all the records in
the entire catalog in title sequence. All data items for each
record are displayed.
You will be asked to select an output option. See the
description of output options under the Search function.
Note that if your collection is large, the printing of a
hard copy catalog can take quite a while, depending on the speed
of your printer. I recommend that you not leave your printer un-
attended in case of a paper jam or ribbon break, events which
seem to happen, in accordance with Murphy's law, only when you
decide to step out for a coffee break during a long print job.
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
VIDEOCAT Version 6.0 User Manual Page 26
E - Exit from program without updating
--------------------------------------
The purpose of this function is to terminate the VIDEOCAT
program and return to DOS. If you have entered any adds, changes
or deletes during the current session, be sure to Update before
Exiting. If you can't remember whether you have pending transac-
tions, use Review to check. An Update is not performed automati-
cally because you may make a deliberate choice not to update be-
cause of errors in data you have entered.
To Exit, enter E <cr> from the main menu. The Exit function
gives you no chance for second thoughts; you will be immediately
returned to DOS without any "Are you sure?" queries. I may
change that in a future version
(C) Copyright 1986, 1987, 1988 by W. A. Jackson
