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Software of the Month Club 1994 November
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SOFM_Nov1994.bin
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vidlib
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vlb.txt
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1994-05-22
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************************************************************
* *
* *
* V I D E O L I B R A R I A N *
* Version *
* 4.10 *
* *
* User's Guide *
* *
* by *
* *
* Lemuel D. Turner *
* TurboSystemsCo *
* P.O. Box 965368 *
* Marietta, Ga. 30066-0007 *
* 404-516-8575 *
* 404-591-4988 (FAX) *
************************************************************
(C) Copyright 1986-1993 Lemuel D. Turner
(C) Copyright 1986-1993 TurboSystemsCo
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
NOTE: The file format of version 4.0+ is not compatible with earlier
versions of Video Librarian. A conversion program is provided to all
registered users to upgrade the old files to the new format.
LICENSE AGREEMENT
VIDEO LIBRARIAN PROGRAM
(C) Copyright 1986-94 TurboSystemsCo and Lemuel D. Turner for this
software, documentation, and user interface. Marietta, Ga. United
United States of America. All rights reserved.
TurboSystemsCo grants you without charge the right to reproduce,
distribute and use copies of this "shareware" version of our
VIDEO LIBRARIAN software product (including the on disk
documentation), on the express condition that you do not receive
any payment, commercial benefit, other consideration for such
reproduction or distribution, or change this license agreement or
copyright notice. *(Shareware distributors, user's groups and BBSs
may charge a distribution/copy fee as long as the shareware distri-
bution/marketing concept is explained)*
The rights to receive any such financial or other benefit, and to
modify the product or its components, are reserved exclusively by
TurboSystemsCo.
Support from users enables us to develop additional features and,
future versions of the VIDEO LIBRARIAN product. Your payment of
$34.95 + $4 S/H would be greatly appreciated; send your payment to:
TurboSystemsCo
P.O. Box 965368
Marietta, Ga. 30066
By sending in your payment, along with your name, mailing address
version number, and where you heard about the VIDEO LIBRARIAN
product and obtained your copy, your copy of VIDEO LIBRARIAN
will be registered with us. This will enable you to receive (1)
technical support, (2) announcements of future releases, the latest
version, (3) a printed manual and discounts on additional programs
from TurboSystemsCo, (4) the Vid Lib Catalog Database of 7000 movies.
(5) One year free subscription to the Vid Lib Catalog Database
quarterly update scbscription program. (6) The ability to enter
your own report headings.
THIS PRODUCT IS LICENSED WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS OF PARTICULAR PURPOSE, PERFORMANCE, OR OTHERWISE; ALL
WARRANTIES ARE DISCLAIMED. BY USING THE VIDEO LIBRARIAN PRODUCT,
YOU AGREE THAT NEITHER TurboSystemsCo NOR ANY OF OUR EMPLOYEES,
AFFILIATES, OWNERS, OR OTHER RELATED PARTIES WILL BE LIABLE TO
YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THIS
SOFTWARE, OR FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER. EVEN IF WE ARE APPRISED
OF POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OCCURRING.
This software may not be reversed-engineered or disassembled,
and includes certain trade secrets and confidential information
of TurboSystemsCo.
VIDEO LIBRARIAN is a trademark of TurboSystemsCo.
TurboSystemsCo Products
Vid Library Catalog (free when you register Video Librarian)
-------------------
The Vid Library Catalog is a database of 7000 movies complete
with reviews in the memo field. The Vid Library Catalog database
engine can merge all or selected movies to your regular Video
Librarian datafiles. This library can save you hundreds of hours
of inputing data. NOTE: A HARD DRIVE IS REQUIRED. Retail price
is $20.95 but free when you register Video Librarian. You don't
need to make an entry on the order form because it is included
automatically when you register Video Librarian.
Vid Library Catalog Subscription
--------------------------------
Four times a year (Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct) we publish a disk with
new movie reviews plus additional older movies not included in the
Vid Library Catalog. Each disk will normally contain several
hundred movies. By use of the database engine from the
Vid Library catalog you can merge all or selected movies into
Video Librarian. Retail price is $35.95 per year, but a one
year subscription is included free with your Video Librarian
registration. Renewal subscriptions are offered a discount.
Book Librarian
---------------
This easy-to-use database management system is ideal for managing
your personal, church, club or coporate library. Capacity limited
only by disk size. Each record can hold the following: Title,
Author, Type, Subject, Edition, Pages, Copyright Year, Catalog#,
ISBN, Purchase Date, Price, Publisher, Location, 2 note fields,
anda Memo field. The memo field can hold up to 30 lines of infor-
mation. It only uses disk space if the field (memo) is utilized.
Prints numerous reports to the screen, printer or a disk file.
Features context sensitive help, mouse support and much more. Also
features outstanding search and find procedures.
Retail price is $34.95 but your price is only *$14.95* if registered
when you register Video Librarian.
Household Register
------------------
An outstanding easy-to-use menu driven home inventory program holds
99,999 items per database an can use an unlimited number of databases.
Includes complete database management functions and full-featured
reporting. Sends reports to the screen, printer, or disk file. A
valuation report prints your inventory and summary/statistical analysis
of total items by category, owner or location. This exceptional
program will prove invaluable for organizing and reporting your
valuables in case of loss, theft or natural disaster. Features
include customizeable pop-up data entry menus; on-line help; prints
warranty list showing expiration dates; includes sample database and
much more. Regular price is $34.95, but only *$14.95* if registered
when you register Video Librarian.
TurboSystemsCo Products-cont
SoundMasterDb Plus
------------------
The best audio library/cataloger available. Handles all audio for-
mats (CD's, Cassettes, Albums, Reel-to-Reel) through its advanced
relational database design. Advanced data input/display screens
store an unlimited number of songs per side. Nine reports that can
be indexed six ways. Reports to screen, printer or disk. Quick FIND
-SEARCH on single or multiple fields. Context sensitive help, on-
line manual, built-in screen saver and much more. Regular retail is
$35.95, but your price is *$14.95* if you register when you
register Video Librarian.
Paper Products (Can be ordered without registering a program)
---------------
You can order the hard to find continous form 3 X 5 Index Cards
and 2 1/2 x 4 Rolodex(R) cards. We also have custom labels
designed to fit the spine and top of VHS Cassettes. We also
stock regular labels (3 1/2 x 15/16). We also stock sheet labels
and index cards for laser printers.
TurboSystemsCo Order Form Part I
-----------------------------------------------
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Product Name: | Price | Qty | Cost |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Video Librarian | $34.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Book Librarian | *$14.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Household Register | *$14.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| SoundMasterDb | *$14.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Index Cards (1000) | $12.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Rolodex(R) (1000) | $12.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| VHS Spine Labels(200)| $11.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| VHS Top Labels(200) | $11.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
|VHS Spine Labels(1000)| $45.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| VHS Top Labels (1000)| $45.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Regular Labels(1000) | $ 7.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
Items Below are for laser printers only
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| VHS Label Set of 120 | $19.95 | | |
| Spine & 120 Top | | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
|Laser Index Cards(150)| $21.95 | | |
+----------------------+----------------+-----+--------+
| Sub-Total | |
| +--------+
| Shipping/Handling ------------------------> | |
| US $4.00 (1st item) +--------+
| +$1.00 each additional item |
| |
| All Others $8.00(1st item) |
| +$2.00 each additional item |
| +--------+
| ** $0.00 for catalog Total Enclosed | |
+---------------------------------------------+--------+
METHOD OF PAYMENT
*Price if ordered when you register Video Librarian
Disk Size: 3.5[ ] 5.25[ ] Laser Label Color: White Ivory Gray
Blue
(Circle Desired Color)
TurboSystemsCo Order Form Part II
-----------------------------------------------
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Check[ ] Money Order[ ] VISA[ ] MasterCard[ ] AMEX/Optima[ ] |
| |
| Card Holder's Name: ____________________________________________ |
| |
| Card Holders Signature: ________________________________________ |
| |
| Card Number: __________________________________________ |
| |
| Exp Date: __________ (month/year) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
SHIP TO:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NAME: _______________________________________________________ |
| |
| STREET: _____________________________________________________ |
| |
| _____________________________________________________ |
| |
| CITY: ________________________________ STATE: ____ ZIP _________ |
| |
| PHONE: __________________________________ |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
Mail to: TurboSystemsCo
P.O. Box 965368
Marietta, Ga. 30066-0007
If paying by credit card, you may place your order by
calling 1-800-257-7221. 11am - 6:30pm Eastern Time Mon - Fri or
FAX to : 1-404-591-4988 24hrs 7 days/week. 1-404-516-8575
Source of Shareware Program: _____________________________________________
Source could be a Catalog Disk Vendor, BBS, Friend, Store, etc. Please
provide the name of the Catalog, BBS or store.
NOTE: If you bought the program in a store, please provide the name of the
store and along with the name of distributor which should appear on the
disk or packaging.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Introduction ............................................. 1
Features ................................................. 1
System Requirements ...................................... 2
Distribution Files ....................................... 2
Disk Back-Up ............................................. 2
Getting Started
Installing Video Librarian................................ 3
Hard Disk System ..................................... 3
Floppy Disk System ................................... 3
Start-Up ................................................. 3
Floppy Disk System ................................... 3
Hard Disk System ..................................... 4
Printer Set-up ....................................... 4
Setup Window .............................................. 5
Data Entry
Data Entry Screen ......................................... 6
Command Menu .......................................... 6
File Menu ............................................. 7
Edit Keys ............................................. 7
Keyboard and Mouse Usage .............................. 8
Data Operations ........................................... 9
Adding Records ........................................ 9
Data Entry Fields .................................. 10
Editing Records ....................................... 11
Deleting Records ...................................... 11
Searching
The Find Function ......................................... 11
List Movie Window...................................... 13
The Browse Function ....................................... 13
The Search Function ....................................... 13
Query Screen Fields ................................... 14
Reports
Reports ................................................... 15
Report Type Menu ...................................... 15
List To Menu .......................................... 15
List All .............................................. 16
Sort By Menu .......................................... 16
Spacing Menu .......................................... 16
Report Formatter .......................................... 16
Formatter Fields ...................................... 16
Wrap Example .......................................... 17
Print Labels .............................................. 17
Re-Index (Corrupt Files) ...................................... 18
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
TurboSystemsCo has a strong commitment to customer support. We
provide technical support only to registered users. However if
you should experience problems getting the program to run on
your systems prior to registering, we will attempt to resolve
those problems.
Lemuel D. Turner the owner and president of TurboSystemsCo and
the author of Video Librarian is a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals. While we don't think you'll ever need
it, by Mr. Turner's membership in the Association of Shareware
Professionals, registered users have an additional avenue to
resolve customer support disputes if they can not be resolved to
the registered user's satisfaction. See statement below:
Lemuel D. Turner is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a share-
ware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting that mem-
ber directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help
you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not
provide technical support for member's products. Please write the
ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon Mi. 49442-9427 or send a
Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
INTRODUCTION
VIDEO LIBRARIAN is a fast easy to learn and use database manager
that will help organize and keep track of your video library.
With this program you can quickly search your video library files
and print reports to the screen, printer or a disk text file. The
program will also print labels to place on your VCR tapes for easy
identification.
FEATURES
- Holds 21 Information Fields About Each Title
-- Title, Star(first & last name), Co-star(first & last name),
Cast, Rating, Director(first & last name), Company, Year,
Comments, Tape#, Starting and Stop Counter, Recording
Speed, Time, Critics, Color and Movie#.
-- A memo field that can hold up to 62 lines of information about
each title.
- Database Management Functions.
-- File Next, Prev, Find, Top, Last, Edit, Add, Del, Search,
Report, Quit
- Reports
-- Six fixed format reports, plus a self design report and labels.
--- Reports may be printed to screen, printer or disk text file.
--- Tape labels can be printed on regular 3 1/2 by 15/16 labels
or on special labels designed to fit the top and spine of
VHS cassettes.
--- One report can be printed on continuous form 3 X 5 cards.
--- Laser printers supported for video cassette sheet labels
and sheet 3 X 5 cards.
- Context Sensitive Help
-- Press F1 to bring up a relevant help screen at any point in
the program.
- Mouse Support
- Screen Saver
-- A built-in screen saver activates when the keyboard is not used
at a user customizable interval.
- Browse and Find Windows
-- Moveable, scrollable, resizeable
- Find any Title, Star, Co-Star, Director, Tape Number,
or Movie# in approximately 1 second or less.
- Search database on any combination of fields.
- Can hold over 10 million titles, approximately 750 on a 360k floppy
if memo field is not used. Will hold approximately 350 with
each record having a three line memo field.
=============================== 1 ==============================
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
To use VIDEO LIBRARIAN you will require:
IBM PC/XT/AT PS/2 or Compatible.
At least 512k of memory.
Two floppy drives or 1 hard disk and a floppy
If installed on a floppy - floppy must 720K or
greater.
A color or monochrome display.
Printer (capable of print in compressed mode to use
all the features of the program).
MS-DOS/PC-DOS 2.1 or higher.
Supports both keyboard and mouse input.
Your CONFIG.SYS file must have the statement, FILES=16. If the
number is greater than 16 that's okay. Refer to your DOS manual
if you are not familiar with the CONFIG.SYS file. The installation
program will check this feature and set the files if desired.
THE DISTRIBUTION FILES
The following files at a minimum should appear on your
disk after the program is installed.
VLB.EXE README.TXT SAMPLE.T3 REPORT.DSW ORDER.EXE
VLB.DBW SAMPLE.TSC SAMPLE.T4 REPORT.DSH OPWIN.DSW
VLB.DBH SAMPLE.T1 SAMPLE.T5 QUERY.DSW FORM1.DSW
VLB.TXT SAMPLE.T2 SAMPLE.T6 QUERY.DSH FORM1.DSH
*VENDOR.DOC PRINTER.PTR EPSON.CFG MYVIDS.TSC MYVIDS.T3
DBPMENU.MEN IBMPRO.CFG VLBFIX.EXE MYVIDS.T1 MYVIDS.T4
SAMPLE.T7 HPII.CFG FILE_ID.DIZ MYVIDS.T2 MYVIDS.T5
SETUP.DAT ORDER.TXT MYVIDS.T6
ORDER.EXE MYVIDS.T7
* May be deleted at the option of the vendor.
BACKUP YOUR PROGRAM DISK
Please make a backup copy of the program disk. If required,
please refer to your DOS manual for back-up procedures.
=============================== 2 ================================
INSTALL VIDEO LIBRARIAN
Before continuing we remind you again to make a backup copy of
the program disk. Refer to your DOS manual for back-up pro-
cedures if required.
HARD DRIVE:
(1) Insert the Video Librarian disk into drive A or B. You should
be at your hard drive command prompt (C:\> or any other hard drive
letter designation. (2) Type A:\INSTALL or B:\INSTALL (3) Press the
ENTER key. (4) Follow the on screen prompts and the program will be
automatically installed on your hard drive.
FLOPPY DRIVE:
(1) Obtain a formatted disk or format a disk to place the program
files on. (2) Place the program disk in Drive A or B. (3) Place
the previously formatted disk in the opposite drive. (4) Log on
to the drive that has the program disk, if it is drive A, you
should see the A:\> prompt. (5) Type INSTALL and press the
ENTER key. (6) Follow the on screen prompts.
NOTE: If you downloaded this program from a BBS, after unzipping
the program, just type install. The program can be installed
from a hard disk subdirectory.
START-UP
To start the program after installation, type VLB and press the ENTER
key. If the program fails to load perform the following to start the
program, log to the drive that holds the program files and type:
CD\
CD\VIDEO40
VLB
Press the ENTER Key after each line above.
FILE SELECTION
Next the Video Librarian title screen is displayed.
Press the spacebar to bypass the screen. Then the File
Selection Screen is displayed. Use the cursor to select a data file.
All Video Librarian data files have the extension .TSC. If you
select a file with the extension .TSC the file will be displayed on
the main data entry screen.
================================= 3 ================================
FILE SELECTION - cont
To select a data file on a different drive, press the control key
and the drive letter. For example to select a data file on drive
B, press the control key and the letter B together. To create a
data file press the F2 function key, enter a name for the file up
to eight characters long. Do not enter an extension, the extension
.TSC will be added.
PRINTER SET-UP
The first time you use Video Librarian or if you change printers,
you must install your printer for use with Video Librarian. To
install your printer, select fI)le from the Main Menu. Then
select S)elect Printer from the next menu. The menu will display
five selections. (1) Epson and Compatibles, (2) IBM Proprinter and
Compatibles, (3) HP Laser Series II and Compatibles, (4) Cannon BJC-
600, (5) Generic and (6) TSC Printer.
To select a printer, select the highligted letter or use the arrow
key to move the cursor over the printer and press RETURN/ENTER.
Most non-laser and some laser printers are compatible with the Epson
or IBM ProPrinter. If your printer is not an Epson or IBM Proprinter
check your manual, it is probably compatible with one or both.
Select the appropiate printer. If you have a laser printer, select
the HP Laser printer.
If your printer will not work with any of the first three selections
then you should select the Generic Printer. When you use the Generic
printer printer control codes are not sent to your printer. You will
not be able to print the Comprehensive and Index Cards unless you
manually place your printer in compressed mode prior to starting the
report. Also the headings will not be printed in bold.
The final selection (6) TSC, is used to load a custom driver for your
printer created by TurboSystemsCo. If none of the first three
will work with your printer then contact TurboSystemsCo. We may be
able to construct a driver for you. Please provide the manufactuer
and model number.
If you select one of the printers and the reports don't print
correctly, always reset or turn your printer off then back on
prior to trying another selection.
NOTE: If you select the HP II driver, you must set the lines per
page on the SetUp Window to 60. See next page for Setup window
info.
If you select the Cannon BJC-600 driver, set the lines per page
on the SetUp Window to 61.
================================= 4 =================================
SETUP WINDOW
The Setup Window allows you to select certain default values that
effect how certain aspects of the program operates. To get to the
Setup Window, choose fIle from the Main Menu and Setup from the
next menu. The following items are displayed on the Setup Window.
Automatic Field Capitalization
Valid responses are Y(yes) or N(no). Select yes and the first letter
of each word is automatically capitalized. Select no and the letter
will have the case as typed.
Start/Stop Field
The field selects the counter format used by your VCR, ie numbers
(001500) or time (01:52:31). Enter N for numbers or T for time.
Printer Port
Allows you to select the port to which your printer is attached.
Leave a defauft LPT1 unless you know your printer is attached
to another port.
Lines/Page
In most cases this should remain at 66. Three exceptions: (1) LASER
PRINTERS SHOULD SET THIS TO 60. (2) European A4 size should set
this to 72. (3) Cannon BJC-600 set to 61.
Manual Feed Labels/Index Cards
If your laser/inkjet requires manual feed enter Y.
Movie Categories
Edit the categories to display in the popup list in the category
field.
Activate popup picklist by the ENTER key: Y = ENTER N = PageUP
By default the fields with popup picklist(Rating, Category, Critics
and Speed) are activated by pressing the PageUp key. If you prefer
to activate the popup list by pressing the ENTER key enter "Y" at
the prompt above.
================================= 5 =================================
DATA ENTRY
After the File Selection Screen is displayed, the Main Data Entry
Screen is displayed. The screen contains 21 data entry fields, 1
memo field and the Command Menu.
The Command Menu provides Video Librarian with a selection of easy to
use database management functions. Each menu item can be selected by
pressing the highlighted letter, or by using the arrow keys to place
the cursor over an item and pressing ENTER, or by using the mouse.
The function of each menu item is provided below:
ITEM FUNCTION
------- --------------------------------------------------------
File see next section for explanation.
Next Displays the next movie in index order.
Prev Displays the previous movie in index order.
Find Use this feature to rapidly locate any Title, Star, Co-
Star, Director, Tape#, Category or Movie#
Top Displays the first movie in index order.
Last Displays the last movie in index order.
Edit Edit the movie currently displayed on the screen.
Add Add a new movie to the library file.
Del To delete the movie displayed on the screen.
Search Displays the Search Selection Screen. Search the lib-
rary file using multiple selection criteria. Matches are
displayed on the Data Entry Screen.
Reports Displays the report selection screen.
Quit Exits Video Librarian.
F1 Displays context sensitive help about menu items or data
entry fields. The F1 key is not displayed.
Util Displays menu with the following selections (1) Copy -
makes a copy of the currently displayed record. Useful
when adding sequels. (2) Select Printer - see page 4.
(3) Count Movies - displays the number of movies in
database. (4) Adj Screen Saver - adjust the time before
the screen saver displays when the keyboard is idle.
ESC The same as Quit, also Alt+'X' has same function
F3 Flush data in memory to disk.
================================= 6 =================================
FILE MENU
The file menu displays a sub-menu of items from the Main Menu
ITEM FUNCTION
------- --------------------------------------------------------
Open/New Allows you to open a file previously created, or to
create a new file. This item displays the File Selection
Screen which lets you open or create a file.
Set Index The program uses 7 index fields; title, star, costar,
directory, category, tape# and movie#. The index select-
ion determines the order the movies are displayed when
the Next, Prev, Last and Top menu items are selected.
Select Printer - see page 4 for details.
Setup - see page 5 for details.
Movie Count Counts the number of movies in the library.
Set Screen Saver - see ALT+V page 8.
EDIT KEYS
The edit key listed below are in effect when entering data into the
Main Data Screen and other screens where data can be entered.
KEY FUNCTION
--------- --------------------------------------------------------
F1 Displays help screen.
F2 Displays file name field on Data File Selection Screen.
F5 The field is deleted from the cursor position to the end
of the field and the cursor is placed back at the left
margin of the field.
F10 The key is used to end editing. If on the main data entry
screen, the data is written to a data file. On other
screens, control will be returned to the menu.
ESC Key is used to exit from data entry while using the Add
or Edit functions. The changes made to the data entry
screen are canceled.
ENTER Pressing ENTER/RETURN while in a data entry field ends
edit of the field and moves the cursor to the next field.
BACKSPACE Causes the cursor to move to the left and erases the char-
acter to the left.
INS Toggles between insert and overwrite of characters.
DEL Deletes the character under the cursor.
================================= 7 =================================
UP ARROW Moves the cursor to the previous field if not in the first
field.
DN ARROW Moves the cursor to the next field on the screen.
L ARROW Moves cursor to left within a field. Does not delete
characters.
R ARROW Moves cursor to right within a field. Does not delete
characters.
PageUp In fields with popup list (rating, critics, speed and
category) when pressed when the field is blank, moves
to the next field - leaving the field blank.
ALT+V Displays a screen to alter the delay before the screen
saver/blanker appears. Valid entries are 0 and 5-600
seconds. Enter 0 to disable the screen saver.
ALT+M Allows direct edit of the memo field
ALT+1 Selects Title as the primary index.
ALT+2 Selects Star as the primary index.
ALT+3 Selects CoStar as the primary index.
ALT+4 Selects Director as the primary index.
ALT+5 Selects Category as the primary index.
ALT+6 Selects Tape# as the primary index.
ALT+7 Selects Movie# as the primary index.
KEYBOARD AND MOUSE USAGE
Video Librarian can use both the keyboard and a mouse or a combi-
nation of both. There are three direct equivalences between the
mouse and the keyboard.
* The left mouse button is exactly equal to the ENTER key.
* The right mouse button is exactly equal to the Esc(ape) key.
* The left and right button pressed together, (or the middle
button in a three button mouse) is exactly equal to the F1 Key.
HOT KEYS
All the fields on the data entry screen can be jumped directly to
for editing by pressing the ALT key plus the highlighted letter in
the field title. Use ALT+U for NO, ALT+Z for Stop and ALT+H for
Speed. These three fields do not have a highlighted letter displayed.
================================= 8 =================================
DATA OPERATIONS
This section describes how to add, edit and delete records.
* ADDING RECORDS
Adding a record is the process of typing information into blank data
entry fields or selecting items from a pop-up pick list.
To add a record to your movie file select Add from the Command Menu
by pressing A, or by using the mouse or arrow keys to highlight Add
and pressing left mouse button or pressing the ENTER/RETURN key.
Data entry begins with the Title field (top left) and proceeds left
to right, top to bottom. At the bottom of the screen is the
Comments area.
This input area is two separate data entry areas. The first line with
the N beside it is a one line 68 character input field called the
note field. The three lines below the note field is a 62 line
scrollable memo field. You can enter up to 62 lines of information in
the memo field. This is a memo field is like a mini-wordprocessor,
all edit keys work and words are automatically wrapped at the end of
a line.
NOTE: The memo field only uses space in the database if you enter data
in it. The program uses 248 bytes of disk space for every 3 lines of
data entered in the memo field.
Three fields, Rating, Category and Speed have pop-up pick list that
you can select items from instead of typing in information. When
you enter one of the fields you can type in any information desired,
or press the PageUp Key while the field is blank to display the pop-up
pick list. To select an item from the list, move the cursor over the
item with the arrow keys or mouse and press ENTER/RETURN or the left
mouse button.
Saving the movie information to disk is accomplished by pressing the
F10 function key. If you press ESC or the right mouse button while
in any field, the information is erased and is not stored on disk.
You can use the up/down arrow keys and or the mouse to revisit any
field and edit the information prior to pressing F10 or ESC. If in
the memo field, you must press CTRL+PAGE-UP to exit the memo field
and move back up to the note field.
================================= 9 =================================
* DATA ENTRY FIELDS
Each record in the movie file contains the following fields.
Field Contents
------------ --------------------------------------------------
Title Holds the movie title, up to 40 characters. This
is the primary index field. The first 25 characters
are indexed.
Rating Holds the MPAA rating of the film, ie G, PG, PG-13,
R, NC-17, NR, X, XXX etc. Press ENTER/RETURN while
field is blank for a pop-up pick list.
Star(first) Enter the star's first name - up to 12 characters.
Star(last) Holds the star's last name. Index field which allows
rapids searches or to browse the database indexed by
star.
CoStar(first) Enter the co-stars's first name -up to 12 characters.
Costar(last) Same as star last name except costar is used.
Cast Holds the names of the remaining cast members. This
is a scrollable field that will hold up to 60
characters.
Dir(first) Enter the movie director's first name.
Dir(last) Same as star last, except director is used.
Publisher Holds the name of the company that made or distrib-
uted the movie.
Category Holds the type of movie, such as comedy, action,
drama etc. Press ENTER/RETURN while field is blank
to select from a list of 17 categories.
YEAR Holds the year the movie was copyrighted or released.
TAPE# Stores a number to identify a VCR cassette tape.
Numbering examples: (1) all numbers - 000001 to
999999. (2) letters and numbers - C00001 to
C99999. **WARNING** all six spaces must be used
for the tape index to work correctly. Enter 0's
to fill in the blanks as shown above.
START Holds the VCR counter number where the movie begins.
STOP Holds the VCR counter number where the movie stops.
SPEED Holds the speed at which the movie was recorded, ie
SP, LP, SLP.
================================= 10 ================================
DATA ENTRY FIELDS - Cont
Field Contents
------------ --------------------------------------------------
TIME Holds the length of the movie in minutes.
NOTE Used to store additional information about movie.
MEMO 62 line scrollable memo area. Can be used to enter a
synopsis or other information.
CRITICS Four character field to hold a subjective rating of
the movie. The popup list for this field has ratings
from 1 - 4 stars (* - ****).
COLOR Used to show if the movie is color, colorized or
black and white.
MOVIE# Each movie is assigned a number in this field.
Duplicate numbers are not allowed.
* EDITING RECORDS
To edit a record select Edit from the menu by pressing E or by using
the arrow keys or the mouse. This function allows you to make changes
to the record displayed on the screen.
After you completed making changes to a field or fields, press F10
and the changes are saved to your movie file.
If you decide while editing the record that you don't want to save
the changes, press the ESC key and the changes will be erased and the
old information restored.
You can jump directly to the memo field by pressing ALT+M. This only
works if done prior to selecting Edit from the Main Menu.
* DELETING RECORDS
To delete the record displayed select the Del function from the com-
mand menu. A prompt is displayed to confirm deletion of the record.
Answer Yes to delete the record.
SEARCHING
There are two methods provided in the program to search your data-
base, the FIND key and the SEARCH key. The FIND key also lets
you look at your database in tabular format and is also explained
in this section. The FIND function is quicker and easier to use
but the Search function allows more complex searches.
* THE FIND FUNCTION
The FIND key rapidly locates a movie by Title, Star(last name),
Co-Star(last name), Director(last name), Category, Tape#, Movie#.
================================= 11 ===============================
* THE FIND FUNCTION - Cont
When you select FIND from the command menu a pop-up menu with the
following choices is displayed: Title, Star, Co-Star, Director,
Category, Tape# and Movie#.
Select one of the choices from the menu or press ESC to return to
the Command Menu. If you select Title, the following prompt is
displayed:
Enter Title To Find or ENTER/RETURN For All _________________
A similar prompt is displayed for the other choices if selected.
The prompt above allows you to specify a string to search for, or
just press ENTER/RETURN. If you press ENTER/RETURN key without
entering a search string, then the data file is displayed indexed
by the selected choice in the List Movie Window. The cursor will
be placed at the beginning of the file.
If a search string is entered, the data file is displayed in the
List Movie Window and the cursor is placed on the first record
that matches the search string. If the search string is not found
then a prompt displays saying An Exact Match Not Found and the
cursor is placed on the record that comes closest to matching the
string entered.
When using the FIND function the data base is displayed in a pop-
up List Movie Window. You can use the arrow keys, mouse, Tab and
Page-Up and Page Down keys to scroll through the data base. The
Tab key moves the cursor right 10 characters, Shift+Tab moves the
cursor left 10 characters. The Page Up and Page Down keys move the
cursor up and down 10 lines respectively.
A unique way to move through the data base or find a particular
record is to type a letter or word from the keyboard while the
List Movie Window is displayed. For example if the you typed the
letter C then the cursor will move to the first entry or closest
entry that starts with C. To move the cursor to another location
in the C list type another letter, for example U which would disp-
lay CU in the left lower corner of the window. The cursor would
move to the CU location in the data base. If Star was selected for
the index and you typed CRUISE, the cursor would move to Cruise in
the data base. To erase the letters displayed in the lower left
corner of the window press the Delete or Backspace key to erase the
characters. You can enter other characters to move about the data
base. For example enter the letter A to move to the top of the
data base, then press Delete to erase the character and enter Z to
move to the end of the data base.
There are several options available to change the List Movie
Window. The options are displayed at the bottom of the window.
The options are (1) Brief, (2) Zoom (3) Resize and (4) move. The
options are explained on the next page.
================================= 12 ================================
THE FIND FUNCTION - cont
List Movie Window Options:
(1) Brief - Limits display to only key fields. Can speed that rec-
ords are accessed when paging around data in the find window.
Press ALT 'B' to activate and deactivate.
(2) Zoom - List Movie Window expands to full screen. Press ALT 'Z'
to activate and deactivate.
(3) Resize - Allows you to change the size of the window using the
arrow keys or mouse. You can only change the position of the bottom
and right side of the window. To activate press ALT 'R'.
(4) Move - Allows you to move the window using the arrow keys or
mouse. Press ALT 'M' to activate.
Note: If only one record in the Database matches the search string
entered then the record is displayed on the main data entry screen
and not in the find window.
Also pressing ENTER/RETURN when the cursor is over one of the records
in the List Movie Window will display the movie on the main data
entry screen.
THE SEARCH FUNCTION
The FIND function can only perform searches on one of the key fields.
The search function can perform searches on up to 10 fields, while
setting up specific search criteria using logical operators. When
the Search menu selection is chosen, the movie Query Screen is
displayed along with the menu choices Edit, Recall Quit.
Edit allows you to fill-in the movie Query Screen, Recall will
display previously saved selections and allows you to load them from
disk and fill in the movie Query Screen. Quit will return you to
the main data entry screen.
================================= 13 ================================
QUERY SCREEN FIELDS
There are four fields on the screen used to set up the search cri-
tiera: Field, Comparator, Value and LogOp.
Field Press ENTER/RETURN to pop up a pick list of 22 fields
that can be tested. NOTE: There are 4 fields for Star,
Star_F, Star_L, STAR and *STAR. For example you would
use Star_L if looking for a last name only match, ie
"Fonda". Use STAR to match a first and last name, ie
"Jane Fonda". *STAR is used to search the Star last
name field, Co-Star last name field and the Cast field
for a match. For example if you used *STAR = Fonda, the
program will look for "Fonda" in the Star, Co-Star and
Cast Field. CO-STAR and DIRECTOR lets you enter a first
and last name to search for just as STAR does.
Operator Press ENTER/RETURN to pop up a pick list or type in one
of the seven operators. This field defines the type of
test you want to make.
Value Enter the value to be compared/tested.
LogOp Select AND/OR from the pop up list to enter additional
selection criteria. Enter "END" and/or press F10 to
stop entering data.
The combination of a Field, an Operator and a Value forms the basic
selection criteria. When two basic criteria is joined together by
a LogOp, this forms a selection pair.
The program evaluates each selection pair separately and combines
them progressively from top to bottom to determine if each record
meets the selection criteria. You can enter up to five selection
pairs on the screen.
After pressing F10 the following menu is displayed: Continue Edit
Save Quit. Quit returns you to the main data entry screen without
performing a search. Save stores the selection criteria on
screen to a file, you will be prompted for a file name. Edit lets
you edit/change the criteria entered. Continue starts the search
based on the criteria entered.
A screen identical to the data entry screen is displayed with the
prompt "****** Searching ******" at the bottom of the screen.
When a match is found the following menu is displayed: "Next, Edit,
Quit". The mouse does not work with this menu. Next starts the
search process again to find the next match. Edit functions the
same as on the data entry screen. Quit stops the search process
and returns to the data entry screen.
================================= 14 ================================
REPORTS
The report screen appears when Reports is selected from the command
menu. On the screen is five menus which determine the type of
report, where to list the report, whether to list all or some of
the movies, the index to use, and line spacing.
Upon arrival at the screen, the following menu is displayed:
Edit, Continue, Quit. Edit allows updating of the screen, Continue
will cause the report to be listed, Quit returns you to the data
entry screen.
REPORT TYPE MENU
Small Report A pre-formatted report that can be listed to the
screen printer or text file. Report list Title,
Star, Category, Rating, Tape#, Start and Speed.
Large Report A pre-formatted report that can be listed to
printer or text file. Includes all fields in small
report, plus Co-Star, Cast, Director and Speed.
Labels - Reg Prints on 3 1/2 by 15/16 continuous form labels.
VHS - Spine Prints on 5 13/16 by 3/4 specialty labels. Fits
the spine of VHS cassettes. Contact author for
source.
VHS - Top Prints on 3 1/16 by 1 13/16 specialty labels. Fits
Top of VHS cassettes. Contact author for source.
Index Cards Prints all fields except memo on 3 X 5 continuous
form index cards.
Stars Pre-formatted report that can be listed to screen,
printer or disk. Report contains Title, Star and
Co-Star.
Custom You select the fields to place in report. Select-
ions are made using the Report Format Screen des-
cribed later.
Catalog-Memo Lists all fields plus the memo field information.
One record per page.
Catalog Lists all fields except memo, stop and note, 10
records per page.
LIST TO MENU
Screen When selected the report is listed to your monitor.
Printer When selected the report is listed to your printer.
Disk When selected, you are prompted for a filename for
the text file. Do not add an extension. The pro-
gram adds the extension .TXT. The file created can
be edited by any wordprocessor capable of reading
ASCII text.
================================= 15 ================================
LIST ALL
Yes List all movies in the data file.
No When selected, you will set-up selection criteria using
the Query Screen to list the desired movies.
SORT BY MENU
Select the sort order in which you want your report listed. Choices
are Title, Star, Co-Star, Director, Category or Tape#. Selecting
Title would cause the report to be listed in alphabetical order by
title.
SPACING
Select Single or Double to print the Small, Large, Stars and Custom
reports with single or double line spacing. Spacing has no effect
on other reports.
REPORT FORMATTER
When Custom report is selected from the Report Type Menu, the Report
Formatter screen is displayed after completing the current screen.
From this screen you select the fields to be included in your report
and how you want the fields formatted.
REPORT FORMATTER FIELDS
Print Field Enter the name of the field you want printed. Press
ENTER/RETURN while the field is blank for a pop up
list of fields to select from. Selecting STAR, CO-
STAR or DIRECTOR from the list will print last name,
first name of each. Choose L-MARGIN to set the size
of the left margin.
Field Width This is a display only field and you can not edit it.
it displays the number of characters the selected
field occupies.
Print Width This field allows you to specify the width in charac-
ters that you want the field to occupy on a line.
The number is added to the Line Width displayed at the
bottom of the screen.
Wrap(Y/N) Select YES(Y) when the Field Width is greater than the
Print Width and you want all the field information
printed. The extra characters will be wrapped to the
next line. The field information can occupy up to
three lines if wrap is used.
================================= 16 ================================
REPORT FORMATTER FIELDS - Cont
Wrap(Y/N) If you select NO(N) and the Field Width is greater
than the Print Width, the extra characters are deleted.
Selecting either YES or NO when the Field Width is
less than or equal to Print Width has no effect on
the printout.
Line Width Display only field. The field displays the width the
line will occupy as each Print Field and Print Width
is selected. NOTE: If the Line Width exceeds 79 for
screen reports, the report will not be formatted
properly when listed. If listed to the printer, the
report will switch from normal to compressed print
if the line width exceeds 79. You can print line
widths upto 130 characters to your printer with
proper formatting.
If you want to print long lines, I suggest you list
the report to a disk, and import the report into
your wordprocessor, format and print it out.
Wrap Example
This is a demonstration of the use and non use of Wrap on the Title
field. The Field Width for Title is 40, the selected Print Width is
20. The first line of the example below is with YES for Wrap and the
second is with NO for Wrap.
Title Star Co-Star Year
------------------------------------------------------
1. Close Encounters of Dreyfuss Garr 1980
The Third Kind
2. Close Encounters of Dreyfuss Garr 1980
PRINTING TAPE LABELS
Printing Tape Labels is a simple process with Video Librarian. If
you want to print labels for all tapes, select the appropriate label
from Report Type Menu and Yes from the List All Menu.
If you want to print a portion of your tapes, select NO from the
List All Menu. You will then enter the Query Screen. Enter the
the first tape number you want printed in the first Search Value
field following the "GE". Enter the last tape number you want
printed in the second Search Value field. All tape number entries
must contain six numbers, letters or a combination of numbers and
letters.
================================= 17 ================================
RE-INDEX LIBRARY FILES
Video Librarian datafile indexes are contained in 7 index files,
*.T1 - *.T7 The "*" symbol represents the
name of your datafile. Occasionly indexes become corrupted, that
is the index looses its relationship with the datafile from which
it was generated. One of the possible causes of corrupt index
files are loss of power or a sever power spike while operating the
program, or exiting the program without selecting *Quit* from the
Main Menu. One of the symptons of corrupted index files, is finding
your data out of order when using the find or browse screen.
Another symptom is the receiving various error messages, such as
"Duplicate Key", or "Unexpected End of File", etc.
You *do not* need to Re-Index your files periodically as some
programs require. Your index files are automatically maintained
and optimized by the program. The *only* time you should
Re-Index your files are when you have an indication that the
indexs are corrupted. However, Re-Indexing when not needed will
not hurt or help your files.
To start the Re-Index program, type VLBFIX at the DOS prompt (ie)
the same place that you type VLB to start Video Librarian. You
then select your file just like when you start Video Librarian. You
next will be asked "Purged Deleted Records", the default is "NO".
If you answer Yes, the program will purge deleted records from
your inventory file.
When you delete a record using Video Librarian, the record is not
physically removed from the disk. The deleted record is marked so
it is not displayed. When you add a record, the program will use
the space allocated to the deleted records if available. If you
elect to purge deleted records when you re-index, the deleted
records are physically removed from the inventory file, thus
making the file size smaller.
If you experience signs of corrupted index files, Re-index first
by answering NO to the "Purge Deleted Records" question. If the
problem continues, run again and answer "Yes" to the "Purge Deleted
Records" question.
END OF MANUAL
================================= 18 ================================