Cream of the Crop 20/Cream of the Crop 20 (Terry Blount) (1996).iso/database/mcook198.zip/MCOOK.MAN

Text File | 1996-07-01 | 77KB | 1,799 lines

          This manual has 31 pages total.






********  MicroCook   Copyright 1993-1996
          Version 1.98

          Written & Published by

          Gus Skiaker
          NORSKi Software
          P.O. Box 76
          Franksville, WI 53126-0076
          U.S.A.
          Phone: [phone] (6-9 PM, or leave a message)

          America On Line    : NORSKI
          Internet           : [e-mail]
          CompuServe         : 72713,1667

          Get the latest version of MicroCook from Internet!
          Point your Web browser to:
          http://www.execpc.com/~norski
          Also check there for MicroCook news, and maybe some
          recipes for downloading.

          MicroCook can also be registered at:

          Albert's Ambry on Internet: http://www.alberts.com
          (See ALBERTS.TXT in the MicroCook directory)

          CompuServe Shareware Registration (GO SWREG)
          (See SWREG.TXT in MicroCook directory)

          Public Software Library with credit cards.
          (See CREDIT.TXT for details)

          In an un-registered copy of MicroCook you can print out
          the above TXT files from the Register menu item in the
          Print menu.

          See WHATSNEW.TXT for late changes/add-ons!

                  _______
             ____|__     |               (R)
          --|       |    |-------------------
            |   ____|__  |  Association of
            |  |       |_|  Shareware
            |__|   o   |    Professionals
          -----|   |   |---------------------
               |___|___|       MEMBER



                MicroCook Manual - Page 1



Table of Contents:

     A Description of MicroCook ............................  4
     The Code field ........................................  5
     Mouse with MicroCook ..................................  6
     The KEY file ..........................................  6
     Screen Saver ..........................................  7
     The Editors ...........................................  7
     Editor Keys ...........................................  8
     Duplicates Checking ...................................  9
     The File Menu ......................................... 10
     Loading MicroCook ..................................... 10
     Windows, OS/2 and MicroCook ........................... 11
     Optimizing Memory ..................................... 11


     File Menu *********************   ALT-F
          Save Recipe ................ ALT-S ............... 12
          Save & New Recipe .......... ALT-A ............... 12
          Start New Recipe ........... ALT-N ............... 12
          Load By Number ............. ALT-L ............... 12
          Search for Recipe ................................ 13
          Disk View .................. ALT-V ............... 13
          Quit ....................... ALT-Q ............... 14
     Index Menu ********************   ALT-I
          Select from ................ ALT-X ............... 14
          Last Search Index .......... ALT-B ............... 15
          Search ........................................... 15
          Index View ................. ALT-Y ............... 15
          Sort ....................... ALT-O ............... 15
          Delete This Recipe ......... ALT-Z ............... 16
          Un-Delete & Delete Recipes ....................... 16
     Print Menu ********************   ALT-P
          This Recipe ................ ALT-R ............... 17
          This Recipe - FAST! ........ ALT-W ............... 17
          Other Recipes .................................... 17
          Index In Memory .................................. 18
          Manual ........................................... 18
          Form Feed ........................................ 18
          Registration ..................................... 18
     Database Menu *****************   ALT-D
          Change to .................. ALT-C ............... 19
          Create New ....................................... 19
          Re-Index ......................................... 19
          Clear or Set Codes ............................... 19
          Replace Codes .................................... 20
          Pack ............................................. 20
          Setup ...................... ALT-U ............... 20






                MicroCook Manual - Page 2



     Tool Menu *********************   ALT-T
          File Manager ............... ALT-K ............... 24
          Read Manual ................ ALT-M ............... 25
          Conversions ...................................... 25
          About ............................................ 26
          Status ........................................... 26
          DOS Shell ........................................ 26


     Export/Import Menu ***********   ALT-E
          Export MicroCook database ........................ 27
          Import MicroCook database ........................ 28
          Export MicroCook ASCII ........................... 28
          Import MicroCook ASCII ........................... 29
          Import MealMaster ASCII .......................... 29
          Import MasterCook ASCII .......................... 30
     Convert Edna's Cookbook ASCII ......................... 30
     Help .................................................. 30
     What's Next? .......................................... 31
     THANK YOU ............................................. 31


































                MicroCook Manual - Page 3



Description of MicroCook.

MicroCook is a recipe database program written to allow users to
collect, organize, and locate recipes. MicroCook will run on IBM
compatible PCS with MS-DOS, two high density floppy disks, or a
floppy disk and a hard disk. A hard disk is recommended as is at
least 512 KBytes of RAM. MS-DOS 3.2 or higher is required.
MicroCook also works well in Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and in OS/2.
If you use MicroCook in Windows 95, you do NOT need to load a DOS
mouse driver as MicroCook will use the Windows 95 mouse driver.

MicroCook is using Overlays for memory management. This mean that
only a small part of MicroCook is loaded in conventional memory
(below 640 KBytes). If there are either Extended (XMS) or
Expanded (EMS) memory available, the rest will be loaded there.
This way there's a lot more room left in conventional memory for
the Recipe Index. If your PC has about 550 KBytes of free
conventional memory there should be room for about 2,000 recipes
per Index (database). But you can have less than 450Kb free RAM,
no XMS or EMS, and still be able to load MicroCook with a 1000
recipe database.

WARNING: Do NOT use file compression programs like PKLITE or
LZEXE on MCOOK.EXE. Since MCOOK will load parts of it self from
the disk file during use, it can NOT be compressed.

So what's a database? A database is like a book. The whole book
is the database, while each individual record is a page in the
book. And as in the book, the database has "page numbers" called
record numbers. A page in a book has room for only so much text
and a database record also have a fixed length. This fixed length
of each record means that it is very fast and easy to locate and
load any record in the database. This is done with help of an
Index file, just as you would locate a page with help of the
Index Table in the back of the book.

The Index file in MicroCook consists of the Record Number, Recipe
Name, Category and Code character. So when you select a recipe
from the Index in MicroCook, the program loads the corresponding
recipe in the database with help of the record number. The Index
file remains loaded in memory at all times, so you can have easy
and quick access to it. You can also create your own index, built
up from one or two search words you provide. Index and Disk View
provide further information on this aspect of the program later
on in the manual.









                MicroCook Manual - Page 4



The MicroCook database is a random access file system with two
main files. A database file where all the information is saved,
and an index file where only the recipe name, its categories, and
code character are saved. This index file is loaded into memory
in its entirety when MicroCook loads. This will make recipe
selection and search very fast. Because the index remains in
memory, there is a limit on how many recipes you can have per
database. MicroCook will keep track of how much free RAM remains
and will give you a warning message when the memory comes down to
a preset limit. But try to keep your databases less than 1500
recipes. Large databases will slow down MicroCook some since the
whole index is loaded in memory. The amount of free space on your
hard drive determines the number of different database files that
you may create.

For transportation, the main data file compresses very well with
a file compression program like PKZIP, PKXARC or LHA, sometimes
up to 80-90%. If no index file is found when the main data file
is loaded, one will automatically be created. So if you want to
mail an entire database on a floppy disk to a friend, or upload
it to a BBS (compress it first!), you only need to send the file
with the MCD extension.

If you have any recipe databases created with versions prior to
1.81, the databases need to be converted to the new 1.81 format
before it can be used. MicroCook will automatically detect which
version database that's loading, and will prompt you for
conversions' option if a conversion is needed.

Introduced in version 1.98 is the new Code field. This field is
only one character long, but it can be a very powerful aid in the
way you organize your recipes. One MicroCook user wanted it to
grade his recipes, and another to separate his own from imported
recipes, and a third to separate the various imports. The Code
character is also transferred to the Index, so you can also sort
on it. The sort and search on the Code Character are case
sensitive, so a B is not the same as b. You can also search both
the index and disk database on the Code character and build Views
where only the one code appears. From the Database menu you
select to clear all Codes, set them all to the same character, or
search for a certain Code character and replace it with another.
Before you start a Meal-Master or Mastercook Import, you can set
the Code character to what you want for each imported file. When
importing MicroCook's database or ASCII recipe files, you can
select if you want to keep the existing (if any), or replace it
with another. So, I guess it's up to your imagination on how you
want to use the Code character. Or you can just leave it blank
and forget all about it.






                MicroCook Manual - Page 5



If a Microsoft compatible mouse is detected during initializing,
it can be used for navigating the program. Then the  only times
you would need to use the keyboard are for typing in file names,
search words or recipes. Anytime you see a message where a key
has to be pressed, you can place the mouse cursor on  "3-D"
button with the name of the key, and press the LEFT mouse button.
The hot-key printed in RED text. Scrolling of menus or in
editors can also be done by placing the mouse cursor on the red
arrows by scroll bars and clicking the LEFT mouse button. The
RIGHT mouse button acts like an ESC key where ESC is an option.
Where a "Press any key" message is displayed, either mouse
buttons can also be used as the "any key." In Setup you can
customize the mouse cursor to the colors and character you like
best.

MicroCook also has on-line quick help, available by pressing  F1,
You can also read this manual while working in MicroCook  without
having a hard copy. Built in is also a full file manager with
Copy, Move, Delete, Rename, View, and Edit files. The editor,
which work best with pure ASCII files, has built in macros for
easy editing of ASCII recipe files from other than MicroCook's
format.


Registered users will receive a small "key" file that will
disable the "Please register" messages and the short time delays
during loading and unloading of MicroCook. This KEY will also
display a serial number and the registered users name in the
"About.." window in the Tools menu and the users name on line 25
in the main screen. This key file is called xxxxx.KEY, where
xxxxx is a 5-digit number that is your personal serial number.
The KEY file MUST reside in the same directory as MCOOK.EXE. With
your registration you will also receive 2000 free recipes, and a
database repair utility called MCDBFIX. This utility will
re-create as much as possible of a recipe database that has been
damaged by DOS, another program, or other Gremlins. If you have
MicroCook 1.97 or later, and can't wait until you receive the KEY
file by mail, you can e-mail NORSKi Software and receive the
serial number and control number. These, together with your name,
can be entered in the Register window (under Print Menu), and
MicroCook will then create the KEY file.

The menus consist of a pull-down windows system with hot-keys.
Hot-keys are keyboard combinations that make it easy to perform a
function. Also pop-up "exploding" windows are used throughout
MicroCook for warnings and/or information messages.








                MicroCook Manual - Page 6



On the top of the screen, the current database name is displayed
along with the number of recipes in it as well as the status of
the recipe currently displayed on the screen. If the three
sections where the name, ingredients, and directions are normally
given are empty, or have text in them without the recipe having
been saved, the word NEW will be displayed. If a recipe is
loaded from the database or is a new recipe that has been saved,
its record number will be displayed. To avoid the possibility of
losing data caused by an electrical outage or other unforeseen
occurrences, it is recommended that you save as soon as you have
completed entering or editing the necessary information. This is
easily done by pressing down the Alt key and the letter F key at
the same time; once the file menu choices appear in the upper
left-hand corner of your screen, press the key S to complete the
saving function. With a mouse simply put the cursor on the letter
F in the word File (located in the upper left-hand portion of
your screen) and click the mouse. Click the left-hand button on
your mouse on the letter S from the selections presented. Or use
the Hot-key: ALT-S to save.

If you have a VGA monitor, a "graphical screen saver" will be
activated after a preset time (see Setup) if there has been no
activity in the editors. Press any key or a mouse button to
return to the editors when the screen saver is displayed. This
screen saver is a standalone executable program called
MCDOODLE.EXE. You can also use your own screen saver program with
MicroCook. See Setup later in this manual for details, and also
read the MCDOODLE.TXT file for more details on the included
screen savers. WARNING! If you run MicroCook in a window in
Windows 3.x, do NOT activate the screen saver. Set activation
time to 0 (zero) in Setup to disable it. The graphical formats in
MicroCook and Windows 3.x are not the same, so Windows could
crash.  In Windows 95 you can use the MCDOODLE screen saver in
both full  screen and a window.

There are actually three different text editors that you will use
to enter recipes with. First, there is a three-item Header Editor
that is used to enter the recipe name, category, the number of
servings, and the Code character. Next, there is  the Ingredients
Editor. On the screen you only see seven lines, but this is a
scrolling editor with a total of 34 lines. This editor is 38
characters wide. Last, there is the Preparation Editor. This
editor is also a scrolling editor, 50 lines long and 78
characters wide. You can switch between the editors by using the
F5, F6, F7 key, by Hot-keys, CTRL-Cursor Up for previous editor
or CTRL-Cursor Down for the next editor, or by moving the cursor
with the mouse or keyboard. If you are on the last line in an
editor, and you press enter or the arrow-down key, the next
editor down will be set as the active one. If you are at the
bottom in the Preparation Editor, the cursor will scroll around
to the Header Editor. NOTE: MicroCook prior to version 1.81 used
34 lines in the Preparation Editor.


                MicroCook Manual - Page 7



The Ingredients and Preparation Editors have a Wrap-Down
feature, so when you are at the end of a line, and the word you
are typing is too long for that line, the whole word will appear
on the next line. If you place the mouse cursor on the red up or
down scroll  arrows on the left side of the Ingredients or
Preparation editor, you can scroll up or down by clicking with
the left mouse button.  If you keep the cursor there and keep the
button down, the scroll will go up or down slowly for about one
second before the "Turbo"  kicks in. Then you will be at the top
or bottom of the editor in no time. Or you can place the mouse
cursor above or below the scroll indicator, and press the left
button. Then the indicator will move toward the mouse cursor.


These editing keys are the available for use in all editors:
Back Space ----------------- Delete character left of the cursor
Delete --------------------- Delete character at the cursor
End ------------------------ Go to end of line
Home ----------------------- Go to beginning of line
Insert --------------------- Toggle Insert/over write mode
     (Insert mode adds a letter without deleting the
     existing letters, overwrite substitutes a new letter
     for an existing letter)
TAB ------------------------ Move left four characters
CTRL-Cursor Down ----------- Next Editor
CTRL-Cursor Up ------------- Previous Editor

These additional keys are for use in the Ingredients and Category
editors:
CTRL-End ------------------- Go to last line in current window
CTRL-Home ------------------ Go to first line in current window
CTRL-Y --------------------- Delete line at the cursor
CTRL-N --------------------- Insert line at the cursor
Shift-TAB ------------------ Move right four characters
Page Up -------------------- Move up one screen full
Page Down ------------------ Move down one screen full
ALT-Page Up ---------------- Go to first text line in the editor
ALT-Page Down -------------- Go to last text line in the editor

If a recipe is selected from a compiled index, there will be  a
line displayed on the bottom of the screen that allows you to use
CTRL-Page Up and CTRL-Page Down to page through all the recipes
in the current index. Also, the Hot-keys for moving between
editors are displayed. You can click on the red text to move
between editors, or just place the cursor with the mouse in the
editor where you want to work.








                MicroCook Manual - Page 8



If the "Check for Duplicates" has been set to "Y" (Yes) in Setup,
MicroCook will check the current index to see if a recipe exists
with same name as the one entered in the editor, or against the
recipes imported with one of the import functions. If a duplicate
recipe name is detected, a pop-up window will warn you. If you
are importing recipes without the verifying on, the same window
will pop-up, and you will have the option to save or not save
that recipe. The duplication checking is not case sensitive, so
upper and lowercase words mean the same. But the spelling or the
recipe name must be exactly the same. Therefore if you have two
or more recipes with duplicate names, you will need to save each
one individually or make a slight name change before importing
the recipe: Coffee Cake1, Coffee Cake2, etc.  If you select to
verify either each imported recipe, or the Duplicate recipe
warning pop-up, a menu window will pop up with several selections
buttons. From there you can select if you want to: Save this
Recipe, Do NOT Save this Recipe, Edit this Recipe, View & Compare
(only displayed if a duplicate is found), Nonstop Import (will
stop if a duplicate is found, and duplicate checking is on),
Nonstop - Save dupes to DUPES.MCD (only available if duplicate
checking is on), or ESC - Cancel Import.

When selecting the "View & Compare" function, the Original
recipes from the database you are importing TO, and the Imported
recipes will be displayed in two separate windows. You can scroll
both or one window at the time. From the View & Compare split-
window you can also select to swap the recipes. When you swap
recipes, the Imported one will replace the one that was in the
database. This could be done if you find that the recipes
basically are the same, but the imported one is better described
or formatted. You can also save the imported duplicate recipes to
a temporary database called DUPES.MCD. Then you later can review
this database and see if there is anything there you want to
save. If you do, you can use the Export MicroCook Database menu
function and copy them over to the database you want. Press ESC
to exit.

When you load a recipe from the Index, you can mark the recipe as
Deleted while it is displayed in the Editors with the "Delete
This Recipe" function under the Index menu. The Hot-key is ALT-Z.
You can disable the Window that pops up after an ALT-Z, but from
then on, you will NOT get any warning that a recipe is deleted
when ALT-Z is used. This will reset next time you load MicroCook.











                MicroCook Manual - Page 9



MicroCook has an easy-to-use file selection that is used
throughout the program to select files, change directory or disk
drive. When this smaller file manager (see details later on the
main File Manager) is displayed, a small window at the top of the
screen will display the current directory. You can scroll through
a file list with the Up Arrow, Down Arrow, Page Up and Page Down
keys. If you have a mouse connected, you can place the cursor on
the red arrows on the right side of the window and press the left
mouse button. Or place the cursor on the scroll marker between
the arrows, and while holding the left mouse button down, drag it
up or down. In the larger file managers' window the top line has
two dots (..        <Parent Directory>) if you are in a directory
other than the root directory. This is the symbol for the Parent
directory, the directory above the current directory. If you
place the cursor bar on that line and press Enter or double click
with the mouse, the parent directory will be displayed. Any
floppy disk drives or additional hard disk drives are displayed
as: [-A-]        <Disk drive> (in this case the A drive). If you
select a floppy disk drive and it's not ready or the floppy disk
is write protected, an error message will be displayed. Any name
in all uppercase letters and with <DIR> after it is a directory.
You can select any directory and display its files by placing the
cursor bar on the line with the name of the directory. Now press
Enter or double click with the mouse. File names are displayed in
lowercase with their size in bytes and creation dates. Select a
file to load by pressing enter when the cursor bar is on the file
name, or by double clicking  with the left mouse button. If only
change of directories is called for, no files will be displayed
in the file menu. Press ESC or the Right mouse button to cancel
any work in the file menu.

You load MicroCook by typing MCOOK in the directory where  the
program and its files are saved. The first time you load
MicroCook it will pop up a window and warn you that there is no
configuration file, and that the default settings are used. These
settings will probably work while you get a little familiar with
MicroCook. But you should enter the Setup editor and edit the
setting so it reflects your system and recipe directory name. As
the default name for recipe file is the RECIPES.MCD file, that's
included with MicroCook. See Setup described below for all the
defaults.

If you have a monochrome monitor, start MicroCook as MCOOK/MONO
to force the program into a Black & White mode. This will make
some of the color combinations more visible. To see other
available startup switches for MCOOK, type: MCOOK/? Try
MCOOK/NORSK if you have Norwegian blood in your veins:-)







                MicroCook Manual - Page 10



There have been reports that MicroCook locks up when running in
OS/2. But with help from a friend who uses OS/2, I think we
figured it out. In the meantime OS/2 users should start MicroCook
as: MCOOK OS2. This will bypass some routines that can cause the
lock up. This bypass will NOT make MicroCook lose any of its
functions. Also, see the OS2_HOW.TXT file for additional
information.

If you want to install MicroCook in Windows 3.x or Windows 95,
see the WINDOWS.TXT for details. A few icons are also included.

Since MicroCook is using part of XMS or EMS memory, you can
optimize the conventional memory MicroCook use. If you have some
large recipe databases, or want most available memory when
Shelling to DOS from the Tool menu, you can add this line to the
AUTOEXEC.BAT:

SET OVERLAY_HEAP=0

If doesn't matter where in AUTOEXEC.BAT you add this line, as
long as it's typed exactly as above. There's not a space between
OVERLAY and HEAP, but an underscore. You can get to the
AUTOEXEC.BAT from the DOS prompt by typing:

EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

Or from Windows by typing: SYSEDIT in the RUN window from the
File menu. Be sure to select the AUTOEXEC.BAT window so you don't
add the line to the wrong file. After the AUTOEXEC.BAT is saved,
you need to reboot the computer before the OVERLAY_HEAP will
work.


Description of Menus ----------------------------------------

Press and hold one of the ALT keys, and then the first character
in the menu group name to access any of these menus. Or use the
Hot-key to access the function directly.

If a function isn't available at the time, for example if you
attempt to "Print This Recipe" when the editors are empty, the
color for the text for that function in the menu is turned to
black.

On the bottom line of the screen a more detailed description of
the menu items is displayed as you move through the menu.








                MicroCook Manual - Page 11



File Menu (ALT-F) -------------------------------------------


Save Recipe                             - Hot-Key: ALT-S

Select this option from the file menu while you are editing your
recipe to avoid losing your work. When this function is selected,
either from the pull-down menu or by the hot-key, the current
recipe on the screen will be saved to the main data file. At the
same time the index will be updated, both in memory and in the
disk file. When the recipe is saved, you will hear a tone in the
PC speaker. You will not be able to save unedited recipes or a
recipe without a name. If you have edited a recipe, and select a
menu function that could clear the data on the screen, you will
be prompted so you can save the recipe. If AutoSave in Setup is
set to "Y," the recipe will automatically be saved without any
message. See Setup for details. After the recipe is saved, the
data is still on the screen, so you can continue entering more
text if necessary.



Save & New Recipe                       - Hot-key: ALT-A

When you have made your final editing corrections, choose this
option from the file menu. This option will both save your recipe
and clear the screen.


Start New Recipe                        - Hot-key: ALT-N

This menu function will only clear the screen without saving the
recipes first. But if the editors detect that the recipes have
been edited, you will be asked if you want to save it first, as
described above.


Load by Numbers                         - Hot-key: ALT-L

This function is only available if the "Enable Display and  Load
by Recipe #" in Setup is set to Y (Yes). When enabled, the
recipe numbers will be displayed in the right column in the Index
listing. You can then browse through the index, and write down
the recipe numbers you want to retrieve later with this function.
This might be faster when the database grows to 1000 or more
recipes. Or you can note the recipe numbers during imports and
later quickly retrieve one or more of them.







                MicroCook Manual - Page 12



Search for Recipe                       - Hot-key: None

If you need to look up some information that is stored in the
main data file on the disk, but you can't remember under which
recipe name it is saved, you can use this (or the next) function.
When this function is selected, a pop-up window will prompt you
for which part of the recipes you want to search. You can choose
between Recipe name, Category, Code, Ingredients, Preparations,
or All. After this selection you will be prompted for a search
word. You can also you use ? as a wild  card character in the
word. The search will also find words where you only supply a
part of it. So, if your search word is APPLE, both APPLESAUCE and
APPLE CIDER are found (if they are there), along with ANY word
where APPLE is used. Or should you want to find all recipes where
chicken is used, this is the correct function to use. If you
selected to search on Ingredients, you will have the choice of
using two search words. Then BOTH words must match before the
recipe is loaded. I.e., Chicken AND Rice. The last window will
ask if you want to search on the whole word, or on a syllable.
When a recipe is found with the matching search word, it will be
displayed on the screen, and a message will ask if this is the
correct recipe or not. If you answer N (No), the search will
continue to the next occurrence of the word, and you will be
prompted again. If you answer Y (Yes), MicroCook will keep the
recipe on the screen, and enter the editors so you can edit, view
or print the recipe. If no recipes are found, a "Not Found"
pop-up message will be displayed. If the search has been used
previously, the last search word will still be displayed. You can
clear the editor with ALT-C, and if you need to, restore the
cleared word with ALT-R.


Disk View                               - Hot-Key: ALT-V

This search is similar to Search for Recipe. The main difference
is that instead of asking you to decide whether the recipe that
was found is what you are looking for, a new Index is created
which contains any recipe that meets your search requirements.
This is a helpful function when you have some ingredient that you
want to use, an overabundance of tomatoes or apples or whatever,
since you will be presented with all the recipes that contain the
ingredient and can select the one most appropriate for the
situation at hand. You can now select from any of the displayed
recipes (see "Select from..." below). This is also the function
to use if you want to export only a certain category in either
ASCII or MC database format. First compile an Index on the search
word you want. After the search is done, press ESC for the
editors, then ALT-E to get to the Exports. Select which export
you want, and then after filling in a file name, select one of
the last two export options. If you have not compiled a new Index
with ALT-X, Index Select, you can access the last compiled search
index with the Hot-key: ALT-B, or from the Index menu.


                MicroCook Manual - Page 13



Quit                                    - Hot-key: ALT-Q

This will close all files, clear the screen and exit MicroCook.
If an edited recipe is still on the screen, the "Not saved"
message described above will be displayed.




Index Menu (ALT-I) -----------------------------------------

Select from...                          - Hot-key: ALT-X

This is the function you will use to select and browse through
already entered recipes. When you choose this function the first
time, the Index will be compiled, sorted alphabetically on the
sort key you selected in Setup. In the index array, only the
recipe name and category are displayed. Once displayed, you can
scroll through the index with the cursor keys, Page Up or Page
Down, or by clicking with the left mouse button on the up/down
arrows on the right scroll bar, or on the red key names on the
bottom of the screen. If there are less than a screen full of
recipes displayed, only the up and down arrow cursor keys are
active. Select a recipe by pressing Enter when the highlighted
cursor bar is on-line with the recipe name you want to retrieve,
or by placing the mouse cursor on the line with the recipe name
and double click with the left mouse button. Once the recipe is
loaded from the main data file, it will be displayed in the
editors. You can move quickly to recipes or categories by typing
the first letter of the recipe or category names. If the Index is
sorted on Recipe Name, the first letter in the recipe name is
used. And if sorted on Category, the first letter in the category
is used. When Code is used as the primary key for sort, the
recipe name will be the secondary key. If no sort is used, the
first letter in the recipe name is used. When typing a letter,
the cursor bar will move to the first recipe or category name
starting with that letter. If the same letter is typed again, the
cursor bar will move down to the next and so on. When it's past
the bottom of the Index listing, it will start from the top
again. In the lower right corner the number of recipes that are
marked as deleted is displayed. Press ESC in the index to cancel
any selection. While in the Index, you can re-sort it by pressing
F8 or clicking on F8. You can also compare two recipes with F4.
Press F4 once, and it will mark the first recipes. Press F4 on
another recipe will bring up the split-windows where you can
easily see the differences between the recipes.

If more than 20% of the recipes in the current database are
marked as deleted, a window will pop up with a warning that it
might be a good idea to Pack the database. See Pack later in the
manual for details.



                MicroCook Manual - Page 14



Last Search Index                       - Hot-key: ALT-B

When an Index listing has been compiled with either Index or Disk
View, it's kept in memory until a new index is compiled, either
through a search, or by accessing the whole index with Index
Select. So if you selected a recipe from a Search Index, you can
access the index listing again through this function without
redoing the search.


Search                                  - Hot-key: None

This is basically the same as the "Search for Recipe" function
described above, except this search is only for the index in
memory. Only words in the Recipe Name and/or Category are
searched. If a search word is found, MicroCook will retrieve the
whole recipe from the main disk file and display it. Then display
the "Correct Recipe? (Y/N)" message. Since the Index searches are
searching in memory only, it's VERY fast compared to the Disk
searches. However, the Index searches are limited to searching
for a recipe name and category only.


Index View                              - Hot-key: ALT-Y

This function is the same as "Disk View" described above, except
the search is only in the index in memory. You will use this
primarily when you know the name of a recipe and want to avoid
scrolling up or down to locate the recipe in order to bring it up
on the screen.


Sort                                    - Hot-key: ALT-O

The Sort is a 2-key sort for the Index array only. The sort can
be performed either ascending or descending, and with either
recipe name or category as the primary sort key. When selected, a
window will pop-up with choices of sort keys. Select one by
number, or by placing the mouse cursor on the corresponding line
and clicking with the left mouse button. Since this is a 2-key
sort, both the Recipe Names and Category are sorted. So if
Category is the primary sort key, all recipes within the same
category are sorted in the same order as the category. See
Default Sort-key under Setup.










                MicroCook Manual - Page 15



Delete This Recipe                      - Hot-key: ALT-Z

By selecting this function, or with the hot-key, while a
previously saved recipe is displayed in the editors, the recipe
will be marked as deleted. Before it is marked, MicroCook will
ask if you really want to delete the recipe. As with the "Delete
Recipes" function described below, you can later un-delete the
recipe if the database has not yet been Packed. If you disable
the window that pop-up after ALT-Z is used, you will NOT be
warned that a recipe will be deleted when ALT-Z is used. After a
recipe is deleted, the next one in the Index order will be
displayed.


Un-Delete Recipes & Delete Recipes      - Hot-key: None

When marking recipes for deletion, you are actually not deleting
them, only marking each recipe so it won't show up in the index
listing. When this function is selected, an Index array with ALL
recipes is compiled and displayed. You can then move through the
index and mark the recipes you want to mark for deletion by
pressing the Enter key, pressing the Space bar or placing the
mouse cursor on the line with the recipe name and clicking the
left mouse  button. The recipes that are marked for "deletion"
will have a check mark in the left column by the recipe name.
When done marking, press F10 to write all the makers to the disk
files, and reinitialize MicroCook. You can un-delete any recipes
by selecting this function again. All recipes that are marked for
deletion will have the check mark by its name. Now  just un-mark
the recipe, press F10 and the recipe is back again. All marked
recipes can be cleared with ALT-C, and also marked with ALT-M.
See the Pack function for permanent deletion of recipes.






















                MicroCook Manual - Page 16



Print Menu (ALT-P) -----------------------------------------

This Recipe                             - Hot-key: ALT-R

If there is a recipe on the screen, this function will send it to
the printer port assigned to MicroCook in Setup. You will be
asked if you want to redirect the output to an ASCII disk file.
This can be a handy feature if you later want to import the
recipe(s) into a word processor when you are ready to write your
own cookbook. The file output is formatted exactly in the same
way as the printed hard copy. One recipe will need one sheet of
paper, or about 60 lines of text. If a Laser printer is used, a
page eject is performed at the end of the print job, and if a
continuous sheet dot-matrix printer is used, the printer will
advance to the next page break. If the printer is not on-line and
ready when this or any other print function is selected, an error
message will be displayed. You can then ready the printer and try
again without aborting the printing.

In Setup you can specify what the heading on each recipe should
read. For example "------ Karen's Gourmet Recipes -------" By
leaving this field in Setup blank, no heading will be printed.
You also have the option of printing recipe number and database
name on the line below the recipe heading. See Setup for details.


This Recipe - FAST                      - Hot-key: ALT-W

This is the same as above, but without ANY questions asked. As
soon as this function is selected, the recipe is printed to the
printer.


Other Recipes                           - Hot-key: None

With this function you can print selected recipes from the Index.
You can tag one recipe, or as many you want for multiple  sheets
of recipes. Move through the index and mark the recipes you want
to Print by pressing the Enter key, Space bar or placing the
mouse cursor on the line with the recipe name and clicking with
the left mouse button. The check mark will indicate which recipes
will be printed. Press F10 when done with selecting to start the
printing. You will also be given the chance to print an ASCII
file to a disk instead of to a printer. If you are printing to a
printer, you will also be asked if you want to remove the blank
lines between recipes. This will place more than one recipe on a
sheet of paper, but a recipe could also be split between two
pages. When printing to a file, there is one blank line between
recipes.





                MicroCook Manual - Page 17



Index in Memory                         - Hot-Key: None

This will print the CURRENT compiled index in memory. If you
select this function without performing any of the View searches,
the whole index (minus the recipes marked as deleted) will be
printed. If you perform either an Index View search or a Disk
View search, only those recipes found in the search will be
printed.


Manual                                  - Hot-Key: None

Here you can print out a hard copy of this manual. This routine
will also add on an 8-character left margin to the text, so the
sheets can be used in a 3-ring binder. The manual is formatted
for a 60-line page, which is used in most laser and jet-ink
printers. But it will also print well on a dot-matrix printer.


Form Feed                               - Hot-Key: None

If you need to advance the paper in the printer one page, this
function will do so for you by sending a form feed command to the
printer (ASCII 12).


Registration                            - Hot-Key: None

This menu item will only be visible if MicroCook is NOT
registered, or the KEY file can't be found in the directory where
MCOOK.EXE is. When selected, you'll have the option of printing
the  ALBERTS.TXT file, the SWREG.TXT file, the CREDIT.TXT file,
or use an editor to enter information that can be mailed to
NORSKi Software with a check or money order (US currency ONLY).
The ALBERTS.TXT file has information about how you can register
MicroCook in the Internet at Albert's Ambry Web Site. The
SWREG.TXT file has information about easy registering for
CompuServe members. See the CREDIT.TXT file if you want to
register and pay with either VISA, MasterCard, American Express
or Discover credit cards. With a credit card you can register
through an 800-number, fax, e-mail or postal mail. The
REGISTER.EXE program can also be used from the DOS prompt as a
standalone program. The REGISTER program and all the related
files will be deleted as soon as you install your KEY file.










                MicroCook Manual - Page 18



Database Menu (ALT-D) ---------------------------------------


Change to                               - Hot-key: ALT-C

Since you can have several different databases for use with
MicroCook, you will need an easy and fast way to change between
them. And this is it! When selected, an alphabetically sorted
scrolling menu will be displayed with only the *.MCD database
files that are in the current default directory (see Setup). By
placing the cursor bar on the file you want to load, and pressing
Enter, the file's Index will be loaded into memory. See
description earlier in this manual about the File menu.


Create New                              - Hot-key: None

Before any database file can be used to save recipes in, it has
to be created. This function will pop up a window where you can
type in an 8-letter filename. Do NOT use extension, as this will
be supplied by MicroCook. Both an empty main data file and the
index file will be created. After the database has been created,
you'll be asked if you want to set the new database as the active
one. You can also change the name of the default database to it
in Setup, so it will be loaded the next time you load MicroCook.
The default directory where the database files will be created is
also displayed in the window. If you want to create the database
in a different directory, press F8. The same file menu as
described above will then be displayed. But this time only the
available directories and disk drives are displayed. After the
file name has been entered, you will be asked if you want to make
the new database active. If you answer Yes (Y), the new database
will be loaded. If No (N) (or ESC), the current database will
stay loaded.


Re-Index                                - Hot-key: None

If the index file for some reason should get corrupted with
garbled data, you can re-create a new index file with this
function. It will delete the old index and read the necessary
information from the main data file and save it in a new index
file.


Clear or Set Codes                      - Hot-key: None

If you are using Code Characters in the database you can use this
function to clear them all, or set them all to the same
character.




                MicroCook Manual - Page 19



Replace Codes                           - Hot-key: None

If you should end up with many different Codes (which depends on
how you use them), you can use this function to search for one
code and replace that code character with another your specify.
Some want to use the Code with a different character for each
imported file, and when done editing them, change the Code
character to a main Code that could be a code as an additional
category, or type of recipes. Like one code for MicroCook
Imports, another for Meal-Master Imports, and a third for
MasterCook Imports.


Pack                                    - Hot-Key: None

When you delete a recipe, it's not really deleted, but only
marked so it won't show up in the index listing. It will also be
ignored during a search. So the recipe still takes up room in the
database, and on your hard disk. When you are 110% sure you DO
NOT want to un-delete any of the marked recipes, use this Pack
function to PERMANENTLY delete the recipes. During Pack, the
database is renamed to MCOOKTMP.MCD. Then a new database is
created with the same name as the one that is being Packed. Next
all recipes that are NOT marked for deletion is copied from
MCOOKTMP.MCD to the new database. When the Packing is done, you
will be asked if you want to delete the OLD MCOOKTMP.MCD or not.
This is the LAST chance to get any deleted recipes from the
MCOOKTMP.MCD database! If you answer Yes, the recipes will be
gone forever. If you answer No, the MCOOKTMP.MCD will still exist
on the hard disk, and can be loaded as a normal database. But
unless you need any recipes from it, it's just taking up disk
space, so you might as well delete it.


Setup                                   - Hot-key: ALT-U

Here you let MicroCook know about some of your PC's
configurations and how you want the program to operate.


Default Recipe File...............................
     This is the main data file MicroCook look for when it's
loaded from the DOS prompt. If this file cannot be found, an
error message will be displayed. While working in MicroCook you
can change between databases as often as you want.
     Default: RECIPES.MCD

Default Path for Recipe and data files............
     Enter the disk drive and the directory where the recipe
database files, index files and any ASCII export or Import files
are. This does not have to be same directory as where the
MCOOK.EXE program and its support files are saved.
     Default: Where MCOOK.EXE is located.

                MicroCook Manual - Page 20



Auto Save after Edit? (Y/N).......................
     If you set this option to Y (Yes), MicroCook will not prompt
you if a recipe has been edited, and you are about to select a
function that possibly could clear the recipes currently on the
screen, but automatically save it for you, no questions asked. By
setting this to N (No), a message will prompt you to save before
you can change function. Now you will have the option of either
saving the recipe or not. Press F, or click on the letter, to
bypass the save. Depending on the function you selected, the
recipe could possibly still be on the screen when you return. For
example, if you only wanted to look at the index, but not select
a new recipe, the recipe on the screen will still be there. But
if don't want to take any chances, save the recipe first.
     Default: N


Printer Port used (LPT1-LPT4).....................
     Enter the parallel port number where your printer is
connected.
     Default: 1


Printer Page Length (Lines) ......................
     Enter number of lines of effective printing one sheet of
paper can handle. This is usually 66 lines for a Dot-Matrix
continuous feed printer, and 60 lines for single sheet Laser (or
any other single sheet) printer.
     Default: 66

Default Index Sort, Name or Category. (N/C).......
     When the index is first loaded, it's sorted alphabetically
on two keys, one primary and one secondary key. This function let
you select the primary key. This can be on either recipe names
(N) or categories (C). If you prefer to have recipes grouped by
category instead of by index name, select C.
     Default: N

Sort Ascending/Descending (A/D)...................
     Here the sort order for the primary key is set. The
secondary key is also sorted in the same order. If ascending (A)
is selected, the sort will be from A to Z. Apples will be on the
top of the index, and Zucchini on the bottom. Descending sort
will put the Zucchini on the top. The sort is case sensitive, so
Zucchini (uppercase Z) will come before apples (lowercase a).
     Default: A









                MicroCook Manual - Page 21



Index Sort when Recipe Save/Database Load (Y/N) ...
     When the database is getting large, more than 1500 recipes,
the Index sort will take a few seconds because it's a 2-key sort.
But you can disable the automatic Index sort during Index load
and also after a new or edited recipe has been saved by marking
this item with N (No). You can then sort the index as needed
while either in the Index (F8) or from the Index menu. If the
Sort is set to on, (Y), the Index will only be sorted if either
the recipe name or category is sorted. If only editing has been
done in either the Ingredients or Preparation editor, no sort
will be performed when the recipe is saved again.
     Default: N

Enable Display and Load by Recipe#? (Y/N)........
     If this function is enabled, the recipe (record) numbers
will be displayed in the Index listing. The recipes can then be
loaded directly by the Load by Number function in the File menu,
or ALT-L hot-key.
     Default: N

Auto check for duplicate recipe names? (Y/N).....
     When this function is enabled, MicroCook will check the
current index to determine if a recipe already exists with the
same name as one that is being entered and saved from the editors
or being imported with one of the imports. The name check is NOT
case sensitive, but the spelling and punctuation of the whole
recipe name must be the same. If a recipe is about to be saved
and has the same name as one already in the Index, a window will
pop up and warn you about it.
     Default: N


12 or 24-hour clock format? (12/24) ................
     Here you can choose if you want the clock on the screen to
display the time in the 12-hour format (A.M. & P.M.) or in the
military 24-hour format, also used in Europe and other parts of
the world. 11:37:12 PM vs. 23:37:12.
     Default: 12

Name of Screen Saver file, included extension ......
     The screen saver isn't really needed with today monitors,
but they can be nice and relaxing to look at. So I have collected
Oodles of Doodles, and complied them into MCDOODLE.EXE. More
details about MCDOODLE.EXE are in the MCDOODLE.TXT file. Also how
to use your own (or somebody else's screen saver). Be sure that
you enter the whole file name of the screen saver, included the
EXE, COM or BAT extension. If the specified screen saver file is
not found in the same directory where MCOOK.EXE is, nothing will
happen when the time has passed to activate the screen saver.
     Default: MCDOODLE.EXE




                MicroCook Manual - Page 22



Minutes till Screen Saver Activates (0-60)      (0=Not Used)
     If you have loaded MicroCook on your PC, and it just sits
there and is doing nothing, this function will make it do
"something." If the keyboard or mouse hasn't been used within the
time limit set here, a graphical screen saver will be activated.
This screen saver has many different screens, and they will
change in a random manner. Just tap a key on the keyboard or
click one of the mouse buttons to get back to the editors again.
If you don't want the screen saver activated at all, enter a 0
(Zero) here, and you'll never see it again. This screen saver
ONLY works on VGA or better monitors. If a CGA or EGA monitor is
detected, it will not be activated.
     Default: 5

Silent Mode (NO Chimes)..........................
     With a Y (Yes) here, all the chimes and beeps will be
disabled.
     Default: N

Capitalize First Letter in Recipe Name? (Y/N) ...
     With the feature ON (marked Y), any recipe name, either
entered in the editor, or through an Import will capitalize the
first letter in each word in the recipe name. Since the sort is
case sensitive, Zucchini will come before apple, but if they both
have the first letter in uppercase, Apple will come before
Zucchini.
     Default: Y


Print Database name * Rec.# on printout (Y/N) ...
     When this option is marked Y (yes), the recipe number and
the name of the recipe database are printed on the line below the
recipe heading. So if you have lots of recipe databases, you can
easily locate the correct database and recipe number from the
hard copy of the recipe.
     Default: Y

Top line on printed recipes .....................
     Here you customize the printout of the recipes. You can
either enter your own heading, or leave it blank for no heading.
     Default: ----------  MicroCook Recipe  -----------

Mouse Cursor Foreground Color#:    Background#:    Character#:
     Bored with the same mouse cursor? Now you can create your
own! Choose from 15 foreground colors, 7 background colors, and
253 different characters. That's an awful lot of combinations!
When the editors' cursor is placed on one of these three input
fields, a large window will pop up with color numbers to use, and
also the ASCII decimal number of some of the characters that can
be used. Many of the low ASCII characters, from 31 and down to 1




                MicroCook Manual - Page 23



can also be used as cursor. See an ASCII chart for a full
listing. A DOS or Windows manual might have one as an appendix.
Look at the mouse cursor after you change one of the values and
move to the next field!
     Defaults: 14-4-4, which is a yellow diamond on red
background.

     When done editing the setup, press F4 to save, or ESC to
cancel. If F4 was pressed, MicroCook will reinitialize so any
changes can be put into effect.



Tools Menu (ALT-T) -----------------------------------------


File Manager                            - Hot-Key: ALT-K

With file manager you can take care of many file tasks without
leaving MicroCook. Here you can copy or move files to other disk
drives or directories, rename or delete them, or take a look at
them with the file viewer. Of course, only ASCII text files will
make any sense, EXE or COM files will only display some
characters that won't make for good reading. If you want a hard
copy printed out of the file currently viewed, press F9. The
limit on files in the file viewer is about 16,000 lines. Any
existing ASCII file, up to approximately 50Kb in size, can be
edited, or you can start to write a new ASCII file. When you
start a new file, its size is set to 500 lines, and when you load
an existing file there's room to add 100 more lines. If a file
that's too big for the editor is loaded, an error message will be
displayed.

On the left side is a listing of the disk drives available, and
also the directories and files in the current directory. The
listing is keyboard sensitive, so by typing a letter on the
keyboard, the highlighted cursor bar will move to the first
directory or filename that starts with that letter. Repetitive
typing of the same letter will move the cursor bar to the next
file with the correct first letter. If you know the name of the
file you want, you can type in a partial or full name by pressing
TAB. This will bring up a small one line editor where you can
enter the file name. The wild card is ?. The wild card only work
if it's used before the last letter typed.

To perform a function on one of the files, you must place the
cursor bar on the filename first, and then either click on the
appropriate button with the mouse cursor, or press ALT and the
(red) first letter in the function name at the same time.      If
you want to change disk drive or directory, place the cursor  bar
on the drive/directory name, and press (or click on) ENTER. If
you try to access a disk drive that's not ready, an error message
will be displayed.

                MicroCook Manual - Page 24



When a file is selected for either copy or move, a window  will
pop up where the destination drive and directory must be entered.
If the file is moved, it will be deleted from the current
directory after it has been copied.

Also when renaming a file, a window will pop up where you must
enter the new file name. If a file with the same name already
exists in the current directory, an error message will be
displayed.

If you select to delete a file, a window will pop up and ask if
you are sure that you really want to delete it.

The ASCII editor can be used to edit anything from the
AUTOEXEC.BAT to any recipe files you might download from a BBS.
If you need to edit recipes in other formats than those that can
be directly imported into MicroCook, there are built in macros
for the "key" words and headings that MicroCook looks for when
importing ASCII files in its own format. Press F2 to see a
listing of the available macros. While the macro listing is
displayed, you can also enter your own macro test for F3. Press
F3 to activate the macro editor. After the macro is saved, it
will always be available in the ASCII editor. If you need help on
how the MicroCook ASCII format looks like, press ALT-F2 to see a
detailed description. ALT-S will save the current file, and ALT-N
will clear the editor so you can start a new file. ESC will bring
you back to the File Manager again. If a file is edited before
exiting, and it is not saved, a message will be displayed, and
ask if you want to save first.


Read Manual                             - Hot-key: ALT-M

If you don't have a printed manual (this document) nearby while
working in MicroCook, you can select this function and read it
without first exiting MicroCook. See "Conversions" about
navigating in the file viewer. The manual is called MCOOK.MAN,
and it MUST reside in the same directory as MCOOK.EXE.


Conversions                             - Hot-key: None

Selecting this function will bring up an ASCII file viewer with a
file called MCOOK.MCC. This file MUST reside in the same
directory as MCOOK.EXE. This file contains some conversions
between metric and English weights and volume, abbreviations for
measures used in recipes, some substitutes that can be used
during cooking, and conversions between degrees Centigrade and
degrees Fahrenheit. This file is an ASCII text file, so you can
edit and/or add your own data that you might need to look at
while entering recipes. You can scroll up, down or sideways



                MicroCook Manual - Page 25



through the file with Page Up, Page Down, the up, down, left or
right arrow keys, or by placing the mouse cursor on the up or
down arrows by the scroll bars and clicking the left button. The
End key will place the cursor on the last line in the document,
and Home will place it on the first line. F3 will bring up a
small window where you can type in text that you want to search
for. When found, the text will be highlighted, otherwise a Not
Found message will be displayed. Press ESC to return to the
editors.


About.....                              - Hot-Key: None

About provides information relating to MicroCook. The program
name and version  will be displayed in a pop-up window as well as
an indication as to whether or not the program has been
registered. If it's registered, the serial number and the name of
the person it was registered to are also displayed.


Status                                  - Hot-key: None

As your recipe database grows, you can take a look in this Status
window to see how many more recipes there are room for in  the
database currently in use. This is an estimate only, calculated
from the free memory you currently have in your PC. Also
displayed is how much free disk space is left on the disk
currently in use. And how many more recipes it could hold, if you
were to fill up the rest of the disk with recipes only. Even
though the Status window says you can have for example, 1985
recipes in a database, you should try to keep the maximum at
least 20-30 less than that number. BEST: Keep the databases below
1500 recipes. Smaller databases are faster in loading, sorting
and selecting from. This will protect you in case you add a new
RAM resident program (TSR) and still allow you to access the
database and the index. Also, if you have many recipes in a
database, Imports and editing will slow down if Duplicate
Checking is on.


DOS Shell                               - Hot-key: None

Need a short trip to the DOS prompt? Here's the door. There's
probably not enough memory to load WordPerfect, but most DOS
programs less than 200 KB should work. If you change directories
while in DOS, MicroCook will change it back to the working
directory when entering the program again. Type EXIT to reenter
MicroCook again.






                MicroCook Manual - Page 26



Export/Import Menu -----------------------------------------


Export MicroCook Database               - Hot-key: None

With this function you can export the whole (basically copy the
one in use), or selected recipes from the one currently in use.
Since MicroCook uses a fixed length record random access database
system, these files can ONLY be used by MicroCook. When selected
you will be asked for a filename to use when you export. Type in
a name, maximum eight characters and no extension. If a file with
that name already exists, a message will ask you if you want to
enter a different name, append to the existing one, or overwrite
the existing one. If you enter a new file name, a new database
will be created, but without the index file. If you select
"overwrite" the existing database will be deleted, and a new
empty one with the same name will be created. Next you will have
the choice of if you want to export all or selected recipes. If
you have compiled an Index on a Search Word and want those
recipes in a separate database, select #3. You can be even more
detailed with #4, Export Selected Recipes from Current Index,
where you can tag from the compiled Index. If Selected is chosen,
the index will be displayed. And now you can tag only the recipes
you want to export to the new database. When done tagging, press
F10 to start the export. This export feature can be a handy
feature if you later want to divide up the recipes into different
groups, like different ethnic foods, or want to mail some of your
recipes on a floppy disk to a friend who also uses MicroCook.
Press F8 to bring up the File menu described earlier if you want
the new database file to be saved in a different directory.
After the export is done, you will be asked if you want to mark
the exported recipes as Deleted. This would be the same as you
had MOVED the recipes to a different database.





















                MicroCook Manual - Page 27



Import MicroCook database          - Hot-key: None

This allows you to import the database files that were exported
with the function described above. When selected, you will see
the scrolling File menu with the available databases in the
current directory. After you have selected one, the next question
is if you want to verify the recipe before it's saved to the one
currently in use. If you answered N (No) all recipes will be
imported. If you are not sure if you want all the recipes in the
imported one, answer Y (Yes). That way you can select those you
want to save or want to edit a little. As the recipes are
retrieved from the database, they are displayed in the editors.
If you don't want to save it, just answer N (No), and MicroCook
will continue on to the next one. Press Y (Yes) to save it, or E
(Edit) if you want to edit it. If you select Edit, the editors
will be activated. When you are done editing, press ALT-S to
Save, or ALT-N if you don't want to save it. The import will
continue on to the next recipe. This editing function is only
available if you answer Y (Yes) to verify the recipes as they are
imported. You can abort the import at any time by pressing ESC,
or clicking the right mouse button. When done importing, you will
be asked if you want to import more files.

If the database you are importing is from a MicroCook version
prior to 1.81, it will automatically be converted during import.


Export MicroCook ASCII                  - Hot-Key: None

If you are using bulletin board systems (BBS) such as GEnie (TM),
Prodigy (TM), CompuServe (TM), America On Line (TM) or any other
BBS, and want to upload one or more of your recipes to share with
friends that also use MicroCook, this is the function to use. If
you need to share ASCII recipe files with someone that doesn't
have MicroCook (yet), the ASCII format is so "clean" that the
file can be used in any word processor or text editor.       So
that MicroCook can recognize the ASCII recipe, there's a header
and footer line. These two lines must NOT be changed. Also some
of the other text is used as "road markers," so that MicroCook
knows what goes where.

If you export in a narrower than the default 78 character wide
format, you should try to use an indent (Tab) on the first line
in each new paragraph. This will help reconstruct the Preparation
text closer to the exported original when importing again.
If no major change has happened in the ASCII recipe between the
header marker and the end of recipe marker, MicroCook can pick
out the recipe and format it for use without any problems from
within a large file with other downloaded E-mail.





                MicroCook Manual - Page 28



The procedure to Export MC ASCII files is the same as MC Database
Export, except here you will also be asked for the width in
characters of the ASCII file. If you want to post MicroCook ASCII
recipes on BBS's, or on Online services like AOL, CompuServe,
GEnie or DELPHI, you should use a narrower than the 78 wide
default format. But check with the Sysop on-line for which width
is preferred. By using the best width for the BBS the downloaded
ASCII file will import much better into MicroCook  again.
MicroCook will remember which width you used when you use the
ASCII export again.

In MicroCook 1.3x a ^ formatting character was used. This
character made the recipes not very "BBS friendly," so some
Sysops refused to post MicroCook recipes. The 1.3x format will
still import correctly with this version.


Import MicroCook ASCII                  - Hot-key: None

This is the function you need to use when importing the specially
formatted ASCII files exported with the function  described
above. When selected, the file menu described earlier will pop up
with a listing of ALL files in the current directory. So be sure
you select only the ones that are valid MC ASCII files. If any
other files are selected, nothing will happen  because MicroCook
can't find the MC ASCII recipe header, and after it has gone
through the whole file, a "No Recipes found" message will be
displayed putting you back in the editors. Here you also will
have the option of verifying and/or editing the recipes before
they are saved to the database currently in use, or importing all
of them. If the ASCII recipe has been exported in a narrower
format than the default 78 characters, it will be  expanded
again. MicroCook will try to figure out where the beginning and
end of paragraphs are, but depending on the exported file, it
might not always be successful. When done importing, you will be
asked if you want to import more files. See MCFORMAT.TXT
regarding how a MicroCook ASCII file must look before it can be
imported.


Import MealMaster ASCII                 - Hot-Key: None

I know that there are many ASCII recipe files formatted for
Meal-Master(TM) around on various BBS's. And if you want to
download any of them and import them, you can use this function.
I have tried to make this function as flexible as possible
without letting anything but Meal-Master recipes through. This
function will work for both the special Prodigy format and the
"generic" Meal-Master ASCII format. But since these Meal-Master
recipes are not created by MicroCook, some editing might be
necessary during Import to get them the way you want them. But I
think about 99% of them do just fine as they are.


                MicroCook Manual - Page 29



When this function is selected, the same file manager as
described above will be displayed with a listing of ALL the files
in the current directory. After a file is selected, MicroCook
will ask if you want to verify each recipe during Import. If you
answer Yes, you can select to either save, not save, or edit the
recipes as they are found in the imported file. When answering
No, MicroCook will import nonstop. If Duplicate checking is set
to On, the import will stop if a duplicate recipe is found.
The next window will ask how you want to format the ingredients.
Samples are provided so you can see how different options will
format the imported recipe. When done, type D(one), or click on
the Done! button. Now MicroCook will load the file and start to
look for the Meal-Master header:
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (TM) v7.0 (or other version)
After the header is found, the rest of the text is deciphered,
and the recipe name, categories, servings, ingredients and
preparation are put into the correct places in the MicroCook
recipe. Also the narrow Prodigy (*P) format and recipes from most
versions of Meal-Master and MMCONV are recognized. When done
importing, you will be asked if you want to import more files. If
the number of lines in either Ingredients or Preparations is more
than MicroCook capacity (34 & 50), a warning window will pop up.
You now have the option to either save or not to save the recipe.


Import MasterCook ASCII                 - Hot-Key: None

This is another ASCII format that is getting popular on many BBS
and On-line services. The Import will recognize the MasterCook II
and MasterCook Mac formats. Since the MasterCook ASCII files are
not created by MicroCook, some reformatting of the text might be
necessary.

NOTE: A standalone conversion program for converting ASCII
recipes from Edna's Cookbook is also included. This might not be
as popular a format, but several users have asked for this
utility, so they got it! The program is called EDNA2MC.EXE. See
EDNA2MC.TXT for details on how to use this utility.


Help                                    - Hot-Key: F1

Just that - HELP! This function will bring up an ASCII file in
the ASCII file viewer called MCOOK.HLP. This file MUST reside in
the same directory as MCOOK.EXE. In this file only keys and key
combinations that are not printed on the screens are listed, like
the hot-keys, and editing keys in the editors. If you need
detailed help about MicroCook, use the Read Manual function in
the Tools menu. If you want to add your own Help and/or tips in
this file, you can use the ASCII editor in the MicroCook file
Manager, or use an ASCII editor like MS-DOS's EDIT, You can also
use a word processor, but be sure to save what you write as a
pure ASCII text.

                MicroCook Manual - Page 30



What's next?

I have received several suggestions from users of previous
versions that I will try to implement in the next version. Some
of them are in this version too. But the more feedback I get from
YOU, the user, the better MicroCook gets. So, please let me know
the GOOD and BAD about MicroCook, and what you would like to see
in the next version. Either by mail, on the registration card, by
phone or on one of the on-line services where I'm a member. See
the WHATNEXT.TXT file for some of what's in the works or planned
with MicroCook.

There was one man that wrote MicroCook was so easy to use that
"even his mother-in-law could use it," whatever that could mean.
And then there are others that say they can't figure it out at
all. Some write and say there's not enough manual or help, other
don't need any at all. I know there are many ways to write
manuals and help files, and no one will please all. One wrote and
said that it should be illegal for programmers to write the
manuals for their own programs. And I can agree with that, but I
can't afford to hire a technical writer right now. This is still
only a few-hours-a-night hobby. I guess I could write a 500-page
manual where everything was described in such details that even
the most computer illiterate would understand it, but I don't
think it's my place to teach people how to turn on their PC and
how to use a mouse. And nobody would read all that anyway. Some
basic DOS or Windows skills must be assumed. But many people also
only reads the manual as the last resort, so if you read this at
the end of this manual, you are one of the few. As MicroCook goes
through versions, so does the manual, so I hope that it will get
better as MicroCook gets better.


There might be a few new/changed items that have not made it to
this manual yet. See WHATSNEW.TXT for the latest features  added.

A special THANK YOU to:
Annie, Beverly, Bill, Berni, Bobbie, Chet, Cindy, Darla, Fred,
Gail, Gloria, Hank, Herman, Irene, Jackson, Judi, Kay, Linda,
Neil, Patsy, Shari, Shirley and Wendy on GEnie On-line Services.
They helped me in getting the "bugs" out of MicroCook. Without
them and their suggestions and keen eyes for "something that
doesn't work right," MicroCook wouldn't be what it is today.
Couldn't ask for better Beta Testers!

And thank you for good ideas for improvements to Mike, Charlie,
Bobbie, David and many more. Keep 'em coming! And also a BIG
THANK YOU to Caryl in Texas for help with the manual.

The various brand names mentioned in this manual are registered
trademarks.


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