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Data Master Version 2.2 Copyright (c) 1990-91 RKS Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. What is Data Master? Data Master is a powerful, easy to use, program which allows you to create, modify, and work with dBaseIII databases. Many users will find it easier to use than dBaseIII. It includes the ability to convert Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets into dbase database files, and to convert dbase database files into Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets. While the primary emphasis of DataMaster in on the use of database files, you can also use Data Master to browse and do simple editing of Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets. Symphony worksheets, .WKS, and .WK1 files are all supported. Data Master works in a multi-user Local Area Network environment and on stand-alone PCs. 1. use existing dbase files apart from their normal application. 2. create brand new databases for any kind of list you want. 3. change the structure of databases to meet changing needs. 4. create Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets from dbase databases. 5. create dbase databases from Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets. 6. browse and edit data in Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets. 7. design your own custom reports with Data Master's report maker. 8. add, edit, and delete database records easily. 9. copy records out to other files. 10. append records in from other database files. 11. quickly replace all the data in any field of any database. 12. define sophisticated queries to analyze subsets of data. 13. identify duplicate records in any database. 14. sum or average any numeric data. 15. tally occurrences of similar data in any data field. 16. read any text file anywhere on the hard disk. 17. work in any directory on the hard disk. 18. run DOS commands and other programs from Data Master 19. display dates in the format of your choice. 20. works on multi-user local area network or stand-alone PC. 21. contains excellent word processor to edit text files. You do not need to be a dbase or 1-2-3 expert to use Data Master. However, if you would like to know more about dbase, dBaseIII, Clipper, Foxbase, database management, Lotus 1-2-3 and related subjects, there are many excellent books available on these subjects at book and software stores. What equipment do I need? Data Master is designed to work on any IBM compatible computer, with a monochrome or color monitor. It requires 512K of working memory. Data Master works with any dot matrix or laser jet printer. Data Master requires a hard disk system. DISCLAIMER Data Master is licensed without any warranty of merchantability, fitness of particular purpose, performance, or otherwise; all warranties are disclaimed. By using Data Master, you agree that RKS Software, Inc., will not be liable to you or any third party for any use of (or inability to use) this software, or for any damages (direct or indirect) whatsoever, even if RKS Software, Inc. or its agents are apprised of the possibility of such damages occurring. In no event shall RKS Software, Inc. be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages. The entire risk related to the quality and performance of the program is on you. LICENSE STATEMENT: Registered owners - You are a registered owner if you have paid RKS Software, Inc. the $35 registration fee. Registered owners are licensed to use their registered copy on a single machine and to make archival copies for the sole purpose of backing up the program. Data Master may be moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it is being used at another. Shareware testers - Data Master is protected by U.S. Copyright law, and is NOT public domain software. You are hereby granted a limited license to make an evaluation copy for trial use on a private, non-commercial basis for the express purpose of determining whether Data Master is suitable for your needs. At the end of this trial period, not to exceed 30 days, you should either register your copy or discontinue using Data Master. REGISTRATION: You may register by sending in the form below with a check for $35. BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION: - registered owners will receive a licensed copy of the most recent version of Data Master. New features are frequently added to all our shareware programs. - helpful technical support by mail for any problems or questions. HOW TO REGISTER Complete the form at the end of this MANUAL.DOC file, and send it to us along with your registration fee. If you received this copy of Data Master directly from RKS Software, you are already registered and do not need to send in the registration form. USER GROUPS / SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTORS / ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARDS PC user groups, shareware distributors, and electronic bulletin board operators are welcome to add Data Master to their libraries. If you have received Data Master through a user group, a shareware distributor, or an electronic bulletin board, please remember that any diskette fee you paid DOES NOT constitute licensing the software, and you are still obligated to register if you decide to use Data Master. COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICES DBASE, DBASEIII PLUS and ASHTON TATE are trademarks of Ashton-Tate, Inc. CLIPPER is a trademark of Nantucket Corporation. NANTUCKET is a registered trademark of Nantucket Corporation. IBM, PC_DOS, and AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. PC/XT is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. 1-2-3 and Symphony are trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Portions of this program are provided under license from the following companies: 1. Communication Horizons, New York, NY 10036 2. Custom Software Development, Salem, OR 17761 3. Functional Software, Edmond, OK 73034 4. HJS Research Inc., Scottsdale, AZ 85260 5. Nantucket Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 90066 6. Action Plus Software, Salt Lake City, UT 94092 HARD DISK INSTALLATION Make a working copy of the program disk and put the original away in a safe place. 1. Place the working disk in drive A. 2. Type INSTALL plus the letter of the drive on which you wish to install Data Master. Example: INSTALL C <press Enter>. Note: Do NOT type a colon after the drive letter. 3. The install program will copy the DMASTER.EXE file from the floppy distribution disk to the specified drive, in a directory called DM. The install program will extract the Data Master files from DMASTER.EXE and start Data Master for you. 4. To start Data Master any time in the future, go to the DM directory, and type DM. SPELL CHECKER INSTALLATION The spell checker disk is provided only to registered users. This feature extends the capability of the Data Master word processor by adding sophisticated WordPerfect-like spell checking power to the word processor. Copy the SPELLCK.EXE file from the spell check disk to the Data Master directory. At the C:> prompt, type SPELLCK and the DICT.DBF file will be extracted. This is a 25,000 word database file. When Data Master starts the next time, it will detect the presence of the DICT.DBF file and create two index files named SOUND.NTX and ALPHA.NTX. It may take a couple of minutes for Data Master to build these two index files, so be patient. The total size of the DICT.DBF, SOUND.NTX, and ALPHA.NTX files is approximately 1.5 megabytes, so be sure you have this much disk space available before installing the spell checker. NETWORK FILE SERVER INSTALLATION Network Supervisor: 1. Create a directory for Data Master. 2. Copy the DMASTER.EXE file into the directory. 3. Type DMASTER to extract the main DM.EXE file. 4. Erase DMASTER.EXE since you no longer need it. 5. Add Data Master to your menu system. - VERY IMPORTANT - CONFIG.SYS FILE DOS uses the CONFIG.SYS file to set certain defaults for your computer. It MUST be in the root directory of your fixed disk. If you do not already have a CONFIG.SYS file you MUST create one that has these two lines, and place it in your PC's root directory: FILES=20 BUFFERS=16 If you already use a CONFIG.SYS file that does not include settings for files and buffers, you MUST add the two lines above to the file. You can do it with any text editor. If your CONFIG.SYS file already contains settings for files and buffers greater than these, you can leave them as they are. DEFINITIONS For more complete definitions of these concepts, please see any of the several excellent dbase books available at most good software stores. Database: A database is an organized collection of information or data. A simple example of a database is a mailing list. Dbase database files always have a file extension of .DBF. Record: All the data for a particular entry is called a record. In a mailing list, each record contains all the name & address data for one person. Field: Each item of information within a record is called a field. In each mailing list record, for example, there may be fields for last name, first name, street, city, state, and zip code. A database can contain one or more of five types of fields. These five are: 1. Character - This type of field allows entry of all the letters, numbers and symbols you see on your keyboard. In a typical mailing list, all the fields would probably be character type fields. 2. Numeric - This type of field allows only entry of numbers. Use it only for numbers you want to calculate. Put zip codes or phone numbers in a character field, not a numeric field. 3. Date - This type of field allows only date entries. 4. Logical - This type of field allows only a true/false entry. 5. Memo - This type of field is an elastic character field. Whereas character fields must be defined as a fixed length, e.g., 20 characters long, memo fields have no fixed length. Instead, memo field data is stored in a companion file, with a .DBT (DataBase Text) extension, and takes up no disk space unless data is entered into it. Indexes: An index is a file which controls the order in which database records are displayed and printed. Persons working with a mailing list database would normally create an index file based on the last name field and an index file based on the zip code field (assuming these two fields are included in the database structure). Index files created and used by Data Master have a file extension of .NTX. Creation and use of index files is explained below. USING DATA MASTER Type DM at the DOS prompt of the DM directory to start Data Master. In most cases, Data Master will be able to detect whether you have a color or monochrome monitor. If you have a monochrome monitor and the Data Master screens appear to have a bright, washed out look, type DM M to start Data Master. The extra M tells Data Master to use monochrome, not color. The Main Menu presents seven options which are discussed in turn below. Databases Use this option to display a menu of five database actions. Note: if you have not yet selected a database, you will be presented with only the first two options: 1- Select Database: Select this option to load a database in the current directory. The Status box at the bottom of the screen will always display the currently selected database. 2- Modify/Create Database: Use this feature to modify the structure of an existing database, or to create a new database. You can add, edit, or delete fields of the five types described above. Instructions for use are provided on the screen. 3- Close Database: Use this feature to close the currently active database. The Status box will show that no database is active. 4- Append Database: Use this feature to append another database to the currently active database. Only data in fields with the same name in both databases will be appended. 5- Copy Database: Use this feature to copy the currently active database to a new file. WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF YOUR DATABASE BEFORE MODIFYING ITS STRUCTURE. THE REASON IS THAT YOU WILL (OBVIOUSLY) LOSE DATA IF YOU DELETE A FIELD OR CHANGE A FIELD NAME. AFTER YOU HAVE DONE THIS, YOU MAY WISH YOU HADN'T, AND WILL BE THANKFUL YOU MADE A BACKUP COPY OF YOUR DATABASE. Indexes You do not have to use an index file to control your database, but it will make working with a database a lot more pleasant if you do. You must have already selected a database in order for this option to work. When you select this option you will be presented with three choices: 1- Select Index(es): When you select this option, Data Master will present you with a list of existing index files. The index file(s) you select must have been created for the currently active database. Data Master will tell you if it does not match. You can have more than one index active at the same time. Data Master will automatically update all active indexes as records are added, changed, or deleted. The first index you select will be the controlling index. The Status box shows the indexes you have picked, with the controlling index presented first. 2- Create New Index: Use this feature to create a new index file. Data Master will prompt you to select the field(s) to index on. Press F10 when you are finished. Data Master will then ask you to name the index file, and create it. When you create a new index file, that becomes the controlling index for the active database. 3- Rebuild Open Indexes: Use this feature to rebuild all active index files. This means that Data Master will make sure that there is a correct entry in each index file for each record in the database file. You may need to do this, for example, if you forgot to have your LNAME.NTX and/or ZIP.NTX files active when you added, deleted, or edited data in your mailing list. Data Master will automatically maintain your index files if they are active when you are using their database. If you are ever unsure whether a database's index files are current, just select the database, select the index files, and select Rebuild Open Indexes. Use Use this feature to display a menu of options for using the data in the database. 1- Browse Records: Select this option to browse the currently active database. You may add,edit, delete, locate, and view all the records in the database. 2- Sum/Average Data: Use this option to sum or average data in numeric fields. 3- Replace Data: Use this option to replace the data in a specified field in ALL the records in the currently active database. Be sure you have a backup copy of your records in case you make a mistake using this option. 4- Check for Duplicates: Use this option to find duplicate records in the currently active database. 5- Frequency Analysis: Use this option to see what the frequency of data is in a specified field. For example, you could use this feature on the State field of your mailing list to see how many records you have for each state. 6- Purge Records: Use this option to purge all the records you have marked for deletion while in Browse. 7- Mailing Labels: Use this option to print mailing labels from the currently active database. Filter on/off Use this feature to create a filter, or query condition, so you can work with any subset of records you want to. This is a very powerful feature of Data Master. Please experiment with it so you can see how it can be useful to you. See Appendix B for a full explanation of how to use the Query Builder to create a filter condition. When a filter condition is active, Data Master will only display or print records meeting the filter condition. The Status box will display any filter condition. To turn off the filter, just select Filter on/off again. Reports Select this option to use the Report Writer. The Report Writer allows you to create custom reports, output the reports to printer or disk, and save the report specifications for future use. Please see Appendix A for complete information on using the Report Writer. Services This feature presents a menu of support services: 1- Lotus 1-2-3 Worksheets: Use this option to convert a dbase file to a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet, to convert a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet to a dbase file, to browse a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet, and to reserve memory for spreadsheet use. When converting from a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet to a dbase database file, Data Master will ask you what the first data row is in your spreadsheet. Data Master will use this information to construct the correct field type (character, date, numeric, etc.) in the new database. Often, the first row or two in a spreadsheet is used for column header titles. If you do not correctly tell Data Master which row your actual data begins on, Data Master may create a database using all character fields. When browsing a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet, you can perform simple editing by pressing Enter. The cell value selected will appear for editing in the upper left corner of the screen. The PgUP, PgDn, Home, and left, right, up, and down arrow keys are supported. Ctrl/right arrow = page right. Ctrl/left arrow = start of current row. Enter = initiate cell edit. Esc terminates the display operation. Use the 1-2-3 memory reserve option to set the amount of memory you want to reserve for 1-2-3 worksheet use. The default is 100 bytes. NOTE: if you reserve too much memory for 1-2-3 use, Data Master may not have enough memory for other procedures. Whenever you change this setting, you must quit Data Master and restart the program for the new setting to take effect. 2- Print Users Manual: Select this option to print the Users Manual. You can also read the Users Manual on-line by pressing the F1 key. 3- Read a Text File: Use this option to read any text file which may be on your disk. 4- Erase a File: Use this option to erase any file on your disk. 5- Select printer: Use this feature to tell data Master what printer you are using. Data Master will present a scrolling list of 239 printers. Place the litebar over the printer you are using and press ENTER to select it. This is a Data Master protected file. Please do not attempt to edit or modify it in any way since your printing routines may no longer work properly. 6- Gateway to DOS: Use this option if you want to temporarily leave Data Master and go to DOS. While at the DOS level you may do anything you want, including running another program. To return to Data Master, just type EXIT at the DOS prompt. The DOS gateway feature is only available if you are using DOS version 2.11 or higher. 7- Change Directory: Use this feature to change to any other directory on your hard disk. The currently active database will be closed when you select this option. 8- Select Date Format: Use this option to select the date format you want to be used in your database fields. 9- Word Processor: Use this option to edit text files. See Appendix D for details. FUNCTION KEYS F1- Use this to read the Users Manual on-line F6- Use this to use a pop-up calculator. F7- Use this to display a current record count. F8- Use this to display the current time and date. TECHNICAL SUPPORT We do not charge a fee for normal technical support. You may reach us two ways: 1. Compuserve: 72357,2034 2. Mail: Correspondence answered daily. EXAMPLE DATABASES AND WORKSHEETS Data Master comes with several example databases and worksheets. You may find these examples immediately useful in your business or personal life. The mail.dbf database file can be used for a mailing list. The income.dbf and expense.dbf files can be used for business or personal financial data. The property.dbf file can be used for home or business inventory. The projects.dbf file can be used to keep track of office assignments. If the fields in these example databases are not exactly what you need for your particular situation, you can use Data Master to modify the structure of the database. APPENDIX A - REPORT WRITER The Report Writer menu displays 12 command options down the left side, a column which gives the column number, and five columns which show the report specifications. The command options are: Load REPORT: Select this option for a list of previously defined and saved reports. Highlight the report you want, press Enter, and the all the specifications for the selected report will be loaded into the Report Writer. Create REPORT: Select this option to create a new report. When you select this option, you will be asked to name the report. After naming the report, you must select Edit REPORT to define the new report. Save REPORT: Select this option to save your report specifications. Edit REPORT: Select this option if you want to define a new report you have just Created, or change a report you have just Loaded. When defining a new report you have just Created, the lite-bar will be over column 1 of Column Contents. Press Enter to display a list of database fields. Place the lite-bar over the field you want to use in column 1 and press Enter. The name of the field you have selected will appear in the Column Contents column. Whether you are specifying the second column for a new report, or editing an existing report you have Loaded, the editing procedure is the same. Use the arrow keys to move the lite-bar to the Column Contents, Column Title, Width, Pict, and Total columns. Use the ENTER key to change the contents of a column. Use the INSERT key to add a new column. Use the DELETE key to delete a column. Use the ESCAPE key when finished editing. To Add: To add a new column to the report, place the lite-bar over the Column Contents column where you want to insert the new column, and press Enter. Select the desired field from the list of fields which will be displayed. You will then be asked to select one of two choices: (1) Use value contained in database field: <field name>, or (2) Build extended expression from field: <field name>. Normally, you will want to select the first choice. In some cases, however, you may want the column contents to contain some modification of the field value selected. If so, select the second choice, and the Report Writer's Expression Builder will appear. See Appendix C for more information on using the Expression Builder. To Change: To change the contents of any of the five report specification columns, use the arrow keys to place the lite- bar over the item you want to change, and press Enter. If you are changing an item in the Column Contents column, you will be given two choices: (1) Pick New Value for this column, and (2) Extend with Expression Builder. If you select the first choice, you will be presented with the same choices as discussed above when adding a new column. If you select the second choice, you will be presented with the Expression Builder. If you are changing an item in the Column Title column, you will first be asked to specify the column width, and will then be asked for the new title. The Column Title column initially contains the name of the field you have selected. The Width column shows how wide the column is. If you want to change the width of a column, select this item and enter a new column width. The default is the width of the field. Important note: You will probably want to increase the default column size for numeric fields if you are totaling the column. If you don't, the column may not be wide enough to display the totaled values. The Pict column lets you specify a picture, or mask, for numeric fields. If you edit a numeric field's picture, you will see the following: Picture: 9999999.99 9 A number . Position of the decimal point. , Inserts a comma * Inserts asterisks for leading blanks $ Inserts $ signs for leading blanks @( Encloses negatives in parentheses. @B Left justifies numbers @C Displays CR after a positive number @X Displays DB after a negative number @Z Displays spaces instead of zeros if =0 The 9, period, comma, etc. are referred to as template symbols. Examples may help. If you wish the numeric field to display its numbers with commas inserted at the proper places, you would enter 999,999,999.99 in the picture clause. 77654.33 would be displayed as 77,654.33. 100022345 would be displayed as 100,022,345.00. Template symbols may be combined in the picture clause. For example, enter @( 999,999.99 in the picture clause to display negative comma-formatted numbers in parenthesis. Note the space between the @( template symbol and the 999,999.99 template symbol. Finally, you may edit the Total column if you want the Report Writer to total your numeric field columns. Delete Report: Select this option to delete previously saved reports. Headers/Footers: Select this option to enter page titles and/or page footers. Filtering: Select this option to set a filter, i.e., specify the criteria which records have to meet in order to be included in the report. See Appendix B for a full discussion of how to specify a filter condition using the Query Builder. Grouping Order: This option is only available if the database has an active index. You can find out if you have an active index by choosing Grouping Order from the command list, and then selecting View current sort selection. If there is no active index, the report writer will tell you. You may use this option to have the report writer group your data into major and secondary groups. A group change is a point where a change takes place in one of the keys in an indexed database. Report subtotals will be printed at a group change. If your database has one or more active indexes, the report writer will present a menu of index choices. Pick the index you want to use for the report. Next, the report writer will ask you if you want to select a major group from the index key. If you answer Yes, the report writer will present a menu of major group choices based on the index you have chosen to use. For example, if your index is based on the expression LNAME + FNAME, the menu will show two choices: LNAME LNAME+FNAME If you select the full expression (LNAME+FNAME), the report writer will not ask you if you want to use a secondary group. If you select LNAME, the report writer will ask you if you want to select a secondary group from the index key. If you answer Yes, the report writer will present a menu of choices based on the unselected portion of the index expression. In the example we are using, the menu would consist of the single choice FNAME. If this seems confusing, don't worry. Experiment with it a little by producing sample reports, and you will quickly see how it works. Other Options: Select this option to customize the look of your report. There are five categories within this option: Page Dimensions: Use the choices in this category to set the desired page length, page width, top margin, and left margin. Group Headers and Totals: Use the choices in this category to give the major or minor groups, if any, a title. The default titles are Major Group: and Minor Group:. You can also select any underlining characters you may want to use for the group headers and totals. Eject (new page) Options: Use the choices in this category to specify how you want the report writer to eject pages. Separator Characters: Use the choices in this category to specify separator lines and characters for titles, individual detail lines, columns, etc. Miscellaneous Options: Use the choices in this category to specify whether you want to include a standard two line header on each page consisting of the page #, date, and time. You can also specify whether you want a full or summary report. You would use a summary report primarily for numeric reports where the major group totals were all you were interested in. The printer setup and exit codes allow you to send printer control codes to the printer at the beginning and end or the report. For example, if you are working with an Epson dot matrix printer, and want to print a report in condensed print, you would enter 15 as the setup code and 18 as the exit code. Printer control codes vary widely from printer to printer. Unless you are very familiar with the printer control codes used by your printer, you will normally leave the printer setup and exit codes blank. Leaving them blank means that the printer will print in whatever font the printer is currently set for. Print Report: Select this option to send the report to the printer or to a disk file. We suggest using the disk file option until you are sure you have the report just the way you want it, since the disk file option displays the report on the screen while also writing to the disk. You can see right away whether the report looks the way you want it to. You can suspend or quit report production by pressing the Esc key at any time. If you tell the report writer to prepare a disk file, you will be prompted for a file name. Report Status: Select this option to see a summary of the total configuration being used by the report writer. APPENDIX B - QUERY BUILDER The query builder allows you to define a condition which a record must meet in order for the record to be used by your application. When you Quit the query builder with a query active, your application will have access to only those records which meet the query condition. Think of the query condition as a filter. Records that do not meet the query condition are temporarily filtered out. The other records in your database are still there, but they are temporarily hidden. You can turn the query (filter) off by selecting Zap from the query builder menu. All your records are now available to your application. When you select the query builder, you will be presented with the following menu: Build a new Query Add to current query Count matching records Zap (remove) existing Query Save current Query to disk Restore Query from disk Delete stored queries What is current Query Edit current Query View records matching Query Quit Build a New Query: When you select this option, you will be presented with a list of the fields in the database you are working with. Here is an example: Database Field List < Deleted? > ITEM AMOUNT DATE CHECK_NO TO CATEGORY COMMENTS OK MEMO Place the lite bar over the field you want, and press Enter to select the field. If you select the Deleted? option, you will be prompted to answer T (True/Yes), or F (False/No). T (True/Yes) means you want to include 'deleted' records in your query. If you answer F (False/NO), this means you want to exclude 'deleted' records from the query condition. A 'deleted' record is one which has been marked for deletion but has not yet been purged, or packed, from the database. In most cases, you will ignore this option. When you select a field, you will be asked if you wish to further define the field with the Expression Builder. The default answer in No. In most cases, this is what you will want. If you have some particular need to further refine the selection of data in the field you have chosen, answer Yes, and you will be presented with the Expression Builder. See Appendix C for details on the Expression Builder. If you have selected a character type field, the query builder will display a menu of choices, as follows: = (EXACTLY EQUAL TO) <> (NOT EQUAL TO) < (LESS THAN) > (GREATER THAN) <= (LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO) >= (GREATER OR EQUAL TO) $ (CONTAINS) !$ (DOES NOT CONTAIN) ?* (WILDCARD MATCH) S (IS SIMILAR TO) B (BEGINS WITH) E (ENDS WITH) If you have selected a numeric type field, the query builder will display a menu of choices, as follows: = (EXACTLY EQUAL TO) <> (NOT EQUAL TO) < (LESS THAN) > (GREATER THAN) <= (LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO) >= (GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO) Select the appropriate option, and the query builder will prompt you as necessary to complete your specification for the field you have selected. The query builder will then present the following menu of choices: DONE AND OR AND NOT OR NOT For many simple queries, you can select DONE. When first learning and experimenting with the query builder, you will probably want to select DONE and use the 'View records matching query' option to see the results of your query specification. If you wish to include other field specifications in the query expression, you can select one of the other options, as appropriate, and repeat the same procedure as above. An example may help. Let's say your query expression at this point is something like LASTNAME = "SMITH", and you wanted to work with only those SMITH's who live in California. Assuming your database contains a two character STATE field, you would: 1. select AND instead of DONE. 2. select STATE from the field list. 3. select EXACTLY EQUAL TO or CONTAINS (CONTAINS is often better) 4. enter CA for the state name. 5. select DONE. Your query expression now contains the appropriate references to both fields. When you have created your query expression, Query Active will flash on the screen. You can now select another option from the query builder menu. If you Quit the query builder, your application will filter your records so that only those records meeting the query (filter) condition will be used. Add to Current Query: Select this option to add more specifications to your query expression. Count matching records: Select this option to have the query builder count the number of database records that meet the query condition you have specified. Zap (remove) existing query: Select this option to remove the existing query condition. This restores access to all the database records. Save current query to disk: Select this option to save the current query condition so you can use it later without having to redefine it. When you select this option, you will be prompted for a description of the query condition. Enter any description you want. Restore query from disk: Select this option to restore a previously saved query condition. Delete stored queries: Select this option to have the query builder display a list of stored queries. Select the one you want to delete and the query builder will remove it from the query file. What is current query: Select this option to have the query builder display the current query. Edit current query: Select this option if you want to manually edit the current query condition. Unless you are an experienced database programmer, you will probably not want to do this. View records matching query: Select this option to view the records which match the query condition you have specified. Quit: Select this option to quit the query builder and return to your application. The query builder can seem daunting at first. We suggest you simply experiment with it, building simple query conditions to get the feel of it. As you become more comfortable with how it works, try more complex queries. Remember to save queries which you may use again. This will save you the trouble of redefining them. APPENDIX C - EXPRESSION BUILDER The Expression Builder allows you to further define the field of data you want to use. It presents you with a menu of choices appropriate to the type of field you have selected, i.e., character, numeric, date, logical, or memo field. Here are the choices if the field type is character: E X P R E S S I O N B U I L D E R QUIT and return current expression TEST against database (WYSIWYG) UNDO last change HELP help with expression builder EXTRACT subset or rearrange JUSTIFY left right centered CASE uppercase lowercase proper MOVE spaces to end of string ADD or imbed characters SUBSTITUTE one value for another DIFFERENT change to date or numeric QUIT: Select this option to leave the expression builder. TEST: Select this option to test your expression against the current database. UNDO: Select this option to undo your most recent change while using the expression builder. HELP: Select this option for brief help on using the expression builder. EXTRACT: Select this option if you wish to work with only those records that contain a desired portion of the data in the character field. For example, assume the character field you have selected contains a ten character code, and you want to work with only those codes that contain A99 in the first three spaces. You could select EXTRACT, then Left 3 characters on the next screen. The query expression would become LEFT(ITEM,3). After Quitting to the next screen, you would specify EXACTLY EQUAL TO, and then A99. If you then Viewed records matching the Query, you would see only records which contained A99 in the first three spaces of the item code field. When you return to the main menu, the query expression will be displayed in the Status box at the bottom of the screen to remind you that the only records that are active are those which meet the query expression. You can toggle the filter (query expression) off by selecting Filter again from the main menu when you are finished working with the A99 records. JUSTIFY: Select this option if you wish the right justified, left justified, or centered field data to match some value you are going to specify. An example of a situation in which you might use this capability would be where you suspect blank spaces might have been entered in the field, e.g., " A99" instead of "A99". By specifying left justified here, and specifying EXACTLY EQUAL TO A99 at the next screen, you will get all the A99 records, even those where blanks might have been entered by mistake at the beginning of the field data. CASE: Select this option if you wish the upper-cased, lower-cased, or properized (first letter capitalized) field data to match some value you are going to specify in the next step. MOVE: Select this option if you want to move all the blank spaces in a field's contents to either the beginning or the end of the field data. "A99 123" would be treated either as " A99123" or "A99123 ", depending on which option you select. You could then compare the result of that expression to some value you will specify in the next step. ADD: Select this option if you wish to add or imbed particular characters in the query expression in order to compare that expression to some value you will specify in the next step. SUBSTITUTE: Select this option if you want to have the filter substitute one string of characters for another string so that appropriate matching can take place against some value you will specify in the next step. DIFFERENT: Select this option if you wish to have the filter convert characters to numeric or date format so that appropriate matching can take place against some value you will specify in the next step. Other appropriate options for expression building are presented when you select a numeric, date, logical, or memo field. The basic idea is that the expression builder allows you to further define the field of data you want to use. In the great majority of cases, you will not need to use the Expression Builder, but it is available as a tool which can be used if needed. APPENDIX C - WORD PROCESSOR When you select the word processor option, you will be prompted to enter the name of the file you want to enter. If you want to create a new file, or want a list of all files on the current directory, just press ENTER. You will then be prompted for whether you want a new file or a list of all files. Alternatively, you may enter a wildcard, e.g., *.txt, to display a list of specific files you want. When you have specified or selected the file you want, you will see a menu which allows you to edit the file, print the file, or quit back to the main menu. When you select Edit, you will see a blank screen which is 65 characters wide. This assumes you will be printing on standard 8 1/2 inch paper, which, at 10 characters per inch, is 85 characters wide. The 65 character screen assumes you will be using left and right margins of one inch. (85 - 20 = 65). To the left of the editing screen you will see function key assignments, as follows: F1- Help: Press the F1 key to display the Data Master Users manual. F2- Spell: Press the F2 key to have Data Master spell check your document. This feature uses the file DICT.DBF and the index files ALPHA.NTX and SOUND.NTX. If you are familiar with WordPerfect, you will see that it closely emulates the WordPerfect spell checker. Note: the F2- Spell checker and the MAKEDICT utility program which allows you to create your own custom dictionaries by 'feeding' text files to MAKEDICT are provided only with the registered version of Data Master. F3- Block: Press the F3 key to select blocks of text for copying, moving, or deletion. F5- Files: Press the F5 key to import text files into the current document, and to export (save) the current document to a different file name. F6- Bold: Press the F6 key to insert a special character which will turn bold printing on and off when printing. F7- Underline: Press the F7 key to insert a special character which will turn underlining on and off when printing. F8- Margins: Press the F8 key to select left and right margins for printing. The default margins are 10 for the left margin and 75 for the right margin. Note that at 10 characters per inch, this will give you standard one inch left and right margins when printing. We recommend that you use the default margins. F9- Merge: Press the F9 key to display a list of field names from the currently active database. You may use this feature to insert field names into the body of your document. When you print the document, the data from the current record will be printed in the body of your document. The merge feature is only available if there is a currently active database. If you wish to use this merge feature for a specific record in the current database, use the Browse feature to select the record you want. Just go into Browse, place the litebar over the record you want, and press Esc to exit Browse. Then go into the word processor, create/edit your document, and print it with the Print Current Record option. You may also print the document for all the records in the database by selecting that print option. Caution: if you create a document containing merge fields from a particular database, you can only print that document if that same database is the currently active database. If you try to print such a document when that database is not currently active, something bad will probably happen. The spell checker built into the word processor allows you to add words to the spell checking dictionary, the DICT.DBF file. If you should want to delete words from this file, just select the DICT.DBF file as you would any other database, and Use the (D)elete option while in Browse to mark the record for deletion. To purge such records marked for deletion, Use the Purge Deleted Records option. This will completely remove any records you have marked for deletion. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you delete records from the DICT.DBF file in this way, be sure to have the SOUND.NTX and ALPHA.NTX index files active when you do. Otherwise, the index files will no longer match the DICT.DBF file and the spell checker will give incorrect results. IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE WE ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOSS OF DATA Data Master is a very powerful database management program. With it, you can modify the structure of existing database files. When you modify the structure of a database file, you always run the risk of making a mistake and losing data. YOU MUST ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF YOUR DATABASE FILE BEFORE MODIFYING THE STRUCTURE OF THE FILE. Also, please make regular backup copies of your records to protect against accidental erasures or system malfunction. Everyone makes mistakes, and all hard disks will fail eventually. The only question is when. In addition to the DOS backup.com and restore.com programs which come free with each copy of DOS, there are several commercial programs available for saving and restoring copies of your records. These include: Back-It: available from Gazelle Systems, 42 N. University Ave., Suite 10, Provo, Utah 84601, phone (800) 233-0383 or (801) 377-1288. 320 K RAM required. DS Backup+: available from Design Software, 1275 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, Illinois 60158, phone (800) 231-3088 or (312) 231-4540. 256K RAM required. Fastback Plus: available from Fifth Generation Systems, 11200 Industriplex Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809, phone (800) 873-4384 or (504) 291-7221. 330K RAM required. Mace Gold Utilities (includes Mace Backup): available from Paul Mace Software , 400 Williamson Way, Ashland, Oregon 97520, phone (503) 488-0224. 256K required. PC Tools Delux: available from Central Point Software, 15220 N.W. Greenbrier Parkway, #200, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, phone (503) 690-8090. 512K required. Point and Shoot PC-Fullback: available from Westlake Data, P.O. Box 1711, Austin, Texas 78767, phone (512) 328-1041. 384K required. DATA MASTER REGISTRATION FORM Please register my copy of Data Master. My check for $35 is enclosed. TO: FROM: RKS Software, Inc. Name: 3820 N. Dittmar Rd. Arlington VA 22207 (Company): Please send: (Title): _____ 5 1/4" disk Address: _____ 3 1/2" disk City,State: Zip Code Phone Number: