I've found that there are three things most computer users share: 1) an abundant collection of computer magazines, 2) the inability to find a given article or program when needed, and 3) insufficient time or willpower to sit down and catalog them all.
Several C-64 magazine database programs have been published before. But these programs do not address the primary problem: lots of typing! Just thinking about it makes the fingers numb and the eyes glaze. But without some kind of index, finding anything becomes close to impossible.
Magazindex 64 was written to take advantage of what computers do best: boring, repetitive tasks. It uses an old idea, that of keyboard macros, and applies it to a database to drastically cut typing time. If you are unfamiliar with keyboard macros, they allow defining a certain key or key combination to print a string of characters with a single keypress, a task that would ordinarily take many keypresses to perform.
Magazindex 64 allows sixteen macro keys to be defined, saved to disk and reloaded for later use. All eight function keys can be used, as can CTRL 1 through 4 and Commodore 1 through 4. Limiting the CTRL and Commodore keys to the first four is an ergonomic consideration; the Commodore/- and CTRL-5 through 8 combinations lead to an unnatural wrist angle and a difficult finger stretch, leading to typing fatigue, which the program is designed to avoid.
The menu selection bar is controlled by the CRSR up/down keys. Pressing Return selects the option. Information displayed at the top of the screen includes the index filename and whether the macro keys have been activated. At any screen prompt that halts operation, pressing any key will continue the program.
Selecting Exit program or pressing the Stop key brings up a prompt asking for confirmation to quit. Pressing Y exits the program, while any other key continues.
The program allows upper- and lowercase alphanumeric characters and punctuation except quotes, commas and colons. One graphic character, the checkmark (a shifted-{SHIFT-*}), is included to mark records of special interest for recall later from the Search menu.
The program also uses a flexible memory management system, with the number of records per index directly related to the amount of text contained in each field and in the macro definitions. The program is initialized as "worst case" memory use, with 120 records per index. The upper limit is 400 records per index.
The program calculates memory usage each time an index is saved. Be patient, as the process may take up to several minutes, especially if the index is large, since the program must first get the remaining free memory before caculating the allowable records.
Library Menu
Before using the program, be sure to use the ReRUN menu to copy it to a work disk. Create Index allows for the creation of multiple indexes. At the prompt, enter a filename up to 14 characters. The program checks to see if this filename already exists. If it doesn't, the program goes to the record entry screen. Press A to begin adding records, M to display the macro definitions or Q to quit to the Library menu.
Once you have started entering a record, all other commands are locked out, so if you need to refer to the macros, do so before pressing A. The commands become active again after each record is entered.
Load Index loads a previously created file into memory, where it can be edited, added to or searched. The program automatically adds the prefix, so type in only the name you used to create the index.
If there is an index already in memory, selecting Create or Load will bring up a prompt asking you to confirm the choice, since memory must first be cleared. Press Y or N. If you select yes, the screen will change color, the macro definitions stored, memory cleared, the macros retrieved and the program requests a filename.
Edit Records: If there are more than 50 records in the index, the program asks for a record number to start. Enter any number between one and the last record in the index. Pressing Return at the prompt goes to the first record. Entering a number larger than the number of records in the index aborts the operation.
Press E to edit a field, I to insert a new record, D to delete a record, M to display the macros or Q to quit. Use the CRSR up/down keys to page one record at a time, CRSR left/right keys to page five at a time. After pressing E, pressing any keys but 1-6 will exit the edit prompt and redisplay the menu commands.
Add Records allows adding records to the current index. Press A to add records, M to display the macro key definitions or Q to quit to the Library menu. Again, pressing A locks out other commands, so use the D command first if needed. Once a complete record has been added, the commands are redisplayed.
Once an index has been edited or records added, pressing Q will prompt "Save New Index?". Selecting N returns to the Library menu. This allows exiting any input routine to redefine macros or switch between adding and editing records. Press Y to scratch the old index (if one exists), do the memory calculations, then save the new index (with an I. prefix) before returning to the Library menu.
Save Index saves the index if you haven't done so while in the edit or add records areas.
Define Macros allows you to type in a word or phrase and then reuse it at any prompt. Macros should be defined (either manually or by loading a macro file) before selecting the Create, Add or EDIT options. Simply press the key combination to define. The line will blank and an underline cursor will appear. Type in your text, up to 27 characters, and press Return to enter it. A useful quirk of the macros: if you press the wrong macro key and erase the line, just press the key again and your previous definition reappears.
When you have finished defining the macros you need, press the spacebar to exit. The Macros information shows "Yes", indicating they are defined. The macro keys are active at all prompts within the program, including Filename and Search for Requests.
Here is a sample macro file:
CTRL/1 :RUN
CTRL/2 :1991 11/12
CTRL/3 :Article
CTRL/4 :Review
COMD/1 :MAGIC
Commodore/2 :128
Commodore/3 :64
Commodore/4 :Game
F1 :Application
F2 :Utility
F3 :Programming
F4 :GeoWatch
F5 :Tim Walsh
F6 :John Ryan
F7 :Mark Jordan
F8 :Stephane Dirschauer
A typical record entry with carriage returns (CR) becomes:
ARTICLE: Ultimate Sprite Editor<CR>
AUTHOR: <F7><CR>
MAGAZINE: <CTRL/1><CR>
DATE: <CTRL/2><CR>
PAGE: 28<CR>
SUBJECT: <Commodore/-3> <F-1><CR>
On startup, all macros are defined as 27 characters long. For best use, keep your definitions as short as possible and redefine macro keys you don't need with a single character. Remember, the number of records an index holds depends on how you control memory.
Load/Save Macros: Once you have macro definitions you want, you'll want to save them for later use. Specify a filename up to 14 characters and the index is saved to disk with an M.-prefix. When reloading the index, the program inserts the prefix, so type the name without the prefix.
The File Directory option displays all index and macro files on the disk in device 8.
Search Menu
All records: Use the CRSR up/down keys to page one at a time, CRSR left/right to page five at a time. Other Search options include R for record hardcopy, I for index hardcopy and Q to quit to the Library menu.
If there are more than 50 records in the index, the program asks for a starting record number. Enter any number between one and the last record in the index. Pressing Return at the prompt goes to the first record. Entering a number larger than the number of records in the index aborts the operation.
"Article, Author, Magazine, Date or Subject" options allow checking all records for the desired entry(s). Select the field you want searched and enter the search characters. The program will display the first match found. Use the CRSR down key to display the next match. All searches are case-sensitive, so if you use "C64" in the records and then look for "c64", the search won't find it.
