Night Owl 6/Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso/025a/bookmndr.zip/MANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1990-05-15 | 28KB | 666 lines

       This manual is copyrighted in 1990 by
       Steven C. Hudgik - All Rights Are Reserved






       SHAREWARE


       This software is provided as shareware.    This means you
       have the opportunity to try it before you buy it.
       If you find this software useful, you are requested to
       become a registered user.  Registered users receive the most
       recent version of the software, free updates for one year,
       a printed manual, and free support.

       This software is copyrighted and all rights remain with the
       author.    However, you are granted permission to make as many
       copies as you wish, provided no fee is charged if you
       provide a copy to someone else.    You may freely distribute this
       software, if you wish, on this basis.  If you need to
       charge a fee to cover distribution costs, please contact
       HomeCraft to receive written permission.

       To register as a user send $59.95 to the address below (VISA and
       MASTER CARD are accepted), plus $3.00 for shipping and handling.
       ($5 for Canada and $8 for airmail outside North America).

       HomeCraft
       P.O. Box 974
       Tualatin,  OR  97062
       [phone] - yes, we accept registrations on the phone, or feel
            free to call with any questions you have.

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       HOMECRAFT'S COLLECTORS SOFTWARE

       USER'S MANUAL


       TABLE OF CONTENTS


       INTRODUCTION ...........................   page 2

       LEVELS OF OPERATION ....................   page 3

       THE MAIN MENU ..........................   page 4
     File Names                       4
     Level                           5

       MAKING ENTRIES .........................   page 6

       SAVING THE ENTRY .......................   page 7

       EDITING EXISTING ENTRIES ...............   page 8
     Moving Through The Catalog               9

       SEARCHES AND PRINTED REPORTS ...........   page 10
     List All                       11
     Searches                       12
     Editing After A Search                13

       UTILITIES ..............................   page 14
     Copy Files                       15
     Rebuilding Indexes                   16

       APPENDIX (Specific Information About
     The Software You Have) ..............      page 19

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      USER'S MANUAL



      INTRODUCTION







      Thank you for trying one of HomeCraft's specialty databases.
      This software has been designed for storing; then organizing,
      searching, sorting and retrieving the specific information
      you need.

      Since all of our specialty databses work in the same manner
      this manual applies to them all.    Specific information about
      each program is provided at the end of this manual.

      To run this software you will need an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2
      or compatible with a minimum of 256K of memory and two floppy
      disks.  We recommend that a hard disk be used if you have more
      than 1000 items in your collection.  This software can handle
      10,000,000 entries per file - and you can have multiple files.
      The result is that you can build some very large date files
      using several megabytes.    A minimum of a 20 megabyte hard
      disk is recommended.

      No other software is required (except the DOS operating system).
      However, we do recommend you purchase a back up utility for your
      hard disk.  Your data files SHOULD BE BACKED UP any time you've
      made significant changes.  A good rule of thumb is to back up
      you data any time you've made more entries/changes than you'd
      want to type over again.


      This software is completely menu driven and easy to operate.
      Since the computer does all the hard work for you, this manual
      is short. We'll describe how to enter information; what to do to
      edit existing entries; and how to find the entry(s) you need.

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      THE THREE LEVELS OF OPERATION



      This software has three levels.  The three level feature allows
      you to determine the amount of information you want to save for
      each entry.  If you have valuable information, or need complete
      descriptions for professional use, you can catalog your collection
      at a level of very fine detail.  On the other hand, if you just
      need a quick way to find specific entries (or types of entries),
      you can use the first, less detailed level.  Since you can set up
      as many separate data files as you wish, you can divide your
      collection and categorize each part in as much or little detail
      as you want.

      Information about the specific fields and levels in the
      version of the software you have is provided at the end of
      this manual.

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      THE MAIN MENU



      The Main Menu will always be the first thing you see when you
      boot up the software.  If you have a monochrome monitor, and
      just see dark blocks on your screen, then push F1.  F1 toggles
      the setting for color on and off.  Dark blocks on a monochrome
      monitor indicate the software is set for color and your computer
      does not have color emulation.

      You can make a selection from the Main Menu in one of two ways;
      you can push the number associated with the function you want to
      use, or you can use the up/down cursor keys to move the scroll
      bar to the selection you want and then push ENTER.

      The first three items on the Main Menu are used to manipulate
      the information in your catalog.    You can enter new entries,
      edit information already in the catalog, or search the catalog.
      Items 4 through 6 are features that determine how the software
      will run.  We will take a quick look at these set-up functions
      first.


      File Name

      The filename is the name used for storing your catalog on the
      disk.  You can have as many separate catalogs as you wish, using
      a different filename for each.  Up to 10,000,000 entries can be
      made in each catalog.

      When you push #4 the current filename will be listed and you'll
      be prompted to enter a new filename.  You may use up to eight
      letters for a filename.

      If you push ENTER without entering a filename, the software will
      use a preset filename.

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      You may also designate the disk drive you want the catalog
      stored on.  To designate a drive other than the drive you are
      currently using, type the letter for that drive and then a colon
      before typing the filename.  For example, to use the filename
      TEST on the "B" disk drive you would enter:

       B:TEST

      The software will automatically add .DAT to the end of all
      filenames.  If you should put a period in the filename or add a
      filename extension such as .DAT the filename will not be
      accepted.


      Utilities

      This leads you to another menu that provides several utility
      functions.  Using these utilities you can copy entrys from one
      file to another, rebuild a damaged index, erase deleted entries,
      reserve space on your disk for future entries and set the access
      code.  All of these utilities are described in detail in the
      Utilities section of this manual.


      Level

      As we've already described you may use any of three levels of
      data storage.  Push #6 to select the level you want to use.  A
      menu will appear and you can then push the function key (F key)
      associated with the level you want to use.

      You can change levels at any time and make entries with a
      variety of level settings.  However, the software will set the
      file sizes for the highest level used in that file.  Thus, you
      do not save disk space by making entries at the the lowest
      level, if there is even one entry at any higher level for the
      same file.

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      MAKING ENTRIES




      Entering information into the catalog is very simple.  Select #1
      on the Main Menu and an information entry screen will appear.

      The length of the bar next to each item shows the amount of
      space available for each item.  The cursor will not go past the
      ends of the bar.

      The cursor can be moved around on the screen by using the
      up/down and right/left arrow keys.

      If you are using a higher level, then the PgDn and PgUp keys are
      used to move from one page to another.  There are three possible
      pages, as each level has its own page.  When you move to the
      second page the first two lines from the first page will remain
      on the screen.  On the third page the top three lines from the
      first page will be at the top of the screen.  This information
      is provided to allow you to see  which entry you are working on.
      It can only be entered and edited, however, from the first
      screen.

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      SAVING THE ENTRY

      Once you've entered all the necessary information push the F5
      key to save this entry.  F5 can be pushed while any of the three
      screens are displayed.


      There is also a feature that will save you some time if you are
      entering entrys that have basically the same information.  For
      example, if you have a series of entries that are very similar,
      all you need to do is enter the information for the first entry.
      Once that entry is saved, push F3.  This will copy the
      information from the previous entry.

      Please note, however, that this copy feature only copies the two
      screens.


      When you are finished making entries, push F10 to return to the
      Main Menu (after pushing F5 to save the last entry you made).

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      EDITING EXISTING ENTRIES



      Selection two on the Main Menu allows you to change any part of
      any existing entry.

      You will first be asked for the number of the entry you want to
      edit.

      As you make entries the software automatically numbers them
      sequentially.  The first entry you make is number 1; the 100th
      is number 100.  This number is displayed in the upper right of
      the screen when you are making entries.  It is also printed on
      all reports.

      If you don't know the number for the entry you need to change,
      use the search function to find the entry.  When the entry is
      found you will automatically be in the edit mode (more on that
      shortly).

      Once you have entered the number for the entry you want to
      change it will be displayed on the screen.  You can then make
      changes in the same way you originally entered information.  So
      that you can see what you've changed the original entry is
      highlighted.  The highlighting will not be shown at any spot
      where a change has been made.

      When you have made all the needed changes, push F5 to save the
      edited entry.

      Pushing F10, before you push F5, will return you to the Main
      Menu without saving any of the changes.


      Deleting An Entry

      The editor is also used to delete an entry from the catalog.
      With the entry you wish to delete on the screen, push the F4
      key.  This will not erase the entry - all the information will
      still be there.  The entry will be marked as deleted, however,
      and will be skipped in any search of the catalog.  You can
      "undelete" an entry by pushing F5 to re-save the entry.
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      If you wish to completely eliminate an entry from the catalog,
      you can use the editor to type in a new entry in the same spot
      as the deleted entry.  There is also a library utility that will
      erase all deleted entries from the catalog (more on that
      shortly).



      Moving Through The Catalog

      There is one other convenient feature in the editor.  You can
      browse through the entries in your catalog, moving either
      forward or backward, by pushing the F1 and F2 keys.  F1 will
      move the display back by one entry.  F2 will show the next
      entry.

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      SEARCHES AND PRINTED REPORTS





      The most useful function is the Search / Printed Report
      function.  This is the function you use to sort and find
      specific entrys or types of entrys.

      Select #3 on the Main Menu and you'll see a screen that looks
      like the information entry screen.  The information you want to
      search for is entered on this screen (or the series of three
      screens at the third level).

      First, however, lets look at the functions listed at the bottom
      of the screen.    A menu with abbreviated prompts appears there.
      To get a more detailed explanation of each prompt push the F1
      key for HELP.


      F2 - TOGGLE OUTPUT   - Pushing F2 will change how the report
      is printed.  The default setting is the monitor.    At this
      setting each entry will be listed on the monitor, one at a time.

      Push F2 to change the setting to CONTINUOUS.  Now the report
      will be printed on continuous paper on your printer (BE SURE
      YOUR PRINTER IS ON!).  The perforations will be skipped based on
      66 lines per page.

      Push F2 again to change the setting to SINGLE.    This setting
      also sends the report to your printer, however, the search will
      pause once every 66 lines to allow you to put another sheet of
      paper in the printer.  This setting is generally used for daisy
      wheel printers.

      One nice feature is that no other printer set up is required.
      The software will automatically work with almost any type of
      printer.    (Laser printers may require special settings of their
      dip switches as they may not use 66 lines per page).
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      When you're using either the CONTINUOUS or SINGLE setting each
      entry that matches the search criteria will be displayed on the
      screen.  If there are a lot of entries that come close together
      in your catalog, these may only be on the screen for a short
      time.

      Push F2 one more time to change the setting to DISK.  The report
      will now be stored as an ASCII file on your disk.  Before the
      search starts you will be given the chance to enter the drive
      and filename you want to use for the report.  If no name is
      entered, then a preset filename will be used.    Do not enter a
      filename extension - the extension ".DOC" will be added to all
      filenames.



      List All - If you want to get a complete listing of the
      contents of your catalog, or list a block of entries (for
      example the entries you made today so you can check them for
      correctness), then press either F3 or F4.

      Pressing F3 will result in the entries being listed in the order
      they were entered.  After pressing F3 you will be asked for the
      entry number to start the listing at and the entry number to end
      it with.    If you chose an ending entry number that is higher
      than the total entries in the catalog, or is lower than the
      starting number, it will not be accepted.

      The F3 function is most useful in checking entrys you've just
      entered.    Select a range of entry numbers that includes your
      most recent entries.  The resulting printed report is an easy
      way to check for typos in these new entries.


      F4 is used to get a listing of all of the entries in your
      catalog in alphabetical order.  You must be using the indexing
      feature (Index On) for this function to work.  When F4 is
      pressed a small menu will appear in the lower right corner of
      the screen.  The indexing is based on the top three items on the
      first screen.  Select the index you wish to use by pushing
      the appropriate F key.
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      Searches

      To perform a search first set the F2 toggle for the type of
      report you want to get.  Then enter the information you want to
      search for.  You can use the cursor and PgUp/PgDn keys to move
      through the screens just as you did when making entries.    You
      can enter information on any one line or all of the lines.

      There are three different ways you can search your catalog.

      F6 - Normal Search:  When you push F6 an index search will be
      conducted, if you've entered something to search for on the top
      three lines of the first screen.    The top three lines contain
      the information most frequently searched for.  Since the indexes
      can use a significant amount of space only these three are
      indexed.    The Super Utilities (an add-on utility available
      to registered users) provides indexing and sorting for all fields.

      Indexing provides a way to locate specific information very
      fast.  Even with tens of thousands of entries the index will be
      able to locate any entry within a second or two.    In addition,
      with indexing you can get an alphabetical listing of your
      inventory.

      The other type of search is a sequential search.    This means
      that every entry in the catalog is looked at to see if it is a
      match.  A sequential search starts with the first entry you made
      and step through all subsequent entries until a match is found.

      Sequential searches are started by pushing F7 or F8.

      In a sequential search any entry that contains the information
      you entered will be identified as a match.  For example, in this
      case if you enter "Roses," Red Roses will be identified as a
      match.  Entering just "os" will result in a match with Red
      R"os"es.

      This leads us to another important point.  The both index and
      sequential searches will only find exact matches in one
      respect.    If you search for "Rose", the word "ROSE" will not be
      found as a match.  The capitalization must match the way the
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      word was originally typed into the catalog.  For that reason I
      always capitalize the first letter of every word.  Another
      option would be to always capitalize the entire word.

      Getting back to function keys F6, F7 and F8.  As we've
      discussed, pushing F6 will result in a search that uses the
      indexes.    F7 and F8 provide two different ways to start a
      sequential search.

      Push F8 to start a normal sequential search.  Your catalog will
      be searched starting with the first entry and
      continuing through the most recent entry you made.

      F7 provides a special way to search your catalog.  If, for
      example, you are looking for entries that have the word
      "Christmas" in them, both the indexed and sequential searches
      will find entries in the same order every time a search is done.
      Pushing F7 starts the search at a random location in the
      catalog, resulting in different entries being found first.



      If you are conducting a sequential search, it may take some time
      to complete if you have a large catalog.    To pause the search
      you can push F9.    To stop the search and return to the menu push
      F10.


      Editing After A Search

      When a search finds a matching entry in your catalog, that entry
      will displayed on the screen.  You can then edit that entry
      just as you would using the "Edit An Entry" function.  Type the
      changes you need to make, then push F5 to save those changes.


      NOTE: The indexes are the most fragile parts of the data files.
      If at any time you feel the indexes are not working properly, go
      to the Utilities menu and build new indexes.    The problems
      should then clear up.
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      UTILITIES



      There are eight functions available on the Catalog Utilities
      screen.  Some of these are also available as a part of the Main
      Menu and are provided as a convenience here.  These functions
      are:


      Copy Files - Used to copy all of the entries from one file to
      another file.  This utility is intended for users upgrading from
      floppy disks to a hard disk.  It will transfer entries from
      floppy disks to a hard disk, combining the files from several
      floppies into a single file on the hard disk.

      Rebuild The Indexes - The indexes are the most fragile part of a
      data base.  This function allows you to replace your indexes should
      the index files be damaged.

      Condense Data - When a entry is deleted from the catalog all
      of the information remains in the file and it can be recovered.
      If, however, you would like to completely erase all of your
      deleted entries (i.e. to reduce clutter), this function will
      permanently remove them from the file.

      File Name - Used to change the current filename being used for
      cataloging.  (This function is also provided on the Main Menu).

      Reserve Space - This function will set aside space on your
      disk for future entries in the catalog.

      Level - Allows you to change the level in use.  (This function
      is also provided on the Main Menu).

      Security Code - Allows you to limit access to your catalog.
      (Not available in the shareware version).

      Customize - Allows you to change the titles on three of the
      lines, one on each level.
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      Now let's look at each of these in more detail.



      COPY FILES

      This function will take all of the entries in any data file and
      add them to the end of any other data file.

      Select #1 on the Utilities Menu and we'll see how this works.

      A series of prompts will lead you through the copy process.

      First you will be asked for the letter of the disk drive from
      which you'll be copying entries.  Push the letter that corresponds
      to the drive you want to select.    When you push a letter (only
      A-F may be selected) the selected drive designation will appear
      at the bottom of the screen.

      Next push the letter for the drive that contains the file you
      want to copy to.    This can be the same drive as you will be
      copying from.

      The file you are copying to does not need to exist yet.  A new
      file will be created, if required.

      The names of the data files on the disk you are copying from
      will now be displayed.  You must enter the name of one of these
      files.  If you enter the name of a file that does not exist, or
      is not a existing data file, the copy process will be stopped.
      When you enter the filename, DO NOT enter the .DAT filename
      extension.

      When you push ENTER the filename will be displayed at the bottom
      of the screen and the list of data files on the disk you are
      copying to will be displayed.  Enter up to eight letters as the
      filename to copy to.  This filename does not need to be in the
      list of data files.  If you select a file used by another
      program, that file will be erased and replaced by your catalog
      data.  That's why the filenames are displayed, so can see what
      is already on the disk.
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      The next screen shows the names of the files you are copying to
      and from.  In addition, the number of entries already in each
      file will be shown.  All of the entries in the top file will be
      copied to the second file listed.  They will be added to the end
      of the second file.

      The level setting for each file will be shown.  You may
      continue the copy process when the levels do not match, but only
      data for matching levels will be copied.    For example, if one
      file is set at the second level and the other is set for the
      third level, only the data for the first two levels will be
      copied.  You can exit at this point and reset the level for
      either file, if you want them to match.

      The indexes are not updated in the copy process.    If you are
      using the indexes, you will be given the opportunity re-index.



      REBUILD THE INDEXES

      The function will erase the existing index files and rebuild them
      from scratch.  Everything is automatic once you start the process.
      Since each file must looked at individually rebuilding the indexes
      for a large catalog could take some time.



      CONDENSE DATA

      What do you do if you're running out of space on a floppy disk?
      One option, if you've deleted quite a few entries, is to remove
      those deleted entries from your catalog file.    Option 3 on
      the Library Utilities menu will do that for you.

      When you select #3 you'll be asked to confirm that the correct
      data file is being used.    Push the letter "Y" if it is the
      correct file.  All of the entries in that file will be checked
      and if an entry is marked as deleted, it will be removed from
      the catalog.  The catalog will be reduced in size by the number
      of entries that were deleted.  (Note: The file size reported by
      DOS will not change).
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      FILE NAME  Option 4 on the Library Utilities menu works in the
      same way as the change filename function on the Main Menu.



      RESERVE SPACE  This function is used to save space on your
      disk for future entries in your catalog.    You will be asked for
      the number of additional entries you plan on making.  Disk space
      will be reserved for these additional entries.   (See appendix A
      for the maximum number entries on a floppy disk).

      Reserving space does two important things for you:  It sets
      aside space on your disk so that if your disk should become full
      due to other activities, you will still have "reserved" space in
      which to make entries in your catalog.  This is particularly
      important when using floppy disks.  Reserving space also helps
      to keep your data files in adjacent sectors on the disk  (more
      important for hard disk users).  As files become fragmented, and
      spread among more widely separated sectors, the access time for
      getting data from those files becomes greater.  In addition,
      highly fragmented files are more likely to be damaged over time
      than files composed of adjacent sectors.

      This software can not put fragmented files back together.  To do
      that you will need software such as the Mace Utilities, PC-
      Tools, or the Norton Utilities.  If you have any of these, and
      plan on creating large files (1000 or more entries), I'd suggest
      unfragment your hard disk first, then reserve the space for your
      catalog files.



      LEVEL  You can change the level you are using in the same way
      as at the Main Menu.



      SET SECURITY CODE  This function is not available in the
      shareware version in order to protect the security of
      registered users.
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      INDEX ON/OFF

      This function turns the indexes on or off.  I recommend that
      if you are using floppy disks, that you turn the indexes off
      to save disk space.  Hard disk users should have the indexing
      on to increase the speed of some searches.
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off
      to save disk space.  Hard disk users