Big Blue Disk 53/bbd53.zip/BBDINDEX.TXT

Text File | 1991-01-16 | 16KB | 364 lines

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|C║ |5Helpware|C ║                     ^1 BBD Indexer |C                      ║ |5Helpware|C ║
|C╚══════════╩════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╩══════════╝
^Cby
^CRichard Wong


 INTRODUCTION.
 ------------

    BBD INDEXER is an electronic software catalog that makes it easy to locate
 programs of interest.  To help you find just the right software for your
 needs, you can search for programs by titles, authors, and subject matter in
 a variety of ways.

    As an example of BBD INDEXER's power, the contents of the first fifty-three
 issues of Big Blue Disk are included in a sample catalog.  More details about
 the sample catalog are given below (see BBD BACK ISSUE CATALOG below).



 CATALOG FILES.
 -------------

    BBD INDEXER stores its information about your software collection into
 catalog files.  Each catalog file should contain information about some group
 of related programs.  For example, you may wish to keep one catalog file for
 all your IBM software and one for all your Macintosh software; or you may wish
 to keep a catalog of all your shareware and public domain software.

   Each entry or member of a catalog file refers to one individual program or
 software package.  In the sample catalog, the entries are either programs or
 articles which have appeared on BBD.  Each catalog file may contain up to
 2,000 entries.



 GETTING STARTED.
 ---------------

 ^1Using the menus.^0  Most of the menus in BBD INDEXER appear as panels of
 buttons.  Each button is labeled with a specific action.  To choose an action,
 simply highlight the appropriate button by using the cursor keys and press
 ^1Enter^0 to select.  You may also press the first letter of an action to move to
 that button.  On some screens, menu options are also labeled with a function
 key (e.g. ^1F1=Help^0).  To choose these options, you may either press the
 indicated key, or highlight the button and press ^1Enter^0.

 ^1How to get help.^0  The bottom line of the screen usually contains summary
 instructions on how to operate the current area of BBD INDEXER.  For example,
 on the Main Menu, instructions about how to chose a menu item are displayed.
 If the summary information is not enough, press ^1F1^0 for additional help; this
 will call up one or more help pages about the current activity.



 MAIN MENU OPTIONS.
 -----------------

 ^1Create a new catalog.^0  Choose this option to begin a brand new catalog file
 which will start out completely empty.  When you create a new catalog, you
 will be prompted for the filename and a description about the new file.

 ^1Load a catalog.^0  A directory menu is displayed allowing you to open any
 existing catalogs you have on disk.  The current catalog is closed first as
 only one catalog file may be open at a time.  When you open a catalog, some
 of the information about each entry is loaded from disk into the computer's
 memory.  This allows BBD INDEXER to browse and search your catalog quickly;
 however, floppy disk users may have to wait a few minutes while the data is
 initially loaded.

 ^1Merge a catalog.^0  Copies all the entries from a second catalog file on disk
 into the currently loaded catalog.  Use this operation to combine two catalogs
 into one; simply load a catalog and merge the other one.

 ^1Add catalog entries.^0  Choose this option to insert information about new
 programs into the current catalog.  You may create up to 2,000 entries for
 each catalog file.

 ^1Browse this catalog.^0  Choosing this option calls up the Browse Menu.  The
 Browse Menu allows several ways to view the entire catalog or search for
 specific entries.  While viewing catalog entries, you may edit, delete, and
 print individual entries.

 ^1About this catalog.^0  This displays some summary information about the
 currently open catalog file and allows editing the catalog's file description.

 ^1About BBD INDEXER.^0  Displays the program's copyright notice.

 ^1Leave BBD INDEXER.^0  Exits BBD INDEXER and returns to DOS or Big Blue Disk.  In
 BBD INDEXER, you never need to save or close a catalog, this is always done
 for you.



 BROWSE MENU OPTIONS.
 -------------------

 ^1Browse by title, category, issue.^0  These options present a scrolling list of
 the entire catalog.  The entries are grouped according to the type of browse
 chosen.

 ^1Search for title, author.^0  These two searches present a list of catalog
 entries whose title or author field contains a specified search string.  For
 example, you could search for all program titles which contain the word
 ^1circus^0, or you could search the author field for the name ^1Leritte^0.

 ^1Search for keywords.^0  For this search, you may select up to 14 keywords from
 the entire keyword index.  You will then be presented with a scrolling list of
 all catalog entries which contain any of the selected keywords.  (For more
 information about keywords, refer to the Keywords section in EDITING A
 CATALOG ENTRY below.)

 ^1Search for text.^0  With this search, you will be presented with a list of all
 entries which contain a search string in any of their fields.  For example,
 you might search for all catalog entries which contain the phrase:  ^1improved
 ^1version^0.  This is the slowest but most powerful search option; you can use
 this search to find partial keywords or other elusive text.

  - Searches for titles and keywords will be relatively fast on all machines.
    However, searches for authors and general text may take several minutes
    (especially if the catalog file is stored on a floppy disk drive).

  - At any point, you may cancel a search by pressing ^1ESC^0.  If you feel a
    search is taking too long, just cancel it and try one of the other methods
    to locate the desired program(s).



 BROWSE LIST OPTIONS.
 -------------------

    When browsing the entire catalog or after performing a catalog search, you
 will be presented with a scrolling list of the matching program titles.  This
 list provides a quick way to scan the entire catalog or selected entries.

    If you selected Browse by Issue or Browse by Category, then the program
 titles will be grouped accordingly, otherwise they will be arranged
 alphabetically.  You may press ^1F9^0 to have the entries grouped differently.
 Pressing an alphabetic key (^1A-Z^0) on the keyboard will move the program list
 to the next entry which begins with that letter.  For example, pressing
 ^1R^0 might jump to the program ReadFast.

    The following keys are also active:

       ^1PgUp PgDn^0    Move up and down the list of program titles.

       ^1Home End^0     Move to the top or bottom of the screen displayed.
                    Press ^1Home^0 or ^1End^0 twice for top or bottom of list.

       ^1Enter^0        View the complete information about the highlighted entry.

       ^1Tab^0          Switch between the program list and the button menu.

       ^1ESC^0          Return to the Browse Menu.

       ^1F2=View.^0     Display the entire program entry.  (same as ^1Enter^0)

       ^1F4=Edit.^0     Make changes to the highlighted catalog entry.

       ^1F5=Print.^0    Print (on printer) the highlighted entry.

       ^1F6=Report.^0   Produce a report to disk or printer listing all of the
                    catalog entries in the current browse list.

       ^1F8=Delete.^0   Permanently removes the highlighted entry from the catalog
                    file.  (You may also press the ^1Delete^0 key.)

       ^1F9=Sort.^0     Toggles the arrangement of the catalog entries in the
                    current list.  The list entries may be arranged in order
                    alphabetically by name, by category, or issue number.  When
                    browsing an entire catalog, this corresponds to selecting
                    the type of browse.  However, this feature also allows you
                    to search for catalog entries and view the resulting list
                    by category or issue.  For example, you might search for
                    all catalog entries whose author field contains ^1Maynard^0
                    and then press ^1F9^0 to view them grouped by issue number.



 VIEW ENTRY OPTIONS.
 ------------------

    If you press ^1F2^0 or ^1Enter^0 on the Browse List, you may view the complete
 entry record for catalog entries in the current list.  Many of the features
 available while viewing the entire list are also available while viewing a
 single entry.

    The following keys are active:

       ^1PgUp PgDn^0    Display the previous or next entry in the list.

       ^1F2=List.^0     Return to browsing the program list.

       ^1F4=Edit.^0     Allow editing of the highlighted catalog entry.

       ^1F5=Print.^0    Print (on printer) the highlighted entry.

       ^1F6=Report.^0   Produce a report to disk or printer listing all of the
                    catalog entries in the current browse list.

       ^1F8=Delete.^0   Permanently delete this entry from the catalog.
                    (You may also just press the ^1Delete^0 key.)

       ^1ESC=Return.^0  Return to browsing the list.  (Same as ^1F2^0)



 EDITING A CATALOG ENTRY.
 -----------------------

    When creating new catalog entries or updating existing entries, an input
 screen will be displayed with several different fields for describing various
 aspects of the program entry.

    The information about an entry may be entered in any order, just press ^1F4^0
 to save the entry when you are finished.  Press ^1ESC^0 if you wish to cancel
 without saving your changes to this entry.

    To move around the input screen, press ^1Tab^0 or ^1Shift-Tab^0 to move to the next
 or previous field respectively.  The cursor keys and the ^1Enter^0 key may also be
 used to move between fields.

    The following keys may used to edit text fields for an entry:

       ^1Delete^0               Remove character at cursor position
       ^1Backspace^0            Remove character to left of cursor
       ^1Insert^0               Toggles between insert and overstrike
       ^1Ctrl-Home Ctrl-End^0   Deletes left or right from the cursor
       ^1Shift-Left Arrow^0     Moves to previous word in field
       ^1Shift-Right Arrow^0    Moves to next word in field


    The following fields describe each catalog entry:

       ^1Title, Author, Issue, Publisher, and Description fields.^0  These fields
       may be edited with the standard editing keys described above.

       ^1Category field.^0  This is a special menu field.  Press ^1SPACE^0 or ^1F2^0 to
       display the category menu.  On the menu, use the cursor keys and ^1Enter^0
       to select a category and subcategory for this entry.  You may press ^1ESC^0
       to cancel the category menu without changing the field.

       ^1DOS, Memory, and Hardware fields.^0  These fields should describe any
       specific requirements for a program entry and possibly note special
       features such as joystick or mouse support.

       ^1Video Adapter fields.^0  Use the ^1Tab^0 key or right-arrow key to move
       to these fields.  Press ^1SPACE^0 to toggle each adapter on or off.

       ^1Keywords field.^0  Keywords are words or phrases which describe a
       particular catalog entry.  For each entry, you my provide as many
       descriptive keywords as will fit in the field.

       For example, a program entry for an English grammar quiz might
       have the following five keywords:

              grammar, sentence fun, parts of speech, English, quiz

       Note that each individual keyword is separated by commas, and that
       phrases such as "parts of speech" are allowed.  Each of the words or
       phrases listed must be less than 20 characters long.

       On the Browse Menu, a complete alphabetical index of all keywords allows
       quick searches of the catalog.  The keyword index also indicates how
       many catalog entries contain each keyword.



 CREATING REPORTS.
 ----------------

    A report will give summary or complete information about each catalog entry
 in the current list being browsed.  A report may be sent directly to the
 printer or may be saved to disk as a standard text file.  Reports saved to
 disk files may be edited with most word processors.

    To create a report press ^1F6^0 while viewing a list of program titles or while
 viewing an individual catalog entry.  You must then select whether you want a
 summary or detailed report and if the report should go to the printer or to a
 disk file.

    ^1Interrupting a report.^0  You may press ^1ESC^0 while a report is being generated
 if you wish to stop.  When you press ^1ESC^0, a prompt box will pop up to confirm
 your request.  Your printer may continue printing for awhile after you press
 ^1ESC^0, but you should only have to press ^1ESC^0 once.



 MORE ABOUT CATALOG FILES.
 ------------------------

    Selecting "About this Catalog" on the Main Menu displays the following
 summary information about the currently loaded catalog file:

    ^1Disk space.^0  The amount of disk space being occupied by this catalog file.

    ^1Amount in use.^0  The amount of disk space actually being used to store
    catalog entries.

    ^1Amount unused.^0  This remainder represents disk space taken up by
    holes or unused gaps within the catalog file.  These gaps are
    formed when catalog entries are deleted and are filled back in as
    you create new entries.


    If the amount of unused space is high you may wish to rebuild your catalog
 file to save disk space.  Rebuilding a catalog file will free up all of the
 disk space occupied but unused within the catalog file.  If you are not
 immediately worried about disk space, you do not have to rebuild your catalog
 file; again, the unused space will be filled in as new entries are created.

    To rebuild a catalog file:

      1.  Make sure there is enough room on your disk to contain a second copy
          of the catalog.  If not, then you must copy the catalog file to
          another drive or diskette before continuing.

      2.  On the Main Menu, create a new catalog file with a different filename
          from the original.

      3.  Select the Merge a Catalog option, and merge in the original file.

      4.  At this point, both the newly created catalog and the original have
          exactly the same entries and are identical except the new catalog
          will occupy less disk space.  You may now either delete the original
          catalog; however, you may wish to copy it to another disk first so
          that you always have a backup of your data.



 THE BBD BACK ISSUE CATALOG.
 --------------------------

    The included sample catalog contains the programs and articles from the
 first 53 issues of Big Blue Disk.  The hardware requirements for each catalog
 entry are as accurate as could be determined, but should serve primarily as
 guidelines.  For video adapters, the EGA and VGA fields are checked only if
 a program explicitly supports these adapters.  That is, if only the CGA field
 is checked then the program will work on EGA and VGA adapters, but does not
 support any of the advanced features of these adapters.  If the monochrome
 adapter field is not checked, then the program requires a graphics adapter to
 run.



 OUTSIDE OF BBD.
 --------------

    To run this program outside the ^1Big Blue Disk^0 menu, type ^1BBDINDEX^0.


    If you have a black and white (monochrome) monitor, please type
 "BBDINDEX M" to run BBD INDEXER; this will insure that the program will work
 properly with your monitor.



 DISK FILES THIS PROGRAM USES:
 ----------------------------
^FBBDINDEX.EXE
^FBBDINDEX.TSL
^F*.BID