Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/database/jbase12.zip/JBASE.DOC

Text File | 1991-03-06 | 19KB | 536 lines

  ╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
  │                                                          │
  │                        jBASE 3                           │
  │                                                          │
  │            Humor Resource Management System              │
  │                                                          │
  │        (C) Copyright 1991 Milestone Technologies         │
  │                                                          │
  ╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛


    Welcome to the jBASE 3 Humor Resource Management System!

Are you hearing more jokes than you can keep track of?  Well,
here is the solution to your problem.  jBASE 3 will allow you to
catalogue jokes quickly and easily so you can always find the
right joke for the right occasion.

jBASE 3 is the EASY way to keep track of JOKES-- but it can also
be used for virtually any other form of text classification.
Use it for your record or tape collection, recipes, book reviews,
and lots more.

jBASE 3 is the shareware/demonstration version of the tBASE 3
Text Management System, which you will receive if you register.
Registration is a bargain at only A$35 (US$30), which includes
surface postage to anywhere in the world.

Why should you register?

The main reason is that shareware just doesn't work without
registered users.  We software developers take the risk that a
package will be popular enough to generate registrations and
income.  If the response is good enough, we'll keep developing
and improving our products, and creating new ones.  If not, we
won't.

So you SHOULD register out of common decency if you are going to
use jBASE, but there are better reasons than that--

--------------------------------------------
tBASE 3, the Text Resource Management System
--------------------------------------------

If you register, we will send you a copy of tBASE 3, the Text
Resource Management System.  tBASE 3 is jBASE 3 without reference
to jokes, and more:

You can keep multiple "libraries" of text information.  For
example, your joke file might get pretty big if you add a hundred
jokes a week, like we do.  With tBASE, you can keep different
types of items in different libraries, so for example you might keep
all your "knock-knock" jokes in one library and all of your
riddles in another.  If you are using tBASE for recipes, you
might have a library of salads and another of deserts. Et cetera.

And you can send the output from the program to a file,
rather than just to the screen or printer.  If you send a list of
jokes (recipies, tapes, or whatever) to a file, you can specify
that the result is either an ASCII text file, or a new database
file (which can be the basis of a new library.)

You also have more powerful editing facilities, such as adding
lines of text to an item.

And of course there are no commercials, like this one and the
ones appearing on the screen when you start and leave jBASE.

------------------
To register, just:
------------------

...send your check or money order for US$30.00 or A$35.00, and
your name and delivery address, to:

     Milestone Technologies              Milestone Technologies Pty. Ltd.
     3551 S. MONACO PKWY SUITE 223     PO BOX 699
     DENVER, CO 90237-1228 USA           MT. WAVERLEY, VIC 3149 AUSTRALIA
     Tel: [phone]                 Tel: [phone]


-----------------------
Warranty and Disclaimer
-----------------------

We're not selling you anything.  Even if you register, the A$25
is a registration fee only, and is not a purchase price or
license fee.  As they say in car-parks, "All care, but no
responsibility."  Only you can determine the suitability of jBASE
or tBASE for your particular requirements.  We will accept no
liability for any failure of the program to perform according to
your expectations, or for any damage caused by or resulting from
the use of the program.

----------------
Copyright Notice
----------------

The jBASE 3 computer program and associated materials are the
intellectual property of Milestone Technologies  and all rights
are hereby reserved.  The program may be freely copied
and distributed, on the express condition that it must be
distributed in the original format, with no modifications, and
without having been used by the person who copies or distributes
it.  The program may not be sold or incorporated in any other
material offered for sale.

-----------------------------------
jBASE Files Included in the Package
-----------------------------------

The following files are distributed in the jBASE self-extracting
archive and should be present after extraction.  All files must
be present in the default directory.  You can delete JBASE3.EXE
(the archive file) after extraction.

Program files:

JBASE.EXE      -- main program file
CURSOFF.BIN  \
CURSON.BIN   \ -- binary program files
ED.COM         -- text file editor

Data files:

JTEXT.DBF      -- catalogue file
JTEXT.DBT      -- text file
JCATS.DBF      -- catagories file
JCATS.NDX      -- catagories index
TEMP.DBF       -- temporary file

Documentation file:

JBASE.DOC      -- this file

--------------
Starting jBASE
--------------

To start jBASE, simply type JBASE<Enter> at the DOS prompt in the
directory containing the jBASE files.  The screen should display
a title screen for about three seconds, then an information
screen for about three seconds, then prompt you to press any key
to continue.

Then you will see the jBASE main menu.

Select a menu function by moving the highlight cursor up or down
with your cursor keys and pressing <Enter> when the function you
want is highlighted.  Or type the letter corresponding to the
function.

-------------------------
Main jBASE Menu Functions
-------------------------

Following is a description of each of the main menu functions.
jBASE is distributed with a joke library containing a few sample
jokes, so you will probably want to begin by using selections C
and D to get a feel for the program.

-------------------
A) Append Text File
-------------------

Putting jokes into jBASE requires you to create a text file
containing the jokes.  You can use the supplied text editor
ED.COM to do this, or any ASCII text editor, or your word
processor if it can produce ASCII text files without control
codes.

To use ED, simply type ED followed by the file name and a
carriage return at the DOS prompt.  Function keys are used to
control the program, and a key is provided at the bottom of the
screen.

Basically you want to create a file that looks something like
this (we've called the input file TEMP.TXT)--

     {contents of file TEMP.TXT}

     %Why did the chicken cross the road?
     To get to the other side.
     %Have you heard about the Zen Boy Scout?
     Tried to light a fire by rubbing one stick together.

The rules are pretty simple:

Each joke is flagged by a percent sign (%) in column position one
of its first line.  After the percent sign, jBASE will recognize
all text as belonging to the same joke until it encounters either
another percent sign (start of the next joke) or the end of the
file.

Maximum line length is 80 characters, including the percent sign
on the first line.

Maximum joke size is 100 lines of 80 characters.

To get the text file into jBASE, start jBASE and select A from
the main menu.  Rudimentary instructions will be displayed on the
screen, then you will be prompted for the name of the file to
append.  The default is TEMP.TXT, and if you have used TEMP.TXT
for your input you need only press <Enter> to start the append
process.

First, jBASE will examine the input file and warn you if either
(a) no jokes are found, or (b) the average joke length exceeds 20
lines.  If that is the case, you can either continue or abandon
the operation (which will depend on whether there really is a
problem or not).  For example, if you know that the file contains
a lot of short jokes, and you get the warning, you may realize
that you forgot to mark the jokes with percent signs, in which
case you would abandon the operation, leave jBASE, and edit the
file before trying again.

Then jBASE will report on the number of lines read, and the
number of jokes recognized and added to the file.


-------------------------
B) Catalog Appended Jokes
-------------------------

Once you have appended jokes to the file, you need to catalogue
them.  The program will find any uncatalogued jokes in the file
(by definition, jokes with no recorded primary category) and
display them along with the input fields for the catalogue data:


     Overall Rating      LOW: 0       HIGH: 9

     Filth Rating        LOW: 0       HIGH: 9

     Primary Category:  [          ]

     Type of Joke    :  [          ]

     Key Words       :  [                      ]


     Why did the chicken cross the road?
     To get to the other side.


Examine the joke critically, and enter appropriate information,
bearing in mind that the care you take here will determine how
easy it will be to find the joke later, or list jokes of a
similar type.

You can construe the data fields any way you like, but the
following might be appropriate till you know what your are doing.

1.  Overall rating-- this is the funniness rating, on a scale of
one to ten.  A not funny joke might be a 0, while a
side-splitting one might be a 9.

2.  Filth rating-- this is the degree of offensiveness, on a
scale of one to ten.  All of the sample jokes have a filth rating
of 0, meaning they are suitable for your grandmother.  A really
filthy gross disgusting offensive joke might score a 9, meaning
you wouldn't even tell it to yourself.

3.  Primary category-- this is basically what sort of joke it is,
i.e. chicken jokes, elephant jokes, etc.  Use this field in
conjunction with the key words field to provide a means of
finding jokes on a particular subject.

4.  Type of joke-- this is used to categorize the joke type as,
for example, a limerick, a riddle, a yarn, or a knock-knock, etc.

5.  Key words-- enter words or expressions which you think
provide a key to the joke, e.g. CHICKEN CROSS ROAD.  Basically,
you should enter anything which serves to identify the joke that
is not already covered in the category or the type.

You can use the cursor keys to move around within and between the
fields, until you press--

Enter or page down in the last field of the screen, or

Right or down from the last character position in the last field.

Leave the primary category blank (or press page down when the
screen first appears, without entering anything) to leave the
catalogue function and return to the menu.

If you enter a question mark (?) in either the primary category
or type of joke fields you will be shown a list of existing
entries in the categories file to select from.

If you enter catalogue data for all uncatalogued jokes in the
file, the program will return to the main menu after the last
joke is catalogued.

The primary category and joke type are checked against a
categories file, and if not found you can add them at the press
of a key.

------------------------------
C) Edit or Search Catalog File
------------------------------

Use this function to display a joke, to search for one, or to
edit one.

First you will be asked if you wish to restrict the selection
list.  If you answer yes, you will be shown a screen like the
catalogue screen, on which you can specify search or listing
criteria.  For example, you can restrict your search to jokes
having an overall rating between 7 and 9, and containing the
keyword "CHICKEN."   You can use any or all of the fields, but
bear in mind that when the file gets big, the program will take
longer and longer to display the list. If you enter a question
mark (?) in either the primary category or type of joke fields
you will be shown a list of existing entries in the categories
file to select from.


Once you have entered the selection criteria (or elected not to)
the program will provide a summary list from which you can select
the individual joke that you want to look at or edit:

     ===>--EXIT WITHOUT MAKING A SELECTION--
         CHICKEN    RIDDLE     Why did the chicken cross the road?
         ZEN        RIDDLE     Have you heard about the Zen Boy Scout?
         ELEPHANT   RIDDLE     Why do elephants paint their toenails red?
         ELEPHANT   RIDDLE     Why did the elephant cross the road?




     ═ Select or enter PRIMARY CATEGORY search request ═══════════════════
     [     ]


The list shows the primary category and type of the joke, and the
first line of the joke text (or the first 40 characters or so if
the line is longer).

To select a joke, move the SELECTION CURSOR (===>) down the list
until it appears next to the joke you want, then press enter.

If the list is a long one, you might want to put in a search
request-- type up to five letters of the Primary Category, and
the first record to match will appear at the top of the list
(after which you can press the "\" key to repeat the search if
that is not the one you want).

You can move to the top of the list (file) by pressing the HOME key, or
to the bottom of the list by pressing the END key twice.

Once you have selected a joke, the text will be displayed on the
screen and you can edit it (but you can't add lines or delete
them-- you need the registered version, tBASE for that).

If the joke won't fit in the ten lines available, press page down
to see the rest of it.

Once you have finished editing or examining the joke, pressing
page down one more time (or the first time if it is less than ten
lines long) will display and allow you to edit the catalogue
data.

-------------
D) List Jokes
-------------

This function will list all of the jokes in the file (without the
catalogue data) either on the screen or to the printer.  Before
listing the jokes, you can restrict the selection criteria (see
selection C above).

------------
E) Utilities
------------

See the section on Utilities, below.

---------------
Q) Quit to DOS
---------------

This function is self-explanatory.




--------------
Utilities Menu
--------------

Following are descriptions of the functions accessible from the
Utilities Menu:

---------------------------
A) Set System Time and Date
---------------------------

This function allows you to set the DOS clock from within jBASE.


--------------------------
B) Backup Data to Diskette
--------------------------

This function allows you to backup your data files from the
current drive/directory to DRIVE A: provided the file sizes are
small enough to fit.  You may prefer to use another backup
program or the DOS BACKUP command.

-----------------------------
C) File Maintenance Utilities
-----------------------------

Selecting the function from the Utilities Menu will display a
menu of file maintenance functions, described below:

-------------------------
A) Update Categories File
-------------------------

This function will read the main jokes file and update the
categories file by counting the jokes in each primary category
(the joke types are not counted) and adding to the categories
file any primary categories found in the main jokes file but not
in the categories file.  This latter feature is handy if you have
been using dBASE or dBXL to edit your jokes file.

-----------------------
B) Edit Categories File
-----------------------

This function allows you to edit the contents of the categories
file.  By the time you need to do this, the procedure should be
fairly self-explanatory.

At the conclusion of an editing session, you will be given the
option of listing the categories either to the screen or printer.
This is a handy thing to do to keep track of the categories you
have been using, and the number of jokes in each category.

To get the categories list without editing the file, simply exit
the selection screen without selecting an item and you will be
prompted for the list option.

--------------------
C) Pack Catalog File
--------------------

It is the nature of dBASE files that memo fields are stored in a
crude (but moderately effective) way.  Each memo takes up blocks
of 500 bytes in the .DBT file, and each joke will use at least
one whole block.

If you change a joke, the original text remains in the file and
the revised text is added to the end of the file.

Similarly, if you delete a joke, the text remains in the .DBT
file.

Occasionally, particularly if you do a lot of editing, you should
pack the file with this function.  It will copy the records to a
temporary file, then restore them by deleting the original file
and renaming the temporary file.  Unfortunately there is no other
way to do this within the dBASE language.

---------------------------------
D) Change a category in main file
---------------------------------

Let's say you suddenly realize that you have been calling some
jokes CHICKEN jokes, and others POULTRY jokes, but they really
all should be CHICKEN jokes.  You can use this function to change
primary category of jokes in the file, simply by specifying the
'old' category and the category you want to change them to.

--------------------------
Using jBASE files in dBASE
--------------------------

If you have dBASE, FOXBASE, dBXL, or another program which allows
access to dBASE III+ type files, you can play around with the
jokes database to your heart's content, but don't blame us if you
mess something up.

----------------
In Conclusion...
----------------

jBASE is pretty useful for cataloguing jokes, and it can be
adapted to handle other types of text items like recipies and
memoranda if you are prepared to live with the humorous
interface.

But remember, the registration fee isn't a lot to ask for the
additional facilities of tBASE, and only YOU can make shareware work.

So why not register now?

----------------------
Milestone Technologies
----------------------

Milestone Technologies is dedicated to the development of quality
software at reasonable prices.  Our product range includes:


                                                         US$     A$

       tBASE 3 -- Text Management System (shareware) --   30     35
       MasterPrice -- Quotation and Pricing System --    119    149
       Milestone Business Accounting (Integrated!)       149    199
       CODEMASTER -- Morse Code Proficiency Training --   19     39
       LOGMASTER -- Amateur Radio QSL and Log System --   69     99

       (Prices subject to change without notice, but include postage
       and sales tax where appropriate.)

       To order these products, or for further information, contact:

     Milestone Technologies              Milestone Technologies Pty. Ltd.
     3551 S. MONACO PKWY SUITE 223       PO BOX 699
     DENVER, CO 90237-1228 USA           MT. WAVERLEY, VIC 3149 AUSTRALIA
     Tel: [phone]                 Tel: [phone]




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