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__ __ __| __|__ - __ | __| ___ | | | | | | | | | | | |__| | | | |__ |__|__| |__| | | |__| | | |___ | |__| ___| ____________| _________________________________________ Reference Manual Written by Thomas J. Mosbo Copyright (c) 1991 WYNDWARE One Parker Place, Suite 308 Janesville, WI 53545 U.S.A. (608) 755-1628 (800) 475-1628 Table of Contents General Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Starting Wyndfields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Field Types and Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Screen Displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Using Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Using the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Using a Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 File Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Using the Conditions Table . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Using Formulae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Select Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Select Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Select Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Select Drive/Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Select Exit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Design Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Design Base. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Design Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Design Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Design Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Design Merge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Design Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Design Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Records Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Records Add. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Records Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Records Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Records Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Records Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Records Void . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Location Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Location Quick Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Location Conditional Search. . . . . . . . . . . 53 Location Next. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Location Previous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Location Filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Location Mark Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Location Go to Marker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 3 Print Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Print Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Print Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Print Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Print Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Print Merge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Print Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Print Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Utilities Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Utilities Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Utilities Reindex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Utilities Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Utilities DOS Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION Wyndfields is a general purpose Database program, useful for keeping track of any type of structured information. Data may be added, changed, removed, found, displayed, analyzed, and printed easily using the friendly pull-down Menu System. If you have a mouse, Wyndfields will detect it, and a full mouse interface will also be available to you. With Wyndfields you can: o Scan your data quickly using the Table Display, or work with each Record individually using the Form Display. o View your data in several different orders by setting up Indices which will be updated for you as you add Records to your Database. o Control the way your information is stored and displayed by taking advantage of the various Field types and formats available. o Find exactly the information you require by using several powerful searching features. o Display or print quick Summary information on selected Records. o Create and print Labels, detailed Reports, and Form Letters without ever leaving the program. 5 For experienced Database users, Wyndfields also offers advanced abilities such as: o Using Formulae (and numerous calculation Functions) to create calculated Fields and to do extremely detailed searches. o Tracking Time and Date values ranging from seconds to centuries. o Updating or deleting multiple Records based on search conditions. o Redesigning the appearance of the Table and Form Displays. o Creating data files for use with Mail Merges using several popular word processors. o Renaming, deleting, and copying Database, Index, Label, Report, and Mail Merge files. o Transferring data between different Databases, and translating data between the Wyndfields format and other common file formats. ---------------------------------------- STARTING WYNDFIELDS ON A FLOPPY DISK SYSTEM 1 Place the Wyndfields Program Diskette in drive A. 2 Place a data diskette (such as the Sample Diskette) in drive B. 3 At the A> type WF and press <Return>. ON A HARD DISK SYSTEM 1 Log on to the proper drive. If Wyndfields is installed on drive C, then at the DOS prompt type C: and press <Return>. 2 Change to the Wyndfields directory. If this is WFIELDS, then type CD \WFIELDS and press <Return>. 3 Start Wyndfields. Type WF and press <Return>. 6 COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS Any of the following parameters may be typed after the letters "WF" when starting Wyndfields: /M Entering WF /M instructs Wyndfields to work in monochrome mode, disabling any use of color. Using this parameter is necessary only if you have a composite monitor and find that the displays are unreadable. /25 Entering WF /25 instructs Wyndfields to use the 25-line display at all times, instead of the EGA 43-line or VGA 50-line modes if you have either monitor. Instead of entering the above parameters every time you start the program, you can set Wyndfields to always start in the desired mode by selecting the Options Command on the Utilities Menu. Drive:\Directory Entering a drive letter and/or directory name after "WF" instructs Wyndfields to use files on the designated drive and/or directory. Without this parameter, the program assumes that files will be found in the root directory of drive B if you are starting Wyndfields on drive A, or in the current DOS directory if you are logged on to any other drive. If you have copied Wyndfields to a high density floppy and wish to have both the program and data files on one disk, you would need to type WF A: to run the program on drive A. Database Name Entering the name of a Database on the command line instructs Wyndfields to put that Database into use immediately. For example, typing WF STREK will cause the STREK Database to be opened for use as soon as the program begins. Note: You should not enter both a drive/directory and a database name at the same time. If you do, Wyndfields will assume that the database is a part of the directory path. For instance, if you enter WF C:\WFIELDS\STREK, the program will assume that STREK is a subdirectory of WFIELDS and will attempt to access that subdirectory. 7 ---------------------------------------- FIELD TYPES AND FORMATS Data in Wyndfields is kept in Database files. A Database file is a unified collection of related information, made up of any number of Records, each of which consists of a set group of Fields. Each Field in a Database defines a specific type of data which is included in each Record. Each Record contains the data for each Field as it relates to an individual person or item. Each Field which is defined for a specific Database has the following set of attributes: Name A unique set of up to ten characters (except curly braces ({})), which are assigned to the Field (capitalization is ignored in Field Names) Type The category of data which is allowed to be entered in the Field Format The style in which the data in the Field is saved and displayed Width How many characters are allowed in the Field The following Field Types are recognized by Wyndfields: Character Any characters (letters, numbers, or symbols) are allowed. The Width of a Character Field may be from 1 to 76. Numeric Only numbers are allowed. Depending on the Field Format chosen, a Numeric Field may have a Width of 1 to 26. Date Contains a valid date (from the year A.D. 0 to A.D. 9999). The Width is always 10. Time Contains a valid time expression, divided into days, hours, minutes, and/or seconds. The Width may be from 4 to 14, depending on the Format chosen. Extended This is a special text Field containing 1260 characters, but with a Field Width of 4. 8 The following Field Formats are recognized by Wyndfields: CHARACTER General All characters are saved as entered Capitalized All alphabetic characters are converted to upper case NUMERIC General Any number of decimals are allowed Fixed The number of decimal places (0-18) must be specified Commas The same as Fixed, but with commas added $Monetary The same as Commas, but with a dollar sign preceding the number £Monetary The same as Commas, but with a pound sign preceding the number DATE A - Mo-Da-Year e.g. 07-20-2001 B - Mo-Year e.g. 07-2001 C - Da Mon Year e.g. 20 Jul 2001 D - Mon Year e.g. Jul 2001 E - Month Da, Year e.g. July 20, 2001 F - Month, Year e.g. July, 2001 TIME A - Hr:Mn:Sc Displays hours, minutes, and seconds B - Hr:Mn Displays hours and minutes C - Mn:Sc Displays minutes and seconds D - Da:Hr Displays days and hours E - Da:Hr:Mn Displays days, hours, and minutes F - Da:Hr:Mn:Sc Displays days, hours, minutes, and seconds EXTENDED Extended All Extended Fields have the same Format Data for all Field Types except Date Fields is entered and saved using the selected Format. Data is entered and saved in Date Fields using the first Format "Mo-Da-Year", but is displayed using the selected Format. The Field Width for a Time Field may be designated to include anywhere from 1 to 5 digits for the left-most segment of the Field. Although Date and Time Fields are displayed and saved as character strings, they are considered to be Julian Date numbers in all calculations. Midnight, January 1, 1980 is Julian Date 2444239.5. Every day (24 hours) has a Julian value of 1 (Midnight, January 2, 1980 is Julian Date 2444240.5). 9 You may enter Question Marks in a Date Field if you do not know an exact date (e.g. 10-??-1944). If entered in the month or day segment, Question Marks are considered for date calculations to be ones (the above date would be calculated as 10-01-1944). If entered in the year segment, Question Marks will be replaced by zeros during calculations (05-22-197? would be calculated as 05-22-1970). Data entered in Extended Fields is kept in a separate data file from the rest of the Database. Extended Fields have the following limitations: o You may not enter a Formula to make an Extended Field a Calculated Field. o You may only search an Extended Field using the ".." (contains) Operator (either in a Formula or in the Conditions Table). o You may not print an Extended Field on a Label. o You may only print up to the first 76 characters of an Extended Field on a Report. o You should not use an Extended Field as a Key Field when creating an Index. ---------------------------------------- SCREEN DISPLAYS The top (and sometimes second) line of the screen in Wyndfields always displays the Function key options available to the user. Beneath this is a large window in which all data is displayed. The bottom line of the screen contains a bar, divided into several panels, which displays different types of information. The panels of the bottom bar act as follows: Left Panel Displays the current drive and directory if no Menu or Command is current, a description of the highlighted Command on the current Menu if a Menu is displayed, or the name of the current Command when one has been selected. Subpanel Displays "Ins" if currently in insert mode, or "Ovr" if in overtype mode. The subpanel appears whenever you are entering data. Middle Panel Displays the name of the current Database in use, followed by a dash, followed by the name of the current Index. 10 Right Panel Displays the number of Records in the current Database when the Table is displayed, or displays valid ranges when entering numbers. When no Database is selected for use, the word "Wyndfields" appears in the central window of the screen. When a Database is selected for use, its information is displayed in a Table. The columns of the Table represent each Field which is defined for that Database, and each row shows the data contained in one Record. The Table is the basic display used in Wyndfields. Menu choices are available only from this display, and whenever a Command is carried out you are returned to the Table Display. When you enter data in a Database, you do so at the Form Display. The Form Displays one Record at a time, with its Fields organized on the screen in a certain way. Other Commands utilize various types of displays, such as the Conditions Table, and the windows in which you design Labels and Reports. ---------------------------------------- USING MENUS To display and move through the Menus: 1 Press the Function key corresponding to the desired Menu. 2 Press the <Left> or <Right> Arrow key to move to adjacent Menus. Press <Home> to display the Help Menu or <End> to display the Utilities Menu. Press a Function key to move to the corresponding Menu. 3 Press the <Escape> key to remove a displayed Menu from the screen. To choose a Menu Command by highlighting: 1 Press the appropriate Function key to display the desired Menu. 2 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Command. Press <PgUp> to highlight the first Command on the Menu or <PgDn> to highlight the last Command. 3 With the desired Command highlighted, press <Return>. 11 To choose a Menu Command by typing: 1 Press the appropriate Function key to display the desired Menu. 2 Type the first letter of the desired Command on the displayed Menu. Certain Menu Commands are marked with an asterisk (*). To choose an asterisked Command: o If no Menu is displayed, type the first letter of the asterisked Command. o If a Menu is displayed which does not contain the asterisked Command, hold down the <Alt> key and type the first letter of the Command. To use the Menus with a Mouse: 1 Point to the desired Menu on the top line of the screen to display it. 2 Point to the desired Command on the displayed Menu and click the left button to choose that Command. 3 Click the right button to remove a displayed Menu from the screen. From time to time, various lists pop up on the screen, allowing you to select options, Field Names, and file names. To select an option from a pop-up list, follow the same procedures used to choose a Command from a Menu. Some lists, however, such as lists of Field Names and file names, may have more than one item on the list which begin with the same letter. In cases where this is possible, typing the first letter of an item will not select it, but will highlight the first item on the list beginning with that letter. ---------------------------------------- USING THE KEYBOARD Use the following Cursor Movement keys to scroll the Table Display: Up/Down Arrow Up/down one row Home/End To top/bottom of screen PgUp/PgDn Up/down one screen Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn To first/last Record 12 Left/Right Arrow Left/right one column Ctrl-Left/Right Left/right one screen Ctrl-Home/End To first/last column When entering data, use the following keys: Left/Right Arrow Move the cursor left / right one character Home/End Move the cursor to the beginning / end of the current Field / line Insert Toggle insert mode on / off Delete Delete the character at the cursor Backspace Delete the character to the left of the cursor Ctrl-Backspace Delete all characters from the cursor to the end of the Field / line Escape Restore the current Field / Design to its original state Return Accept the entry in the current Field / line and move to the next Tab / Shift-Tab Move to the next Field Use the following Movement keys when entering text in Extended Fields, Formulae, and Design options: Ctrl-Left / Right Move the cursor left / right one word or Field Ctrl-Home / End Move the cursor to the first / last line of the screen Up / Down Arrow Move the cursor up / down one line PgUp / PgDn Move up / down one screen Ctrl-PgUp / PgDn Move to the beginning / end of the text When entering a Formula: o Press <F5>, then select the desired Field from the list to insert a Field Name (complete with curly braces) at the cursor location. o Press <F6>, then select the desired Function from the list to insert a Function name at the cursor location. 13 ---------------------------------------- USING A MOUSE At the Table Display: o Point to a row on the left half of the screen to highlight that Record. o Click the left button while pointing to the word "Up" to scroll up one screen, or on the word "Dn" to scroll down one screen. o Point to the highlighted Record and click the left button to edit that Record. When entering data: o Point to the description of a Function key at the top of the screen to carry out the option indicated for that Function key. o Point to a Field or line and click the left button to move to that Field or line. If one of the following symbols appears on the screen, pointing to that symbol is equivalent to the following keys on the keyboard: Up / PgUp PgUp Dn / PgDn PgDn -> Ctrl-Right <- Ctrl-Left -->| Tab |<-- Shift-Tab Clicking the right mouse button is always equivalent to pressing the <Escape> key. ---------------------------------------- FILE MANAGEMENT Whenever you are in the process of selecting which file of a specific type to use for a Command, Wyndfields allows you to rename, delete, or copy any of the files listed in the selection box. To rename, delete, or copy a file: 1 Choose the Base or Index Command from the Select or Design Menu, or the Labels, Report, or Merge Command from the Design or Print Menu. 14 2 Highlight the file you wish to rename, delete, or copy. 3 Press <F3> to rename, <F4> to delete, or <F5> to copy the file. 4 If deleting, then answer Y to confirm that the file is to be deleted; otherwise type in a new name for the file and press <Return>. 5 If copying a Database file, then answer Y to the question "Copy All Data?" if you want the new file to contain all the Records from the file being copied, or answer N if you only want to copy the Database Design to a new empty file. 6 Continue with the chosen Command, or press <Escape> to return to the main display. When renaming or copying a file, the new name must not be the same as any other file of the same type, or if naming a Database or Index file, the new name must not be the same as any other Database or Index in the current directory (unless the new Index name is the same as the Database it is associated with). If you delete a Database, all data and associated Index files are erased. Each Database must have at least one Index, so you may not delete a Database's only Index file. When copying a Database file, all Fields will be duplicated, as well as the Table and Form Design, but only the first Index will be copied. This Index file will be given the same name as the new Database. ---------------------------------------- USING THE CONDITIONS TABLE The Conditions Table is used to enter conditions for several different Wyndfields Commands, the Location Conditional Search Command, the Location Filter Command, the Records Update Command, the Utilities Transfer Command, and several Print Commands. Each Field in the Database is listed down the side of the screen in the Conditions Table. After each Field are two columns in which to enter values for the search to be done. To use the Conditions Table: o In the left column, type in the desired lower value for each Field you wish to search. o In the right column, type in the desired higher value. Wyndfields adds a string of z's to the end of the upper value so that all values which begin with the characters typed in will meet the conditions of the search. 15 o When searching a Character or Extended Field, instead of entering a lower and upper value, you may search for a specific sequence of text to be found anywhere within the Field. To do this, type two periods in the left column, followed by the text you wish to find. (In this case, Wyndfields ignores any value entered in the right column for that Field.) Using the two period search is the only way that an Extended Field may be searched. Use the following Function keys in the Conditions Table: F2 Accept the conditions entered and carry out the search Alt-F2 Abandon the search and return to the Table Display F3 Enter a Formula in place of using the Table F4 Erase all current conditions Searches performed using the Conditions Table are much faster if one of the Fields being searched is the first Key Field of the current Index. Searches performed using Formulae are slower but may be much more detailed than searches performed using the Conditions Table. If you leave all conditions in the table blank and press <F2>, all Records in the Database will match the search conditions. ---------------------------------------- USING FORMULAE A Formula is an expression which produces a value of any Field Type (Character, Numeric, Date, or Time), or which is either true or false. A Formula may consist of combinations of Fields, Constants, Operators, and Functions. Formulae may be used to create Calculated Fields or may be used to do detailed searches. A Field is designated in a Formula by enclosing its Name in curly braces ({}). Capitalization of Field Names is ignored. Constants are specific values (of any type) which are included in a Formula, such as the number 7 or the word "Tribbles". 16 Operators are symbols which define the relationships between other Formula elements. The following Operators work with character strings: + Concatenation: the + n = then .. Contains: then .. he = true The following are mathematical Operators: ^ Exponentiation: 4 ^ 2 = 16 * Multiplication: 4 * 2 = 8 / Division: 4 / 2 = 2 % Remainder: 4 % 2 = 0 + Addition: 4 + 2 = 6 - Subtraction: 4 - 2 = 2 The following are logical Operators: < Is less than > Is greater than = Is equal to <= Is less than or equal to >= Is greater than or equal to <> Is not equal to ! Not (the value negated is enclosed in parentheses after the symbol) & And | Or The mathematical Operators are listed in order of precedence, so that the Formula 2+3*4 would equal 14 (the multiplication being done first). Values inside parentheses are evaluated first, so the Formula (2+3)*4 would equal 20. The "&" Operator takes precedence over "|". ---------------------------------------- FUNCTIONS A Function is a special procedure built into Wyndfields which performs specific calculations and returns a value. A Function is designated by the character "@" followed by the name of the Function. Parentheses immediately follow the Function name. Within the parentheses are placed the Function's parameters, separated by commas. Parameters are values of specific types required by each Function. Parameters may be any expression made up of Fields, Constants, or other Functions. 17 In the list of Functions which follows, the following symbols are used to stand for the type of expression indicated: C One character J Julian value (all Date and Time Fields are Julian values even though they are displayed as strings) L Logical condition (true or false) N Number S String of characters V Any value CHARACTER FUNCTIONS ASCII Usage: @ASCII(C) Returns: Number Description: Returns the ASCII value of the character C Example: @ASCII(A) = 65 Chain Usage: @Chain(N,C) Returns: String Description: Returns a string of C's N characters long Example: @Chain(5,A) = AAAAA Char Usage: @Char(N) Returns: String Description: Returns the character with ASCII value N Example: @Char(65) = A Lcase Usage: @Lcase(S) Returns: String Description: Converts S to all lower case characters Example: @Lcase(The Trouble with Tribbles) = the trouble with tribbles Length Usage: @Length(S) Returns: Number Description: Returns the number of characters in S Example: @Length(Anderson) = 8 18 Proper Usage: @Proper(S) Returns: String Description: Converts S so that the first letter of each word is capitalized, and all others are lower case Example: @Proper(city of angels) = City of Angels Substr Usage: @Substr(S,N1,N2) Returns: String Description: Returns a string which is a portion of S, beginning at character number N1, which is N2 characters long Example: @Substr(Wakeman,3,4) = kema Ucase Usage: @Ucase(S) Returns: String Description: Converts S to all upper case characters Example: @Ucase(The Final Frontier) = THE FINAL FRONTIER Where Usage: @Where(S1,S2) Returns: Number Description: Returns the starting position of S1 within S2 (if S1 is not within S2, it returns 0) Example: @Where(ace,Space) = 3 NUMERIC FUNCTIONS All Numeric Functions return numbers Abs Usage: @Abs(N) Description: Returns the absolute value of N Example: @Abs(-15) = 15 Atan Usage: @Atan(N) Description: Returns the arctangent of N in radians Example: @Atan(5) = 1.37340076695 19 Cos Usage: @Cos(N) Description: Returns the cosine of N in radians Example: @Cos(5) = 0.28366218546 Frac Usage: @Frac(N) Description: Returns the fractional part of N Example: @Frac(1.29) = .29 Int Usage: @Int(N) Description: Returns the integer part of N Example: @Int(1.29) = 1 Pi Usage: @Pi() Description: Returns the value of Pi Example: @Pi = 3.1415926535897932385 Rand Usage: @Rand(N1,N2) Description: Returns a random number >=N1 and <=N2 Example: @Rand(100,200) = 154 Round Usage: @Round(N1,N2) Description: Rounds N1 to N2 decimal places Example: @Round(28934,-3) = 29000 Sin Usage: @Sin(N) Description: Returns the sine of N in radians Example: @Sin(5) = -0.95892427466 Sqr Usage: @Sqr(N) Description: Returns N squared Example: @Sqr(7) = 49 20 Sqrt Usage: @Sqrt(N) Description: Returns the square root of N Example: @Sqrt(25) = 5 DATE FUNCTIONS The examples for Date Functions assume that there is a Date Field named "Exdate" which contains the date 10-25-1944 (Julian value 2431388.5). Datestr Usage: @Datestr(J) Returns: String Description: Converts J to the form "Mo-Da-Year" Example: @Datestr(2444239.5) = 01-01-1980 Dateval Usage: @Dateval(S) Returns: Julian value Description: Converts a valid date string S to its Julian value Example: @Dateval(01-01-1980) = 2444239.5 Day Usage: @Day(J) Returns: Number Description: Returns the number of the day of the month of date J Example: @Day({Exdate}) = 25 Dayname Usage: @Dayname(J) Returns: String Description: Returns the name of the day of the week of date J Example: @Dayname({Exdate}) = Wednesday Month Usage: @Month(J) Returns: Number Description: Returns the number of the month of date J Example: @Month({Exdate}) = 10 21 Monthname Usage: @Monthname(J) Returns: String Description: Returns the name of the month of date J Example: @Monthname({Exdate}) = October Today Usage: @Today() Returns: Julian value Description: Returns the current computer date Example: @Datestr(@Today()) = 08-01-1989 Year Usage: @Year(J) Returns: Number Description: Returns the number of the year of date J Example: @Year({Exdate}) = 1944 +months Usage: @+months(J,N) Returns: Julian value Description: Adds N months to the date J Example: @Datestr(@+months({Exdate},6) = 04-25-1945 +years Usage: @+years(J,N) Returns: Julian value Description: Adds N years to the date J Example: @Datestr(@+years({Exdate},57) = 10-25-2001 TIME FUNCTIONS The examples for Time Functions assume that there is a Time Field named "Extime" with the Format "Hr:Mn:Sc" which contains the time 23:46:15 (Julian value 0.99045138889). Hour Usage: @Hour(J) Returns: Number Description: Returns the value of the hour segment of J Example: @Hour({Extime}) = 23 22 Hours Usage: @Hours(N) Returns: Julian value Description: Converts N hours to a Julian value Example: @Hours(6) = 0.25 Minute Usage: @Minute(J) Returns: Number Description: Returns the value of the minute segment of J Example: @Minute({Extime}) = 46 Minutes Usage: @Minutes(N) Returns: Julian value Description: Converts N minutes to a Julian value Example: @Minutes(36) = 0.025 Now Usage: @Now() Returns: Julian value Description: Returns the current computer time Example: @Timestr(@Now()) = 0:12:00:00 Second Usage: @Second(J) Returns: Number Description: Returns the value of the second segment of J Example: @Second({Extime}) = 15 Seconds Usage: @Seconds(N) Returns: Julian value Description: Converts N seconds to a Julian value Example: @Seconds(5400) = 0.0625 Timestr Usage: @Timestr(J) Returns: String Description: Converts J to the form "Days:Hr:Mn:Sc" Example: @Timestr(5.2525) = 5:06:03:36 23 Timeval Usage: @Timeval(S) Returns: Julian value Description: Converts a valid time string S to its Julian value Example: @Timeval(5:06:03:36) = 5.2525 SPECIAL FUNCTIONS The examples for the Special Functions assume that there is a Numeric Field named "Price" which contains the value £75.00. String Usage: @String(N1,N2,N3) Returns: String Description: Converts N1 to a string N2 characters long, with N3 decimal places Example: @String({Price},4,1) = 75.0 Value Usage: @Value(S) Returns: Number Description: Converts S to its numerical value Example: @Value(127 Crimson Court) = 127 If Usage: @If(L,V1,V2) Returns: Any value Description: If the condition L is true, then it returns V1, otherwise it returns V2 Example: @If({Price}<100,100-{Price},0) = 25 Empty Usage: @Empty(V) Returns: Logical condition Description: If V is blank, then it is true, otherwise it is false Example: @Empty({Price}) = false Usage: @Empty() Returns: Any value Description: Returns a blank value Example: {Price}=@Empty() deletes the value in the "Price" Field 24 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- H E L P -------------------------------------------------------------------------- PURPOSE Wyndfields provides context-sensitive, cross-referenced on-line Help to aid you in learning the program, and to answer questions you may have about a specific program feature. IMPLEMENTATION If at the main Table Display, choose the Help Command from the Help Menu, or type H; or press <F1> at any point in the program. PROCEDURES If you are currently carrying out a Command when you enter Help, a Help screen related to that Command is displayed. Otherwise a screen showing how to use the Help System is displayed. To move from screen to screen in Help: o Press the <Down> or <Up> Arrow keys to move to the next or previous Help screen, or press <PgDn> or <PgUp> to move to the first or last Help screen. o Press <Home> to move to the previous Help Menu screen. o From a Menu screen, type the number in front of a Topic to see the screen for that Topic. o Press <F1> to return to the screen related to the current Command. Some Help screens are cross-referenced to related topics. If a number and topic appear in the lower right part of the screen, you may view the screen for that topic by typing the relevant number. To exit Help and return to Wyndfields: o Press <Escape>. 25 NOTES The Help screens are arranged so that by starting from the first screen and continuing to press the <Down> Arrow key, you can see every Help screen in a logical order, providing an extensive description of how to use the program. 26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- S E L E C T M E N U -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- SELECT BASE PURPOSE This Command allows you to select a Database for use, or to close the Database currently in use. It is necessary to select a Database for use before you can work with any of the data in the Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Base Command from the Select Menu, or type B. PROCEDURES When you choose the Select Base Command, a box appears with a list of all available Database files. To select a Database for use from the list: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Database name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Database. NOTES Databases files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Database list is displayed. The first item on the list of Databases is always "<None>". If this item is selected, then all Databases are closed and the Wyndfields title screen reappears. When a Database is selected for use, its data is displayed in a Table on the screen. SEE ALSO File Management, Select Index, Design Base 27 ---------------------------------------- SELECT INDEX PURPOSE As you add Records to a Database, they are appended to the end of the Database file. To allow you to see your data in a more logical order, Wyndfields utilizes Index files. An Index is a list of the Records in the Database kept in a specific order based on selected Key Fields. When an Index is in use, the Records of the Database appear in the order indicated by the Index. This Command allows you to select which Index associated with the current Database is to be used as the current Index. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Index Command from the Select Menu, or type I. PROCEDURES When you choose the Select Index Command, a box appears with a list of all available Index files. To select an Index for use from the list: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Index name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Index. NOTES Index files may also be renamed or deleted when the Index list is displayed. When an Index is selected for use, the Records of the current Database appear in the order designated by that Index. SEE ALSO File Management, Select Base, Design Index, Utilities Reindex 28 ---------------------------------------- SELECT DRIVE / PATH PURPOSE Only files on the current disk drive and in the current directory are able to be accessed by Wyndfields. This command allows you to change the current drive and/or directory. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Drive/Path Command from the Select Menu. PROCEDURES To change the current drive and/or directory: 1 Type in the name of the desired drive and/or directory. 2 Press <F2> to change to the new directory, or press <Alt-F2> to stay in the current directory. NOTES When this Command is chosen, all Databases and other files are automatically closed. When you change to a new directory, the new drive and directory are displayed on the left panel of the bottom bar. ---------------------------------------- SELECT EXIT PURPOSE This Command ends your current Wyndfields session, closes any open files, and returns you to the previous environment from which you started Wyndfields. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Exit Command from the Select Menu. 29 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- D E S I G N M E N U -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- DESIGN BASE PURPOSE Each Database that you work with has a certain set structure of Fields. This Command allows you to create a new Database, or modify an existing one, by defining the Fields of the Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Base Command from the Design Menu. PROCEDURES If a Database is in use when you choose this Command, the Database Design Display appears, listing the Fields of the current Database. If no Database is in use, a box appears with a list of all available Database files. To select a Database to design from the list: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Database name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Database. To design a new Database: 1 Select "<New>" from the Database list. 2 Type in a new name for the Database, and press <Return>. At the Database Design Display, enter for each Field a Field Name, Type, Format, and Width. To create a Calculated Field, enter an optional Formula as well. 30 Use the following keys in Database Design: Ctrl-Return Accept entry for the entire current Field and move to the next row F2 Save the Database Design and return to the main display Alt-F2 Abandon the Design and return to the main display F3 Insert a new blank Field ahead of the currently highlighted Field F4 Delete the highlighted Field F5 Move the highlighted Field to a different location in the list of Fields When you press <F5> to move a Field, the highlighting of the Field alters to indicate that you are in the process of moving a Field. Use the Arrow keys to highlight the Field before which the Field to be moved will be inserted. Press <Return> to insert the Field at its new location. NOTES When a Database is in use, to modify the Design of a different Database or create a new Database, first close the Database in use by choosing the Select Base Command. Databases files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Database list is displayed. At the Database Design Display, Wyndfields will prevent you from moving out of a column or row which has invalid or incomplete entries. When in the Type or Format column, a list of possible options pops up on the screen. Use the Arrow keys to highlight the desired option and press <Return> to select it, or type the first letter of the desired option. Most Numeric Fields require that the number of decimal places (from 0 to 18) also be specified. When entering Field Widths, the range of valid numbers is displayed on the right panel of the bottom bar. Capitalization of Field Names is important only because the Field Names are printed in the Table Display and in the Summary. When referring to Field Names in Formulae, capitalization is ignored. 31 The order of the Fields is important for two reasons: o When the Summary is displayed or printed, the Fields are listed in order. o When Calculated Fields are recalculated (whenever data is altered), each Field is calculated once in order from the first to the last Field. If a Calculated Field Formula refers to another Calculated Field, the Field referred to should be an earlier Field. If you are modifying a Database Design and change any of the Fields, you may choose after saving the new Design either to keep the previous Table and Form Designs (with no new Fields placed on the Form or in the Table), or you may allow these Designs to revert back to their defaults. SEE ALSO File Management, Select Base, Design Index, Design Table, Design Form, Print Design ---------------------------------------- DESIGN INDEX PURPOSE Each Wyndfields Database may have up to ten different Indices associated with it. Each Index is maintained automatically as you add, modify, or delete data in the Database. Each Index may have up to ten Key Fields, each of which may be designated to be in Ascending (A to Z) or Descending (Z to A) order. This Command allows you to create and modify Indices for the current Database by specifying its Key Fields. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Index Command from the Design Menu. 32 PROCEDURES When you choose the Design Index Command, a box appears with a list of all available Index files. To select an Index to design from the list: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Index name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Index. To design a new Index: 1 Select "<New>" from the Index list. 2 Type in a new name for the Index, and press <Return>. At the Index Design Display, for each Field you wish to be a Key Field, enter the relevant number (1 for the first Key Field, 2 for the second, etc.) in the first column, and in the second column select whether the order direction for that Field should be Ascending or Descending. Use the following keys in Index Design: F2 Save the Index Design and return to the main display Alt-F2 Abandon the Design and return to the main display F4 Delete the highlighted Field as a Key Field NOTES Index files may also be renamed or deleted when the Index list is displayed. When a Character Field is chosen as a Key Field, only the first 26 characters in the Field (the width of the longest of the other Field Types) are used by the Index. After the combined total of the widths of the Key Fields reaches 64, any additional Fields are ignored. If you use an Extended Field as a Key Field, the Index is built not by the contents of the Extended Field, but by the order in which they were added in the Database. Extended Fields, then, should normally not be used as Key Fields. 33 When you leave Index Design, the Index being designed is selected as the current Index. SEE ALSO File Management, Select Index, Design Base, Print Design, Utilities Reindex ---------------------------------------- DESIGN LABELS PURPOSE One of the most common uses for a Database is to print out Mailing Labels. This Command allows you to design the layout for Labels, or for a Report in which you wish to list Records in different columns. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Labels Command from the Design Menu. PROCEDURES When you choose the Design Labels Command, a box appears with a list of all available Label Definition files. To select a Label Definition to design from the list: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Label name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Label. To design a new Label Definition: 1 Select "<New>" from the Label list. 2 Type in a new name for the Label Definition, and press <Return>. At the Label Design Display, type in any text which will be printed on each Label, and use Function keys to place Fields on the Label. 34 Use the following keys in the Label Design Display: Escape Return Label Definition to its previously saved state F2 Save the Label Design and return to the main display Alt-F2 Abandon the Design and return to the main display F3 Insert a new blank line ahead of the line containing the cursor F4 Delete the line containing the cursor F5 Insert a Field at the cursor location (if cursor is not in a Field) F6 Delete the Field the cursor is in (if cursor is in a Field) F7 Set the Field the cursor is in to be trimmed or not trimmed F8 Set Label options for number, size, and margins of Labels NOTES Label Definition files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Label list is displayed. At the Label Design display, when you press <F5> to insert a Field, a box listing all the available Fields pops up on the screen. Select the desired Field to insert it on the Label. If there is not enough room at the cursor location to insert the whole Field, the Field will not be inserted. When you press <F7> to set Field trimming, answer Y if you want the Field to be trimmed, N if you do not. If a Field is trimmed, then extra spaces at the end of the Field will be ignored so that any text and Fields following it will be printed directly after the last non-space character of the Field. Fields are always trimmed unless you change this option for a particular Field. When you press <F8> to set Label options, a window appears in which to enter the options. Type in the desired values for each option, then press <F2> to save the options, or <Alt-F2> to retain the old options. The following figure illustrates the various options: 35 |Spaces| |Spaces| |before|<-Label Width->|after | |First | | | ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Lines before First | | ------------------ | ----------------- ----------------- | ^ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | | | | | | | Label Height | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | | | | | | | v | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ------------------ | ----------------- ----------------- | Lines after | | ------------------ | ----------------- ----------------- | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | | | | | | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | | | | | | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | ----------------- ----------------- | | | | ----------------- ----------------- | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | | | | | | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | | | | | | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | ----------------- ----------------- | | | ------------------------------------------------------ |<----Number of Labels across Page---->| Label Definitions are not attached to a specific Database, so you can use the same Label layout for different Databases. If the Fields of the different Databases do not correspond to each other, however, some Fields on the Label may be lost or altered. Label Definitions do not have to be used only for Labels. The Width, Height, and Labels across Page options give enough flexibility so that you can also design a Label Definition which would be appropriate to use as a multi-column report, with data from different Records displayed in different columns. SEE ALSO File Management, Design Report, Design Merge, Print Labels 36 ---------------------------------------- DESIGN REPORT PURPOSE Wyndfields' tabular Reports give you great flexibility for printing out exactly the type of information you require, looking just the way you want. This Command allows you to design detailed tabular Reports. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Report Command from the Design Menu. PROCEDURES When you choose the Design Report Command, a box appears with a list of all available Report Definition files. To select a Report Definition to design from the list: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Report name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Report. To design a new Report Definition: 1 Select "<New>" from the Report list. 2 Type in a new name for the Report Definition, and press <Return>. At the Report Design Display, type in text which is to be printed on the Report, and use Function keys to place and format Fields on the Report. Use the following keys in the Report Design Display: Escape Return Report Definition to its previously saved state F2 Save the Label Design and return to the main display Alt-F2 Abandon the Design and return to the main display F3 Insert a new blank line ahead of the line containing the cursor 37 F4 Delete the line containing the cursor F5 Insert a Field at the cursor location (if cursor is not in a Field) F6 Delete the Field the cursor is in (if cursor is in a Field) F7 Set display options for the Field the cursor is in F8 Set Report width, and Fields to group Records by REPORT LINE TYPES Each line in a Report must be one of the following types: Report Head Prints once at the beginning of the Report Page Head Prints at the top of each page of the Report Group Head Prints when the group Field changes Sub Head Prints when the subgroup Field changes Records Prints once for each Record in the Database Sub Foot Prints just before the subgroup Field changes Group Foot Prints just before the group Field changes Page Foot Prints at the bottom of each page of the Report Report Foot Prints once at the end of the Report When you press <F3> to insert a line, the type of line to be inserted must be determined. Select the desired type from the list which appears to insert the line. The line types in a Report must be in the order of the previous chart (although there may be no lines or many lines of any particular type), so the list of types will vary depending on where the cursor is in the Report. To insert a line at the very end of the Report, move the cursor to the last line of the Report, press <F3>, then answer Y to insert the line at the end. 38 REPORT FIELDS In addition to the Fields in the current Database, the following special Fields may be used in a Report: @Date Prints the current date @New Page Forces a page break @Page Num Prints the page number @Time Prints the current time The following special Summary Fields may be used in any of the last four line types to summarize a specified Database Field: #Average Gives the average value for the specified Field #Count Gives the number of non-empty values in the Field #Maximum Gives the highest value in the Field #Minimum Gives the lowest value #Sum Gives the total of the values When you press <F5> to insert a Field, a box listing all the available Fields pops up on the screen. Select the desired Field to insert it in the Report. If there is not enough room at the cursor location to insert the whole Field, the Field is truncated to fit the area available. REPORT FIELD OPTIONS When you insert a Field, or press <F7> when the cursor is in a Field, a window appears in which to enter Field options for that Field. Enter the desired values, then press <F2> to save the options, or <Alt-F2> to retain the old options. The following Field options may be set: Field Format/Width The Format and Width of a Field in a Report may be different from those set in Database Design Trim Field Width If the Field is trimmed, then extra spaces at the end of the Field will be ignored (just as when designing Labels) 39 Print only when Changed If you answer Y to this, then the value of this Field will only be printed when it is different from the previous value printed (this does not apply to Summary Fields) The following options may be set only for the Summary Fields: Summarize Field The Name of the Database Field being summarized Cumulative If you answer Y to this, then the value of this Summary Field will be kept as a running Summary throughout the Report REPORT OPTIONS When you press <F8> to set Report options, a window appears in which to enter the options. Enter the desired values for each option, then press <F2> to save the options, or <Alt-F2> to retain the old options. The following options may be set: Report Width How many characters wide the Report will be Group Field The Name of the Database Field which will be used to determine Group Summaries Subgroup Field The Name of the Database Field which will be used to determine Subgroup Summaries NOTES Report Definition files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Report list is displayed. Report Definitions are not attached to a specific Database, so you can use the same Report with different Databases. If the Fields of the Databases do not correspond to each other, however, some Fields on the Report may be lost or altered. SEE ALSO File Management, Design Labels, Design Merge, Print Report 40 ---------------------------------------- DESIGN MERGE PURPOSE This Command allows you to create Documents which can be used as Form Letters (Mail Merges) or as free-style Reports. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Merge Command from the Design Menu. PROCEDURES When you choose the Design Merge Command, a box appears with a list of all available Merge Document files. To select a Merge Document to design from the list: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Document name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Document. To design a new Merge Document: 1 Select "<New>" from the Document list. 2 Type in a new name for the Merge Document, and press <Return>. At the Merge Design Display, type in the text for the Document, inserting Field Names contained in curly braces ({}) at the desired locations. Use the following keys in the Merge Design Display: Return End a paragraph and move the cursor to the beginning of the next line Escape Return Merge Document to its previously saved state F2 Save the Merge Document and return to the main display Alt-F2 Abandon all Design changes and return to the main display 41 F3 Insert a new blank line ahead of the line containing the cursor F4 Delete the line containing the cursor F5 Insert a Field Name (complete with curly braces) at the cursor location F6 Set the Merge Document Width NOTES Merge Document files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Merge list is displayed. When you print a Merge Document, all the text which you have typed in is printed, except for text contained within curly braces ({}). When Wyndfields encounters braces in a Merge Document, it substitutes the data contained in the Field which is named inside the braces. You may type the braces and Field Name yourself at the point where you wish a Field to be included (capitalization of the Field Name is ignored), or you may press the <F5> key and select the desired Field from the list which pops up. When you press <F6> to set the Merge Document Width, a window appears in which to enter the new Width. Type in the desired Width, then press <Return>. Merge Documents are not attached to a specific Database, so you can use the same Document with different Databases. If the Fields of the different Databases do not have the same Names, however, some Fields in the Document may be lost or altered. Merge Documents do not have to be used only for Form Letters. You may also create a Document which serves as a Definition for a free-style Report with Fields placed anywhere on the page. This is a good way to enable you to create Reports which will print out complete Extended Fields. SEE ALSO File Management, Design Labels, Design Report, Print Merge 42 ---------------------------------------- DESIGN TABLE PURPOSE When you design a Database, Wyndfields automatically creates the layout of the Fields for the Table Display. The default Table Display has a column for each of the Database Fields in order with the width of each column equal to the Field Width for that Field. This Command allows you to modify the Table Design. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Table Command from the Design Menu. PROCEDURES Use the following keys at the Table Design Display: Left/Right Arrow Move the highlight left / right one column Ctrl-Left/Right Scroll the display left / right one screen Home/End Move to the first / last column on the screen Ctrl-Home/End Move to the first / last column of the Table Plus Increase the width of the highlighted column one character Minus Decrease the width of the highlighted column one character Escape Return the Table Design to its previously saved state F2 Save the Table Design and return to the main display Alt-F2 Abandon the Design and return to the main display F3 Insert a Field before the highlighted column F4 Delete the highlighted column F5 Make the highlighted column's width the same as its Field Width 43 F6 Return the Table Design to the original default layout NOTES Each Database Field may appear only once in the Table Display. When you press <F3>, if no Fields have been deleted from the display then the computer beeps, otherwise a list of the deleted Fields appears. Select the desired Field to insert. To move a column, first delete it from its present location, then insert it at a new location. If you modify a Database Design and change any of the Fields, the Table Design reverts back to the default Design. Changes made to the Table do not alter the Database Design itself in any way. SEE ALSO Design Base, Design Form, Print Table ---------------------------------------- DESIGN FORM PURPOSE When you design a Database, Wyndfields automatically creates the layout of the Fields for the Form Display. The default Form Display lists each Database Field on its own line down the left side of the screen, with the Field Name preceding the Field. This Command allows you to modify the Form Design. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Form Command from the Design Menu. PROCEDURES At the Form Design Display, type in any text which will appear on the Form, and use Function keys to place Fields on the Form. 44 Use the following keys in the Form Design Display: Escape Return Form Design to its previously saved state F2 Save the Form Design and return to the main display Alt-F2 Abandon the Design and return to the main display F3 Insert a new blank line ahead of the line containing the cursor F4 Delete the line containing the cursor F5 Insert a Field at the cursor location (if cursor is not in a Field) F6 Delete the Field the cursor is in (if cursor is in a Field) F7 Return the Form Design to the original default layout NOTES Each Database Field may appear only once in the Form Display. When you press <F5> to insert a Field, if no Fields have been deleted from the display then the computer beeps, otherwise a list of the deleted Fields appears. Select the desired Field to insert. If there is not enough room at the cursor location to insert the whole Field, the Field will not be inserted. If you modify a Database Design and change any of the Fields, the Form Design reverts back to the default Design. Changes made to the Form do not alter the Database Design itself in any way. SEE ALSO Design Base, Design Table, Print Form 45 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- R E C O R D S M E N U -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- RECORDS ADD PURPOSE This Command allows you to add new Records to the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Add Command from the Records Menu, or type A. PROCEDURES Enter the relevant information in the Form, pressing <Return> after completing each Field. At the Form Display, use the keys listed in the USING THE KEYBOARD section for entering data, plus the following keys: F3 Copy the contents of the current Field into a numbered memory Field F4 Copy the contents of a previously assigned numbered memory Field into the current Field F5 Copy the contents of the current Field from the previous Record into the current Field in the current Record F6 Copy the contents of all Fields from the previous Record into the current Record F7 Copy the computer system date into the current Field F8 Copy the computer system time into the current Field After entering information for every Field: o Press <PgDn> to save the Record and add another. o Press <F2> to save the Record and return to the Table Display. 46 o Press <Alt-F2> to return to the Table Display without saving the Record. NOTES When you press <F3> to copy data into a memory Field, or press <F4> to copy data from a memory Field, you must then type the number (from 0 to 9) of the memory Field to use. Data remains in each memory Field as long as the current Database is in use (or until you copy a different value into it). Data in Wyndfields is always saved one Record at a time. When adding Records in the Form, the data is not saved until you leave the current Record (by pressing <F2> or <PgDn>). Wyndfields will not, however, save a blank record. If you attempt to save a record with no data in any Field, you will be returned to the Table Display without saving the record. SEE ALSO Records Edit ---------------------------------------- RECORDS EDIT PURPOSE This Command allows you to view and/or alter the data in the Records of the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Highlight the desired Record, then choose the Edit Command from the Records Menu, or type E. PROCEDURES Move from Field to Field in the Form Display by pressing <Tab> or <Shift-Tab>, typing in any desired changes. At the Form Display, use the keys listed in the USING THE KEYBOARD section for entering data, plus the following keys: F3 Copy the contents of the current Field into a numbered memory Field 47 F4 Copy the contents of a previously assigned numbered memory Field into the current Field F5 Copy the contents of the current Field from the previous Record into the current Field in the current Record F6 Copy the contents of all Fields from the previous Record into the current Record F7 Copy the computer system date into the current Field F8 Copy the computer system time into the current Field After making the desired changes: o Press <PgUp> or <PgDn> to save the Record and move to the previous or next Record. o Press <Ctrl-PgUp> or <Ctrl-PgDn> to save the Record and move to the first or last Record of the Database. o Press <F2> to save the Record and return to the Table Display. o Press <Alt-F2> to return to the Table Display without saving the Record. NOTES When you press <F3> to copy data into a memory Field, or press <F4> to copy data from a memory Field, you must then type the number (from 0 to 9) of the memory Field to use. Data remains in each memory Field as long as the current Database is in use (or until you copy a different value into it). Data in Wyndfields is always saved one Record at a time. When editing Records in the Form, the data is not saved until you leave the current Record (by pressing <F2>, <PgDn>, etc.). If you make unwanted changes to individual Fields, you can leave the Form without saving the current Record. SEE ALSO Records Add, Records Update 48 ---------------------------------------- RECORDS DELETE PURPOSE This Command allows you to remove a Record from the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Highlight the undesired Record, then choose the Delete Command from the Records Menu, or type D. PROCEDURES Answer Y (for "Yes") to the question "Delete this Record?" to confirm that the Record is to be removed, or answer N to abort the deletion. NOTES Once a Record is deleted, it cannot be restored to the Database. SEE ALSO Records Update, Records Void ---------------------------------------- RECORDS UPDATE PURPOSE Sometimes it is necessary to make similar changes to many Records in a Database, or to delete many Records at the same time. This Command allows you to alter or delete multiple Records simultaneously. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Update Command from the Records Menu, or type U. 49 PROCEDURES To update Records: 1 Enter the conditions in the Conditions Table for the Records to be updated, or press <F3> to enter a Formula to define the conditions. 2 Press <F2> to accept the conditions. 3 Enter the new values in the New Values Table which appears, or press <F3> to enter a Formula containing the new value. 4 Press <F2> to make the changes, or press <Alt-F2> to abandon the update. To delete Records: 1 Enter the conditions in the Conditions Table for the Records to be updated, or press <F3> to enter a Formula to define the conditions. 2 Press <F2> to accept the conditions. 3 Press <F4> at the New Values Table which appears. 4 Answer Y to the question "Delete All Matching Records?" to confirm the deletion. NOTES At the New Values Table you may enter a new value to be placed in as many of the Fields in the Database as you wish, but each value must be a Constant value. If you press <F3> to enter a Formula, you may only update one Field in the Database, but the value may be derived from any Fields (including the one being updated) and so the update may be relative to the data already in the Database. If you enter a Formula to update a Field, the Formula must be in the form: {Field Name} = New Value. The Field Name is the Name of the Field to be updated. The New Value is any valid Formula which returns a value of the relevant Field Type. If you delete Records, all Records matching the entered conditions are permanently deleted from the Database. SEE ALSO Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Records Edit, Records Delete, Records Void 50 ---------------------------------------- RECORDS SUMMARY PURPOSE This Command allows you to view a tabular Summary of the Records in the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Summary Command from the Records Menu, or type S. PROCEDURES To view the Summary: 1 Answer Y to the question "Recalculate Summary?" unless you have already viewed the Summary for the current Database since selecting it for use, and have made no changes to the Database since last calculating the Summary. 2 Use the <PgDn> and <PgUp> keys to scroll the Summary if all Fields are not visible, or the <Up> and <Down> Arrow keys to highlight any Field. 3 Press <F2> when finished viewing the Summary to return to the Table Display. NOTES Wyndfields draws a distinction between blank Fields and Fields with a value of zero. Blank Fields are not included when counting or calculating minimums and averages. If the current Database is filtered, then only the Records included in the Filter are summarized. SEE ALSO Print Summary 51 ---------------------------------------- RECORDS VOID PURPOSE This Command allows you to remove all the Records from the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Void Command from the Records Menu. PROCEDURES Answer Y (for "Yes") to the question "Do you really wish to continue?" to confirm that all Records are to be removed, or answer N to abort the deletion. NOTES Once the Records are deleted, they cannot be restored to the Database. SEE ALSO Records Delete, Records Update 52 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- L O C A T I O N M E N U -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- LOCATION QUICK SEARCH PURPOSE The fastest and easiest way to search a Database for specific information is to perform a Quick Search. This Command allows you to perform a Quick Search. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Quick Search Command from the Location Menu, or type Q. PROCEDURES To perform the search: 1 On the Quick Search Entry Form, type in the desired data for each Key Field. 2 Press <F2> to accept the data entered and perform the search, or press <Alt-F2> to abandon the search. NOTES After pressing <F2>, the first Record in the Database with data equal to or greater than what was entered is displayed and highlighted in the Table. The Quick Search is fast since it searches the Key Fields of the current Index rather than searching through the Database itself. SEE ALSO Location Conditional Search, Location Filter 53 ---------------------------------------- LOCATION CONDITIONAL SEARCH PURPOSE This Command allows you to search the current Database for the first Record which matches certain conditions. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Conditional Search Command from the Location Menu, or type C. PROCEDURES To perform the search: 1 Enter the conditions in the Conditions Table for the Records to be found, or press <F3> to enter a Formula to define the conditions. 2 Press <F2> to accept the conditions. NOTES After pressing <F2>, the first Record in the Database which matches the search conditions is displayed and highlighted in the Table. SEE ALSO Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Location Quick Search, Location Next, Location Previous, Location Filter ---------------------------------------- LOCATION NEXT PURPOSE This Command allows you to search for the next Record which matches the conditions last entered in the Location Conditional Search Command. 54 IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Next Command from the Location Menu, or type N. NOTES The next Record in the current Database which matches the search conditions is displayed and highlighted in the Table. SEE ALSO Location Conditional Search, Location Previous ---------------------------------------- LOCATION PREVIOUS PURPOSE This Command allows you to search for the previous Record which matches the conditions last entered in the Location Conditional Search Command. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Previous Command from the Location Menu, or type P. NOTES The previous Record in the current Database which matches the search conditions is displayed and highlighted in the Table. SEE ALSO Location Conditional Search, Location Next ---------------------------------------- LOCATION FILTER PURPOSE This Command allows you to view and work with only those Records in the current Database which match certain conditions. 55 IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Filter Command from the Location Menu, or type F. PROCEDURES To set a Filter: 1 Enter the conditions in the Conditions Table for the Records to be filtered, or press <F3> to enter a Formula to define the conditions. 2 Press <F2> to accept the conditions. To remove a Filter: o Press <Alt-F2> at the Conditions Table. NOTES When the Filter is set, only those Records which match the search conditions are visible in the Table Display. As long as the Filter is set, Wyndfields will work as though just those Records which match the conditions are the only Records in the Database. You will only be able to edit filtered Records. Only filtered Records will be calculated in the Summary, and only filtered Records will be able to be printed. To indicate that the Database is filtered, the word "Filtered" appears on the bottom bar in place of the number of Records in the Database. SEE ALSO Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Location Quick Search, Location Conditional Search 56 ---------------------------------------- LOCATION MARK RECORD PURPOSE This Command allows you to mark a Record in the current Database so that you can return to it at a later time. IMPLEMENTATION Highlight the desired Record, then choose the Mark Record Command from the Location Menu, or type M. PROCEDURES At the question "Place which Marker?", type the number (from 0 to 9) of the marker you wish to use for this Record. NOTES Up to ten Records may be marked (with numbers 0 to 9) at one time. Records remain marked as long as the current Database is in use (or until you re-assign a marker number to a different Record). SEE ALSO Location Go to Marker ---------------------------------------- LOCATION GO TO MARKER PURPOSE This Command allows you to return to a Record in the current Database which you have previously marked. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Go to Marker Command from the Location Menu, or type G. 57 PROCEDURES At the question "Go to which Marker?", type the number (from 0 to 9) of the marker (previously assigned using the Location Mark Record Command) corresponding to the Record you wish to find. NOTES After typing the number of the marker, the Record corresponding to that marker is displayed and highlighted in the Table. SEE ALSO Location Mark Record 58 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- P R I N T M E N U -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- PRINT DESIGN PURPOSE This Command allows you to print the Design structure of the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Design Command from the Print Menu. NOTES The Design structure of the current Database is printed to the destination set in the Utilities Options Command. A list of each Field, including the Field Name, Type, Format, and Width is printed. After this list, the Formulae of any Calculated Fields are printed. Finally, the Key Fields and their order direction for each Index associated with the current Database are printed. Press <Escape> at any time to abort the printing process. SEE ALSO Design Base, Design Index, Print Table, Print Form, Utilities Options ---------------------------------------- PRINT SUMMARY PURPOSE This Command allows you to print a tabular Summary of the Records in the current Database. 59 IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Summary Command from the Print Menu. PROCEDURES To print the Summary: 1 Answer Y to the question "Set Print Conditions?" and fill in the Conditions Table if you wish to print information only for certain Records. 2 Answer Y to the question "Recalculate Summary?" unless you have already viewed the Summary for the current Database since selecting it for use, and have made no changes to the Database since last calculating the Summary. NOTES Wyndfields draws a distinction between blank Fields and Fields with a value of zero. Blank Fields are not included when counting or calculating minimums and averages. If the current Database is filtered, then only the Records included in the Filter are summarized and printed to the destination set in the Utilities Options Command. Press <Escape> at any time to abort the printing process. SEE ALSO Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Records Summary ---------------------------------------- PRINT LABELS PURPOSE This Command allows you to print out Labels, which you have previously designed, for selected Records in the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Labels Command from the Print Menu. 60 PROCEDURES When you choose the Print Labels Command, a box appears with a list of all available Label Definition files. To select the Label Definition to be printed: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Label name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Label. 3 Answer Y to the question "Set Print Conditions?" and fill in the Conditions Table if you wish to print Labels only for certain Records. NOTES Label Definition files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Label list is displayed. If the current Database is filtered, then only the Records included in the Filter are printed to the destination set in the Utilities Options Command. Press <Escape> at any time to abort the printing process. SEE ALSO File Management, Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Design Labels, Print Report, Print Merge, Utilities Options ---------------------------------------- PRINT REPORT PURPOSE This Command allows you to print a Report, which you have previously designed, for selected Records in the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Report Command from the Print Menu. PROCEDURES When you choose the Print Report Command, a box appears with a list of all available Report Definition files. 61 To select the Report Definition to be printed: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Report name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Report. 3 Answer Y to the question "Set Print Conditions?" and fill in the Conditions Table if you wish to print the Report only for certain Records. NOTES Report Definition files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Report list is displayed. If the current Database is filtered, then only the Records included in the Filter are printed to the destination set in the Utilities Options Command. Press <Escape> at any time to abort the printing process. SEE ALSO File Management, Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Design Report, Print Labels, Print Merge, Utilities Options ---------------------------------------- PRINT MERGE PURPOSE This Command allows you to print a Form Letter (Mail Merge), which you have previously designed, for selected Records in the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Merge Command from the Print Menu. PROCEDURES When you choose the Print Merge Command, a box appears with a list of all available Merge Document files. 62 To select the Merge Document to be printed: 1 Press the <Up> or <Down> Arrow key to highlight the desired Document name. 2 Press <Return> to select the highlighted Document. 3 Answer Y to the question "Set Print Conditions?" and fill in the Conditions Table if you wish to print the Document only for certain Records. NOTES Merge Document files may also be renamed, deleted, or copied when the Merge list is displayed. If the current Database is filtered, then only the Records included in the Filter are printed to the destination set in the Utilities Options Command. Press <Escape> at any time to abort the printing process. SEE ALSO File Management, Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Design Merge, Print Labels, Print Report, Utilities Options ---------------------------------------- PRINT TABLE PURPOSE This Command allows you to print out a copy of the Table for the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Table Command from the Print Menu. PROCEDURES Answer Y to the question "Set Print Conditions?" and fill in the Conditions Table if you wish to print the Table only for certain Records. 63 NOTES If the current Database is filtered, then only the Records included in the Filter are printed to the destination set in the Utilities Options Command. As many columns from the Table as will fit in the Print Width are printed for each Record in the Database. This process is then repeated for each set of columns which will fit until all columns for all Records have been printed. Press <Escape> at any time to abort the printing process. SEE ALSO Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions, Design Table, Utilities Options ---------------------------------------- PRINT FORM PURPOSE This Command allows you to print out a copy of the Entry Form for the highlighted Record in the current Database. IMPLEMENTATION Highlight the desired Record, then choose the Form Command from the Print Menu. NOTES The Entry Form for the highlighted Record is printed to the destination set in the Utilities Options Command. The entire Form is printed as it appears on the screen. If there are any Extended Fields, they are then printed in their entirety at the end of the Form. Press <Escape> at any time to abort the printing process. SEE ALSO Design Form, Utilities Options 64 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U T I L I T I E S M E N U -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- UTILITIES OPTIONS PURPOSE This Command allows you to set certain screen options and print options. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Options Command from the Utilities Menu, or type O. PROCEDURES To set screen and print options at the Options Display: 1 Move from Field to Field by pressing <Tab> or <Shift-Tab>, typing in any desired changes. 2 Press <F2> to save the new options, or press <Alt-F2> to retain the old options. To change screen colors (if you have a color monitor): 1 From the Options Display, press <F3>. 2 Press <Tab> or <Shift-Tab> to move the Arrows which point to the colors on the left side of the screen. 3 Use the Arrow keys to move the box at the bottom right of the screen to change the color which is pointed to. 4 Press Function keys <F3> through <F10> to select one of the built-in color sets (<F3> is the default), or press <Escape> to return to the previously saved colors. 5 Press <F2> to save the new colors, or press <Alt-F2> to retain the old colors. 65 NOTES The following screen options may be changed: Color Display Enables or disables the use of color. If you have a composite monitor, answer N here. Eliminate Snow Prevents CGA monitors from exhibiting snow. For faster screen displays, answer N here. EGA 43-Line Mode Enables the EGA 43-and VGA 50-line mode. If you prefer the 25-line display, answer N here. The following print options may be changed: Destination Determines whether printing will be sent to a printer, the screen, or a disk file Number of Copies How many copies will be printed (has no effect when printing to screen) File Name Name of file created when printing to a disk file Printer Port Which printer port the printer is connected to Setup String Used for sending special instructions to the printer (such as turning on compressed print) Continuous Feed Determines whether Wyndfields will pause after printing each page First/Last Page Which range of pages will be printed (0 for Last Page indicates that all pages from the First Page to the end will be printed) Paper Length How many lines long each page is Top Margin How many lines will be left blank at the top of the page Print Lines How many lines will be printed on each page Left Margin How many spaces will be left blank at the left of the page Print Width How many characters will be printed on each line (overridden when printing Labels, Reports, or Merges) 66 To enter a setup string, consult your printer manual for the characters to include. Type in printable characters exactly as specified, or type \ followed by a three digit number (to enter the <Escape> key, type \027). SEE ALSO Print Design, Print Summary, Print Labels, Print Report, Print Merge, Print Table, Print Form ---------------------------------------- UTILITIES REINDEX PURPOSE In some situations (particularly if your computer loses power while you are running Wyndfields), Index files may become corrupted, making it appear that a Database has no Records, or has fewer Records than you remember. This Command allows you to rebuild each of the Indices of the current Database, Record by Record. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Reindex Command from the Utilities Menu. PROCEDURES Answer Y to the question "Reindex this Database?" to carry out the reindexing, or answer N to abort the Command. NOTES As each of the Indices are rebuilt, the progress of the process is displayed on the top line of the screen. The number of the Index being rebuilt is shown on the left side of the vertical line, and the number of the Record currently being processed is shown on the right. When the reindexing is finished, the Table is re-displayed. SEE ALSO Select Index, Design Index 67 ---------------------------------------- UTILITIES TRANSFER PURPOSE This Command allows you to copy data to or from the current Database from or to other Wyndfields Databases or other files with common file structures. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the Transfer Command from the Utilities Menu. PROCEDURES To transfer data: 1 Select the type of transfer you wish to carry out from the list of options which appears. 2 If transferring to or from a non-Wyndfields file, select the format of the other file from the list which appears. 3 Select or enter the name of the other file involved in the transfer. 4 If transferring data from the current Database, answer Y to the question "Set Transfer Conditions?", fill in the Conditions Table, and press <F2> if you wish to transfer only certain Records. NOTES Five different options are available for the type of transfer: Import Transfers all Records from a file with a non-Wyndfields format into the current Database Export Transfers selected Records from the current Database into a file with a non-Wyndfields format Add from Transfers all Records from a different Wyndfields Database into the current Database Copy to Transfers selected Records from the current Database to a different Wyndfields Database 68 Split Transfers selected Records from the current Database into a new Wyndfields Database, then deletes those Records from the current Database When importing Records into the current Database, the non-Wyndfields file must have one of the following formats: Fixed Length Each Field has a set length, with no extra characters between Fields or Records. (A BASIC random file has this format.) Return Fixed Each Field has a set length, with no extra characters between Fields, but with a Carriage Return at the end of each Record. (An SDF file.) Comma Delimited Fields are separated by commas and may be any length. Quotes may surround a Field. A Carriage Return is at the end of each Record. Dbase A dBASE III or IV file. When exporting Records from the current Database, the non-Wyndfields file must have one of the above formats, or either of the following: MS Word Merge A Microsoft Word Mail Merge data file, Comma Delimited, but the first Record lists the Field Names. Word Perf Merge A WordPerfect secondary Mail Merge data file. The Utilities Transfer Command may be used to generate a data file for use with popular word processors to perform a Mail Merge. Choose the following file formats to generate data files for the following word processors: Comma Delimited Wordstar MS Word Merge Microsoft Word Word Perf Merge WordPerfect When importing or adding from another Database, the other file involved in the transfer must already be in the current directory. When importing, be sure that you have first designed the structure of your Wyndfields file to correspond to the Fields in the other file. 69 Wyndfields Extended Fields cannot be exported to other file formats. The "Split" option is useful when a Database becomes too large to easily manage, allowing you to separate the data into two separate Databases. IMPORTING FROM SELECTED PROGRAMS Use these guidelines when importing data from the following programs: dBASE III / dBASE IV Copy the DBF file into your Wyndfields directory to import it. Wyndfields will convert dBASE Character, Numeric, and Date Fields into the equivalent Wyndfields Fields. Logical Fields should be converted to Character Fields in Wyndfields. dBASE Memo Fields cannot be imported into Wyndfields (nor can Extended Fields be exported into dBASE). When exporting to dBASE, give the new file name a DBF extension. PC-File To determine the Field Names and Field Widths of your PC-File file, type out the HDR file in your PC-File directory. Create your Database in Wyndfields using this structure. Copy the PC-File DTA file into your Wyndfields directory (but rename it so that it has an extension other than DTA). PC-File data files are in the "Return Fixed" format. Reflex To import data from Reflex, first create a Reflex Report which will generate a file in the "Return Fixed" format. To do this, in Reflex create a Report with each Field listed across the page on one "Body" line, spaced so that each column is as wide as the corresponding Field you want in the Wyndfields Database you will be importing into. Print the Report to a disk file in the Wyndfields directory. Create your Database in Wyndfields using the same structure as your Reflex Report, then import the file generated by the Report. Others Many programs allow you to export data into one of the formats Wyndfields is able to read. To import from such a program, create an ASCII file (usually in the "Comma Delimited" format) in the other program, then import the generated file into Wyndfields. SEE ALSO Using the Conditions Table, Using Formulae, Functions 70 ---------------------------------------- UTILITIES DOS PROMPT PURPOSE This Command allows you to access DOS commands without exiting Wyndfields. IMPLEMENTATION Choose the DOS Prompt Command from the Utilities Menu. PROCEDURES At the DOS Prompt: 1 Issue as many DOS commands as you wish. 2 Type EXIT and press <Return> to return to Wyndfields. NOTES When this Command is chosen, all Databases and other files are automatically closed. If your computer does not have sufficient memory, then this command will fail, and you will be returned to the Wyndfields title screen. ORDER / REGISTRATION FORM WYNDWARE One Parker Place, Suite 308 Janesville, WI 53545 U.S.A. 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