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1991-01-08
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VideoMaster
Version 7.31
'Mastering Your Video Library'
From Unicorn Software Limited
Created By:
Charles P. Schell IV
Copyright (C) 1987-91 Unicorn Software Limited
All Rights Reserved
Unicorn Software Limited
PO Box 911
Wabash, IN 46992
LICENSE AGREEMENT
The VideoMaster video cataloging program is protected by United States
Copyright Law and International Treaty provisions. All rights are
reserved. Non-registered users of VideoMaster are licensed only to use the
program on a trial basis for the sole purpose of determining whether or not
it meets their requirements. All other use requires registration.
Any other use of non-registered copies of VideoMaster by any person,
business, corporation, government organization, or any other entity is
strictly forbidden and is a violation of this license agreement.
Registration permits a user a license to use VideoMaster on a single
computer.
All users are granted a limited license to copy VideoMaster Version 7.31
for the trial use of others, with the following additional conditions:
VideoMaster must be distributed in unmodified, complete form, including
this Reference Guide and License Agreement.
VideoMaster may not be distributed in conjunction with any other product,
without written permission.
No fee, other than a bonafide disk duplicating fee not to exceed $6.00,
may be charged for VideoMaster.
WARRANTY
Unicorn Software Limited makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied,
including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability and/or
fitness for a particular purpose. Unicorn Software Limited shall not be
liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential
arising from a failure of this program to operate in the manner desired by
the user. Unicorn Software Limited shall not be liable for any damage to
data or property which may be caused directly or indirectly by use of the
program.
IN NO EVENT WILL UNICORN SOFTWARE LIMITED BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES,
INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
The License Agreement and Warranty shall be construed, interpreted and
governed by the laws of the state of Indiana.
VideoMaster is being released under the User Supported concept of
distribution. Simply put: You are allowed to use the program to see if it
is beneficial to you.
If you continue to use the program you must register it by sending
$25.00 to: Unicorn Software Limited, PO Box 911, Wabash, IN 46992. Or you
can use your MC, Visa, AmEx, or Discover by calling the
Public(software)Library at 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to
713-524-6398 or by CompuServe to 71355,470 or by mail to PsL, PO Box 35705,
Houston, TX 77235-5705. These numbers are for ordering only.
For information about dealer pricing, site licensing, shipping of product,
returns, latest version number or technical support call 219-563-HOME or
write to Unicorn Software Ltd. directly.
Concept:
To help you catalog your video tapes and assist you in printing catalogs,
listings and labels for the spine and front of the tape. There are
entries for Tape Number, Title, Rating, Start Point, Star, Co Star, and a
eight line Synopsis as well as Category and three User defined fields.
Getting Started:
DO NOT INSTALL THE PROGRAM IF YOU ARE ALREADY USING IT SEE THE
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO UPGRADE THE PROGRAM
Type VIDMSTR to start.
When you first start the program, the computer will bring up the Default
Set Up screen first. Just enter the info requested. When you name the
Disk Drive, the program will automatically copy the data files to that
drive for you ! So Have A Disk In The Drive And Ready ! The program will
not do any further copying on its own. In order to create new data disks
simply copy all the files with the DAT and NTX extension onto your new data
disk. You can rename the data file during initial set up or see below on
how to do it later.
Colours:
Color Letter
------------------
Black N
Blue B
Green G
Cyan BG
Red R
Magenta RB
Brown GR
White W
------------------
User Defined Fields:
There are three User defined fields, they are 30,29 and 5 characters in
length. When in the default menu you can name these anything you want. ie
Producer, Director, Thumb (For Up or Down reviews), Writer, Original, well
you get the ideas. You can change these anytime you want. What you enter
here will appear on the Add, Update, Delete Menus as well as the print
outs.
Right Justify:
This refers to right justification of the Synopsis during the WordWrap
process. The program will add additional blank spaces between words to
make the lines come out even on both sides (Like this document). If you
chose to leave it off (N) the lines will not have any blank spaces added.
See the examples for WordWrap below.
Multiple Features:
The system is capable of handling up to 10 features per tape number ;
however, it will only print the first 5 entered on the label. See the
sample data for examples of how to handle single and multi title tapes.
The System:
Is designed using KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) so not much information is
needed to get started. Here are a few notes to help you use the system:
WordWrap:
This feature is an option during Add and Update operations. What it will
do is allow you to type in the Synopsis without paying attention to
carriage returns, then when you hit the PageUp key it will re format the
text for you (and Right Justify if you have it turned on. Here is an
example:
You Enter:
This is a great movie that has a lot of action and car crashe
s and violence. At one point you think the story is going on
e way then it turns out completely different. Not a big winn
er at the Academy Awards but good enough to while away a few
hours on a Saturday night.
WordWrap:
This is a great movie that has a lot of action and car
crashes and violence. At one point you think the story is
going one way then it turns out completely different. Not a
big winner at the Academy Awards but good enough to while
away a few hours on a Saturday night.
WordWrap & Right Justify:
This is a great movie that has a lot of action and car
crashes and violence. At one point you think the story is
going one way then it turns out completely different. Not a
big winner at the Academy Awards but good enough to while
away a few hours on a Saturday night.
It enables you to type as fast as you want with no cares as to where the
carriage returns should be.
******WARNING******
When WordWrapping a Synopsis that has previously been Wrapped with Right
Justify ON you might have problems. The program does not understand
grammer and might try to wrap things that do not need to be.
Example(From Above)
This is a great movie that has a lot of action and
carcrashes and violence. At one point you think the story
isgoing one way then it turns out completely different. Not
abig winner at the Academy Awards but good enough to while
away a few hours on a Saturday night.
If this happens, just use the INS and DEL keys to fix it.
The Data Entry Screens:
Any of the data entry screens shown in Add or Update can be 'zipped'
through. That is if you do not enter the all the Synopsis lines just hit
PageDown after entering the ones you need to blank the rest of the lines,
or PageUp to WordWrap.
Update And Delete:
When you select either of these options the screen will display up to 32
tape numbers and titles. Move the light bar to the one you want to Update
or Delete and press the enter key. The ESC key will take you back to the
Main Menu and the PageDown key will bring up the next 32 titles. When the
program reaches the bottom of your file it will start again.
You also have the option of looking for a specific tape number or title
(These will always be the last two displayed, so use the end key to get to
the bottom and select the one you want). If you select a tape number all
of the titles on the tape will be displayed before asking you to confirm
the decision to delete.
Close 'Nuf:
In the Update, Delete, Criteria, and Find! when you enter the title, star,
user defined codes, etc you do not have to enter the entire thing. For
example when entering a title you wish to deal with you do not have to
enter the full title, only the first few words, or even letters. In Update
this will allow you to view all the records that are Close 'Nuf to what you
entered. EXAMPLE: Entering "Meet" will bring up "Meet Me", "Meet The
Beatles" and "I'll Meet You At The Top"
Find!:
Can help you find all of the movies in the data file that have a
particular Tape Number, User Defined Field, Star or Co Star as well as
Ratings Category or even a single title. Using "Close 'Nuf" you can Find!
any record easily, ie enter as much information as you remember and it will
search based on your input, even if it is only one letter. NOTE: Page Up
on these data display screens will take you back to the previous record,
page down to the next record and Home to the Find Me! menu.
Printer Set Up:
This allows you to customize the printer codes used by the program. These
codes can be found in your printer manual. The codes that the program has
when originally distributed are for the Epson FX100. You will need to know
the code for 10 cpi (Pica), 12 CPI (Elite), Enlarged, Condensed (17CPI) and
Double High/Wide. If your printer cannot handle double high/wide DON'T
PANIC, just leave it blank; the program will use Enlarged for that entry.
You do not have to enter the ESC part of the code, the program will add
that automatically. You can enter the letter ESC code or the number it does
not matter: ie ESC code 119 can be entered as "119" or "w". (Do not enter
any " "s!)
Print Outs:
You can print out All the data or select a Criteria of data to print.
Criteria:
You can choose the Star, CoStar, Title, Rating, Category, Tape Number, or
any of the USer Defined fields to select a Criteria of. Remember that
'Close Nuf' applies here too. So by selecting Stars named Bob you would
get all of Bob Hope's movies but also Bob Wallace, Billy Jo Bob etc.
Listings:
A Listing provides the Tape Number, Start, Rating, Category Title & Star.
A Catalog provides all information, including Synopsis.
A Custom Listing allows you to build your own print out. Simply choose the
number beside the items you wish to include in you print out. The
computer will track the number of characters you have left and tell you if
you go over 80. Hit 99 to start the printout or 55 to abort.
Front Labels: Give you Tape Number, Titles, and Start.
Spine Labels: Gives you Titles and Tape Number.
(All Labels are standard 3" X 15/16" Pin Fed Labels.)
ComboZ:
Selecting this entry on the Criteria or Find! screen will let you combine
up to four Criteria. For example you want a listing of all Videos that are
in Category A and starring Burt Reynolds. Select the Category entry from
the Comboz screen, then type in A next select the Star entry, when you do
that you will have a choice of making the statement And or Or. (Chose And
in this example) then you can enter Burt Reynolds. The program will find
all records meeting that Criteria and take you to the Forms menu or display
it on the screen. (If you had selected Or in the above example you would
have gotten all records for Category A or any done by Burt Reynolds {even
those not category A})
A more complex example would be Category A or Category B and User Code D
and Title A. (You would get all Categories A or B with the Code D and the
title beginning with A.)
Utilities:
Speed Up Sort:
Should be run occasionally to keep the files in sequential order as well as
random order.
Purge Ghosts:
This feature should be run if you get blank records in your data file, by
accident.
File Name:
Any eight character filename allowed. Reserved name is TEMP. Just copy
the files UNICORN.DAT and UNICORN.NTX to whatever name you desire, then
change the name within the program. You MUST copy the files first before
changing the name on the Defaults menu.
Exit To DOS:
You can exit temporarily to DOS by using that option on the Utilities
Menu. The file COMMAND.COM must be on the same directory or disk as the
other program files to do this. You must return to the subdirectory/drive
of VideoMaster prior to entering EXIT to return to the program.
Quik Info:
The program will provide you with the last tape number used and any missing
Tape Numbers by hitting the F1 key. When you are done just hit any key to
continue the program. This is helpful when doing Adds and Updates.
Error Messages:
Error Messages will appear at the top of the screen when an error occurs.
The most common errors are "Open" which means the program can't find the
data files and "Printer not ready". You will be given the choice of
correcting the problem or aborting.
Upgrading From Previous Versions (Available to Registered
Users Only):
From previous versions to 7.31 is necessary. Because of the radical
differences in the file structure it is easiest if Unicorn does the upgrade
for you. Simply send your data disk or a disk with all the files with the
extension DAT to Unicorn, along with .45 postage and we will upgrade the
data for you and return it to you within 24 hours.
Everex Extended Memory Boards:
If you are using an Everex extended memory board, and the program locks up,
try putting the program on a bootable disk and leaving the Device line
that references the extended RAM out of the CONFIG.SYS on the program disk.
Then boot the computer from the disk, it should solve the problem. I have
not figured out why it happens with just that make of board, but it does.
Technical Assistance:
Both registered and unregistered Users can obtain technical assistance by
calling (219)563-HOME (4663). Unregistered Users will need to provide the
name and address of where they obtained the software from in order to gain
this assistnace. This will let us go back to that compnay if they are
distributing an older version and it helps us track who is distributing the
program. The number is manned (by a human) from 6:00 to 9:00 PM EST, all
other hours by an answering machine.
Other Unicorn Programs:
All programs are MSDOS compatible, run on 256K RAM, use IBM graphics/laser
printers, mono or colour monitor, and can operate on one/two or hard disk
drives (except DayMaster which requires a hard or high density drive).
The User can set the colours, printer codes, and default data drive. There
are no 'crippled' features or options. The only difference between the
shareware and registered versions is the lack of 'plea' screens on the
registered version and the clarity of the Users conscience.
The *Master Series
AlbumMaster - To help you catalog your Albums and assist you in printing
catalogs, listings and labels for the front of the Album. There are
entries for Album Number, Title, Artist, and up to 12 Tunes on each side
as well as Category and 3 User defined fields. The User can also define
three entries for use as producer, writer, opinions etc. The program will
hold up to 9999 Albums (depending on disk space) and can be used to find
even a single song. It will also produce a list of every Tune you have in
addition to the regular catalogs. Multiple data field Finds! and User
designed listing make this a must have for audiophiles.
CassetteMaster - To help you catalog your cassette tapes and assist you in
printing catalogs, listings and inserts for the case and front of the
tape. There are entries for Tape Number, Title, Artist, and up to 14
Tunes on each side as well as Category. The User can also define three
entries for use as producer, writer, opinions etc. The program will hold
up to 9999 Tapes (depending on disk space) and can be used to find even a
single song. It will also produce a list of every Tune you have in
addition to the regular catalogs. The case inserts not only print all the
tunes, artist, and title but the User defined info as well. Find! and
Criteria print option make this very useful for the 'home recorder' or the
'store bought' cassette tape user.
VideoMaster - To help you catalog your video tapes and assist you in
printing catalogs, standard and User customized listings and labels for the
spine and front of the tape. There are entries for Tape Number, Title,
Rating, Start Point, Star, Co Star, three User defined entries and a eight
line Synopsis as well as Category. You can find any tape by any field.
The system will handle up to 9999 entries, depending on disk space. The
program can handle up to 5 titles per tape, great for the home video buff.
PostCardMaster - The program will help you compose post cards and maintain
addresses on disk. Then you may retrieve either listings of the addresses
and cards, address labels, 3X5 cards, 4X6 post cards or Roladex cards.
The primary purpose of the program is to print post cards, and address
them for you. Post cards cost 1/3 the price of a letter and in some cases
are equally as good ie meeting notices, invitations, change of address.
This program is a replacement for an earlier Unicorn program released in
1984 called FORWARD2.
DayMaster - The program provides you with trivia, birthdays, anniversaries
for a particular date, but also allows you to include your own information
for any date. It also gives a quote for the day, and informs you of any
appointments you might have. All of this can take place at boot up or any
other time you activate the program. The data file contains over 2000
historical events and quotes.
CDMaster - To help you catalog your CDs and assist you in printing
catalogs, listings and labels for the case and front of the CD. There are
entries for CD Number, Title, Artist, and up to 24 Tunes as well as
Category and 3 User defined fields. The program will hold up to 9999 CDs
(depending on disk space) and can be used to find even a single song. It
will also produce a list of every Tune you have in addition to the regular
catalogs and case inserts. Find! option locates CDs by any of the data
fields or by a User defined mix of data fields.
The OMNI* Series
OMNIMeal - Before you push this new program to the side, feeling that you
have several Recipe programs in your inventory and you don't need another,
take a look at the features of OMNIMeal and I believe that you will decide
it is a welcome addition to your library. **Standard Features - Recipe
title; type of recipe, ie Entree, Desert; where you obtained the recipe
from for reference; how many people the recipe feeds; preparation time;
personal notes, ie Low Cholesterol, Bob's Favorite; personal codes to
assist in finding recipes; up to 4 special equipment entries; up to 20
ingredients, each with their own quantity and volume of measurement; and
up to 13 lines of preparation instructions up to 76 characters long.
**Special Features: MulipleXer: an option that allows you to increase or
decrease the number of people served by a particular recipe, and thereby
changing all of the required ingredients automatically; OMNIFind!
allowing you to do extensive searches of the data file based on various
criteria; The choice of printing two one sided, or one two sided 3X5 card
for each recipe. -OMNIPlan for planning a week of meals ahead and giving
you printouts based solely on your choices; OMNIShop a shopping list for
the recipes that you have chosen. This lists not only the ingredients of
all recipes you have chosen but will combine them for ease of use. For
example if you have a recipe that calls for 2 eggs, another that calls for
5 eggs and a third that calls for 1 egg; the OMNIShop listing would tell
you you need 8 eggs. -Complete catalog printing option that will produce
selected recipes perfect for putting in a 3 ring binder.
OMNIDiZk - A disk cataloger and labeling utility. Features: Reads a
floppy into memory and lets you save the data (The saving is optional);
Print out 4 X 1 7/16 or 3 X 15/16 labels as well as catalogs; Perform
Find! searches on any files that you have saved; Print lists of every file
in the data file; Allow complete Updates of disks or of just the title
info; Let you enter a 23 character title, 3 character code and two lines of
remarks up to 52 characters each; Let you set the printer codes to match
your printer; you can also set the colours, and select the data and read
drives.
OMNIDay - Handles up to 10 Users with PassCode protection for privacy,
optional encryption of data with 10,000 possibilities per User automatic
entry of text date line and a full function text editor to handle entries.
The data file is dynamic (only as large as entries) and can be located on
any drive. Entries can be from 1 to 5000 lines with the ability to change
history (Alter Entry) and the ability to make history vanish (Erase Entry).
The Reminisce feature allows user to 'thumb' through entries or they can
print out the entire opus or selected dates. User: defines printer codes,
names data file, sets screen colours, names the opus and enters their name
into program for use on screen and in reports.
The Comp* Series
CompUser - It is a rated cyclopedia with the names, addresses and phone
numbers of shareware distributors, hardware companies, authors, computer
clubs, BBSs and more. Almost 2000 entries are in the complete database
and it is updated almost daily with revisions being mailed out every 120
days. The program creates, edits & prints post cards, address labels and
more. It will also import new data and allow the user to change the data
in the file. Great for clubs (looking for authors and distributors),
shareware authors (looking for markets), shareware libraries (looking for
authors), BBS Users (looking for new BBSs) and the average Comp{ter}User
(looking for all of the above). All entries are rated A,B,C,D, or F for
size of operation and the way that they conduct business. This alone
makes it worthwhile because Users can avoid poorly rated businesses that
have historical problems and lack good customer service.
Check with your favourite shareware dealer or do one of the following:
1. Send three blank formatted disks for each disk desired to Unicorn and
we'll copy them for you. {Each title is on one disk, the extra disks cover
P&H}
2. Send three dollars per title and we'll send them to you.
Enjoy!
Charles P. Schell IV
Author
New Stuff
Version 7.00 Changed Quik Xit key to Quik Info Key.
Added 3 User defined and named fields.
Added 2 lines to Synopsis.
Reformatted Code Structure.
Added Criteria selections.
Added New Custom Form.
Added Printer Set Up.
Version 7.20 Made both Delete and Update selections 'Point & Shoot' to
ease mouse usage.
Tape Number and Title entries for Delete and Update are no
longer 'hidden' options.
ComboZ feature added.
Version 7.40 WordWrap and Right Justify added for Synopsis.
Allow renaming of Data File during initial set up.
Speeded Up and Improved Close 'Nuf feature.