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G.I.F.T.S Gift Ideas For Timely Shopping Version 1.1 USERS' MANUAL Hulen & Associates 2074 Vista Mar Dr. El Dorado Hills, CA 95630-3716 916-933-0911 November 1987 Release (c) Copyright 1987 by Hulen & Associates El Dorado Hills, CA 95630 Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Hulen & Associates. Hulen & Associates assumes no liability for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential, special or exemplary damages, regardless of its having been advised of the possibility of such damages. WELCOME TO USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE ( SHAREWARE ) "User Supported Software" was co-pioneered in 1982 by Jim Button and Andrew Fulegelman. HOW DOES USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE WORK? You are encouraged to copy the G.I.F.T.S. diskettes and share them freely with others. If after trying out the program and using the data base, you decide to continue to use them, you are expected, and trusted, to purchase G.I.F.T.S from the author for only $10.00. WHAT DO I GET FOR MY $10.00? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * You will receive a demo diskette(s) of the complete KeyBASE system; KeyBASE was used to create the GIFTS data base & inquiry program * One year of technical support - by phone or by mail * Notification of updates and fixes (if any) * Inexpensive upgrade offers * Notification of new products * You get to provide input and ideas for new data bases and/or products * A sense of pride and ownership, in having honestly participated in the User Supported Software System * You help keep software prices down, by supporting a distribution method which does not rely on expensive advertising campaigns. So use G.I.F.T.S., and enjoy the fun of legally sharing good software with your friends and associates. But also be aware of the following restrictions, designed to protect the community of User Supported software users and authors, and to prevent greedy people from taking unfair advantage of the trust, hard work, and good will of the User Supported software authors: 1. No price or consideration may be charged. However, a distribution cost may be charged for the cost of the diskettes, shipping, and handling, as long as the charge is not more than $10.00 total. 2. The files and program(s) on the disks may not be modified, deleted, nor added to. 3. The program(s) or data files cannot be sold as part of some other more inclusive package. 4. The program(s) or data files cannot be "rented" or "leased" to others. 5. If you are copying the disks for distribution to students in a classroom, you must provide them with the following written notice: THESE DISKETTES ARE DISTRIBUTED TO YOU THROUGH THE COURTESY OF YOUR SCHOOL AND INSTRUCTOR, AND HULEN & ASSOCIATES. NO ROYALTY OR REGISTRATION FEE HAS BEEN PAID FOR THE PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE FOR YOUR USE AND EVALUATION AS A STUDENT. IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR "GIFTS" FROM HULEN & ASSOCIATES, AS WELL AS ANNOUNCEMENTS OF UPDATES AND IMPROVEMENTS TO PROGRAM(S) OR DATA BASES, YOU MUST FIRST BECOME A "REGISTERED USER." YOU DO THAT BY PURCHASING "GIFTS" DIRECTLY FROM HULEN & ASSOCIATES FOR ONLY $10.00 (U.S.): HULEN & ASSOCIATES 2074 VISTA MAR DR. EL DORADO HILLS, CA 95630-3716 YOU MAY CHARGE TO YOUR VISA OR MASTERCARD BY CALLING (916) 933-0911. IN ADDITION TO BECOMING A "REGISTERED USER" YOU WILL RECEIVE A DEMO DISKETTE(S) OF THE COMPLETE KeyBASE SYSTEM. KeyBASE WAS USED TO CREATE THE G.I.F.T.S. DATA BASE & INQUIRY PROGRAM. <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> NOTICE <*><*> NOTICE: Since G.I.F.T.S. was created using KeyBASE and the INQUIRY program comes directly from KeyBASE, much of this G.I.F.T.S. manual is composed of excerpts from the KeyBASE manual. ................................. : : : YOU SHOULD ONLY NEED TO : : : : READ CHAPTER 2 : : : :...............................: to be able to use the G.I.F.T.S. data base. We include here Chapter 1 from the KeyBASE manual. It may be helpful to you even though it is specific to the KeyBASE product while Chapter 2 is specific to G.I.F.T.S. We hope that you will enjoy using GIFTS, and, convinced by its user friendliness, will want to use the power of KeyBASE for other applications. Table Of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction to KeyBASE...................... 1 1.1 History................................. 1 1.2 Philosophy of KeyBASE................... 2 1.3 Usage Conventions....................... 2 1.3.1 Commands.............................. 2 1.3.2 Typing Text........................... 4 1.3.3 Prompt & Defaults..................... 5 1.4 Color or Mono........................... 5 1.5 How to Use This Manual.................. 6 Chapter 2 Finding Records In the Data Base - Inquiry... 7 2.1 Keyword Selection....................... 8 2.2 Menu Mode............................... 8 2.3 Word Mode............................... 9 2.4 Mode Change............................. 9 2.5 Restore the Last Search................. 9 2.6 Undo the Last Word...................... 9 2.7 Start Over - Void....................... 10 2.8 Display the Records..................... 10 2.9 Exit the Inquiry Program................ 10 2.10 Print Records........................... 10 2.11 Help.................................... 11 Table Of Contents APPENDIX A Glossary of Terms............................ 12 APPENDIX B Installing KeyBASE........................... 14 APPENDIX C Error Messages............................... 16 APPENDIX D Program Structure............................ 17 APPENDIX E Trouble Shooting............................. 19 APPENDIX F Using a Mouse................................ 20 APPENDIX G KeyBASE Specifications....................... 21 APPENDIX H Application of KeyBASE....................... 22 KeyBASE version 2.0 Introduction to KeyBASE p. 1 Chapter 1 Introduction to KeyBASE The G.I.F.T.S. data base was created using a product from Hulen & Associates called KeyBASE. KeyBASE is a contraction of "Key word data BASE", and is a fast, easy-to-use cross reference indexing system. You can quickly create a file of newspaper or magazine articles indexed by subject matter. Or make a file of customers or prospects indexed by product category and/or by type of customer. For many years now one of the big frustrations of putting large amounts of data into a computer has been a lack of ability to find it again. With KeyBASE you can easily enter into the computer a large number of data records and associate multiple keywords to each record. Later you can quickly search and recall records by any of several keywords. Menus of keywords are displayed to you for easy selection. 1.1 History KeyBASE was originally designed and inplemented on the UNIX operating system using C language. However, this version of KeyBASE is designed and programmed for IBM PC's, and clones, running either PC-DOS or MS-DOS. The roots of KeyBASE go back many years to research that was done on large IBM mainframes. Many of these techniques have been refined and implemented in various information systems since. Most implementations of fast, efficient data search techniques have not been very easy to learn or to use. In 1984 we saw the need for a product that would use state-of-the-art computer search techniques implemented in a user friendly way. We also wanted this product to be able to run on a variety of computers from large mainframes down to small personal computers. This was the beginning of KeyBASE. KeyBASE is more of an "information storage and retrieval" system than a generalized data base system. Generalized data base systems were originaly designed to organize data records in such a way as to allow "other programs" to retrieve all or part of a record. Each part of a record, a field, had to be defined, with records containing many fields. In a data base the data is organized by some control sequence, such as "account number" or "customer name". The key point here is that the data base was designed for other programs to access. In this manner the same data could be shared between an "accounting" program and an "inventory control" program. It was only as an afterthought that ways for humans to access the data were developed. Humans, sitting at keyboards, can only retrieve information from a conventional data base system with great difficulty and with a lot of training. In an information storage and retrieval system the main objective is to allow people, not other programs, easy access to the information. Since KeyBASE is always "talking" to a person, namely you, it should be responsive and should interact with you. KeyBASE version 2.0 Introduction to KeyBASE p. 2 We refer to our collection of data records and their associated indexes as a data base, but KeyBASE is an "information storage and retrieval" system that uses a very special type of data base organization. KeyBASE can also be described as a "Computer-Assisted-Retrieval" ( CAR ) system. In a CAR system only the indexing information is on the computer with the actual documents or drawings being kept on paper or on microfilm. The "Computer-Assisted-Retrieval" system will provide the sequence number of the microfilm to be viewed, or the paper file access number. In addition, KeyBASE will provide you with a synopsis of the document, drawing, or article. This will provide you with the ability to view the synopsis on-line without forcing you to type the entire document or article into the computer. 1.2 Philosophy of KeyBASE We wanted to develop a product that was easy to use and yet had many powerful functions. However, there is always a conflict between ease of use and lots of functionality. KeyBASE is a blend of powerful and useful functions with a simple and easy to use program structure. KeyBASE uses a combination of menus and commands. Menu selection is used where it seems appropriate, such as a menu of all keywords in the data base. Each data base will have its own set of keywords; therefore it is not reasonable to expect you to memorize hundreds of keywords. There can be up to 255 keywords for any one data base. Many times all of the keywords can not be displayed on the screen at one time, so a portion of them will be displayed at any one time. A simple keystroke will allow you to go forward or backward through the entire list. As you move through the word list different menus will be created for you. There are several commands available to you. All of the commands are a single keystroke; therefore, typing is minimized. One command is the <F1> key, which is the "Help" key. This will cause a pop-up help menu to appear. Another command is the <F7> or <Alt-u> key to "Undo" the last selection. Since KeyBASE can build a computer index into almost any type of existing file or type of information resource, we needed to provide for flexible display formats. We provide, with the KeyBASE distribution system, several "standard" formats; however we know that many of you will wish to create your own formats. Creating your own display formats is discussed in Chapter 4. 1.3 Usage Conventions There are several conventions used throughout KeyBASE that will help you understand the manual and use the programs. 1.3.1 Commands All KeyBASE commands are a single keystroke. For example "Help" can always be invoked by pressing Function Key <F1>. KeyBASE version 2.0 Introduction to KeyBASE p. 3 Many commands are displayed in the top two (2) lines of the display screen. If you see a command line of: (A)ppend (D)elete (H)elp (Q)uit then you may invoke a command one of two ways: 1) Use the cursor arrow keys to "HIGHLIGHT" the command and then press the <Enter> key, or 2) Type the command letter indicated by the ()'s. For exampple, type 'a' for (A)ppend, or 'q' for (Q)uit. The command letter may be either upper or lower case. ie: 'A' or 'a' for the (A)ppend command. Commands are NEVER echoed back to you. If you press 'q' for (Q)uit, the 'q' character is not displayed on the screen at the cursor position. ( You would not expect KeyBASE to echo the <F10> key would you? ) If you use method 1) above, you will notice that as you "HIGHLIGHT" different commands the topmost line gives a short explanation of each command. Some parts of KeyBASE allow commands to be issued while typing text. In this case we can not allow a command letter to be a normal text character such as A thru Z, or a thru z, because those characters may be part of the normal text line. We take care of these conditions in two ways: 1) Press a Function Key. Example: <F2> for Mode Change, or 2) Press a key while holding down the special <Alt> key. This is called an <Alt-x> key combination. For example the <Alt-m> key may also be used to invoke a Mode Change. NOTE: An <Alt-x> key combination is considered to be a single keystroke and is NOT echoed. We always show the <Alt> key in combination with a lower case letter, such as <Alt-d> and not <Alt-D>. There is a reason. Some PC's do not perform correctly when an upper case letter is used. ie: <Alt-Shift-d>. CONVENTION #1 Always use the <Alt> key in combination with a lower case letter. In KeyBASE we use the notation of (~A) to imply a command of <Alt-a>. You will see the notation of (~A)ppend, (~D)elete, or e(~X)it. NOTE: The <Alt-x> command always means to e(~X)it from an operation. All of the <Alt-?> commands have a corresponding Function Key. See Fig. 1. Users who are accomplished touch typists may choose to use the <alt-m> key combination, while non-typist may choose to press <F2>. KeyBASE version 2.0 Introduction to KeyBASE p. 4 (~H)elp (~M)ode_chg prin(~T) (~L)ast (~D)isplay (~U)ndo (~V)oid F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F7 F8 Fig. 1 1.3.2 Typing Text There are occasions when you will be typing a text line, such as typing the name of the KeyBASE Data Base, or typing information into a field of a record. During these times the keyboard characters will be echoed back to you, and you can see each character that is typed. In this case you need to press the <Enter> or <Return> key to tell KeyBASE that you are through typing. On some keyboards this key is labeled <Enter> and on others it is labeled <Return>. In this manual we will always refer to it as the <Enter> key. CONVENTION #2 Command keystrokes are NEVER echoed. CONVENTION #3 If the keys ARE being echoed, then you need to end the line by pressing the <Enter> key. Therefore, if you are typing but the keystrokes are not being echoed to the screen, then KeyBASE is expecting a command. It may be that you need to press a Function Key or an <Alt-e> key combination. You will learn that KeyBASE is very MENU driven. That is to say that wherever possible and practical we will present you with a menu of choices, such as a menu of possible keywords. SELECTIONS FROM A MENU ARE TREATED AS A COMMAND. CONVENTION #4 Function Key <F1> is ALWAYS the "Help" key. CONVENTION #5 Function Key <F10> is ALWAYS the "Quit" key. Another very important key is the Escape or <Esc> key. As the name ( Escape ) implies, KeyBASE will use the <Esc> key to try to ESCAPE from the current operation. Later chapters will explain exactly where and when to use the <Esc> key effectively, but if you find yourself in an unfamiliar or unintended portion of the program, try the <Esc> key. KeyBASE version 2.0 Introduction to KeyBASE p. 5 CONVENTION #6 When in doubt, press either the <F1> Help key or the <Esc> key. If in trouble, try the <Alt-x> to e(~X)it or <F10> to Quit. In all cases it is best to have read the manual first. 1.3.3 Prompt & Defaults Since KeyBASE is very interactive with the user, you will see many types of responses and prompts. A prompt is where the program asks for you to respond to a directive or a question. For example: Enter the File Name = _ is a prompt. In this case the program is asking you to type a name, and as you type the characters will be echoed back to the screen and you will have to press <Enter> to complete the typing operation. NOTE: In our examples the underscore '_' represents the cursor on your screen. When the prompt line is blank directly over, and to the right of, the cursor there is no default option and you must type something. If you see a prompt line as follows: Enter the Disk Drive = _C: then the portion over and to the right of the cursor is called the DEFAULT. Pressing the <Enter> key is the same as typing C:<Enter>. Another example of a default is: Do You Wish to Delete More? ( Y - N ) : _N In this case you may just press <Enter> to answer No. Or you could type n<Enter> to answer No. If you wish to answer Yes, then you will have to type y<Enter>. 1.4 Color and Mono Boards KeyBASE will try to detect if there is a color board present and if so will use color display attributes. However some computers and boards will fool the configuration testing. For example, in some of the Compaq models with a monochrome display the program thinks that there is a color display. In this case the display contrast is not as good as it should be. KeyBASE version 2.0 Introduction to KeyBASE p. 6 If your display has various shades of amber or green instead of color you may wish to try the following: At the DOS prompt to start any of the KeyBASE programs add a "MONO" parameter after the program name. For example to start the inquiry program: C> gifts -mono or C> gifts -m to force the program to use monochrome attributes instead of color attributes. 1.5 How to Use This Manual The remainder of this manual is organized as follows: Chapter 2 discusses INQUIRY, the ability to search the data base for selected records. Appendix A is a Glossary of Terms. If KeyBASE has not been installed on your computer, you will need to skip to Appendix B and do the installation. Appendix C is for Error Messages. Appendix D graphically shows the structure of the inquiry program and the commands that are available. Appendix E will help you trouble shoot any strange KeyBASE behavior. Appendix F reviews using a mouse with KeyBASE. Appendix G has the specifications for version 2.0. And Appendix H discusses some practical applications of KeyBASE. G.I.F.T.S version 2.0 Inquiry p. 7 Chapter 2 Finding Records In the G.I.F.T.S. Data Base - Inquiry The Inquiry program for the G.I.F.T.S. data base is named GIFTS.EXE. As stated earlier, the G.I.F.T.S. data base was created using the KeyBASE software product. In addition we use the INQUIRY program from KeyBASE to search the G.I.F.T.S. data base. The purpose of the INQUIRY program is to assist you in searching the entire data base to select out only those few records in which you are interested at the moment. Please refer to Chapter 3 for another example of a search using the INQUIRY program. To load and start the inquiry program, type its name: C> gifts or C> gifts -mono ( See Section 1.4 of this manual ) there will be a pause while the inquiry program and part of the data base is loaded in, and a screen of instructions will appear. Press any key to continue. The next screen should look like Figure 2-1. --------------------------------------------------- (~H)elp (~M)ode prin(~T) (~L)ast (~D)isplay (~U)ndo (~V)oid e(~X)it quit F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F7 F8 F9 F10 KeyBASE Inquiry Menu Area is Now Active. Use cursor arrows, <Home> <End> or <Esc> a $10-20 g BOY m FRIEND s IMPERSONAL b $100-500 h COLLEGE STUDENT n FUN t LAST_MINUTE c $20-50 i COMPUTER o GIFTS_AUTHOR u LUXURIOUS d $50-100 j EDUCATIONAL p GIRL v MAN e <$10 k ELDERLY q HOBBY w MIDDLE-AGED f >$500 l FAMILY r HOMEMADE < Pg Dn > START: 6.2 KeyBASE by Hulen & Associates - Version 2.0 - GIFTS --------------------------------------------------- Figure 2-1 Menu of Keywords G.I.F.T.S version 2.0 Inquiry p. 8 2.1 Keyword Selection Figure 2-1 is a Menu of Keywords. In GIFTS, some words are a price range, such as "$20-50" to indicate those records "in the $20 to $50 range". A search is conducted by selecting a series of keywords. As we select more keywords the number of "FOUND" records will usually decrease because with each keyword selection we are selecting a new subset from the previous set of "FOUND" records. This is called "ANDing" because, for example, we find those records marked MIDDLE-AGED "AND" those marked MAN. Keywords may be addressed in two ways: by menu mode or word mode. Figure 2.1 indicates we are currently in menu mode. 2.2 Menu Mode Within menu mode, there are two ways to make a menu selection: 1) Type the letter code for the keyword. In the example of Figure 2.1, type "m" for "FRIEND". (You will notice that all keywords appear in upper case and their associated letter codes appear in lower case on the menu.) or 2) Use the cursor. One of the menu items is always highlighted. You may use the cursor arrow keys to move the highlight around the menu. To select a keyword, highlight it, then press the <Enter> key. It does not matter which method you choose, and, of course, you can mix the methods to suit your style. You will also notice that the keywords are arranged in alphabetical order on the menu, and that the letter code for the particular keyword will vary, depending upon the particular screen you are viewing. Note: Always enter the code as it appears on the current screen. In Section 2.1 we discussed the concept of ANDing keywords together. ie: MIDLE-AGED AND MAN. KeyBASE also allows you to say AND NOT WORD, so that you may ask for FRIEND AND NOT HOMEMADE. In MENU MODE you select NOT words one of two ways: 1) Use the cursor arrow keys to HIGHLIGHT the word, BUT instead of pressing <Enter>, press <Ctrl-Enter>. That is, hold down the <Ctrl> key while pressing the <Enter> key, or or 2) Use the letter code of the menu item. To get a NOT relationship press the upper case of the letter code. For example if the menu item is: r HOMEMADE then 'r' is the letter code for the word HOMEMADE. To search for NOT HOMEMADE press the 'R' key. ie: <Shift> and <R>. G.I.F.T.S version 2.0 Inquiry p. 9 2.3 Word Mode In WORD MODE you must type (spell) out the keywords. You can type in either upper or lower case and KeyBASE will convert to upper case for searching. If you are in WORD mode and you type a word that is not in the data base, such as "garp", the program will respond with << GARP IS NOT FOUND >> Another feature of WORD mode is the ability to find all of the words beginning with some letter, or string of letters. We call this a "generic search" capability. For example, to find the keywords beginning with the letter 'Y' you type Y* This will change the mode to MENU mode and will display a menu showing the words beginning with 'Y'. Or while in WORD mode you can display a menu showing words beginning with "CO" by typing co* This is useful if you are in WORD mode and do not remember how to spell a word. Or it is useful when the keyword list is very large, ie: 200 words, so that the number of menus to scroll through is large. In WORD MODE you select NOT words by preceeding the typed word with the '~' or the '|' character. For example, to search NOT HOMEMADE, you type either ~homemade or |homemade. Note that there is no space between the '~' and the word. 2.4 Mode Change You may shift between the MENU and WORD modes at any time during an inquiry by pressing the Function Key <F2>, or pressing the <Alt-m> key. 2.5 Restore the Last Search The (~L)ast command will restore the last set of records and the previous set of selected keywords. Now you can view them again using the (~D)isplay command or you could print them to the printer ( See next Section ) or you may continue to refine the selection by choosing another keyword. Please note that this command will ONLY be accepted at the "START" prompt, or while displaying records. 2.6 Undo the Last Word We can UNDO the last word selection with the Undo command. When you press <F7> or <Alt-u> KeyBASE will "backup" to the previous subset of FOUND records. You can only "UNDO" the latest selection. In other words you cannot do two UNDO commands in a row. However, you do not have to wait until the G.I.F.T.S version 2.0 Inquiry p. 10 number of FOUND records goes to zero before you can use the UNDO command. During an inquiry selection you can UNDO a word, select another word, and if you wish UNDO it also. Therefore, you may do more than one UNDO during an inquiry as long as you do not try two UNDO's in a row. 2.7 Start Over - Void The (~V)oid command will Void the current inquiry. The effect is to force you back to the "START" of a search. Void will erase all of the keywords selected, and will erase any subsets of FOUND records. Not erase them from the data base, but from the selected list of the inquiry. Use <Alt-v> or Function Key <F8> to Void. 2.8 Display the Records To display "found" records on the screen we press Function Key <F5>. For those of you who like mnemonics you may press the <Alt-d> key, for (~D)isplay, instead of <F5>. KeyBASE will respond as shown in Figure 3-2. When you are ready to view the next record you press <F5> again. (Or you may press <Alt-d>, <Enter>, <Spacebar>, or any one of several keys.) Since the most natural thing to do at this point is to view all of the found records, we make "do-not-continue-viewing" the exception. Continue to press <F5> until the "BEEP" sounds and the header line shows that there are ** NO MORE RECORDS ** to be displayed. The "BEEP" is just a warning that the next time you press <F5> you will not get another record display, but rather the KEYWORD MENU will be re-displayed so that you are ready to make another inquiry selection. Press <F5> one more time to get the MENU displayed. You should also see the "START" prompt. If you displaying a large number of records and decide not to continue to view the remaining "found" records, press the <Alt-x>, e(~X)it, or <F9> key. This will terminate the display operation and will take you back to "START". It is important to know how to complete an inquiry to get back to the "START" prompt. Once an inquiry has been started there are three (3) ways to complete it: 1) Display all of the found records using the <F5> or <Alt-d> key. 2) Void the current inquiry using the <F8> or <Alt-v) key. 3) Print the found records using the <F3> or <Alt-t> key. 2.9 Exit the Inquiry Program Use either the e(~X)it command, <Alt-x>, or Function Key <F10> to exit the inquiry program and return to DOS. 2.10 Print Records The prin(~T) command, <Alt-T> or <F3>, will print the FOUND subset of records on your printer. G.I.F.T.S version 2.0 Inquiry p. 11 KeyBASE will create a temporory disk file of records to be printed, and then it will send the file to the print spooler. The DOS command PRINT also uses the DOS spool function. Please refer to your DOS manual for more information on the DOS PRINT command. If you have more than one printer attached to your Personal Computer, KeyBASE will use the one assigned to the spooler. Your DOS manual will help you select the proper printer / device to specify for spooling, or use the default device PRN. Once records have been sent to the print spooler you will see a message to "press any key to continue". Press, and continue inquiries, or exit KeyBASE while printing occurs. 2.11 Help KeyBASE will always respond to pressing Function Key <F1> for HELP. There are several pop-up help windows that are sensitive to where you are in the program. G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 12 APPENDIX A Glossary of Terms ALT KEY Used in combination with other keys to give special commands. Press the <Alt> key at the same time as you press another key. CONTROL KEY Used in combination with other keys to give special commands. Press the <Ctrl> key at the same time as you press another key. CURSOR The lighted shape on the screen that shows where the next character you type will appear. The cursor is usually a blinking line or small box. CURSOR ARROWS Four arrow keys, usually in a cluster; to move the up, down, left, or right. DATA BASE NAME Same as a pathname except there is no filename extension. See pathname definition. Example: \KB\MYFILE\MYFILE DIRECTORY A table of contents for a disk. The directory contains the names of your files. Refer to your DOS manual. DISKETTE Flexible magnetic media used for storing programs and files. FILE A collection of related information on disk. FILENAME A filename can be from one to eight characters in length and can have an extension of up to three characters separated from the filename by a period (.). FILENAME EXTENSION A filename extension contains from one to three characters. Most application programs supply their own extensions for files they create. HARD DISK Sometines called a fixed disk, one that is built into the computer. KEYWORD A word or phrase, of up to fifteen (15) characters in length. Examples: "THIS_IS_ONE_KEY", ">_$500.00", "3 BEDROOMS", or "C_LANGUAGE ". MNEMONIC A technique or code intended to assist memory. PATHNAME DOS defines a pathname as a sequence of directory names followed by a file name. Each directory name is separated from the previous one by a backslash (\). The general form of a pathname is as follows: [\directoryname] [\directoryname..] \filename Example: \KB\MYFILE\MYFILE.KBK G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 13 PROGRAM A set of instructions written in computer language, that tells the computer how to perform some task. PROMPT A word, phrase, or symbol that DOS or KeyBASE shows on the screen to tell you it is ready for you to type something. ROOT DIRECTORY The first level in a multilevel directory is the root directory. Refer to your DOS manual. WORKING DIRECTORY You can move around in a multilevel directory system. The directory that you are currently in is called the working directory. Refer to your DOS manual. G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 14 APPENDIX B Installing G.I.F.T.S. <*> TYPE or PRINT the README file on the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette. TO VIEW THE README FILE: 1) Insert the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive A: 2) A> TYPE A:README TO PRINT THE README FILE: 1) Insert the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive A: 2) A> COPY A:README PRN: TO VIEW THE G.I.F.T.S. MANUAL: 1) Insert the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive A: 2) A> TYPE A:MANUAL TO PRINT THE G.I.F.T.S. MANUAL: 1) Insert the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive A: 2) A> COPY A:MANUAL PRN: The documentation is more than twenty-five pages long, so have enough paper and time available. TO INSTALL G.I.F.T.S. ON A HARD DISK: Put the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive A: and set the DOS default prompt to the hard drive. For example: to install on drive C: 1) Insert the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive A: 2) C> CD C:\ ( change directory to the root dir. of C: ) 3) C> MKDIR C:\GIFTS ( "gifts" will be the new directory name ) 4) C> CD \GIFTS ( change directory to the new name "gifts" ) 5) C> COPY A:GIFTS.* ( copy from drive A: to C:\gifts\gifts.* ) G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 15 or there is a batch file on the distribution diskette that will do all of the above steps for you. Just type the following: C> A:HARDDISK TO INSTALL GIFTS ON A FLOPPY DISK: Put the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive B: and put a clean diskette in drive A: 1) Insert the G.I.F.T.S. distribution diskette in drive B: 2) Insert a blank ( newly formatted ) diskette in drive A: 3) ?> A: 4) A> COPY B:GIFTS.* ( copy from drive B: to drive A: ) TO EXECUTE GIFTS: C> GIFTS PLEASE REFER TO THE MANUAL, ESPECIALLY CHAPTER 2 G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 16 APPENDIX C Error Messages The only true error messages are also fatal errors and fall into one of two categories. 1) Disk File Open Errors, and 2) Disk File Read Errors An Open error should not occur if G.I.F.T.S. was installed correctly. See Appendix B for installation instructions. If Read Errors occur immediately after installation, re-try the installation procedure. If Read Errors start occuring some time after installation, then one of the three (3) disk files that make up the GIFTS data base has been damaged. Also re-install the system from the distribution disks. G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 17 APPENDIX D Screen Layout Overview The following shows the layout of a typical display screen in KeyBASE. .......................................................................... : : : Command Area : :........................................................................: : Program I.D. : :........................................................................: : : : : : : : Display / Work Area : : : : : : : : : :........................................................................: : : : Prompt Area : : : :........................................................................: : ( manual ref.) Information Line ( data base name ) : :........................................................................: The Command Area will be one of two types: 1) Highlighted Commands, of the form: Short Description of the Highlighted Command (A)ppend (D)elete (H)elp (Q)uit -------- where the top line changes as different commands are highlighted. 2) <Alt> key Commands, of the form: (~H)elp (~M)ode_chg (~D)isplay (~U)ndo e(~X)it quit <F1> <F2> <F5> <F7> <F9> <F10> where the top line is a mnemonic (ie: <Alt-d> for (~D)isplay ), for the command, and the second line is the Function Key for the same command. The Display / Work Area is where menus and "found" records are displayed. It is the area where record formats are displayed for data entry. The Prompt Area is where menu selections and the number of found records are reported. The left portion of the Information Line is Section Number of the manual that applies to the current screen. The right portion of the Info. Line shows the name of the current Data Base. G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 18 APPENDIX D OVERVIEW G.I.F.T.S. Command / Program Structure Program Name is GIFTS - the KeyBASE Program to Inquire into the Data Base REF COMMANDS TASK 6.1........{ keyword selections }...............Search the Data Base for : : Records to Display or Print. : : 6.2 : : - Menu Mode of Keyword : : Selection. : : 6.3 : : - Word Mode of Keyword : : Selection. : : 6.4 :..(~M)ode_chg......F2.....: -Toggle Between Menu & Word : : Modes. : : 6.5 :..(~L)ast..........F3.....: -Restore the Last Set of : : Selected Words. : : 6.6 :..(~U)ndo..........F7.....: -Undo the Last Word Selected. : : : : 6.7 :..(~V)oid..........F8.....: -Start Over. Void the Current : Set of Selected Words. : 6.8 :..(~D)isplay.......F5..................Display the Few Records : Found as a Result of the : Search of the Data Base. : 6.9 :..e(~X)it..........F9..................Terminate (Exit) the Display : Command of Above. : 6.10 :..prin(~T).........F4..................Print the Found Records. G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 19 APPENDIX E Trouble Shooting * The G.I.F.T.S. inquiry program GIFTS.EXE expects that the three (3) files that make up the data base, namely GIFTS.KBD, GIFTS.KBK, and GIFTS.KBT, are in the same directory as GIFTS.EXE. * If you have a Personal Computer with a color graphics board but have a mono- chrome display attached, or a video graphics board that is non-IBM standard you may want to try to execute the program with the following: C> GIFTS -MONO Refer to Section 1.4 in the manual. * In an effort to speed up the writting of text to the display screen the GIFTS program addresses the display space directly. It expects that the monochrome display address starts at 0x0B0000 ( Hex ), while the color display buffer is at 0x0B8000. If your board does not follow this convention it will not be compatable with GIFTS, or with IBM. G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 20 APPENDIX F Using a Mouse Version 2.0 of KeyBASE does not support the use of a mouse directly, however there is a way to indirectly get mouse support for the LOGIMOUSE from LOGITEC, Inc. For those of you that own a LOGIMOUSE C7, with three (3) buttons, we provide an GIFTS.DEF file. LOGITEC supplies two software programs with the purchase of their mouse, they are CLICK, and LOGIMENU. The GIFTS.DEF file is used by the LOGIMENU program to emulate cursor arrow keys and other keys by translating mouse movements and mouse button activity. Please refer to your LOGIMOUSE C7 User's Manual for the use of CLICK and LOGIMENU. With our GIFTS.DEF file, and LOGIMENU, you can use the LOGIMOUSE to do inquiries. The mouse is moved to HIGHLIGHT a menu item. The right button is used to select a menu item. The left button is used to select NOT item. And the middle button is used to display found records. GIFTS.DEF specifies the following: MOUSE ACTIVITY to emulate PC KEYBOARD ---------------- ------------- Left Movement Left Cursor Arrow Right Movement Right Cursor Arrow Up Movement Up Cursor Arrow Down Movement Down Cursor Arrow Left Button <Enter> key Right Button <Ctrl-Enter> key Middle Button Function Key <F5> G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 21 APPENDIX G KeyBASE Specifications Version 2.0 of KeyBASE has the following specifications: - Up to 255 unique keywords per data base. - Up to 16,000 records per data base. - Record size is variable and is defined by the format chosen or created by the user. The maximum record size is 1216 bytes, which is 80 characters by 15 lines plus 16 bytes of overhead. A typical format will be less than 1,000 bytes per record. The record size is determined by the size and number of data fields, not by the text lines. - The record ( screen ) format may contain up to twenty-four (24) data fields and twenty-four (24) text lines. - The total disk space requirements may be approximated by the following calculation: let REC = record size in bytes NO = the number of records in the data base KEYS = the number of keywords in the data base SIZE = bytes of disk storage then SIZE = 9140 + (REC * NO) + (2000 * KEYS) G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 22 APPENDIX H Application of KeyBASE KeyBASE can be applied to a variety of problems and uses. Some examples are: REFERENCE TECHNICAL JOURNALS Use the bibliographic record format to create an index into the many technical journals that you read. Create your own personal data base and have the librarian of the your company's Technical Reference Library create a data base containing each reference book. CHRON FILE INDEX Most business people who send or receive a large amount of correspondence have chronological (chron) files where letters and memos are filed in the order they are sent or received. Create a computer index into your chron files where the keywords are subject oriented. INDEX OF SUPPLIERS If you are a purchaser for a company, create a data base with the name and address of each of your suppliers indexed by type of item supplied, such as electronic components, power supplies, software, computer supplies, office supplies, etc. EMPLOYEE SKILLS INDEX Many organizations keep a skills index for each employee. Use KeyBASE to make a record for each employee and assign keywords for each skill type or level. CONTACTS & RESOURCES INDEX Everyone has a file of business cards from customers, prospects, suppliers, friends, acquaintances, and other contacts. How do you file them? Maybe by the name of the person, the name of the company, or by the type of business they are in. A KeyBASE data base is much more effective than a rollidex, or stack of cards. You create your own keyword index that fits your working and thinking style. REAL ESTATE A real estate office can create a data base of its own listings, indexed by price range, number of bedrooms, number of baths, location, schools, pool, spa, other features, etc. G.I.F.T.S. Data Base p. 23 SELL SPECIALIZED DATA BASES If you have special knowledge or have access to information that is not generally available to others, use KeyBASE to create a data base to sell. You may obtain an O.E.M. agreement from Hulen & Associates to resell just the KeyBASE inquiry program to go with your unique data base product. OTHER You are limited only by your imagination in ways to apply KeyBASE to your job, your company, and your personal life. We have included two data bases as part of the KeyBASE product. One is a GIFTS idea data base, the other references quotes by famous, and not so famous, people. SPREAD THE WORD If you have implemented a unique data base application using KeyBASE we would like to hear about your success story.