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────────────────────────────────
V : Log
Professional
Video Library
Management
────────────────────────────────
────── Program Operation ───────
Version 3
Copyright (C) 1988-1992 Sprenger Development
All Rights Reserved
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CONTENTS
Topic Page
----- ----
Part I - BEFORE YOU START .......................... 2
Read The "README" File ...................... 2
Command Line Arguments ...................... 2
Configuration Files ......................... 3
Part II - STARTING THE PROGRAM ..................... 3
Startup ..................................... 3
The V:Log Screen ............................ 4-5
V:Log Files ................................. 5
Part III - THE EDITOR .............................. 5
Entering Scenes In The Editor ............... 5-7
Entry Mode .................................. 7
Tag and Auto Tag ............................ 7-8
Movement Keys (Editor) ...................... 8
Commands .................................... 8-9
Part IV - FILES and REEL INFO ...................... 10
The File Selection Window ................... 10-11
Loading A File .............................. 11
Marked Scenes ............................... 11
Reel Info ................................... 12
Part V - OTHER TOPICS .............................. 12
PIK Files ................................... 12-13
Text and Merge Output ....................... 13-14
Where To Go From Here ....................... 14
Page 1 - V:Log Operation
─────────────────────────
Part I - BEFORE YOU START
─────────────────────────
Read The "README" File
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
There may be a file titled "README" on the disk. A
'readme' file contains last-minute information and
updates. Always read any 'readme' files before using a
new or updated piece of software.
Also take a few minutes to read the file "INTRO.DOC".
This file has a brief description of the program and
introductory material. There is also a listing of the
files on the disk as well as an overview of the
documentation files.
Command Line Arguments
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
There are a number of characteristics of V:Log which
you can control; for example, the display colors and
printing options. There are two ways to control these
characteristics: command line arguments and
configuration files.
A command line argument is information which alters,
modifies, or supplies information to a computer program
when you start up that program. For example, to use a
monochrome monitor and line printer #2, type "VLOG MONO
LP2" [ENTER] to start the program. (A batch file is a
handy way to use regular command line arguments. See
your DOS manual.)
MONO .................. Forces monochrome display values. Intended
for systems with a color display adapter
but a monochrome monitor. It is also
handy for running on a laptop with LCD screen.
SNO_ON ................ Some older CGA display adapters are notorious
SNO_OFF for showing "snow" when information is written
to the screen. The methods used to minimize
this effect, however, slow down the (apparent)
speed of the program.
LFOFF ................. Some printers automatically perform a line
feed whenever a carriage return character is
received. The result is that the standard
CR/LF combination will cause TWO line feeds,
leaving a blank line between every printed
line. "LFOFF" cancels the additional line
feed.
HELP .................. Displays a help screen, showing the program
name, version number, and all of the command
line arguments which are available.
Page 2 - V:Log Operation
Configuration Files
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Another way to control characteristics of V:Log
is with a configuration file.
A configuration file is created with a separate program
("VLCONFIG.EXE"), provided on the disk which you
received. A configuration file allows you control over
many characteristics of V:Log, including some for which
there are no command line equivalents.
For more information on how to create and use
configuration files, see the file "VLCONFIG.DOC".
───────────────────────────────
Part II - STARTING THE PROGRAM
───────────────────────────────
Startup
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If you are using floppy drives, place the V:Log Work Disk
into one of the drives and close the drive door. Be
sure the DOS prompt is showing the letter of that drive
("A>" or "B>").
If you are using a hard drive, be sure that the drive
letter of the hard drive is showing at the DOS prompt
(probably "C>"). If the V:Log program is in a
subdirectory, and that subdirectory is not the current
directory, type "CD\(subdirectory name)" [ENTER].
Type "VLOG" followed by any command line arguments you
wish to use. Make sure that there is at least one space
between each command line argument. Then press [ENTER].
After a few seconds, you'll see the V:Log startup screen,
including the program name, version number and a
copyright notice. Press any key on your keyboard. The
screen will change to the V:Log screen.
Page 3 - V:Log Operation
The V:Log Screen
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
│File│ Editor Search Utilities
┌──────────────┐
│ New log │
│▒Load▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│
│ Save │
│ Reel info │
│ Print queue │
│ Text output │
│ Merge output │
│ Quit Alt X │
└──────────────┘
0 AutoHr + AutoTag + IN-OUT Trim + LOG: NOFILE.LOG
F3-edit F5-set F6-entry F7-trim mode F8-print ALT X-quit
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Along the top row of your screen is the menu bar, which
lists the main menus: "File", "Editor", "Search" and
"Utilities". There are descriptions of each Menu
command in the file "REFERNCE.DOC".
When you start the program, the File Menu will be
displayed. To see the other three main menus, use the
[RIGHT ARROW] and [LEFT ARROW] keys. Another way to go
to a main menu is to hold down the [ALT] key and press
the first letter of the menu name. For example, the
[ALT] [S] key combination will move you to the "Search"
menu.
There are two ways to make selections from the main
menus.
The first way is to move the highlight bar to the
operation you want to perform, using the [UP ARROW] and
[DOWN ARROW] keys. Then press [ENTER].
The second way is to simply type the capitalized
letter in the command (usually the first letter) of the
choice which you wish to make. When you do, the
highlight bar will move to your selection and that
operation will begin.
Along the bottom of your screen are two lines of text:
the upper of these is the Status Line.
0 AutoHr + AutoTag + IN-OUT Trim + LOG: NOFILE.LOG
Page 4 - V:Log Operation
The Status Line shows the total number of scenes in the
Editor (none so far); the status of the Auto Hour,
Entry Mode and Trim Mode (which we'll look at soon),
and the active file. Since no files have been loaded,
the default name "NOFILE.LOG" is shown.
Below the Status Line is the Command Line.
F3-edit F5-set F6-entry F7-trim mode F8-print ALT X-quit
This line shows you most of the commands which are
available at any given time. The command line commands
change, depending on your current activity. Some
commands are invoked using Function keys (F keys).
Other commands use letter keys and key combinations.
V:Log Files
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
There are two types of V:Log files: "LOG" files and
"PIK" files.
LOG files are logs of your source videotapes. LOG files
contain information about each scene in the tape being
logged, including start and stop time codes, the
duration, a text description, and the Record Mode. In
addition, LOG files contain information about how, when
and where the tape was shot. This information is called
the "Reel Info".
The other V:Log file type is PIK files. PIK
files ("pick files") contain scenes which you've
selected from your LOG files, for an edit list or
simply a list of "best takes". You will learn more
about LOG files and PIK files as you proceed through
this tutorial.
─────────────────────
Part III - THE EDITOR
─────────────────────
Entering Scenes In The Editor
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
From any of the Main Menus, push [F3]. You will see a
blinking cursor on the top line of the Editor area. The
Command Line on the bottom of the screen now shows the
Editor commands:
Append Insert Edit Block Mark Recmode Find Trim F5-F6-F7-F8 ESC
Page 5 - V:Log Operation
The Editor commands are activated by simply pressing the
first letter of the command, or pressing a Function key.
Each command is described in detail further below.
Press the [A] key, for "Append". A blank time code
(filled with zeroes) will appear:
(Start Time Code) (Description)
│ │
00:00:00:00
00:00:00:00 -00:00:00:00- V A1 A2
│ │ │
(End Time Code) (Duration) (Record Mode)
The cursor should be at the frames position in the
Start time code. Type a number, say "15". When you
do, the cursor will automatically move to the seconds
position. Type "30" for the seconds. As you can see,
Time Code entry is right-justified: frames, seconds,
minutes, then hours.
You can finish entering time code at any time by
pressing [ENTER]. Assume that you don't need to enter a
minutes number for this scene. Press the [ENTER] key.
The cursor will drop to the End time code. Enter 20,
20, 02. You can push the [+] key to add 1 to the number
you are entering, or press [-] to subtract 1.
The cursor will move to the description area and wait
for you to type in a scene description. Type in a
description of an imaginary scene, up to 57 characters.
Then press [ENTER].
The Duration time code, below the description, will be
automatically calculated. When you are done, your scene
should look something like this:
00:00:30:15 Your scene description is here.
00:02:20:20 -00:01:50:05- V A1 A2
Below, there will be another blank time code, ready for
the next scene. Let's type in one more scene. This
time, for the minutes, type "65".
Obviously, there can't be 65 minutes in an hour. The
computer will beep and the cursor will back up and wait
for you to enter an appropriate number of minutes. You
can enter minutes and seconds up to 59, and frames up to
29. This time type in "10".
Page 6 - V:Log Operation
You will also receive an error message if you try to
enter a negative duration: if the End time is earlier
(a lower number) than the Start time.
As you enter time codes, you can use the left and right
arrow keys to move to any of the time code positions
(except the hour position; we'll deal with that exception
shortly). The cursor will go to the description area
when you press [ENTER] or when you enter a valid number
of minutes or hours.
Finish entering a scene and press [ENTER]. This time,
when the next blank time code appears, press the [ESC]
key.
Entry Mode
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Each scene has three time code numbers: Start, End, and
Duration. So far, you have entered the Start and End,
and the Duration was automatically calculated. However,
you can enter ANY TWO of the three numbers, and the
third will be calculated for you.
The Entry Mode determines which two of the three numbers
you must enter. The Entry Mode is changed by pushing
the F6 Function key. Push F6 now. On the Status Line
at the bottom of the screen, where it says "IN-OUT",
will change to "IN-DURATION". Push again and it will
show "DURATION-OUT". To try this out, push [E] to
edit the scene where the cursor is located. The cursor
will move to the Duration time code number. Edit this
number if you wish, or press [ENTER]. The cursor will
then move to the End time code. Edit the number or push
[ENTER], push [ENTER] again to confirm the description.
When you finish, the Start time code will be re-
calculated and displayed. Push F6 once more and the
original Entry Mode will be restored.
Tag and Auto Tag
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Any time while entering Time Codes you can use the Tag
function. 'Tag' pulls the numbers from the preceding
Time Code and puts them into the Time Code that you
are editing. [F2] is the Tag key.
If you are entering or editing a Start Time Code, the
Tag function inserts the numbers from the End Time Code
from the previous scene.
20:45:30:00 Your scene description.
┌─ 20:46:00:00 -00:00:30:00- V A1 A2
│
└─> 20:46:00:00
00:00:00:00 -00:00:00:00- V A1 A2
Page 7 - V:Log Operation
If you are entering an End Time Code, Tag will insert
the numbers from the Start Time Code from that scene.
┌─ 20:46:10:00 Another scene.
└─> 20:46:10:00 -00:00:00:00- V A1 A2
The Auto Tag setting can automatically tag time code
numbers. The current Auto Tag setting is shown on
the Status Line at the bottom of the screen: either
AutoTag + or AutoTag -.
When Auto Tag is in use (the setting is '+') all time
code numbers will be tagged, when you are appending or
inserting new scenes. Editing of existing scenes will
not be tagged automatically. (The manual tag - F2 - is
still available.) Operation of the Auto Tag function
is as described above.
Movement Keys (Editor)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[UP ARROW] ............ Moves the cursor up one line. If already at
the top of the Editor area, the list of scenes
will scroll down.
[DN ARROW] ............ Moves the cursor down one line. If already at
the bottom of the Editor, the scenes will
scroll up.
[PG UP] ............... Moves the cursor to the top of the Editor
area. If already at the top, the preceding
"page" of scenes will be displayed.
[PG DN] ............... Moves the cursor to the bottom of the Editor
area. If already at the bottom, the following
"page" of scenes will be displayed.
[HOME] ................ Moves to the beginning of the list (Scene #1).
[END] ................. Moves to the end of the list.
Commands
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
(NOTE: A more detailed description of each command is given in the
"REFERNCE.DOC" documentation file.)
Append ................ Adds a scene to the Editor at the end of the
existing scenes.
Insert ................ Adds a scene to the Editor at the current
cursor location. All following scenes are
renumbered.
Page 8 - V:Log Operation
Edit .................. Change the information in the scene where the
cursor is located.
Block ................. Select a group of 1 or more consecutive scenes
to perform further operations.
Once a block is selected, the Block Menu will
show up at the bottom of the screen.
BLOCK: Copy Move Delete Save F5-set F8-print ESC
F5 pops up the "Set" menu, which is used
to Mark, Unmark, change the Record Mode,
change the time code Hour, to sort the
block, or to get the duration of all the
scenes in the block.
Mark .................. Marks the scene at the cursor location.
[ENTER] If already marked, the scene is unmarked.
Recmode ............... Used to change the record mode of the scene
(Record Mode) where the cursor is located.
Find .................. Find scenes containing a word or phrase. Set
case sensitivity and whole-word matching using
the window that pops up.
Trim .................. Add to or subtract from a Time Code number
in the scene where the cursor is located.
Quick Save ............ Save the current list to disk.
[CTRL] [S]
F5 .................... Pops up the "Set" menu, used to Mark, Unmark,
change the Record Mode, change the time code
Hour, sort the scenes, or get the duration of
the scenes in the Editor or in the selected
Block.
F6 .................... Changes the "Entry Mode". Choices are
IN-OUT, IN-DURATION, and DURATION-OUT.
F7 .................... Changes the "Trim Mode" from '+' to '-' or
'-' to '+'.
F8 .................... Prints the entire Editor list.
[ALT] [F] ............. Go directly to the File Menu.
[ALT] [E] ............. Go directly to the Editor Menu.
[ALT] [S] ............. Go directly to the Search Menu.
[ALT] [U] ............. Go directly to the Utilities Menu.
[ALT] [X] ............. Quit V:Log and return to DOS.
Page 9 - V:Log Operation
─────────────────────────────
Part IV - FILES and REEL INFO
─────────────────────────────
The File Selection Window
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Press [ALT][F] to return to the File Menu. The next
operation that we will perform is to load a sample file.
Select the "Load" command in the File Menu. You will
be asked whether you wish to save your current work,
named "NOFILE.LOG". Press [N], for "no". The File
Selection window will appear.
The File Selection window is used whenever you need to
select a file or directory. In the window are listed
the files located in your current directory, sorted
alphabetically.
┌─Files─────A:─┐
│▒FILE1.LOG▒▒▒▒│
│ FILE2.PIK │
│ FILE3.LOG │
│ FILE4.BAK │
│ FILE4.PIK │
│ REEL1.LOG │
│ REEL2.LOG │
│ REEL9.LOG │
│ VLOG.EXE │
│ \SAMPLES │
└──────────────┘
To select a file, use the [UP ARROW] and [DOWN ARROW]
keys to place the highlight bar over the file name. If
there are too many file names to fit in the window, the
list will scroll up or down when the highlight bar is at
the top or bottom.
You can also use [PG UP] and [PG DN] to "page" through
the list.
Directories also appear in the File Selection window.
All directory names are preceded by the 'backslash' (\)
character. Also, directory names are shown in a
different color than file names, to make them easy to
find.
Page 10 - V:Log Operation
┌─Files─────A:─┐
│▒FILE1.LOG▒▒▒▒│
│ FILE2.PIK │
│ FILE3.LOG │
│ FILE4.BAK │
│ FILE4.PIK │
│ REEL1.LOG │
│ REEL2.LOG │
│ REEL9.LOG │
==> │ \SUBDIR1 │
==> │ \.. │
└──────────────┘
Notice the line named "\..". This is a special name,
which is available whenever you are looking at the
contents of a subdirectory. Selecting "\.." will return
you to the next higher (parent) directory.
If the file you want to select is located on a different
disk drive, push the [D] key, for "change Drive". A
flashing cursor will appear at the top of the File
Selection window. Push the letter key of the drive you
want to use. You can change the 'wildcard mask'
by pushing [M]. Change the file mask - for example,
change from "*.LOG" to "*.PIK" - and the files which
are displayed will change to reflect the new mask.
Loading A File
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Use the File Selection window, described above, to
select the file "CATS.LOG" on the V:Log work
disk. With the hilite bar on that file name, press
[ENTER]. In a few seconds, the file will appear on
your screen. You will automatically be taken back to
the Editor.
Marked Scenes
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Notice that some of the scenes in the sample file are
displayed as either high-intensity or a different color,
depending on whether you have a monochrome or color
monitor.
These scenes are Marked. Marking scenes allows you to
select them for certain operations, such as printing,
saving to a special file, or importing into an edit
list. When a PIK or LOG list is saved as a file, the
information on Marked scenes is also saved.
You can try out the "Mark" Editor command; press
either [M] or [ENTER]. The scene where the cursor is
located will become either Marked or Unmarked.
Page 11 - V:Log Operation
Reel Info
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Once again, push [ALT][F] to return to the File Menu.
This time, select "Reel info" in the File Menu.
The Reel Info window will appear on your screen.
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│▒ID#:▒▒▒▒▒▒ │
│ Code: │
│ Project: │
│ Producer: │
│ Location: │
│ Client: │
│ Date: 00/00/00 │
└──────────────────────────────────┘
The Reel Info is used when searching your LOG files
and creating Log Reports. Reel Info allows you to
control the search process. The two top items, "ID#"
(I.D. number) and "Code", are also used as you create
PIK files, to make edit lists from your source tape
files.
Entering Reel Info is simple. Use the [UP ARROW] and
[DOWN ARROW] keys to move the highlight bar to a
category, such as Location. Press [ENTER]. A flashing
cursor will appear to the right of the category, and you
can start typing in the information you wish to use.
When you are done, press [ENTER].
As you enter the "Date" (usually the date that the
videotape was shot), you can use the [RIGHT ARROW] and
[LEFT ARROW] keys to move among the date categories.
Make a habit of entering the Reel Info in each log file,
just like you always label your tapes. Be consistent as
you enter the Reel Info. Always use the same name for a
particular project and your personnel; be accurate in
your spelling.
When you are done, push [ESC] to return to the File
Menu.
─────────────────────
Part V - OTHER TOPICS
─────────────────────
PIK Files
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Before you proceed to "VLSEARCH.DOC", to learn about
searching your log files, you need to know what PIK
files are.
Page 12 - V:Log Operation
PIK files are used to create lists from your source LOG
files, for EDL's, "best take" lists, etc. When you
search your log files, the scenes from the log files
which meet the search criteria are imported into a
PIK file.
Because PIK files consist of scenes from multiple
source tapes, some means must be used to identify the
reel for each scene.
The "ID#" and "Code" categories, in the Reel Info, are
used to do this. When a PIK file is created - by
searching, file merging, etc. - the ID number and Code
are kept with each scene. This allows you to easily
determine the source reel for each scene in the PIK
list.
An example scene from a PIK file is shown below.
00:45:00:00 This is an example of a LOG scene.
00:46:00:00 -00:01:00:00- V A1 A2
00:45:00:00 This is an example of a PIK scene.
00:46:00:00 -00:01:00:00- V A1 A2 014 CatPrj
│ │
ID Number Code
Text and Merge Output
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
It is often useful to have the information from your
log files available for other computer programs, such
as word processing or database applications.
The information in V:Log LOG and PIK files can be
output to either a text file, to read into a word
processor document; or as a mail merge file, which can
be imported into most database management programs.
There is a menu selection in the File Menu to create
either of these output files. Select "Text output" or
"Merge output". You will be asked whether to output
All the scenes in the Editor, or only the Marked scenes.
Then you will be asked for the output path and filename.
As soon as you enter this information, the output file
will be created. (There is more detailed information
on Text output and Merge output in the file
"REFERNCE.DOC".)
Page 13 - V:Log Operation
7 04:05:01:10 WS Elizabeth getting cat food from shelf.
04:05:30:00 -00:00:28:20- V A2
EXAMPLE: "Text output" of a LOG file.
"04","05","01","10","04","05","30","00","00","00","28","20",
"WS Elizabeth getting cat food from shelf.","V A2 ","",""
EXAMPLE: "Merge output" of a LOG file.
(Shown in two lines; actual output is a single
line terminated with Carriage Return/Line Feed.)
Where To Go From Here ...
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
To learn about Search Operations (after all, logs of
your tapes aren't much good unless you can easily
access the information!), go through the Search
tutorial in "VLSEARCH.DOC".
If you'd like to find more detailed descriptions of
the program menus and operations, read the file
"REFERNCE.DOC".
If your most pressing need is to change V:Log with a
configuration file, see "VLCONFIG.DOC".
Page 14 - V:Log Operation