Info-Mac 1992 August/info-mac-1992.iso/Applications (app)/PSI/PSI 2.3/PSI Help

Text File | 1992-07-07 | 25KB | 479 lines

  PSI 2.3 / July 5, 1992

  Personal System for Information Management and Retrieval

  © 1989, 1992   Markus P.J. Fromherz


This text has been formatted for display in a non-proportional font such as
Monaco or Courier.


OVERVIEW

 PSI is a system for the management and retrieval of your personal data.
 The idea of PSI is to simulate a register, a file with cards that contain arb-
 itrary information. In PSI, cards (or records) are defined by schemas; a simple
 language allows to define fields and layout of the cards. Then, descriptors
 help to annotate the cards, and above all to quickly retrieve their informa-
 tion. This information may also be exported and imported in various formats.

 The following help information is mainly structured by functions and their
 menus and buttons. Introductions and sample sessions help experience the
 functionality. If you use PSI for the first time, it may be a good idea to
 try the sample sessions while reading this text.

 For more information see “About PSI”.


SAMPLE SESSIONS

  See file “Sample Sessions”.


FUNCTIONS

 The following documentation of PSI’s functions is ordered by menus and but-
 tons. Use the sample files for sample sessions; look in the template files for
 further examples.


• File

 • New …:
   Create new PSI file or text window.

 • Open …:
   Load PSI file, or a text file into a new text window. Only one PSI file can
   be loaded at a time. NOTE that a text window cannot hold more than 32K of
   text.

 • Close text:
   Close the active text window (an active listing/log window can’t be closed).

 • Close ExportFile:
   Close the currently open export file (actual files only).

 • Save:
   Save the current PSI file, or the active text window to the text file it is
   associated with.
   The PSI file is saved if no text window is active (i.e. the front window).

 • Save as …:
   Save the current PSI file with a different name and/or in a different folder,
   or the active text window to a new text file.
   The PSI file is saved if no text window is active (i.e. the front window).

 • Add …:
   Add schemata, cards, export/import procedures and/or descriptors of other
   PSI files to the current file.
   You are presented with the names of all schemas of the selected file and
   the entry “All Descriptors”. Select the items you want to add (from).
      Subsequently, you can choose to add or ignore the new cards, to add the
   schema definition resp. replace the existing schema definition by the new
   one, and to add, replace, or ignore the export/import procedures.
   Finally, you can also choose the name which the schema to be added should
   have in the current file. If this name already exists, the chosen items are
   added to or replacing the existing items.
      If you select “All Descriptors”, all descriptors are added.
      NOTE that only schemas of PSI Text files can be added (“File:Options …”).

 • Options …:
   Set options for PSI.
 Buttons and controls:
  Card (Open Card): Select the card window that is to be opened automatically
   whenever the current file is loaded.
  Cards (Two fields): Select card windows that are to show the first two field
   values in the find selection dialog (by default, only the first field value
   of each found card is shown).
  Log: Set the log file to a file or a window (the default is window “Log”;
   “Reset” restores this setting).
  Write log (radio button): Switch logging on or off. If logging is on,
   each PSI function writes a log about its operation.
  File type: Select here if a PSI file is to be saved in a different type.
   By default, a new PSI file is of type Code.
  And,or,not: Set the text used for the Boolean connectives AND, OR and
   NOT in descriptor formulae (see “Schema:Descriptors”). You may use any
   combination of special characters (e.g., “&”, “|” and “¬”) and text
   (e.g., “and”, “or” and “not”).
   See “About PSI” for suggested texts.
  Closeness: Set the threshold for similarity search (see “Schema:Your-
   Schema:Find”). A ratio of 100% means identical match. A ratio of 60 to
   80% means that the words are more or less similar. The default is 80%.
  Eval. space: Increase the evaluation space when dealing with large
   files (e.g., if you get the message “No more memory available”). The
   number to the right indicates the maximum amount by which the evaluation
   space may be increased. NOTE that since free space may be segmented,
   it is possible that only a part of the memory indicated is available.
     You cannot set an evaluation space of less than 24K. The default is
   120K. NOTE that the default configuration is tight; you have to increase
   the application size (in the Finder) before you can increase the evaluation
   space. NOTE that the larger the application size, the larger the possible
   evaluation space.
      NOTE that if you increased both application size and evaluation space
   and later want to decrease the application size, you have to decrease
   the evaluation space first!
  Save: The current option settings are written to a file called “PSI
   Options”. Next time you start PSI, the settings of this file are used.
  Okay: Close the options window.

 • Processes …:
   Set the maximum number of concurrent processes.
      Each dialog window takes up an internal process. There is a limit to
   the number of concurrent processes (the default is 2).
      If you want to open more windows regularly, you can adjust the process
   number limit. Set the limit to the number of dialog windows you wish to
   open concurrently. NOTE that this option works in a way different from
   the others: the process limit is saved in the application itself and
   does not take effect until you start PSI the next time. Therefore, after
   setting the process number limit, quit PSI and then start it again.
      NOTE that each processes takes 48K of memory. Be sure to increase the
   application size before increasing the process limit.

 • Quit:
   Quit PSI.

• Edit

 As usual except for:
 • Balance: Extends the cursor to include the next outer pair of matching
   brackets (“( ) { } [ ]”). Useful when defining export and import procedures
   with  alternatives and loops; works only for text windows.
 • Select all: Select the entire text in the active text window.

• Schema

 • Schema:
   Define, modify, delete, and find a schema for your cards. A schema has a
   name, an optional keyboard command, fields, and optional export and import
   procedures.
      The schema name can be any text. The command must be one character. The
   fields have the format “Name1, Position1, Name2, Position2, …”, i.e. each
   field has a name and a position, all separated by commas.
      A field denotes one piece of information you can fill in on your card. On
   the card, a field consists of two parts: its name and an edit field.
      A field name can be any text (it should not contain one of the characters
   “/”, “(”, “[”, “{”, “=”, “≠”, or “"”). The position number determines its po-
   sition in its card window. 1 means a short edit field on the left, 2 a short
   edit field on the right, and 3 a long edit field; all increments of 3 to
   these positions denote the same width, but more lines. (For instance, 5 means
   two short lines on the right.)
      You may also specify text that is to be printed on the card window
   without an edit field. Write “"Text"” instead of a field name, and use the
   same positioning format as above.
      Export and import can be defined and set by “Export/Import” (see this
   button). The fields “Export” and “Import” reflect the procedures currently
   selected for this schema.

 Buttons:
  Add: Add the schema currently defined in the window.
  Modify: IF the schema name matches an existing one: replace the schema
   with the same name by the one currently defined in the window. In case
   you change the fields (names or order), there are two possibilities:
   either you just change the names; or you change the order of the fields,
   add new ones, and/or remove old ones. In the second case, the field
   values of all cards of this schema are rearranged.
      IF the schema name does not yet exist: replace the name of an exist-
   ing schema with the new name.
  Delete: Delete the schema with this name and its cards.
  Find (Return key): Find a schema. If several exist, a scroll menu offers all.
  Clear: Clear the edit fields of this window.
  Close: Close the schema window.

  Export/Import: Get the export/import handling window for the current
   schema, and add, modify or delete export and import procedures.
      An export or import procedure is defined by a name and a procedure
   written in a special format. The procedure defines how cards are
   exported/written to or imported/read from a file or window.
      This procedure can use the schema fields, special keywords, or normal
   text. It is also possible to specify alternatives and loops. All these
   items must be separated by “,”, alternatives (also in loops) by “;”. For
   example, if an export procedure for address cards says “Name, /n,
   Street, /n, City, /n2” (= value for field “Name”, new line, value for
   “Street”, new line, value for “City”, and two new lines), then the
   addresses are listed as they could appear on an envelope, with an empty
   line after each address.
      Instead of writing the full field name, it is sufficient to write
   just the beginning of its name. “D” stands for the card’s descriptors.
      PSI can export cards in RTF (Rich Text Format). Applications such as
   MS Word can read RTF, which can contain font information. For example, the
   above example could be “(/Times, (/i,Name), /n, Street, /n, (/b,City), /n2)”.
      To export cards in RTF, the procedure name must start with the three
   letters “RTF”; otherwise, font commands are disregarded. You can list in RTF
   only to files, and only one set of found cards can be listed per file.
 * See “About PSI” for more details and for examples! Also see the sample
   and template files!

   EXPORT: Format, Format, …

   Format         prints
   ------         ------
   FieldName ………… value of FieldName
   "Text" ………………… Text (may contain “""” to denote “"”)
   /s …………………………… 1 space
   /t …………………………… 1 tab
   /n …………………………… 1 new line
   /l …………………………… 1 line feed
   /" …………………………… 1 “"”
   /sN ………………………… N spaces
   /tN ………………………… N tabs
   /nN ………………………… N new lines
   /lN ………………………… N line feeds
   /"N ………………………… N “"”’s
   D ……………………………… the descriptors as Class:Descriptors list
   DD …………………………… the descriptors written as in card windows
   /eNFieldName … Nth (0,1,…) element of Field
   /eND ……………………… Nth (0,1,…) element of descriptors (written Class:Desc)
   [C1,R1,R2,…; … if C1 then R1,R2,… else
    C2,R3,R4,…;   if C2 then R3,R4,… else
    …]            …
                  (Cx are conditions of the form F1=F2, F1≠F2, F1, or “else”;
                   Fx must be field name, “D” or text;
                   F1 alone is the same as F1≠"";
                   “else” is the “catch-all”)
   {F,R1,R2,…} …… R1,R2,… for all elements of list F
                  (F is field or “D”; all references to F within R refer to
                   each individual element of F)
   {F,R1,R2,…; …… R1,R2,…,B1,B2,… for all elements of list F except for the
      B1,B2,…;    last two, R1,R2,… for the last but one element, L1,L2,… for
      L1,L2,…}    the last one; R1,R2,… if F contains only one element
   (/F,R1,R2,…) … R1,R2,… in font defined by F (RTF only; F can be a
                  - font name:     Avant, Chicago, Courier, Geneva, Helvetica,
                                   Monaco, Palatino, Times, Zapf;
                  - font size:     a number;
                  - RTF face code: b (bold), i (italic), ul (underline),
                                   outl (outline), shad (shadow), others)

   IMPORT: Format, Format, …

   Format                  reads
   ------                  -----
   FieldName ……… value for Field
   "Text" ……………… Text (may contain “""” to denote “"”)
   /s ………………………… till space
   /t ………………………… till tab
   /n ………………………… till new line
   /l ………………………… till line feed
   /" ………………………… till “"”
   - …………………………… any text (will be ignored)
   D …………………………… descriptors (may be separated by “,”)
   [F,…;F,…;…] … alternatives (see “About PSI”)
                 (the alternatives should be followed by
                  /s, /t, /n, /l, /", or single-character text)
   {F,…;F,…;…} … loop (see “About PSI”)
                 (the loop should befollowed by two of
                  /s, /t, /n, /l, /", or single-character text)

   Buttons:
    Export - Import (radio button): Work on export or import procedures.
    Add: Add the currently entered procedure.
    Modify: Replace the procedure with the current name and of the current
     type by the currently entered procedure.
    Delete: Delete procedures of the current type.
    Find (Return key): Bring one of the procedures of the current type to the
     window.
    Samples: List possible sample cards to see what to expect from the
     current export procedure. NOTE that samples for an RTF procedure can only
     be listed to files.
    List: List all procedures of the current type.
    Use: Make the procedure named in the window the schema’s current ex-
     port or import procedure. This button also closes the window (see also
     button “Close”).
    Close: Close the export/import window. NOTE that all export/import
     modifications are made permanent instantly.

 • Descriptors:
   Define, modify, and delete the descriptors of the global descriptor list.
   The descriptors are grouped into classes of descriptors. In the list menu
   on the left part of the descriptor handling window, classes are listed; in
   the list menu to the right, the descriptors of the currently selected
   class are listed. The current selection is shown in the lower part of the
   window whenever “Show” is pressed, in the same format as in the descriptor
   selection window and in card windows (see “YourSchema:Descriptors”).
 Buttons:
  Show: Show the descriptors for the selected class. (If the edit fields
   are empty, double-clicking on a class name also switches classes.)
  Clear: Clear the descriptor selections in all classes.
  Add (left button): Add the text entered in the left edit field as new
   descriptors class. (If the right edit field is empty, the Return key
   does the same.)
  Rename: Rename the currently selected descriptor class to the text
   entered in the left edit field.
  Delete (left button): Delete the selected descriptor class.
  Add (right button): Add the text entered in the right edit field as new
   descriptor of the current class. (The Return key does the same.)
  Modify: IF exactly one descriptor is selected and a replacement is
   entered in the right edit field: rename the selected descriptor to the
   entered one.
      IF a combination of descriptors is selected, and a replacing combination
   is selected in the subsequently appearing descriptor selection window: re-
   place the first combination by the second one in cards described by the
   first combination.
  Delete (right button): Delete the selected descriptors of the current
   class.
  List: List all classes and their descriptors.
  Close: Close the descriptor handling window.

 • YourSchema (a card name):
   Define, modify, delete, find, and list cards of this schema. A card
   consists of the values of the schema’s fields, and of the descriptors it
   has been annotated with.
      A field value can be any term. If a field value contains commas, the value
   can be treated as a list in exports.
      The card window can be in two operation modes, either in cleared mode or
   in subset mode. Certain operations are only available in either mode.
      After you opened a card window, the respective menu entry changes. In
   the new submenu, “to front” makes the window active, and the “Export” and
   “Import” submenus allow to switch procedures.

 Buttons:
  Add: Add the card currently entered in the window. This card consists of
   the text entered in the edit fields, and the descriptors selected in the
   descriptor selection window (see “Descriptors” below).
  Modify: Replace the current card or the complete subset of previously
   found cards according to the card entered in the window. The current
   card is the one last found with “Find” or accessed with “>>” or “<<”.
      IF you want to modify one card: change the current card, press
   “Modify”, and then answer “One”. (You are still in subset mode.)
      IF you want to modify the complete subset of found cards: choose one
   of its cards, empty all the fields that ought to remain unchanged, and
   edit those fields that should change in the cards. (Do not press
   “Clear”.) Prepare the descriptors similarly. Then, you can modify by
   either adding or replacing. By adding, the new edited values are added
   only to cards where the respective fields have been empty. By replacing,
   the new edited values replace the old values, whether those have been
   empty or not. If you enter “-” in a field, the old text is removed (in
   both add and replace mode). If you negate the descriptors, they are
   removed from the cards; otherwise they are added. To modify a subset,
   edit and then press “Modify”, answer “All”, and then choose either “Add”
   or “Replace”.
      (The Modify operation is only available after a Find operation, i.e.
   in subset mode. This button is alternating with the “Pattern” button.)
  Delete: Delete the cards that match the card currently defined in the
   window. The same matching rules as for “Find” apply. If more than one
   card matches the search pattern, you can delete all or only selected cards.
  Find (Return key): Find the card or cards that match the card currently
   entered in the window (called the search pattern).
      A search pattern is defined by the field template and the selected
   descriptors. Simply fill in the fields and select the descriptors that
   should appear in the cards you are looking for.

   The match rules for field values are:
      template    matches
      --------    -------
                  anything (empty)
      ExactText   any exact text (not case sensitive)
      Text*       field values that begin with Text
      *Text       field values that end with Text
      *Text*      field values that contain Text
      ?Text       field values that are similar/close to Text
      -           empty fields
   The threshold for similarity (for “?Text”) is defined in percents and set
   in the Options window (see “File:Options …:Closeness”).

   The match rules for descriptors are:
      connectives   match
      -----------   -----
      and           cards that are described by all the selected descriptors
      or            cards that are described by at least one of them
      and not       cards that are described by none of them
      or not        cards that are not described by either one of them

   You have to be in cleared mode to do a new search. With the Find
   operation, you switch to subset mode. As long as you do not press “Add”,
   “Clear”, or “Delete”, you can browse through the subset with “>>” and
   “<<”, or you can jump to any card of the subset using “Find” again.
   To get the same set of cards after leaving subset mode, use “Pattern”.
  Pattern: Recall the search pattern of the last successful Find, List or
   Delete operation.
      The search pattern, or the latest entries (if no card) is preserved when
   the card window is closed.
      This button is alternating with the “Modify” button.
  >> (Next): Get the next card of the subset found in the last search.
  << (Previous): Like Next, but get the previous card.
  Descriptors: Describe the current card with descriptors from the global
   list. The descriptor selection window displayed is similar to the
   descriptor handling window (see “Schema: Descriptors”). Use “Show” or
   double-click on a class to switch to the selected descriptor class.
   Select descriptors in the list menu on the right. Use “Clear” to clear
   the entire selection.
      Select either “and” or “or” for an And or Or search, and check
   “not” for a negation in search (see the match rules for “Find” above).
   Also check “not” for the removal of descriptors in a subset modification
   (see “Modify” above).
      Press “Okay” to use your selections for the card window, or “Cancel”
   to discard changes.
  List: List the cards which match the card currently entered in the window.
   The same rules as for the search pattern of the Find operation apply. The
   current export procedure is used to list the cards. You can export to a
   file or a window. As long as you export to the same file (long button,
   Return key), this file is not closed and the listing is appended (except
   if listing with an RTF procedure). If you choose a different export file,
   the previous file is closed. You may also close a file explicitly by using
   “Texts:Close ExportFile”.
   NOTE that with an RTF procedure, you can only list to files.
  Sort: Sort all cards of this schema. You can sort them by any field(s)
   in any order. To indicate the order, mark the fields (i.e. fill in the
   edit fields) that are relevant for your order with numbers, beginning
   with 1. You can sort in ascending or descending order.
  Read: Import cards for the schema of the current card window. The
   current import procedure of this schema is used to read the cards.
   Import can be done from files or windows.
  File: Load the related text file. This function is enabled only if a field
   with the reserved name “File” exists. The values of this field should be
   standard Macintosh file names.
      When a card is displayed and “File” is pressed, the file named in the
   “File” field is loaded like a normal text file. If you use a relative
   path, i.e. just the file name or a path beginning with “:”, the path is
   assumed to be relative to the home folder of the current PSI file. NOTE
   that a text window cannot hold more than 32K of text.
  Ref: Display the related card(s). This button and function is enabled
   only if at least one field with the reserved name “Ref” exists.
   The values of these fields are texts of the form Schema:FirstFieldTemplate.
      When a card is displayed and “Ref” is pressed, PSI searches for and
   displays cards of Schema with a first field matching FirstFieldTemplate.
   Search and display via “Ref” is done automatically after a search, scroll-
   ing with “<<” and “>>”, a modification, or a deletion. (Thus, the “Ref”
   button usually is not needed.) Only references to cards with open windows
   are considered.
      For FirstFieldTemplate, the same match rules as for text in the Find
   operation apply. If more than one card is referred to, the first one is
   displayed.
      Referenced cards can in turn refer to cards, which can lead to
   cascades of card searches if all the card windows in a reference chain
   are open. In fact, even reference chains involving the same schemas more
   than once are allowed; the search and display of cards is terminated if
   a card is already displayed. (See “About PSI” for more on this.)
  Clear: Clear the edit fields and descriptor selection of this window.
  Close: Close the card window. In case you didn’t update your changes,
   the data is saved in the search pattern.

• Texts
  Select path names, find text in windows, load and get help, and activate a
  text window.

 • Path …:
   Select a path and file name by stepping through the standard file menu.
   The full file name of the selected file is written to the listing window
   (or file) and can be used in a card’s “File” field.

 • Find …:
   Find the subsequently entered text in the active text window.

 • Find again:
   Find the text entered in “Texts:Find …” again.

 • Help:
  Active window: Load the PSI help file if necessary and scroll to the help
   text for the currently active window.
  Index …: Load the PSI help file if necessary and access help information
   using its index. A list of topics is displayed in a dialog window; double-
   click on a topic to scroll to the help text for this topic.

 • WindowName:
   Bring this window to the front (make it active).

• Fonts
  Select font type and size for the active display window.