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PROFILE Professional Filing System User Manual Version 2 Copyright (c) 1986,87,89,91 by Lee Raesly All Rights Reserved National Software Design 8209 Coach Street Potomac, MD 20854 Limited Warranty No Warranty on Software or Manuals EVEN THOUGH THE PUBLISHER HAS TESTED THE ProFile SOFTWARE, INSTRUCTION MANUAL, AND REFERENCE MATERIALS, THESE PRODUCTS ARE SOLD "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY AS TO THEIR PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK FOR THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THIS PROGRAM IS ASSUMED BY YOU. SHOULD EITHER THE SOFTWARE OR MANUAL PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU (AND NOT THE PUBLISHER OR ITS DISTRIBUTORS OR DEALERS) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. THE PUBLISHER, ITS DISTRIBUTORS, AND DEALERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT IN THE SOFTWARE OR MANUAL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF SUCH DAMAGE. Limited Warranty on Disks HOWEVER, TO THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER ONLY, THE PUBLISHER WARRANTS THE MAGNETIC DISKETTE ON WHICH THE PROGRAM IS RECORDED TO BE FREE FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIAL AND FAULTY WORKMANSHIP UNDER NORMAL USE FOR A PERIOD OF NINETY DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE. IF DURING THE NINETY-DAY PERIOD THIS DISK SHOULD BECOME DEFECTIVE, IT MAY BE RETURNED TO THE PUBLISHER FOR A REPLACEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE, PROVIDED YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY SENT IN YOUR LIMITED WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD TO THE PUBLISHER OR SEND PROOF OF PURCHASE OF THE PROGRAM. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IN THE EVENT OF A DEFECT IS EXPRESSLY LIMITED TO REPLACEMENT OF THE DISKETTE AS PROVIDED ABOVE. IF FAILURE OF THE DISKETTE HAS RESULTED FROM AN ACCIDENT OR ABUSE, THE PUBLISHER SHALL HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY TO REPLACE THE DISKETTE UNDER THE TERMS OF THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE DISKETTE, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO A PERIOD OF NINETY DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE. PUBLISHER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MIGHT NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS AND YOU MIGHT ALSO HAVE OTHER LEGAL RIGHTS, WHICH VARY BY STATE. ProFile License Agreement IMPORTANT When you purchase, or receive from a friend or organization, a copy of ProFile, you accept and agree to honor a license for use only by the terms as set forth here. If you do not agree to the terms and have purchased your copy, return this product to us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. LICENSE The publisher remains the sole owner of ProFile Professional Filing System. ONLY IF YOU REGISTER, the publisher grants to you and you accept a license for ProFile. The license to use the software includes personal use, as well as business or pro- fessional use. USE WITHOUT REGISTRATION, OTHER THAN FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES, IS PROHIBITED. ProFile is shareware software. Shareware is a method of distribution and evaluation of software. The shareware concept means that ProFile may be freely copied, provided that these rules are followed: 1) You may make copies of this program so that others may evaluate it on a private, non-commercial basis. The trial period shall be no more than 30 days. 2) If you like the program and use it, send in the registration fee, that's how shareware works. 3) You may not decompile, translate, reverse engineer, or disassemble ProFile or create derivative works from it. 4) You may not, without permission from the publisher, distribute this software as part of a service or product, or as part of a corporate or institutionally sponsored distribution program.You may not copy the printed documentation that registered users receive. 5) You may not charge a fee for distribution of this program without permission from the publisher. User Groups may distribute the program, permission is hereby granted. Introduction Shareware Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Software Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Filing and Retrieving Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Reports and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Word Processing Mailing List Files . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Sharing Data With Other Software Programs . . . . . . . . 3 Getting Started with ProFile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Making Working Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Installing ProFile on a Hard Disk System . . . . . . . . . 5 Starting the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Floppy Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Hard Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 An Important Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 File Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Using ProFile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 New Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Advanced Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Database Design Design a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Common Terms and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Database Design Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Designing The Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Form Not Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Modeling a New Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Laying Out the Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Cursor Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Field Prompts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Information Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Laying Out Calculated and Lookup Fields . . . . . . . . . 17 Form Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Inserting, Deleting, and Copying Form Lines . . . . . . . 18 Drawing Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Form Layout Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Assigning Field Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Selecting the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Field Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Creating Text and Numeric Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Creating Lookup Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Lookup Field Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Stored Lookup Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Lookup Field Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Creating Calculated Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Using Parentheses and Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Formula Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Form Design Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Field Attribute Problems and Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Data and Index Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Disabled Lookup Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Add Data Add Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Changing the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Entering Information in Formatted Fields . . . . . . . . . 36 Required, Unique, and Must Fill Fields . . . . . . . . . . 36 Range Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Lookup Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Non-stored Fields and Calculated Fields . . . . . . . . . 37 Copying Information From the Previous Form . . . . . . . . 38 The Field Help Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Printing the Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Edit Data Edit Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 About Your Displayed Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Total, Deleted, and Current Records . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Edit an Existing Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Next and Previous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 First and Last Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Deleting Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Go To a Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Printing the Current Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 The Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Selection Spec Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Creating a Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Choosing a Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Choosing the Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Entering the Comparison Information . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Using OR, AND, or END with a Selection Spec . . . . . . . 50 Editing the Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Other Important Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Report Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Report Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Design a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Entering a Report File Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Report Layout Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Designing the Report Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Adding a New Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Report Column Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Report Column Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Report Calculation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Report Finals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Report Subcalculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Calculated Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Creating Formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Self Referencing Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Error Messages for Formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Invisible Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Column Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Report Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Format Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Report Headers and Footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Entering Headers and Footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Header and Footer Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Using an Existing Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Creating a Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Sort Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Sort Spec Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Creating A Sort Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Sorting Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Report Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Sorting the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Printing the Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Redesigning an Existing Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Printing an Existing Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Labels Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Getting Started with Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Design a Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Entering a Label File Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Creating the Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Choosing the Label Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Label Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Editing Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Inserting and Deleting Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Viewing the Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Free-Form Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Checking the Field Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Label Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Label Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Formatting Standard Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Label Text Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Label Format Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Using an Existing Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Creating a Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Sort Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Bulk Mail Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Printing the Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Testing your Label Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Stopping the Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Redesigning an Existing Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Printing an Existing Label Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 MailMerge Word Processing MailMerge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 MailMerge Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 MailMerge Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 WordStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 WordPerfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 DEC WPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 MultiMate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 PC-Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Sort and Selection Specs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Use Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Use Sort Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 MailMerge File Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 During MailMerge File Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Import Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Floppy Disk Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 ASCII File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Standard Data Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Comma Delimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 One-Field-Per-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Importing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 ASCII File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Use Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 ASCII File Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Standard Data Format Field Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Merge Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 During the Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Export Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Exporting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 ASCII File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Use Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Use Sort Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 ASCII File Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 About Sort and Selection Specs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Floppy Disk Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 During the Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Copy Data Copy Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Floppy Disk Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Copying Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Copy From [Form Name] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Use Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 During the Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Utilities Global Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Using a Selection Spec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Entering Global Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 During the Update Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Global Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 During the Global Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Index the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Pack the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 How Backup Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Recovering a Backup Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Floppy Disk Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Entering the Disk and Path Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 During the Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Problems and Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Printer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Parallel Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Serial Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Advanced Database Design Advanced Database Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Changing a Database Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Editing the Form Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Moving a Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Adding a Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Deleting a Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Changing Field Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Changing Field Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Form Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Change the Display Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Current Increment Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Default Form Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Files that ProFile Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Database Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Program Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 When You Have an Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Disk and Printer Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Recovering from Disk Full . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Other Disk Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Sort Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 System Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 ProFile Introduction 1 Shareware Registration Shareware is a new concept in the distribution and marketing of programs. It allows you to use the software first and then make a decision to purchase the program. ProFile is distributed and marketed through the shareware concept. You may copy the program and give it to a friend or colleague for evaluation. Or, you may purchase an evaluation copy of the program directly from us, National Software Design, for $10.00. You are encouraged to copy the program and share it with others. Once you have evaluated the package and find it to your liking, please register with us. You will receive the following benefits: o A printed, current manual with examples, detailed illustrations and a full index. o The latest version of the program. o Program update notices will be sent directly to you. See PF-READ.ME for current registration costs. Software Support Software support is available for registered users and for a user during the 30 day evaluation period. You may receive support through CompuServe. For assistance, simply send an EMail, along with your name and program serial number to User ID #76464,303 (Lee Raesly). Your questions will be answered promptly. Users may also obtain software support through our support line, 301 299-7042. Support hours are from 3:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST. Introduction 2 ProFile Introduction The ProFile Professional Filing System is a sophisticated tool designed to help you keep track of the people, customers information and data that are important to you. Any information can be filed and maintained. You may link multiple databases together. For instance, a customer invoice database may be linked to a customer file and inventory file. Calculations can now be done in a database form. In the above example, the invoice form can automatically compute and total costs for you. ProFile allows you to file and retrieve information, create meaningful reports, and print labels. And, it can share information with other software programs, such as word processors or spreadsheets. It can also help you prepare bulk mailings with its advanced bulk mail sort. The program is designed so you can get started quickly and easily. After you are comfortable with the system you may then expand to use its more powerful features as you need them. No computer experience is required and help is only a key-stroke away, any time you need it. Filing and Retrieving Data ProFile helps you design databases that can hold any information you wish. Examples would be customer lists, employee lists, or expense records. The first step in creating a database is to design a form on your computer screen. For instance, to create a customer list, you would design a form that would contain the customer name, address, and perhaps a telephone number. You then enter your customers into the form. ProFile automatically stores this information and will retrieve it when you need it. You could look for a single customer or a specific group of customers. You may search, sort, and retrieve the customer list in any way you want. And the forms can be redesigned if your needs change. For instance you may later add a sales field to track the sales of each customer in your list. Reports and Labels ProFile lets you take information from a ProFile database, arrange the information so that it makes sense to you and then display or print the information in a columnar format. You ProFile Introduction 3 choose what information should be included in the report and how it should be organized. You may use ProFile's more powerful features for your reports; derived columns and calculations, custom headings and report subtotals and summaries. The reports are saved for you to use any time you would like. ProFile also offers you sophisticated label printing capabilities. Labels are designed with the aid of the computer. They can include any information in your database or other text, such as a message for the recipient or your return address. Mailing labels can be printed up to four across and can be organized in any order including bulk mail order. Label formats are saved and available to be used or changed as you like. Word Processing Mailing List Files ProFile can share information in your database with many word processing programs. Using our customer list example, this means that you can use your favorite word processor to create personalized letters while letting ProFile manage the customer information. It will create a mailmerge file that is specifically designed to work with your word processor. The file can contain only those customers that you pick and can be organized in any order that you wish, including bulk mail order. Sharing Data With Other Software Programs ProFile offers a series of functions that allow you to share information with other programs such as word processors, spreadsheets, or other database managers. Programs that ProFile works with include Lotus 1-2-3, dBase II/III, Condor, Wordstar, Multimate, and WordPerfect. In addition, ProFile has powerful Import and Export functions that allows it to share data with most programs that can work with ASCII files. Getting Started with ProFile The ProFile distribution diskettes include the following: o The program files o Disk-based documentation and sample databases o Registration form (see PF-READ.ME) Introduction 4 ProFile ProFile works on the following equipment: o Any IBM PC, IBM PC-XT, IBM PC-AT, or compatible computer with either a hard disk and one floppy disk drive or two floppy disks drives and a minimum of 320 KB of internal memory. o MS-DOS operating system Version 2.0 or later o An 80 column color or monochrome monitor o A printer Getting Started 1. Make a working copy of the program and sample database disks or copy it onto your hard disk. 2. Check to see that the program works properly with your con- figuration. Making Working Copies The prudent computer user will ALWAYS make working copies of the ProFile master disks and use the copies rather than the masters for everyday use. Making the working copies is simple. To prepare, format two new diskettes. Then copy the files from the ProFile master disks to the newly formatted disks. Making Working Copies on a Two Floppy Disk System: 1. Make certain that the master disks are write protected to prevent accidental erasure. You can check this by looking to see if the write-protect notch on the right side of the disk is covered by a tab. If it isn't, cover it now. 2. Insert your DOS system disk in drive A: and turn on the system. 3. When the A> prompt appears, put a new diskette in drive B:. Then type: Format B: [ENTER] Do this twice. Label the first disk - ProFile PROGRAM DISK. Label the second disk - ProFile DOCUMENTATION DISK. When DOS asks if you would like to format another disk answer No. ProFile Introduction 5 4. Insert the original ProFile PROGRAM DISK in drive A: and the newly formatted disk in drive B:. Type COPY A:*.* B: and then press [ENTER]. After all of the files have been copied remove the disks. Repeat this procedure with the ProFile DOCUMENTATION DISK. Installing ProFile on a Hard Disk System If you have a computer with a hard disk, it is simple to install ProFile on it. Once it's installed you'll enjoy the speed and convenience of running ProFile. You'll also be able to work with much larger files of information. The following instructions assume the hard disk is called C: and it's formatted and ready for use. 1. Make certain that the Master disks are write- protected to prevent accidental erasure. You can check this by looking to see if the write-protect notch on the right side of the disk is covered by a tab. If it isn't, cover it now. 2. Insert the disk ProFile DOCUMENTATION DISK in drive A:. Type INSTALL and then press [ENTER]. ProFile's hard disk installation program will now copy the software to the hard disk for you. When you are done, you're ready to use ProFile directly from the hard disk. Don't forget to store the master disks in a safe place. Starting the Program You are now ready to use ProFile with either your floppy disk or hard disk system. Here's how: Floppy Disk 1. Put your working copy labeled ProFile PROGRAM DISK in Drive A:. When the A> prompt appears type PF and then press [ENTER]. Always keep the ProFile PROGRAM DISK in Drive A:. Remove it only if the program tells you that it is OK, for example to create a word processing merge file on a separate disk. Introduction 6 ProFile Hard Disk 1. Turn on your computer system. When the C: prompt appears type PF and then press [ENTER]. An Important Rule ProFile automatically saves your data when you are enter information. At every fifth record that you enter, the program closes the database files and then re-opens them. This puts the information permanently on your disk. Although ProFile saves your data frequently, it keeps track of many things. The program must be exited properly so that your information isn't accidentally corrupted. Any sudden loss of power could potentially damage the information in your database. Follow these precautions: 1. NEVER, EVER turn off the computer system or reboot without first exiting ProFile and returning to the DOS prompt. 2. Make frequent backups of your database using the Backup option on the Utilities Menu (this includes hard disk users). See the Utilities section titled Backup for more information on this important safety step. Menus Menus provide an easy way for you to tell ProFile what to do. ProFile uses two types of menus: "moving cursor" bar menu's and pop-up menus. The moving cursor bar highlights your choice and a short explanation of your choice appears at the bottom of the menu. The pop-up menus are similar to moving cursor menus but "pop-up" in a box. With either menu, to make a menu selection move the cursor with the arrow keys, space bar, or tab key to the item of your choice and press [ENTER]. Or, type the highlighted letter of your menu choice. File Manager The File Manager function is used by ProFile to automatically display all of the files that are available for a particular function. For instance, if you need to enter a report filename, it will list only those files that are reports. ProFile Introduction 7 Entering a File Name To enter a file name, either move the cursor bar to highlight a file name or type in its name at the prompt. File names can be up to eight characters long (no spaces, commas, periods, question marks, or asterisks "*") plus an optional 3 character extension and may be preceded by a disk drive and path name. F2- Directory Used to view a list of files on another drive or subdirectory. Enter the new drive and path name, then press [ENTER]. Optionally, enter the wild card designator asterisk "*" (anything) or question mark "?" (any character) to see a selective list of files. If you have pressed F2 by mistake, just press [ENTER] to go back to the enter file name prompt. F4- Copy This key will copy the highlighted file to a new name. To use, move the cursor bar to the file to be copied and press F4. Next, enter in a new file name, (which may be preceded by a new path and drive). F5- Delete Used to delete the currently highlighted file. To use, move the cursor bar to the file to be deleted and press F5. F8- Rename Renames the currently highlighted drive. To use, move the cursor bar to the file to be renamed and press F8. Enter the new file name and press [ENTER]. Help Pressing the F1 function key brings up help on your current activity. All of the information that you should need is at your finger-tips through the on-line help key. To exit Help, press the Esc key. Once the Help screen comes up you have four choices: Next Page- Next (or Pg Dn) brings up the next screen in Help. Usually this is a continuation of the current topic. Sometimes it may be the start of a new topic. Introduction 8 ProFile Previous Page- Previous (or Pg Dn) brings up the previous screen in Help. This might be on the current topic or it may be a page of another help item. General Topics and Advanced Topics Either of these two choices bring you to an index of all of the major Help items. Just select from the menu the topic of your choice and you will receive help on that subject. Function Keys ProFile uses the same keys to accomplish similar tasks throughout the program. Occasionally the action of a function key changes. The function key help line at the bottom of the screen lists what function keys are available and what action they perform. Certain keys always have the same meaning: [<--] Backspace key will delete characters to the left of the cursor. [-->|] Tab key will usually move the cursor to the next field or choice. [|<--] Shift tab key will usually move the cursor to the previous field. [Ins] Will toggle the program between insert and typeover mode. The program defaults to insert mode. When toggled to typeover, OVR will appear in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. [Del] Deletes the character under the cursor. Arrow Move the cursor around the form. Keys [^->] (Ctrl-Right Arrow or ^F) Moves to the next word in text fields. [^<-] (Ctrl-Left Arrow or ^A) Moves to the previous word in text fields. [^Home] Deletes all the characters to the right of the cursor. [Home] Moves to the beginning of a field or the top of the database form. ProFile Introduction 9 [End] Moves to the end of a field or to the end of a database form. [Esc] Always lets you exit what you are doing. ProFile will always prompt you if your work will be changed or needs to be saved. Using ProFile OK, you've read the introduction and are ready to get started. What next? Well, that depends if you are just getting started with computers or are a computer expert. If you're a new user, follow the instruction in the next paragraph titled New Users. If you're an expert, read the Advanced Users paragraph. If you don't know where you stand, start with the New User section and progress from there. New Users- ProFile was designed to be easy for the new user to operate. But, like anything, a little practice goes a long way. If your style is to get right to it, then review the Advanced User paragraph below. Also consider reading the Designing a Form section in the manual for some valuable tips that might save you time later. If you like a more structured approach, follow the outline listed below: 1. Read through the manual, following the tutorials as they are presented and follow the examples. 2. Work with the sample databases on the DOCUMENTATION DISK to practice using ProFile's many features. Advanced Users- ProFile's "user interface" follows many of the programming conventions set by other programs. This means once you start using it you are likely to find that you have an "intuitive feel" for the program. To get started read the section titled Help and then look at the following items: 1. Work with the Sample Databases Disk to practice using ProFile's advanced features. 2. Use the Table of Contents and the Index to learn about any functions you would like to use. Database Design 10 ProFile Design a Database Here is a summary of the steps that you will need to create a working database. They've been provided here to give you a global view of the process. Each step (and all of the terms) will be gone over in detail in the sections that follow. There are basic steps to designing a ProFile database: 1. Design the form. Lay out the field prompts, information blanks, and any messages. 2. Assign the field types, attributes, and special functions (i.e. lookup or calculated fields). Simple enough, so we'll get started. Forms A form is the heart of a ProFile Database. A ProFile Database Form allows you to enter information and then store or retrieve it. A ProFile Form can look like forms that you fill out and use every day such as a credit application, magazine subscription form, or any other form you can think of. The first step in designing a ProFile database is to design the form that the database will use. Throughout this manual we'll use a form we've designed for a customer mailing list. It will be used for examples as you proceed through the steps to create a database. If you want to use another form that you've designed, go ahead. The object is to get some practical experience using ProFile. If you're designing your own form, sketch it out on paper first. Decide what information you'd like to keep track of and what labels (field names) you will use to prompt for data. For example, you might use Customer Name to prompt for a customer name. See page #33 for some tips on laying out your forms. After you've completed your sketch, you are ready to enter it into the computer. Common Terms and Conventions Before you get started, take a minute to review a few common terms and conventions that we will use to describe the different parts and processes of the ProFile program. These terms will make it easier to design a form and then to use the program. See figure #1 for an idea of what a sample form might look like. ProFile Database Design 11 Field Prompt- This tells what kind of information should go in the blank following it. For example, in the customer list form shown below, First Name, City, and State are all field names. Field prompts are optional. Information Blank- This is the blank that follows the field prompt. Data is the information that goes into the field blank. Record- A record (or completed form) is a form with the data entered in it. We will use the term "record" to refer to the data that goes in a form and the term "form" to refer to the form that appears on the screen. Form- A series of fields arranged on the screen so that information can be entered into it. A database consists of three types of files- one Form Definition file, one Data file, and Index files. After you have designed the form, ProFile automatically maintains these files for you. Figure 1: Example form Database Design 12 ProFile Form Definition File- This is the file that holds the form itself plus other information that is important to the database, such as the length and type of each field. Data File- A collection of records on disk. Index File- ProFile uses an a separate file to keep track of the order of the information in the data file. It works like the index in the back of this manual, which allows you to quickly find specific information on this program. You may designate multiple indexes for a database. Will You be Tested? Of course not. So don't bother to memorize any of the terms. Just get an idea to what they refer to, and if you must, mark the page for reference. This manual has been written so it's easy to learn and the meaning of a term should be obvious in the context in which it's used. Top Line Tells Where You Are The top line of the screen always tells you where you are and also lists the database name (which you choose, of course). Database Design Function Keys Use [ESC] to cancel anything that you don't want to do. ProFile will prompt you first to make certain you don't do anything disastrous or unintended. The function key help line, which appears at the bottom of most screens, will tell you the current function key assignments. Designing The Form There are two steps to design a form: 1. Design the form. 2. Assign the field attributes. ProFile Database Design 13 Getting Started To design the form you must first get to the Load File- Definition screen. Here's how: Start the program by typing PF at the DOS prompt. If you have problems starting the program refer the file PF-READ.ME for installation instructions. After the copyright notice, the first screen that you see is the Load File- Definition screen. This is the File Manager function discussed in the introduction. The File Manager explains that a form definition file is where your specifications for your form are kept. If you had previously designed a form you could enter an existing name now. Since we are designing a new one, pick an unused name for the form and enter it here, pressing [ENTER] when you're done. NOTE- To see or use a different directory or drive, press F2 and enter the new drive and path name, then press [ENTER]. ProFile will then display all of the Form Definition files on the new drive or path name. See page #8 in the Introduction for more information on the File Manager function. Form Not Found At this point, ProFile tells you that the form you requested was not found. Press "Y" to start the design process and create the new form. Press "N" to choose another name. Modeling a New Form The next question is whether you would like to model the new form after an existing one. Many times when a new database is created, it is easier to model it after an existing form. For instance, if you have a customer database for all companies on the East Coast and decide to create another one for all companies on the West Coast, you may use the modeling option to shorten the design process. To model a form: 1. Type Yes to model a form. 2. Type in the existing form name and then press [ENTER]. 3. At the prompt OK to Continue enter Yes to continue, or No to enter another file name. If you want to change the form Database Design 14 ProFile design, enter Yes and then follow the instructions listed below. If ProFile can't find the form that you specify, it will beep and then let you re-enter the file name. If you press [Esc], ProFile will return you to the Main Menu, without selecting a database. Laying Out the Form ProFile lets you design forms that are logically laid out and easy to use and that help increase operator accuracy. Use your imagination to design your forms. For example, group like fields together and separate these groups with blank lines, or title each group with a heading. Remember, whoever fills in the forms will appreciate the time you took to make them accurate, easy to fill in, and concise. In this part of the design process, you lay out the form on the screen. Here's how: 1. Move the cursor to the location you want to place a field. 2. Type in the field prompt followed by a colon (:). The colon tells ProFile that "this is a field name." The field prompt is optional. If you choose not to use a field prompt, just type a colon (:) where you'd like the field to start. 3. Create the information blank. Move the cursor to the first or second position immediately following the colon (:). Press the underline character (_) repeatedly to designate the amount of room needed for the information blank. 4. You may place any comments, titles, etc. on the form that you would like. 5. When you are finished press F10 to bring up the Define Field Types screen. Cursor Movement ProFile lets you move the cursor around the screen, in the same way you would in a word processing program. Use the keys shown below. ProFile Database Design 15 Function Keys for Form Layout: Key Meaning --- ------- [<--] (backspace) key will delete characters to the left of the cursor and moves all character to the right of the cursor over one position. [-->|] (tab) key will move the cursor to the beginning of the current line. [Ins] Will toggle between insert and typeover mode. The word OVR on the status indicates that you are in overwrite mode. [Del] Deletes the character under the cursor and moves all characters to the right over one position. Arrow Move the cursor in the appropriate direction; up, Keys down, left, and right on the form. [^->] (Ctrl-Right Arrow or ^F) Moves to the next word in text fields. [^<-] (Ctrl-Left Arrow or ^A) Moves to the previous word in text fields. [Home] Moves to the top of the database form. [End] Moves to the end of the database form. [Pg Up] (Page Up) Moves the cursor up one screen (20 lines). [^Home] Deletes all the characters to the right of the cursor. [Pg Dn] (Page Down) Moves the cursor down one screen (20 lines). F3 Insert a blank line. F4 Copy the current line if the copy buffer is empty, or insert a copied line if the copy buffer is ready (loaded). F5 Delete the current line. Alt-W Upper left corner of box. Database Design 16 ProFile Key Meaning --- ------- Alt-R Upper right corner of box. Alt-C Lower right corner of box. Alt-Z Lower left corner of box. Alt-E Alt-X Vertical box line. Alt-S Alt-D Horizontal box line. Field Prompts A field prompt tells the computer operator what kind of information should go in the blank following it. Field prompts should be chosen so that they accurately convey the information that is to be entered. More than one field prompt may appear on one line. Remember to leave enough space between the field prompts for the information blanks. A minimum of 5 spaces between field prompts is recommended. Although field prompts are used frequently, they are optional. Certain fields (column-type information) do not need prompts. For example, a comment section in a form may consist of several field blanks. See figure #2. Information Blanks The information blank sets the number of characters or numbers that can be entered into each field. You create an information blank by "painting" it on the screen, immediately following the field prompt (or colon if the field does not have a prompt). The length of an information blank may be up to 78 characters. The entire information blank must be able to fit on one line in the form. Try to estimate the amount of space needed for each field before you design your form. Allocating too much room for each field will mean wasted disk space; too little room for each field means your information will be cramped and abbreviated. If you allocate too little (or too much) room for a field, you can go back later and change the field length. ProFile will automatically reorganize your database to fit the new field length specifications. ProFile Database Design 17 Figure 2: The Form Layout screen To create information blanks: 1. Use the cursor keys to move to the first or second position after the colon (:) at the end of a field prompt. 2. Press the underline key repeatedly to create the information blank. For instance, an information blank with a length of eight would be signified by eight underline characters. 3. Repeat the above steps until all fields have been completed. Note- If you create a field without an information blank, ProFile will warn you and then return to the Form Layout screen. Press F10 to tell ProFile that you are finished designing the form. Next, you will see the Define Field Attributes screen. Laying Out Calculated and Lookup Fields If you plan to use either calculated or lookup fields, you should create the field prompts and information blanks for them now. This is done just as you would for any other field in the database. See the previous section for more information. Database Design 18 ProFile Form Length A form can be quite large. In fact, a form can be up to 100 lines long and 80 characters wide. Your computer screen is like a window looking on part of the form. As you move around on it, either to design or fill it in, the form scrolls automatically. If you ever want to go to the top of the form, just press the [Home] key twice. Also, when you are designing a form, the [Pg Up] key will move the form 20 lines up; the [Pg Dn] key will move form 20 lines down. Pressing the [End] key twice moves the form to line 80, showing the last 20 lines. Inserting, Deleting, and Copying Form Lines ProFile lets you change your form by inserting, deleting, and copying form lines. This means that you can quickly design a form. Insert- Move the cursor to the position where the new line should be inserted and press F3. A blank line will be inserted and all other lines will be moved down one. Caution- The last line in the form, line 100, will be erased. Delete- Move the cursor to the line you wish to delete and then press F5. Answer Yes if you wish the line to be deleted. Copying- Move the cursor to the line you would like copied and press F4. The line is now in the copy buffer and the prompt on line 2 now says Copy Buffer Ready. Move the cursor to the position where the copied line should be inserted and press F4 again. The copied line will be inserted and all other lines moved down one. Caution- The last line in the form, line 100, will be erased. Drawing Boxes You may draw boxes on the form to make it easier to enter data and organize your fields. Box drawing is simple. Just follow these steps: 1. Position the cursor at the upper left corner of the box. 2. Press Alt-W to create the corner. Next, draw the horizontal line by pressing Alt-D repeatedly until the line is drawn. ProFile Database Design 19 3. Press Alt-R to create the upper right corner. 4. Move the cursor down one line and position it under the corner. Press Alt-X to draw the vertical line. Move the cursor down one line and position it under the previous vertical line and press Alt-X again. Repeat this process until the vertical line is completed to your satisfaction. 5. Repeat the above process to complete the box, using Alt-Z and Alt-C for the bottom left and right corner, respectively. Form Layout Errors Field # was not found in the list- The referenced field has a field identifier but was not found. Recheck the field identifier for errors. Field # has a partial field identifier- The referenced field has only one character of the field identifier. Recheck the field identifier. Field # has a duplicate field identifier- Two existing fields on your form have the same field identifier. Check the field identifier of both fields. No Fields Created. Minimum field = 1. Maximum = 150- ProFile could not find any fields. You must create at least one field in a form or exit Form Layout by pressing [Esc]. Over 150 fields in form- Reduce the number of fields to a Maximum of 150. Field # has a length of zero- Each field in the form must have an information blank. Use the underline (_) character to create one. The colon in Field # is too close to the right edge- The colon (:) may be no closer than character 77 of a line. See section in Advanced Database Design for a list of other problems and hints on how to correct them. Assigning Field Attributes The Define Field Attributes screen appears after you press F10 to complete the form layout. Here you will define various characteristics for each field. Database Design 20 ProFile The Define Field Attributes screen is split. The top half displays a portion of your form. The bottom half contains the field attribute box. In it, a field's characteristics, i.e. field type, name, length, help line, etc., are displayed. When you create a new form, the fields in the form are automatically assigned the Text field attribute. You may change or reassign the field attributes for both new and existing fields as required. To assign or change field attributes, follow the following steps: 1. Using the up and down arrow keys, move the cursor to the field you'd like to change. 2. Press [ENTER] to select this field. The cursor will move to the attributes box. 3. At the Field Type: prompt, either enter a new field type or press [ENTER] to choose the current type. 4. For text and numeric field types, you may now assign the other field attributes i.e. field name, mask type, length, decimal places, help line and others. See below for more details. For new lookup or calculation fields, you will first define the lookup information or formula. Next, you may enter other field attributes. If this is an existing lookup or calculation field, you will move directly to the field attributes section. (Or, Press F2 to edit the lookup details or calculation formula.) 5. When you're done, press F10 to save the new information and return to the form. Pressing [Esc] cancels this edit and returns you to the form. The original information is restored. Selecting the Field When the cursor is in the top half of the screen, you may move the cursor to another field on the form using the up and down arrow keys. As you do, notice that the attributes box (the bottom half of the screen) displays the values for the new field. Pressing [ENTER] to select that field for change. The cursor drops down to the Field Type: prompt in the attributes box. You may return to the form by pressing [Esc]. ProFile Database Design 21 Field Types There are four field types from which you may choose. These are Text, Numeric, Lookup, and Calculated. Field types are important. Take the time to consider what information will be put in the form and assign field types accordingly. Watch out for simple mistakes like assigning a zip code field a Numeric type (i.e. Zip Code 00223 would be converted to a number with the value 223) when it should be assigned a Text type. Field types can be changed anytime you like by entering new values into the field type column. To enter a field type, enter the letter of your choice of the respective field type i.e. Text, Numeric, Lookup, or Calculated. Text- The text field type is the standard for all new fields. Text fields can hold any information. This includes characters, numbers (but not numeric values), dates, phone numbers; just about anything. Examples of text fields would be names, addresses, dates, zip code fields, addresses, etc. Numeric- Numeric fields are used to hold numeric values. Only numeric fields may be used for calculation fields and report totals and averages. Numeric fields allow you to assign decimal places, and minimum and maximum values for the field. Examples of numeric fields include sales information, totals, costs, etc. Lookup- Lookup fields are used to retrieve information from another database. For example, you could have a customer database and an invoice database. By entering a customer name in the invoice database, ProFile could automatically retrieve the address from the customer file. The address fields would be Lookup field types. The data in a lookup field may be stored in the current database or only referenced. Storing a lookup field in the current database allows you to index it, use it in a Select Spec, or Sort Spec. A stored lookup field is not automatically updated if the original information in the lookup database is changed. Examples of lookup fields include customer addresses, item descriptions, item costs, etc. Basically any information that you do not want to have to enter manually. Calculated- Calculated fields allow you to place formulas in your form. In this way, your form, for instance, could Database Design 22 ProFile automatically calculate total sales based on several other numeric fields. Examples for calculated fields include totals, sales tax, averages, etc. Creating Text and Numeric Fields Text and numeric fields are the most commonly used field types. The process for defining a text or numeric field is very similar. To start: 1. Using the up and down arrow keys, move the cursor the field you'd like to change. 2. Press [ENTER] to select the field. The cursor will move to the attributes box. 3. At the Field Type: prompt, enter Text or Numeric and then press [ENTER]. After entering the field type, you may enter a series of options that control the current field. Here are the details. Name- Each field in the database has a name. The name may be up to 12 characters long and may contain a combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks (but NO spaces). The name you assign to the field is used to create a Select Spec, Report or Label, and for other functions. ProFile initially uses the first 12 characters of the field prompt that you used when you designed the form. If you'd like to change it, do so. Pick a name that makes sense to you and other users and is unique. Duplicate names in a form are not allowed. Mask Type- The mask type determines what information can go into a field and how it is formatted. See the chart starting on page ^^, for a detailed list of text mask types and page ^^ for numeric mask types. ProFile Database Design 23 Code Type Use ---------------------------------------------------------------- X Anything Any character or information may be entered into this field. There are no restrictions. Example uses would be names, addresses, conceptual info, etc. C Alpha Only Only alphabetic characters are allowed in this field. No numbers or symbols permitted. 9 Digits Only digits (i.e. 0 - 9) are allowed in this field. Useful for Zip Code fields, part numbers or anything else that contains numbers and is not considered a numeric value. D Date Dates only, keyed in by the typist. Preset length of 8 characters. A Auto Date Dates automatically filled in with today's date. These may be changed by the operator. Only one auto date field is allowed per database. Also, if it is the first field in a form, ProFile will skip over it when adding or editing data (but you can move back to it by pressing the up arrow key). Preset length of 8 characters. O sOc. sec. # Formats the field for Social Security numbers i.e. 222-33-4455 Preset length of 12 characters. P Phone Number Formats the field for phone numbers including area code, i.e. 301 555-2233. Preset length of 12 characters. Figure: Text Mask Types Database Design 24 ProFile Code Type Use ---------------------------------------------------------------- N Number Only valid numbers, quantities, etc. for computations may be entered into this field. $ Money Only valid numbers and amounts are allowed. The amount is automatically formatted with 2 decimal places. Can be used for computations. I Increment Incrementing fields are numeric fields that ProFile automatically increments as you add new records. Figure: Numeric Field Mask Types Length- The length of a field is initially determined by the size of the information blank that you created in the form layout section. Text fields may be up to 78 characters long and must fit on one line (this includes the field prompt). Numeric fields may be up to 16 numbers, including the decimal place. You can change the length of the field at this prompt. Note that the information blank must fit on the line and not overlap with any other field (or message) on the same line. ProFile will display how long the current field may be lengthened without hitting the edge of the screen or another field. Decimal- For numeric fields only. Enter in the number of decimals places for this field, 0-9. Money fields (mask type of $) are preset at 2 decimal places. Index- You may designate up to 10 index fields in a database. Enter a Y to index the field. Index fields are used to create a special file called an Index file. The Index file gives you close to instantaneous access to any record in your database. When using the Edit function, you may find completed forms quickly using the index. For instance, if you designated Last Name as an indexed field, you could then find Mr. "Smith" or Ms. "Barnaby" quickly by entering in the last name ProFile Database Design 25 in the Search function. More on searching in the Edit section under Search. Fields that are indexed should be ones that you use to identify information in your database. For instance, in a customer mailing list, the company name would be a good choice for indexing. Last name or customer numbers are other good choices. In the Edit function, a database may browsed in index field order. If you have more than one field indexed, you can select which index field should be used. For instance, if the indexed field was one called Last Name, you could scan through your database starting with last names that start with "A" and move up through the alphabet. This is discussed in more detail in the Edit section. Help Line- This options lets you design a customized help prompt for this field. This makes it easier for other people to enter data into your form. When information is entered in the form, the help prompt will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Required- A required field must always have information entered in it and may never be blank. Enter Yes to make the current field required. Must Fill- The information blank in a mustfill field must be completely filled before the information can be saved. Enter Yes to make the current field mustfill. Unique- The information in a field that is designated unique must appear only once in a database. Unique fields are assigned an index file. Enter Yes to designate the current field unique. Uppercase- This applies to text fields only. Answering Yes to this option will cause all letters entered into this field to be converted to uppercase i.e. A-Z. Low- For numeric fields only. Enter a value other than 0 in this option as the lowest number allowable. Entering a 0, or no value, means don't check for a low range. Database Design 26 ProFile High- For numeric fields only. Enter a value in this option to specify the largest number allowed. No value, or 0, means don't check for a high range. Creating Lookup Fields Lookup fields allow you to link other databases to the existing database. In this way, you can save typing strokes, improve information accuracy, and cut down on database storage requirements. To create a lookup field, you'll need to tell ProFile what database to use(the lookup database file name), how to find the information (match field and lookup field), and what field to "pull" into your current database (the retrieve field). ProFile helps you do this, and keeps track of the details. For instance, assume that you had two databases; an invoice database (containing a customer number, item purchased, total amount, etc.) and a customer database (customer number, name and address). You could create a customer name lookup field in the invoice database that would automatically "pull" the customer name into the invoice database when the customer number was entered. By typing in the customer number, ProFile automatically searches the customer database for the same customer number. When it finds a match, it retrieves the customer name and displays it on the invoice form. This same procedure may be done for the customer address, item descriptions, costs, product codes, etc. To create a lookup field: 1. Using the up and down arrow keys, move the cursor on the form to the field you'd like to make a lookup field. 2. Press [ENTER] to select this field. The cursor will move to the attributes box. 3. At the Field Type: prompt, enter Lookup and then press [ENTER]. The following describes each of the remaining steps. Using our invoice example, you'll be telling ProFile "when I enter the customer number (Current Database Search Field) in the invoice form, search to see if it matches a customer number (Lookup Database Match Field) in the customer database (Lookup Database File Name). If it does, retrieve the customer name (Lookup Database Retrieve Field) for that customer number." ProFile Database Design 27 Lookup File Name- The cursor drops down to the File Name: prompt under the Lookup Database title after selecting Lookup at the Field Type: prompt. A form may use up to three different databases, with up to 150 lookup fields using these databases. The form in the top half of the screen is replaced by a window from which you may select the lookup database. The lookup database must be in the same directory as the current database. To select a database move the cursor bar to the database of your choice and press [ENTER]. Lookup Match Field- Next, the cursor moves to the Match Field: prompt. Here you will enter a field from the lookup database that ProFile should use to locate the proper record. The lookup database Match Field must be indexed (and ProFile will only let you select a field that has been indexed). ProFile uses the index to quickly find the proper record in the lookup database. The top half of the screen will now display those fields in the lookup database. You may move the cursor to any field in the lookup database that has been indexed. Move the cursor to the proper field and press [ENTER]. Lookup Retrieve Field- The information in the Lookup Retrieve Field will be placed in the current field. For example, assume you are defining the CUSTOMERNAME field as a Lookup field in the Invoice database. You would like to enter a customer number and have the appropriate customer name (from the customer database) automatically inserted into the CUSTOMERNAME field in the invoice database. In this case, you would want the Lookup Retrieve Field to be the CUSTOMERNAME field from the customer database. The lookup field being defined will assume the same Field Type (either Text or Numeric) of the Lookup Retrieve Field. For instance, the CUSTOMERNAME field in the invoice database will be the same type (text) as the CUSTOMERNAME field in the customer database. When you are entering the Lookup Retrieve Field, ProFile will display the fields from the lookup database in the top half of the screen. Move the cursor bar to the appropriate field and press [ENTER]. Search Field- The Search Field is the field in the current database that you want to use to find the proper record in the lookup database. For instance, in the invoice database example, CUSTOMER_# would be the Current Database Search Field. The top half of the screen will display the fields from which you may choose the Current Database Search Field. Move the cursor bar to the appropriate field and press [ENTER]. Database Design 28 ProFile Lookup Field Attributes The lookup field may be assigned Field Attributes. The lookup field assumes the Field Type of the Lookup Database Match Field i.e. Text or Numeric. However, entry rules and ranges are not allowed for lookup fields. See the section titled Creating Text and Numeric Fields for more details on Field Attributes. Stored Lookup Fields You may choose to store the lookup field in the current database or reference it via the lookup database. Storing the information in the current database allows you to access the information in the lookup field as you would any other text or numeric field. This means that you may use it for sorting, selecting, indexing, or for use in other databases. Stored lookup fields are completed when the record is initially added, and do not change if the information in the lookup database changes. By choosing not to store a lookup field, you save disk space and the information will always reflect what is in the lookup database. You save space since the information is not duplicated in the current database. It is always current because the information is retrieved from the lookup database every time the form is used. However, fields that are not stored may not be used for sorting, selecting, or indexing. Lookup Field Guidelines o The lookup database must reside in the same subdirectory as the current database. o You may not use the current database as the lookup database. o The Match Field in the lookup database must be a stored, indexed field, either text or numeric. o The Retrieve Field in the lookup database must be stored. o The current field being defined as a lookup field will assume the same Field Type as the Retrieve Field. o The Current Database Search Field must be stored. ProFile Database Design 29 Creating Calculated Fields Creating a calculated field in a form is very similar to creating a numeric field but you first enter a formula into the "Formula" blank. The formula will look just like those used in spreadsheet programs such as Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel. To reference a field use an "F" followed by the field number. Calculated fields are useful for totals, averages, extended costs, etc. To create a Calculated Field: 1. Using the up and down arrow keys, move the cursor to the field you'd like to define as a calculated field. 2. Press [ENTER] to select this field. The cursor will move to the attributes box. 3. At the Field Type: prompt, enter Calculation and then press [ENTER]. After entering the field type, you enter the formula. Then you may enter a series of options that control the current field. See the section titled Creating Text and Numeric Fields for more information on how to define field attributes. Basic formulas use a field, an arithmetic operator ("+" for addition, "-" for subtraction, "*" for multiplication, "/" for division, "^" to raise to any power i.e 2^3 = 8) and another field number. Formulas can be as simple as F9+F10 (field 9 plus field 10). More advanced formulas can use ProFile's built-in functions such as TAN (tangent) and ABS (absolute), and others. The following are all valid formulas: F9+F10 Field 9 plus Field 10. F7+F8-F11 Field 7 plus Field 8 minus Field 11. (F11*100) - F7 Field 11 times 100; minus Field 7. ProFile checks the formula after you enter it. If it finds an error, it beeps and displays the position of the first error that it encountered. Common problems are incomplete parentheses, invalid field references, and symbols that it does not understand. To correct an error, just move the cursor to the mistake and make the necessary changes. Database Design 30 ProFile Using Parentheses and Precedence ProFile uses rules to determine what part of a formula gets calculated first. The rules are listed below. Generally, always use parentheses if there is any doubt about the order of precedence. For instance, the formula F9+F11*100 means Field 11 is multiplied by 100 and the result added to Field 9. On the other hand, (F9+F10)*100 means that the result of adding Field 9 with Field 10 is multiplied by 100. Formula Functions ProFile has a series of functions that can be used in formulas in a calculated column. The general syntax is Fnc(Value) where Fnc is the function and Value is either a constant or field number. Figure #6 lists all ProFile functions with n meaning any valid number. Saving the Form When you have finished defining the field attributes, save the form by pressing F10. ProFile will perform a series of checks to make certain that the information that you entered is correct and then ask if you want to continue. Any errors that it finds will be displayed and you will return to the Define Field Attributes screen to correct the errors. If everything is fine, ProFile will report the number of lines in the form, number of fields and record length. Note- You cannot continue until all field attributes have been properly setup. If all fields are not complete, ProFile will beep and inform you of the first incomplete field it finds. ProFile Database Design 31 If you must exit, press [Esc] twice from the Define Field Attributes screen. You may save the Form Design by answering Yes to the Save Form Design [Y/N]? prompt. Syntax Command Use ----------------------------------------------------------------- ABS(n) Absolute Returns the absolute value of N. SQRT(n) Square Root Square root of N. SQR(n) Square Returns the square of N. SIN(n) Sine Returns the sine of N. N is expressed in radians and the result is a real number. COS(n) Cosine Returns the cosine of N. N is expressed in radians and the result is a real number. ARCTAN(n) Arc Tangent Returns the angle, in radians, whose tangent is N. LN(n) Natural Returns the natural logarithm of N. LOG(n) Logarithm Returns the logarithm of N, i.e. LN(N)/LN(10). EXP(n) Exponential Returns the exponential of N, i.e. enum. Figure: Calculated column formula functions Form Design Hints Planning ahead means that you get greater use out of ProFile with less effort spent. Listed below are items that should be considered when designing a form: Make the Form Aesthetically Pleasing- Make it pleasing to the eye, uncrowded, and lay it out logically. It will be easier to work with, less error-prone, and more efficient. Use Descriptive and Unique Field Names- ProFile lets you use up to 12 characters to describe a field; use them. "LastName" is more instructive than "LName". Database Design 32 ProFile Include Enough Fields- ProFile is a powerful tool and it gives you a lot of flexibility. You can even add more fields to your database after you have filled in many forms. But planning ahead is always better so try to anticipate what information you need to keep track of and include those fields in your form design. Field Attribute Problems and Errors ProFile checks the information entered in the Field Attribute section to make certain that no mistakes are made. Below is a list of problems and how to correct them. No index field defined- You must select the Indexed option on at least one field in your database. When ProFile checked, it could not find any fields that were indexed. Move the cursor bar to the appropriate field to be indexed and press [ENTER]. At the prompt Index: type Yes. Over Maximum Characters- The maximum number of characters allowed in a form is 3,000. If you define a form with more than the maximum, ProFile will warn you and return to the Define Field Attributes screen. Reduce the number of characters in several fields or, if necessary, eliminate a few fields to reduce the overall record size. Calculation Error- ProFile has found an error in a formula for a calculated field. Fix the error and then press [ENTER]. See the preceding section on Formulas for instruction on how to properly create a formula. Lookup Field references a deleted field- You have a lookup field whose Search Field has been deleted. Move the cursor to that lookup field and select it. Press F2 to change the lookup information. Move the cursor to Search Field and select a new field. Too many index fields- You are allowed up to 10 index fields per database. Change the Index: prompt to No and then press F10 to continue. Note that anytime you define a field as Unique the field is automatically indexed. Too many databases- You have defined a lookup field that and have exceeded the number of other databases that the current form may access. A form may access up to three databases for lookup functions. ProFile Database Design 33 Data and Index Files In addition to the Form Definition file, your database uses a Data file and up to ten Index files. Here's a review of what these files do: Data File- A collection of records (filled in forms) on disk. Index File- ProFile uses an Index files to keep track of the order of the information in the Data file. ProFile loads the Data and Index files after you have entered the Form Definition file name. If ProFile cannot find these files, it will create them automatically. Disabled Lookup Fields ProFile checks each of the lookup databases. If it can't find a referenced database, it disables the lookup fields for that database. You may still enter information into a form, but the fields that referenced the lookup database will be unavailable. Typical errors involve either the Match or Retrieve field being deleted or perhaps that names of those fields have been changed. The easiest way to correct the problem is to use the Layout function to redefine the lookup fields in the current database that have been disabled. Add Data 34 ProFile Add Data After you've designed your form, you may now add data to it. To do so, choose the Add function from the Main Menu. A blank form will appear, as shown in figure #7. Figure 7: Add Data function To enter data in a form: 1. To fill out the form, just type in the information. 2. When you've finished entering your data into a field, press [ENTER] to move to the next field. You may also use the up and down arrow and tab keys to move around the form. 3. When you are finished filling out the form press F10. ProFile will save the form and then present another empty form. 4. When you're through entering forms, press [Esc] and answer Yes to the exit prompt. You will then return to the Main Menu. ProFile Add Data 35 Changing the Data As you enter information into the blank form, you may change it as you like: o Use the cursor, tab, up and down arrow, [Home], and [End] keys to move around to the appropriate field. o Use the left and right arrow keys to move within a field. o Press ^[Home] (control-Home) to erase a field from the current cursor position. o Press [Ins] to enter overwrite mode; press it again to toggle to insert mode. The following chart summarizes the editing keystrokes: Key Use -------- --- [<--] (backspace) key will delete characters to the left of the cursor. [-->|] (tab) key will move the cursor the next field. [|<--] (shift tab) key will move the cursor to the previous field. [Ins] Will toggle the program between insert and typeover mode. [Del] Deletes the character under the cursor. Up Move to the beginning of the previous field. Arrow Down Move to the beginning of the next field. Arrow [^->] (Ctrl-Right Arrow or ^F) Moves to the next word in text fields. [^<-] (Ctrl-Left Arrow or ^A) Moves to the previous word in text fields. [^Home] Deletes all the characters to the right of the cursor. [Home] Moves to the beginning of a field or the top of the database form. Add Data 36 ProFile [End] Moves to the end of a field or to the end of a database form. [Esc] Exit to the Main Menu. Entering Information in Formatted Fields When a form is designed, ProFile lets you control what information is entered into each field. If you try to enter information that is not allowed, ProFile will beep and the cursor will not move. See page #24 in the Database Design section for a list of field types and allowable characters. Dates should be entered in the format "MM/DD/YY". Remember, only numbers are allowed in a date field. Also, if the month or day is only one digit, place a "0" first, i.e. June 1, 1988 would appear as "06/01/88". Required, Unique, and Must Fill Fields In addition to type checked fields, ProFile allows fields to be designated as required, unique and must fill during the database design process. These "entry rules" allow the database designer to control what information is entered into a form and to ensure a form is completed properly. If these fields are not completed properly, ProFile asks you to do so when you try enter the information or save the record. See page #27 in the Database Design section for more information on creating "entry rules". A Required field must always have information entered into it. For instance, in our mailing list example, LAST NAME could be designated as required. This would ensure that all records in the database had a last name. Other examples of possible required fields include customer numbers, part numbers, dates, etc. Unique fields must only appear once in a database. When you enter data in a field designated unique, ProFile checks the database to see if the information has previously been entered. For instance, you might designate a customer number field to be unique in a customer database. This would ensure that there were no duplicate customer numbers, since ProFile would automatically check each number when the customer information was entered. Must Fill fields must have the information blank completely filled before the record can be saved. A date field could be designated must fill so that a user would not enter a partial date. ProFile checks when the information is entered and stops ProFile Add Data 37 the user from proceeding if a must fill field is not completed. Must fill fields may be left empty, i.e. no data entered. To make certain a user completes the field and enters data, the field should be designated required and must fill. Range Checking ProFile allows a range to be specified for numeric fields. The ranges are specified during the database design. See page #27 under Database Design for more information on minimum and maximum values (ranges). When a number is entered into a field, ProFile checks to see if a range has been specified for that field. If it has, it then checks the number to make certain that it falls within the range. You will receive a warning if the number falls outside of the range specified, after which you may correct you entry and proceed. Lookup Fields Lookup fields are used to speed data entry by letting the computer pull in information from another database. For instance, when entering information into an invoice database, you could enter a customer name and have the computer fill in the customer address. The address fields (street address, city, state, and zip) are lookup fields. The customer name is the search field, or key field, by which ProFile searches another database for the customer address. Lookup fields are created during the database design process. See page #28 for more information. After entering information into a lookup search field, ProFile automatically looks into the appropriate database so that it may fill in the respective lookup fields. If it cannot find the data, it will then present a sorted list that most closely matches the information that you entered. You may also use this feature to search for the right information. For instance, by entering "S" in a customer name field (that has been designated a search field for other lookup fields), ProFile would list alphabetically customers starting with "S". If you had none, it would look for "T", "U", etc. Non-stored Fields and Calculated Fields Most fields in a form are filled in by you when you enter information. Lookup fields and calculated fields are completed by ProFile. As you move from field to field, the cursor will jump over non-stored lookup fields and calculated fields. (No user entry is allowed in these fields.) Add Data 38 ProFile Copying Information From the Previous Form Many times when you fill in forms, there is duplicate information from one form to the next. For example, if you are filling out forms for a mailing list you might have five people from the same company. Instead of retyping the company name for each person, ProFile lets you "copy" the information from the same field in the previous form into your current form by pressing the "ditto" key F4. The Field Help Line ProFile offers general help on any function that you are currently using. To get help just press F1. In addition to this, ProFile lets you create special help lines that appear when you are adding information to your database. This help line can assist you in completing the form by explaining what information a field should contain. Or, the help line might list codes or abbreviations that can be entered in a field. Once you have created the help line, it is displayed on the line immediately below the form (line 24) on your screen. As you move from field to field in the form, the help line for the current field will be displayed. If there is no help, the line will be blank. Remember, field help is only available if someone creates it first. It's simple to create help lines and once created, they are always available. See page #26 in the previous section on Defining Field Attributes to learn how. Printing the Form To print the form and the information that you have entered press F9. To print the current form: 1. Press F9 when in the Add or Edit function. This will bring up the current print settings. 2. You may now change, if needed, the top and bottom margin, page length and print margin (the print margin prints the entire form further to the right). Press [ENTER] to accept the displayed settings or enter in a new value. ProFile Add Data 39 3. Answer Yes to the "Continue ?" prompt to print, No to re-enter the print values. You may exit the Print function at any time by pressing [Esc]. Note- The F9 key works differently than the PrtSc key. Pressing shift-[PrtSc] prints out everything that appears on the screen, including the information above and below the form. Pressing F9 prints only your form and the information that is currently in it. To print a series of forms, see page #55. Edit Data 40 ProFile Edit Data To edit existing information, choose the Edit function from the Main Menu. Your form and the Edit Menu will appear as shown in figure #8. The Edit function provides three major uses: o To search for and display records based on your specifications. o To correct information in a form. o To permanently delete records from your database. With Edit, you may: o Skip to the next or previous record in index (sometimes called key field) order. o Go to the first or last record in the database in index order. o Select a group of records to display and then view each one on the screen. o Find a specific record by key field or record number. o Delete the current record. o Display a record on the screen and correct or edit it, if desired. o Print out the current record. About Your Displayed Form When the Edit function is activated, the computer screen shows your form filled in with the information from the first record (in index order). As noted in the Form Design section, your form may be up to 100 lines long. The edit screen can display only 19 lines. If your form is longer than 19 lines, press the up and down arrow keys to display another section of the form. On line 24, ProFile displays the status of the Edit Selection Spec, and the active index field. ProFile Edit Data 41 The Edit Menu The Edit Menu is displayed horizontally along the bottom. To select a menu choice, move the cursor bar with the <- -> keys to your choice and press [ENTER]. Or, press the highlighted letter of your menu choice. Total, Deleted, and Current Records In the upper left hand corner of the screen, a line displays the total number of forms currently in use in your database and the "record number" of the form currently displayed on the screen. ProFile keeps track of the number of active (filled-in) records in your database, the number and position of records that have been deleted, and the position of the displayed record. It displays the total number of records and the position of the current record in the top left corner. Figure 8: Edit Data Menu "Ttl= X" means X is the "total active records" in your database. This number does not include any empty records that have been removed with the Delete feature. Edit Data 42 ProFile "Rec= X" signifies that X is the "record number" or position (relative to the beginning of the file) of the filled-in form currently displayed on your screen. Sometimes "Rec= X" will show an X that is larger than the total number of active records ("Ttl= X" number). There is no need to be concerned. This happens because of the way ProFile handles records that have been removed with the Delete option (which is discussed in this section). When a record is deleted, it leaves an empty record in your database. ProFile keeps track of these and reuses them when you add new records. For example, if you had 20 customers in your database and deleted XYZ Company (record number 19), ProFile would mark that record as deleted. The total number of customers would now be 19. If you were to display the 20th customer in your database, ProFile would display the current record number as 20, while indicating that there were only 19 customers total in your database. Since ProFile re-uses empty (deleted) record positions, the next time you add a new customer, ProFile will place it in the empty record created by deleting XYZ Company (record 19). The main point to keep in mind here is don't worry if the displayed record number is greater than the total active records because ProFile is smart enough to keep track of all of these details for you. Edit an Existing Record To edit the record displayed on the screen, move the cursor bar to the Edit selection and press [ENTER]. The cursor will move to the first field in the form (unless it's an auto date field, in which case it will skip to the second field). Then, using the up and down arrow keys, move the cursor to the field you'd like to change. Repeat this procedure until all corrections or updates are made. See the previous section on adding records for more information on keystrokes to edit information in a form. Note- An auto date field is not changed when you edit a record. To change it to today's date, move the cursor to the auto date field and then press the "ditto" (F4) key. ProFile Edit Data 43 Next and Previous The Next and Prev functions are powerful and easy to use. They allow you to browse through your database one record at a time. These functions use the Index file that ProFile maintains automatically for you. This means the database will be ordered by the active index field. For instance, if your key field was Zip Code, ProFile will initially display the record with the lowest Zip code in your database. Pressing Next displays a higher Zip code, with Prev displaying a lower number. When you reach the end of your database, Next will "loop" to the first record. Conversely, if you are at the first record, Prev will "loop" and display the last record. If you have created a Selection Spec, it will act as a filter on the database, displaying only those records that meet the specifications you have defined. For example, pressing Next will display the next record that meets the Selection Spec. The message in the lower right corner of the screen indicates whether a Selection Spec is active. Search The Search feature lets you quickly find any record in your database. ProFile uses your database's Index file to do this. When you select Search, ProFile will prompt you to enter a value for which to search. If you have more than one field indexed, you may use the Index menu choice to change to the field of your choice. See Index this section for more information. If you designated the Last Name field as the active index field, ProFile would prompt you to enter a last name. It then tries to match the last name you entered with someone in your database that has a last name GREATER THAN OR EQUAL to the last name you entered. Once it has located the correct record, it then displays it on the screen for editing, deleting, printing, or examining. For instance, entering "S" at the prompt will make ProFile search for the first record where the last name started with "S". If can't find any, it then looks at names that start with "T" then "U", etc. If none are found, ProFile alerts you with a warning. Edit Data 44 ProFile First and Last Record First displays the first record and Last displays the last record in the database. Think of your database as a stack of completed forms arranged by the active index field. First would show you the form on top, while Last would display the form on the bottom of the stack. Deleting Records Choose Delete to permanently remove the displayed record. Before it removes the record, ProFile will prompt you to affirm your delete request. If a majority of the records in your database are deleted, use the Pack option in the Utilities Menu. It will improve system performance by reorganizing the database, removing all empty records and freeing up space on your disk. See page #115 for more information on Pack. Go To a Record Each record (filled-in form) in your database has a record number associated with it. When you create your database, the first record entered is record number 1, the second is record number 2, etc. The record number of the currently displayed form is shown in the upper left-hand corner. The Record option lets you go directly to a specific record number. This is another way of viewing your database. When you are editing your database, sometimes it is easier to go directly to a record number than it is to use the other searching capabilities of ProFile. Note- If the record number that you specify is a deleted (empty) record, ProFile will advise you so and not let you access it. Count Count lets you count records in a database that meet the Selection Spec (or to count all records if a All Records has been selected). To count records, simply select Count. ProFile will display the number of records that meet your selection criteria on the status line. ProFile Edit Data 45 You may cancel count at anytime by pressing [Esc]. Select Choose this option to create a new Selection Spec described in the following section. The Selection Spec controls what records are viewed when using Count, Next, Prev, First and Last. It acts as a filter allowing only those records that meet your criteria to be displayed. A message will be displayed in the lower right corner when a Selection Spec has been defined. Otherwise it will indicate that all records will be viewed. To browse through the database using a Selection Spec: 1. Using the Select option, create a Selection Spec to tell ProFile what records to find. ProFile will now locate the first record that meets your selection criteria. 2. Use Next, Prev, First, and Last to view other records that meet your criteria. At any time you can edit and change the information in the form that is currently displayed. Index The Index function lets you choose the active index field. The active index controls the order in which the records are displayed, and what field the search function uses to quickly find records. To choose a new active index, select Index from the edit menu. ProFile will then display a list of your fields and let you move among those fields that were designated as indexed during database design. Use the cursor keys to move the cursor bar to the new index field and press [ENTER]. It's often handy to have several fields designated as indexed so that you can view your data in different ways. For instance, by indexing on both last name and entry date in our sample database, we may order the database either by last name, or the date the record was entered. Edit Data 46 ProFile Printing the Current Form To get a printed copy of the form currently displayed, press F9. See page #41 for more information. The Selection Spec The Selection Spec is used throughout ProFile to give you control over the information in your database. The Selection Spec is used to select a subset of your database for examination, reports, labels or changes. ProFile uses menus to help you build a Selection Spec. For example, assume that you'd like to see all of your customers that are in Chicago. First, you'd create a Selection Spec that says- CITY Equal Chicago ProFile would then search the database, looking at all the City fields for any customer in Chicago. To make the Search more specific, you could add another test for each customer record: CITY Equal Chicago AND SALES Greater Than 1000000 Using this criteria, ProFile will find all companies in Chicago with sales greater than $1 million. Selection Spec Menu When a Selection Spec is created, you start at the Selection Spec Menu. The current Selection Spec is listed above the menu. If a Spec has not been defined, the notation All Records will be displayed. The Selection Spec Menu lists four choices: New Spec- Use this option to create a new Selection Spec. If there is an existing Spec displayed, it will be erased and a new one created. Edit Spec- With this option you may edit an existing Spec. If one has not been created, it will be created for you. ProFile Edit Data 47 All Records- Selecting this option clears the existing Spec and defines the new Spec to be all records in the database. Done- Finished creating the Spec, exit Selection Spec function. Creating a Selection Spec To create a Selection Spec: 1. Choose a field from your form. 2. Specify how the field should be compared. 3. Enter the information with which the field should be compared. 4. You may add up to four additional selection tests. The details for creating a Selection Spec follow. If at any time you wish to start over, simply press [Esc] repeatedly until you have reached the Selection Spec Menu. Choosing a Field The first screen displays a list of all of the fields in you form. Move the cursor bar to the appropriate field and press [ENTER] to select it. Note that you may move the cursor only to those fields that are stored in your current database. Lookup fields that are not stored may not be used in a Selection Spec. After you select a field to test, ProFile will start to build your statement on the line below the prompt. See figure #9. Edit Data 48 ProFile Figure 9: Selecting a field for a Selection Spec Choosing the Comparison Next, choose how ProFile should compare the field. (You'll enter the information to be compared in just a moment.) There are seven ways to compare information: Comparisons: 1- Equal- The value in the field specified in step one (Select Field) must exactly match the information entered in step 3. For instance, choosing the City field and equal, then entering "Chicago" will mean ProFile will search for all records where the City field is equal to Chicago. 2- Not Equal- This means all records except those that have this value. Using the above example but substituting Not Equal (for Equal) will make ProFile search for any customer NOT in Chicago. 3- Greater Than- Whatever is in this field must be greater than the comparison information. Using the Sales field and Greater Than and then entering "1000" directs ProFile to find all customers with sales greater then $1,000.00. ProFile Edit Data 49 4- Equal or Greater Than- This means match all fields with a value at least equal to the entered information. Using Sales, Greater Than and 1000 means any customer with sales of at least $1000.00 will be selected. 5- Less Than- Matching fields have values less than the entered comparison information. With a Date field, Less Than, and "10/01/86", ProFile will select all dates BEFORE October 1, 1986. 6- Equal or Less Than- Match fields with a value not greater than the entered comparison. Using the Less Than example but using Less Than or Equal to means all records with dates ON or BEFORE October 1, 1986 will be selected. 7- Contains- This is a useful function that can work on any field except Number and calculated field types. It means select records where the entered information is located anywhere in the field. For example, if you use an Address field, Contains and enter "Oak", ProFile will select records that have words like Oak, Oak Tree, Oakleaf, Oakra, and Soak. The Selection Spec is NOT CASE SENSITIVE. This means if you were looking for customers in Chicago, any customer with chicago, Chicago or CHICAGO would be selected. Additionally, all choices except Contains (which does not work on numeric field types) will work with either text (words) or numbers. For example, using Last Name, Greater Than, and "Jones" would select all last names alphabetically greater than "Johnson". So Smith, Moore, and Jones would all be found. ProFile treats words just like the dictionary does and compares them in the same fashion. Entering the Comparison Information The information entered here is what ProFile uses to make the selections. The prompt will display your field name and your comparison, followed by a colon. Enter the information to be compared and then press [ENTER]. (Think of this as a sentence that you are completing). If you had picked the field Sales, Greater Than and then entered 100 (means find all customers with sales above $100.00), the line would look like this: Sales Greater Than:100_____________ Edit Data 50 ProFile Using OR, AND, or END with a Selection Spec After you have defined the first test (the three steps outlined above), you may finish the Selection Spec by choosing the END option or, you may specify additional selection criteria (actually you may add up to four additional tests, five total) with the AND/OR choices. These are detailed next. The last screen in defining the Selection Spec lists the following choices: 1- AND- The record must pass the test you have just created AND also must pass the next (new) one that you specify. You would use this option to further define the scope of records for which ProFile would search. For instance, if you had created a Selection Spec that specified all customers with sales over $100.00, you could use AND to add an additional test for City Equal CHICAGO. ProFile would then search for all customers with sales over $100.00 AND who were in Chicago. The completed selection spec would look like this: Sales Greater Than 100.00 AND City Equal CHICAGO 2- OR- The record must pass the test that you just created OR pass the next (new) one that you specify. This option broadens the scope of records for which ProFile will search. ProFile Edit Data 51 Figure 10: Ending a Selection Spec Suppose that you wanted to search for customers in Chicago or St. Louis. After creating a Selection Spec that specified City Equal CHICAGO, you would choose OR then specify City Equal ST. LOUIS. It would look like this: City Equal CHICAGO OR City Equal ST. LOUIS 3- END- This option concludes the Selection Spec process. Editing the Selection Spec You may edit the Selection Spec by pressing [Esc], or F9. At any screen except Select Fields you may press [Esc] to edit a previous step. Pressing [Esc] at the Select Fields step will allow you to quit the Create Selection Spec function. Pressing F9 (at any screen except Select Fields) will allow you to edit the entire Selection Spec, starting from the beginning. Edit Data 52 ProFile Other Important Details The Selection Spec handles certain field types in special ways- Dates When you enter a date always use the format MM/DD/YY. After entering a date, ProFile will strip the slashes (/) out and put the year first. It does this so that you can search for dates across multiple years. For example, after entering "01/15/87" ProFile writes on the screen "860115" (YYMMDD). Since it orders it this way, you could create a Selection Spec that would look for all dates between August 1, 1986 and January 15, 1987. The Selection Spec would look like this: Date Equal or Greater Than 860901 AND Date Equal or Less Than 870115 Currency Numbers and currency may be entered with Numbers, commas, and dollar signs. ProFile will automatically strip these so it can properly compare your entered criteria with that in the database. Finally, remember that the Selection Spec is not case sensitive. It considers upper and lower case characters as the same. In fact, ProFile automatically capitalizes the Selection Spec for you. For example, entering State Equal MD means ProFile will find all records where the state field has MD, Md, md, or mD. ProFile Report 53 Report With the Report option you may take selected information from a database, sort it, and display or print the information in a column-style report or table. It is easy to create and use a report. Before using the Report option, you must first design your form and then enter information into it. Report Overview There are three basic steps to getting a finished report: 1. Design the report. You choose what fields to include, column headings, and widths, and define any calculated columns. 2. Set the page and report options. These include page lengths and margins, what records to include, and how they should be ordered. 3. Print the report. You may print it to a printer, disk file, or display the report on the screen. With the Report option you may either design a new report or use (and change) an existing one. To design a report, you tell ProFile what information to take from the database and how to arrange it in columns and rows. You may then print the report on paper, to a disk file, or display it on screen. You may print the report as soon as you have designed it or save it for later use. Once the report design has been saved to disk, it can be used whenever you need it. You can use the same report even after you have added, changed, or deleted records in the database. Changed and new information in your database is automatically included in a given report. You may change or copy a report design that has been saved to disk. The changes you make can be permanent or for one time only. A database may have an unlimited number of reports and with certain conditions, a report may be shared among different databases (they must use the same field labels). To get started, choose Report from the Print Menu. Report 54 ProFile Design a Report It is easy to design a new report. Follow the steps below; the details are given in the following pages. 1. After choosing Report from the Print Menu, enter a new file name for the report. 2. Design the report using the Report Layout function. 3. Specify any report options from the Report Menu. 4. Enter in a Selection Spec and a Sort Spec, if you desire. 5. Print the report to screen, disk, or printer. Entering a Report File Name To choose an existing report or create a new one, you use the File Manager. A brief overview of the File Manager follows. See page #8 for a detailed discussion on its operation. After choosing Report, the File Manager lists all the report designs available on the current disk. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor bar to an existing report, or if you are designing a new report, choose a name for it and enter it on the prompt line. If you enter or choose an existing report name, ProFile will load the report design. Next the Report Menu will be displayed. See page #67 for more information on it. If you are designing a new report, ProFile will inform you that it cannot find the file that you have entered and ask if it should be created. Report Layout Menu The Report Layout Menu is displayed when a new report design is created or after selecting Layout from the Report Menu. ProFile uses a menu to help you create report layouts. The menu has options to add, edit, insert, or delete columns in your report. ProFile helps you by displaying your report design on the screen. At the top of the Report Menu is a ruler line. As you create the report, it is displayed below the ruler. If a report is wider ProFile Report 55 than 80 characters, pressing the F4 and F5 keys will move the report display right one character and 80 characters, respectively. Press F3 and F5 to move left one character and 80 characters, respectively. The status line to the left of the Report Layout Menu lists the number of columns and the width of your report. The following options appear on the Report Layout Menu. Add- This option lets you add columns to the end of the report. Edit- To edit a column, enter in the column number to edit and press [ENTER]. Make any changes and then press F10 to save and return to the Report Layout Menu. Pressing [Esc] will exit to the Report Layout Menu, discarding any changes. Insert- Works like Add but lets you choose the column number to insert. Delete- Deletes the column of your choice. Heading- Use this option to change the headings that appear above each column of the report. You may use up to three lines for column headings. The column heading will default to the field name when the column is created, after which it may be changed as desired. Done- Finished designing. Return to the Report Menu. Designing the Report Layout You create the layout of the report. The finished report looks like a large table with columns and rows. Each column is a field and each row is a record. Here's how to design a report layout: 1. Make certain that you are at the Report Layout Menu. 2. Select Add from the menu. 3. Choose the field from the list that you want to appear in this column. (Or, select CALCULATION for a calculated column. More on this shortly.) 4. Next, the Report Column Detail screen appears. ProFile automatically fills in the column heading and width. You may change these or accept the given values. Report 56 ProFile Figure 11: Report Layout Menu 5. You may specify report totals, subtotals, averages, sub- average counts, and subcounts. You may also designate the number of decimal places for numeric columns and how the column should be centered. 6. Press F10 when done. After you press F10, you will be prompted Add Another Column [Y/N]?. Entering Yes lets you continue adding columns while No takes you back to the Report Layout Menu. You may continue adding columns until your report is completed. Use the edit, insert, and delete functions to alter the report design as needed. Figure #11 and figure #12 show the Report Layout Menu and Report Column Detail screens. ProFile Report 57 Adding a New Column Choose the Add function from the Report Layout Menu to add a column to your report. You may use Add when you create a new report or to add additional columns to one that you previously created and saved. Figure 12: Adding a field to a report After choosing Add, you select the appropriate field from the list (or select CALCULATION to create a calculated column; more on this soon). All of the fields in your form are listed by name. You may move the cursor bar to select a field with the cursor keys. Selecting a field name means that the information from this field will appear in this column. Report Column Detail The next screen, Report Column Detail, allows you to enter in the specifications for this column. At the top of the screen, ProFile lists the column number, the field associated with this column and the current report width and total number of columns. Below this are a series of options that control the current column. Here are the details. Report 58 ProFile Length- This controls the width of the current column. Enter in a number from 0 to 99. Remember to leave enough room for any totals, counts, decimal places, etc. that will need to be printed. Decimal- Valid only for numbers. Enter a decimal place up to 9. If this is a text column, Decimal will be skipped. Wrap- For text information only. Enter a "Y" to have the data associated with this column wrapped (like in a word processor) or "N" to have any values that are too long truncated. Format- Valid only for numbers. There are three options, "N" for numbers, "$" for currency and "%" for percent. These options will cause numeric data to be formatted accordingly, i.e. currency with a "$" and percents with "%". All numeric fields will be formatted with commas when printed. Options- This function controls what totals, subtotals, counts, etc. should be performed on this field. See the section below, Column Calculation Options for more details. Subtotal Field #- Valid only if a math option (see Option above) was entered. This controls which field in the database should cause the column to subtotal, subcount, etc. Enter in the field number (not column number) which, when its value changes, should cause this column to be subtotaled. Print Repeat Data- Enter a "Y" to always print the data in this column. "N" means only print this data when the value changes. Text When Blank- Enter in the text that should be printed if the field associated with this column is empty. Column Spacing- Enter the number of spaces that should be inserted between this column and the one that follows. Justify Heading- This is the initial justification for the column heading. Enter an "L" to left justify, an "R" to right justify and a "C" to center. Any changes made to the column heading using the Heading option on the Report ProFile Report 59 Layout Menu will override the this setting (unless the column data is edited). Justify Data- This is the justification for the column data. Enter an "L" to left justify, an "R" to right justify and a "C" to center. Report Column Guidelines Listed below are a few guidelines for creating columns: 1. Make certain that the column is wide enough for the data that goes in it. If a column is too short, alphabetic information will be truncated (or wrapped, depending on the Wrap setting) and numeric data will appear as asterisks (indicating there was not enough room for the number). When calculating the column width for numbers, don't forget to include decimal places, the decimal point, commas and, if currency, a floating dollar sign. 2. ProFile keeps track of the field labels associated with the report column. It doesn't matter if you change the form by adding fields or changing the order of the existing fields; your reports will still work. If you delete a field from your form that appears in a report, upon loading the report, ProFile will inform you that the field was not found. When you print the report, ProFile will insert "N/A" (not available) in the column where the information from the field would have appeared. Note- Although ProFile keeps track of the fields, it does not automatically change the numbers in calculations or the Subtotal Field #. You must perform these changes yourself. Report Calculation Options Column options allow you to perform calculations on report columns that contain numeric information. ProFile does this when you put the proper code in the "Options" blank when adding, inserting, or editing a column. Adding column calculation codes: 1. Choose Add, Edit, or Insert from the Report Layout Menu. Enter the appropriate field or column number and press [ENTER]. Report 60 ProFile 2. Move to the Options blank. 3. Enter the column calculation code from the table below. You may enter more than one calculation from the chart, but be sure to separate each one by a space or comma. 4. Finally, move the cursor to the Subtotal Field # prompt and enter in the number of the field which, when its value changes, should cause this column to to subtotal (or subaverage, subcount). 5. Enter any other information that you wish. Press F10 to continue. Code Command Meaning Location ---------------------------------------------------------------- T Total Print Column Total Report Bottom A Average Print Column Average C Count Print Column Count ST Subtotal Print Subtotal At Column Breaks SA Subaverage Print Subaverages SC Subcount Print Subcount Note- All of the Sub functions: subtotal, subaverage, and subcount, will automatically print out the companion function at the end of the report, i.e. subtotal also prints a report total, subaverage also prints a report average, etc. Figure: Chart of column calculations Report Finals The final results of totals, averages and counts will appear at the end of the report beneath the column on which the function is performed. See figure #14. Report Subcalculations ProFile can also do subcalculations on values that appear in a column. Subcalculations are done when the value of the subtotal field changes. See figure #15 for an example. ProFile Report 61 Calculated Columns You create a calculated column to produce information that is not available from an existing field in your form. For example, if you had a form with a field for state taxes and a field for federal taxes, you could create a calculated column to add them together and produce a "Total Tax" column in a report. ProFile ordinarily gets information for a column from your database. It creates calculated columns by performing calculations on information in your database or other calculated columns. There is no limit to the number of calculated columns appearing in a report. Figure: Sample sorted report with totals Report 62 ProFile To create a calculated column: 1. Choose Add or Insert from the Report Layout Menu. Select CALCULATION from the field list by moving the cursor bar to it and pressing [ENTER]. 2. Enter the width, decimal, options, etc. as you would for a standard column. 3. Move to the Formula prompt and enter your calculation. See the details below. 4. Press F10 when done. 5. Add the column header as needed. Figure: Report with subtotals, sorted by city ProFile Report 63 Creating Formulas Creating a calculated column in a report is easy; just enter a formula into the "Formula" blank. The formula will look just like those used in a calculated field in the form. Or like those in spreadsheet programs such as Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel. To reference a field or column, use an "F" for fields and a "C" for column, followed by the field or column number. Basic calculations use a field or column number, an arithmetic operator ("+" for addition, "-" for subtraction, "*" for multiplication, "/" for division, "^" to raise to any power i.e 2^3 = 8) and another field or column number. Formulas can be as simple as F9+F10 (field 9 plus field 10). More advanced formulas can use ProFile's built-in functions such as TAN (tangent) and ABS (absolute). The following are all valid formulas: F9+F10 Field 9 plus Field 10. F7+F8-F11 Field 7 plus Field 8 minus Field 11. (F11*100) - C7 Field 11 times 100; subtract the result from Column 7. ProFile checks the formula after you enter it. If it finds an error, it beeps and displays the position of the first error that it encountered. Common problems are incomplete parentheses, Report 64 ProFile invalid field or column references, and symbols that it does not understand. To correct an error, just move the cursor to the mistake and make the necessary changes. Self Referencing Columns ProFile allows you to create formulas where a column will reference itself, which is extremely useful for printing running totals. Assume that column #3, in a report, references a field called "Sales". You can create a calculated column (column #5) with the formula C4+C5 and label it "Total Sales". ProFile will add the value from the previous row of "Total Sales" to the current value in "Sales" and then place the result in the current row of "Total Sales". Error Messages for Formulas When printing the report, ProFile uses two messages to let you know that there is a problem. Either error message will appear in the column where ProFile finds the problem. ERR- This message means that the field or column does not contain a valid number. DIV 0- If the formula in a calculated column asks ProFile to divide by zero, or an invalid argument was passed to a the Sqrt, Ln or Log function, ProFile puts DIV 0 in the report. Use Report Layout to examine the problem formula and make whatever changes are appropriate. Invisible Columns Sometimes you might want to create a column for an intermediate calculation but the column should not be printed in the report. This is called an invisible column. To create an invisible column, simply set the length of the column to zero (0). It is just like a standard column except that it does not appear in a report. Invisible columns are used for intermediate calculations for other calculated columns. Since the column is invisible, it will not appear below the ruler line in the Report Layout section. To examine or delete it, simply use the Edit or Delete function and enter in the number of the invisible column. ProFile Report 65 Column Headings ProFile lets you create column headings that will appear above each column when the report is printed. Column headings may be up to three lines and as wide as the associated column. The column heading is initially set to the field name associated with the column. This may be changed as with the Heading option on the Report Layout Menu. The heading will be initially justified according to the Justify Heading setting on the Column Detail screen. If the heading is changed, the change will supercede the initial setting (unless the column detail is edited at a later time). To set column headings: 1. Select Heading from the Report Layout Menu. 2. Column number 1 will be highlighted. You may edit this column or [Tab] to the appropriate column. 3. Use the up and down arrow keys to move to the correct line and enter or delete the heading as needed. 4. Continue to [Tab] to the other columns to make additional changes. 5. Press F10 to return to the Report Layout Menu. 6. Pressing Esc will cancel any changes to the current column and then return to the Report Layout Menu. All other columns changes will remain. Report Menu The Report Menu appears after selecting an existing report or when finished creating a new design. The Report Menu options listed below control how the report is printed. Format- This option allows you to change the report margins, insert printer control codes and choose the print destination. Layout- Use this choice to access the Report Layout function to make additional changes to the current report. Select- Create or change the Selection Spec. Report 66 ProFile Sort- Create or change the Sort Spec. Hdr/Ftr- This option creates the report header and footers that are printed at the top and bottom of each page in a report. New- Selecting New from the Report Menu lets you retrieve a new report design. Before exiting, you will be asked if you'd like to save your current report. Save- Choose the Save option to store the report design and any changes you may have made permanently on disk. Print- Print the report. Done- Once you have finished with your report, press F10 or select Done to return to the Print Menu. If you have made changes to a report design and have not saved it, you will be given a chance to do so. Figure 17: Report Menu ProFile Report 67 Format Selecting Format on the Report Menu brings up the Page and Report Format screen. This function lets you set various options that control how your report will look and what information will appear in it. To change settings on the Page and Report Format screen: 1. Use the up and down arrow keys to move to the item that you want to change. 2. Type in the new value for the item. Check the status line below the format box to see what a special option means. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for other values that you'd like to change. 4. Press F10 when done. Your printed report contains a top margin, report header,the body of the report, a footer and then a bottom margin. It looks like this: Top of Page ----------------------------------------------------------------- TOP MARGIN ------- HEADER ----------------------------------------------------------------- Body of Report ----------------------------------------------------------------- FOOTER ------- BOTTOM MARGIN ----------------------------------------------------------------- Bottom of Page Figure: Example of report format Report 68 ProFile The length of a printed page is measured in lines. To correctly format a printed page in your report, remember this formula: report body (i.e. printed data) = page length - length of header and footer - top margin - bottom margin. This means that if your page length is 66 (a standard 8.5" X 11.0" piece of paper) and your top and bottom margins are 2 each, and you have a one line header and footer, the body of your report will be 66-2-2-2, which equals 60 lines long. Format Options The following describes what each of the options on the Page and Report Format screen mean. Printer Setup- Use printer setup to send special formatting codes to the printer before the report is printed. Many dot matrix and laser printers have different font and pitch options that can be turned on by sending the appropriate codes to them. The codes usually are a mix of control characters (characters that are not printable) and regular characters, i.e. A-Z and 0-9. To signify a control character, use a caret and then the letter of the control code. For instance, to send a Control N to the printer (this turns on condensed mode in Epson printers), type a caret (^) and then "N", giving you ^N. To send a caret to the printer, type in a caret (^) and then a space (the space is ignored), i.e. ^space =^. See your printer manual for information on what control codes work for your printer. Page Length- This is the overall length of each sheet of paper, in lines. A standard 8.5" X 11.0" piece of paper is 66 lines long. Top Margin- The number of blank lines at the beginning of each page. Bottom Margin- The number of blank lines at the end of each page. Print Margin- The number of characters the ENTIRE report is shifted to the right. Increase the print margin if the report prints on the continuous form perforation or to center a narrow report. Page Width- The width of the page in characters. ProFile Report 69 Print to Printer, Screen, Disk- Enter in "P","S", or "D". Printer- Entering "P" causes the report to be printed. Screen- Printing to screen lets you preview your report before printing a hard copy. This option displays the report as you've specified, but it doesn't use top and bottom margins and the report headings stay fixed at the top of the screen. When displaying the report on screen, you may pause by pressing any key. Touching a key again, except [Esc], resumes printing. After the screen is paused, you may press [Esc] to quit printing the report. Disk- When a report is printed to disk, ProFile puts a copy of the report in a file. (You enter the file name after pressing F10, which signifies that you are done.) The copy may be printed at a later time by a word processing program or included in a word processing document. Stop at New Page- Answer Yes to have ProFile prompt you at the end of each page. Answer No if you are using continuous form paper or printing to disk. Hint: If you are printing to screen, set the page length to 22 and New Page to Yes. This will cause ProFile to pause after each screen of information. Report Headers and Footers Your report may contain headers and footers. These may be up to three lines long and 80 characters wide. Headers and footers are handy for including general information about the report being printed. Also, they may contain keywords which will print the page number, date and file associated with the current report. Entering Headers and Footers To enter header and footers, follow these steps. 1. Choose Hdr/Ftr from the Report Menu. 2. If you would like ProFile to create the default header, answer "Y" to the prompt. The default may be changed as desired. Report 70 ProFile 3. Use the arrow keys to move around on the screen, entering information or keywords as needed. 4. Press F10 to return to the Report Menu. Any blank lines following the header or footer will not be printed. Figure 19: The Hdr/Ftr screen Header and Footer Keywords A keyword tells ProFile that special information should be printed in place of the keyword. To enter a keyword in a header or footer, type the "@" symbol followed by the keyword. The following lists the keywords and their meaning. @FILENAME- Prints the database file name. This is handy for reports that are used by multiple databases to distinguish which database was used for a given report. @PAGE- Prints the current page number at this location. @TODAY- Prints the current date at this location. See Figure #19 for an example of the Header/Footer option. ProFile Report 71 Selection Spec To create a Selection Spec choose Select from the Report Menu. You don't always want to print all the records in your database. To limit your report to specific records, you create a Selection Spec. The Selection Spec used here is just like the one you may create using the Select option in the Edit (records) function. The following information gives a brief overview of creating a Selection Spec. For more detailed information, see page #48 in the Edit section. Using an Existing Selection Spec If you are printing a report that was previously created and the design included a Selection Spec, the Format screen above the Report Menu will list the Selection Spec as being active. The Spec may be viewed by choosing Select from the Report Menu. Creating a Selection Spec The Selection Spec lets you control the information in your database. ProFile uses menus to help you build a Selection Spec. To create a Selection Spec: 1. Choose Select from the Report Menu. 2. Next, the Selection Spec Menu will be displayed. Select New to create a new spec. 3. At the prompt, select the field to be compared. 4. Make a selection from the Comparison menu i.e. specify how the field should be compared. 5. Enter the information to which the field should be compared. 6. You may select either the "AND" or "OR" option to add up to four additional selection tests. If you make a mistake entering the Selection Spec, press [Esc] to return to the previous step. Report 72 ProFile Sort Spec If you selected sOrt on the Label Menu or Report Menu (or entered a Yes at a "Use Sort Spec" prompt), you will be prompted to create a Sort Spec. The Sort Spec controls the order of the information printed in your report. For instance, you might want a report to be sorted, in ascending order, by City and then by Last Name. This means that the report would be ordered first by city name and then all of those people in the same city would be listed alphabetically by last name. The City field is called a primary sort field, Last Name is called a secondary sort field. You may have up to 10 sort fields, one primary and then nine secondary fields. To continue with the above example, if there were many people with the same last name, you might designate first name to be the third sort field. The resulting report would look like figure #20. Each field may be designated as being sorted in either ascending or descending order. Notice the report listed below is organized first by city, then by last name, and finally by first name. It has been sorted in ASCENDING order. In this way, the report is organized from lowest to highest, A to Z, 0 to 9, etc. Figure: Sorted sample report Optionally, the fields (or some of the fields) in the report could have been sorted in DESCENDING order, that is from highest to lowest, which is the reverse of the ascending sort. ProFile Report 73 Sort Spec Menu When a Sort Spec is created, you start at the Sort Spec Menu. The current Sort Spec is listed above the menu. If a Spec has not been defined, Data Record Order will be displayed. The Sort Spec Menu lists five choices: New Spec- Use this option to create a new Sort Spec. If there is an existing Spec displayed, it will be erased and a new one created. Edit Spec- With this option you may edit an existing Spec. If one has not been created, it will be created for you. Bulk Sort- Sort the database by the zip code and then arrange for printing in Bulk Mail order. Record Order- Selecting this option clears the existing Spec and defines the new Spec to be all records in the database. Done- Finished with the Sort Spec function. Creating A Sort Spec The Sort Spec screen looks just like your form, except that the field blanks allow only numbers and sort codes to be entered. To create a Sort Spec: 1. Select New from the Sort Spec Menu. 2. When ProFile displays the Sort Spec screen, use the up and down arrow keys to move to the field that you would like to be the primary sort and then enter the number "1" (for first field sorted.. 3. ProFile assumes that you want to sort in ascending order. For clarity, you may optionally append an "A" to the sort number to designate ascending order. To sort in descending order, enter a "D" after the sort number. 4. If you are printing a report, you may optionally add a break designator. 5. If you want a secondary sort field, move to the next field on which ProFile should sort and enter a "2" and any optional sort designator. Report 74 ProFile 6. Repeat the above steps, using successively higher numbers to a maximum of 10, until all sort fields have been entered. 7. Press F10 to continue. Sorting Limits ProFile can sort up to 10 fields in a report and which may total up to 250 characters. These limits have been set so that sorts can be performed in as little time as possible. If the field length is less than 25, ProFile sorts on the whole field. If the length is greater than 25, ProFile truncates the information and sorts on the first 25 characters. Report Sort Page and Line Breaks If you are printing a report, you may optionally enter page and line breaks next to the sort number. These commands control what action ProFile should perform when the value in these fields change. If you are not printing a report, ProFile ignores any page or line break commands. Page Breaks- Enter a "P" next to the sort number to designate that a new page should be started when the value of the field changes. For instance, if you have four divisions included in a report and you entered a "P" in the "Division Name" field, this would force a new page every time the data in the division name field changed. Line Breaks- Enter an "L", optionally followed by the number of lines to skip, next to the sort number for line breaks. For instance, entering an "L3" would mean "when the value of this sort field changes, skip 3 lines before printing the next record." You may enter a number from one to nine following the "L". If no number is entered ProFile will default to skipping one line. Bulk Mail Sort When you use choose bulk mail sort, ProFile orders the data for 3rd class bulk mail. ProFile Report 75 ProFile makes it easy to use the lower bulk mail rates by doing most of the work for you. When you use bulk mail, ProFile puts the data in the right order. State by state, it arranges the data first by a five digit count, then a three digit count, then mixed state. After all states have been processed ProFile arranges the remaining data (mixed states). Figure 21: Creating a Sort Spec To use the Bulk Mail Sort: 1. Select the Bulk Sort option on the Sort Menu. 2. At the prompt Select Zip Code Field:, select the zip code field from the list above and press [ENTER]. That's all there is to it. ProFile will now sort your data in bulk mail order. As it does, you will be informed of its progress. When it is finished, ProFile will be ready to print your database in bulk mail order. If you are printing labels, ProFile will insert dividers in your labels and create a summary file for you. See page #92 under Labels for more information. Sorting the Data After entering the Sort Spec, ProFile will perform the sort. It gives you a status count as it works. Do not be alarmed if, Report 76 ProFile during the sort, you notice little or no disk activity. ProFile will do as much work as possible inside your computer's internal memory. This is what makes ProFile so fast. If ProFile reaches the computer's internal memory limit, it uses the disk as a temporary holding area for information that is being sorted. The more internal RAM memory your system has, the faster ProFile can sort. If you have extremely large files (10,000 plus records) and need to sort often, consider upgrading your system memory to at least 512 KB for the best performance. Printing the Report Select Print on the Report Menu to print the report. Depending on your selection at the Print to [P,S,D]? prompt on the Format screen, ProFile will print the report on your printer, display your report on screen, or create a disk file with the report in it. With any of the above options, you may stop the report at any time by pressing any key. ProFile will continue printing as soon as you press any other key, except [Esc]. Pressing [Esc] will allow you to exit to the Report Menu and cancel the report that is being printed. After the report has been printed, ProFile will display a message that the report has been completed. Pressing any key at this point will return you to the Report Menu. You can reprint the report immediately, if you like. If the same Sort and Selection Specs are used, the data will not need to be resorted. This means you may make changes to a report format and reprint without having to wait for the data to sort. Redesigning an Existing Report To redesign an existing report, simply edit the original report. Follow these steps: 1. After choosing Report from the Print Menu, enter in the name of the report you'd like to change. 2. At the Report Menu select Layout to edit the report design. When done press F10 to return to the Report Menu. 3. Specify any new Format, Sort, or Select options. 4. Save the report design, if desired. ProFile Report 77 5. Print the report to screen, disk or printer. Printing an Existing Report You may have an unlimited number of report designs. You may print any report that you have previously designed and saved. You may also make temporary modifications to the report and then print it. To print an existing report, after choosing Report from the Print Menu, enter in the file name you'd like to print. Next the Report Menu is displayed. Select Print to continue, first making any changes you would like. Labels 78 ProFile Labels Labels lets you print your form in a variety of ways. You may print all of the forms or just a few, include all or a subset of the fields in a record, and determine where and how the fields will print. Labels is used to print: o Mailing labels o Envelopes o Free-form reports and to fill in pre-printed forms Getting Started with Labels Using the Labels function is a lot like using the Report function. Both functions use the File Manager to retrieve their respective designs. Also, the Label Menu and the Report Menu are very similar. This way, they're easier to learn and use. The following discussion tells you how to get started designing and printing labels. Design a Label It is easy to design a new label. Follow the steps below; the details follow: 1. After choosing Label from the Print Menu, enter a new file name for the label. 2. Choose the appropriate label from the Label Size screen and then design the label using the Label Layout function. 3. Select Format from the Label Menu to change any of the options on the Page and Label Format screen. 4. If desired, enter in a Selection Spec or Sort Spec. 6. Print the labels to screen, disk, or printer. Entering a Label File Name To choose an existing label design or create a new one, you use the File Manager. A brief overview of the File Manager follows. See page #8 for a detailed discussion on its operation. ProFile Labels 79 After choosing Labels, the File Manager will list all of the label designs available on the current active disk. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor bar to an existing design, or if you are designing a new label, choose a name for it and enter it on the prompt line. If you enter or choose an existing name, ProFile will load the label design. Next, the Label Menu will be displayed. See page #86 for more information on it. If you are designing a new label, ProFile will inform you that it cannot find the file that you have entered and ask if it should be created. Creating the Label Designing a label is easy with ProFile. You select the appropriate label size from a menu and then "paint" your fields in a template of the label that ProFile displays on the screen. ProFile automatically sets the label length, width and margins for you. Choosing the Label Size After you elect to create a new label or select Layout from the Label Menu, ProFile displays the Label Size screen. See figure #22. Fifteen standard labels are listed, with their length and width shown in inches. For instance, label number 1 is listed as 15/16 X 3. This label would then be 15/16 of an inch long by 3 inches wide. In addition to the standard label sizes, choice number 16 is the "Free-Form Label" option. Use this option if your label is not listed or if you'd like to design your own free-form report. A free-form label uses a template that is 66 lines long by 80 characters wide. ProFile uses the label size and the pitch setting to create a template of the label that it displays on your computer's screen. Enter the number of the label size you want to use and then press [ENTER]. Next, enter the appropriate pitch that your printer will be using. Normally this would be 10 or 12 CPI (characters per inch), but it could be up to 16 CPI if you use a condensed mode of print on a dot matrix printer. The pitch setting is used ONLY to determine how many characters across can be printed on a given label. IT DOES NOT change the Labels 80 ProFile pitch setting on your printer. Use the printer setup option on the Format screen to send the appropriate codes to your printer to change the pitch setting. After entering the appropriate label size and pitch settings, the Label Layout screen will be displayed. Figure 22: Label Size screen Label Layout If you choose one of the 15 preset labels, ProFile will display a template on the screen that is the exact size of your specified label. Choice 16, free-form label, is 66 lines long and 80 characters wide. You must now tell ProFile where each field must be printed on the label. It's easy: 1. Move the cursor using the arrow keys to the exact position you'd like your first field to print. 2. Enter the field name or number followed by either a colon ":" or the ">" symbol. The colon means print the field data only. It is used for mailing labels. The ">" symbol means ProFile Labels 81 print the field data at this exact row and column. It can be used with a free-form label to fill in pre-printed forms. 3. Repeat the above steps until all of the fields have been entered. 4. If you can't remember the field names or numbers, press F10 to display your database form. 5. Add any text that you would like to appear on the label, i.e. return address. 6. Press F10 to continue to the Label Menu. Figure 23: Completed label template The label template is an empty box the size of the label that you specified earlier. You must now enter field names or numbers in the template. When the label is printed, ProFile will replace the field name with the appropriate information from your database. This works in much the same way a word processing program works in a mailmerge. See figure #23 for an example of a completed label template. Labels 82 ProFile Editing Keys To enter information in the label template, you may use many of the same commands that are available in the Form Layout function. Here's a brief review. Key Meaning --- ------- [<--] Backspace key will delete characters to the left of the cursor. [Ins] Will toggle the program between insert and typeover mode. [Del] Deletes the current character under the cursor. Arrow Keys Move the cursor around the label. [^->] (Ctrl-Right Arrow or ^F) Moves to the next word in text fields. [^<-] (Ctrl-Left Arrow or ^A) Moves to the previous word in text fields. [^Home] Deletes all the characters to the right of the cursor. [Home] Moves to the beginning of a line or the top of the label. [End] Moves to the end of a line. ProFile Labels 83 Inserting and Deleting Lines You may insert or delete lines in the label with the following function keys: Function Key Action -------- ------ F3 Move the cursor to the position where the new line should be inserted and press F3. A blank line will be inserted and all other lines will be moved down one. Caution- The last line in the label will be erased. F5 Move the cursor to the line you wish to delete and then press F5. Answer Yes if you wish the line to be deleted. Viewing the Form You may see your form at any time by pressing function key F9. Your form will be displayed and can be moved using the up and down arrow keys. This is helpful if you can't remember your field names. Remember, enter the field name (or field number) exactly as it appears in your form followed by either a ":" or a ">". When viewing the form, pressing any key will return you to the Label Layout screen. Free-Form Labels Free-form labels are special labels. Essentially, you'd use a free-form label if the label you want isn't listed or you'd like to create a free-form report. A free-form label uses a template that is 66 lines long by 80 characters wide. You may enter any field name or text in the template. For more information on formatting free-form labels, see the section titled Formatting Free-Form Labels. Checking the Field Names When all field names and text have been entered, press F10. ProFile then checks the template and highlights all the field names or numbers it finds. Review the highlighted fields to make certain that all are correct. This is handy way to check for misspellings, missed colons, etc. Labels 84 ProFile If everything is in order answer Yes to continue to the Label Menu. No will return you to the Label Layout screen. Label Menu The Label Menu options listed below control how the label is printed. Format- This option allows you to change the label margins, insert printer control codes and choose the print destination. Layout- Use this choice to return to the Label Layout screen to make additional changes to an existing label. Select- Create or change the Selection Spec. Sort- Create or change the Sort Spec. Save- Choose the Save option to store the label design and any changes you may have made permanently on disk. New- Selecting New from the Label Menu lets you retrieve a new label design. Before exiting, you will be asked if you'd like to save your current label design. Print- Prints the labels. Done- Once you have finished printing labels, press F10 or select Done to return to the Main Menu. If you have made changes to a label design and have not saved it, you will be given a chance to do so. Label Format A printed label is controlled by the settings in the Format option located on the Label Menu. By adjusting margins and label lengths, you may properly position your label when printing. The following provides a few guidelines to help in formatting labels. Formatting Standard Labels When you use a standard label, ProFile knows what margins and label lengths to use when it is printed. It knows how many lines can be printed on the label (the label text length) and sets ProFile Labels 85 these for you automatically. Most of the time, the label length, top margin, and bottom margin should not be changed. Label Text Length The number of lines that can be printed on a label is called the label text length. On a standard label this number is pre-set. On a free-form label, ProFile sets the label text length equal to the last non-blank line in the template. For instance, when creating a free-form label (Label #16), if you used only the first 11 lines, ProFile would set the label text length to 11. The label text length is important because it is used to correctly print the template on a paper label. The formula for printing labels is similar to the one used for a report. To correctly format a printed label, remember this formula: printed data = label length - top margin - bottom margin. See figure #24. If "label length - top margin - bottom margin" is equal to the label text length, the template (printed data) will fit perfectly on one label. If it is larger or smaller you will get different results. Once again, the standard labels will all fit perfectly on their respective paper label. No modifications of the label length and top or bottom margins should be needed. Formatting Free-Form Labels If you are using a free-form label, consider the following example. To print three labels on a standard 8.5" X 11.00" piece of paper, you'd do the following: 1. Choose the free-form label from the Label Size screen. (ProFile ignores the pitch settings in free-form labels). 2. Enter your fields and text on to the free-form template on the Label Layout screen. For this example, assume that your text and field names take up 20 lines of the template. The label text length would be 20 (lines). 3. Using the Format option on the Label Menu, you would set your label length to 66 (for a standard page) and the top and bottom margin to 3 each. You can now print three labels per 8.5" X 11.00" page. On the other hand, if your text and field names took only 15 lines using the above settings, 4 labels could fit on a standard page. Labels 86 ProFile Figure: Formatting labels Label Format Function The following describes how to set up your labels and what each of the Format option's on the Label Menu control: 1. Select Format from the Label Menu. 2. Use the up and down arrow keys to move to the item that you want to change. 3. Type in the new value for the item. Check the status line below the format box to see what a special option means. 4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for other values that you'd like to change. 5. Press F10 when done. If you are using a standard label, it is not recommended that you change the page length or top and bottom margins. These have been pre-set and should work as they are. Printer Setup- Use printer setup to send special formatting codes to printer before the label is printed. Many dot matrix ProFile Labels 87 printers have different font and pitch options that can be turned on by sending the appropriate codes to them. The codes usually are a mix of control characters (characters that are not printable) and regular characters, i.e. A-Z and 0-9. To signify a control character, use a caret and then the letter of control code. For instance, to send a Control N to the printer (this turns on condensed mode in Epson printers), type a caret (^) and then "N", giving you ^N. To send a caret to the printer, type in a caret and then a space (the space is ignored) i.e. ^ space=^. See your printer manual for information on specific control codes for your printer. Label Length- The overall length of each label, from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next. Top Margin- The number of blank lines at the beginning of each label. This is usually set at 0. If you would like a blank line at the beginning of your label, leave line one empty in the label template. Bottom Margin- The number of blank lines at the end of each label. For most labels, there is one line between labels on continuous form feed paper. Print Margin- The number of characters the label is shifted to the right. Increase the print margin if the label prints too far to the left on the actual label. Label Width- The width of the label in characters. This has been pre-set for you. You will probably have to change the label width if you are using labels that have more than one across, i.e. two-up, three-up, or four-up labels. See Column Margin for more information on setting label width for multiple labels. Column Margin- The number of characters between two columns of labels. This setting only has meaning if you use labels that have more than one across. To correctly set up multiple labels (two-up, three-up, or four-up), first, using a typing ruler, measure the distance from the beginning of the first paper label to the beginning of the next. Then make certain that the label width plus the column margin is equal to this distance. If it isn't, increase or decrease the column margin and label width as needed. # of Columns- The number of column labels that will be printed. Set this to 2 for two-up, 3 for three-up, and 4 for four-up labels. The maximum number of labels that can be printed across is four. Labels 88 ProFile Print to Printer, Screen, Disk- Enter in "P","S", or "D". Printer- Entering "P" prints the labels. Screen- Printing to screen lets you preview the labels before printing a hard copy of them. You may pause at any time by pressing any key. Touch any key again, except [Esc], to resume displaying the labels. When the printing is paused, press [Esc] if you want to quit printing labels. Disk- When labels are printed to disk, ProFile makes a copy of the labels in a file. (You enter the file name after pressing F10, which signifies that you are done.) The copy may be printed later by a word processing program or included in a word processing document. Stop at New Page- Answer Yes to have ProFile prompt you at the end of each page. Answer No if you are using continuous form labels or printing to disk. Hint: Set this to Yes to print standard business envelopes one at a time. Print Field Names- Answer Yes to have ProFile print the field names on the labels or paper. Normally, this option is set to No. You would want field names printed if you've created an edit list or special free-form report. Selection Spec To create a Selection Spec choose Select from the Label Menu. You don't always want to print all the records in your database. To limit your labels to specific records in your database, you create a Selection Spec. The Selection Spec used here is just like the one you may create using the Select option in the Edit (records) function and in Reports. The following information gives a brief overview of creating a Selection Spec. For more detailed information, see page #48 in the Edit section. Using an Existing Selection Spec If you are printing a label design that was previously created and the design included a Selection Spec, the Format screen above the Label Menu will list the Selection Spec as being active. The Spec may be viewed by choosing Select from the Label Menu. ProFile Labels 89 Creating a Selection Spec The Selection Spec lets you control the information in your database. ProFile uses menus to help you build a Selection Spec. To create a Selection Spec: 1. Choose Select from the Label Menu. 2. Next, the Selection Spec Menu will be displayed. Select New to create a new spec. 3. At the prompt, select the field to be compared. 4. Make a selection from the Comparison menu i.e. specify how the field should be compared. 5. Enter the information to which the field should be compared. 6. You may select either the "AND" or "OR" option to add up to four additional selection tests. Page #48 provides more information on creating a Selection Spec. If you make a mistake entering the Selection Spec, press Esc to return to the previous step. Sort Spec The Sort Spec controls the order in which the labels are printed. This spec works the same as the Sort Spec described in the Reports section. The Sort Spec screen looks just like your form, except that the field blanks allow only numbers to be entered. To create a Sort Spec: 1. Select Sort form the Label Menu. 2. Next, the Sort Menu is displayed. Select New to create a new spec or Edit to change an existing spec. 3. When ProFile displays the Sort Spec screen, use the up and down arrow keys to move to the field that you would like to be the primary sort and then enter the number "1" (for first field sorted). Labels 90 ProFile 4. Each sort field may be sorted in ascending or descending order. If the field should be sorted in descending order, enter a "D" next to the sort number, otherwise the field will be sorted in ascending order. 5. Move to the next field, if any, on which ProFile should sort and enter a "2". 6. Repeat the above steps, using successively higher numbers, to a maximum of 10, until all sort fields have been entered. 7. Press F10 to continue. See page #74 in the Reports section for more detailed information on creating a Sort Spec. Bulk Mail Sort The Bulk Mail Sort lets you take advantage of lower mailing rates for first or third class mail. If you mail only 1,000 pieces of mail a month third class, the savings can total over $1,000 a year. ProFile makes it easy to use the lower bulk mail rates by doing most of the work for you. When you use bulk mail, ProFile puts the labels in the right order. State by state, it arranges the labels first by a five digit count, then a three digit count, then mixed state. After all states have been processed ProFile arranges the remaining labels (mixed states). When the labels are printed, ProFile automatically inserts dividers to mark the end of each group of labels. This makes bundling a snap. Finally, ProFile creates a text file that holds all the bulk mailing statistics. Print this file and use the information to create bag labels and provide a summary sheet to the Post Office. ProFile does all of this for you. To use the Bulk Mail Sort: 1. Select Sort from the Label Menu. 2. Next, the Sort Menu appears. Select Bulk Mail to sort in bulk mail order. 3. At the prompt Select Zip Code Field: select the zip code field from the list and press [ENTER]. That's all there is to it. ProFile will now sort your data in bulk mail order. As it does, you will be informed of its ProFile Labels 91 progress. When it is finished, ProFile will be ready to print your database in bulk mail order. When you print labels that have been sorted in bulk mail order, ProFile creates a text file on the database disk (or directory) called BULKMAIL.TXT. This file contains a summary of the counts for each five digit, three digit, state, and mixed-state bundle. It also includes a count of the total number of pieces in the mailing. To view the file, use a word processor or the DOS type command i.e. at the DOS prompt enter TYPE BULKMAIL.TXT and press [ENTER]. Printing the Labels To print the labels select Print from the Label Menu. Depending on your selection at the Print to [P,S,D]? prompt on the Label Format screen, ProFile will print the labels on your printer, display them on the screen, or create a disk file that contains the labels. Testing your Label Alignment Before your labels are printed (printer option only), ProFile will prompt you with Test Label Alignment?. This allows you to align the label correctly on the printer. Answer Yes to print out one (row of) label(s). If the alignment is not correct, move the label in the printer and then repeat the above procedure. If you can't get the labels to print properly, you may have to return to the Label Menu. To do so, press [Esc] at the prompt and then answer Yes to Exit- Are you Sure?. ProFile then displays Completed. Press any key. Press any key to return to the Labels Menu. Make any changes as needed to either the label format or layout. When the label alignment is correct, answer No at the Test Label Alignment prompt. ProFile will start printing your database from the top, reprinting any labels printed during the alignment process. Stopping the Print With any of the above options, you may stop the labels at any time by pressing any key. ProFile will continue printing as soon as you press any other key, except [Esc]. Pressing [Esc] will allow you to exit to the Label Menu and cancel printing. Labels 92 ProFile After the labels have been printed, ProFile will display a message that the printing has been completed. Pressing any key at this point will return you to the Label Menu. Redesigning an Existing Label To redesign an existing label, simply edit the original label design. Follow these steps: 1. After choosing Label from the Print Menu, enter in the file name you'd like to edit. 2. At the Label Menu, select Layout to edit the label layout. When done press F10 to return to the Label Menu. 3. As needed, select Format to change any of margin settings. 4. If needed, enter in a Selection Spec or Sort Spec. 5. To make any changes permanent, save the label design. 6. Print the labels to screen, disk or printer. See Designing a Label on page #83 for more information on label layouts. Printing an Existing Label Design Just like Reports, you may have an unlimited number of label designs. You can print any label format that you have previously designed and saved. To print an existing label design, after choosing Label from the Print Menu, enter in the file name you'd like to print. ProFile displays the label on the screen and asks if it is the correct label. Answer Yes to continue to the Label Menu or No to enter another label design name. From the Label Menu, select Print. The labels will now be printed. ProFile MailMerge 93 Word Processing MailMerge Choose this option from the Print Menu to create a mailmerge file for a word processing program. The word processor can combine the mailmerge file with a boilerplate form to create personalized letters that may be sent to people in your ProFile database. The file can contain everyone in your database or just a select few. It may be sorted any way you choose, including bulk mail order. ProFile supports a number of popular word processing programs. Often, different word processors use the same merge format. If your word processor is not listed, check its format description to see if one of the listed programs uses the same format. If not, try using one of the formats in the Export option. See page #107 for more details on Export. The following is an overview of creating a mailmerge file: 1. Choose MailMerge from the Print Menu. 2. Enter the appropriate MailMerge format, specify whether you'll be using Selection or Sort Specs and enter in the name for the MailMerge file. Press F10 to continue. 3. If you've elected to use a Sort and/or Selection Spec, enter them when prompted. That is all there is to creating a MailMerge file. It's fast, easy, and a great way to efficiently create large numbers of personalized form letters. MailMerge Options After choosing the MailMerge option on the Print Menu, the first screen will be labeled Create MailMerge File. At this screen you will enter the MailMerge format and MailMerge file name and indicate if you're using a Selection or Sort Spec. See figure #25. MailMerge Format At the MailMerge Format prompt, enter in the number of the format you wish to use. Currently, five formats are supported. Check the file PF-READ.ME on your DOCUMENTATION DISK to see if any new formats have been added. MailMerge 94 ProFile Remember that many word processors use the same format. If your format is not listed, check your word processor's manual for the correct format and then review the following discussion. Figure 25: Mailmerge Options screen ProFile creates the MailMerge file and you must use your word processor to make the boilerplate form letter. Typically, the form letter will contain special codes that control the merge process. See your word processor manual for more information on this. Each MailMerge format is reviewed in detail below. For the examples, assume that the database has only five fields: Name, Address, City, State and Zip. WordStar- The Wordstar format is very similar to a Comma Delimited format. Each field is enclosed in quotes and then separated by commas. A new line is started for each new record. Many word processors will use this format. Example: "Sam Smith","432 Uptime Court","Columbia","CA" "Bob Jones, Jr.","1234 Anywhere Street","Boston","MA" "Larry Ritestuff","6655 Rocket Way","San Jose","CA" ProFile MailMerge 95 WordPerfect- This format is unique to WordPerfect. Each field is followed by a ^R (control-R is called the Merge Return by WordPerfect) and a carriage return (hard return that starts a new line). An empty field would appear as an empty line. The end of each record is marked with a ^E (control-E is called the Merge End) and a carriage return. ProFile will create what WordPerfect calls a Secondary File. Before merging, you must use the "Text In" feature of WordPerfect to convert the MailMerge file that ProFile creates into a WordPerfect document. Example: Sam Smith^R 432 Uptime Court^R Columbia^R CA^R 44444^R ^E DEC WPS- This formats the file in Digital Equipment Corporation's WPS list processing format. Each field name, enclosed in brackets "< >", is followed by the information from that field. The end of a record is signified by double brackets "<<>>". Example: <NAME>Sam Smith <STREET>432 Uptime Court <CITY>Columbia <STATE>CA <ZIP>44444 <<>> MultiMate- MultiMate uses a the Comma Delimited format. Each field is enclosed in quotes and then separated by commas. Each record starts on a new line. Many word processors can use this format. Example: "Sam Smith","432 Uptime Court","Columbia","CA","44444" "Bob Jones, Jr.","1234 Any Way","Boston","MA","00212" "Larry Ritestuff","65 Rok Way","San Jose","CA","43234" MailMerge 96 ProFile PC-Write- PC-Write uses the same format as MultiMate, Comma Delimited. See above for more information. Sort and Selection Specs ProFile uses the same procedures, the same way, throughout the program. This makes ProFile easier to use. Most functions have optional Sort and Selection Specs. See page #74 for more detailed information on Sort Specs and page #48 for Selection Specs. Use Selection Spec- Answer Yes to define a Selection Spec. The Selection Spec controls which records in your database are included in the MailMerge file. Answer No to use all records in your database. Use Sort Spec- Answer Yes to create a Sort Spec, or No to use the information in your database in whatever order it happens to be in when the MailMerge file is created, i.e in record number order. MailMerge File Name MailMerge File Name- Enter the name of the file you wish to create. If you enter in a file that already exists, ProFile will first ask if it can overwrite the current file. Answer No to enter in a new name. ProFile uses the File Manager whenever it prompts for a file name. To access the File Manager, make certain that the prompt line is blank and then press [ENTER]. Alternately, enter any wild card designator in the file name prompt and then press [ENTER]. See page #8 for more details on the using the File Manager. During MailMerge File Creation ProFile displays the number of records it has processed and selected. You may stop the file creation by pressing any key. Touch any key, except [Esc], to restart the process. Pressing [Esc] twice, during file creation, will let you permanently stop the file creation process. Your file will contain all of the records that were processed and selected before interruption. ProFile Import Data 97 Import Import lets you pull data created by other programs into your ProFile database. This means you can take advantage of all of the powerful features of ProFile and not have to re-key your existing databases. Import is very particular, so care must be taken that: o The import file must be an ASCII file. It may be either Standard Data Format (SDF), Comma Delimited, or One-Field-Per-Line formatted. o You must have already created a ProFile database that is ready to accept the imported information. The database may contain information or be one especially created for this purpose. Floppy Disk Systems You may import data from a file on separate disk. Follow these rules: o The Form Definition, Data, and Index files must all be on the same disk. o Never remove the disk that contains the ProFile database. o ProFile will prompt you to swap the PROGRAM DISK with the data disk and vice versa. ONLY EXCHANGE DISKS WHEN PROMPTED. ASCII File Types The three types of formats of ASCII files supported are Standard Data Format, Comma Delimited and One-Field-Per-Line. Standard Data Format This type of file is typically a print file that a program has created. Each line in the file represents a record and each field always has the same length within the line. The result is that each field always starts at the same column. For instance, a file that had a Name, Street, City, and State might have Name start at position 1, Street start at position 19, City start at position 41, etc. When importing this type of file you won't need to know what position each field starts in but you will need to know the length of each field in the ASCII file. Edit Data 98 ProFile Example: Sam Smith 432 Uptime Court Columbia CA Bob Jones, Jr. 1234 Anywhere Street Boston MA Larry Ritestuff 6655 Rocket Way San Jose CA |<-19 Characters-> |<- 23 ->|<- 12 -> | Comma Delimited This is a standard file type that many programs written in the Basic programming language use. Other programs like Wordstar, Datastar and dBase II/III+ can all create or use Comma Delimited files. A Comma Delimited file has one record per line, with each field separated by a comma and enclosed in quotes if the field has a comma in it. In example 1, only those fields that contain a comma are enclosed in quotes. Example 2 shows all fields enclosed in quotes. Either one is correct and will work. Example 1: Sam Smith,432 Uptime Court,Columbia,CA,44444 "Bob Jones, Jr.",1234 Anywhere Street,Boston,MA,00212 Larry Ritestuff,6655 Rocket Way,San Jose,CA,43234 Example 2: "Sam Smith","432 Uptime Court","Columbia","CA" "Bob Jones, Jr.","1234 Anywhere Street","Boston","MA" "Larry Ritestuff","6655 Rocket Way","San Jose","CA" One-Field-Per-Line One-Field-Per-Line is supported by a number of other database and word processing programs. Essentially, each field is written on a separate line. Empty fields appear as blank lines, but there are no blank lines separating records. ProFile Import Data 99 Example: Sam Smith 432 Uptime Court Columbia CA 44444 Bob Jones, Jr. 1234 Anywhere Street Boston MA 00212 Larry Ritestuff 6655 Rocket Way San Jose CA 43234 Importing Data To import ASCII data: 1. Select Import on the Exchange Menu. 2. Select the ASCII file type, designate the use of a Selection Spec if you like, and then enter in the ASCII file Name. (If you choose One-Field-Per-Line you will also need to enter in the numbers of lines per record in the ASCII file.) Press F10 to continue. 3. If you selected Standard Data Format, you must now enter in the field lengths for each field in the ASCII file. 4. Enter in the field numbers from the ASCII file into the Merge Spec. 5. If you elected to use a Selection Spec, you must enter it now. 6. ProFile merges the data into your current database in use. When the data is merged, ProFile will update any lookup fields and perform any calculations in the form. You should always make a backup of a database before using the Import function. This way, if an alignment problem develops, you have a "clean" database from which to start again. See page #115 on using the Backup command. The first step to import data is to provide the following information: Edit Data 100 ProFile ASCII File Format- Enter in the appropriate format. If you selected One-Field-Per-Line, you will need to enter the number of lines per record in the ASCII file. For instance, if you have five fields per record in the ASCII file, each one would appear on a line by itself. In this case, you'd enter a 5 at the Number of Lines per Record prompt. Use Selection Spec- Answer Yes to define a Selection Spec. The Selection Spec controls which records in the ASCII file are merged into your ProFile database. Answer No to use all records in the ASCII file. ASCII File Name- Enter the name of the ASCII file you'd like to import. If ProFile can't find it, you will be warned. Make certain that you include any file extensions that might have automatically been added by the program that created the ASCII file. For example, dBase tags on a .TXT and Lotus 1-2-3 adds .PRN to each of their respective files. ProFile uses the File Manager whenever it prompts for a file name. To access the File Manager, make certain that the prompt line is blank and then press [ENTER]. Or, enter any wild card designator at the file name prompt and then press [ENTER]. See page #8 for more details on the using this option. Standard Data Format Field Lengths If you selected Standard Data Format (SDF) as the ASCII file type you must enter the field lengths from the file. You may enter up to 36 field lengths in the form. Use the arrow keys to move around the form. Consider the following example: the line below shows that the first field in the sample SDF file is 19 characters long, the next is 23, etc. Example: Sam Smith 432 Uptime Court Columbia CA Larry Ritestuff 6655 Rocket Way San Jose CA |<-19 Characters-> |<- 23 -> |<- 12 -> | ProFile Import Data 101 You would enter 19 at the Field #1 Length prompt, 23 at Field #2 Length, 12 at Field #3 Length and so on until you had entered all of the field lengths. Press F10 when you are finished. Merge Spec The Merge Spec tells ProFile which field from the ASCII file corresponds with a particular field in your ProFile database. This gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility in importing data. To enter a Merge Spec, move the cursor to a field in your ProFile database and enter in the corresponding field number from the ASCII file. (If you leave a field Figure 26: Merge Spec screen blank, i.e. no number entered, no data will be merged into that field.) For example, if you have an ASCII file where the physical position of NAME is field number 2, you would move the cursor to the Name field in the ProFile database and enter in a 2. You are saying "take the second field from ASCII file and put it in this field" (which might be the first field of your ProFile database). When you are done, press F10. Edit Data 102 ProFile Using a Selection Spec If you have opted to use a Selection Spec, you will enter it after the Merge Spec. The Selection Spec will control which records from your ASCII file are merged into the current ProFile database. Refer to page #48 for more information on creating Selection Specs. During the Import As data is imported ProFile will display the number of records from the ASCII file processed and selected. You may stop the merge at any time by pressing any key. Pressing [Esc] when the import is paused will allow you to exit. ProFile Export Data 103 Export Export lets you share information from your ProFile database with other programs. The data may be formatted in either Standard Data Format (SDF), Comma Delimited, or One-Field-Per-Line style and inserted into an ASCII file. You may export all or some of the records in your database. Each field will be exported in the order in which it appears in the form. It is very simple to transfer information to another program on your computer. Here's how: 1. Select the Export option on the Exchange Menu. 2. Choose the ASCII format, elect to use a Selection and/or Sort Spec, and then enter the file name for the ASCII file you will be creating. Press F10 to continue. 3. Enter any optional Sort or Selection Specs. 4. Your ASCII file will now be created. The following details these steps. Exporting Data ASCII File Format- Enter in the appropriate format. See the discussion on ASCII file formats in the Import section, page #104. Use Selection Spec- The Selection Spec controls which records in your database are included in the ASCII file. Answer Yes to define a Selection Spec, or No to use all records in your database. Use Sort Spec- The Sort Spec controls the order of the information in your ASCII file. Answer Yes to enter a Sort Spec, or No to use the information in your database in whatever order it happens to be in when the MailMerge file is created, i.e. in record number order. ASCII File Name- Enter the name of the file you wish to create. If a file is entered that already exists, ProFile will ask if it Export Data 104 ProFile can overwrite the current file. Answer No to enter in a new name. You may use the File Manager whenever ProFile prompts for a file name. To access the File Manager, make certain that the prompt line is blank and then press [ENTER]. Alternately, enter any wild card designator in the file name prompt and then press [ENTER]. See page #8 for more details on using this option. About Sort and Selection Specs The Sort Spec controls the order in which the data appears in the ASCII file. The Selection Spec controls which records are included in the file. If you elected to use a Selection or Sort Spec, you will be prompted to enter them now. Otherwise, the export process is ready to begin. See page #74 for more detailed information on the Sort Spec and page #48 for Selection Specs. Floppy Disk Systems You may copy data to a file on a separate disk. Follow these rules: o The Form Definition, Data, and Index files must all be on the same disk. o Never remove the disk that contains the ProFile database. o ProFile will prompt you to swap the PROGRAM DISK with the data disk and vice versa. EXCHANGE DISKS ONLY WHEN PROMPTED. Note- ProFile only checks to see if the file name exists when you enter it. If the file name exists on the newly inserted disk, ProFile will automatically overwrite it. During the Export ProFile keeps you informed of its progress by displaying the number of records processed and selected. You may pause by pressing any key once. Pressing any key except [Esc] will restart the Export function. Pressing [Esc] twice when Export is paused will return you to the Exchange Menu. If you cancel the Export function, only the records that were processed and selected will be included in the ASCII file. ProFile Copy Data 105 Copy Data With Copy you may merge information from another ProFile database into the one in use. Both databases do not have to be exactly alike. If they are different, only those fields that are common to both will be copied. Care must be taken when copying data from another database. Always have a backup to your database before using the Copy Data function. Floppy Disk Systems You may copy data from a ProFile database on a separate disk. Follow these rules: o The Form Definition, Data, and Index files of the database from which you are copying must all be on the same disk. o Never remove the disk that contains the ProFile database. o ProFile will prompt you to swap the PROGRAM DISK with the database disk and vice versa. EXCHANGE DISKS ONLY WHEN PROMPTED. Copying Data To copy data: 1. Select the Copy option on the Exchange Menu. 2. Enter in the name of the database from which you would like to copy data. 3. If needed, enter in a Selection Spec. Here are the details: Copy From [Form Name]- At this prompt, you will need to enter the form from which you would like to copy. If you don't know the file name you may press [ENTER] at the empty line to call the File Manager. The File Manager will list only those forms on your active drive. You may change the active drive to see forms on other paths or drives. See page #8 for more information on the File Manager. Copy Data 106 ProFile WARNING- NEVER, NEVER enter in the name of the database you are currently using. Doing so may corrupt the contents of your entire database. Use Selection Spec- The Selection Spec controls which records from the other database are copied into your current form. Answer Yes to create a Selection Spec or No to copy all records in the other database. If the two forms are not identical, be careful not to reference a field that does not appear in the second database. For example, assume that the database in use has a Sales field and the second database does not. Defining a Selection Spec of "Sales EQUAL 10000" would result in no records being selected since the second database does not have a field for Sales. During the Copy ProFile displays on the status line the number of records processed and copied. As with other functions, you may pause the Copy process by pressing any key. Pressing any key except [Esc] will restart Copy. Pressing [Esc] twice when the process is halted will return you the Exchange Menu. All records copied before the interruption will remain in the current database. ProFile Utilities 107 Global Update Global Update lets you change selected records in a database all at once, instead of just one at a time. This function also lets you update calculated fields and lookup fields. Here's how: 1. Select Update from the Utilities Menu. 2. ProFile will advise you to make a backup (see page #115) before continuing. Press [ENTER] to proceed, [Esc] to return to the Utilities Menu. 3. At the Ask Before Updating prompt, answer Yes to be prompted before the record is updated, or No to have ProFile do it automatically. 4. At the Update Calculations prompt, enter Yes to recalculate all formulas in the records that are selected. Entering No means that the values in all calculated fields will remain unchanged, even if the dependent fields are changed. 5. At the Update Stored Lookups enter Yes to have ProFile update all of your stored lookups. Entering No will leave the stored lookups fields unchanged. This function has no effect on non-stored lookup fields. 6. At the Selection Spec Menu, either enter a Selection Spec to only update specific records or choose All Records to update the entire database. 7. At the Enter Global Changes screen, enter in the appropriate changes. Do not enter any changes if you only wish to have either calculations or lookup fields updated only. 8. Press F10 to begin the update process. Using a Selection Spec Use a Selection Spec to update only specific records in your database. The Selection Spec is the same one used in the other sections in ProFile. Entering Global Changes Use a blank form to enter the global changes that you want to make to the database. Entering information in a field means "for all records that are selected, replace the current contents of this field with what I have entered." If a field is left blank, Utilities 108 ProFile no change is made to its contents. You may enter new information directly in a field to replace the contents of that field during the update. In addition to this, ProFile has five advanced functions to assist you in making global updates. Most of the commands require that information be entered after a symbol. Figure #27 summarizes their use. Follow these steps when entering global changes: 1. Use the up and down arrow keys to move to the field you'd like to update. 2. Enter in the change to replace, a symbol followed by the appropriate data or the tilde (~) to erase, the contents of that field. 3. Continue the steps above until all changes have been entered. 4. Press F10 to start the update. Note- Global Updates affect only the records that are currently in the database. To make changes affect forms not yet entered, see the section on Advanced Database Design, page #121. During the Update Process ProFile displays the records being changed during the update process. If you answered Yes to Ask Before Updating, you will be prompted before a record is changed. As in other sections, you may halt the process by pressing any key. Pressing [Esc] twice will cancel the current update, or press any key to resume processing. ProFile Utilities 109 Symbol Use ------ --- ~ You may erase the contents of any field by using the tilde (~) symbol. To do so, move the cursor to the appropriate field and enter in a tilde (~). This tells ProFile to erase any information in this field for the records that are selected. You could use this, for instance, to clear a field that contains outdated or inaccurate information. +new The plus sign is used to append "new" data to existing information in a field. For instance, entering +Inc in a Firm Name field would mean append the firm name with Inc. &new The ampersand sign means add "new" data to the beginning of a field. Entering &Mr. in a Name field would change all selected names to Mr. (existing name). -old The minus sign tells ProFile that, if the "old" data appears in the field, it should delete it, but leave the rest of the information intact. For instance, -Jr. in a Name field would mean delete Jr. from all names that are selected. @old,new This works like a find and replace feature on a word processor. The (@) symbol means, if old appears in the field, replace it with new, leaving the rest of the information intact. For example, entering @Road,Drive in a Street field would cause all selected records to have the word Road changed to Drive. So "1254 Oak Road" would become "1254 Oak Drive". This function is case sensitive. Figure: Global Update change symbols Utilities 110 ProFile Global Delete Global Delete lets you delete a group of records at one time. You might use this function to delete records that are no longer needed or that have been copied to another database. To delete a group of records: 1. Select the Delete records from the Utilities Menu. 2. ProFile will advise you to make a backup (see page #115) before continuing. Press [ENTER] to proceed, [Esc] to return to the Utilities Menu. 3. At the prompt Ask Before Deleting, answer Yes to be prompted or No to have ProFile delete the records automatically. 4. Enter in a Selection Spec. The Selection Spec is the same one used in the other sections of ProFile. 5. The records will now be deleted. WARNING- Deleting forms erases them forever. There is no way to retrieve them again. During the Global Delete The records being deleted are shown as they are deleted. As in other sections, you may halt the process by pressing any key. If you answered Yes to Ask Before Deleting you will be prompted before a record is deleted. Pressing [Esc] twice will cancel the current process, or press any key to resume deleting records. Index the Database The Index function is used to restore the index files if they have been corrupted. The Index function should be used if you have a power outage while you're working, or if you suspect that an index file has been damaged through some other means. To use the Index function: 1. Select the Index option on the Utilities Menu. 2. Press [ENTER] at the first prompt. The index file will now be recreated. ProFile Utilities 111 Pack the Database Pack is used to remove empty records (ones that have been deleted but not yet reused) from your database. Pack makes a new data file and makes a backup copy of your existing database. It then copies all active records to the new data file. Finally, Pack reindexes your database. Before using Pack, make a backup copy of your database. Also, make certain that there is enough room on your disk for two copies of the data file. If there isn't, do not pack the database. If you have a disk full error while packing the database, see the section in the appendix on error messages for information on recovering from a full disk. As an alternative to Pack, you could create a new database with the same design on an empty disk and then use the Copy function on the Exchange Menu to copy the information from your original database. To use Pack: 1. Make a backup copy of the database using the Backup function. 2. Select Pack from the Utilities Menu. 3. Press [ENTER] at the first prompt. The database will now be packed. Note- In addition to removing all deleted records, Pack re- indexes the database. Backup One of the most frightening moments is finding out that your hard disk has crashed (broken) or that your floppy has gone south, taking your data with it. Backing up your database frequently will prevent heavy losses in the event of a media (disk) failure. To determine what frequent means, simply figure out how much data and time you are willing to lose if a disk goes bad. For most people, this means backing up the database any time they spend more than 30 minutes making changes, additions or deletions. Utilities 112 ProFile How Backup Works Backup copies the Form Definition, and Data files associated with the database in use. Backup allows you to copy the database to any floppy drive or hard disk. ProFile appends an exclamation point (!) to the extension of the database file names. For example, a database called MAILLIST could consist of MAILLIST.FRM and MAILLIST.DTA. When you use the Backup function, ProFile will copy these files to MAILLIST.FR!, MAILLIST.DT!. To save disk space, Backup does not copy the index file(s) since they can be reconstructed easily. Recovering a Backup Database If you wish to use a previous version of a database that has been backed-up using ProFile Backup function, simply rename the backup copy to the original names. Using our previous example, you'd issue the following commands (note that if the database name already exists, you will have to erase the active name first). To rename the backup files created from database MAILLIST, type the following: REN MAILLIST.FR! MAILLIST.FRM REN MAILLIST.??! MAILLIST.??X If you get a duplicate filename error, first copy the duplicate files to another disk, delete the duplicate files and then issue the above commands. See your DOS manual for more information on deleting and renaming files. WARNING- Backup will not copy a database to multiple floppy disks. If you are using a hard disk and your database is larger than the capacity of your system's floppy disk, use the DOS "Backup" command or whatever program the hard disk drive maker suggests you use. For more information see your DOS User's Guide or hard disk manual. ProFile Utilities 113 Floppy Disk Systems You may backup a ProFile database on to a separate disk. Follow these rules: o The Form Definition, Data, and Index files of the database from which you are copying must all be on the same disk. o Never remove the disk that contains the ProFile database. o ProFile will prompt you to swap the PROGRAM DISK with the disk that will hold the copy of the database and vice versa. EXCHANGE DISKS ONLY WHEN PROMPTED. Entering the Disk and Path Name At the prompt, Destination Drive .:, enter the drive and path where ProFile should copy your database and then press [ENTER]. If you enter an invalid drive or path, ProFile will beep and allow you to re-enter it. For a more thorough discussion on drive and path names see page #8 or your DOS manual. During the Backup ProFile will copy the Form Definition and Data file. As each file is copied it will be listed on the screen. ProFile will indicate when each file has been successfully completed. Problems and Errors Duplicate File- If the file that ProFile is copying exists on the backup drive, ProFile will ask before it overwrites it. File Not Copied- This error will appear if you cancel the copy operation or if there is not enough disk space on the destination drive. Try using a newly formatted disk, or check your file size (with the DOS "DIR" command) to see if the file is too big to fit on the floppy disk. (Most 5.25" floppy disks can hold up to 360 KB (360,000 characters) of information.) Utilities 114 ProFile Printer Setup The Printer Setup function lets ProFile use different types of printers. The program supports both parallel and serial printers. The setup function lets you choose from up to two ports for both types of printers. If you are using a serial printer, you set the parameters for it with the setup function. Printer setups may be changed as often as you like. The default setting is a parallel printer using port 1. Parallel Printers Parallel printers are the easiest to setup. Only the port must be selected. Printer Port- Select the parallel port to which your printer is attached (LPT 1 or LPT 2) and press [ENTER]. If everything is OK, answer Yes to the prompt. The new setting will now be saved. Figure 28: Printer Setup screen ProFile Utilities 115 Serial Printers Serial printers need additional information to work properly. The following outlines the different setting options: Printer Port- Select the serial port to which your printer is attached (COM 1 or COM 2) and press [ENTER]. The following settings will now be displayed. If you are uncertain how your printer is configured, check the printers owners manual. Baud Rate- This is the speed at which data is sent to the printer. Most printers use 1200, 4800 or 9600 baud. Enter the appropriate selection from the list and press [ENTER]. Parity- Enter the appropriate parity setting, from 1 to 3. Stop Bits- Enter the appropriate stop bits. If the word length is 8 the stop bits are usually 1. If the word length is 7, stops bits are usually 2. Word Length- Enter your printer's word length. The settings will be saved by answering Yes to the "OK" prompt. Advanced Database Design 116 ProFile Advanced Database Design All things change with time and this is true for ProFile databases as well. As you work with a form, over time your needs change. A field might need to be added, or one never used deleted. Maybe a field isn't quite long enough. Whatever the reason, you need to change the database design. It is easy and simple to do with ProFile. You can change just about anything that you like. REORGANIZING TAKES TIME. When you change the design of a database, ProFile must reorganize the information in it. Although it takes only a few minutes to change the form, reorganizing the data takes time. The more records in your database, the more time it will take. WARNING- Always make a backup of your database before changing the form. Use the Backup function on the Utilities Menu. See page #115. Changing a Database Design Making changes to your database is simple. Here's how to do it: 1. Use the Backup function on the Utilities Menu to make a copy of your database. See page #115. 2. From the Form Menu, select the Layout option. 3. When your form layout is displayed, you may do any of the following: o Change the field prompts, text and form. o Move a field. o Delete a field. o Add a field. 4. When you've made any appropriate changes, press F10 to continue to the Define Field Attributes screen. 5. Here, you may change the field attributes of any field or setup new fields. 6. Press F10 when you are finished. You will receive a warning if you have changed the order, length, or number of fields. Answer Yes to continue. ProFile will now reorganize your data if you changed the length, order, or number of fields. If your database is over 1,000 records, this will take time. ProFile Advanced Database Design 117 Editing the Form Layout Editing the Form Layout is the same as designing the form. You have the identical keystrokes and functions available. This includes copying, deleting, and inserting lines. You may use the arrow keys to move around the form. For details on using the Layout function, see page #17. On existing forms, ProFile inserts field identifiers at the beginning of each field. This is how ProFile keeps track of the fields in your form. Field identifiers start with AA, follow with AB, then AC, etc. They are placed at the very beginning of each field. Field identifiers are only placed on existing fields, never on new ones. If you create a new field, do not add a field identifier to it. See page #122 for information on creating new fields on existing forms, or page #15 for the details on how to create a new form. If a field is one or two characters long, you will not see the underlines that mark the field length, only the field identifier. If you need to change a field length to less than two on an existing field, change the field length at the Field Attributes screen. If you move a field, you must take care to duplicate the field identifier exactly as it appeared before the field was moved. More on this in the following section. Moving a Field You may move any field in your database. Make certain that you move the information blank and the field identifier at the beginning of it. As long as you move the field identifier, ProFile will keep track of the field attributes for you. To move a field, use the copy command or retype the prompt in its new position. Then, enter in the field identifier, followed by the information blank, making certain that it is the same length as it was before. Make certain that you erase the old position entirely, the field identifier, colon, and information. IMPORTANT- Make certain that you move the field identifier or retype it exactly as it was. Failure to do so will cause ProFile to consider it a new field. This will mean that all information in the field will be lost. Advanced Database Design 118 ProFile Adding a Field To add a new field, move the cursor the position where you want the field to start and type in the prompt for it. Remember to end the label with a colon (:). Next, create the information blank by using the underline character to designate the field length. DO NOT insert a field identifier at the beginning of the field. Field identifiers are only needed for existing fields. You may use the insert mode to create additional space on a line for the new field or insert a new line by pressing F3 (Insert Line Key). Be careful not to erase or type over an existing label. Press F10 at the Form Layout screen. At the Define Field Attributes screen, move the cursor to the new field. Press [ENTER] to enter new field attributes for this field. See page #22 for more information on creating field attributes. Deleting a Field To delete a field, simply erase the field name, colon, field identifier, and information blank on the Form Layout screen. ProFile will automatically reformat the data and remaining fields for you. Changing Field Length You may change the field length of any field. To change the length of a field, make certain that you are at the Form Layout screen. Move the cursor to the field that you would like to change. Add underlines to the existing information blank to lengthen the blank or delete the underline characters to shorten it. If you shorten a field length, ProFile will truncate the informa- tion for that field in your database to fit the new size. You might lose information when this happens. Always make a backup before changing your database design. Alternatively, a field's length may be changed on the Define Field Attributes screen. This is useful for shortening fields to one or two characters. See page #25 for more information on this feature. ProFile Advanced Database Design 119 Changing Field Attributes After you've finished making any changes to the form layout, press F10. At the Define Field Attributes screen move the cursor to any field that needs to be changed. Press [ENTER] and then make any changes to the field's attributes as appropriate. See page #22 for more detailed information on field attributes. Advanced Database Design 120 ProFile Form Options After the Form Design has been completed, you may customize the form to make it easier to use or more efficient. You may: o Change the Form Display Name. o Change the starting value for incrementing fields. o Specify default (standard) values for fields in your form. To add any of the above features, select either Options for the Display Name and increment starting value or Default from the Form Menu. The details for each option follow. Change the Display Name The display name appears in the upper right corner of the computer screen. It is initially set to the form name you entered when designing it. Sometimes, it is helpful to change the display name to something more descriptive. You may change the display name to anything that you like. The name may be up to 30 characters long. To change the name, select the Options function on the Form Menu. Enter in any new name that you wish. The old name may be deleted by pressing ^[Home] (Control-Home) when the cursor is at the beginning of the old name. Press F10 to save the new name, or [Esc] to cancel any changes that you made. NOTE- Changing the Form Display Name does not change the name of the Form Design, Data, or Index files. It only changes the name that appears in the upper right hand corner of your screen after you have selected a form design. ProFile Advanced Database Design 121 Current Increment Value The current increment value is used to set an incrementing field when new records are added. When a new database is created this is set to zero (0). When the first record is added, the value is then incremented to one. As new records are added this value is increased by one for each new record added. See page #25 for more information on incrementing fields. Figure 29: Options function Sometimes you may wish the completed forms to have an incrementing field that starts with a value other than zero. By changing the Current Increment Value, you can set (or reset) the value that appears in an incrementing field. To change the Current Increment Value, select the Options function on the Form Menu. Move the cursor to the Current Increment Value prompt and enter a new value. The next record added will start at the integer following the value that is entered. (If you enter 100, the next record added will start at 101.) Press F10 to save the new name, or [Esc] to cancel any changes that you made. See figure #29 for an example of the Options function. Advanced Database Design 122 ProFile Default Form Values Many times when information is entered, the same data appears for a field over and over again. For instance, you might create a mailing list where every person is from the same city. To speed up the data entry, you can assign a default value to any field in your form. When you add new information to your database, the default value automatically appears in the information blank next to the field label. Using the above example, if all the people were in Richmond, you would assign "Richmond" as the default value for the City field and "VA" for the State field. In this way, you would not need to enter in a City or State name; ProFile would do it for you automatically. When you enter new information into a field with a default value, it is erased automatically when you enter any new information. To enter default values: 1. Select the Default Values from the Form Menu. 2. Your form design will appear, just as it does when you add new records. 3. Move the cursor to the field where you'd like to enter a default value. Enter in the value just as if you were filling in a new form. With the above example, moving the cursor to City and entering "Richmond" in the information blank would create a default value ("Richmond") for the City field. 4. Repeat step 3 until all values have been entered. 5. If you want to delete a default value, move the cursor to the value you'd like deleted and press ^[Home] (Control-Home). 6. When all changes have been made press F10. 7. At the Make any changes permanent prompt, answer Yes to save your changes to disk, or No to make them applicable to this session only. (They'll return to their previous values when you exit ProFile.) That's all there is to it. Default values may be changed as often as you like. ProFile Appendix A 123 Appendix A: Glossary ASCII- A coding system used by computers to represent text characters and non-printable characters. ASCII File- A disk file that contains no special coding. This type of file can be used to share data between different application programs. Backup- A copy of a database created for archival use. Backup copies of a database are made and then stored safely away to protect information in case of problems with the original file. Browse- To scan through the database. Bulk Mail Sort- Ordering the information in the database according to guidelines established by the U.S. Postal Service. Calculation- A formula that ProFile uses in reports to perform arithmetic operations on columns or fields. Calculated Column- The column in a report that is created by calculations performed on other columns. Column Break- Place in a sorted report where a value changes. Depending on the report options selected, it can trigger subtotals, line breaks, or page breaks. Column Break Field Number (#)- The field number in a report whose value is used to determine column breaks. Database- The set of Data, Index, and Form Design files that ProFile uses, all of which are stored with a common file name (only the file extensions differ). Data File- A collection of records on disk. DIF- An industry standard method of coding and storing information in a disk file (Data Interchange Format). Default Value- A field may have a preset value that is displayed when adding new records. Default values are used to speed up data entry. Field- This is both the field name and the blank that follows it. A collection of fields makes up a database. Field Attributes- A field's type and length. Appendix A 124 ProFile Field Help Line- Optional help that can be created to help describe what data goes in an information blank. Field Length- The length of a field in characters. Fields may be up to 80 characters long. Field Name- Prompt the typist for what kind of information should go in the blank following it. Field Number- The number of a field in a form. Numbers are displayed next to field names in certain functions, i.g. Selection Spec, Create Report, etc. Field Types- A field in a database may be one of several types i.e. text, numbers, dates, etc. File- A collection of data stored on a disk. File Extension- The dot and up to three letters at the end of a file name. ProFile uses file extensions to keep track of Index, Data, Form Definition, Report and Label files. File Manager- The function in ProFile that helps to retrieve databases, reports, and labels. File Name- A name given to a file. File names can be up to eight characters long and include an optional file extension. Form- A series of fields arranged on the screen so that information can be entered into it. Form Definition File- This is the file that holds the form itself plus other information that is important to the database, such as the length and type of each field. Form Design- The physical layout of the form. Function Key- The keys labeled F1 through F10 on the IBM PC keyboard. Function Key Help Line- The information displayed on line 25 of the screen signifying what function keys are active and their uses. Global Delete- To automatically remove selected records from a database. Global Update- To automatically change certain fields in all or selected records in a database. Help Prompts- See Field Help. ProFile Appendix A 125 Index File- ProFile uses an a separate file to keep track of the order of the information in the data file. It works like the index in the back of this manual; which allows you to quickly find specific information on this program. The index file is based on the key field of the database. Information Blank- The space following a field name where the information for a field is entered. It is signified on the computer screen with a series of dashes. Invisible Column- Used in a report for intermediate calculations. It is not displayed or printed in the report. Key Field- The field used for extremely quick record retrievals. Data from the key field makes up the Index File. Label- A field name. MailMerge- The process by which a word processing program merges a mailing list file with a template form. Used to create personalized letters, forms, etc. Merge Spec- The spec used to tell ProFile how to copy fields from an ASCII file into a ProFile database. Modeling a Form- To use an existing form as a template for a new database that is being created. Page Break- Place in a report where a new page is started. Determined by the column break field. Path Name- Series of names indicating a disk, root directory, subdirectory, and file name. Precedence- The order by which a formula is calculated. Primary Sort- The first sort performed on the database. Sort by which all other sorts are based. Printer Control Codes- Codes that vary from printer to printer that control pitch, spacing page size, etc. These codes are entered before a report or label is printed. Print Margin- The number of characters that an entire report (or labels) are moved to the right. Used to align the information on the page. Record- A record (or completed form) is a form with the data entered in it. Appendix A 126 ProFile Report- A collection of information collected from the database and displayed in columns on the screen or printer. Save- To keep information permanently on disk for later use. Select Spec- A spec used to limit the records in a report, labels, MailMerge, etc. to those meeting the specified criteria. Sort- To change the order of a the information in a database. Spec- Short for specifications. Subcalculation- In Report, calculations performed when a column break occurs, i.e. subtotal, subaverage, subcount. Wild Card- Character that can stand for many. In the File Manager, the asterisk (*) means any series of characters and the question mark means any single character. Working Copy- The copy of the program disk that is used daily. The master is placed safely away and used only to make working copies. ProFile Appendix B 127 Appendix B: Files that ProFile Uses The following file extensions are used by ProFile to identify certain types of files. Database Files Extension Type of File --------- ------- .FRM Form Definition File .BAK Previous version of a Form Definition File .DTA Database Data File .DTY Previous version of your database before a pack or reorganization .I?? Database Index File where ?? = 01 or 02, 03, etc. .LAB Label Definition File .LXX Previous version of a Label Definition File .RPT Report File .RXX Previous version of a Report File Program Files The program files that make up ProFile are described below. See PF-READ.ME for more information. PF.EXE- This is the main program file of ProFile. PF.HLP- This is the help file used for context sensitive help. Appendix C 128 ProFile Appendix C: Error Messages ProFile is a sophisticated program that can generally do what you ask of it. When it can't it displays an error message. The error message will either appear on a prompt line near the bottom of the screen or in a large box at the bottom of the screen. Most of the messages require no explanation. However, more detailed information is listed below for your convenience. ProFile has three types of error messages- printer and disk drive errors, system errors, and sorting errors. Generally, unless the problem is severe, ProFile will attempt to recover and continue operation. Problems that ProFile cannot recover from are called fatal errors. Whenever ProFile encounters an error, it displays an error message. If the problem can be corrected, ProFile will do so and continue. If the error is fatal, ProFile will attempt to close the data and index files of the database in use. This is so you do not lose any information in your database. ProFile will inform you if it is successful. If it is not, you should check your database to see that all the information is intact. When You Have an Error If you encounter a fatal error, do the following: 1) Immediately jot down the circumstances that led to the error condition. 2) Write down the error message and an error address if it is listed on the screen. 3) Review this section for a message's meaning and potential solutions. 4) Let us know as outlined in the PF-READ.ME file. Disk and Printer Error Messages Disk write error- Disk full or bad- This is the most common of all disk drive errors, particularly on floppy disk systems. It usually means that you have run out of space on the disk drive. It could also mean that the disk is bad. If the disk is full, you must free up space on the disk to eliminate this error. Try removing unneeded report files, label files, etc. ProFile Appendix C 129 Recovering from Disk Full There are two functions where, if a disk were to become full, you could lose information in your database: o Packing the database o Reorganizing the database after changing the Form Definition, i.e. field length or number of fields. If you made a backup of your database before you started the above procedures, congratulate yourself on your foresight and use the backup. If you didn't, do the following to restore the database to its original condition before the pack or reorganization (all changes will be lost): 1) If you are using a floppy disk, copy it and store the original safely away until you have completely recovered all your data. 2) If you are using a hard disk system, you must make room on the disk for the database, and backup (using your hard disk backup program) all of the ProFile database files for the database that was in use. For example, if your database is called Customer, four files make up the database at this point- Customer.FRM, Customer.BAK, Customer.DTA, Customer.DTY. Backup all of these. Do not worry about backing up the index file (Customer.I01), it will be rebuilt shortly. 3) Review Appendix B to understand what different file extensions mean. If the database files ending in .BAK and .DTY are not present, do not continue. For example, if your database was called Customer, the files would be listed as Customer.DTY and Customer.BAK. 4) For the following explanation, assume that your database is called Customer. First, return to the DOS prompt and make the disk and directory that holds the database files active. If you are using a floppy system this would be done by typing B: and then [ENTER]. Hard disk users should type C: [ENTER], CD\ [ENTER] and then CD ProFile [ENTER]. Appendix C 130 ProFile Follow these steps: a) Delete the Form Definition file, Customer.FRM, by typing: DEL Customer.FRM [ENTER]. b) Rename the Form Definition backup file to the original by typing: REN Customer.BAK Customer.FRM [ENTER]. c) Delete the data file by typing: DEL Customer.DTA [ENTER]. d) Rename the data file backup to the original by entering: REN Customer.DTY Customer.DTA [ENTER]. e) Delete the index file by typing: DEL Customer.I?? [ENTER]. f) Restart ProFile and then enter in the database file name, in this example Customer. The index file(s) will be automatically created. After the system has reindexed the database, you should use the edit function to browse through the database to ascertain that the recovery was successfully completed. If you had made changes to the Form Definition, you may place a copy of the file (that you made in step 1 or 2) on a separate disk. Next, use the Copy Database function on the Exchange Menu to move the information from the old database to the new form. Remember, always backup your database before packing or reorganizing. Other Disk Errors File does not exist- ProFile has attempted to use a file that it thought was available and now is not. File not open for input File not open for output File not open Can't read from this file Can't write to this file The preceding error messages rarely occur. Although they are ambiguous, they usually appear when the system has disk drive problems. ProFile Appendix C 131 Record length mismatch Seek beyond end of file Unexpected end of file File size overflow These error messages can occur when a file has been corrupted. If you receive this message when ProFile is trying to use the Index file, reindex the database. To do so, use the Index command on the Utilities Menu. Directory is full The disk drive directory is full and cannot hold any more files. To solve this problem delete any unneeded files or use a new disk. File disappeared The file that ProFile was using is no longer on the disk. Most likely cause is that a system or data disk has been removed. Problem with Printer Check that the printer is properly connected and that it is working properly. Sort Error Messages Sort work area too small The sort function needs at least 200 bytes of unused memory to work properly. The recommended system memory is at least 320 KB. If you have plenty of memory, check and see if memory-resident programs are using up too much of it. Illegal Sort item length If this error appears, contact us as outlined in the PF-READ.ME file on the DOCUMENTATION disk. Write error during sorting (disk bad or full) The disk became full when sorting. Try deleting unused files on the disk or using a new disk for the database. Read error during sorting (bad disk) This indicates that the disk is bad. Try copying the database files to a new disk or using the backup copy of the database. Appendix C 132 ProFile Impossible to create new file (directory full) The disk directory became full when the sort process started. Use a new disk or delete unused files. Unknown I/O error Something went wrong that ProFile could not pinpoint. System Error Messages Floating point overflow Floating point division by zero Negative Sqrt argument Integer divide by zero or negative Ln argument These problems most likely indicate internal program problems. Contact us as outlined in the PF-READ.ME file on the DOCUMENTATION DISK. String index out of range Array index out of range Scaler or subrange assignment out of range Integer assignment out of range These errors usually appear when an incorrect or corrupted Form Definition, Report or Label file has been loaded. Check the circumstances of the errors. If they happened when loading or using any of the above files, try using the backup copy of the database, etc. If the problem does not recur, make a copy of the backup disk and use this as the new original. ProFile Index 133 Index $, Information Type Column Widths 57 24 Comma Delimited 98 Add 34 Comparison, Selection Add Data/Records 34 Spec 48 Add Field 118 Contains 49 AND 50 Copy Data 105 ARCTAN 31 Copy Data Options 105 Ascending Sort 72 Copy Database 105 ASCII Files 97 COS 31 ASCII Format Count 44 Export 103 Create Data File 33 Import 97 Create Index File 33 Attributes- See Field Cursor Keys 14 Attributes 22 Cursor Movement Backup 6, 111 Form Design 14 Problems 113 Data Restore Database Add 34 112 Deleted 41 Boxes, Form 18 Merge 105 Bulk Mail Sort 74, 90 Share 3 Calculated Columns 61 Data File Definition Calculated Fields 21, 12 37 Database Creating 29 Backup 111 Calculation Error Change 116 Messages 64 Copy 105 Change Error 129 Field Length 118 Files 12 Change Database 116 Recovery 129 Change Field Type 119 Reorganizing 116 Change Report Design Date 76 When Adding Records Column Break 74 36 Column Break and With Selection Spec Subcalculation 52 60 Default Values 122 Column Break Field 74 Define Field Column Breaks 60 Attributes 20 Column Calculations Delete 59 Global 110 Column Detail, Report Record 44 57 Delete a Field 118 Column Headings 57 Delete Field 118 Column Headings, Delete Field Report 65 Informatino 107 Column Justification Descending Sort 72 59 Design a Database 10 Column Spacing 58 Disk Backup 111 Column too wide 59 Disk Error 128 Index 134 ProFile Disk Full 128 Prompts 16 Display Name 120 Field Attraibutes 25 Ditto 38 Field Attributes 19 DIV 0 64 Changing 117, 119 Drawing Boxes 18 Decimal 24 Edit Errors 32 Add Data 35 Help Line 25 Delete Record 44 High 25 Existing Record 42 Index 24 First 44 Length 23 Function 40 Low 25 Go to 44 Mask Type 22 Index 45 Must Fill 25 Last 44 Name 22 Print Form 46 Required 25 Select 45 Uppercase 25 Edit Existing Label Field Help 25 92 Field Identifiers 117 Edit Existing Report Field Length 16 76 Maximum 16 END 51 Field Name 10 Equal 48 Field Names Equal or Greater Than Label 80 49 Field Type Equal or Less Than 49 Change 119 ERR 64 Lookup 26 Error Field Types 21 Disk 128 Calculated 29 If you have 128 Fields Sort 131 Stored 28 System 132 Fields Attributes Error Messages 128 Unique 25 Report 64 File Errors ASCII 97, 103 Disabled Lookup Extension 127 Fields 33 File Manager 6 Field Attributes 32 Error 132 Esc 12 Subdirectory 6 EXP 31 File Name Export 103 Label 78 Floppy Disk 104 Report 54 Field 16 Files Add 118 Database 127 Adding, Type Checked Program 127 36 Filling Out Forms 34 Calculated 29 First Record 44 Change Length 118 Floppy Disks Date 36 Backup 113 Delete 118 Form 13 Length 118 Cursor Keys 14 Moving 117 Default Values 122 ProFile Index 135 Design Hints 31 Greater Than 48 Display Name 120 Hard Disk Installation Editing 117 5 Field Name 16 Hardware 4 Layout 14 Header/Footer, Report Length 18 70 Modeling 13 Help Not Found 13 Adding Records 38 Planning 31 Form 7 Saving 30 Function Keys 7 Form Definition File Online 7 12 Help File 127 Form Design 10 High Range 25 Boxes 18 Import Calculated Fields Floppy Disk 97 17 Merge Spec 101 Copy Line 18 Options 99 Cursor Movement 14 Overview 97 Delete Line 18 Increment Field Errors 19 Change Value 121 Field Attributes 19 Increment Field Type Field Length 16 24 Field Types 21 Index Function Keys 15 Edit Data 45 Hints 31 Index Field 24 How to 12 Index File Insert Line 18 Create 33 Lookup Fields 17 Definition 12 Model 13 Error 131 Prompts 16 Index File, Corruption Format 110 MailMerge 94 Index the Database Formatting Standard 110 Labels 84 Information Blank 16 Formula 30 Information Type 19 Formulas 29 Initial Values 122 Formulas, Report 29, Invisible Columns 64 63 Justify Free-Form Labels 83 Data 59 Formatting 85 Heading 58 Function Keys Key Field 43 Add Data 35 Label 78 Ditto 38 Create 79 General 8 Format 85 Label 82 Free-Form 83 Function, Report 30 Layout 80 Functions 31 Length 87 Getting Started 3 Print 91 Global Delete 110 Print Field Names Global Update 107 88 Go to 44 Redesign 92 Index 136 ProFile View Form 83 Numeric Fields 22 Label Alignment 91 One-Field-Per-Line 98 Label Size 79 Options Function 120 Label Text Length 85 OR 50 Last 44 Pack the Database 111 Last Record 44 Package Contents 3 Less Than 49 Page Break 74 LN 31 Page Length, Report LOG 31 68 Lookup 26 Parallel Printer 114 Add data 37 Parentheses 30 Disabled Fields 33 Path Name 113 Field Attributes 28 Phone Field Type 23 Lookup File Name 27 Power, Loss of 6 Lookup Match Field Precedence 30 27 Previous 43 Lookup Retrieve Print Field 27 Current Form 46 Non-stored Fields Error 128 28, 37 Form, Add Data 38 Search Field 27 Label 91 Stored 28 Report 76, 77 Lookup Fields 26 Printer Setup MailMerge 3 Label 86 DEC 95 Parallel 114 MultiMate 95 Serial 114 Options 93 Program Files 127 Overview 93 Range PC-Write 95 Low 25 WordPerfect 94 Range Checking 37 Wordstar 94 Record 10 Mass Delete 110 Count 44 Mass Update 107 Deleted 41 Maximum Record Size Go to 44 32 Total 41 Menu Remove Deleted Records Edit 40 111 Report Layout 57 Reorganizing 116 Merge Data 105 Report Merge Spec 101 Add Column 57 Modeling a Form Design Calculated Columns 13 61 Money Field Type 23 Calculations 59 Move Field 117 Change 76 Moving a Field 117 Column Detail 57 MultiMate 94 Column Guidelines Must Fill Fields 25 59 New Page, Report 69 Column Headings 65 Next 43 Design 54 Not 48 Format 65, 67 Not Equal 48 Header/Footer 70 ProFile Index 137 Layout 55, 65 System Error Message Layout Menu 54 132 Overview 53 Text Fields 22 Page Format 67 Top Line 12 Print 76, 77 Unique Fields 25 Subtotal Field 58 Update Report Layout 67 Calcualted Fields Required Fields 25 107 Save Lookup Fields 107 Label 84 Update, Global 107 Report 66 Uppercase 25 Search 43 Wordstar 94 Secondary Sort 72 Wrapped Columns 58 Selection Spec Comparison 48 Create 47 Currency 52 Export 104 Import 102 Label 71, 88 MailMerge 96 OR, AND, END 50 Report 71 Self Referencing Columns 64 Serial Printer 114 Shareware 1 SIN 31 Social Security Field Type 23 Sort Bulk Mail 74, 90 Column Break 74 Error Messages 131 Limits 74 Memory Use 76 Page Break 74 Primary 72 Secondary 72 Sort Spec Export 104 Label 89 MailMerge 96 Report 71 Sort Spec Menu 73 SQR 31 SQRT 31 Standard Data Format 97 Subcalculation 60 Subdirectory 6