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+--------------------------------------+
| VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN Registration Form |
| Version 7.2 & 7.2W |
+--------------------------------------+
Registration fee: $20.00 (one fee covers both programs).
You may try out these programs free of charge for a reasonably
brief evaluation period. If you decide that you want to continue
to use them on a regular basis, please fill out this form and
return it with your check for $20.00 payable to W. A. Jackson to:
W. A. Jackson
6529 Matilija Avenue
Van Nuys, California 91401
Registration entitles you to use the programs, get technical
support and receive future upgrades, all in accordance with the
terms and conditions set forth in the User Manual. The
registration fee is refundable if you are dissatisfied with the
program for any reason within 90 days after registration.
Name: ________________________________________
Company:* ________________________________________
Street Address: ________________________________________
City/State/ZIP ________________________________________
Telephone:* ________________________________________
Preferred Disk Format: _____ 5.25" _____ 3.5"
Do you run under (check all that apply):
DOS?____ Windows?____ OS/2?____
Do you want to receive the source code?* _____Yes _____No
(VIDEOCAT only; VCATWIN source code is not currently being
released. If you are not experienced in C Language programming,
the source code will be of no interest or value to you.)
Where did you obtain your copy of VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN*____________
_______________________________________________________________
Comments/Suggestions:* ________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
* Optional entries.
VIDEOCAT Windows Version
(VCATWIN)
Videocassette Catalog Program
Version 7.2W
USER MANUAL
_______
____|__ | (tm)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
Copyright 1991
William A. Jackson
6529 Matilija Avenue
Van Nuys, California 91401
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page i
Table of Contents
GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What this Program Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Special Note About Version 7.2W . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Minimal Instructions for the User in a Hurry . . . . . . 2
Tips for VIDEOCAT Standard Edition Users . . . . . . . . 3
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Known System Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Compatibility with Prior Versions . . . . . . . . . . . 4
License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Disk Vendors, Bulletin Boards, etc. . . . . . . . . . . 5
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Warranties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ASP Ombudsman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
If You Have Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Source Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Primary Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Add . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Whole Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Labels Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
About Videocat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Author Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
System Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
DATA DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page ii
Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
MPAA Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Minutes Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Cassette Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Index Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
* * * *
"You have all your videotapes alphabetized on
index cards."
-- Billy Crystal to Meg Ryan in "WHEN HARRY
MET SALLY..." (1989).
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 1
GENERAL INFORMATION
What this Program Does
----------------------
VCATWIN is a Windows version of VIDEOCAT, a specialized
database program designed for cataloging a collection of movies
or similar materials stored on videocassettes. Each record
contains the following information:
- title
- year of release
- subject type
- form type
- quality rating
- MPAA audience rating code
- actors (maximum 3 names)
- director
- cassette number
- index number on cassette
- color/black & white
- sound type
- running time
- video/film format
- free-form user comments (3 lines)
Using the program's Edit functions you can build and modify
a data file of records containing this information for items in
your video collection. This program was designed for collections
of theatrical motion pictures; however custom configuration
options permit adaptation to other specialized types of
collections.
Using the program's View functions you can display the data
file in a variety of formats and sequences. You can also use the
Search option to display only those records having particular
characteristics (e.g. westerns with John Wayne). Using the
program's File functions you can print a hard copy listing.
Using the program's Label functions you can print labels on
a variety of commercially available label stocks.
This program has been designed with large collections in
mind. Theoretically the program could handle data files with up
to 65,535 records. For all practical purposes the number of
records is limited only by available disk space, with each record
taking up 384 bytes.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 2
Note that this program is for cataloging YOUR collection.
The small demo file included with the distribution package is for
demonstration purposes only. A surprising number of users assume
that this is a database of all videos available for rental and
write complaining that I haven't included enough videos.
A Special Note About Version 7.2W
---------------------------------
This is the first Windows version to be released. It is
numbered 7.2W to indicate that it is generally comparable to and
compatible with Version 7.2 of the standard edition of Videocat.
This program has undergone limited beta testing. I fully
expect that bugs will be discovered when the program is in wider
use. If you find one, let me know and I will work on it.
Minimal Instructions for the User in a Hurry
--------------------------------------------
To load and run the program, you must have Microsoft
Windows, Version 3.0 or later, installed in your system. Make
sure that your program diskette has the files VCATWIN.EXE and
VCATDEMO.DAT. Insert the diskette in a floppy drive, log it as
the active drive, and at the prompt enter
win vcatwin
and you will be off and running. If you install the program on
your hard drive it will run faster
The user interface for this program generally follows the
"Common User Access" principles of IBM's System Application
Architecture. That means it will look and feel a lot like other
Windows applications which follow the same principles. Some
people think this approach makes Windows applications boring.
The positive benefit is that if you have used a lot of other
Windows applications you will find that much of what you have
already learned is transferrable. Use your experience and your
intuition to take a test drive.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 3
Tips for VIDEOCAT Standard Edition Users
----------------------------------------
The data file format for VCATWIN is entirely compatible with
VIDEOCAT Version 7.0, 7.1 or 7.2. You can use your existing data
file. I recommend that you initially make a copy of your data
file for testing VCATWIN and install it in a different drive or
directory. When you feel comfortable with VCATWIN you may choose
to use the same directory and a single data file for both
versions.
There are some features of the standard edition which have
not yet been implemented in VCATWIN. Most significant are the
conversion routines for data files from older versions of
VIDEOCAT and the update option which permits changing existing
text data back and forth between upper and lower case letters.
You can continue to use the standard edition of VIDEOCAT when you
need to use these features.
VCATWIN permits the creation of multiple data files with
different names and will permit you to open a different data file
while running. The standard edition of VIDEOCAT continues to
support only a single data file.
Some of the label formats supported in the standard edition
of VIDEOCAT are not yet supported in VCATWIN. This is because
the standard edition directly controls the printer while VCATWIN
does its printing through the Windows Print Manager, a mixed
blessing which makes some things easier and some things harder.
System Requirements
-------------------
The primary requirements for VCATWIN are an IBM-compatible
PC with Microsoft Windows, Version 3.0 or later, installed, an
EGA or VGA display, and a mouse. It may run on a lesser
configuration (CGA or no mouse), but operation will not be
satisfactory.
Known System Incompatibilities
------------------------------
None are known at this time.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 4
Compatibility with Prior Versions
---------------------------------
Data files are completely compatible with the standard
edition of VIDEOCAT, Versions 7.0, 7.1 and 7.2. The record
format in these editions reserved space for future development
and some of this space may be used to add new features to
VCATWIN; however this will be done in such a way that data files
can be ported back and forth between the standard and Windows
versions without adverse effect. It should be noted that the
standard edition of VIDEOCAT supports only a single data file
which must be named either VCATDATA.DAT or VCATDEMO.DAT. The
Windows version supports multiple data files which can have
different names.
VCATWIN uses some, but not all, of the custom configuration
files created under the standard edition of VIDEOCAT. If you
created any of the following custom configuration files under the
standard edition, you can copy and use them directly with
VCATWIN:
VCATCOLR.CFG custom color type descriptions
VCATFMAT.CFG custom format descriptions
VCATFORM.CFG custom form descriptions
VCATMPAA.CFG custom MPAA rating descriptions
VCATRATG.CFG custom quality rating descriptions
VCATSOUN.CFG custom sound type descriptions
VCATSUBJ.CFG custom subject descriptions
The present version of VCATWIN does not convert files from
Versions 5.x and 6.x, produce statistical reports, or change the
case of data text; however you can use the standard edition of
VIDEOCAT to perform these services.
License
-------
This is "user supported software", or "shareware". It is
NOT in the public domain but is protected under the copyright
laws of the United States. You are granted a limited license to
use, copy and distribute VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN subject to the
following conditions:
1. You may make personal, non-commercial use of
VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN during a reasonably brief trial period; if you
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 5
become a registered user (see Registration below), your license
for personal use becomes perpetual;
2. You may distribute copies to others who may also make
royalty-free use during a relatively brief trial period and may
obtain a perpetual license by becoming registered users;
3. You may upload copies of the applications package
(executable file and manual, but NOT source code) to electronic
bulletin boards and information services;
4. You may make a modified version of the program for your
own use only;
5. You may not modify the program or its documentation or
source code in versions you distribute to others;
6. You may not charge any fee for copying and distribution
of VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN other than reasonable costs of copying,
information service on-line charges, shareware disk distribution
charges, and similar nominal costs not exceeding $10 for this
program, provided that you clearly disclose that the program is
shareware and that payment of your distribution charge does not
excuse the obligation to pay a registration fee to the author.
Disk Vendors, Bulletin Boards, etc.
___________________________________
Disk vendors, electronic bulletin boards, user groups,
computer clubs, swap meets, etc. are all welcome to distribute
VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN, subject to the restrictions in item 6 under
"License" above.
My current practice is to mail major releases of
VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN to vendors approved by the Association of
Shareware Professionals. I simply don't have the time or
inclination to answer mail from other organizations with sure-
fire, get-rich-quick schemes to promote this program and help me
achieve fame and fortune if only I will part with a little front
money.
I find that users who have obtained VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN from
disk vendors, bulletin boards or swap meets often have received
very outdated versions. The best way to be sure you have the
most recent release is, of course, to become a registered user.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 6
Registration
____________
VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN is shareware. It is NOT free software. If
you are not familiar with shareware, read the "What is Shareware"
section towards the end of this manual. The author depends upon
your integrity in becoming a registered user if you choose to
continue using the program after a brief trial period.
The shareware concept is based upon the expectation that
users who test a program and decide they want to continue using
it will register with the author and send in a registration fee.
Electronic bulletin boards and disk vendors charge only for their
distribution services and do not pay any royalties to shareware
authors. Honest vendors explain this system clearly; shady
operators obscure it. If you did not understand that
registration and payment of a fee to the author was expected,
complain to the vendor you dealt with and any magazine in which
it advertises. Do not sent me a letter saying that you "bought"
VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN from some disk distributor and now expect full
support without compensating the author. I also have no control
over the quality of diskettes used by disk vendors. If you got a
defective diskette from a disk vendor, complain to them, not to
me.
Since this is essentially an honor system, your voluntary
compliance is fundamental to the continued viability of the
shareware concept which enables the economical distribution of
professional quality programs for special applications which do
not represent a large enough market to justify marketing through
conventional retail channels. VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN would never have
reached its current stage of development without the support and
encouragement of registered users. Although it is obvious that I
am not going to retire on royalties from VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN, there
are costs associated with its distribution and maintenance and I
do expect the project to support itself financially.
Aside from the appeal to your integrity, there are several
practical advantages which I would suggest make it worthwhile for
you to become a registered user:
- The version you have may not be the most
current version; if it is not current, you
will receive the most current version by mail
on disk when your registration is received.*
- Registered users usually get reasonably
prompt responses to questions and requests
for help. (Frankly, I do not have a lot of
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 7
patience or motivation in dealing with
questions from non-registered users.)
- Registered users always get the next
significant** upgrade free of charge by mail
on disk shortly after it is ready for general
distribution.
- After the first significant** upgrade,
additional upgrades will be made available to
registered users at a nominal handling charge
(currently estimated at $5).
- Registered users sometimes get an advance
peek at new features through interim editions
sent to them for "Beta" testing.
- Registered users often see their suggestions
reflected in changes to the program.
- Registered users are provided with complete
source code on request without additional
charge (standard edition of VIDEOCAT only -
Windows edition source code is not presently
being released).
* I'll confess that sometimes I run a little late in processing
registrations. I will not, however, cash your check until I have
acknowledged your registration and made sure you have the most
recent release.
** Interim releases are occasionally mailed to some users with a
request that they act as "Beta" testers and report problems,
comments and suggestions. Mailing of an interim release does not
count as a significant upgrade.
VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN is not "crippleware" or "ransomware". The
same version is distributed to all and you do not have to pay
extra to get a version that really works.
Registration is accomplished by simply mailing the
registration form which is included in the documentation file
with a check for $20 to
William A. Jackson
6529 Matilija Avenue
Van Nuys, California 91401
$20 is a bargain. I have seen authors of clearly inferior
programs request two, three or four times as much. If you send a
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 8
letter with a long list of questions you would like answered
before deciding whether to part with your $20, don't expect a
reply. If you send a check for a lesser amount, I will accept it
as a "conscience" payment, but don't expect to get the privileges
of a fully registered user. If you send a check for a greater
amount, I will accept it gracefully.
Please use the registration form. Users who send me a
letter instead typically omit such important information as what
version they now have and what disk size they prefer.
There is no extra charge for foreign registration, although
I may send your updates by surface mail which can take a couple
of months to reach overseas locations. An international postal
money order denominated in U.S. dollars is the most convenient
means for foreign users to register. Videocat contains no
cryptographic or other security functions and is not, to the best
of my knowledge, subject to any U.S. export restrictions.
This is a one-time royalty, although additional upgrades
beyond the first after registration may be subject to a nominal
handling charge. I make no guarantees as to how long or how
often future upgrades will be released and I reserve the right to
discontinue development and support of VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN at any
time.
I am continually surprised at how long old versions continue
in circulation and it has occurred to me that someday I may move
and registrations may continue to come to my present address
after the expiration of the time during which the post office
will forward mail. If you should find that your registration is
returned as undeliverable, you can try to contact me through
electronic mail on Compuserve or you could try to get a current
address from the Association of Shareware Professionals.
Warranties
__________
Did you seriously expect warranties with user-supported
software? Just to make sure that everything is perfectly clear,
this software comes without any warranties, express or implied,
including warranties of merchantability or suitability for
intended purpose. It is distributed to you "as is" and "with
faults". Under no circumstances shall the author be liable for
any consequential damages.
I do have a liberal refund policy (although no one has yet
asked for a refund). If for any reason you are dissatisfied with
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 9
VIDEOCAT/VCATWIN within 90 days after registration, I will
cheerfully refund your royalty payment on request. Your remedy
for any damage or defect is limited to a refund of your
registration fee.
ASP Ombudsman
-------------
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006
or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536"
Installation
------------
Before using this program you must have installed Microsoft
Windows, Version 3.0 or later. If you don't, this program will
not do anything other than display a message that it requires
Microsoft Windows.
I recommend that you at least initially run the program from
floppy disk or VDISK. You will need the file VCATWIN.EXE. I
also recommend that you initially try out the program using the
demonstration data file VCATDEMO.DAT, which should also be on the
same diskette. You will also need to have free space on the
diskette equal to about three times the size of the data file
(the program uses this space for sorting and searching routines).
To start the program from the command line, enter
win vcatwin
After you become comfortable with VCATWIN, you may wish to
install it on your hard disk. Create a subdirectory named
VCATWIN and copy the files VCATWIN.EXE and VCATDEMO.DAT into that
subdirectory. You may wish to install the program in Windows so
that you can run it from Windows using the Program Manager.
Follow the instructions in Chapter 3 of your Microsoft Windows
User's Guide. The intended icon for VCATWIN is a drawing of a
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 10
videocassette. If Windows picks a different icon, you can change
the selection using the Change Icon option in the Properties
dialog box of the Program Manager.
VCATWIN requires free disk space equal to approximately
three times the size of the data file in order to create
temporary files while sorting data. If you have set the
environment variable TMP, the program will attempt to use the
value of that variable as the directory in which temporary files
are created. If you have not set the environment variable TMP,
the program will create temporary files in the current directory.
If you have enough memory to do so, I recommend that you create a
large VDISK or RAMDRIVE, make a subdirectory for temporary files
in it, and set TMP to the path of that subdirectory. This will
speed up the operation of VCATWIN when it sorts files.
If you find the terms "VDISK" and "environment variable"
unfamiliar, don't worry about it. Just bear in mind that VCATWIN
needs to have unused disk space available.
Once you are tired of playing with the demo data file, it's
time to create your own data file. If you simply erase
VCATDEMO.DAT before starting the program, it will create a new,
empty data file named "VCATDATA.DAT". If you don't want to erase
the demo data file, you can use the New function from the File
menu. If VCATDATA.DAT does not exist, New will suggest that
name. You are free to use a different name, but as long as
VCATDATA.DAT does not exist, the program will always attempt to
open VCATDEMO.DAT when it starts up. It is therefore recommended
that your principal data file be named VCATDATA.DAT. Once you
have created your own data file, you use the Add function under
the Edit menu to insert your own data records.
If You Have Trouble
-------------------
My experience with users has convinced me that most
questions can be answered and problems solved by simply reading
and following the Manual carefully.
I suspect that since the Windows environment is a relatively
new experience for many users, lack of familiarity with the way
Windows applications work will also be a source of confusion to
some. If you are new to Windows, I would recommend that you read
Chapter 2 ("Basic Skills") of the Microsoft Windows User's Guide.
This covers such subjects as working with menus and dialog boxes
and the various control elements used in Windows applications.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 11
Some user problems do indeed uncover bugs in the program. I
encourage you to report suspected bugs with a fairly complete
description of the problem, the circumstances under which it
occurs, and relevant information about the computer system you
are running it on. If you discover a bug due to my programming
error, I will fix it as soon as possible.
You can send questions, complaints, comments and suggestions
by regular mail to the address given above. It may be helpful
to give me your phone number, because sometimes I have difficulty
understanding the problem description and a phone call is the
simplest way to clear up the confusion. I apologize for not
providing my phone number, but I have learned from other
shareware authors that users in distant places sometimes forget
about time zone differences and call at the most peculiar times.
If you are a Compuserve subscriber, you can send E-mail to me at
account number 71571,1234. Users who provide PARTICULARLY
VALUABLE bug reports or suggestions for improvement MAY be placed
on my subscriber list even if they made no voluntary royalty
contribution payment. That is the only reward for contributing
ideas.
Source Code
___________
Registered users can request the complete C language source
code for the current STANDARD version of VIDEOCAT on request.
(See the manual for VIDEOCAT for more information). The source
code for the Windows edition VCATWIN is NOT presently being made
available.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 12
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Primary Window
--------------
The primary window is a movable, sizable window which
presents to users the objects and actions of the application. It
has the following elements:
A control-menu box in the upper left corner which can
be used to resize, move, maximize, minimize, and close
the window, and to switch to the Windows task list.
A title bar at the top of the window shows the name of
the application, the name of the currently active data
file, and the current date and time.
Maximize and minimize buttons are located in the upper
right corner of the window and can be selected with the
mouse to enlarge the window to fill the entire desktop
or shrink it to an icon.
A menu bar below the title bar contains two lines of
information. The first line lists the available menus
which can be selected by mouse click and the number of
transactions waiting for an update of the data file.
The second line displays the number of records in the
currently active data file and the record which is
currently selected for change.
The workspace (also known as the client area) contains
a display of the data in the currently active file.
You can chose to display complete data, in which case
each record will fill several lines, or a short format
with less information and one record per line. If you
are displaying records in short format, you can see
complete data for any record by pointing to it with the
mouse and clicking the right mouse button.
Scroll bars at the right and bottom edges of the window
permit you to view portions of the data file which will
not fit into the window. Scroll bars are activated
with the mouse. You can also use the Page Up, Page
Down, Home and End keys on the keyboard to move rapidly
through the file. A record can be selected for editing
by pointing to it with the mouse and clicking the left
mouse button.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 13
The mouse can be used to select a record displayed in
the primary window. By positioning the cursor on a
record and clicking the left mouse button, the record
will be selected as the one which will be acted upon in
any change or delete transaction. If you click the
right mouse button a window will appear which displays
the full data for the record pointed to by the cursor.
Thus when you choose to display records in short
(single-line) format to permit rapid paging through the
file, you can point to a record, click the right mouse
button, and see the complete record.
Menus
-----
Menus are selected from the menu bar by clicking on the menu
name with the mouse or by pressing the ALT key and the letter key
for the underlined letter in the menu name. When a menu is
selected a "pull-down" list of menu commands will appear. A menu
command is chosen by clicking the mouse on the desired item or by
typing the underlined letter. A menu can be canceled by pressing
ESC or by clicking the mouse anywhere outside the menu.
In many cases the execution of a menu command will activate
a dialog box with additional controls.
File Menu
---------
The File menu enables the user to work with data files
through actions that manipulate the file as a whole.
The New command allows the user to create a new file which
will become the active file. It is recommended that you name
your primary data file "VCATDATA.DAT". It is also recommended
that all data files have the ".DAT" suffix.
The Open command reads an existing file and displays it for
manipulation. The initial template for data files is "*.DAT".
You can change it to list choices with other suffixes, but it is
recommended that you use a ".DAT" suffix in naming all data
files. A list box displays files in the current directory
matching the template as well as other drives and subdirectories.
Choosing the ".." option moves to the parent of the current
subdirectory. Clicking on a file once displays it in the
filename window, which can be selected by clicking "OK". Double
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 14
clicking on a listed file selects it immediately. The program
performs a rather simplistic test to try to detect whether or not
the selected file is a valid Videocat data file; if it is able to
detect that the file is not a valid data file, it will refuse to
open it. If you try to outsmart it by opening such files as
"COMMAND.COM", you may be sorry. Although the Open dialog
permits you to navigate throughout the various disks and
directories in your system, it is recommended that you keep your
data files in the same subdirectory as VCATWIN.EXE.
The Save command updates the current file with pending
change transactions and writes it to disk. The file remains the
active file, but will now reflect changes which have been
processed.
The Update command performs exactly the same action as the
Save command.
The Save As command merges pending changes with the current
file content and writes the result to a different file, leaving
the current file unchanged.
The Print command prepares the currently displayed file
(which may be either a regular data file, a sorted data file, or
a search data file) for printing and prints it on the printer.
Print uses the Windows print manager, and will give you the
opportunity to select or configure any printer you have installed
in Windows.
The Exit command ends the VCATWIN application and removes
its window from the screen.
Edit Menu
---------
The Edit menu contains commands that enable the user to
alter the contents of the currently active file. It should be
noted that VCATWIN uses a batch file update approach, so changes
will not be reflected in the file until the Save or Update
command is executed from the File menu. If the Save As command
is executed, the update will write to a different file, leaving
the currently active file unchanged.
The batch file update approach may seem to you to be
cumbersome when your data file is small. When your data file
becomes large, you will understand its virtues: you would not
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 15
want to wait for an immediate update to be performed after every
single edit change.
The Add command is used to create a new record for addition
to the file. This command invokes a dialog box which displays a
blank record and permits the user to enter data in the various
fields. The Add command does not affect the currently selected
record.
The Change command is used to change the currently selected
record; it cannot be executed unless a record has been selected.
A record can be selected by clicking it with the mouse. The
Change command invokes a dialog box which displays the selected
record and permits the user to change the data in the various
fields. The Change command actually generates two transactions,
one to delete the existing record and another to add the modified
version.
The Delete command is used to delete the currently selected
record. This command invokes a dialog box which displays the
currently selected record and requests verification that this is
the record the user wishes to delete.
The Review command permits the user to review pending
transactions awaiting update. A pending transaction can be
deleted from the list by clicking it with the mouse. Remember
that the Change command generates two transactions: a delete for
the original record and an add to replace it with the changed
version. To undo a change it is necessary to correctly identify
the related add and delete pair and delete both.
View Menu
---------
The View menu contains commands that enable the user to
select different ways of looking at the content of the active
data file without affecting the file itself.
The Whole Catalog command causes all records to be
displayed. A dialog box is invoked which permits the user to
select the order in which records are displayed (title, year or
location) and whether long (full data) or short (single line)
format should be used.
The Search command causes only those records having certain
record values to be displayed. A dialog box is invoked which
permits the user to select the key values for the search and
whether long or short display format should be used. The display
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 16
is always in title order. Note that search keys are conjunctive,
i.e. a record must meet all of the search criteria in order to be
displayed. If you select subject "Western" and actor name "John
Wayne", only records which have both Western in the subject field
and the name John Wayne in one of the actor fields will be
displayed. If the screen is empty after you performed a search,
this means the program was unable to find any record matching
your search criteria. To get the data file displayed again, use
a view whole file sequence of commands.
Options Menu
------------
The Options menu contains commands that permit the user to
customize the way in which the program works. The available
options permit the user to change the descriptive text for
various category codes in the data record. Users with
specialized collections (home video, training tapes, all adult
titles, etc.) can replace the default set of descriptions which
was designed for a broad range of theatrical motion pictures.
If you choose to custom configure the descriptive text for
classification category codes, I urge you to think out a
comprehensive plan carefully before implementing it. Frequent
and haphazard changes can introduce a lot of confusion.
Labels Menu
-----------
The Labels Menu provides a specialized function to print
labels for videocassettes. This function requires that the data
file be sorted in cassette number order. If the currently
displayed file is not so sorted, the program will ask for
permission to do so.
The dialog box for Labels will give you the opportunity to
select and configure the printer to be used. You are also given
several choices of label stocks. At the moment the number of
options is more limited than in the standard edition of VIDEOCAT.
I expect that a larger variety of label stocks will be supported
in the future. If you are using a type of labels not listed,
send me a sample and I will consider adding it.
Label stocks are described as either "continuous feed" or
"laser sheet". Continuous feed labels come in a long strip
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 17
intended for pin or tractor feed through a standard printer; you
should position your label stock in your printer so that the
first position struck by the print head will be just within the
upper left corner of a label. Laser sheet labels are single
sheets of peel-off labels designed for laser printers. VCATWIN
uses the Windows print manager to figure out where to position
printing when you have a laser printer installed in Windows. You
may be able to use laser sheets in a standard printer, but you
will have to determine by experimentation how to position the
laser sheet relative to the print head so that printing will fall
within the labels.
The dialog box for Labels will also display the lowest and
highest locations read in sorting the data file. If you do not
wish to produce labels for the entire collection, you can change
the starting and ending location numbers to confine the range.
You can choose between single-title (most information) and
multi-title (less information, multiple titles on a label)
formats. Note that data lines are truncated to fit the
designated label size. The data format is the same for all label
sizes and the printed lines are simply truncated to fit narrow
labels.
Video label stocks are becoming easier to find, but I will
add some tips on sources of supply. Continuous form, pinfeed
labels for VHS and Beta can be ordered from (I get no
commissions):
Virginia Specialty Products
P.O. Box 985
Vienna, Va 22180
[(703) 280-1742]
[best source for small package sizes]
[slow in filling orders]
United Ad Label Co.
650 Columbia Street
P.O. Box 2216
Brea, Ca 92622
[(800) 423-4643]
[best source for bulk packages]
[quick to ship]
Note that VCATWIN does not presently support pin-feed face
labels (although it does support laser sheet face labels). The
pin-feed spine labels are spaced at 1" intervals, so there is an
even number in the standard 11" page. The continous-feed VHS and
Beta face labels are spaced at intervals which do not fit evenly
into the standard 11" page, and I have not been able yet to
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 18
figure out how to get the Windows print manager to handle them
properly.
United Ad Label Co. also distributes laser sheet labels;
their part number for VHS spine labels is PV541. Avery now
distributes video spine and face labels under part number 5199.
The dimensions of the Avery and United Ad Label products are
identical, but United Ad Label packages the spine and face labels
separately while Avery distributes a combo pack with sheets of
both types in the same package. United Ad Label sells direct to
the public while Avery distributes through retailers. I have
found the Avery labels in stock at my local Egghead Software
store and listed in a number of mail order catalogs. If you want
to get the Avery labels by mail, my personal recommendation would
be:
Paper Direct
205 Chubb Avenue
Lyndhurst, New Jersey 07071-0618
[(800) 272-7377]
If you own a laser printer, do yourself a favor and get the
Paper Direct catalog, even if you decide to get your video labels
elsewhere. Paper Direct has a delicious selection of hard-to-
find papers. If you own a pin-feed printer, get the United Ad
Label catalog; they have more kinds of labels than you ever
dreamed existed!
There used to be an Avery product for VHS labels which I
rejected because it had both horizontal and vertical labels on
the same sheet (the LaserJet forces a form eject every time you
change orientations). The UAL product and the new Avery product
both have all horizontal (portrait orientation) labels.
Note also that HP recommends that you open the back "Face
-Up" door of the HPLJ II to minimize paper jams and internal wear
when printing labels. If you want to try this on any brand or
model of laser printer other than the HP LaserJet Series II,
please read your manual carefully to be certain that you are
following all procedures prescribed for label printing.
Help Menu
---------
The Help menu allows users to access various help
information. It is intended that ultimately this will provide a
comprehensive online help facility with complete instructions for
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 19
program operation; however only a very limited set of help
screens has been developed so far.
The About Videocat command displays a dialog box with the
program name, version number and copyright notice. This is the
same dialog box which is displayed when the program is started.
The Author Info command displays a dialog box with the
author's name, address and Compuserve account number.
The Registration Info command displays a dialog box with
brief information on how to register.
The System Info command displays an additional menu of
commands which invoke dialog boxes to display various items of
technical information about the host system and the current state
of program operation. While this information is useful in
program development, users will probably find it of academic
interest only.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 20
DATA DESCRIPTIONS
The ultimate purpose of this program is to organize
information and make it accessible. In designing the program I
had to make choices about what kinds of data to record and how to
organize and represent it. I get a lot of letters from users who
would have made some of those choices differently. Some are
"bootlegging" changes by using data fields for purposes other
than those intended, sometimes with adverse effects on program
operation. I have included custom configuration options which
give users the ability to change many of those choices.
Some users complain that there are too many data categories.
You don't have to use them all. I strongly recommend that you
enter a title and year in every record; otherwise all fields are
purely optional.
Other users complain that there are not enough data
categories. The comment field is intended to respond to this
issue; you can put any information you think is important in the
comment field.
Each of the data items has a size limit and the edit fields
are programmed to refuse to accept characters in excess of that
limit. Since text is always added in insert (rather than
typeover) mode, you may have to delete existing characters or
blanks before you can enter new characters.
Title
_____
Enter the title of the movie or other item. The maximum
size is 40 characters; the program will not permit you to enter
more. It is suggested that the words "A", "An" or "The" at the
beginning of a title be appended to the rear after a comma. For
example, instead of entering "THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI",
enter "BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE". This keeps the
alphabetical sequence a little more meaningful. For an episode in
a series, it is suggested that the series title be entered first,
then the episode title. For example: "STAR TREK: GAMESTERS OF
TRISKELION" and "STAR TREK: SPOCK'S BRAIN".
Note that since the program sorts the titles in ASCII
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange) sequence,
titles beginning with punctuation marks or numeric characters
will come before titles beginning with alphabetical characters.
Thus the movie "1941" will be placed near the beginning of the
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 21
catalog before titles beginning with letters and not in the N's
as is common in the organization of published movie guides.
The title is a semi-mandatory entry and should not be left
blank. More than one record can have the same title (thus
allowing for remakes), but the program will not permit two
records to have both the exact same title and year of release.
Minor variations in the title field will allow cataloging of
several versions of the same film. For example: "TOPPER" and
"TOPPER [COLORIZED]"; "A STAR IS BORN [EDITED FOR TV]" and "A
STAR IS BORN [UNCUT]"; "CITIZEN KANE [COPY 1]" and "CITIZEN KANE
[COPY 2]"; etc.. Likewise you can indicate when a title
continues over more than one cassette, e.g. "GONE WITH THE WIND
[PART 1]" and "GONE WITH THE WIND [PART 2]".
The title field can also be used to keep track of blank tape
segments. For example, if you decide that "PORKY'S" isn't worth
keeping, just use the Change function to change the title field
to read "BLANK - 94 MINUTES". You can then use the Search
function to find all listings which have the word "BLANK" as part
of the title field, then use Change again when something new is
recorded in the same space.
Year
____
Year is intended to be the year of release of a production,
normally expressed as 4 numeric digits, e.g. "1939". The program
treats the year as a 4-byte character string, so non-numeric
characters will not be rejected.
Year is also a semi-mandatory entry, as the combination of
title and year constitutes the "key" for identifying and sorting
records. If you leave year blank, you had better be sure every
title is unique. If you don't know the year for sure, either
look it up in a published movie guide or make a reasonable guess.
Names
-----
The program allows for recording the names of up to three
actors and one director. When you indicate that you want to
enter a name a dialog box will appear with two edit fields: one
for the last name and one for the first name of the person. The
maximum combined length of the first and last names is 30
characters; any excess length will be truncated from the first
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 22
name. In supplying the LAST name, enter the person's last name,
including prefixes and suffixes which are properly part of the
last name. For example: "VON STROHEIM" and "FAIRBANKS, JR.". In
that last example the program will replace the comma and space
with a single space, turning it into "FAIRBANKS JR.". This is
necessary because the comma character is the delimiter which
separates first and last names in the way the name is stored by
the program. Comma-deletion was added in Version 7.03 of the
standard edition of VIDEOCAT; if you have a data file created
under a prior version you may find that any names which included
commas are somewhat garbled. You can use the Change procedure to
clean them up.
Try to be consistent in the way you enter names. Different
spellings will be treated as different names.
Note that you could use the name fields to enter some other
type of descriptive data which is meaningful to you. One user
who catalogs educational material uses the name fields for the
names of courses in which the tape is used rather than actor
names. The addition of the comment filed in Version 7.0 and
later is intended to make it unnecessary in the future to bootleg
comments in the name fields.
Now enter the first name. For example, "ERIC" and
"DOUGLAS". If middle names or initials are important, they
should be appended to the FIRST name. For example: "LESLIE ANN"
and "GEORGE C.".
Subject
-------
A list of 42 enumerated subject categories will be displayed
on the screen whenever you indicate that you wish to enter or
change a subject. Pick the one which seems most appropriate and
click the button. Sometimes I get questions like "What is the
difference between 'Horror' and 'Terror'?" I could answer that
by saying that horror flicks usually have supernatural beasts and
monsters while terror flicks create a similar feeling of fear
through the actions of characters who may be evil and sinister
but possess no supernatural powers. But it's not necessary to be
that precise unless you are trying to write a definitive history
of the cinema. If a category feels right to you it's correct
enough.
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 23
Form
----
A list of 24 enumerated form descriptions will be displayed
in a dialog box whenever you indicate that you wish to enter or
change a form description. As in the case of subject code, the
enumerated choices are the only choices; pick the one that feels
right to you.
In designing this program I looked at a number of published
movie guides and television program listings and noted that
movies are usually categorized in a genre described with one or
two words, such as "western" or "musical comedy". The subject
and form system which I devised is intended to implement this
approach. One of the faults I find with other video catalog
programs is they typically provide only a small number of very
broad genre classification categories. I don't think that is
adequate for the serious collector with a large collection.
MPAA Code
---------
A dialog box will present a list of the audience suitability
ratings of the Motion Picture Association of America.
Rating
------
A dialog box will present a list of 8 enumerated rating
descriptions. The rating system is one commonly used in movie
guides and TV schedule listings. Whether you rate a movie based
on your personal opinion or that of professional critics is up to
you.
Color
-----
A dialog box will present a list of types of color
characteristics (color, black & white, colorized, etc.).
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 24
Sound
-----
A dialog box will present a list of types of sound
characteristics (mono, stereo, silent, etc.).
Format
------
A dialog box will present a list of film and video formats
(VHS, Beta, 35 mm, etc).
Minutes Length
--------------
A dialog box will present an edit field for your entry.
This entry may be up to 3 characters long and may be any
combination of numbers and letters, although it is recommended
that the characters be numeric and represent the running time in
number of minutes.
Cassette Number
---------------
A dialog box will present an edit field for your entry.
This entry may be up to 4 characters long and may be any
combination of numbers and letters. It is recommended that you
use numeric characters only. It can be omitted, although in the
cataloging of a large collection this is the most useful single
piece of information. So far only one user has complained that
this is not a large enough field. Perhaps some day there will
be a more powerful version of this program for collections
exceeding 9999 cassettes. If you include non-numeric characters,
you may cause unintended effects on range selection aspect of the
label printing utility.
Index Number
------------
This entry may also be any combination of letters and
numbers up to 4 characters in length. It is recommended that you
use numeric characters only. If you have multiple items on the
same cassette you may either place the tape counter number or the
sequence number. By sequence number, I mean coding the first
VCATWIN Version 7.2W Page 25
movie "1", the second "2", and so on. Fanatics may prefer to use
tape counter numbers. This entry is optional, but I strongly
recommend that you use it. When the Label function prints a
label for a cassette it will print multiple items in Index Number
sequence. Using non-numeric characters in this field may produce
unintended effects on the sorting sequence for label printing.
Comments
--------
The program will display a small text editor window in which
you can write free-form comments in 3 lines of 60 characters
each. The cursor can be moved using the arrow keys, Home, and
End. Text can be deleted using the Delete or Backspace keys.
In order to maintain compatibility with the standard edition
of VIDEOCAT, the text in the edit field is in fixed width
spacing, so it will look a little different than it will when the
record is displayed in other windows which use variable width
spacing.
This field can be used to store any other data (e.g. Oscars
and other awards) or a short plot summary, or any other
information you might want to file with the record. Since you
can search your data file for information contained in the
comment lines, this is an easy way to add new kinds of search
keys, such as names of script writers, musical score composers,
production studios, etc.