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1991-10-25
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Comic Book Library
(c) 1991 Steven J. Richardson
Introduction
------------
When I started collecting comic books, I already owned a
computer. I realized that a data base program would be
perfect for keeping track of the growing library, so I set to
work on the product you currently have. It is a program for
collectors, by a collector, but as the version number
indicates, this is a new product that has the potential to
grow and develop in features and capabilities. Therefore I
invite you to make any suggestions you may have when you
register. You may very well see it in the next release!
Please bear in mind that shareware is not free. It is
under the copyright of the author and is distributed in the
shareware market to be sampled by users. Should you feel
that this program is something you will use, and you are
using it, you must register. The price is reasonable, and it
entitles you to updates. Also, read on to find out about an
added incentive to registering! You should also feel free to
distribute this program to others for evaluation. If you
like it, tell a friend!
Installation
------------
Installation of Comic Book Library is a breeze. Simply
unzip the file (if you obtained it in zipped form) or copy
all of the files to another floppy or your hard disk (due to
the file sizes, a hard disk is strongly recommended). You
should have the following files:
COMICS.EXE Comic Book Library Program File
COMICS.HLP Help File
COMICS.DOC This File
REGISTER.TXT Software Registration Form
When you run the program the first time, it will set up all
of the data files for you and get them ready for data input.
Data files have a .DAT extension, while sort key files have a
.K0? extension, where the ? is a digit from 1 to 6. There is
also a .MEM file that holds your free form comments about
each issue in your collection.
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Tips on Usage
-------------
Most all of the assistance you need in using this
program can be obtained through the context sensitive help
feature by pressing the F1 key. That should answer most of
your questions. The interface itself is basically "point and
shoot." A highlight bar is moved with the arrow keys and
selection is made of a highlighted item by pressing ENTER.
You can also jump screens with PgUp and PgDn, and go to the
top and the bottom of the table with Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn
respectively. When accessing the data base, a record is
first selected from those listed in a table. Again you can
"point and shoot" or type in the first few characters in the
appropriate key field, and the program will jump to the
record that matches the string inputed. Once selected from
that table, a data input form is displayed with all of the
info on the comic book.
The main menu displays the total number of comics in
your collection as well as its value (based on the total from
the VALUE field in the record, not the PRICE field). Note
that the collection appraisal is not done automatically.
That could take up an inordinate amount of time whenever you
went back to the menu if you had a large collection. Thus it
is done on demand by pressing the F2 key. Be sure to do this
whenever you make changes to the main data base.
You can look at your collection sorted in one of five
different ways. It could be by title, writer, artist,
featured hero, or featured villain. Thus, if you are a
Spiderman fan, you could see a list of all of the books in
your collection (besides his own) he appears in and track all
the crossovers.
The database query option is used when you have a large
collection and are trying to locate one particular book by
title and issue number. For example, you want to know if you
have Iron Man #225. First you select Iron Man from the title
list. Then you are given a list of every Iron Man issue in
your collection in numerical issue order. If you know the
number, you can just type it in and press ENTER. If you
aren't sure of the issue number, but know the plot, the
listing of the stories in the table will identify the correct
one.
Finally there is the titles data base. This is there to
lessen the data input drudgery. Comic books have some
features that never or seldom change. They are: title,
publisher, artist, writer, and cover price. If you have this
information in the titles base, you can access it every time
you enter a new record. The first data entry field on the
form is TITLE. Press F5 for a list of titles in the base.
This list operates like the other tables in the program.
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Select the title and hit enter. The computer will access the
info on that book and plug it into the record AS A DEFAULT.
You can always change it for that specific issue to
accommodate guest writers or artists (I always use the
penciller's name as the artist) or a higher cover price for a
special issue.
As a special incentive to registering Comic Book
Library, I am preparing a titles data base containing
information on all of the Marvel and DC books (title,
publisher, and cover price). Register and get this free!
(Okay, it isn't free, you have to pay the $35, but nothing's
REALLY for free in this world) If you are going to use this
data base, don't type in any of your own data in the titles
base, as my file will overwrite it once installed. But when
you have it in, you can leave it as is or delete all books
that you don't collect for a leaner, less cumbersome list.
Finally, a comment on the publisher field in both the
main data base and the titles data base. It consists of two
characters, with MC being Marvel Comics, DC being Detective
Comics, IC being Impact Comics (yes, I know it's a part of
DC, but it is marketed as Impact), and IN being independent
(the "other" category). A menu exists next to the field to
help you with data input, but you can use ANY two-letter code
to denote a publisher.
Reports
-------
The program prints two types of reports. One is on your
collection as a whole, with information on appreciation in
value and current value, while the other gives details on
books in a certain title (i.e. all of your Fantastic Four
comics) including value info.
Have Fun!
---------
The rest of what you need to know can be found through
the help screens. If you get totally stuck and can't figure
out how to use the program, give me a call at (609) 384-9696,
and I will talk you through it. Otherwise, you should be
ready to go! Good luck!
Iron Man, Spiderman, and Fantastic Four are trademarks of
Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.
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