Utilities Professional 1-1500/Utilities Professional 1-1500 (1994)(WPD)[!].iso/12511500/var1322.dms/var1322.adf/APB_Text

Text File | 1978-12-28 | 19KB | 408 lines

                        Using This Manual
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This box can be kept in view while you are doing other things. As it may well
get in the way, you can move it up and down, using the top/left panel, and
make it bigger or smaller, using the bottom panel. To close this box, click
on the "Manual" button again.

The seven buttons right above this text are:

ProBase Manual Screen     - Click this to move the manual screen.
First                     - Go to first page.
PageUp                    - Go to the previous page.
Up                        - Go up one line.
Down                      - Go down one line.
PageDn                    - Go to the next page.
Last                      - Go to the last page.

NB. 1 page is always 20 lines, however big the manual window currently is.


                      The Disk Contains (1)
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Df0:
   AutoExec.AMOS           The database program.
   AMOSPro                 The part of the AMOS system needed to run the
                             program (does not include the editor)
   Probase.Text            The text file you're reading now.
   Database_default.config The database Prefs configuration.
   Example_database        An example database created using this program.

Df0:APSystem/              All sorts of files that are needed on the disk
Df0:c/                     (things like the disk startup, mouse shape,
Df0:l/                     maths libraries and AMOS system files).
Df0:libs/
Df0:s/

NB: It's a good idea to keep this disk write-protected. It is fairly full,
and though the program's supposed not to try and save to a disk if there
isn't space, it can damage the disk if it does try.

                         Starting Up (1)
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The screen will go blue and a box will appear asking you how many fields you
want your database to contain, up to a maximum of 12. If you just type
<RETURN> then it will set it to 1.

A screen will now appear asking you to type the names of the fields into the
boxes on the left and define the type of field by pressing the buttons:

   INTEGER  -  Any whole number from -2 billion to 2 billion.
   BYTE     -  A number from 0 to 255 which uses 1/4 as much memory.
   REAL N.  -  A number which can include a decimal point and an E+xx.
   STRING   -  Any line of characters.

To edit the field names, either click on the boxes on the left or use the F#
keys - F1=first field etc. Pressing <Return> automatically makes it move on
to the next name. <Esc> cancels the current line.



                         Starting Up (2)
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As explained above, the four columns of buttons control the type of variable
that each variable holds. These are controlled either by clicking on them
with the mouse or using the cursor keys - there is a red blob showing which
row you are on, and the left/right keys change the field type on that row.
Experiment - it is fairly easy to use.

For strings, the maximum length is defined in advance by entering it into the
LENGTH: box on the right. You do this either by clicking the mouse on the box
or holding down <Shift> and pressing the F-key with that number. When you
press <Return>, it will automatically go to the next field that is a string.

If you realise that you've got the wrong number of fields, the "Start Again"
button (bottom-left) will take you back to the start.

The "OK" button takes you to the main screen where you can start entering
records.


                         The Main Screen
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once you've done the fields, clicking the "OK" button will bring up a screen
with two lines of buttons at the top and an editing area at the bottom. The
fields are listed from top to bottom down the left-hand side, and data is
entered by clicking on the long boxes to the right of the field names.
Typing RETURN after the data will automatically take you to the next box
downwards. If you are already on the bottom field and the "Automatic > Next
Record" on the Prefs menu is turned on, you will be taken to the next record.
Pressing SHIFT-RETURN will prevent you jumping forward. ESCAPE also stops the
edtiing but cancels any change to the box you are currently on.

Below the two lines of buttons are several boxes telling you which record
is currently on-screen (starts on 1), how many fields there are (also starts
on 1) and whether the program is showing all the records, or only those that
match the search criteria (see "Search")




                     Main Screen Buttons (1)
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The top row of buttons contains, from left to right:

Exit     x/e Asks for confirmation, then closes the program down.
New      n   Makes a new database.
Files    f   Brings up a different screen with file options.
Fields   F   Lets you make changes to the field setup
Search   s   Brings up the search criteria screen - read "Search" page.
Sort     S   Sorts the records according to data in any one of the fields.
Prefs    P   Lets you fiddle with things like colour, etc.
Picture  t   Lets you attach pictures to the records in the database.
Info     i   Brings up a box telling you free memory, etc.
Manual   m   Makes the manual text box appear/disappear.

There were no p`s left over for Picture, so "t" was used instead.




                     Main Screen Buttons (2)
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The second-to-top row of buttons contains:

First        Jumps to the first record in the database.
Prev     <-  Jumps backwards one record.
Next     ->  Jumps forward one, making a new record if it's at the end.
Last         Jumps to the last record in the database.
Goto ?   g   Brings up abox asking for the number of the record to go to.
Copy     c   Stores a copy of the current record in a special memory bank.
Paste    p   Fills the current record with a copy of this memory bank.
Clear    C   Wipes the current record.
Insert   i   Inserts a new record at the current position and fills it with
              the COPY data if possible.
Delete   DEL Deletes current record shifting any records after it backwards.

CLEAR, PASTE and DELETE ask for confirmation before doing their jobs.
CONTROL-DELETE will carry out the Delete command without asking for confirm-
ation.

                            "Phrases"
                            ~~~~~~~~~
This is a sort of copy/paste system that works with individual entries as
opposed to whole records. It is only useful if you are repeating one word a
lot in different records.
The system works by holding in memory a series of text strings that have been
defined, and remembering a short label for each of them, eg the label "C"
might represent "Central Processing Unit". The text strings will be known as
"phrases".

To use this function you have to be editing a text string. Hold down ALT;
press p. A requester will appear with the labels of any phrases already
defined. To paste an existing one into the entry you are editing, click on
one of these and press OK: the phrase that the label represents will be
"pasted" into the text you are editing. To add a phrase to this system, click
on "Enter New" : you will be asked to type in the phrase you want remembered,
then the label to represent it.

Any phrases in memory are saved with the rest of a file.

                      The Files Menu Screen
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the Files button is pressed from the main menu, a new screen appears
with another set of buttons at the top, and two big boxes below them. These
big boxes are for disk directories, Source (from) on the left and Destination
(to) on the right. Above each big box is the Path text box, and below is the
Filename box.

When the menu is first opened, both the big boxes will hold a list of all the
available devices (like Df0: etc.). When you click on one of these, the name
will appear in the Path box on that side and the directory will load into the
big box.

The two sides will often contain the same directory. If a directory is asked
for in one box which is already there in the other box, it will be copied
without re-loading.

Individual files are selected either by clicking on their names in the big
boxes or typing their names in the Name: box directly below.

                    Buttons in the Files Menu
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The buttons along the top are:

Load Database  l   Loads the database selected in the Source file box.
Save Database  s   Saves current database under the name shown in the
                    Destination file box.
Copy           c   Copies the file in the Source box to the file in the
                    Destination box, whether on same disk or not.
Delete         d   Deletes the file selected in the Destination box.
File Info.     i   Returns information on the file selected in the Source
                    box - its size + type, and extra data if database file.
Password       p   Lets you attach password to the database - see next page.
Exit           x/e Returns to the main screen.

For any operations which destroy files, a box appears asking for confirmation
before they are carried out.



                            Passwords
                            ~~~~~~~~~
This function lets you protect the database with a password, which will be
asked for whenever you try to do something to the file.

When you click on the Password button or press p:
 - If there is already a password fitted, you will be asked for that before
   you can go on.
 - A box will appear asking you to type the new passowrd. Pressing ESCAPE
   will leave the password however it was before, whether blank or not.

Whenever you try to do something that needs the password, a box will appear
with a space for you to type it in. What you type in will appear as a line of
stars, but will be understood by the program as whatever you typed in. The
system is not case-sensitive - capitals will be treated the same as lower-
case letters.

To delete the password, simply change it to a blank string.


                       Changing the Fields
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To do this, click on the Fields button or press Shift-F from the main screen.
A box will appear with a few options.

Rename Field (r)  A box appears, you click on one of the fields shown, then
                  type the new name into another box that appears.

Add Field (a)     A big menu comes up with a box for the field name, controls
                  for what position you want to insert the new field, and
                  buttons for the different types of field (if you click on
                  STRING, you are asked for the maximum length).

Delete Field (d)  A list of fields will appear: click on the field you want
                  to erase and click on OK or press <Return>. Press Cancel
                  to keep the field.

Resize Field (s)  (String fields only): select the field as above then type
                  in its new length in characters.

                         Search Criteria (press s)
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usually, the program will just display all the records in the database as it
comes to them. It is possible to display only records that match certain
criteria, eg. Age is more than 18 or Surname is Smith. When this is switched
on, the program will check whether a record matches these settings by read-
ing the data in the specified field. If that record does not match, the
record will be ignored (but will still be remembered, saved, etc).

On each side is a box with a list of the fields, with buttons including
Equals, Greater Than, Less Than, Between, Is Not, Contains, and Multiple Of.
Next to these are boxes listing the fields; below are boxes where you type
in a the number or text.

To set the criteria, select one of the fields, type into the box below the
value that the data in the field is to be compared to, then click on one of
the buttons (see above).
EG. If a field called AGE is selected, the "Greater Than" button is down and
"20" is typed in, only records where AGE is more than 20 will be displayed.

                       Sorting the Records
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sort" button or Shift-S from the main screen.

A menu is opened, containing a list of the fields, and several buttons.

The records can be sorted using the data in any field. The field is selected
by clicking the mouse on its name or using the cursor keys. To the right of
the field list are two buttons: Ascending (Low - High, or A - Z) and Descend-
ing, the other way round.
String sorts are case-sensitive or not depending on the Sort/Search Case
Sensitive button in the Prefs menu (See later).

By default, all the records are included. There are controls for adjusting
the range of records to be sorted, below the Descending button.

When ready, click on OK or press <Return>. Click on Cancel (Esc) to abort.

NB. String fields that contain numbers will be sorted like number fields.

                           Preferences
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~
This brings up a menu with a few options to change the editing environment.
At the top are controls to change the colours on the screen. Below are three
buttons. When each of these is pressed down, the program is set to do what-
ever the button says, eg. Save Backups of Files backs them up when it saves.
These are altered using the F1/F2/F3 keys.

Below are the buttons:  Load - a saved preferences file can be loaded.

                        Save - the current configuration can be saved. If it
                               is saved as "Database_default.Config" on the
                               program disk, it will be loaded automatically
                               whenever the program starts up.

                        Exit - Closes Preferences window, keeping any
                               changes.



                  Attaching Pictures To Records
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Picture" button or Alt+Shift+"P" from the main screen.

A box appears in the middle of the screen, with a large text box and three
buttons below it.

Clicking on the large text box (or pressing F1) allows you to add/edit the
name of the picture that is attached to the current record. This will be
remembered if you leave this menu and come back, and the names are saved with
the records.

Buttons:
   Load/View   l  Loads the picture from disk if it is not already in memory,
                  then displays it.
   Select File s  Brings up the AMOS file requester so you can pick a file
                  from the list.
   Exit        x  Returns to the main menu.


                            Printing
                            ~~~~~~~~
To print the records as they are normally shown, click on the Print button or
press Alt+p. A requester will appear asking for details. To the left are a
list of the fields: this is so you can choose which are printed. To start
with all the names are white so all the fields will be printed. If you click
on a name it will go black, meaning that it will not be printed; clicking on
it again will light it up again.

To the right are two boxes with numbers in them: all records numbered between
the first and second number will be printed.

If search criteria are set and turned on, only records matching the criteria
will be printed.

This method will print one record at a time with one field per line. Data-
bases can also be printed in the form of a table: see later.



                              Table
                              ~~~~~
Clicking this button or pressing t allows you to view the records as a table,
with the field names across the top and the record numbers down the side.

The entries shown on screen can be edited by clicking on them with the mouse.
At the bottom are controls for moving up, down and sideways to different
parts of the table if it is bigger than the screen display. If you click on
the "Goto ?" button you will be asked to type in a record number and the
table will scroll straight up or down to this record.

At the top are buttons: "Print" (p) - to print selected fields and a selected
                        range of record numbers in the form of a table.
                        "Record numbers on/off" (n) - choose whether to have
                        the record numbers displayed down the left hand side.
                        "Edit search criteria" (s) - change the pattern that
                        records must match to be displayed.
                        "Exit to editor" (e or x) - return to the main
                        screen.

                Commands Keyboard Equivalents (1)
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In general:
~~~~~~~~~~~
Exit      OK        Cancel             Keyboard equivalents for commands are
x/e       <Return>  <Escape>           initials of names wherever possible.

The main screen:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exit   Files   New   Fields   Search   Sort   Prefs   Picture   Info   Manual
x/e    f       n     F        s        S      P       Alt+Sh+P  I      m

First   Prev   Next   Last   GoTo ?   Copy   Paste   Clear   Insert   Delete
Sh+Left Left   Right  Sh+Rt. g        c      p       C       i        Del

To edit the text in the field boxes, use the F# keys. Press <Return> to go
to next box, Sh+<Return> to keep the text and stop editing or <Esc> to cancel
the input and stop editing.


                Commands Keyboard Equivalents (2)
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Files screen:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Load   Save   Copy   Delete   File Info.   Password   Exit
l      s      c      d        i            p          x/e

Requester (source filename)   Requester (destination)
r                             Shift+R

The Search screen:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And   Or   XOr      F# keys to select comparison, eg. Equals, Greater Than.
a     o    x        Shift+F# keys to select comparison on right-hand side.

All Records   Match Only   Delete non-match

Shift+A       Shift+M      Shift+D


                Commands Keyboard Equivalents (3)
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sort menu:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ascending   Descending   Sort   Cancel   (use cursor keys to select a field)
a           d            s      c