Win Platinum

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Win Platinum / Win Platinum.iso / apps / videocat / videocat.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1991-08-25 | 143.8 KB | 2,944 lines

+--------------------------------------+ | 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 Videocassette Catalog Program (Standard Edition) Version 7.2 DOS - OS/2 Bound (FAPI) Program USER MANUAL _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER Copyright 1986 - 1991 William A. Jackson 6529 Matilija Avenue Van Nuys, California 91401 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page i Table of Contents GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 What this Program Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Minimal Instructions for the New User in a Hurry . . . . 3 Minimal Change Summary for the Old User in a Hurry . . . 3 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Known System Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Compatibility with Prior Versions . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Compatibility with the Windows Edition (VCATWIN) . . . . 7 License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Disk Vendors, Bulletin Boards, etc. . . . . . . . . . . 8 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Warranties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ASP Ombudsman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 General Tips on Running VIDEOCAT . . . . . . . . . . . 13 If You Have Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Source Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Development History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 A - Add a record to the catalog . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Star 1 LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Star 1 FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Star 2 LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Star 2 FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Star 3 LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Star 3 FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Director LAST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Director FIRST name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Subject Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Form Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 MPAA Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Rating Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Color Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Format Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Cassette No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Index No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Comment Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 C - Change a record in the catalog . . . . . . . . . . 24 D - Delete a record from the catalog . . . . . . . . . 25 F - File Conversion from Prior Versions . . . . . . . 26 G - Configuration Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Add-Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Color/Mono Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Data Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Disk Paths for Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Printer Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 L - Label Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 R - Review Current Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page ii S - Search Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 T - Tally Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 U - Update Data Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 W - Whole Catalog Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 E - Exit from program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 WHAT IS SHAREWARE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 ASP MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 ASP Software Support Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 ASP Registration Payment Policy . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ASP Policy on No Crippling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ASP Ombudsman Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 ASP Misc. Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 * * * * "You have all your videotapes alphabetized on index cards." -- Billy Crystal to Meg Ryan in "WHEN HARRY MET SALLY..." (1989). VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 1 GENERAL INFORMATION What this Program Does ______________________ VIDEOCAT is 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 Add function you build 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 it has custom configuration options which permit adaptation to different types of materials. Other functions permit you to Change or Delete records previously entered. While the program is on-line you can use the Search function to get a screen or printed listing of records which match search criteria which you specify. For example, you can get a listing of all comedies, or all movies with John Wayne, or all movies released in 1939. You can also cause the program to print a hard copy complete catalog to use when the program is off-line. The catalog can be printed in title, year or cassette number sequence. There is also a label-printing utility which can print labels for your videocassettes. A variety of standard and special label formats are supported. Configuration routines allow you to specify the paths where your files are located, force monochrome operation on a color display, set up special control sequences for your printer, change the text descriptions for classification codes, cause the Add function to skip fields you don't want to use, and display system data. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 2 Other utilities perform an analysis of your collection and convert data files created under Version 5 or Version 6 of this program so that they can be used under Version 7. 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. 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. When I first released VIDEOCAT, I think it was the only program of its type. Others have come along since, some of which are very good. I think that VIDEOCAT offers several advantages which distinguish it from some of the alternatives: (1) the size of the data file is limited only by the availability of disk space; (2) supports a variety of readily available label stocks; (3) the program can be run in either real mode (DOS or the OS/2 compatibility box) or OS/2 protected mode; (4) the record structure is designed to meet the needs of serious collectors; (5) user configuration options enable adaptation to specialized applications; (6) the user interface is fairly intuitive, making the program easy to learn; (7) the program is distributed with a demonstration data file which permits the new user to immediately check out all features; (8) minimum system requirements make the program accessible to virtually anyone operating in an IBM-compatible PC environment; (9) I have an established record of continuous interaction with users and regular updates reflecting their suggestions; (10) source code is available; and (11) a Windows edition is available without extra charge which is data-file-compatible with the standard edition. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 3 I believe that VIDEOCAT is currently the most fully-featured program available, shareware or commercial. Many users tell me that they have tried other programs and VIDEOCAT is the only one which meets all their needs. Minimal Instructions for the New User in a Hurry ________________________________________________ Okay, you just got this program and you want to see what it can do right away without reading a lot of documentation. For a quick demo, put the files VIDEOCAT.EXE and VCATDEMO.DAT on the current path and type VIDEOCAT <return>. The instructions which appear on the screen should be sufficiently informative to permit you to fool around for a while and check out the various features. You will see the message "No previous setup found - use demo data file? (Y/N) -> ". Enter Y if you want to run a demo with the sample demo data file. If you decide you want to use the program to catalog your own videocassette collection, you can either enter the Configuration Menu (choice G on the Main Menu) or exit the program and run it again, this time entering N when asked if you want to use the demo data file. You might also read the rest of this manual. I have discovered that in the real world users often will not read the manual until they get into trouble. Minimal Change Summary for the Old User in a Hurry __________________________________________________ Okay, you've used Videocat before and you don't want to read the whole manual to try to figure out what's new. Here's a quick summary. The big news is that a Windows edition, VCATWIN Version 7.2W, is being released concurrently with Version 7.2 of the standard edition of VIDEOCAT. VCATWIN has its own user manual, and will not be discussed in detail in this document. To run the Windows edition, you must have Microsoft Windows, Version 3.0 or later, installed in your system. If you are currently using Version 7.1 the only change you will really notice in Version 7.2 of the standard edition is that you can now customize all data descriptions, not just subject and form. Should you install the new version even if you don't plan to use this new feature? Absolutely! There are also a lot of changes that are not visible to you but make the program more resistant to error. If you are currently using Version 7.0, this is what you will find new in Version 7.1: - Improved code optimization has reduced the size of the VIDEOCAT.EXE file and may also have increased execution speed a little. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 4 - Some typographical errors have been removed from the display screens. - Some of the printed output routines now ask whether or not you want an initial formfeed (to assure that printing starts at the top of a page). - The Search function now allows you to search by cassette number. - The Tally Statistics function now has a printer output option and options to produce reports listed in either frequency order or alphabetical order. - The lower-case translation option of the Update procedure has been improved to recognize and capitalize Roman numerals. - The editing of name data has been improved to eliminate errors in handling names which include commas. - A new option has been added to the Configuration function which enables you to control which record fields you are automatically prompted to fill during an Add transaction. - The Whole Catalog function has new options for output sorted in title sequence, year sequence, or cassette number sequence. - There are a number of improvements in the label printing function, including the addition of support for the use of file folder label sheets and VHS label sheets in laser printers. If you are currently using a version earlier than Version 7.0, then the following features will also be new for you: - The new demo routine uses the special file VCATDEMO.DAT to avoid the risk of overwriting your own data file when installing an update. - If the program finds an existing configuration file, it uses it automatically without asking you to verify the path configuration. If you do want to change the paths for your data and work files, you can do so through the Configuration Menu (select G from the Main Menu). - The Configuration Menu also gives access to new features to custom configure the subject VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 5 and form descriptions, force monochrome operation even though you have a color display, install custom codes to control your particular brand of printer, and display a variety of system data. - The label printing function has many new options for different label stocks and label formats. - You can now use lower case letters in data entries if you want. The Update function has options for case conversion for existing records. The search function is case- insensitive, so the use of upper and lower case letters is significant for readability only. - Both the Search and Whole Catalog functions give you an expanded choice of screen and printer report formats. - The Search function now permits a search for a conjunctive combination of multiple search keys. - There are several new data fields in the record structure, most significantly room for three 60-character free-form comment lines. Occasionally a user will tell me, "I don't think I need the new features, so I guess I will just continue running the old version." I do not recommend this. While some of the changes are apparent to you as new features, new versions also involve improvements in the efficiency of existing features and the correction of bugs which could cause an error under some unusual combination of circumstances. System Requirements ___________________ Version 7.1 is a "bound" or "family applications program interface" (FAPI) program; it will run under either DOS (real mode) or OS/2 (protected mode). Although the compiler guarantees compatibility only with DOS Version 3.x, it appears to run correctly under DOS 2.10, DOS 4.0 and DOS 5.0. This program requires a minimum of 200k of free memory in order to run. If you have a whole bunch of device drivers, virtual disks and terminate-and-stay-resident programs installed and reducing available memory, you might have trouble. When running under DOS this program does not make use of expanded or extended memory (except that you can use a ramdisk or vdisk which you have created in expanded or extended memory if you have the facility to do so). When running under OS/2 in protected mode VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 6 this program can make use of all available memory, which will be of practical advantage if your data file is large and you use the Tally Statistics function or the sorted output feature of the Whole Catalog function (these routines do their work by creating very large structures in memory). This program has been tested on the IBM PC, XT, AT and PS/2 series of computers and a variety of clones. It should work on close compatibles; however experience with user comments suggests that some clones are not as compatible as claimed. Although all testing has been on machines with color displays, the program is intended to run on monochrome displays as well. I have found that different brands of video adapters and monitors render colors differently. Color combinations which look great on my system sometimes appear dim and lacking in contrast on other systems. Thus I have included a Configuration option to force monochrome operation on a color system for those who find the color rendition unsatisfactory. The program could run with as little as one floppy drive; however this would limit the size of the data file which could be created. Dual drives or a hard drive will greatly increase capacity, as will high density drives. A RAMDISK (VDISK) can be used for temporary files to speed processing. The size of your data file will be approximately equal to the number of records multiplied by 384 bytes. You need to have enough disk space available for your data file and a temporary work file of the same size. If you want to use the sorted output option of the Whole Catalog function, you will need additional free disk space equal to approximately twice the size of your data file. A printer is required if printed output is selected. You can get along without a printer if you never select a printed output option. Almost any standard printer should work successfully for most routines. There is a Configuration option which allows you to specify special control sequences to initialize and restore your printer state and to turn an emphasized print mode on and off. To use this option you will have to dig into your printer manual to find out what to enter. Those output options which offer special features for the Hewlett Packard Laserjet II have not been tested on any other machine. I have no idea whether they will produce satisfactory results on laser printers which claim to be HP compatible. Known System Incompatibilities ------------------------------ VIDEOCAT is rather memory-intensive and may not run correctly if you have a small amount of memory installed or if have little memory free because you have loaded numerous device drivers and gadget programs that use up memory. Several users have reported apparent conflict with TSR's (terminate-and-stay- resident programs, such as DesqView and Sidekick) which disappear when VIDEOCAT is run without TSR's loaded. Several users have reported problems running VIDEOCAT from program VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 7 selector shells (such as DOSSHELL) and menu utilities. I suspect these are also TSR's. If VIDEOCAT does not load or freezes after loading, or will not run correctly from a program selector, try booting with fewer TSR's and device drivers and run VIDEOCAT directly from the DOS prompt rather than from menu or program selector shells. If you are running under DOS 4.0 or 5.0, try entering the command MEM / PROGRAM sometime; you might be surprised at how much stuff you have taking up memory space all the time. These incompatibilities have only been reported when running under DOS. No incompatibilities have been reported when running under OS/2 protected mode. Compatibility with Prior Versions _________________________________ If you created a data file under a version of VIDEOCAT in the 5.x or 6.x series, you must convert your existing BASEFIL5.DAT to the current format in a file named VCATDATA.DAT, which can be processed by the Version 7.x series. Use the command for File Conversion in the main menu of the program. Note that if your data file was created or converted under Version 4.x, you must first use Version 5.x or 6.x to convert from BASEFILE.DAT to BASEFIL5.DAT. There are several new fields in the new record format. When you perform a file conversion these additional fields will be initialized in an empty state. Since they are all optional entries, the program will work fine if you don't bother to add these entries to your old records. You can, if you wish, use the Change function to add data in the new fields. Compatibility with the Windows Edition (VCATWIN) ________________________________________________ Data files created under VIDEOCAT 7.x and VCATWIN 7.x are completely interchangeable (although the standard edition requires that the data file be named VCATDATA.DAT, while the Windows edition (VCATWIN) supports multiple data files and permits data files to have any name. 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 subject to the following conditions: VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 8 1. You may make personal, non-commercial use of VIDEOCAT during a reasonably brief trial period; if you 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 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, subject to the restrictions in item 6 under "License" above. My current practice is to mail major releases of VIDEOCAT 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 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. Registration ____________ VIDEOCAT 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 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 9 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 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 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, 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 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). VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 10 - 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. * 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 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 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. $20 is a bargain. I have seen authors of clearly inferior programs request two, three or four times as much. If you send a 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. There is no extra charge for foreign registration, although I will 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 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 11 often future upgrades will be released and I reserve the right to discontinue development and support of VIDEOCAT at any time. One royalty payment covers both VIDEOCAT and VCATWIN; it is not necessary to register the two programs separately. The royalty is the same ($20) regardless of whether you use one program or both. 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 VIDEOCAT within 90 days after registration, I will cheerfully refund your royalty payment on request. Your remedy for any loss or damage caused by this software shall in any event be 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" VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 12 Installation ____________ VIDEOCAT.EXE is the only file you need to get started. Paths are supported, so you can install it on any disk and directory or subdirectory you want. When the program is run (and you do not use the demo data file), it will look in the currently active directory for the configuration file VIDEOCAT.CFG and create a new configuration file if none is found. The program will also create the data file VCATDATA.DAT and the work file VCATDATA.TMP if these do not already exist. The currently logged path is the default for these two files, but the program will ask you if you would like to use different paths for these two files and your choices will be recorded in the configuration file. You can change these paths later from the Configuration menu. If you have a data file which was created under VIDEOCAT Version 5.x or 6.x, you should first convert it using the File Conversion option from the Main Menu. If you have already been running Version 7.0, the only thing you need to do is replace the executable file VIDEOCAT.EXE with the current version. You do not need to make any changes in your data and configuration files. I will insert a brief description of paths, since this subject is a mystery to some users new to computing. You can organize a disk to have a multi-level file structure with subdirectories to keep your root directory from becoming cluttered with a large number of unrelated file names. You create a subdirectory with the DOS command MD (Make Directory) and the name of the subdirectory you want to create. You can make a subdirectory the current directory with the DOS command CD (Change Directory) and the name of the subdirectory you want. The path is the complete specification of the path DOS must follow to find a directory or subdirectory, with levels separated by backslashes (\). If you want to make a subdirectory for this program, then from the C> prompt on your hard drive enter MD VIDEOCAT; to make it the current directory, enter CD VIDEOCAT. Copy your VIDEOCAT files into that subdirectory. When asked by the program to enter the path for your data file, enter C:\VIDEOCAT. To return to your root directory enter CD C:\. Videocat does not directly support the use of multiple data files. If you have distinct collections which you wish to catalog separately, you can install more than one copy of Videocat in separate subdirectories. This will permit you to maintain separate data files. Note that the program distribution package comes with a small data file VCATDEMO.DAT. This is for demonstration purposes only. If the program finds this file and no preexisting configuration files, it will ask if you want to run with the demo file. If you answer Y, the demo file will be used and no configuration files will be set up. If you answer N, the demo file will be ignored and you can proceed to configure the installation and create your own data file. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 13 Some users assume that the message about a demo file means that this is a demo version of the program and not the real thing. Not true. Once you answer the configuration questions a configuration file will be created and you will no longer get the demo file message. Some users assume that the way to create their own data file is to use the Delete and Add functions to alter the demo file. If you have done this, you can simply rename the file VCATDEMO.DAT to VCATDATA.DAT so you won't lose the work you did changing the demo file. You can put the work file on a RAM disk (VDISK) if you want, although recording it on permanent media provides a sort of automatic back-up in case of damage to the base data file, as the content of the two files is always identical except when an update is in active progress. In the event of a power failure or other mechanical error during an update, one of the two files should be readable, as they are never both open for writing at the same time. Several features give a choice between printer and screen output. When printed output is called for, the program directs it to PRN:. If you have a parallel printer (most common type), just turn it on and be sure it is connected and ready. If you have a serial printer (typical of daisy wheel type printers), you will need to run the appropriate DOS commands or OS/2 setup to initialize your serial port and redirect PRN: to COM1: (or COM2:, as appropriate) BEFORE running VIDEOCAT. See your DOS manual or printer manual for details. VIDEOCAT has no built-in routines for selecting and initializing a serial printer. Note: most users have a parallel printer, and all you have to do is be sure it is turned on and ready to print. If your printer is not ready or properly connected, any of a number of things will happen: (1) you will get a warning message either from the program or the operating system telling you that there is a problem with the printer; (2) the program will hang up; or (3) you will find that output is being sent into the Twilight Zone. Also note that if you do not have a printer, the program will work fine as long as you never select printer output. General Tips on Running VIDEOCAT ________________________________ VIDEOCAT is run by simply entering VIDEOCAT from the prompt. This version adds a quick-start option which can be used to bypass the three opening title and information screens and go directly to the main menu. To use the quick-start option, add the command line argument Q after the program name, i.e. type VIDEOCAT Q and then hit return. The Q argument should be separated by one or more spaces from the program name and can be either upper case or lower case (or, for that matter, can be any word beginning with an upper or lower case letter Q). I recommend that you not use the quick-start option until you are comfortable with the program and its installation. The program is menu-driven. Each menu option is described in detail in this Manual. Brief descriptions appear on the VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 14 screen which may be enough if you are fairly intuitive and don't like reading manuals. Remember that new data adding, changing or deleting records in the data file will not be reflected in the disk file until the Update function is invoked. If you exit from the program without updating, all new data you have entered will be lost and the disk data file will remain unchanged. All items of input data can be any combination of letters and numbers. If your entry is not legal for the particular response requested, you will be prompted to enter it again. All entries are buffered, meaning that they are not acted upon until you hit the Return (or Enter) key. Before hitting that key, you can backspace and change your entry. Leading and trailing blanks are always ignored; however blanks between non-blank characters are treated as significant. Letters can be upper or lower case. The menus and Search functions ignore the case of letters. Thus if a particular menu choice you want to select is code 'A', entering either 'A' or 'a' will have the same result. In the Add function any item of requested data can be omitted by simply hitting return. If, for example, there is only one actor in a film, you do not have to enter any additional names when prompted for the second and third actor names. It is strongly recommended that you always enter a title and year. These are the fields that determine the sequence of the data file and every record must have a unique combination of title and year. It is prudent to make a backup copy of at least the data file on another diskette. If your collection is large, you will spend many hours building your data file. Physical damage to the disk or abnormal termination during an update could result in loss of your entire data file. If you have a backup, you will not have to reconstruct the entire data file but only the items added since the last time you made a backup copy. BACKUP DATA FILES FREQUENTLY! If you have a casualty to your data file and your work file, VCATDATA.TMP, is undamaged, you may be able to replace the damaged base file by simply using the DOS commands COPY or RENAME to generate a new VCATDATA.DAT. Let me repeat, for emphasis, that your backup data file should be on ANOTHER diskette. If you have a hard drive crash, a backup file on your hard drive will not do you much good. If your data file gets to be too large to fit on a diskette, I would recommend that you use a file compression utility such as PKZIP or ARC. 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. Next to failure to read and follow the Manual, the most common cause of trouble is a not-so-compatible compatible. I do not have either the time or the opportunity to test this program VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 15 on every kind of clone produced in the garage workshops of Taiwan. I have eliminated all direct calls to the BIOS, which should reduce compatibility problems. The most common manifestation of compatibility problems is a messed-up screen display: either very strange color combinations or characters out of place. In most cases these problems do not prevent the program from being functional. Try using the configuration routine to force monochrome operation and see if that cures your problems. Another common cause of trouble is lack of general familiarity with computer terminology and operations on the part of novice users. If this is your problem, try inviting a computer whiz over to dinner and extract a little free tutoring. VIDEOCAT is rather memory-intensive and may conflict with other programs which stay resident in memory. See the note on known system incompatibilities above. 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 will be provided with the complete C language source code for the current version of VIDEOCAT on request. Previously I uploaded some earlier versions on bulletin boards. More recently I have decided that access to the source code should be one of the privileges of registered users, so I will not be making the source code available by any means other than diskette in response to a registered user request. Version 7.1 calls OS/2 functions, so at the moment the Microsoft C Compiler, Version 6.0, is the only compiler which I am sure can handle it. You can successfully compile under DOS, VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 16 provided that you have installed the protected mode libraries; however you will achieve better optimization if you compile under OS/2. There are some other OS/2 C compilers coming onto the market, but I have not tested any other than Microsoft. If you are a programmer but use a different compiler or are not running OS/2, you might want to send me a note that you want the source code for VIDEOCAT Version 5.0; that version was written to compile successfully under either Microsoft C, Borland Turbo C, or Computer Innovations C86PLUS. The source code is extensively commented. I have gone to great lengths to use mnemonic data names and make program logic clear. Version 7.1 has very extensive changes in source code from Version 7.0 - far more extensive that one would suspect from simply observing program operation. Users who are not programmers will not find the source code useful. Development History ___________________ I first wrote VIDEOCAT to catalog my own video collection. Friends started asking me for copies, so I spruced it up a bit and started distributing it as shareware. Versions 1 and 2 were written in UCSD Pascal for the Apple II series of computers. Versions 3 and 4 were written in C and complied with the Computer Innovations C86 compiler for the IBM PC family of computers. Version 4.0 was the first to be published. Version 4.1 quickly followed to correct a user- reported bug. Version 4.2 added support for multiple drives to permit the creation of larger data files and also added printed output options. Version 5.0 added support for paths and the current configuration routine. It was also developed so as to compile successfully under three widely used compilers: Microsoft C; Borland Turbo C; and Computer Innovations C86PLUS. Because of differences in the way that these compilers implement data structures, the only way to get all three to produce identical data files was to change the record structure to fit on even word boundaries. This necessitated a file conversion routine for data files created under the Version 4.x series. Versions 5.1 and 5.2 incorporated a number of convenience and aesthetic changes. There were two major changes in Version 6.0. Most significantly, it was developed under OS/2 as a "bound" or "family" program. It should run under either DOS or OS/2 without any apparent difference. The second major change was adding a label making facility. There were several interim 6.x versions which were distributed for "Beta" testing only. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 17 Version 7.0 made a number of additions to the record format, including a free-form comment field, enabled the use of lower case letters, added new display and printer configuration options, added new output options for video and printer output (including support for labels specially designed for videocassettes), permitted search by multiple search keys, and made a number of cosmetic improvements, as well as numerous programming changes not visible to the user. Reports from Beta testers of Version 7.0 showed an interesting change from prior correspondence: instead of suggesting new features to be added, most suggested relatively minor adjustments to make existing features smoother and more convenient. Some even complained that the program now has too many features! Version 7.01 was an interim release implementing a number of user suggestions, including correction of some typographical errors, making the initial formfeed optional for some printed reports, adding a search by cassette number option to the Search function, and adding a printed output option to the Tally Statistics function. Version 7.01 was also compiled under Microsoft C, Version 6.0, with increased code optimization. Version 7.02 was another interim release which added options for sorting output in the Whole Catalog function so that catalog lists could be produced in title sequence, location sequence or year sequence. Version 7.02 also involved very extensive changes in the internal coding of the program which would not be apparent to the user but should improve performance and reduce risk of error. Version 7.03 (another interim release) added a new custom configuration option for the Add function to omit prompting for record fields which the user does not desire to fill. The algorithm for translating block capital names to a normal mixture of upper and lower case letters was improved to recognize Roman numerals. Data entry functions were improved to correct an error in handling names which include commas. Version 7.04 (another interim release) corrected a number of minor errors in the label printing routines and added support for laser printer file folder labels. There were some minor changes in format for some of the label types already supported. Version 7.05 (another interim release) added support for the United Ad Label VHS label format for laser printers, cleaned up some printed format options in the Tally Statistics function, and provided an option to produce statistical reports with items listed in either alphabetical or frequency sequence. Version 7.1 incorporated the changes made in the interim releases with corrections of a number of bugs reported by Beta testers. Version 7.2 responded to request from a number of users that all data descriptions, and not just subject and form, be capable VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 18 of customization. A number of minor bug fixes and less visible improvements also went into Version 7.2. More significantly, a Windows edition, VCATWIN Version 7.2W, was released concurrently with Version 7.2 of the standard edition. Future changes will probably involve acting on a number of user suggestions that I just haven't gotten around to. Other possible enhancements might be mouse support or a Presentation Manager version. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 19 FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS A - Add a record to the catalog _______________________________ This is the basic function for adding a record to the catalog. It can be a video item other than a motion picture, but in general the formats used in this program are primarily adapted to theatrical motion pictures. Note that records created by the Add function are temporarily stored in memory and not actually placed in the data file until the Update function is performed. The Add function is invoked by entering A <cr> while you are in the main menu. [note: either 'A' or 'a' can be entered; '<cr>' indicates a carriage return, a key which may be labeled either "Return" or "Enter" on your computer] The initial response will be a message telling you to get ready to enter data for a movie record and to hit <cr> when you are ready to continue. Then various items of data will be requested. If there are fields which you do not wish to use and would like to have omitted from the Add function, see the description of the Configuration functions. 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 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. 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 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 20 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 don't know the year for sure, either look it up in a published movie guide or make a reasonable guess. You must enter something. Star 1 LAST name -> ___________________ The program allows for recording the names of up to three actors and one director. The first prompt asks for the LAST name of the first of the three actors. The maximum combined length of the first and last names is 30 characters; any excess length will be truncated from the first name. In response to the LAST name prompt, enter the actor'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; 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. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 21 Star 1 FIRST name -> ____________________ 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.". Star 2 LAST name -> Star 2 FIRST name -> Star 3 LAST name -> Star 3 FIRST name -> Director LAST name -> Director FIRST name -> ______________________ Respond to these in the same manner described above. Note that these entries are all optional and can be omitted by simply hitting <cr>. Subject Code -> _______________ A list of character codes corresponding to 42 enumerated subject categories will be displayed on the screen. Pick the one which seems most appropriate and enter the corresponding single character. If you enter an illegal code, the query will recycle until you enter a legal code. This is an optional entry, so simply hitting return without having entered any code is a legal response, and the record simply will not have a subject code. If you don't like the selection of subject descriptions, you can use one of the configuration routines to change them, but do so cautiously. Form Code -> ____________ A list of character codes corresponding to 24 enumerated form descriptions will be displayed on the screen. As in the case of subject code, you must enter a legal code or the request will recycle. It is also an optional entry and you can skip it by simply hitting <cr> with no code entered. You can also custom configure the form descriptions. MPAA Code -> ____________ A list of character codes representing the audience suitability ratings of the Motion Picture Association of America will be displayed. Once again, selection of an illegal code will cause the menu to recycle, but skipping this entry by simply hitting <cr> is permitted. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 22 Rating Code -> ______________ A list of character codes will be displayed corresponding to 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. This entry is optional. Color Code -> _____________ A list of character codes corresponding to 4 types of color characteristics will be displayed. You can pick one or skip this item by simply hitting return without a code. Format Code -> ______________ A list of character codes corresponding to 14 types of film and video formats. You can pick one or skip this item by simply hitting return without a code. Minutes Length -> _________________ 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 No. -> _______________ 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 No. -> ____________ 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 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 23 same cassette you may either place the tape counter number or the sequence number. By sequence number, I mean coding the first 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. Comment Lines _____________ The program will next 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, End, and the Enter/Return key. Text can be deleted using the Delete or Backspace keys. Text entry is in typeover mode. Hit the Esc key when finished. NOTE: if you find that the operation of the backspace or delete keys does not seem correct, avoid using these keys. I have occasionally encountered some transient bugs in the operation of this edit window which have defied explanation but do not seem particularly harmful. 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. Verification ____________ After all the items of data have been entered, the complete record will be displayed on the screen for verification. You will have three action options: accept the record as is; change the record (in which case you will see a display like that discussed below under the Change function); or discard the record without attempting to change it. Note that if you have used the add-fields feature of the Configuration function to block prompting for some fields, you can choose to fill them at this stage. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 24 C - Change a record in the catalog __________________________________ The purpose of the Change function is to change the data recorded for a record already in the catalog. Any item can be changed. To invoke Change, enter C <ret> when in the main menu. You will be asked to enter the title and year of the record to be changed and warned that unless they exactly match an existing record the change procedure will be aborted. After you have entered the title and year of the record to be changed, the program searches for it and displays it if found. You will be prompted to indicate which data field you want to change. Items which are currently empty can also be filled in at this time. After selecting an item and entering a change, the record will be redisplayed with changes. You can continue to make additional changes to the same record until you enter the code indicating that you are finished making changes. Note that the Change function searches the base file and not pending transactions for a record to be changed. Thus you cannot change a record which you have just entered as an add but have not yet processed to the base file through an Update. Changes are not effected in the base file until after an update. If you Exit before Updating, your changes will be lost. Note also that the Change function actually generates two transactions: a delete transaction for the existing record and an add transaction for the changed version. This will become visible to you if you use the Review function to inspect pending transactions. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 25 D - Delete a record from the catalog ____________________________________ The purpose of this procedure is to delete a record which already exists in the catalog disk file. It will not delete a record which is merely in the current work batch awaiting an update. To invoke delete, enter D <ret> when in the main menu. You will be warned that you must enter the title and year of an existing record; if there is not an exact match, the delete transaction will be discarded. Note that the match must be EXACT, character for character (including all embedded spaces and punctuation). These data items are entered in the same way as described under the section on the add procedure. The program will search for a matching record and display it if found and ask you to confirm that this is the record you wish to delete. The Delete function was deliberately designed to require that you enter a title and year which exactly match an existing record in order to minimize the risk of accidental deletions. Its exacting nature can be a bit annoying when minor errors in data entry prevent you from getting the desired action. When this happens, use the Search function to get a display of the record in question and make careful note of the title and year you will have to enter in the Delete function. Deletes, like adds and changes, are not effectuated immediately but are stored in RAM until you invoke the update function. If you exit without updating, the transactions will be lost and the disk file unchanged. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 26 F - File Conversion from Prior Versions _______________________________________ A data file (named BASEFIL5.DAT) which was created under a version of VIDEOCAT in the 5.x series or 6.x series must be converted to a new format before it can be used with Version 7.0 of the program. There was no change in format from the Version 5.x series to Version 6.x. If you have a data file created under Version 4.x (named BASEFILE.DAT), you will need to first use Version 5.x or 6.x to convert to the file format used in those versions (BASEFIL5.DAT), then use Version 7.0 to convert to the latest format (VCATDATA.DAT). If you have never used a previous version of VIDEOCAT, you do not need to be concerned about file conversion at all. If you have a data file created under Version 5.x or 6.x, it is named BASEFIL5.DAT. It must be accessible for file conversion, but need not be on the same drive or path as the program. Enter F <ret> from the main menu and follow the instructions displayed. Your old file will not be changed, but a new version in the new format will be created under the name VCATDATA.DAT. Because the record format has been made larger, your new data file will be larger than your old one, even though the new data fields will be empty until you change them. You should make sure that you have free disk space available for a new data file about twice the size of your old one. If your old BASEFIL5.DAT is in a different subdirectory than the one which you have designated for the base data file in your current configuration, then you will have to know the path to the old file so you can enter it when prompted. Let's assume that you installed Videocat Version 6.0, including the data file, in a subdirectory on your C drive called VCAT6 and now you are installing Version 7.0 in a new subdirectory called VCAT7. When you are prompted to enter the correct path for the OLD data base file, you would enter C:\VCAT6. Note that you only need to perform file conversion once. It is suggested that you keep a copy of the old BASEFIL5.DAT as a backup just in case of some problem, but all future additions and changes should be made to VCATDATA.DAT. No provision has been made for conversion from the new format back to the old, as it would seem to serve no useful purpose. File conversion is a nuisance, but is necessary when the record size is changed. A few bytes of the space I added this time has been reserved for future use, so it may be possible to avoid another file conversion in the next upgrade. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 27 G - Configuration Changes _________________________ This is a collection of new features added in Version 7.0 to respond to users who wanted more options to custom configure VIDEOCAT for their needs Add-Fields __________ This feature permits you to specify the fields you will be automatically prompted to fill every time you Add a new record. The initial default setting calls for every field in the record to be prompted during an add (although you can simply hit return to go on to the next field without entering any data). This feature enables you to select which fields will be prompted during an add so that you will not be bothered with prompts for fields you never use. Note that even though you are not prompted for a field you set to N, it is still accessible during the final edit phase of an Add transaction and through the Change procedure, so you may also wish to turn off automatic prompting for fields you seldom use and fill them when appropriate by one of the other methods. When you invoke this feature, all of the fields and their current settings (Y or N) will be displayed. The menu lets you select any field to change its value. Enter the letter identifying the field on the menu and you will be prompted for the new value. Enter Y or N. When you are done, hit the Esc key instead of a field letter. Your choices will be saved in a file named "VCATADDF.CFG". When you run the program in the future, it will check for the presence of this file and use the values saved in it. If you erase this file, the original defaults will be restored. Note that the Update procedure will not add a record to the data file which duplicates both the title and year of an existing record. Thus, if you choose not to use the year field, you had better be sure all your titles are unique. If you don't use the title fields, you had better be sure all your years are unique. If you don't use either the title or the year field, your data file will be limited to exactly one record. If you set the title field to N, you will get a warning message advising you that this is not recommended (but you can do it if that is what you really want). This feature was added to appease that contingent of VIDEOCAT users who have been complaining that the program is getting cluttered with too many features they do not want to use. At the same time it does not reduce functionality for that other contingent of VIDEOCAT users who are constantly clamoring for a more complex record structure. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 28 Color/Mono Display __________________ A few users have had problems with readability of displays because of the color rendition on their systems. If you have this problem, chances are you would be better off with VIDEOCAT operating in a monochrome mode. This choice on the configuration menu allows you to do that. If you choose monochrome operation, a file will be created to save this choice so that the program will automatically start in that mode in the future. You can change back and forth as many times as you wish. You can also use the monochrome option if you just plain don't like the color combinations I have selected. Perhaps some future version will let you selected any combination of colors you like, but for the time being your only choice is between the colors I chose and no colors at all. Data Descriptions _________________ This option permits you to re-define the text descriptions for any of the data category codes used in the program. Although the descriptions written into the program ar adequate for collections composed of a variety of theatrical motion pictures, some users have very specialized collections (educational, adult, etc.) and would like to change the set of subject and form descriptions to permit a more detailed classification scheme particularly adapted to their material. Others find that they do not use one of the sets of classification codes and would like to redefine the set for some other use. For example, if your entire collection is VHS video and you do not find the format code useful, you could redefine it to use as a national origin category by replacing the existing descriptions with the names of countries. These changes are recorded in configuration files created when you use this option. I caution you to plan carefully before using this feature, as frequent changes in subject and form code definitions may introduce hopeless confusion in your data file. If you play with this feature and then decide that you would like to go back to the original definitions, just erase the files with a .CFG suffix and things will go back to normal. The following .CFG files created under the standard edition of VIDEOCAT can be used with the Windows version, VCATWIN, and vice versa. 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 VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 29 Disk Paths for Files ____________________ The first time you run VIDEOCAT (other than in the demo mode) you will be automatically asked if you want to specify paths for your data and work files. Once these paths are stored in a configuration file, VIDEOCAT will not ask you to set or change them unless the configuration file cannot be found or contains invalid path information. This option in the Configuration Menu allows you to change the paths specified for your data and work files. Before running the program you should make sure that you have created any new subdirectories you plan to use and have copied the appropriate files to the paths you intend to specify. The program is intended to give you the opportunity to correct errors in path specification from within the program. If, however, things seem to have become hopelessly messed up, you can return to the initial installation routine by erasing the file VIDEOCAT.CFG and starting the program again. If you change the path locations of your files when reorganizing your hard disk, you may need to change the files configuration of VIDEOCAT. Note that if you have installed the program or its data files on removable media (floppy disk or removable hard drive) and change the slot in which the media is inserted, the drive identifier may change, causing your previously verified path configuration to become invalid and confuse the program. Printer Configuration _____________________ This option allows you to specify control sequences to be sent to your printer and the beginning of a print job, at the end of a print job, to turn emphasized printing on and off, and to select a special print mode for label printing. If you use this option, these codes will be sent to your printer during each print job and the titles in printed output will appear in emphasized type; labels will be printed in whatever mode you have chosen (e.g., condensed print). For HP-compatible laser printers, the control sequences you enter will be used in printing Search and Whole Catalog listings; for labels, however, type style is completely controlled by the program and will not be altered by the printer configuration option. In order to use this option you will have to dig into your printer manual (or possibly a technical reference manual which must be ordered separately) to find out what control sequences can be used for special effects on your printer. You will be asked to enter those codes in decimal ASCII values by this configuration option. The form of the codes you enter must be a series of DECIMAL NUMBERS separated by spaces. Do not enter VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 30 hexadecimal numbers! If your printer manual lists these control sequences in non-numeric form (e.g. "Esc E") you must use an ASCII conversion table (which seems to be an appendix in virtually every computer programming book) to convert to decimal ASCII numbers (e.g. "Esc E" = 27 69). If you have a Hewlett- Packard LaserJet, note that when Hewlett-Packard Printer Control Language calls for a number to be inserted in a command string, it is the ASCII character representation of the number. For example, a pitch value of "16.66" characters per inch has the ASCII representation 49 54 46 54 54. Multiple control strings can usually be concatenated; you printer will probably recognize that each Escape character (ASCII 27) signals the beginning of a new command. I know it would be more convenient for you if the program provided you with a menu of different printers and you could just select yours, but I simply don't have the resources to acquire a couple of hundred different makes and models of printers and figure out how to adapt this program for each of them. If none of this makes any sense to you, don't try to use the printer configuration option; just use your printer in plain vanilla mode or invoke special features through switch settings rather than software control. If you run the printer configuration routine and then experience strange printer behavior and wish you hadn't tinkered with this option, you can simply erase the file VCATPRNT.CFG and reset your printer to its normal state to get back to the way things were originally. If you have installed custom printer configuration and then get a new printer, don't forget to change the custom printer configuration to fit your new printer. If you use more than one printer, you can install multiple copies of VIDEOCAT.EXE in different subdirectories and create a different printer configuration files for each. System Information __________________ This feature enables you to view a lot of information about your computer's hardware and operating system configuration. It provides information only. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 31 L - Label Maker _______________ The label maker is invoked by entering L <ret> from the main menu. You will be asked to enter the range (lowest, then highest) of cassette numbers for which you wish to produce labels. This function uses a great deal of memory to sort the titles out by cassette and index numbers, so there is a limit to how many labels you can process in a single run. This will vary according to the amount of memory available in your computer and under your operating system. As a rough rule of thumb, I would suggest that you not print labels for more than 200 cassettes at a time. If you get a "running out of memory" message, try again with a smaller number. The very first time you use this function, I would suggest that you limit the range to 10 or 12 cassettes just to be sure that your printer setup is working properly. If you have followed my recommendation to use only numeric characters in cassette numbering, the sequence will be pretty predictable. If you include alphabetic characters, you may have to give more thought to how you would designate ranges. All entries are right-justified and padded with leading blanks; the sequence is ASCII. Before the labels are printed, you will be asked to chose among various output options depending on the type of printer and labels you are using. These choices make a considerable difference in the format of the labels. Label formats currently supported on standard printers (continuous feed labels) are: address labels Beta spine labels VHS spine labels If you used the printer configuration option under the Configuration menu, the control code you specified will be sent to the printer before labels are printed and the normal control code will be sent to the printer after the labels are printed. This enables you to set your printer to condensed printing mode in order to get more information on small labels, if you know how to specify the right control sequence. You can get acceptable results using the option for continuous form 3.5 x 15/16 inch labels. This is the size most commonly used for address labels and is readily available. I recommend you use tractor-feed if you have it, as friction-feed is less precise. Load the label strip so that the first printing position for the print head would be just within the upper left corner of the first label to be printed. The program will ask for your printing pitch (pica, elite or condensed) and print as much information as can be squeezed on the label. Some information may be truncated (cut off) because of space limitations. Titles will be printed in index number sequence (i.e.in the order the movies are recorded). Titles without index VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 32 numbers will be printed in alphabetical order. If there are more movies than can be printed on a single label, additional labels will be printed for the same cassette number to continue the listing. Make sure that your printer is ready before commencing printing operations. For purists who never record more than one film per cassette, there is an option to print only one record per label and include more information. There are some additional output options which require special VHS or Beta spine label stocks probably not available at your local computer store. Suggested sources of supply (I get no commissions) are: 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] There is a separate set of options for Hewlett Packard compatible laser printers. I have only tested this on a Hewlett Packard LaserJet II, so I don't know whether there are compatibility problems with other brands. The program uses HP printer control language for this option which may cause unpredictable results on non-compatible printers. The laser printer labels currently supported are: Poster (uncut label sheet) (HP 92285W) File Folder Labels (HP 92296G) VHS Spine Labels (UAL PV541/Avery #5199) The numbers shown are Hewlett-Packard (HP) and United Ad Label (UAL) and Avery stock numbers. The address and telephone number of United Ad Label are given above. You can order HP items directly from Hewlett Packard at: Hewlett-Packard HP DIRECT P.O. Box 611298 San Jose, CA 95161-1298 (800) 538-8787 I found the Avery video labels in stock at my local Egghead Software store and have seen them in a number of mail order catalogs. If you own a laser printer, do yourself a favor and request a catalog from Paper Direct, telephone (800) 272-7377. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 33 Other companies produce similar products. Note that using labels not specially designed for laser printers may cause damage. I have chosen to support United Ad Label's VHS spine labels for laser printers (Stock Number PV541PV). Recently Avery came out with VHS spine labels in exactly the same format. The Avery VHS labels are sold in a combo pack with sheets of spine labels and face labels in the same box (Avery Stock Number 5199). You can use the Avery video spine labels with VIDEOCAT or VCATWIN, but the face labels are presently supported only in VCATWIN. 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. The print fonts used are standard internal fonts on the HP LaserJet II, so you don't need any font cartridges or soft fonts. The font is selected by the program and your own default settings will be restored after the program finishes printing labels. As in the case of all printer output, VIDEOCAT uses the device PRN:, which is normally the primary parallel port (LPT1:). This is the usual and most common printer interface. If your printer is connected to a secondary parallel port (LPT2:, etc) or to a serial port (COM1:, COM2:, etc.) you must use the appropriate DOS or OS/2 commands to initialize your port and redirect PRN: before running VIDEOCAT. If you are trying to run a serial printer under OS/2, good luck! [If you didn't understand anything in this paragraph, don't worry; chances are you have a common printer setup which will work fine.] The program has no way of knowing whether you actually have your printer loaded with label stock. Thus you can test the label maker functions on plain paper in both standard and laser printers. R - Review Current Changes __________________________ The purpose of this procedure is to review changes, adds and deletes which have been entered but not yet processed to the disk file through an update. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 34 To invoke the Review function, enter R <cr> from the main menu. The transactions awaiting posting will be displayed on the screen. This is useful to remind yourself of what you have already entered and to confirm that you want to process the changes to the disk file before doing so. There is no provision for editing these pending transactions. If you find that you have made errors, your choices are: (1) update anyway and correct the errors in a subsequent batch; or (2) exit without updating and discard the entire batch of pending transactions. Note that there are two kinds of transactions displayed: adds and deletes. The Change procedure actually generates two transactions: one to delete the old record and a second to add a new record reflecting the changes. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 35 S - Search Catalog __________________ The purpose of the Search function is to search through the data file for those records which match some specified search criteria and display or print out the matching records. To invoke the Search function, enter S <cr> from the main menu. The search menu will then appear giving you a choice of search keys. You can specify as many as you want. The keys are used conjunctively, so if you choose the subject Western and the name John Wayne, only entries which satisfy both criteria will be displayed. Note that when you search by title or by comment, the search is for any record which contains the key you enter as a substring. Thus entering "WAR", for example, would match with "WAR AND PEACE", "WAR GAMES", "WARRIORS", "WARM HEARTS, COLD FEET", and "PRIVATE WAR OF MAJOR BENSON, THE", all of which contain the "WAR" character sequence somewhere within the title. When you are not sure of the exact title of a movie, this makes it possible for you to search by entering only as much of the title as you are sure of. Similarly, this permits searching the comment field for fragments of information, such as "Oscar". The search is not case-sensitive, so "Oscar" will match with "Oscar", "OSCAR", "oscar", "OsCaR", etc.. For name searches, no distinction is made between the Star1, Star2, Star3 and Director fields. If the name you enter matches any of these fields, the record will be considered a match. You can search by cassette number, but not by index number. This simply reflects my experience that the only time I want to search by location is when a cassette is missing and I want to find out what was on it. The list of titles will usually remind me of who borrowed it. You will be given a variety of screen and printed output options to choose from. If your collection is large, you may find that it really speeds things along to use one of the short output options (1 line per record showing only title, year, cassette and index). The usual advice applies to printed output options. If you choose a printer output option you will be asked if you want an initial formfeed. You may wish to have an initial formfeed to be sure that your print head is positioned at the top of the next page if you have done some printing which has left your print head in the middle of the current page (e.g., you decided to save something by hitting the Print Screen key). Note that if the search finds no matching items, there will be no output at all before you are returned to the main menu. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 36 T - Tally Statistics ____________________ The purpose of the Tally function is to compile and display or print certain statistics about the composition of your entire video collection. The statistics shown include tables of numbers and percentages for subject, form, and rating. Tables are also displayed listing names of actors and directors and years of release. You will be prompted to indicate whether you want screen or printed output and whether you wish the items in each report section listed in alphabetical or frequency order. In a large collection, these tables can occupy many screens or pages. If you have chosen screen output, you will be prompted to indicate whether you want to continue to the next screen of the current table or quit and proceed to the next statistical routine. If you have selected printed output, the screen will tell you which statistical routine is currently being printed; if you hit the Esc key the current page will be completed and the program will then jump to the next statistical routine. The algorithm used to construct a list of names or years sorted in frequency or alphabetical order uses a great deal of memory. In the event that available memory is exhausted, the routine will continue, but will only be able to increment the count for names and years already encountered. Thus if your collection is large and available memory limited by your computer or operating system, the name and year tables may not be entirely complete. Note that if you are running under DOS or in OS/2 real mode the program can only access 640k of memory, regardless of how much memory you have installed. If you are running under OS/2 protected mode this function will be able to use all available memory. The algorithm also has a "Big Oh" in excess of 1, which is fancy computer science lingo for a program whose processing time increases more than proportionally as the volume of data increases. This happens because each time another record is analyzed, the lists of names and years to be searched and rearranged is larger than before. You will find this function really slows down after processing a few hundred records. I have designed the function to display the title from the record it is currently working on so that you will see something happening on the screen and know that progress is being made, rather than wondering if your computer has died. This function gives you a choice between screen and printed output and reports in alphabetical or frequency order. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 37 U - Update Data Base ____________________ The purpose of the Update function is to update the disk data file with the adds, changes and deletes entered during the current session. These transactions are held in memory for batch update to the disk file in the interest of efficiency. As the disk data file grows larger, the time consumed by a file update increases significantly. Batch updating minimizes the amount of physical reading and writing of disk files. Do not forget to Update before exiting from the program, however, as the current change transactions are in volatile memory and are not permanently recorded until an Update is performed. [Note: since the C programming language does not directly support indexed files, a sequential update is more or less unavoidable.] To perform an Update, enter U <ret> from the main menu. Update uses a temporary data file to merge the old base file with the new transactions, then writes the temporary file back to the base file. At this point you will have the opportunity to select case conversion options to be performed during the update. If you have a converted data file created under a previous version, you can change either the titles or the actor/director names or both converted from the previous all-uppercase to lowercase with leading characters capitalized. In most cases this will result in correct capitalization (although the capitalization algorithm cannot recognize that some words -- such as acronyms -- are intended to be all caps and "Fred MacMurray" will turn into "Fred Macmurray"). The algorithm does recognize and capitalize Roman numerals from I through X. It also recognizes "Mc" prefixed names (but not "Mac"). If you don't like the result, you can change back the next time you perform an Update. While the Update is in progress the screen will display the number of the record currently being read from or written to the base file so that you will know what is going on and that progress is being made. If there should not be enough room to create the temporary file, the function should abort without altering the base file. If there should not be enough room to write the entire temporary file back to the base file, the base file will be incomplete, but the temporary file will be complete and you can copy VCATDATA.TMP to VCATDATA.DAT after making some room. An abnormal termination (e.g. a power loss) during the update may result in making one of the files unreadable (whichever one was open for writing at the time). I have rarely had an error resulting in data loss; however this is a good time to repeat the warning that making frequent backups of your base file is a good way to minimize the consequences if it should happen. The most common error I make is neglecting to be sure that there is enough room for the creation of the work file on a VDISK which I also use for editor backup files. This is when the multitasking capability of OS/2 really comes in handy, because I can invoke the session manager VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 38 to change to another screen group without terminating VIDEOCAT, clean up the file space problem, and then return to VIDEOCAT exactly where I left off. Under DOS I would have to exit from VIDEOCAT and lose the current transactions in order to clear out space on the VDISK. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 39 W - Whole Catalog Listing _________________________ The purpose of this function is to list all the records in the entire catalog. The user can select title sequence, year sequence, or location sequence. A variety of screen and printer output options are available (the same options as in the Search function). If title sequence is selected, the program will immediately begin to produce the listing, since that is the order in which the permanent data file is organized. If location or year sequence is selected a sorting routine will take place before the listing is produced. During the sort some messages will be displayed simply to keep you informed of what is going on. The sorting involves the creation of intermediate temporary files on your currently active drive which will be deleted when the routine is completed, but will occupy space while the sorting process is active. TO SUCCESSFULLY USE THE SORTED OUTPUT FEATURE YOU MUST HAVE FREE DISK SPACE ON YOUR ACTIVE DRIVE EQUAL TO APPROXIMATELY TWICE THE SIZE OF YOUR DATA FILE (VCATDATA.DAT). If sufficient space is not available the routine will terminate and issue a warning of an error in attempting to write a sorted file. If the process should be abnormally terminated (such as by power loss, rebooting or Ctrl-C) you may find that the intermediate files have not been deleted. One may be named VCATSORT.DAT (created in the currently active path); others may have system-assigned names, typically numbers without file extensions (most likely created in the root directory). These can be safely deleted using the DOS erase or delete commands. I expect that in some future version I will add an option in the Configure function which will enable you to designate another path, such as a ramdisk, for these temporary files. If your data file is too large in relation to accessible memory to be sorted in one pass, the program will create a series of temporary sorted files and then merge them. Remember that under DOS or OS/2 real mode only 640k of memory is accessible; so if you have a lot of memory it is definitely advantageous to run this program under OS/2 protected mode so as to be able to make use of all memory. Note that if your collection is large, the display of complete data, and especially the printing of a hard copy catalog with complete data, can take quite a while. You may find it more efficient to use the short format options unless you really need all of the data displayed. During a long print-out I recommend that you not leave your printer unattended in case of a paper jam or ribbon break, events which seem to happen, in accordance with Murphy's law, only when you decide to step out for a coffee break during a long print job. If you choose a printer output option you will be asked if you want an initial formfeed. You may wish to have an initial VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 40 formfeed to be sure that your print head is positioned at the top of the next page if you have done some printing which has left your print head in the middle of the current page (e.g., you decided to save something by hitting the Print Screen key). VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 41 E - Exit from program _____________________ The purpose of this function is to terminate the VIDEOCAT program and return to DOS or OS/2. If you have entered any adds, changes or deletes during the current session, be sure to Update before Exiting. If you can't remember whether you have pending transactions, use Review to check. If the program detects that you have unprocessed changes pending, it will ask if you want to update before exiting. An Update is not performed automatically because you may make a deliberate choice not to update because of errors in data you have entered. To Exit, enter E <cr> from the main menu. The Exit function does give you one chance for second thoughts if it detects unprocessed changes; otherwise it proceeds directly to terminate the program. If you indicate that you do wish to update files, the update function will be called and the program will terminate when it is completed. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 42 WHAT IS SHAREWARE? [Reproduced from a Publication of the Association of Shareware Professionals] This file will help you understand what shareware is and how the "shareware system" works. It was written by the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP -- a professional association of shareware authors) at the request of the Shareware Distribution Network (SDN -- an association of BBS Sysops providing reliable distribution of shareware around the world), for the express purpose of giving BBS users a better understanding of shareware. You've probably heard the terms "public domain", "freeware", "shareware", and others like them. Your favorite board probably has many programs described by one or more of these words. There's a lot of confusion about and between these terms, but they actually have specific meanings and implications. Once you understand them you will have a much easier time navigating the maze of programs available to you, and understanding what your obligations are, or aren't, with each type of program. Let's start with some basic definitions. "Public domain" has a very specific legal meaning. It means that the creator of a work (in this case, a piece of software) who had legal ownership of that work, has given up ownership and dedicated the work "to the public domain". Once something is in the public domain, anyone can use it in any way they choose, and the author has no control over the use and cannot demand payment for it. If you find a program which the author has explicitly put into the public domain you are free to use it however you see fit, without paying for the right to use it. But use care -- due to the confusion over the meaning of the words, programs are often described by others as being "public domain" when in fact they are shareware or free, copyrighted software. To be sure a program is public domain you should look for an explicit statement from the author to that effect. "Copyrighted" is the opposite of public domain. A copyrighted program is one where the author has asserted his or her legal right to control the program's use and distribution by placing the legally required copyright notices in the program and documentation. The law gives copyright owners broad rights to restrict how their work is distributed, and provides for penalties for those who violate these restrictions. When you find a program which is copyrighted you must use it in accordance with the copyright owner's restrictions on VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 43 distribution and payment. Usually these are clearly stated in the program documentation. Maintaining a copyright does not necessarily imply charging a fee, so it is perfectly possible and legal to have copyrighted programs which are distributed free of charge. Such programs are sometimes termed "freeware", though this term was in fact trademarked by the late Andrew Flugelman and the legality of its use by others could be questioned. In any case, the fact that a program is free does not mean that it is in the public domain -- though this is a common confusion. "Shareware" is copyrighted software which is distributed by authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors, and copies passed among friends. It is commercial software which you are allowed to try out before you pay for it. Shareware authors use a variety of licensing restrictions on their copyrighted works, but most authors who support their software require you to pay a "registration fee" -- the purchase price of the software -- if you continue to use the product after a trial period. Some authors indicate a specific trial period after which you must pay this fee; others leave the time period open and rely on you to judge when you have decided to use the program, and therefore should pay for it. Occasionally a shareware author requires registration but does not require payment -- this is so-called "$0 shareware". The shareware system and the continued availability of quality shareware products depend on your willingness to register and pay for the shareware you use. The registration fees you pay allow authors to support and continue to develop their products. As a software user you benefit from this system because you get to try the software and determine whether it meets your needs before you pay for it. Authors also benefit because we are able to get our products into your hands with little or no expense for advertising and promotion. As a result it is not unusual to find shareware products which rival retail software that costs several times the amount of the shareware registration fee. ASP members' shareware meets additional quality standards beyond ordinary shareware. Our members' programs must be fully functional (not crippled, demonstration, or out of date versions); program documentation must be complete and must clearly state the registration fee and the benefits received when registering; members must provide free mail or telephone support for a minimum of three months after registration; and members must meet other guidelines which help to insure that you as a user receive good value for your money and are dealt with professionally. We also provide an Ombudsman program to assist in resolving disputes between authors and users. For more information on the ASP or to contact the ASP Ombudsman, write to ASP, P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006. You can also contact the Ombudsman on CompuServe via an EasyPlex (electronic mail) message to 70007,3536. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 44 ASP MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS [Reproduced from a Publication of the Association of Shareware Professionals] The following are the general standards that ALL ASP authors (full members) have agreed to follow. Each was passed by at east a 2/3 vote of those members voting and is binding on all authors. They consist of a support policy, a policy on payments, a policy on no crippled software, an Ombudsman policy and some miscellaneous items: **** ASP Software Support Policy **** 1. All ASP members' shareware products must provide support (included in the purchase price) for a minimum of three months from the date of registration. If the support is by telephone, there may be a limitation on BOTH the total connect time and the period after purchase during which it is available without additional cost so long as the connect time is at least 30 minutes during the required three months. Support may be provided for a fee after this initial period has elapsed. The support policy must be clearly stated in the shareware documentation. 2. Support during the initial period may be one or more of the following: - mail support - telephone support (if this is the only support provided, at a minimum an answering machine must be available 4 hours per day; this support may be limited to thirty minutes of connect time at the option of the author) - for communications products, or ones associated to a communication product by BBS or major communications service - by any alternate method approved by the Board of Directors by a two thirds vote (of those directors voting) 3. The minimum level of support required by this policy involves answering questions and fixing serious bugs during the minimum three month period. For problems involving a specific hardware or software environment or feature, the author may choose not to modify the program. In that case, if the report is within three months after purchase, then the author shall offer to refund the user's purchase price. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 45 4. Any money sent to an author to register an unsupported product shall be promptly returned with an explanation that the product in question is no longer supported. 5. Known incompatibilities with other software or hardware and major or unusual program limitations are noted in the documentation that comes with the shareware (evaluation) program. **** ASP Registration Payment Policy ***** 1. The Documentation must clearly describe how to register the product and what goods and/or services the user will receive for registering. 2. Fees must be expressed in fixed monetary amounts. Voluntary payments or contributions may not be solicited, although phrasing such as "if you use and like this product, please register" is allowed. 3. Multiple levels of registration may be set, as long as each level individually satisfies the above two requirements. **** ASP Policy on No Crippling **** The principle behind shareware is "try before you buy." ASP believes that users have a right to try a fully functioning shareware program in their regular computing environment. Accordingly, ASP authors agree that: (1) The executable files (and/or items linked in with executables) in their shareware and registered versions will be the same (with the exceptions noted below) (2) All the program's features will be fully documented. (3) Registration encouragement procedures which in the judgment of the Board are either unreasonable or unprofessional are not allowed. Exceptions to a strict interpretation of this policy are as follows: - to save disk space, tutorial and additional explanatory material may be left out of the shareware documentation. - the shareware version may have registration encouragement procedures absent from the registered version (or which can be VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 46 disabled with a code only provided to registered users). - the registered version may include sample files not included in the shareware version. - if source code is offered with the registered version, it may be withheld from the shareware version. - the author may provide two shareware versions: one a small version which the author designates the distributed version in normal circumstances (e.g. language tools in C only available in one model) so long as the full shareware version is available from some public source (possibly for a small distribution fee) and may be copied for trial purposes. The small version's documentation must clearly describe how users may obtain the full shareware version. - the author may provide an enhanced retail version of the program so long as it is not (in the opinion of 60% of the BoD) merely an attempt to circumvent this no crippling policy. - registered users may be provided bonus utilities unrelated to (and which do not change) the basic functionality of the program. - registered users may be given utilities which provide a convenience but which are not essential. - exceptions approved by the ASP board of directors by a 60% vote of those voting. **** ASP Ombudsman Policy **** 1. The board shall set up the office of Ombudsman and appoint someone to that position. The Ombudsman's sole role shall be to mediate disputes between ASP members and their customers. The Ombudsman shall report to the board situations where he feels board action or knowledge is appropriate. 2. All ASP members and vendor associate members are required to cooperate with the Ombudsman when approached by him/her. 3. If the ASP logo or name is used by any full member in any ads/docs etc in connection with any shareware VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 47 program, then that member shall include the following statement with their shareware programs: "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" 4. This statement is only required if the ASP name is otherwise used by the author and it is only required in programs and/or versions distributed as shareware. It can be in any file provided with the shareware version of the program. In addition, members are free to include it in printed docs, ads and other mailings if they wish. 5. The first sentence may be replaced by "<Member's name> is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)." If an author's company is a company member, then the company name may be used instead of <member's name> if the policy applies. 6. If the ASP logo or name is used by any ASP approved vendor in any ads/catalogs etc , then that vendor must include the following statement with their catalogs and newsletters and is encouraged to include it with all disks sold: "Company X is an approved vendor and associate 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" **** ASP Misc. Standards **** The program has been thoroughly tested by the author and should not be harmful to other files or hardware if used properly. VIDEOCAT Version 7.2 Page 48 Any discussion of the shareware concept and of registration requirements is done in a professional and positive manner. The program author will respond to people who send registration payments, as promised in the program's documentation. At a minimum, the author will acknowledge receipt of all payments. The author will keep the ASP apprised of changes in mailing address and of any changes in the status of his programs.