Computer Buyer 1995 September/C_BUYER.ISO/winshare/colwin/colwin1.exe/MANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1993-01-01 | 30KB | 714 lines

                         Collect! for Windows

                        Version 1.0 Test Drive

                          Operation Manual

                  Copyright 1993 Alston Software Labs


I. INTRODUCTION

Collect! is a part database, part spreadsheet hybrid for collectors
of all interests. Webster's Dictionary defines a collector as "one
who collects as a hobby or investment." The simple database part of
Collect! will satisfy the hobbyist while the spreadsheet part will
allow an investment minded collector to quickly assess any part of
any collection.

We originally produced Collect! for DOS (text mode) and followed this
with a VGA-only version in 1991. We were asked by a collector to make
the original because this person found that there was no single tool
made specifically for collectors. What existed at the time was either
generic database products or simplistic "one collection only" programs
available via shareware -- and none of these had (or have) anything
for the investor. Our original charter was to produce a program that
would work with ANY sort of collection...

We'd like to think that we met the objective. Not only has Collect!
proved to be quite popular, it has received rave reviews in the press
and has been rated as "Excellent" by more shareware vendors than we
even knew existed when we started. Here's a quote:

"...a well thought out program loaded with incredible power, yet simple
to learn and easy to use." -- Shareware Magazine  (March/April 1993)

It was also nominated for the "BEST HOME/HOBBY" category (one of three
programs, NONE of which besides Collect! was oriented to collectors) for
the 1993 Shareware Industry Award. In short, is HAS been recognized by
many in the software industry as being excellent quality. Now we would
like to introduce the bigger, smarter brother -- Collect! for Windows.

Collect! for Windows offers many advantages over its' DOS counterpart,
and takes full advantage over the Windows environment to bring you the
best possible collector's tool.



II. TEST DRIVE INSTALLATION

We would prefer to work with a full Windows installer, but in so doing
the size of the program would exceed 360k. Even in today's world, the
average disk vendor (which is how many of you will see this) works with
a 360k disk image size. Also, even though 9600 BAUD modems are popular
the most common speed is still 1200 or 2400. Size limits ARE real, and
we tried to keep the program minimally sized -- we wanted you to be able
to get hold of the program on one disk or one download file so that the
price you pay to get and run the program is minimal. The tradeoff is
that you have to do some installing yourself. Remember you can always
call us at (209) LAB - 8666 if you run into a problem. Of course, the
registered version doesn't have distribution constraints, so when you
purchase Collect! it DOES have a full installer.

Here's what you do:

Unpack the archive file in a separate directory. Take the *.VBX files
and any *.DLL files and place them in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
Most of you have this on drive C:. An example? Sure? Let's say that you
have put a copy of the ZIP file in D:\Collect.

D:\Collect> copy *.vbx c:\windows\system
D:\Collect> copy *.dll c:\windows\system

(Start Windows)

D:\Collect> win

Once windows is started, open the FILE menu in the PROGRAM MANAGER.
Select NEW. Select PROGRAM ITEM, choose OK. Enter the following:

Description:   Collect!
Command Line:  CW.EXE
Directory:     D:\Collect  <----- in keeping with our example!
Shortcut Key:  (none)

Select OK. Collect will now be installed, and you can double-click the
icon to start as you would any other program.



III. GETTING STARTED

To understand Collect!, we'll need to discuss three concepts that are the
core of it's operation. Even if you are an advanced user, don't skip this
section -- there are some interesting twists applied here...

A) Databases

A database uses the concept that information will always follow a given
format.  This format breaks down the individual pieces of information
into blocks called "fields." Each group of FIELDS is called a "Record."
As a 'for instance', take the case of a mailing list:


                   /       Name         <--- One Field
                  |        Street
      1 RECORD   <         City
                  |        Zip
                   \       Phone


The above constitutes a RECORD. Each line of information is a FIELD. In
the case of a mailing list, the database uses the same format for each
and every RECORD, although the information in each FIELD will change
depending on the RECORD viewed. A Rolodex (tm) is a database.

Collect!'s information is likewise broken down into the same type of
format. Take a look at a possible scenario that would appeal to a Movie
buff:

                       RECORD EXAMPLE: (Movies Database)


       Title                  <---- 1 FIELD
       Star #1
       Star #2
       Director
       Producer
       Studio
           MPAA Rating
           Type of Movie


In this case we have organised the fields such that taken together,
they describe ONE movie. Each individual movie uses one RECORD of
information.  In  Collect!, these fields are user-programmable such
that you can name these anything you require.

B) Spreadsheets

A spreadsheet uses the concept of a two - dimensional (X/Y) grid:


        1      2      3       4       5       6       7

      A                  50000      SALARY

      B                  40000      TAX

      C

      D

      E                  10000 (A3 - B3)  PAY


The way it works is this: each coordinate, such as A1, D4, etc., is
referred to as a cell. Each cell can have data, or more importantly, a
FORMULA. For instance, A3 may contain your SALARY. B3 may contain your
TAXES. E3  could contain a  FORMULA such as (A3 - B3) to indicate your
BRING HOME PAY. Then again, maybe you really DON'T want to know these
things...

In Collect!'s case, some data is like that of a spreadsheet: it is
generated by the program, and is based on a series of formulas.


    FILE VALUE    --  The total value of items in this data file
    PAID OUT      --  How much you paid for items in this data file
    PCTG of FILE  --  The relationship between the value of THIS
                  item (that which is in the record shown on the
                  screen) and the entire file
    PCTG CHANGE   --  How much the value changed (of this item)
              relative to how much was paid
    AMT of CHANGE --  The DELTA ( value minus price)


More importantly, this is data you can SEARCH for with Collect! to
modify your search patterns. This data, since it will change from
record to record, is DYNAMIC. Dynamic data can be very useful in
searching: say, for instance, that as part of your search you need to
see items that increased in value by $40.00  since you originally
bought the item. This search pattern would then include the  PRICE
CHANGE  dynamic data field.

C) Templates

A template is little more than a how a series of fields fit together
for a particular collection. Movie collectors may want to record the
DIRECTOR, and this fits into a movie catalogue, but a STAMP collector
has no need for a director. In Collect!, there is a series of 8 fields
that you can define the name, purpose, and data type. Is this text, or
is this a number? There is also a pick list that you can use. The pick
list is a very powerful item in a data management tool. Rather than type
in redundant information record after record, a pick list simplifies
common data entry and keeps spelling error minimised. Take a look at a
sample file or two (provided on the distributon disk) to see how pick
lists are implemented. Essentially, the pick list is the definitive
categorization for any collection. In VIDEOS, for instance, we used this
to define the movie genre: Western, Comedy, Drama, etc. In MUSIC we set
this up to define the TYPE OF MUSIC: Classical, Country, Rock, etc.

It's not required to use all available fields, either. The important
thing to know is that the template can be set up easily by YOU to work
with the type of data you need.

To summarize, Collect! is a hybrid program -- part database, and part
spreadsheet. The database qualities help you keep organised records,
whereas the spreadsheet qualities help you get a good financial
understanding of your collected items. Templates are used to create the
database categories.



IV. MORE THEORY AND OTHER NOTES

Print Mask:

Collect! uses a PRINT MASK at any time data is printed. Simply put, the
print mask allows you to select what does and what does not get printed.
This is useful for a variety of purposes, such as printing a catalogue
but omitting the PRICE PAID field so that prying eyes don't know what
was paid for an item. Also, since Collect! stores pictures as well, you
may not want a catalogue full of pictures. Manipulating the print mask
is very simple: when you get the print mask setup window, just click the
check box next to fields whose information is NOT to be printed.

Addendum Files:

Collect! allows you to append pictures and text (and sound, in the
registered version) to EACH record. This is information that is too big
to try to put ALL of the possible pictures in memory at once. Addendum
files are simply filenames that you specify that hold any information
about a given item. You can see the use of these in some of the example
files. Each record stores the addendum filename that is germane to that
record, and each one actually used should be unique.

In actual practice, the use of these make Collect! more flexible than
you may realise. For instance, one company uses it to maintain a visual
parts inventory. The addendum files are used to hold a picture of each
part and any text (such as painting or assembly instructions) that is
pertinent. The sample MUSIC datafile uses the text portion to maintain
a list of songs available on each record listed. The sample PROGRAMS
datafile uses the picture portion to contain a screen shot of each
program.

Each text addendum can hold up to 30k of data, and it can be imported
from other applications. The data itself can be letters, instructions,
lists, and so on.


RAM Based Data:

Collect! is RAM based, meaning that most all operations are carried out
in the fastest possible manner. Most data management products use the
disk as the file source and read data from the file as needed. This can
be slow, and more importantly, it is difficult to get a conventional
database to  derive relationships from the various fields. Collect! uses
relationships between a price paid for something and the current value of
it, for example, to derive appreciation. This can be calculated quickly
by Collect! since all of a data file fits into memory, and not by doing
a read on every disk based data record. Data that is derived is called
DYNAMIC data, since it is based on a relationship and NOT something that
you have entered into a record. This is how Collect! can search for many
items at the same time (i.e. a complex search) and still do it quicker
than anything else out there.

The offset to this is a record per file limit of 5000 records. While on
the surface this sounds like a low amount, in practice it is more than
enough to work with the AVERAGE collection. Since Collect! can work with
an unlimited number of files, we've put a lot of emphasis on the ability
to manage these properly.

File Management:

Above we talked about the speed of Collect! searches. These can be quite
complex, using matching, inequality (i.e. less than or more than), or
range. Once you find your data, what do you do with it? For starters,
you can remove it from the present file and place it into another, and
you can append a copy to another file. Here's why: let's say that you
collect lots of antique items, but lately you've taken a special interest
in old jewelery. Well, you can keep these in your present data file and
search for them all the time, or you could search once and MOVE the
items of interest into a completely separate file. Now you have two data
files -- the original, which contains your entire collection data, and
the new one, which now contains your special interests.



V. OPERATING

As you start up Collect!, note that the screen is divided into logical
areas. To the left is "Contents of This Record" and it includes a series
of default data fields. The black-labeled fields are the ones you can
modify or define, and the red-labeled fields are built-in and cannot be
changed. To the upper right you'll see an area that will tell you about
the current file (if any) such as what template is being used, how many
records are in this file, and what record number is currently shown.

Underneath this is a scroll bar; this is used to move the view from
record to record.

The Add and Delete buttons are used to Add and Delete complete records.

Beneath these buttons are four pushbuttons with icons:

Graphics -- this will show any picture file associated with the record
that is on screen at the time. There MUST be a valid DOS filename in the
RED "Addendum Name" field.

Text -- this will show any text file associated with the record that is
on screen at the time. There MUST be a valid DOS fielname in the RED
"Addendum Name" field.

Statistics --  this is used to access and view statistical information.

Clipboard -- this is used to temporarily hold information from a record
(by copying) so that you can do less typing by duplicating it (pasting)
into an empty record.

The upper right of the screen has a small scroll bar that as you change
it, sequences through some of the possibilities of common collections
that Collect! can work with. This was done for one reason -- to show
that Collect! is good for a lot more than the examples we had room for.

The following is the instructions for the main menu. The convention used
here is the menu item, a separator, and the subitem. An asterisk (*) will
alert you to any notes.


The menu follows standard Windows conventions, including the use of
accelerator (shortcut) keys. Items that include an ellipses (...)
will bring up another window.

FILE

The file menu allows you to create, open, save, print, and rename data
files, and EXIT the program.

FILE | NEW -- allows you to create a new data file from scratch. You will
need to choose the template used from the file dialog box.

FILE | OPEN -- shows you a file dialog so that you can choose a file to
open.

FILE | SAVE -- saves an opened data file.

* if OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE has been checked, a backup file of the
same data will be written to the disk as FILENAME.BAK

FILE | SAVE AS -- allows you to save the open data file to disk under
another name.

* if OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE has been checked, a backup file of the
same data will be written to the disk as FILENAME.BAK

FILE | EXPORT -- writes the open data file to the disk as a comma
delimited ASCII file readable by a database or spreadsheet program.
An extension of *.CSV will be appended; it will write as FILENAME.CSV

FILE | PRINT

FILE | PRINT | CURRENT RECORD -- prints the record shown on screen, using
the print mask.

FILE | PRINT | ALL RECORDS -- prints the entire data file, using the print
mask.

FILE | PRINT | LAST SEARCH -- when enabled, this will print all items
found in the last search that was made using the print mask.

FILE | EXIT -- Quits Collect!


EDIT

The edit menu is only active when either the TEXT or GRAPHICS addendum
window is active. The top seven items pertain to TEXT operations, and
the bottom three apply to graphics-only operations. Note that the menu
items are disabled when they are not pertinent. For instance, PASTE
will be grayed out (disabled) if there is no text in the Windows
Clipboard to paste with. Text operations are Windows standard, i.e.
selecting, etc. If you do not know how to select text in Windows, please
refer to your Windows 3.x operation guide.

EDIT | UNDO -- this will "undo" a previous CUT or DELETE operation, and
acts as an "oops" selection for unintentional deletions.

EDIT | COPY -- this will copy any selected text to the Windows
Clipboard.

EDIT | CUT -- this will copy any selected text to the Windows Clipboard
and remove it from the screen.

EDIT | PASTE -- this will take text from the Windows Clipboard and place
it into the text window at the cursor position.

EDIT | DELETE -- this will remove text from the screen. You can change
your mind and choose UNDO to reverse the operation, but deleted text
does NOT go to the Windows Clipboard.

EDIT | IMPORT TEXT -- this allows you to read a separate text file and
add the contents to the text window. The File Open dialog will default
to the "*.TXT"  extension (in keeping with Windows Notepad conventions)
but it will read in ASCII text using any oher extension.

EDIT | SAVE TEXT -- saves the text in the text window to the file
specified by the "Addendum Name" data field. NOTE: COLLECT! DOES NOT
AUTO-SAVE TEXT OR GRAPHICS ADDENDA FILES. THESE **MUST** BE SAVED BY
USING THE "SAVE TEXT" OR "SAVE GRAPHIC" MENU ITEMS.

EDIT | IMPORT GRAPHIC -- See IMPORT TEXT above. The default extension
for importing graphics files is *.BMP, but files of WMF, RLE, or ICO
format can also be read.

EDIT | COPY GRAPHIC -- allows you to copy any graphic in the window
to the Windows Clipboard.

EDIT | SAVE GRAPHIC -- See SAVE TEXT above. Same rules.


FIND

The FIND menu caters to searching operations. It allows you to bring
up the search window, and after a search is made, manipulate the data.
Menu items are disabled (grayed out) if they cannot be used.

FIND | NEW SEARCH -- brings up the SEARCH window.

FIND | COPY TO EXISTING FILE -- this allows found data to be copied
from the open data file into another existing data file. You will need
to pick a filename from the file dialog box that appears.

**IMPORTANT**

Collect! does not check to see if the file you are copying data to
uses the same template as the currently open file. It is up to you
and your file naming practice to put data into similar files.

FIND | COPY TO NEW FILE -- this will allow you to name a new data file,
and Collect! will create it and copy the found data into it. It also
causes the new file to use the same template as the currently opened
file.

FIND | EXPORT -- this creates a comma delimited ASCII (*.CSV) file
that can be read by database and spreadsheet products. You will be
asked to provide a name for the new file, and Collect! will append
the extension for you. The file on disk will be FILENAME.CSV.

FIND | MOVE TO EXISTING FILE --
AND
FIND | MOVE TO NEW FILE --

See COPY TO EXISTING / NEW FILE above. The difference between COPY and
MOVE is that MOVE will remove the data from the opened file and place
it into the EXISTING or NEW file (whichever was specified.) COPY simply
places a copy of the data into the file and leaves the data in the
oringinal opened file intact.


OPTIONS

The OPTIONS menu allows you to edit and create templates, edit the
CONDITION file, specify file writing and printing options, and set
up the print mask.

OPTIONS | EDIT TEMPLATE -- this brings up a file dialog allowing you
to choose an existing template to edit. See TEMPLATE EDITOR.

OPTIONS | CREATE NEW TEMPLATE -- this will bring up a dialog to create
a new file name before bringing up the edit template window. See
TEMPLATE EDITOR.

OPTIONS | EDIT CONDITION FILE -- this will bring up the Edit Condition
window.

OPTIONS | FILE OVERWRITE CHECKING -- when on: this is used when you are
writing an addendum file to disk. When saving, the disk is checked to
see if another file of the same name exists. If so, you will be asked
if you wish to overwrite the file. When this is off, addendum files are
written to disk without checking first.

* This is an option that is TRUE or ON when checked.

OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE -- when on: when data files are saved to
disk, this will create a new file on disk that is a duplicate of the
original. The extension *.BAK is used.

* This is an option that is TRUE or ON when checked.

OPTIONS | PRINT USING MASK -- when on: enables use of the PRINT MASK.

* This is an option that is TRUE or ON when checked.

OPTIONS | SET UP MASK -- this brings up the PRINT MASK SETUP window.


HELP

This menu allows you to access the online help, print this manual, and
place an order for the enhanced version.


HELP | TOPICS -- brings up the online help window.

HELP | PRINT MANUAL -- prints this manual.

HELP | ORDER INFO -- brings up the order form window.

HELP | ABOUT -- about this program.



VI.  TEMPLATE CREATION USING THE TEMPLATE EDITOR

In the template editor there are eight fields and a pick list. Each of
these are defined by you. The fields can be either TEXT or NUMERIC
depending on which option you choose for each field. The text window
inside each frame is for you to give the field a name. This name should
be as descriptive as possible, and can be up to 35 characters long. If
a name is over 35 characters long, you won't be able to save the file.

The pick list is for entering the primary categorization of the item
that the template is about. By all means look at the supplied sample
files to see how this is done. The purpose of the list is to keep the
entry of your collection data simple. It also serves another purpose:
you cannot misspell something chosen from a list when searching.

Adding to the list is simple: just type what you want it to say in the
text box above the list, and choose ADD. The new item will be added to
the bottom of the list. Deleting a list item is also simple: choose the
item from the list to delete so that it shows up in the list box window,
and choose DELETE.

When you are done editing or creating the template, choose SAVE.



VII. EDITING THE CONDITION FILE

The condition file is a group of items in a pick list. This is something
used by all collections, (i.e. GLOBAL) so you don't have an individual
file for each collection type as with the template pick list. The idea
is that part of the criteria for collections is recording the overall
state or condition for each object. Some collectors use a numeric scale
like 1 - 10, others use text like POOR / FAIR / GOOD. You'll need to
decide what sorts of condition criteria your collection uses.

In addition, some collections (those that are catalogued but don't
necessarily require a condition to be noted) can use this file for other
purposes. For instance, we added a 5 star rating system so that the
sample VIDEOS data file could use this to rate movies. The CONTACTS
data file uses this to rate prospective clients.

It's up to you to determine what suits your needs, and hopefully we've
given you enough ideas to get started... and remember, you can certainly
add the condition criteria for multiple types of collections without
bogging it down. The whole idea is to make it EASY to enter data.

When in the condition editor: to add an entry to the list, type it in
the text box above the drop down list. Click ADD. The new entry will
be appended to the bottom of the list. To delete, choose the list item
so that it is in the drop down list window. Click DELETE.

When you are done editing the list, choose SAVE.



VIII. SETUP AND USE OF THE PRINT MASK

In the Print Mask window, you are shown a list of the available fields
next to check boxes. To prevent this item from being printed, simply
click the check box (an "x" will appear in it.) You can also click it
again to uncheck it if you change your mind. The CLEAR button will
uncheck all fields thus allowing EVERYTHING to get printed. The DEFAULT
button will check the PRICE PAID, PICTURE, and COMMENT TEXT items. OK
will accept all entries and close the window.

Notes:

Printing picture files takes time, and a new page of paper is always
used (to place the picture in the desired position. Likewise, printing
the text addenda files also takes more time. These items default to NOT
being printed since they are usually not used when creating a general
catalogue.



IX. SEARCHING

In the search window, the fields have a check box next to them. Clicking
a check box will tell Collect! that a search can be made. This brings up
a CRITERIA window that allows you to enter the data to sarch for. If the
field is numeric, you can search for MATCHING values, values LESS THAN or
GREATER THAN what you entered, or you can enter 2 values to initiate a
search for range: GREATER THAN the first value, and LESS THAN the second.
Text fields and lists are searched for MATCHING values only. If it is a
text field, the other options are disabled in the criteria window. Note
the IGNORE CASE check box: this will allow you to specify whether the
search should look for text EXACTLY as you typed it, or if it should
ignore letter capitalizing. When you are done filling in the values to
look for, just choose OK to close the criteria window.

All fields can be searched and the same process takes place on each one.
If you choose a check box that has already been marked, this has the effect
of clearing it. Just choose it again to re-enter a new search criteria.

If you choose the CLEAR button, all fields are forced into the unchecked
state and any search criteria is erased. If you choose the SEARCH button,
a search will be made through the data file on the checked fields.

Choosing DONE will close the window, but not erase it -- if you re-open
the window, it will be as you left it. This way you can either close or
minimize the window (and place it on the desktop) and not lose any data.

When a search is made, Collect! calculates the number of records found and
shows them in the window. A scroll bar will appear that will allow you to
scroll through the found records -- these will show up in the Collect!
main window. As you scroll through, the main window scroll bar also changes
to show a relative file position.

You can switch back and forth between the windows as desired, and operate
either scroll bar at any time. Just remember that the one in the search
window scrolls only through records found in the search.

See the description of menu operations about how to take found data and
copy or move it from the current file.



X. MISC. NOTES

The HELP and SEARCH windows can be minimized and placed on your desktop.
This allows you to do whatever you like and have relatively instant
access to the online help or search mode.

There is some other hints and tips in the online HELP section. The HELP
section is intended as a idea guide as well as plain help.



XI. SO WHAT DO I GET IF I BUY THIS?

This evaluation version of Collect! is pretty powerful, but there's other
stuff you can get when you buy it:

1. Sound Files -- yes, not only can you work with graphics and text in
Collect!, you can also add sound. Now you can add voice and music where
it's appropriate to do so: a MUSIC datafile, for instance.
2. Printing Enhancements -- we're talking customised headers, the ability
to create and print statistics and GRAPHS, and more.
3. Text Files  -- fonts and text sizes to increase readability.
4. Windows Help -- Real Windows hypertext help.
5. DRAG AND DROP -- you'd be surprised at how fast Collect! can be when
using drag and drop techniques to erase fields or records.
6. Maskable Clipboard -- allows you to be more selective with data transfer
between records.
7. Directory Control -- allows you to work in multiple directories so that
you are even better organised.
8. File Sort Utility -- allows you to sort data files on any field, and in
ascending or descending order.
9. Printed Manual -- never hurts to have documentation!
10. Discounts on other Alston Software Labs products.
11. The LATEST version, which may be enhanced beyond what's listed.



XII. SHAREWARE, DISCLAIMERS, AND CONTACT INFO

Shareware:

Shareware isn't a type of software, it's a marketing method. Companies
like us allow BBS's and disk vendors to make an honest dollar getting
easy to use, top quality software into your hands for as little as
possible. They help us with the marketing. This software is copyrighted
material, just like software that you get off the shelf at the store.
Typically, shareware is but one avenue of marketing. Our company, Alston
Software Labs, markets via shareware AND retail channels, for instance.
Many of our creative urges don't quite fit the mold of mass-market
merchandising, and sometimes we create stuff that only a very small
market segment would like. And sometimes we'd rather not deal with all
of the marketing gurus, and just make the software what we think it
should be... and most of all, shareware allows us to be in contact with
YOU, the customer, directly.

How this works is quite simple: you have an implicit license to EVALUATE
Collect! for a reasonable period of time (up to 45 days) to see if it
meets your needs. If you want to use it beyond this time, you'll need to
order the registered version, which gives you a license to use it. If
you don't want to register it, you'll need to remove it from your system.

Disclaimer:

Alston Software Labs makes no claim or warranty whatsoever as to the
fitness or suitability to purpose of Collect!

Contact Information:

Alston Software Labs
1320 Standiford Ave #242
Modesto CA 95350
Tel (209) LAB - 8666
FAX (209) 522 - 8666

    (800) 959 - 6298 Orders Only

Compuserve: 76040,2247
GEnie     : G.ALSTON5
Internet  : [e-mail]

Collect! and this manual copyright 1993 Alston Software Labs