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1996-08-06
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DJ-Pro
======
Introduction
============
Why DJ-Pro?
-----------
This program would certainly not have been written if I hadn't become
frustrated in trying to explain to my son (a professional DJ) why all
the various Shareware cataloguing programs that we explored just didn't
seem to do what he wanted. His requirements were simple:
* Simple data entry
* Flexible search ability
* Reasonably fast on older systems (like the one he can afford)
So ... since I am a professional mainframe programmer by trade, and
have owned and programmed PC's since the TRS-80 model I days, what else
could I do? I volunteered to write something for him; this program is
what developed.
What features it has, and doesn't have, are entirely based on whether my
son wanted it or not; if he didn't want it; I didn't code it; so blame
or congratulate him for its appearance. I'm making this available as it
is (now that I've had extensive looks at many of other similar Shareware
programs) since I feel there is a place for yet another one. If we were
frustrated by what was available, perhaps others were. Give it a try; it
might be what you're looking for.
Registration
------------
Currently I do not want any registration fee if you choose to use this
program. i.e., it is 'FreeWare'. However, I would like feedback. This
means criticism where it needs it; suggestions for improvement; problems
and bugs (I hope not); anything at all is welcome. Nothing is worse than
working in a vacuum. Mind you, if you find that it suits your needs, I
certainly wouldn't be offended by any contribution you might offer.
George Deluca
1428 Aspen Court
Burlington, Ontario
L7M 1E5 Canada
E-Mail: gdeluca@inforamp.net
Disclaimer
==========
This software is provided on an 'as is' basis. If it works for you and
is useful, great! If it doesn't, or causes you problems, all I can say
is that I will do my best to correct the problems if you report them to
me. I will not be liable for any loss of profit, data, or use of the
software, or special, incidental, or consequential damages. As with any
software, it is best to try it on your own equipment with non-critical
data before considering it for day-to-day use. O.K. legal junk over.
This Release (Version 1.2b)
===========================
This release is a replacement for 1.2a which snuck out the door with an
ugly bug which crashed the program when doing a LOCATE for an album
title. My apologies for letting this loose. Version 1.2a itself had a
couple of fixes for problems with the previous public release (1.0c)
which just proves you should never make that 'just-one-last' change;
it comes back to haunt you.
Changes and enhancements in 1.2a were:
* Two additional menu items under ScanFor; a scan for all albums from a
certain Label and a scan to produce a Total value for the collection.
* Three addition menu items under Print; a sorted list of Track titles
within Artist; a list of all albums by one Label and the ability to
produce an Insert for CD cases as well as for cassette tapes.
* A new option under Setup to allow customization of the colours used
for the screen.
* Removal of the restriction on characters greater than ASCII 127 in
the data fields. This should allow national language characters to be
used.
* A new print option under Setup to specify whether the printer
supports the IBM 'box' characters or not. If not, DJ Pro will use
'normal' characters to draw lines and boxes when printing Cassette or
CD Inserts.
Compatability with Version 1.0c
===============================
This version will handle access to databases created with version 1.0c.
There are a couple of new Setup Defaults which will be automatically
added to the database with default values the 1st time it is accessed
by this new version. Bacause of this, a database accessed by this new
version CAN NOT BE USED AGAIN WITH VERSION 1.0c. Therefore it would be
advisable to make sure you have a current backup of the database before
testing it with this new version.
Overview
========
DJ-Pro allows you to enter information about your music collection. It
has kept everything as simple as possible, as such, only basic
information is stored.
* For the album/record itself the following are maintained:
* A 10 character Album ID. This is typically the reference number
assigned by the publisher.
* A 1 digit 'sequencer' to handle sets of records (collections) which
all have the same Album ID.
* The Album Title (34 characters)
* The media code (2 characters) e.g. CD, TP LP, etc. Allowable codes
may be specified in the SETUP menu.
* Up to 4 8-character Formats. e.g. ROCK, DANCE, CLASSIC, etc. under
which you wish the album categorized.
* A $ value for the item (whole dollars only). A printed list of all
albums gives the total value of the collection. (Handy for insurance
purposes)
* A 16 character Label (publisher) field.
* A Note field (64 characters) for any comments about the album
For each track on the album, the following:
* Track Title
* The Performer/Composer
That's it! No provision is made for track times, composer or performer,
extensive notes, etc. If you really need that level of support, try
another program (and get frustrated like we did!)
Output Reports / Searches
=========================
Reports available (on paper) are:
* Alphabetical list of all Album Titles
* Alphabetical list of all Track Titles
* Alphabetical list of all Track Titles by an Artist
* Alphabetical list of all Track Titles of one Format.
* Alphabetical list of all Albums from one Label
* A 'J-card' Insert for a Cassette Case
* A '?-card' Insert for a standard CD case
On-line searches for:
* An Album Title (leading characters)
* A Track Title (leading characters)
* Track Titles by an artist (leading characters)
* A Track Title (scan)
* Tracks by an artist (scan)
* Tracks by a Label (scan)
* Sum value of all Albums
Installation
============
Installing the Program
----------------------
Just copy the DJPRO.EXE file to the directory where you wish to keep the
program. There are no auxiliary files needed to run the program itself,
simply DJPRO.EXE. But note that the program will expect to find and/or
create its' data file in the same directory and drive from which the
program was executed so you may want to keep it in its own directory.
Trial Run
---------
The simplest way to 'try out' the program is to execute it using the
sample database included on the distribution disk. If you have copied
DJPRO.EXE to a working directory, copy the sample database to the same
location. For example, if the distribution disk is in drive A: and you
have created a DJPRO directory on your hard drive (C:) then issue the
following command
COPY A:SAMPLE.MDB C:\DJPRO
To start your trial run enter:
DJPRO SAMPLE
Have fun. Try things out, you can't hurt anything.
Note: During testing you may notice the size of the database in relation
to the amount of data in it and become concerned that it is enormous.
Don't worry too much. The program uses Microsoft's ISAM access method
and this technique has a very large initial overhead. (e.g., it
allocates segments in 32K chunks) Much of w