Business Heaven/Business Heaven.iso/office/dbd/dbdial.doc

Text File | 1992-01-05 | 218.6 KB | 4,635 lines

                                          i





                                    Contents


               Legal notices                                          1
                  Express warranties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
                  U.S. Government restricted rights  . . . . . . . .  2

               Evaluation copies                                      3
                  Disk vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
                  Bulletin board operators (sysops)  . . . . . . . .  3
                  Colleges & teachers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3

               Registering dbDIAL                                     4
                  Volume discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
                  Site licenses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
                  Reseller discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5


               Part 1:  Getting started


               Chapter 1:  What is dbDIAL?                            7

               Chapter 2:  Installation                               8
                  2.1  Requirements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
                  2.2  Setting up dbDIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
                  2.3  A word to the wise  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
                     2.3.1  DOS 3.20 users . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
                  2.4  Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
                     2.4.1  Call Data Standard . . . . . . . . . . . 11
                     2.4.2  Mouse support  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
                     2.4.3  GRAB Plus  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
                     2.4.4  ZIPKEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
                     2.4.5  4DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
                     2.4.6  Task/Omni/DESQView . . . . . . . . . . . 12
                     2.4.7  Microsoft Windows  . . . . . . . . . . . 12
                     2.4.8  DoubleDOS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

               Chapter 3:  Starting dbDIAL                           13
                  3.1  Command line summary  . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
                  3.2  Program initialization  . . . . . . . . . . . 16

               Chapter 4:  dbDIAL as a TSR                           17
                  4.1  Loading considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . 17
                  4.2  Size considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
                     4.2.1  TSR hotkey selection . . . . . . . . . . 18

               Chapter 5:  Context sensitive help                    20

               Chapter 6:  The dbDIAL records screen                 22

                                         ii



               Chapter 7:  Configuration                             26
                  7.1  Database options  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
                  7.2  Modem configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
                  7.3  Prefix/suffix codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
                  7.4  Miscellaneous options . . . . . . . . . . . . 33


               Part 2:  Using dbDIAL


               Chapter 8:  Dealing with a dbDIAL record              37
                  8.1  Adding a record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
                  8.2  Editing a record  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
                  8.3  Copying a record  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
                  8.4  Finding a record  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
                     8.4.1  Incremental searches . . . . . . . . . . 38
                     8.4.2  Regular searches . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
                     8.4.3  Abstract searches  . . . . . . . . . . . 41
                     8.4.4  Note searches  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
                  8.5  GRABing an envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
                  8.6  TSR keyboard playback . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
                  8.7  Killing a record  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
                  8.8  Moving records to another database  . . . . . 43
                  8.9  Printing a record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
                  8.10  Utility options  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

               Chapter 9:  Dialing a phone number                    45
                  9.1  Dialing from dbDIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
                  9.2  Dialing numbers on the screen . . . . . . . . 46
                  9.3  Dialing a phone number  . . . . . . . . . . . 46
                  9.4  When the call ends  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

               Chapter 10:  Current time for area code               49
                  10.1  Viewing by area code . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
                  10.2  Viewing by state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
                  10.3  Viewing by zip code  . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

               Chapter 11:  Stopwatch timer                          51

               Chapter 12:  Dealing with every record                52

               Chapter 13:  Filtering out certain records            54

               Chapter 14:  Importing & exporting                    56
                  14.1  Importing data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
                     14.1.1  ASCII delimited . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
                     14.1.2  GRAB Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
                  14.2  Exporting data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
                     14.2.1  ASCII delimited . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
                     14.2.2  dBASE III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
                     14.2.3  Freeform  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
                     14.2.4  GRAB Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
                     14.2.5  SprintMerge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

                                         iii



               Chapter 15:  The TOLLNMBR.INF file                    64

               Chapter 16:  The TIMEZONE.INF file                    65


               Part 3:  Included utilities


               Chapter 17:  dbDMerge utility                         67

               Chapter 18:  Find-Dup utility                         68

               Chapter 19:  GRAB2DBD utility                         69

               Chapter 20:  SixSorts utility                         71


               Part 4:  Appendixes


               Appendix A:  Status & error messages                  74
                  A.1  Exit codes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

               Appendix B:  Helpful hints                            80
                  B.1  Invoking dbDIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
                  B.2  Common questions & answers  . . . . . . . . . 80
                  B.3  Special calling problems  . . . . . . . . . . 82
                  B.4  Hotels & credit cards . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
                  B.5  Disable call waiting  . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
                  B.6  One modem, two lines  . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

               Appendix C:  Notes for advanced users                 87

               Appendix D:  Troubleshooting                          89
                  D.1  Call history file problems  . . . . . . . . . 89
                  D.2  Modem problems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
                  D.3  DOS shell problems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
                  D.4  If that doesn't help  . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

               Index                                                 91


                                     Figures

               Figure 5.1: Context sensitive help screen . . . . . . 20
               Figure 6.1: Record selection screen . . . . . . . . . 22
               Figure 6.2: Main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
               Figure 7.1: Database configuration screen . . . . . . 26
               Figure 7.2: Modem configuration screen  . . . . . . . 30
               Figure 7.3: Prefix/suffix code configuration screen . 33
               Figure 7.4: Miscellaneous items configuration screen  .
                                                                     34
               Figure 8.1: Adding a database record  . . . . . . . . 37
               Figure 8.2: Incremental search in progress  . . . . . 39

                                         iv



               Figure 9.1: Dialing from a database record  . . . . . 45
               Figure 9.2: dbDIAL working with a PC-File screen  . . 46
               Figure 10.1: Time of day by area code . . . . . . . . 49
               Figure 13.1: File filtering submenu . . . . . . . . . 54
               Figure 14.1: Simple ASCII delimited file  . . . . . . 56
               Figure 14.2: ASCII delimited import screen  . . . . . 57
               Figure 14.3: Sample mailmerge blueprint file  . . . . 62
               Figure 14.4: GRABDB import screen . . . . . . . . . . 62
               Figure 15.1: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF file . . . . . . . . 64
               Figure 15.2: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF exceptions . . . . . 64
               Figure 16.1: Sample TIMEZONE.INF file . . . . . . . . 65
               Figure 17.1: Sample dbDMerge session  . . . . . . . . 67
               Figure 18.1: Sample Find-Dup report . . . . . . . . . 68
               Figure 19.1: Sample GRAB2DBD session  . . . . . . . . 69
               Figure 20.1: Sample SixSorts session  . . . . . . . . 72
               Figure B.1: Radio Shack parts for two-line switch . . 85
               Figure B.2: Diagram for two-line switch . . . . . . . 86


                                     Tables

               Table 2.1: Mandatory dbDIAL files . . . . . . . . . .  8
               Table 2.2: Optional dbDIAL files  . . . . . . . . . .  9
               Table 4.1: Hotkey values  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
               Table 9.1: dbDIAL screen-dial keyboard commands . . . 47
               Table 16.1: Time zone designators . . . . . . . . . . 65
               Table A.1: dbDIAL exit codes  . . . . . . . . . . . . 79








          _________________________________________________________________

                                    Legal notices

                                dbDIAL(tm) Version 1.0


                              ZPAY Payroll Systems, Inc.
                          th
                  2526  69   Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712


                  Support   (900) 88-HELP-8
                            8am-9pm Monday-Friday (Central time)
                            $2.00 per minute

                  Orders
                  only      [phone]
                            9:30am-5pm Monday-Friday (Eastern time)

                  Fax line  [phone]
                            24 hours a day

                  Compu-
                  Serve     send private mail messages to 70040,645

                  GEnie     send private mail messages to P.MAYER1

                  InterNet  send to [e-mail]

                  Telex     send to 3762848.  The first line of your
                            message must say "TO:EASYPLEX:70040,645"

          dbDIAL software & documentation Copyright 1990,91 by Barn Owl
          Software and licensed to ZPAY Payroll Systems, Inc.  All rights
          reserved worldwide.  Any specific hardware/software names used in
          this manual are the (registered) trademarks of specific com-
          panies.

          You may not modify dbDIAL in any way that changes the program's
          actual computer instructions without approval from ZPAY Payroll
          Systems.

          We strive to produce accurate documentation but we're only human.
          This manual may contain any number of typographical, graphical,
          printing, or interpretation errors.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                         2



          Express warranties

               "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 545 Grover Road, Muskegon,
               MI 49442 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe
               Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536".  The Ombudsman may be
               contacted by FAX by sending to the ASP FAX number:
               [phone].  In communication with the Ombudsman
               please include a telephone number and/or FAX if
               available.

          dbDIAL is offered under the shareware concept, in which users may
          thoroughly test the program before deciding to pay for it.
          Because of the diversity of conditions, hardware, and other soft-
          ware under which the program may be used, no warranty of fitness
          for a particular purpose can be offered.

          Physical materials (manuals, disks, etc.) supplied by ZPAY are
          warranted to be free of defects in workmanship for 90 days after
          purchase.  Users may return defective materials for replacement
          during this time at no charge.

          ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
          FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE TERMS OF THE
          EXPRESS WARRANTIES.  IN NO CASE SHALL ZPAY PAYROLL SYSTEMS'
          PRODUCT LIABILITY EXCEED THE MONETARY FEES PAID FOR THE RIGHT TO
          LEGALLY USE THE PRODUCT.


          U.S. Government restricted rights

          Use, duplication, or disclosure by the government is subject to
          restrictions as set forth in Rights in Technical Data and Com-
          puter Software para (c)(1)(ii), DFARS 242.227-7013 (10/88) and
          FAR 42.227-19 (6/87).  Contractor is ZPAY Payroll Systems Inc.,
                  th
          2526  69   Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712.

          Evaluation copies                                               3





          _________________________________________________________________

                                  Evaluation copies

          You may try dbDIAL on a 30-day trial basis to determine if this
          program meets your needs.  You must then either purchase your
          copy/copies of the program, or quit using it.

          You may give UNMODIFIED copies of dbDIAL to others so they can
          evaluate it for their needs, subject to the same restrictions and
          conditions above.


          Disk vendors

          The Association of Shareware Professionals sets standards for
          disk vendors if they wish to obtain "ASP approved" status.  You
          can learn more by writing to the ASP vendor membership commit-
          tee, 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442.

          ZPAY Payroll Systems, like many ASP members, lets ASP approved
          disk vendors distribute dbDIAL without having to ask first.  We
          send master disks to ASP approved disk vendors at no charge.

          If you are not an ASP approved disk vendor, please send a copy of
          your catalog along with your request to distribute our product.


          Bulletin board operators (sysops)

          Bulletin board operators (sysops) may offer unmodified copies of
          dbDIAL on BBSs and other electronic information services so
          others can download the program and evaluate it for their needs.


          Colleges & teachers

          ZPAY Payroll Systems is happy to help teachers offering courses
          on dbDIAL.  We can supply master disks & manuals as course
          materials.  Please contact us for more details.  Our address &
          phone numbers are on page 1.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                         4





          _________________________________________________________________

                                 Registering dbDIAL

          Please submit a completed registration form with proper payment
          to continue using dbDIAL after your 30-day trial period.  Look
          for the REGISTER.FRM file on your master disk.

          Your dbDIAL registration includes the following:

             * A printed manual and master disks;
             * Unlimited support via our toll support line (see page 1 for
               details);
             * Information on how to get a CompuServe IntroPak that waives
               the normal sign-up fee and gives you a $15 usage credit on
               top of it;
             * Help "beta test" future versions of dbDIAL before they are
               publicly marketed.


          Volume discounts

          The following discounts apply for regular orders.  Each package
          consists of a set of disks, a professionally printed manual, and
          the registration benefits shown above.  This is a per order
          discount, not an accumulative order discount.

             001 - 002 packages   00% discount
             003 - 009 packages   05% discount
             010 - 019 packages   10% discount
             020 - 049 packages   20% discount
             050 - 099 packages   30% discount
             100 - XXX packages   ask for details

          ZPAY Payroll Sytems accepts purchase orders (POs) only from
          schools, government agencies, and Fortune 1000 companies.  Please
          add a $10 processing fee on POs less than $100.


          Site licenses

          ZPAY Payroll Systems offers site licenses if you don't need
          manuals and technical support for each copy of the program you
          use.  We supply you with one "gold" disk & manual and give you a
          license so up to XX people in your organization can legally use
          the program.

          See the SITELIC.DOC file included with dbDIAL for more details.

                                                                          5



          Reseller discounts

          Please contact ZPAY if you resell software and wish to offer
          dbDIAL to your customers.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                         6



















          ______________________________PART 1_____________________________
                                   Getting started

          Chapter 1, "What is dbDIAL?"                                    7





          ____________________________Chapter 1____________________________
                                   What is dbDIAL?

          dbDIAL is a Rolodex-like database program designed to dial voice
          and fax phone numbers if you have a Hayes compatible modem.  It
          has the power to go resident in memory as a TSR, letting you work
          in other applications (like a spreadsheet or word processor) and
          call on dbDIAL without having to exit from the other program.
          Important details:

             * Menu-driven Rolodex-like application with mouse support and
               context-sensitive help;
             * Runs as a standalone program or as a fully functional 7k
               TSR;
             * Stores up to four different phone numbers per record and
               dials them if you have a Hayes-compatible modem;
             * Stores up to two billion variable length records and
               instantly sorts databases six different ways;
             * Write more than 2K of notes for each record in the database
               using a built-in professional text editor;
             * Plucks names & addresses displayed on the screen by other
               applications so you don't have to type them in yourself;
             * Switches between two databases with a single keystroke;
             * Compatible with GRAB Plus for DOS and GRAB Plus for Micro-
               soft Windows;
             * Stuffs names & addresses into the DOS keyboard buffer or
               into the Microsoft Windows clipboard at your discretion;
             * Dials numbers displayed by other applications -- it even
               dials "vanity" phone numbers like 800-IBM-DISK;
             * Displays the current time of day for any area code, sorted
               by area code or by state at your discretion;
             * Compatible with ZIPKEY, a powerful zip code lookup program
               available from Eric Isaacson Software;
             * Call-again reminders for each record help you follow up on
               contacts;
             * Speedy access to any record in the database using abstract
               or rigid search criteria covering every field (even the
               notes);
             * Incremental search capability locates records the instant
               you start typing a name or company;
             * Keeps a log of every call you make in a CDS-compatible file;
             * Record output language lets you merge letters, generate
               mailing labels, and export whole databases;
             * Powerful filter function temporarily "masks" records if they
               don't meet your criteria;
             * Utility functions let you move records to another database,
               delete the notes for every record, and so on;
             * Import and export data in different formats -- with or with-
               out notes.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                         8





          ____________________________Chapter 2____________________________
                                    Installation


          2.1  Requirements

          dbDIAL will run on an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible com-
          puter with a hard disk and one floppy disk.  You must use DOS 2.0
          or better and have at least 500k of free memory.  A Hayes-com-
          patible modem is optional.

          The following tables describe the necessary and the optional
          files which make up dbDIAL:

                          Table 2.1: Mandatory dbDIAL files
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
             DBDIAL.EXE    The main program file
             DBDIAL.OPL    A user interface "overlay" file
             DBDIAL.OVR    A user interface "overlay" file
          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          Chapter 2, "Installation"                                       9



                          Table 2.2: Optional dbDIAL files
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
             DBDIAL.HLP    The program's context sensitive help file
             DBDIAL.CDS    CDS call history file, but it can be any file-
                           name you choose
             DBDIAL.CFG    dbDIAL configuration file, but it can be any
                           filename you choose
             DBDIAL.DAT    dbDIAL database file, but it can be any filename
                           you choose (it must end with ".DAT" and have a
                           corresponding ".IX" file)
             DBDIAL.IX     dbDIAL database index file, but it can be any
                           filename you choose (it must end with ".IX" and
                           have a corresponding ".DAT" file)
             DBDIAL.PIF    Microsoft Windows 3.0 program file.  Consult
                           your Windows manual for information on how to
                           use a .PIF file.
             README.1ST    Contains late-breaking dbDIAL notes
             SAMPLE.BAT    Runs a sample dbDIAL session
             SAMPLE.DAT    A sample dbDIAL database so you can get started
             SAMPLE.*      Various other sample files so you can get
                           started
             DBDMERGE.EXE  Appends dbDIAL databases to create a "master"
                           database (see chapter 17)
             FIND-DUP.EXE  Reports on suspected duplicate records in a
                           dbDIAL database (see chapter 18)
             GRAB2DBD.EXE  Converts ZPAY's GRABDB databases to dbDIAL's
                           database format (see chapter 19)
             SIXSORTS.EXE  A conversion utility to make dbDIAL sort data-
                           bases six different ways instead of five (see
                           chapter 20)
             AVRY5260.LJ2  A mailmerge "blueprint" file (see
                           chapter 14.2.3) prepared for people who use
                           Avery 5160/5260 labels on a LaserJet or DeskJet
                           or compatible printer
             AVRY5260.PS   A mailmerge "blueprint" file (see chapter 14.2.3
                           prepared for people who use Avery 5160/5260
                           labels on a PostScript compatible printer
             AVRY5267.LJ2  A mailmerge "blueprint" file (see
                           chapter 14.2.3) prepared for people who use
                           Avery 5167/5267 labels on a LaserJet or DeskJet
                           or compatible printer
             CONGRESS.DAT  A sample dbDIAL database so you can call
                           senators & congressmen in Washington, D.C.
             DIR-ASST.DAT  A sample dbDIAL database so you can dial the
                           information operator for any area code in the
                           U.S.
             TIMEZONE.INF  A data file containing area code & time zone
                           details for the United States and Canada (see
                           chapter 16)
             TOLLNMBR.INF  A sample data file containing phone number
                           prefixes in your local area code which must be
                           dialed as a "toll" call (see chapter 15)
          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        10





          2.2  Setting up dbDIAL

          dbDIAL is easy to install.  Insert the first master disk in the
          appropriate floppy drive (we'll use the A: drive as an example)
          and type the following commands:

          A:
          INSTALL

          The installation program will ask where you want to install the
          program.

          Various sample files come with dbDIAL.  Feel free to play around!
          You can get a feeling for how the program works by typing "DBDIAL
          SAMPLE" at the DOS prompt.


          2.3  A word to the wise

               chronology (kra na"l'a jee) n.,  ...  2. the arrangement
               of events, dates, etc. in the order of occurrence  3. a
               list or table of dates in their proper sequence...
                                                                 nd
                                       -- New World Dictionary, 2   ed.

          You must set the DOS date & time correctly each time you boot up
          if you wish to keep an accurate log of the calls you make.  If
          you don't do it, your call history files will show calls being
          made on 1-1-80 just after midnight.  That's not right!

          Please don't change your DOS date or time while using dbDIAL.  It
          will be reflected in your call history files and could pose prob-
          lems later on.

          2.3.1  DOS 3.20 users

          Some people who use DOS 3.20 may already know about a weird bug
          in which the DOS date stays the same when the clock strikes mid-
          night.  dbDIAL relies on the DOS date when logging phone calls.

          We say "some" people may have this bug.  DOS 3.21 corrected the
          problem but, for whatever reason, some of them tell applications
          they are operating under DOS 3.20.  (Zenith's DOS 3.21 does this,
          among others.)

          Chapter 2, "Installation"                                      11



          2.4  Compatibility

          2.4.1  Call Data Standard

          dbDIAL is compatible with "CDS", the Call Data Standard, specifi-
          cation 1.0.  dbDIAL is classified as a [voice] communications
          program.  Please contact ZPAY if you want to learn more about the
          Call Data Standard.

          2.4.2  Mouse support

          dbDIAL works with Microsoft, Logitech, and compatible mouse
          devices.  The left button moves highlight bars and mouse cursors
          across the screen.  The right button works like the ESC key.
          Press both the left & right buttons to bring up context sensitive
          help.  If your mouse has three buttons, press all three to simu-
          late the CTRL-ENTER key.

          You must load a mouse device driver in memory before running
          dbDIAL or loading it as a TSR.  Consult the manual supplied with
          your mouse device for more information.

          Sadly, mice are untidy animals in the IBM PC world.  dbDIAL may
          not work correctly with extremely old versions of the Microsoft
          mouse device driver.  Ask the manufacturer for a software update
          if this happens.

          2.4.3  GRAB Plus

          dbDIAL works with GRAB Plus, a powerful envelope printing program
          available from ZPAY.  dbDIAL automatically detects if you loaded
          GRAB Plus in memory as a TSR and calls on it for you.

          Note: you must load GRAB Plus as a TSR before loading dbDIAL as
          a TSR.

          See below for details about compatibility with the Windows 3.0
          version of GRAB Plus.

          2.4.4  ZIPKEY

          dbDIAL works with ZIPKEY, a powerful zip code database utility
          available from Eric Isaacson Software.  dbDIAL automatically
          detects and uses ZIPKEY if it is loaded in memory as a TSR -- you
          don't have to configure ZIPKEY to work with dbDIAL.

          You can override the ZIPKEY defaults anytime by entering the city
          and state yourself.  dbDIAL fills them only if both fields are
          blank.

          Note: you must load ZIPKEY as a TSR before loading dbDIAL as
          a TSR.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        12



          2.4.5  4DOS

          dbDIAL is tested under the latest versions of "4DOS", a popular
          replacement for Microsoft's COMMAND.COM command processor.  (See
          the advertisement at the back of this manual.)

          2.4.6  Task/Omni/DESQView

          dbDIAL is compatible with TaskView, OmniView, and DESQView.  Load
          it like any program that writes screen data via the BIOS.
          (Consult your multitasking manual if you are unfamiliar with this
          concept.)  dbDIAL needs at least 500k of memory to run.  You
          should give it up to 640k if you can spare it because the program
          "grows" while working.

          2.4.7  Microsoft Windows

          Even though dbDIAL runs as a traditional DOS application, it DOES
          understand the Microsoft Windows 3.0 working environment.  The
          program can access the Windows "clipboard," freeing you from
          having to clip & paste text manually.  This means you can load
          both the DOS and Windows editions of GRAB Plus, for example.
          dbDIAL will load addresses into the clipboard if it runs under
          Windows, and will look for the GRAB Plus TSR under DOS.

          dbDIAL can also read directly from the Windows 3.0 clipboard when
          you write notes for a given record.

          If you want to use dbDIAL as a TSR with a DOS database program
          running under Windows, you must load/unload it as part of a batch
          file used to start the desired application.  Tell Windows to exe-
          cute the batch file instead of the database program.

          If you load dbDIAL in memory before Windows, you must take care
          not to press the program's hotkeys while working in a DOS window
          -- your system will hang if you try it.

          dbDIAL can't dial phone numbers displayed on a graphics screen;
          therefore it cannot dial phone numbers displayed by a Windows
          application.

          dbDIAL comes with its own Windows 3.0 .PIF file so you can use
          the program immediately.

          2.4.8  DoubleDOS

          dbDIAL is NOT fully compatible with DoubleDOS.  Intense screen
          bleed-thru occurs if you try to run it as the background task.
          (Consult your DoubleDOS manual if you are unfamiliar with this.)
          Run dbDIAL only as a foreground task.

          Chapter 3, "Starting dbDIAL"                                   13





          ____________________________Chapter 3____________________________
                                   Starting dbDIAL


          3.1  Command line summary

                                 DBDIAL  [options...]

          dbDIAL begins when you enter "DBDIAL" at the DOS prompt.  There
          are quite a few options you can use to alter the way the program
          runs, but don't worry.  Some are for advanced concepts, and some
          may not even apply to you.

             dbFile   Database filename.  The program looks for DBDIAL.DAT
                      by default but this option lets you specify another
                      name.  You can also specify a path if you wish.  The
                      file will be created if it doesn't already exist.

             /1[:bbbb[:ddd]]
             /2[:bbbb[:ddd]]
             /3[:bbbb[:ddd]]
             /4[:bbbb[:ddd]]
                      Modem connected to COMx.  You can optionally specify
                      the baud rate ("bbbb") and character transmission
                      delay speed ("ddd").  dbDIAL defaults to COM1, 1200
                      baud, 25ms delay.

             /8[y/n]  Toggle 8x8 font.  Toggles EGA/VGA "8x8" font to
                      provide more than 25 lines on a screen.  It only
                      works if an EGA or VGA monitor is present.  You can
                      optionally append a "Y" or "N" to this command to
                      force the 8x8 font into a specific mode (on or off);
                      otherwise it swaps the current state of the monitor.

             /9       Dial "9" for outside line.  Tells dbDIAL to dial "9"
                      for an outside line before dialing the telephone
                      number.  It initializes the default local and long-
                      distance prefix strings so they have a "9" as the
                      first character.  (You can change them if you wish.)

             /A       Local area code.  A matching area code will be
                      stripped from the phone number and treated as a local
                      call before dialing.  Note: prefixes & suffixex are
                      still appended if you specified any for the number.

             /Dx[:nnnn[:string]]
                      Default TSR drive, hotkey, & ID string.  dbDIAL
                      normally uses its own drive/hotkey/ID string or the
                      ones you declared in the "File/Change/Config/Other
                      items" entry screen, but you can override them with
                      this option.  You must also specify the /R option for

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        14



                      this command to have any effect.  See below for
                      detailed information.

             /E       Ignore EMS.  dbDIAL uses expanded (LIM EMS) memory if
                      available.  This command tells dbDIAL to ignore EMS
                      memory.

             /I       Ignore configuration files.  dbDIAL is geared to hunt
                      for its configuration file.  This option tells the
                      program to use its internal defaults.

             /KcfgFile
                      dbDIAL configuration filename.  You can optionally
                      specify a path to the file.

             /M       Memory allocation toggle.  Increases the size of the
                      program's TSR memory "swap" file so it can support
                      wildcard "*.*" filenames.  By default, dbDIAL limits
                      the size of the swap file so it can come up faster
                      when you press the TSR hotkey.  You may want to
                      specify this command if you have enough EMS or if you
                      store the swap file on a RAMdisk.

             /N       Noiseless operation.  Toggles the program into
                      silence at startup.

             /P       Prefix/suffix editing.  By default, dbDIAL lets you
                      edit the prefix & suffix code specifier for each
                      work/home/fax/other phone number.  This option turns
                      off field editing if you don't need special prefixes
                      & suffixes.  (You can also do this in the configura-
                      tion file if you wish.)

             /Q       Confirm quit.  dbDIAL normally exits without question
                      if you press ESC at the record selection screen.
                      This option forces the program to confirm with you
                      before exiting.

             /R       Load as a TSR.  See below for detailed information,
                      and see above for the /D and /M options.

             /S       Database save mode.  The program normally "buffers"
                      disk writes to increase speed.  This can result in
                      minor problems if you reboot or turn off the computer
                      when dbDIAL is still using a database.  This option
                      turns off buffering, at the expense of writing to
                      disk more often.  (It doesn't affect the speed of
                      disk reads, though.)

             /U       Unload from TSR status.  See below for detailed
                      information.

          Chapter 3, "Starting dbDIAL"                                   15



             /X       Ignore XMS memory.  Similar to the /E option, but it
                      tells dbDIAL to specifically ignore extended (LIM
                      XMS) memory if present.

             /X1      Single swap file.  dbDIAL temporarily allocates a
                      second memory swap file when it swaps out to disk, or
                      it permanently allocates about 1MB when it swaps out
                      to XMS.  (It always allocates the minimum memory
                      needed if it swaps to EMS.)  The /X1 option tells
                      dbDIAL to use a single disk-based swap file, or half
                      as much room in XMS memory as it normally uses.  This
                      can prove beneficial if you run low on disk space or
                      can't spare much XMS memory.  NOTE: this option
                      forces dbDIAL to load as a 11k TSR instead of
                      just 8k.  It also increases the time it takes for the
                      program to swap back into memory when you press the
                      hotkey.  See section 4.2 for more information.

             /XX      Choose XMS over EMS.  Some people have both EMS and
                      XMS memory.  When given a choice, dbDIAL chooses EMS.
                      However, this switch makes the program choose XMS for
                      its memory swap file.  Note: dbDIAL will still look
                      for EMS to hold its "overlay" file unless you specify
                      the /E option.  You should use /E instead of /XX if
                      you want the program to totally ignore EMS.

             /Z       Zoom memo notes.  By default, the program dedicates
                      only a few lines on the screen so you can see the
                      notes for each record in the database.  This remains
                      true even while you edit the notes -- but if you
                      specify this command, dbDIAL will "zoom" the memo
                      editor window so it takes up the full screen while
                      editing.  This gives you more lines on the screen to
                      see the notes.  (You can also set this option as part
                      of a configuration file.)

             /[x      Override color/mono detection.  dbDIAL sometimes
                      fails to detect the correct status of a color or
                      monochrome system.  Use /[C to force the program to
                      think in color; use /[M to force it to think in mono-
                      chrome.

          Syntax: You must put a space between each option.  dbDIAL accepts
          parameters in any order, but you should use /K first if you
          specify it.  And finally, you may use "-x" instead of "/x" if you
          wish.

          See appendix B for visual aids on starting dbDIAL at the DOS
          prompt.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        16



          3.2  Program initialization

          When dbDIAL starts up, it looks for the configuration file
          DBDIAL.CFG if you didn't specify one on the command line.  It
          searches:
            1. The default directory;
            2. The directory where the dbDIAL program is kept; and,
            3. The directories listed on the DOS PATH (consult your DOS
               manual if you are unfamiliar with this).

          Chapter 4, "dbDIAL as a TSR"                                   17





          ____________________________Chapter 4____________________________
                                   dbDIAL as a TSR

          When you run dbDIAL with the /R option to load it as a TSR, there
          are two separate "hotkeys" you can use to bring the program up.
          Each hotkey has a specific purpose which we'll get into in a bit.
          The defaults are ALT-0 (zero, not the letter O) and ALT-[ ... but
          you can change them if you wish.

          ALT-0 brings up the program just as if you had run it from the
          command line without the /R option.  You return to the underlying
          program as soon as you exit -- and it waits for you to press
          ALT-0 again.

          ALT-[ is a special hotkey: it lets you dial phone numbers shown
          on the screen of some other application.  This is useful if some-
          one sends you electronic mail to call a special number.  You can
          "pluck" it off the screen, dial it, and keep a log of the call.

          ALT-[ can also be used to designate the end of a call placed by
          either the ALT-0 or ALT-[ command.  dbDIAL will log the call the
          same way in any case.  Of course, you must be logging calls for
          this to work.


          4.1  Loading considerations

          Network users must load dbDIAL after any network shells.

          Multitasker users must load dbDIAL after any system managers like
          DESQView, OmniView, TaskView, or Microsoft Windows.  Loading
          dbDIAL as a TSR within a partition is fine as long as the parti-
          tion is at least 500k.

          GRAB Plus should be loaded as a TSR before loading dbDIAL.EXE as
          a TSR.  This lets you address envelopes just as if you ran dbDIAL
          in non-TSR mode.


          4.2  Size considerations

          dbDIAL is a large program yet it takes only 8k when running as a
          TSR.  In simple terms, the program leaves behind a small "kernel"
          and writes the rest of itself out to a hard disk, RAMdisk, EMS
          memory, or XMS memory.  This kernel waits for you to press the
          hotkey (ALT-0 by default), at which point it reads the rest of
          dbDIAL back into memory.  When done, the kernel swaps everything
          back out and waits for you to press the hotkey again.

          Note: dbDIAL's swapping process speeds up if it uses EMS or XMS
          memory or a RAMdisk.  It also uses less regular memory and swaps
          faster if you avoid the /X1 command line option.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        18



          You must satisfy one of the following conditions if you want to
          run the program in TSR mode:

             * 500k of free EMS memory to load as an 8k TSR; or,
             * 1MB of free hard disk space, RAMdisk space, or XMS memory to
               load as an 8k TSR; or,
             * 500k of free hard disk space, RAMdisk space, or XMS memory
               to load as an 11k TSR (via the /X1 command line option).

          Consult your DOS manual if you need more information about EMS/
          XMS memory or RAMdisks.

          If dbDIAL swaps to a hard disk or RAMdisk, it will allocate
          about 500k of space for a hidden file in the root directory.  The
          program will temporarily need 1MB of disk space when it actually
          swaps in and out of memory -- but you can get around this if you
          wish by using the /X1 command line option.

          If you want to use a specific disk drive for this purpose, you
          can accomplish it a few different ways:
            1. Generate a configuration file in which you explicitly set
               the "Default TSR drive" option; or,
            2. Use dbDIAL's /D command line option to specify the drive you
               want to use; or,
            3. Make the target drive the DOS default and then invoke
               dbDIAL.

          4.2.1  TSR hotkey selection

          If you want to specify a different hotkey value in dbDIAL, pick
          one key from the first section of table 4.1 and zero or more keys
          from the second section.

          When you've chosen the keys you want, add the numbers together
          and use the final result for the /D command.

          Chapter 4, "dbDIAL as a TSR"                                   19



                              Table 4.1: Hotkey values
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                                 CHOOSE EXACTLY ONE:
                 A = 30               1 = 02             <F1>  =  59
                 B = 48               2 = 03             <F2>  =  60
                 C = 46               3 = 04             <F3>  =  61
                 D = 32               4 = 05             <F4>  =  62
                 E = 18               5 = 06             <F5>  =  63
                 F = 33               6 = 07             <F6>  =  64
                 G = 34               7 = 08             <F7>  =  65
                 H = 35               8 = 09             <F8>  =  66
                 I = 23               9 = 10             <F9>  =  67
                 J = 36               0 = 11             <F10> =  68
                 K = 37                                  <F11> = 217
                 L = 38               - = 12             <F12> = 218
                 M = 50               = = 13
                 N = 49               \ = 43            <SCROLL> = 70
                 O = 24               ` = 41            <HOME>   = 71
                 P = 25               [ = 26            <END>    = 79
                 Q = 16               ] = 27            <PGUP>   = 73
                 R = 19               ; = 39            <PGDN>   = 81
                 S = 31               ' = 40            <INS>    = 82
                 T = 20               , = 51            <DEL>    = 83
                 U = 22               . = 52            <PLUS>   = 78
                 V = 47               / = 53            <MINUS>  = 74
                 W = 17                                 <PRTSC>  = 55
                 X = 45             <ESC> = 01          <LEFT>   = 75
                 Y = 21             <BS>  = 14          <RIGHT>  = 77
                 Z = 44             <TAB> = 16          <CNTR5>  = 76
                                    <SP>  = 57          <UP>     = 72
                                                        <DOWN>   = 80
                                                        <SYSREQ> = 84

                                CHOOSE ZERO OR MORE:

                      <ALT>  = 2048             <LT SHIFT> =  512
                      <CTRL> = 1024             <RT SHIFT> =  256

          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        20





          ____________________________Chapter 5____________________________
                               Context sensitive help

          Context sensitive help is available anytime by pressing the F1
          key.  Don't know what a particular data entry field or menu item
          is for?  Move the highlight bar over the item in question and
          press F1.  It's that simple.

          If you have a mouse, you can press the left & right buttons
          simultaneously instead of F1.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
/----------------------------|Editing Record # 527|----------------------------\
| Mr/Mrs/etc. [Mr.            ]                                                |
|/-------------------- Tag fields --------------------\                        |
||                 M = mayor                                                  |
||                 S = senator                        |                        |
||                                                    |]                       |
|| If you wanted to do something with all the records |                        |
|| for federal elected politicians, you could set the |                        |
|| File/Filter option so tag field #1 equals "F".     |]               12345   |
|| When dbDIAL begins filtering the database, only    |          Tags [     ]  |
|| the federal records will be displayed.  It's as if | ]    Suffix [ ]        |
|| no other records exist in the database.  If you    # ]    Suffix [ ]        |
|| perform any global database functions, only the    | ]    Suffix [ ]        |
|| filtered records themselves will be affected.  All | ]    Suffix [ ]        |
|| other records will be ignored.                     |  Last call [11-04-91]  |
||                                                    |------------------------|
|| Let's suppose you want to do something only with   |e" around the second    |
|| the records for your U.S. senators.  You can set   | Contact him at CIS PPN |
|| up the File/Filter option so tag field #1 equals   |                        |
|| "F" and tag field #2 equals "S".  dbDIAL will      |                        |
|| filter out all but the federal senators.                                   |
|\|F1 for more help|--------------|PgUp/PgDn for more|/                        |
|                                                                              |
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------/
 <F1> HELP   <CTRL-Y> Clear   <CTRL-R> Restore   <CTRL-ENTER> Done   <ESC> Quit
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                      Figure 5.1: Context sensitive help screen

          Many help topics contain more information than the window can
          show at one time.  If so, you'll see a message in the lower right
          corner of the window telling you to press PgUp or PgDn to see
          more text.  If you have a mouse device, put the mouse cursor on
          the up/down arrows (located on the right side of the help window)
          and press the left mouse button.

          In some cases you may find the help screen has its own highlight
          bar.  Use the cursor keys to move this bar so it covers a topic
          of interest, and press ENTER.  The program will then display help
          on the related topic.  You can pick & choose your way through all
          the various help topics pertaining to the original subject.

          Chapter 5, "Context sensitive help"                            21



          You can rapidly "flip back" through previous help topics by
          pressing ALT-F1.

          Keep an eye on the bottom left corner of the help window to see
          if you can press F1 again for even more help.  Doing so gives you
          access to major topics of interest in the program.  Move the
          highlight bar over a topic and press ENTER.

          Press ESC when finished.  You'll be right where you left off in
          the program.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        22





          ____________________________Chapter 6____________________________
                              The dbDIAL records screen

          When you start dbDIAL or press its hotkey to invoke it as a TSR,
          you'll see a screen much like this:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA            Choose a record                 Sort: Person
/--------------------------------------------------------------------|09:11:08|\
|Last name            Company              City       St Last call Next call N |
|<None>               375 MAW/PA           Scott AFB  IL                       |
|<None>               800 Directory Assist               02-20-91            v/ |
|<None>               ABC Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<None>               Altex Electronics                  08-29-90            v/ |
|<None>               American Express Cor               08-24-90              |
|<None>               AT&T Billing Dept.   Orlando    FL                     v/ |
|<None>               AT&T Business Office Itasca     IL                       |
|<None>               Avery                Schaumburg IL                       |
|<None>               B.Dalton Bookstore   Fairview H IL 11-21-90              |
|<None>               Boatman's Bank       O'Fallon   IL                       |
|<None>               Business One Irwin   Homewood   IL                       |
|<None>               Call Management Prod Broomfield CO 09-04-90            v/ |
|<None>               Capitol Advantage    McLean     VA 11-01-90            v/ |
|<None>               Capri Sun, Inc.      San Mateo  CA 05-21-90            v/ |
|<None>               Caseyville R&P, Inc. Fairview H IL                       |
|<None>               CBS Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<None>               Central Bank & Trust Fort Worth TX                       |
|<None>               Channel 1 BBS                      12-01-90              |
|<None>               Charge-It System     North Subu IL                     v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|408 records|/
 F1=HELP    F2=Add  F3=Edit  F4=Kill  F5=Find  F6-F9=Grab  F10=Menu    ESC=Quit
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                         Figure 6.1: Record selection screen

          Each line of information on the screen represents one person in
          the dbDIAL database.  One line is always highlighted -- this is
          known as the "highlight bar" and it designates the current
          record.  Most of the program's functionality pertains to the
          current record.

          The following keys will set the current record appropriately:

               Down Arrow  Moves the highlight bar one line down

               Up Arrow    Moves the highlight bar one line up

               PgDn        Shows the next screen of records in the
                           database

               PgUp        Shows the previous screen of records in the
                           database

          Chapter 6, "The dbDIAL records screen"                         23



               Home        Moves the highlight bar to the first record
                           in the database (with respect to the current
                           sorting and filtering methods)

               End         Moves the highlight bar to the last record
                           in the database (with respect to the current
                           sorting and filtering methods)

          In most cases you can just start typing the first few characters
          of the person's name or company.  dbDIAL will instantly move the
          highlight bar to the closest match based on your input.  (See
          chapter 8.4.1 for details.)

          Press ENTER or F10 when you position the highlight bar on the
          correct record.  This invokes the dbDIAL main menu so you can
          call the person, write notes, etc.  Use the cursor keys or a
          mouse device to select a menu command, or press any capitalized &
          highlighted letter.  This will make the program perform the
          selected menu function:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:15:04|\
|/------------------------------- 375 MAW/PA -------------------------------\N |
|| File   Record   Dial   Time   Ended   Help   Quit   Shell                |  |
|\------------------------------------------------------------ version 1.02 /v/ |
|<N| Before |         ABC Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<N| Change |         Altex Electronics                  08-29-90            v/ |
|<N| Export |         American Express Cor               08-24-90              |
|<N| Filter |         AT&T Billing Dept.   Orlando    FL                     v/ |
|<N| Import |         AT&T Business Office Itasca     IL                       |
|<N| Print  |         Avery                Schaumburg IL                       |
|<N| Sorts  |         B.Dalton Bookstore   Fairview H IL 11-21-90              |
|<N| Utils /-- Global --\tman's Bank       O'Fallon   IL                       |
|<N\-------| Case notes/------------\win   Homewood   IL                       |
|<None>    | Details   | Mixed case | Prod Broomfield CO 09-04-90            v/ |
|<None>    | Kill notes| Upper case |ge    McLean     VA 11-01-90            v/ |
|<None>    | Mailmerge \------------/      San Mateo  CA 05-21-90            v/ |
|<None>    | Name split |eyville R&P, Inc. Fairview H IL                       |
|<None>    | Pack-purge | Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<None>    | Zipkey     |tral Bank & Trust Fort Worth TX                       |
|<None>    \------------/nnel 1 BBS                      12-01-90              |
|<None>               Charge-It System     North Subu IL                     v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|408 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                                Figure 6.2: Main menu

             The "File" submenu brings up a number of database options
             fully described in chapter 12.

             The "Record" submenu brings up a number of options fully
             described in chapter 8.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        24



             The "Dial" submenu lets you pick which number you want to dial
             (work, home, fax, other) via your modem.  This option is
             protected from selection if no phone numbers are stored in the
             current record.  See chapter 9.

             "Time" lets you view the current time of day for any area
             code, and it also offers a "stopwatch" capability when you
             need to time a certain event.  See chapters 10 and 11.

             "Ended" logs the end of a call (for reporting purposes).  This
             option is protected from selection unless a call is currently
             in progress.  See chapter 9.4.

             "Help" brings up a useful context sensitive help facility so
             you can learn more about dbDIAL.  See chapter 5 for more
             information.  NOTE: you can press F1 at any menu or submenu or
             data entry field and receive instant details on what it's for.
             (That's what they mean by "context sensitive help.")

             "Quit" terminates dbDIAL and returns you to the DOS prompt.

             The "Shell" menu item lets you temporarily "shell to DOS" so
             you can perform other chores.  This option is protected from
             selection if no phone numbers are stored in the current
             record.  When done, type "EXIT" and press ENTER.  You'll be
             right where you left off.

          Some of the menu functions have "shortcut keys" you can use to
          make life easier:

               F1          Bring up context sensitive help

               ALT-A
               F2          Add a new dbDIAL record

               ALT-D
               ENTER
               F10         Bring up the dbDIAL main menu so you can
                           dial a phone number (or do anything else for
                           that matter)

               ALT-E
               F3          Edit the current dbDIAL record

               ALT-F
               F5          Find a dbDIAL record

               ALT-H       Just hung up on current phone call

               ALT-K
               F4          Kill the current dbDIAL record

               ALT-N       Find record based on string in notes field

          Chapter 6, "The dbDIAL records screen"                         25



               ALT-O       Temporarily drop to DOS

               ALT-S       Reset the database to the default sorting
                           sequence

               ALT-T       Display current time for every area code

               ALT-X
               CTRL-C      Quit, return to dbDIAL's main menu

               F6
               F7
               F8
               F9          Display the current record in various
                           formats suitable for printing on envelopes
                           (useful for those who use GRAB Plus)

               ALT-F6
               ALT-F7
               ALT-F8
               ALT-F9      Similar to the F6-F9 commands shown above,
                           but they feed addresses to an underlying
                           program as a sequence of keystrokes (useful
                           for typing names & addresses in a word pro-
                           cessing document)

               ALT-F10     Similar to ALT-F6 through ALT-F9, but it
                           only feeds telephone numbers into the key-
                           board

               CTRL-N      Find record based on an abstract string of
                           characters contained anywhere in the record
                           (not just in a particular field or in the
                           notes)

               CTRL-F3     Switch to previous database

               CTRL-F4     Switch to a database you name

               CTRL-F5     Continue searching on prior ALT-F or F5
                           entry

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        26





          ____________________________Chapter 7____________________________
                                    Configuration


          7.1  Database options

          If you choose the "File/Change/Config/Database" item from the
          main menu, the following data entry screen will appear:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:16:33|\
|/----------------------|Database options|-----------------------\ Next call N |
|| Database: \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA.DAT                                          |
|| Database sort #: 1     Log each call: Y    Cond upper case: Y #           v/ |
||  Remind to call: Y   Log local calls: Y   Edit notes first: Y |             |
||  TSR replay ph#: Y   Log as business: N    Print the notes: Y |           v/ |
|| Last name first: N   Unique log file: N   Zoom note editor: N |             |
|| Call time alarm: 120  Logged by name: Y     Menu shows ph#: Y |           v/ |
|| Local area code: 813                                          |             |
||                                                               |             |
|| FIELD #   TITLE      EDIT       DISPLAY LENGTH                |             |
|| Field #0  Mr/Mrs/etc.  Y           N       4                  |             |
|| Field #1  Last name    Y           Y      20                  |             |
|| Field #2  First name   Y           Y      20                  |           v/ |
|| Field #3  Company      Y           Y      20                  |           v/ |
|| Field #4  Address #1   Y           N      35                  |           v/ |
|| Field #5  Address #2   Y           N      35                  |             |
|| Field #6  City         Y           Y      10                  |             |
|| Field #7  State        Y           Y       2                  |             |
|| Field #8  Zip          Y           N       5                               |
|\-----------------|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|------------------/           v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|408 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                      Figure 7.1: Database configuration screen

          This screen contains more information than you can see at one
          time; the window scrolls so you can gain access to all the
          fields.  A scroll bar on the right side of the window frame gives
          you a relative idea of where you sit in the data entry screen.

          Here is a breakdown of each item and its function:

             "Database:" the name of the database currently in use.  For
             information only; you cannot change it from this screen.

             "Database sort #:" is the default sorting sequence for your
             database.  Here are the values you can assign:

               1. Person's name

          Chapter 7, "Configuration"                                     27



               2. Company name
               3. Zip code
               4. Date of last call
               5. Date to call again
                                        1
               6. Social Security number

             "Remind to call:"  Each time you open a database, dbDIAL
             checks today's date against the earliest date you must next
             call someone and lets you know if you're due (or overdue!) for
             a follow-up call.  You can disable this check by pressing "N".

             "TSR replay ph#:"  If you press ALT-F6 through ALT-F9 while
             dbDIAL runs as a TSR, it plays back the name & address of the
             current record into your keyboard buffer (see chapter 8.6 for
             details).  This option dictates whether the phone numbers for
             the current record also play back into the keyboard.

             "Last name first:"  Many people have gotten used to seeing
             first names first on data entry screens, but not everyone.
             Press "Y" if you want last names to come first.

             "Call time alarm:"  Sets an alarm to beep at regular intervals
             while you talk on the phone.  The value is in seconds; the
             default is 120 seconds (two minutes).  This serves two
             purposes.  First, it tells you the length of the call -- use-
             ful for salesmen who must "close the deal" in a set amount of
             time.  Second, it reminds you in case you forgot to press
             ALT-H to tell dbDIAL you hung up on the call.  Set this value
             to zero if you don't want to be reminded of your calls at
             regular intervals.

             "Local area code:" tells the program to ignore a specific area
             code and treat the number as a local call -- especially useful
             if you take dbDIAL on road trips.  Consider a businessman who
             flies around the country.  Today he may land in New York,
             tomorrow in St. Louis.  No matter where he is, he must call
             the people in his database.  When he gets to New York, he sets
             this option to "212"; dbDIAL then dials those numbers as local
             calls.  When the businessman arrives in St. Louis, he enters
             "314".

             "Log each call:" dictates whether dbDIAL keeps a log of calls.

             "Log local calls:" dictates if local calls are logged.  Has no
             effect unless you keep a log of calls (see above).




          _________________________________________________________________
          1. Allowed as a sorting option only if you run the SixSorts
             utility.  See page 71.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        28



             "Log as business:" tells dbDIAL if you're dialing a call
             specifically for business reasons.  This is most useful if you
             want to generate a separate report for business calls,
             possibly for income tax purposes.  Has no effect unless you
             keep a log of calls (see above).

             "Unique log file:"  dbDIAL normally keeps a log of your calls
             in xxx.CDS, where "xxx" is the name of the database.  Press
             "Y" if you want to create a unique log file for each person
             instead.  Has no effect unless you keep a log of calls (see
             above).  Note: Log files always reside in the same directory
             with the database.

             "Logged by name:" dictates whether unique .CDS filenames are
             generated with the first eight characters of each person's
             name.  If you press "N", the filename comprises the first
             eight characters of the company name.  Has no effect unless
             you activate both the "Log all calls" and "Unique log file"
             options (see above).

             "Cond upper case:" dictates if you want dbDIAL to condition-
             ally capitalize text while you edit a record.  If you entered
             "148 white pine drive" in an address field, the program would
             assume you meant "148 White Pine Drive".  This is extremely
             useful if you hold the phone in one hand and type with the
             other.  Some notes on the capitalization technique:

                * Conditional capitalization occurs only for these fields:
                    1. Title
                    2. First & last name
                    3. Company
                    4. Address
                    5. City
                * Letters are capitalized only if typed after a space or a
                  hyphen.
                * ALT-C toggles auto-capitalization on & off when you edit
                  a record.

             "Edit notes first:"  Whenever you edit an existing record,
             dbDIAL assumes you want to edit the notes first.  Set this to
             "N" if you want to edit the first field on the screen instead.

             "Print the notes:" specifies if you want to print the notes
             field when you choose to print a record.  Notes can get
             lengthy and not everyone needs to print them out in every
             case.

             "Zoom note editor:" tells dbDIAL if you want to use full-
             screen editing when you modify the notes for any record.  If
             you specify "N", the program will use the top half of the
             screen to display the rest of the record.  You can toggle this
             on & off by pressing ALT-Z while editing a notes field.

          Chapter 7, "Configuration"                                     29



             "Menu shows ph#:" controls whether telephone numbers display
             on the main menu when you want to dial someone.

             "FIELD #", "TITLE", "EDIT", "DISPLAY", and "LENGTH" fields
             control characteristics for each data field in a dbDIAL
             record.

                "Title" describes each field on the data entry screen.  You
                can alter it to suit your needs.

                "Edit" specifies if you want to view/edit the corresponding
                field on the data entry screen.  If you set this to "N" to
                turn off editing for a particular field, be sure to set the
                corresponding "display" field to "N" as well.

                "Display" determines if the field shows up as part of the
                record selection screen, and "Length" dictates how many
                characters to use for the field on the record selection
                screen. Note: you can show up to 255 characters per record
                on the screen, even though it may not all fit at one time.
                Just press the left & right arrow keys to scroll the
                display horizontally.

          Press CTRL-ENTER to put your changes into effect.  Press ESC if
          you don't want to use the modifications you made.


          7.2  Modem configuration

          You can configure dbDIAL for your modem by choosing the "File/
          Change/Config/Modem" option from the main menu.  The following
          data entry screen will appear:

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        30



          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:17:44|\
|/--------------------|Modem install|---------------------\st call Next call N |
||           Have modem: Y                                |                    |
||             COM port: 1   Speed:  1200   Delay:  25    |-20-91            v/ |
||         Init command:                                  |                    |
||         Dial command: ATDT                             |-29-90            v/ |
||       Hangup command: ATH0                             |-24-90              |
||                                                        |                  v/ |
|| Local default prefix:                                  |                    |
|| Local default suffix:                                  |                    |
||  Toll default prefix: 1-                               |-21-90              |
||  Toll default suffix:                                  |                    |
||    LD default prefix: 1-                               |                    |
||    LD default suffix:                                  |-04-90            v/ |
|| Other default prefix:                                  |-01-90            v/ |
|| Other default suffix:                                  |-21-90            v/ |
|\--------------|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|--------------/                    |
|<None>               CBS Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<None>               Central Bank & Trust Fort Worth TX                       |
|<None>               Channel 1 BBS                      12-01-90              |
|<None>               Charge-It System     North Subu IL                     v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|408 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                       Figure 7.2: Modem configuration screen

          Use the cursor keys to move between fields and feel free to press
          F1 if you need specific help.  Here's a rundown of each data
          field and its significance to the program:

             "Have modem:" tells the software if you have a modem hooked up
             to your computer.  You must set this to "Y" if you want dbDIAL
             to dial the telephone for you.

             "COM port:" specifies what serial port your modem uses.  DOS
             normally recognizes them as COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.  Just
             enter the numeric value -- 1, 2, 3, or 4.  dbDIAL defaults to
             1, meaning it will look for the modem on COM1.  [This option
             can be specified with a command line switch.  See
             chapter 3.1.]

             "Speed:" refers to the baud rate your modem understands.
             Typical values are 300, 1200, and 2400.  The default is 1200.
             [This option can be specified with a command line switch.  See
             chapter 3.1.]

             "Delay:" dictates the number of milliseconds dbDIAL must pause
             after sending each character to your modem.  Some modems
             accept commands faster than they can interpret them: this
             option slows things down for the modem.  The default is a 25ms

          Chapter 7, "Configuration"                                     31



             pause between each character.  [This option can be changed
             with a command line switch.  See chapter 3.1.]

             "Init command:" is the first string of characters sent to the
             modem when you dial a call.  This is blank by default.  Common
             settings are "ATM1" (turns the modem's speaker on), "ATZ"
             (resets the modem), or "ATS7=60" (tells the modem to wait 60
             seconds before automatically hanging up).  Consult your modem
             handbook for details if you want to learn more about the Hayes
             AT command set.

             "Dial command:" is the first part of the string of characters
             sent to your modem to dial a phone number.  dbDIAL defaults to
             "ATDT".  You must change this to "ATDP" if you have only
             rotary dial service.  Consult your modem handbook for more
             details about the Hayes AT command set.

             "Hangup command:" is sent to the modem to tell it to hang up
             once you've picked up the receiver.  This is "ATH0" by
             default.  Consult your modem handbook for more details about
             the Hayes AT command set.

             "Local default prefix:" specifies a string of characters you
             want appended to the front of the dialed phone number.  The
             string is included only when dbDIAL recognizes the number as
             being local.  It is blank by default but, if you use the /9
             option (see chapter 3.1), it will be initialized to "9-" so
             you can get an outside line.

             "Local default suffix:" works like the local default prefix
             described above, but it goes at the end of the dialed number.
             This string goes to the modem only if dbDIAL recognizes the
             number as being local.  It is always blank by default.  You
             might use this field if you dial local calls with a credit
             card, for example.

             "Toll default prefix:" is a string of characters appended to
             the front of the phone number you wish to dial.  The string is
             included only when dbDIAL recognizes the number as being toll.
             It is set to "1-" by default but, if you use the /9 option
             (see chapter 3.1), it will be initialized to "9,1-" so you can
             get an outside line.

             "Toll default suffix:" is like the toll default prefix
             described above, but the string is appended to the back of the
             phone number you wish to dial.  The string is included only
             when dbDIAL recognizes the number as being toll.  It is always
             blank by default.  You might use this field if you dial calls
             with a credit card, for example.

             "LD default prefix:" is a string of characters appended to the
             front of the phone number you wish to dial.  The string is
             included only when dbDIAL recognizes the number as being
             dialed with an area code (thus being long distance).  It is

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        32



             "1-" by default but, if you use the /9 option (see
             chapter 3.1), it will be initialized to "9,1-" so you can get
             an outside line.

             "LD default suffix:" is like the long distance default prefix
             described above, but the string is appended to the back of the
             phone number you wish to dial.  The string is included only
             when dbDIAL recognizes the number as being dialed with an area
             code (thus being long distance).  It is always blank by
             default.  You might use this field if you dial calls with a
             credit card, for example.

             "Other default prefix:" is a string of characters appended to
             the front of the phone number you wish to dial.  The string is
             included only when dbDIAL does not recognize the number as
             being local or long distance.  (It could be an office exten-
             sion or an overseas phone number, for example.)  It is always
             blank by default.

             "Other default suffix:" is like the Other default prefix
             described above, but the string is appended to the back of the
             phone number you wish to dial.  The string is included only
             when dbDIAL does not recognize the number as being local,
             toll, or long distance.  It is always blank by default.  You
             might use this field if you dial calls with a credit card, for
             example.

          Press CTRL-ENTER to put your changes into effect.  Press ESC if
          you don't want to use the modifications you made.


          7.3  Prefix/suffix codes

          You can configure dbDIAL for your modem by choosing the "File/
          Change/Config/Modem" option from the main menu.  The following
          data entry screen will appear:

          Chapter 7, "Configuration"                                     33



          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:19:01|\
|Last name            Company              City       St Last call Next call N |
|<None>               375 MAW/PA       /-------|Prefixes & suffixes|--------\  |
|<None>               800 Directory Ass| A 1-                               v/ |
|<None>               ABC Television He| B 0-                               |  |
|<None>               Altex Electronics| C                                  |v/ |
|<None>               American Express | D                                  |  |
|<None>               AT&T Billing Dept| E                                  |v/ |
|<None>               AT&T Business Off| F                                  |  |
|<None>               Avery            | G                                  #  |
|<None>               B.Dalton Bookstor| H                                  |  |
|<None>               Boatman's Bank   | I                                  |  |
|<None>               Business One Irwi| J                                  |  |
|<None>               Call Management P| K                                  |v/ |
|<None>               Capitol Advantage| L                                  |v/ |
|<None>               Capri Sun, Inc.  | M                                  |v/ |
|<None>               Caseyville R&P, I| N                                  |  |
|<None>               CBS Television He| O                                  |  |
|<None>               Central Bank & Tr| P                                  |  |
|<None>               Channel 1 BBS    | Q                                    |
|<None>               Charge-It System \----|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|----/v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|408 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                 Figure 7.3: Prefix/suffix code configuration screen

          This screen contains more information than you can see at one
          time; the window scrolls so you can gain access to all the
          fields.  A scroll bar on the right side of the window frame gives
          you a relative idea of where you sit in the data entry screen.

          Use the cursor keys to move between fields and feel free to press
          F1 if you need specific help.  Here's a rundown of each data
          field and its significance to the program:

             "Prefix/suffix code A-Z:" lets you specify codes for the times
             when you may have to override the default prefix or suffix
             strings for a given record.  You might want to use these to
             hold a personal identification number or a special in-house
             dialing sequence, for example.  The A and B codes default to
             "1-" and "0-" respectively, but you can change them as needed.

          Press CTRL-ENTER to put your changes into effect.  Press ESC if
          you don't want to use the modifications you made.


          7.4  Miscellaneous options

          You can modify some of the more advanced options available in
          dbDIAL by choosing "File/Change/Config/Other items" from the main
          menu.  The following data entry screen will appear:

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        34



          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:20:21|\
|Last name            Company              City       St Last call Next call N |
|/-------------------|Miscellaneous options|--------------------\              |
||    Status msg delay:  15 seconds                             |            v/ |
||     Status msg beep: 250 ms   Pitch:   880 Hz                |              |
||                 /--------------|Question|--------------\     |            v/ |
|| TSR takes wildca| Change the Plucker TSR hotkey? [N]   |     |              |
||   Default TSR dr\--------------------------------------/     |            v/ |
||       Dialer hotkey:  2059   String: ALT-0                   |              |
||      Plucker hotkey:  2074   String: ALT-[                   |              |
||                                                              |              |
||   PRN device handle: PRN                                     |              |
||    COM port surname:                                         |              |
||                                                              |            v/ |
||                                                              |            v/ |
|\-----------------|Press CTRL-ENTER when done|-----------------/            v/ |
|<None>               Caseyville R&P, Inc. Fairview H IL                       |
|<None>               CBS Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<None>               Central Bank & Trust Fort Worth TX                       |
|<None>               Channel 1 BBS                      12-01-90              |
|<None>               Charge-It System     North Subu IL                     v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|408 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                Figure 7.4: Miscellaneous items configuration screen

          Here is a breakdown of each item and its function:

             "Status msg delay:" dictates the maximum amount of time (in
             seconds) a status or error message remains on the screen.  You
             can always press a key to erase such messages.

             "Status msg beep:" tells the length in time, in milliseconds,
             for the program to sound the speaker when it wants to get your
             attention.  The default is 250ms (a quarter of a second).  Set
             this to zero if you don't want the program to make any noise.

             "Pitch:" determines the frequency of the tone dbDIAL generates
             when it sounds the speaker.  You can adjust it if you wish.

             "TSR takes wildcards:" equates to the /M command line option
             and tells the program if it should recognize all available
             memory when it loads as a TSR.  See chapter 3.1 for more
             information on the /M option.

             "Default TSR drive:" tells the program to use a specific drive
             for storing temporary system files when it loads into memory.
             (System files are always stored in the root directory of the
             drive.)  This option is blank by default, meaning the program
             uses the default drive if necessary.  You can change this if
             you normally start the program from a hard disk or floppy and

          Chapter 7, "Configuration"                                     35



             want it to store its system files on a RAMdisk.  Note: dbDIAL
             normally ignores the drive you specify here if it has enough
             EMS or XMS memory for the task.  See chapter 3.1 for details
             on how to make the program ignore EMS/XMS memory.

             "Dialer hotkey:" is the primary hotkey you wish the program to
             use to call it up as a TSR.  It is "2059" by default, which
             translates to the ALT-0 key.  dbDIAL lets you change this hot-
             key either automatically (you press the hotkey) or manually
             (you enter the numeric value -- see chapter 4.2.1).  [The hot-
             key can be changed at load time with a command line switch.
             See chapter 3.1.]

             "Dialer string:" is simply the name you give for the primary
             program hotkey.  It is "ALT-0" by default, but you can change
             it if you wish.  [This string can be changed at load time with
             a command line switch.  See chapter 3.1.]

             "Plucker hotkey:" is the hotkey you wish the program to use in
             TSR mode to dial phone numbers displayed on the screen by
             other programs.  It is "2084" by default, which translates to
             the ALT-[ key.  dbDIAL lets you change this hotkey either
             automatically (you press the hotkey) or manually (you enter
             the numeric value -- see chapter 4.2.1).

             "Plucker string:" is simply the name you give for the plucker
             hotkey.  It is "ALT-[" by default, but you can change it if
             you wish.

             "PRN device handle:" All printer output is directed to this
             physical device, which is "PRN" for most people.  Note: you
             can specify a filename if you wish.

             "COM port surname:" tells the program to identify your calls
             by a special name when recording details in the log file.  It
             only applies to people who generate reports on their calls
             with a CDS phone bill analyzer program.  dbDIAL normally uses
             the COM port number to uniquely identify the call for phone
             bill analysis purposes, but this isn't always desirable.  For
             example, multiple users in a network environment may use the
             same modem and log file, and a phone bill analyzer would have
             no way to distinguish between two or more calls going on at
             the same time.  Business travelers may want to identify each
             call based on the name of the hotels they visit.  You can do
             it here with the surname option.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        36



















          ______________________________PART 2_____________________________
                                    Using dbDIAL

          Chapter 8, "Dealing with a dbDIAL record"                      37





          ____________________________Chapter 8____________________________
                            Dealing with a dbDIAL record


          8.1  Adding a record

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
/---------------------------------|Add Record|---------------------------------\
| Mr/Mrs/etc. [Mr.            ]                                                |
| First name  [John                     ]                                      |
| Last name   [Smith                    ]                                      |
| Bus. Title  [President      ]                                                |
| Company     [Widget Software Corp.                   ]                       |
| Address #1  [123 Main Street                    ]                            |
| Address #2  [                                   ]                            |
| City        [Robins                   ]     State [IA]               12345   |
| Zip         [52328-    ]                                       Tags [     ]  |
| Work        [319-555-7626]    Ext. [    ]    Prefix [ ]    Suffix [ ]        |
| Home        [   -   -    ]    Ext. [    ]    Prefix [ ]    Suffix [ ]        |
| Fax         [   -   -    ]    Ext. [    ]    Prefix [ ]    Suffix [ ]        |
| Other       [            ]    Ext. [    ]    Prefix [ ]    Suffix [ ]        |
| NOTES       []           Next call [01-16-92]         Last call [01-01-80]  |
|-----------------------------------|Notes|------------------------------------|
|Has a new product coming out for the new year and wants to offer full support |
|for GRAB Plus, ZPAY III, and dbDIAL users.  Have tech support give his crew   |
|all the assistance they need.                                                 |
|                                                                              |
|                                                                              |
|                                                                              |
|                                                                              |
\|Line: 3   Column: 30  Chars: 185    7%  Insert Indent Wrap|------------------/
 <F1>=HELP   <ALT-Z>=Zoom   <CTRL-B>=Reformat    <CTRL-ENTER>=Done   <ESC>=Quit
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                        Figure 8.1: Adding a database record

          Press F2 or ALT-A at the record selection screen, or choose the
          "Record/Add" item from the main menu, to add a new record to your
          database.  A screen will appear so you can enter pertinent infor-
          mation about the person: name, address, phone number, and of
          course some notes if you wish.  Press CTRL-ENTER when finished,
          or press ESC to abort the data entry process.

          If you add notes about a person, move the cursor to the "Notes"
          field position and press ENTER.  This opens the notes window so
          you can type anything you wish.  Press CTRL-ENTER when finished,
          or press ESC to abort the notes entry process.  (If you press ESC
          after entering notes, dbDIAL will confirm your desire to erase
          your changes.)

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        38



          8.2  Editing a record

          Editing a dbDIAL record is similar to adding it.  You even use
          the same data entry screen.  Press F3 or ALT-E at the record
          selection screen, or choose the "Record/Edit" item from the main
          menu, and start editing.

          Press CTRL-ENTER to save your changes and go back to the record
          selection screen.  And remember, no matter how many modifications
          you make, you can abandon all changes by hitting the ESC key.
          Don't be alarmed if you hit ESC accidentally -- dbDIAL will
          discard your modifications only after confirming it with you.


          8.3  Copying a record

          Suppose you have a record for John Doe and now you need to add
          one for his wife.  You could start from scratch by adding a new
          record ... or you could copy John's record and make the necessary
          changes.

          Select the "Record/Copy" item from the main menu to create a
          duplicate of the current record.  dbDIAL will take you into
          editing mode so you can change the duplicate record you just
          created.


          8.4  Finding a record

          8.4.1  Incremental searches

          In most cases, you'll know the name of the person or company when
          you want to locate the corresponding record.  If so, you can use
          dbDIAL's powerful incremental search capability to find the
          record in a flash.

          Let's assume you want to find John Smith in your database.  First
          you need to check the upper right corner of the screen to see if
          dbDIAL shows "Person" as the current sorting order.  Choose the
          "File/Sort/Person" option from the main menu if you need to reset
          the database to the correct sorting sequence.

          Now comes the easy part: just start typing "SMITH".  dbDIAL
          doesn't care if you type uppercase or lowercase letters; it will
          immediately move toward the closest match to your input.  The
          program will beep at you if it can't find a match while you type.

          Chapter 8, "Dealing with a dbDIAL record"                      39



          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA            Choose a record                 Sort: Person
/-------------------------------|KEY "SMITH JO"|---------------------|09:26:26|\
|Last name            Company              City       St Last call Next call N |
|Scott, Tom           telecomputing magazi Albuquerqu NM 11-01-90            v/ |
|Shaw, Richard Hale   PC Magazine          Ann Arbor  MI                       |
|Sheedy, Sean                                            11-24-91  12-20-91    |
|Shiffrin, Irv        Land And Sea Securit Milford    CT 09-22-90              |
|Siebenaller, David   PKware, Inc.         Brown Deer WI                       |
|Simon, Barry         Assn. Shareware Prof            CA 04-16-91              |
|Simon, Paul                               Washington DC 03-27-90              |
|Simondi, Tom         Computer Knowledge   Los Angele CA                     v/ |
|Siros, Willie                             Austin     TX 10-08-90              |
|Smith, Charles       Shareware Journal    Omaha      NE                       |
|Smith, John          Widget Software Corp Robins     IA           01-16-92  v/ |
|Smith, Roger                              California MO           03-24-92  v/ |
|Smith, Tom           Datastorm Technologi Columbia   MO                       |
|Spado, Wanda                              San Franci CA 07-05-91              |
|Spuhler, Andree                           Winter Fal ID                       |
|Stanley, Floyd       Wave Technologies Tr St. Louis  MO                     v/ |
|Ste. Marie, Paul                          Huber Heig OH                       |
|Steverson, Lee       USPA & IRA           Belleville IL 03-08-91              |
|Storey, Glenn C.     Numeric Systems                              06-26-92  v/ |
|Storm, Skip          Amdahl Corporation   O'Fallon   IL                       |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|409 records|/
 F1=HELP    F2=Add  F3=Edit  F4=Kill  F5=Find  F6-F9=Grab  F10=Menu    ESC=Quit
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                     Figure 8.2: Incremental search in progress

          Watch the top center of the window frame for a message to appear
          telling you what you typed.

          If you make a mistake while typing, press the backspace key.  It
          will erase the last character and reposition the database once
          again to the closest match.

          Now, you could very well have a lot Smiths in your database.  If
          you reach the end of the last name, just press the spacebar and
          begin typing the person's first name.  In our example, you would
          locate John Smith by typing "SMITH JOHN" at the record selection
          screen.

          You can, if you wish, search even farther by specifying the
          company John Smith works for.  Press the spacebar when you finish
          typing the first name, and start typing the company name.  If
          John worked for the Acme corporation, you could find him by
          typing "SMITH JOHN ACME".

          If you need to search by company name rather than by the person's
          name, switch to the company sorting sequence -- then start typing
          the company name.  In this example you would find Smith by typing
          "ACME CORP. JOHN SMITH".

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        40



          You can switch back & forth between the arrow keys and the incre-
          mental search function to find the record you want.  In our
          example, you might press "SMI", press the down arrow key a few
          times, type "TH JOH", use the arrow keys again, and follow up
          with "N ACME" to finally discover the record you want.

          The incremental search function automatically resets for another
          search whenever you perform an action with the current record.
          This includes calling up the main menu or pressing any of the
          shortcut keys available to you.

          8.4.2  Regular searches

          Choose "Record/Find/Regular" from the main menu or press F5 if
          you want to perform a regular field-based search.  dbDIAL will
          present you with the same data entry screen as if you were
          editing a record, but now you'll be searching.

          Enter data you know exists in the record(s) you want to locate.
          Each field helps isolate a database search.  The search begins as
          soon as you press CTRL-ENTER.  Some notes:

             * The search starts just after the current record (the one
               designated by the highlight bar).
             * dbDIAL doesn't care if you type uppercase or lowercase
               letters.  "Widget" is the same as "WIDGET" or "widget".
               EXCEPTION: the tag field recognizes "b" and "B" as different
               characters.  If you search on the tag field, use the correct
               uppercase/lowercase character(s).
             * Search data must start in the first position of the given
               field.  If you specify one or more values to search for the
               "tag" field, dbDIAL will search the entire tag field for
               occurances of those values.  This way you can find a record
               with "abCDe" in the tag field even though you entered
               "C    " as the search criteria.
             * If you search on one or more of the "sort" fields (last
               name, company, zip code, last call date, next call date, or
               optionally the social security number), dbDIAL will switch
               sorting methods to greatly speed up its work.
             * dbDIAL doesn't care if you type uppercase or lowercase
               letters.  "Widget" is the same as "WIDGET" or "widget".
             * Search data must start in the first position of the given
               field.
             * If the program reaches the end of the database, it will
               "wrap around" and continue searching from the beginning.
             * dbDIAL remembers your previous search criteria so you can
               hunt for the next matching record.  Press CTRL-F5 to con-
               tinue searching.

          Chapter 8, "Dealing with a dbDIAL record"                      41



          8.4.3  Abstract searches

          The regular search method is good, but sometimes you may not
          remember what field contained a given string.  Or worse, you
          might not recall the house number of a person you know who lives
          on a street named "Delmar."

          Press ALT-N or choose "Record/Find/Abstract" from the main menu
          to perform an abstract database search.  Abstract searches aren't
          limited by specific fields or character positions: everything in
          the record is viewed as a single unit of information.

          When you choose to perform an abstract search, you'll be asked
          for a search string.  Each character in the record -- even the
          notes -- will be compared to the string for a possible match.  A
          search string of "Delmar" will match a record with an address
          field of "136 Delmar Drive", a company field of "Delmart Inc.", a
          note containing the string "Riddelmartio", and so on.

          The search begins as soon as you press CTRL-ENTER to accept the
          string.  Press ESC if you want to abandon the search.  Some
          notes:

             * Searching starts just after the current record (the one
               designated by the highlight bar) and searches through the
               records in the currently sorted order.
             * dbDIAL doesn't care if you type uppercase or lowercase
               letters.  "Widget" is the same as "WIDGET" or "widget".
             * dbDIAL remembers your previous search string if you perform
               consecutive searches.  This makes it easy for you to hunt
               for the next matching record.
             * If the program reaches the end of the database, it will
               "wrap around" and continue searching from the beginning.
             * Abstract searches may take awhile if you have a large data-
               base with a lot of notes.

          8.4.4  Note searches

          The regular search method is good, and of course abstract
          searching can be a godsend, but sometimes you may know the string
          you want is contained in the notes for a particular record.  It
          would be a waste of effort to check the rest of the record.

          Press CTRL-N or choose "Record/Find/Notes" from the main menu to
          perform a notes search.  In many respects it works the same as an
          abstract search (see above), but of course only the notes apply.


          8.5  GRABing an envelope

          Many professionals follow up a telephone call with a letter.
          Letters look even better if the envelope shows a professionally
          printed address.  ZPAY's GRAB Plus program prints addresses on

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        42



          envelopes.  dbDIAL works seemlessly with it so you can print them
          while still on the phone with someone.

          Press F6 or F7 or F8 or F9, or choose the "Record/Grab" item from
          the main menu, to pick the address format you want.  dbDIAL auto-
          matically calls GRAB Plus if you loaded it in memory.  If not, it
          gives you the opportunity to call up the TSR envelope program of
          your choice.  If you run under Microsoft Windows, the program
          will ask if it should place the envelope address in the Windows
          clipboard.

          Note to GRABDB users: the F7, F8, and F9 keys in the GRABDB data-
          base application serve an identical purpose in dbDIAL and, best
          of all, they're always available on the record selection screen.
          They apply to the current record (the one covered by the high-
          light bar).  Each function key brings up an address you can send
          to the printer.  dbDIAL also offers the F6 key if you want to
          print an envelope without the company name.

          See chapter 19 if you want to convert GRABDB databases to the
          dbDIAL file format.


          8.6  TSR keyboard playback

          When you run dbDIAL as a TSR, you might want to type the name &
          address of a person into your word processor.  The program lets
          you "playback" the current record into the keyboard so the under-
          lying program thinks you typed it yourself.  ALT-F6, ALT-F7,
          ALT-F8, and ALT-F9 work much like the comparable keystrokes in
          chapter 8.5, but they feed the envelope-formatted address
          directly into the keyboard buffer as if you typed it yourself.
          The ALT-F10 key feeds only phone numbers into the keyboard
          buffer.

          See chapter 7.1 for details on how you can customize the way
          ALT-F6 through ALT-F9 operate on the keyboard buffer.


          8.7  Killing a record

          Press ALT-K or F4, or choose the "Record/Kill" item on the main
          menu, to delete a record from the database.  dbDIAL displays the
          record and asks for confirmation before deleting it.

          WARNING: This does NOT reduce the physical size of the database,
          nor is it a secure method for deleting sensitive information.
          See chapter 12 for details on the "pack-purge" option.

          Chapter 8, "Dealing with a dbDIAL record"                      43



          8.8  Moving records to another database

          Sometimes you may need to copy a record to another database.  The
          "Record/Move" item on the main menu takes a snapshot of the
          current record, asks you for the name of the target database, and
          copies the record to that file.  The highlight bar positions
          itself on the new record in the target file.

          If you choose the "Record/Move/Copy" menu item, the record in the
          original database remains.  If you choose "Record/Move/Move,"
          dbDIAL deletes the record from the original database.

          The target database will be created if it doesn't already exist.


          8.9  Printing a record

          The "Record/Prnt" menu option lets you print a verbatim copy of
          the data shown in the highlight bar for the current record.  You
          will then be asked if you want to eject the output page from the
          printer.

          This option is affected by the "File/Change/Config/Database
          options" item on the main menu.  Notes for the record will be
          printed only if the "Print the notes:" field is set.


          8.10  Utility options

          You can execute several utility functions  on the current record
          by choosing the "Record/Util" item from the main menu:

             The "Case notes" option lets you convert the notes for the
             record to mixed case or to upper case.  Visually impaired
             users, for example, might use UPPERCASE letters to improve
             readability.  This lets you make changes to suit your
             preferences.

             The "Kill notes" option is the quick way to delete the notes
             for the current record.  dbDIAL confirms your request before
             it actually deletes the notes.  This does NOT reduce the
             physical size of the database, nor is it a secure method for
             deleting sensitive information.  See chapter 12 for details on
             the "pack-purge" option.

             "Mailmerge" lets you print form letters for the current record
             based on a "blueprint file" you specify.  Blueprints are
             explained in detail in chapter 14.2.3.

             "Name split" isolates the first name from the last-name field.
             This is useful if you import records where the whole name
             comes as a single field.  This function only works with
             records with blank first-name fields.  The program knows

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        44



             enough to leave suffixes like "Jr", "II", and "Ph.D" in the
             last-name field.

             The "Zipkey" option checks to see if the city & state fields
             are blank in the current record.  If so, dbDIAL queries ZIPKEY
             in an attempt to fill them with default values.  This option
             is protected from selection unless the ZIPKEY TSR is loaded.

          Chapter 9, "Dialing a phone number"                            45





          ____________________________Chapter 9____________________________
                               Dialing a phone number


          9.1  Dialing from dbDIAL

          dbDIAL dials phone numbers stored in any record if you have a
          Hayes compatible modem.  Choose the "Dial" option from the main
          menu, or press ALT-D, to dial a number in the current record.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/------------------------------|KEY "MAYER PAUL"|--------------------|09:29:26|\
|/------------------------------- Paul Mayer -------------------------------\N |
|| File   Record   Dial   Time   Ended   Help   Quit   Shell                |v/ |
|\------------------------------------------------------------ version 1.02 /  |
|Malone, Mike      | Work        813-866-8233           |04-12-91            v/ |
|Manes, Steve      | Home          <NONE>               |                      |
|Margelis, George  | Fax         [phone]           |                      |
|Marks, Vic        | Other       800-468-4188           |12-03-90              |
|Marshall, Dave    |------------------------------------|                    v/ |
|Martins, Joel     | Edit                               |12-12-90            v/ |
|Marty, Charles    \------------------------------------/                    v/ |
|Mayer, Paul          ZPAY Payroll Systems St. Peters FL 11-12-91            v/ |
|McBayer, Jeff        McBayer & Co.        Santada    KY                       |
|McCabe, Bette        MENU Publishing      Pittsburg  PA                       |
|McIndoe, Margaret    ComputerWorld        Framingham MA 03-01-91            v/ |
|Mendelson, Edward                         New York   NY                       |
|Merit, Richard E.                         Seattle    WA                     v/ |
|Metcalf, Royce       GenericWare          Dothan     AL 02-18-91            v/ |
|Meyer, Marcia        Public Brand Softwar                                   v/ |
|Michie, Trevor       Papua New Guinea Pro Boroko     NG                     v/ |
|Milland, Pam         PC Magazine          New York   NY                       |
|Miller, Karen        Shadow Armory        Bolingbroo IL 04-11-91              |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|409 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                     Figure 9.1: Dialing from a database record

          Note: If you press ALT-D and only one phone number appears in the
          record, dbDIAL will immediately dial it for you.  If multiple
          phone numbers exist in the record, the main menu will present you
          with a list of valid numbers so you can choose one.

          Choose the number you want to dial.  The program will send the
          necessary commands to dial the phone number.  Pick up the tele-
          phone and press a key when the last digit has been dialed: dbDIAL
          hangs up the modem so you can have the line all to yourself.

          NOTE: PICK UP THE PHONE BEFORE PRESSING A KEY!  Otherwise the
          call will disconnect and you'll end up talking to a dial tone.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        46



          dbDIAL will then ask if the call connected.  Press "Y" if someone
          answers the phone; press "N" if the line is busy or no one
          answers.  The program will ask if it should redial the number if
          the call didn't connect.

          When the call connects, the program will remind you to press
          ALT-H when you hang up so it can log the time the call ended.
          (This assumes you keep a log of calls, of course.)


          9.2  Dialing numbers on the screen

          If you load dbDIAL as a TSR, it also lets you dial telephone
          numbers displayed on the screen by other programs.  The program
          pops up when you press the "plucker hotkey" (normally ALT-[) so
          you can dial phone numbers displayed on the screen.  ALT-[ also
          designates the end of a call if you keep a log of your calls.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
Index: LAST_FIRST ascending                                                    F
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 >--------------- Dialing from screen ----------------\
 | dbDIAL lets you dial telephone numbers directly    -----------------\
 | from the screen of another application.  (dbDIAL   #                 |
 | must be loaded as a TSR to do this.)  Press the    |                 |
 | hotkey (ALT-J by default) so a reverse-video       |----------/----<>----\
 | shadow box appears.  You can move the box with the |          |Command:    |
 | arrow keys, and you can make it grow/shrink with   |          |------------|
 | the "+" (plus) and "-" (minus) keys.  Don't worry  |          |Add a record|
 | if the phone number starts on one line and ends on |          |Delete      |
 | another -- the shadow box is intelligent enough to |          |Modify      |
 | "straddle" the line break.                         |          |Find (cont.)|
 |                                                    |          |Search (new)|
 | Press ENTER when you cover the telephone number.   |          |End of file |
 | This tells dbDIAL to dial it.  It's that simple!   |----------|Beginning   |
 | NOTE: any letters appearing in the shadow box will |          |Next record |
 | be converted to numbers.  This means you can dial  |----------|Prior record|
 | "vanity" phone numbers like (800) 2424-PSL.        |          |Rcd# get    |
 |                                                    |one bill a|+ browse dwn|
 | dbDIAL always looks at the length of the phone               |- browse up |
 \|F1 for more help|--------------|     PgDn for more|/ng phone l|Quit finding|
                                                                 \------------/


          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                  Figure 9.2: dbDIAL working with a PC-File screen


          9.3  Dialing a phone number

          With dbDIAL loaded in memory as a TSR, you can press ALT-[ (or
          whatever hotkey you defined) when you want to dial a phone number
          displayed on the screen.  A highlight bar appears so you can

          Chapter 9, "Dialing a phone number"                            47



          "pluck" the phone number.  The following keys perform various
          functions:

                   Table 9.1: dbDIAL screen-dial keyboard commands
          -----------------------------------------------------------------

             +,-         increases/decreases length of highlight bar

             TAB         jump to next phone number on the screen

             Up Arrow
             Down Arrow
             Right Arrow
             Left Arrow  moves highlight bar one character in the chosen
                         direction

             PgUp
             PgDn        moves highlight bar to top/bottom of screen

             Home
             End         highlight bar to far left/right side of screen

             F1          brings up context sensitive help

             F2          time of day for any area code

             F3          time of day for any area code (sorted by state)
                                                                      *
             F4          time of day for any area code (sorted by zip)

             ENTER       dial the highlighted phone number

             ALT-E       edit the highlighted number first, then dial it

             ESC         never mind, return to the other program (or
                         optionally dial the previous phone number)

          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          Don't worry if the phone number starts on one line of the screen
          and ends on another.  Just position the highlight bar on the
          first digit and increase its length (with the "+" key) until it
          "straddles" the rest of the number on the next line.

          And don't worry about dialing a "vanity" phone number like
          800-2424-PSL.  dbDIAL converts highlighted letters to numbers
          when it dials for you.


          _________________________________________________________________
          * You must have previously loaded the ZIPKEY TSR from Eric
            Isaacson Software, version 1.91 or later, for this command to
            work.  See the advertisement at the end of this manual.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        48



          If you press ESC at this point, and you had previously dialed a
          phone number (whether or not it connected), dbDIAL will ask if
          you want to re-dial the number.  This is handy if you failed to
          connect earlier because no one was home or you got a busy signal.
          If you choose not to dial the previous number, dbDIAL gives
          control of the computer back to the program you were using.

          Press ENTER to immediately dial the highlighted number on the
          screen, or press ALT-E to edit it before dialing takes place.
          The program will send the necessary commands to dial the phone
          number.  Pick up the telephone and press a key when the last
          digit has been dialed; dbDIAL will hang up the modem so you can
          have the line all to yourself.

          NOTE: PICK UP THE PHONE BEFORE PRESSING A KEY!  Otherwise the
          call will disconnect and you'll end up talking to a dial tone.

          dbDIAL will then ask if the call connected.  Press "Y" if someone
          answers the phone; press "N" if the line is busy or no one
          answers.  If you answer no, the program will ask if it should
          redial the call for you.  If you answer yes, the program will
          remind you to press the ALT-[ hotkey again when you hang up so it
          can log the time the call ended.  (This assumes you keep a log
          of calls.)


          9.4  When the call ends

          With dbDIAL on the screen, you can either choose the "Ended"
          option on the menu when you hang up on a call, or press ALT-H --
          it means the same thing.  dbDIAL records details about each call
          in a log file.

          If you loaded dbDIAL as a TSR and haven't called it up on the
          screen, you can use the plucker hotkey (ALT-[ by default) to
          designate the end of the call, assuming you keep a log of calls.

          If you press ALT-[ and the plucker highlight bar pops up, it
          means the program didn't keep track of the call you made.  Just
          press ESC at this point and answer "no" if it asks to redial a
          previous phone number.

          Chapter 10, "Current time for area code"                       49





          ____________________________Chapter 10___________________________
                             Current time for area code

          It often pays to know the current time of day for the person you
          want to dial, and dbDIAL gives you the power to see the current
          time for any area code in the U.S., Canada, and territories with
          U.S.-style area code phone service.  You can view the current
          time of day for each area code, sorted by area code or by state.
          If you use the popular ZIPKEY TSR, you can see the time of day
          for each zip code as well.

          dbDIAL looks for a data file called TIMEZONE.INF when you choose
          to view the current time of day for each area code.  See
          chapter 16 for details about modifying TIMEZONE.INF to suit your
          needs.


          10.1  Viewing by area code

          Press ALT-T or choose "Time/Area code/Area code" from the main
          menu to see the current time of day for each area code.  dbDIAL
          will present you with a screen much like this:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:38:52|\
|Last name            Company              City       St Last call Next call N |
|/- AC  ST   TIME  -\ 375 MAW/PA           Scott AFB  IL                       |
|| 609  NJ  09:38am  800 Directory Assist               02-20-91            v/ |
|| 612  MN  08:38am | ABC Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|| 613  ON  09:38am | Altex Electronics                  08-29-90            v/ |
|| 614  OH  09:38am | American Express Cor               08-24-90              |
|| 615  TN  09:38am | AT&T Billing Dept.   Orlando    FL                     v/ |
|| 615  TX  08:38am | AT&T Business Office Itasca     IL                       |
|| 616  MI  09:38am | Avery                Schaumburg IL                       |
|| 617  MA  09:38am | B.Dalton Bookstore   Fairview H IL 11-21-90              |
|| 618  IL  08:38am | Boatman's Bank       O'Fallon   IL                       |
|| 619  CA  06:38am # Business One Irwin   Homewood   IL                       |
|| 701  ND  08:38am | Call Management Prod Broomfield CO 09-04-90            v/ |
|| 702  NV  06:38am | Capitol Advantage    McLean     VA 11-01-90            v/ |
|| 703  VA  09:38am | Capri Sun, Inc.      San Mateo  CA 05-21-90            v/ |
|| 704  NC  09:38am | Caseyville R&P, Inc. Fairview H IL                       |
|| 705  ON  09:38am | CBS Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|| 707  CA  06:38am | Central Bank & Trust Fort Worth TX                       |
|| 708  IL  08:38am  Channel 1 BBS                      12-01-90              |
|\-----  for more / Charge-It System     North Subu IL                     v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|409 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                        Figure 10.1: Time of day by area code

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        50



          You can quickly locate the area code you want to see simply by
          typing it at this point.  For example, type "803" to see the
          current time for the 803 area code.  (The lower left corner of
          the area code window will display what you type.)  You can also
          use the PgUp/PgDn and cursor keys to move the highlight bar until
          you find the area code you want.

          Press either CTRL-ENTER or ESC when finished.  dbDIAL will return
          you to the record selection screen.


          10.2  Viewing by state

          Choose "Time/Area code/State" from the main menu to see the
          current time of day sorted by state.  It works much like when you
          view the current time sorted by area code (see above).

          You can quickly locate the state you want to see simply by typing
          the two-character code for it at this point.  For example, type
          "FL" to see the current time for Florida area codes.  (The lower
          left corner of the area code window will display what you type.)
          You can also use the PgUp/PgDn and cursor keys to move the high-
          light bar until you find the state you want.


          10.3  Viewing by zip code

          If you loaded the popular ZIPKEY TSR from Eric Isaccson Software,
          you can also view the current time of day for each zip code in
          the U.S.  Choose "Time/Area code/Zip code" from the main menu.
          It works much like when you view the current time sorted by area
          code (see above).

          You can quickly locate the zip code you want to see simply by
          typing it at this point.  For example, type "33712" to see the
          current time for the particular zip code.  (The lower left corner
          of the zip code window will display what you type.)  You can also
          use the PgUp/PgDn and cursor keys to move the highlight bar until
          you find the state you want.

          In some cases you may see "???" for the current time of day in a
          given zip code.  It means one of two things: the zip code desig-
          nates a location outside the U.S. & territorial boundaries (i.e.
          military APO/FPO zip codes), or the post office has not yet
          assigned the zip code to a location.

          Chapter 11, "Stopwatch timer"                                  51





          ____________________________Chapter 11___________________________
                                   Stopwatch timer

          dbDIAL keeps track of the time you spend on the phone when it
          dials a call, but sometimes you may need to time something else.
          The program offers a simple "stopwatch" in case you need it.

          Choose the "Time/Lap timer" item on the main menu to access the
          stopwatch function.  You can selectively "Begin", "Pause", and
          "Stop" the stopwatch as needed.  The lap time will replace the
          current time of day function in the upper right corner of the
          record selection screen.

          When you "Stop" the stopwatch, it displays the total elapsed time
          in a status message and then resets the time counter.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        52





          ____________________________Chapter 12___________________________
                              Dealing with every record

          Sometimes you need to perform a function on every record in your
          database.  The "File" submenu gives you this capability:

             "Before" changes to the previous database you were using.
             This option is protected from selection until you switch to
             another database sometime during the session.  The CTRL-F3 key
             is a shortcut for this menu item.

             "Change" to a different dbDIAL database, or change the config-
             uration for this database.  The CTRL-F4 key is a shortcut for
             changing to another database.  See chapter 7 for information
             on how to change the program's configuration.

             The "Export" and "Import" commands let you store and retrieve
             dbDIAL database information in formats recognized by other
             database applications.  See chapter 14.

             "Filter" lets you temporarily ignore records not meeting your
             criteria, much like a subset database.  See chapter 13.

             "Print" does just what you expect: it prints a verbatim copy
             of each record as it would appear on the record selection
             screen.  You will then be asked if you want to eject the
             output page from the printer.  This option is affected by the
             "File/Change/Config/Database" item on the main menu.  Notes
             for each record will be printed only if the "Print the notes:"
             data entry item is set to "Y".

             The "Sorts" submenu lets you choose a different sorting
             sequence for the database.  You can sort on:

               1. Person's name
               2. Company name
               3. Zip code
               4. Date of last call
               5. Date to call again
                                        2
               6. Social Security number

             The "Utils" submenu lets you perform the following functions
             on the dbDIAL database:




          _________________________________________________________________
          2. Allowed as a sorting option only if you run the SixSorts
             utility.  See page 71.

          Chapter 12, "Dealing with every record"                        53



                The "Case notes" option converts the notes for every record
                to mixed case or to uppercase.  Visually impaired users,
                for example, sometimes use UPPERCASE to improve reada-
                bility.  You can make the necessary changes on a global
                scale with this option.

                "Details" displays statistics about the dbDIAL database.
                See chapter C for advanced user information.

                The "Kill notes" option is the quick way to delete the
                notes for every record in the database.  The program will
                confirm your request before it actually deletes the notes.
                WARNING: This does NOT reduce the physical size of the
                database, nor is it a secure method for deleting sensitive
                information -- use the "File/Utils/Pack" option instead
                (see below).  dbDIAL asks if you want to pack the database
                after it deletes all the notes.

                "Mailmerge" lets you print a customized form letter for
                each record based on a "blueprint file" you specify.  Blue-
                prints are explained in detail in chapter 14.2.3.  See
                figure 14.2 on page 62 to get an idea of what a blueprint
                file might look like.

                "Name split" separates the first & last name from the last-
                name field and stores the first name in its appropriate
                field.  This is most often useful if you import records
                where the first & last names are stored in a single field.
                The program only works with records if their first-name
                field is blank and one or more spaces exists in the last-
                name field.  And it's intelligent enough to leave suffixes
                like "Jr", "II", and "Ph.D" in the last-name field.

                "Pack-purge" the dbDIAL database whenever you want to
                reduce its physical size to an absolute minimum, or if you
                delete anything for security reasons.  See chapter C for
                advanced details about the dbDIAL database.

                The "Zipkey" option searches every record in the dbDIAL
                database for blank city & state fields.  If it comes across
                any, dbDIAL queries ZIPKEY in an attempt to fill them with
                default values.  It is extremely useful in situations where
                you get a file that contains only a zip code field for each
                record.  This option is protected from selection unless the
                ZIPKEY TSR is loaded.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        54





          ____________________________Chapter 13___________________________
                            Filtering out certain records

          Dealing with an entire database is nice, but sometimes you may
          need to "filter out" some records.  Suppose you only want to deal
          with the people who live in Illinois.  Obviously, you could
          switch to sorting by zip code and search for the first Chicago
          entry... but filtering gives you a better way to do the same
          thing.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:41:03|\
|/------------------------------- 375 MAW/PA -------------------------------\N |
|| File   Record   Dial   Time   Ended   Help   Quit   Shell                |  |
|\------------------------------------------------------------ version 1.02 /v/ |
|<N| Before |         ABC Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<N| Change |         Altex Electronics                  08-29-90            v/ |
|<N| Export |         American Express Cor               08-24-90              |
|<N| Filter/----------\T&T Billing Dept.   Orlando    FL                     v/ |
|<N| Import| Activate |T&T Business Office Itasca     IL                       |
|<N| Print | Criteria/----------------------------\rg IL                       |
|<N| Sorts | Disable | Abstract <not active>      | H IL 11-21-90              |
|<N| Utils |---------| High key "R"               |   IL                       |
|<N\-------| Hidden  | Low key  "MAYER"           |   IL                       |
|<None>    | Visible | Notes    <optional>        |ld CO 09-04-90            v/ |
|<None>    \---------| Regular  <not active>      |   VA 11-01-90            v/ |
|<None>              \----------------------------/o  CA 05-21-90            v/ |
|<None>               Caseyville R&P, Inc. Fairview H IL                       |
|<None>               CBS Television Headq New York   NY                       |
|<None>               Central Bank & Trust Fort Worth TX                       |
|<None>               Channel 1 BBS                      12-01-90              |
|<None>               Charge-It System     North Subu IL                     v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circus Hotel  Las Vegas  NV 07-06-90            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|-----------------------------------------|409 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                         Figure 13.1: File filtering submenu

          Choose the "File/Filter/Criteria" option from the main menu so
          you can choose the filtering method(s) you need.  You may mix &
          match filtering options as needed:

             The "File/Filter/Criteria/Abstract" item on the main menu
             works much like the "Record/Search/Abstract" menu item.  It
             searches records for a given string of characters as the
             filtering criteria.  WARNING: this function greatly reduces
             the speed at which dbDIAL processes commands.  Use this option
             with caution.

          Chapter 13, "Filtering out certain records"                    55



             The "File/Filter/Criteria/High key" and "Low key" menu items
             dictate the range of records to work with based on the current
             key field.  If you currently sort by person and wish to work
             with people whose last names begin with "R", just type the
             letter "R" for both the high & low keys.  dbDIAL will narrow
             its view of the database to only the chosen records.

             The "File/Filter/Criteria/Notes" menu item determines if a
             record must have text in the notes field.  WARNING: this func-
             tion reduces the speed at which dbDIAL processes commands.
             Use this option with care.

             The "File/Filter/Criteria/Regular" menu item lets you specify
             acceptable data for any field in the database (other than the
             notes).  You can filter out all but the people who have "Dr."
             as a personal title, or who live in Chicago, IL.  The data
             entry screen works the same as if you wanted to find a record
             with the "Record/Find/Regular" command, including the way
             dbDIAL recognizes values in the tag field.  The program will
             ignore any blank fields when it applies your filtering
             criteria.  WARNING: this function reduces the speed at which
             dbDIAL processes commands.  Use this option with care.

          Choose "File/Filter/Activate" to turn on selective filtering.  If
          you failed to specify any filtering criteria, dbDIAL will assume
          you want to perform regular filtering and will present you with
          the appropriate data entry screen.  All commands from this point
          on will ignore filtered records.

          Choose "File/Filter/Disable" when you want to turn off database
          filtering.  You can always turn it back on at a later point if
          you wish.

          The "File/Filter/Hidden" and "Visible" options control how the
          filtering process works.  By default, records meeting your
          criteria appear on the screen while the rest temporarily hide
          from sight.  If you choose the "Hidden" menu item, the records
          meeting your criteria will hide from sight and all the rest will
          appear on the screen.  CAUTION: this capability has no effect on
          the high/low key fields.  High/low fields always work in the
          visible state.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        56





          ____________________________Chapter 14___________________________
                                Importing & exporting

          Every good database program can import & export records in
          various formats, and dbDIAL is no exception.


          14.1  Importing data

          14.1.1  ASCII delimited

          "ASCII delimited" is a universal format for transferring data
          between applications.  Each field of a record is stored on a
          single line, surrounded by quote marks and separated by commas.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          "John","123 Abbey Rd.","Anytown","IL","60440","555-1212"
          "Paul","234 Apple Ln.","Hometown","IA","50613","555-1234"
          "George","345 Holy St.","Ghosttown","NV","75662",""
          "Ringo","44 Drummer Ct.","Pepper","SC","33216","555-1357"
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                      Figure 14.1: Simple ASCII delimited file

          If you choose the "File/Import" item from the main menu, you will
          be confronted with the following data entry screen:

          Chapter 14, "Importing & exporting"                            57



          -----------------------------------------------------------------
 \MSDOS\DATA\MY-DATA          Choose a menu item                Sort: Person
/----------------------------------|INCR KEY|------------------------|09:43:02|\
|Last name            Company              City       St Last call Next call N |
|<N/-------------|ASCII delimited imports|-------------\                       |
|<N| Import file: *.*                                  | 02-20-91            v/ |
|<N|   Has notes: N                                    |                       |
|<N|                             /----- C:\SPRINT\DOCS\*.* -----\            v/ |
|<N|        DATA POS             | ..\            linswtch.inc  |              |
|<N| Mr/Mrs/etc.  0              | analyzer.spr   oldcats.spr   |            v/ |
|<N| Last name    0              | appendix.spr   operator.spr  |              |
|<N| First name   0              | callwait.inc   others.spr    |              |
|<N| Company      0              | catalog.spr    pcfdapp.spr   |              |
|<N| Address #1   0              | dbd.spr        pcfdial.doc   |              |
|<N| Address #2   0              | dbdial.asc     pcfdial.spr   |              |
|<N| City         0              | dbdial.dat     pcfdial.ttl   |            v/ |
|<N| State        0              | dbdial.ix      sitelic.spr   |            v/ |
|<N| Zip          0              | dbdial.spr     slashx.inc    |            v/ |
|<N| Work         0              | dialer.spr     stuffy.bak    |              |
|<N| Ext.         0              | hayescmd.inc   timezone.inc  |              |
|<N| Prefix       0              | hotels.inc     tollnmbr.inc  |              |
|<N| Suffix       0              | hotkeys.inc    tsr-qna.inc   |              |
|<N\-----------|Press CTRL-ENTER | key-text.tct   tsr-size.inc  |            v/ |
|<None>               Circus Circ| legalese.pcf   utility.spr   |            v/ |
\|813 is local area code|--------\DBDIAL.AS---------------------/-|409 records|/

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                     Figure 14.2: ASCII delimited import screen

          This screen contains more information than you can see at one
          time; the window scrolls so you can gain access to all the
          fields.  A scroll bar on the right side of the window frame gives
          you a relative idea of where you sit in the data entry screen.

          Each ASCII delimited field is represented by its field POSITION,
          and dbDIAL must know each one so it can create a corresponding
          dbDIAL record.  The above figure shows us the person's title is
          stored in field position #1, the last name is stored in field
          position #2, the first name is stored in field position #3, and
          so forth.

          If there is no corresponding data for a particular field, set the
          field POSITION to zero.  dbDIAL will leave it blank for each
          imported record.

          If the file contains a note for each record, you must set the
          "Has notes" option to "Y".  This is where dbDIAL deviates
          slightly from the standard ASCII delimited format.  A note
          conforms to the following characteristics in a modified ASCII
          delimited file:

             * It starts on the line immediately after the ASCII delimited
               record;

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        58



             * It can be any length and can contain any ASCII value
               except #0 or #26;
             * It "ends" with ASCII value #0, followed immediately by a new
               line which contains another ASCII delimited record.

          The "Import file" data entry field tells dbDIAL the name of the
          ASCII delimited file you just described.

          The program will begin importing records when you press
          CTRL-ENTER.  Press ESC if decide not to import records from an
          ASCII delimited file.

          14.1.2  GRAB Plus

          Please use the GRAB2DBD program described in chapter 19 to import
          records from a GRAB Plus GRABDB database.  You don't need to con-
          vert them to ASCII delimited records before importing them.


          14.2  Exporting data

          14.2.1  ASCII delimited

          Choose the "File/Export/Ascii" item from the main menu to export
          database records in standard ASCII delimited format.  dbDIAL will
          ask if it should export the notes for each record.  An ASCII
          delimited file is then created in the same directory as the
          dbDIAL database, with the same filename and ".ASC" extension.
          Note: if a file already exists with that filename, it will be
          overwritten.

          dbDIAL stores each field in the following order:

           1. Person's title (Mr., Mrs.,     15.
              Dr., etc.)                         Home extension
           2. Last name                      16.
           3. First name                         Home phone prefix
           4. Company                        17.
           5. Address #1                         Home phone suffix
           6. Address #2                     18.
           7. City                               Fax phone
           8. State                          19.
           9. Zip code                           Fax extension
          10.                                20.
              Work phone                         Fax phone prefix
          11.                                21.
              Work extension                     Fax phone suffix
          12.                                22.
              Work phone prefix                  Other phone
          13.                                23.
              Work phone suffix                  Other extension
          14.                                24.
              Home phone                         Other phone prefix

          Chapter 14, "Importing & exporting"                            59



          25.                                27.
              Other phone suffix                 Date to call again (MM-DD-
          26.                                    YY format)
              Last date called (MM-DD-YY     28.
              format)                            Social security number
                                             29.
                                                 Tag fields

          dbDIAL writes the ASCII delimited file in the currently active
          sort sequence.

          If you chose to include the notes field with each record, then
          there is a slight deviation to the standard ASCII delimited
          format.  (This is necessary to accommodate free-format notes.)
          dbDIAL will go to the next line of the file and begin writing the
          notes in verbatim.  When the notes are written, the program
          writes ASCII value #0, goes to the next line, and starts writing
          the next record.

          dbDIAL writes the ASCII delimited file in the currently active
          sort sequence.

          14.2.2  dBASE III

          Choose the "File/Export/Dbase3" item from the main menu to export
          database records in the dBASE III file format.  The newly created
          file will appear in the same directory as the dbDIAL database,
          with the same filename and ".DBF" extension.  Note: if a file
          already exists with that filename, it will be overwritten.

          dbDIAL stores each field in the following order:

           1. Person's title (Mr., Mrs.,     16.
              Dr., etc.)                         Home phone prefix
           2. Last name                      17.
           3. First name                         Home phone suffix
           4. Company                        18.
           5. Address #1                         Fax phone
           6. Address #2                     19.
           7. City                               Fax extension
           8. State                          20.
           9. Zip code                           Fax phone prefix
          10.                                21.
              Work phone                         Fax phone suffix
          11.                                22.
              Work extension                     Other phone
          12.                                23.
              Work phone prefix                  Other extension
          13.                                24.
              Work phone suffix                  Other phone prefix
          14.                                25.
              Home phone                         Other phone suffix
          15.                                26.
              Home extension                     Last date called

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        60



          27.                                29.
              Date to call again                 Tag fields 1-5
          28.
              Social security number

          dbDIAL writes the dBASE III file in the currently active sort
          sequence.  It does not create any dBASE index files for it.

          14.2.3  Freeform

          You can dictate the exact specification for your export file (or
          any mailmerge form letter file for that matter) if you choose
          "File/Export/Freeform" from the main menu.  dbDIAL will construct
          a database of records based on the "blueprint file" you specify.

          Each definable field (and command) in the blueprint file is
          spelled in capital letters and surrounded by "$".  dbDIAL
          replaces the identifier with the contents of the corresponding
          field.  Certain commands are executed when detected.

          The following fields can be specified in a blueprint file:

             $PERTITLE$        Personal title (Mr/Mrs/etc.)

             $LNAME$           Last name

             $FNAME$           First name

             $BUSTITLE$        Business title (Chairman/Owner/etc.)

             $COMPANY$         Company's name

             $ADDRESS1$        Address line #1

             $ADDRESS2$        Address line #2

             $CITY$            City

             $STATE$           State

             $ZIPCODE$         Zip code

             $WORKPHONE$       Work telephone number

             $WORKEXT$         Work extension

             $HOMEPHONE$       Home telephone number

             $HOMEEXT$         Home extension

             $FAXPHONE$        Fax telephone number

             $FAXEXT$          Fax extension

          Chapter 14, "Importing & exporting"                            61



             $OTHERPHONE$      Other telephone number

             $OTHEREXT$        Other extension

             $LASTCALLED$      Date last called the person

             $NEEDTOCALL$      Next date to call the person

             $SSN$             Social security number

             $NOTES$           Verbatim notes.  No reformatting takes
                               place.

          The following commands can be specified in a blueprint file:

             $CONDCOMMA$       A comma and a space are written only if both
                               the previous and next variable or command
                               generate output.  This is useful for people
                               who write both address lines on a single
                               line, for example.

             $CONDCRLF$        A next-line command (ASCII #13 & #10) is
                               issued only if both the previous and next
                               variable or command generate output.  This
                               is useful for people who want the second
                               address line to be on a line by itself, but
                               who don't want to generate a blank line.

             $CONDSPACE$       A space is written only if both the previous
                               and next variable or command generate
                               output.  This is useful when titles or first
                               names have no information.  (Note: a space
                               is automatically tacked onto the $CONDCOMMA$
                               command.)

             $CURRTIME$        Replace with the current time (in HH:MM:SS
                               format).

             $NEXTRECORD$      Use the next record.  Useful for people who
                               put multiple records on the same page of
                               output.  Generates no output.  See note
                               below.

             $PREVRECORD$      Use the previous record.  Useful for people
                               who put multiple records on the same page of
                               output.  You can "back up" a maximum of
                               eight records.  Generates no output.

             $TODAY$           Replace with today's date (in MM-DD-YY
                               format).

          If you use the $NEXTRECORD$ command, there is a chance you might
          run out of records before you reach the logical end of a blue-
          print file.  dbDIAL will submit blank records to your blueprint

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        62



          file if this happens and will display a status message so you
          know what's going on.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          $FNAME$ $LNAME$
          $ADDRESS1$
          $CITY$, $STATE$  $ZIPCODE$


          Dear $PERTITLE$ $LNAME$,

          Thank you for registering your copy of dbDIAL!  We're glad you
          like our program.  Please feel free to....
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                    Figure 14.3: Sample mailmerge blueprint file

          14.2.4  GRAB Plus

          Exporting from dbDIAL to GRABDB is relatively simple.  First
          create an ASCII delimited file (see above), making sure you
          respond with "N" when asked if you want to write the notes for
          each record.  Next, invoke the GRABDB database program and tell
          it you want to import records.  Then set up the GRABDB import
          options screen as shown below:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------

                          GRABDB  Database Utility

         YOU SHOULD MAKE A BACKUP OF THE TWO FILES, GRABDB.DAT
         AND GRABDB.IXN BEFORE IMPORTING OF DATA IS ATTEMPTED.

    Title:             1     Make your selection as to the order that your
    Last Name:         2     items are in your ascii file.  It is import-
    First Name:        3     ant that the items are written in the comma
    Company:           4     delimited format in order to be properly im-
    Street Address 1:  5     ported.  Failure to have a properly prepared
    Street Address 2:  6     file may result in corrupting your GRABDB file.
    City:              7
    State:             8     Enter a number after each field starting with
    Zip:               9     a number 1 up to the last item in your ascii
    Phone No:         10     file.  Then hit the F10 key to accept your
    Ext:              11     tagged items.  If you elect not read in a file
                             at this time hit the Esc key to abort.




       Up-Arrow for Previous Field, Down-Arrow or Return for Next Field,
       F1 for Help on Edit Commands, <Esc> Abort, F10 Save the Changes
                                                                      Insert
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                          Figure 14.4: GRABDB import screen

          Chapter 14, "Importing & exporting"                            63



          ASCII field positions #10 & #11 contain the work phone number &
          work extension.  GRAB Plus will begin importing records when you
          press the F10 key.

          14.2.5  SprintMerge

          Those who use Borland's Sprint word processor can export in the
          SprintMerge format.  Choose "File/Export/Sprint"; a SprintMerge
          file is created in the same directory as the dbDIAL database,
          with the same filename and a ".REC" extension.  Note: if a file
          already exists with that filename, it will be overwritten.

          The following variables are defined in the export file:

           1. Title                          11.
           2. LastName                           Address (using the "-
           3. FirstName                          multiline" option)
           4. Company                        12.
           5. WorkPhone                          City
           6. WorkExt                        13.
           7. HomePhone                          State
           8. HomeExt                        14.
           9. FaxPhone                           Zip
          10.                                15.
              FaxExt                             LastCall
                                             16.
                                                 NextCall

          Consult your Borland Sprint manual for details on how to use a
          SprintMerge file.

          dbDIAL writes the SprintMerge file in the currently active sort
          sequence.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        64





          ____________________________Chapter 15___________________________
                                The TOLLNMBR.INF file

          dbDIAL looks for a special TOLLNMBR.INF file whenever it dials a
          local number.  Normally, the program understands a phone number
          to be local or long-distance.  Yet sometimes local numbers must
          be dialed as "toll" calls.  (Normally this means dialing a "1"
          before the number.)  TOLLNMBR.INF tells it what local three-digit
          exchanges should be treated as toll calls.

          TOLLNMBR.INF is a simple ASCII text file.  Each three-digit
          exchange appears on a line by itself, like so:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          233
          555
          578
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                        Figure 15.1: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF file

          Exchanges don't have to be in any order, but there must be NO
          blank lines, nor can there be any blank spaces at the beginning
          or end of a line.

          If you tell dbDIAL to dial a local call, it checks to see if
          TOLLNMBR.INF exists and looks for the three-digit exchange.  For
          example, if the number you want to dial is 233-7215 and 233 was
          listed, it dials the call using the default toll prefix & suffix.

          The program reads TOLLNMBR.INF file each time you dial a number
          in your area code.  This means you can update it on the fly with-
          out having to unload the program from TSR status.

          Special note: some people may have so many toll exchanges, it
          might be easier just to list the local ones as exceptions.  You
          can do this if you follow this example:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          EXCEPTIONS
          739
          759
          982
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                     Figure 15.2: Sample TOLLNMBR.INF exceptions

          "Exceptions" must be on the first line of the file.  It doesn't
          matter if you use uppercase or lowercase letters -- you just have
          to spell it right.

          dbDIAL includes a sample TOLLNMBR.INF file with "555" as a toll
          exchange.  Please feel free to add more toll exchanges (or
          exceptions).

          Chapter 16, "The TIMEZONE.INF file"                            65





          ____________________________Chapter 16___________________________
                                The TIMEZONE.INF file

          dbDIAL looks for a special TIMEZONE.INF file whenever you want to
          see the time of day for an area code or state.  This file is
          simply a list of the area codes for each state and the time zones
          they fall under.  It is a simple ASCII file with the following
          general layout:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          CO Colorado
          303 MT 719 MT
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                        Figure 16.1: Sample TIMEZONE.INF file

          Each state gets two lines.  The first line contains the state
          abbreviation and the full state name.  The second line lists each
          area code in the state followed by a two-letter designator for
          the time zone:

                          Table 16.1: Time zone designators
          -----------------------------------------------------------------

             AT          Atlantic Time

             ET          Eastern Time

             CT          Central Time

             MT          Mountain Time

             PT          Pacific Time

             KT          Alaska Time

          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          Each item in the list is separated by a space.  There must be NO
          blank lines, nor can there be any spaces at the beginning or end
          of a line.

          dbDIAL includes a generic TIMEZONE.INF file.  You may notice some
          area codes cover two time zones, but the file only lets you
          specify one.  We struggled to list the zone with the most phone
          numbers in a given area code, but please feel free to alter it if
          you like.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        66



















          ______________________________PART 3_____________________________
                                 Included utilities

          Chapter 17, "dbDMerge utility"                                 67





          ____________________________Chapter 17___________________________
                                  dbDMerge utility

          DBDMERGE.EXE appends the records from one or more dbDIAL data-
          bases to a master database file.  The syntax for using dbDMerge:

                     DBDMERGE  masterfile  dbdfile  [dbdfile...]

             masterfile  the name of the dbDIAL database which will absorb
                         records from other databases.  You can specify a
                         drive & path if you wish.  dbDMerge will create
                         the file if it doesn't already exist.

             dbdfile     the name of a dbDIAL database file to append into
                         the master database file.  You can specify a drive
                         & path if you wish.

          The program displays a copyright notice and various status
          messages while it works.  The total time for the program to run
          depends on the number of records in the secondary database
          file(s).

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          c:\dbdial   16:04:59  Thu 12-19-91
          C>dbdmerge dbdial dir-asst congress press
          dbDMerge Copr. 1991, Barn Owl Software

          Created database C:\DBDIAL\dbdial.DAT

          Master database contains 0 records right now...
          REBUILDING DbDIAL indexes.  Key -> 5  Read -> 130  Written -> 130
          Appending records from dir-asst
          REBUILDING DbDIAL indexes.  Key -> 5  Read -> 430  Written -> 430
          Appending records from congress
          REBUILDING DbDIAL indexes.  Key -> 5  Read -> 740  Written -> 740
          Appending records from press
          Records left: 10   Time left: 00:00:04
          Master database contains 1317 records right now...
          Thanks for using dbDMerge!
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                        Figure 17.1: Sample dbDMerge session

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        68





          ____________________________Chapter 18___________________________
                                  Find-Dup utility

          FIND-DUP.EXE reads dbDIAL databases and generates a corresponding
          filename.DUP report about suspected duplicate records in the
          file.  The syntax for using Find-Dup:

                                  FIND-DUP  dbdfile

             dbdfile     the name of the dbDIAL database file.  You can
                         specify a drive & path if you wish.

          The program displays a copyright notice and various status
          messages while it works.  The total time for the program to run
          depends on the number of records in the database file.

          An ASCII report file is stored in the same directory as the
          dbDIAL database, with the same filename and a .DUP extension.
          (Older report files will be overwritten.)  When the program ends,
          you can use a text editor to study the ASCII report for suspected
          duplicate records.

          Find-Dup searches for duplicate first & last names and writes a
          line in the report file for each match.  When a match occurs, the
          program further reports if the company, address, city, state, and
          zip code also match.  Records are specially flagged if they prove
          to be identical right down to the notes field.  Here's what a
          sample CUSTOMER.DUP report file might look like:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          C:\MSDOS\DATA\CUSTOMER.DAT
          Database contains 776 records...
          <No last name>, <No first name>  <-- Same Name
          Complo, Michelle                 <-- Same Name Company City State Zip
          Editor, Letters                  <-- IDENTICAL RECORD
          Lennox, Dave                     <-- Same Name
          Smith, John                      <-- Same Name City State
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                         Figure 18.1: Sample Find-Dup report

          Chapter 19, "GRAB2DBD utility"                                 69





          ____________________________Chapter 19___________________________
                                  GRAB2DBD utility

          GRAB2DBD.EXE reads GRAB Plus database files (in GRABDB format)
          and stores them in a dbDIAL-format database.  The syntax for
          using GRAB2DBD:

                         GRAB2DBD  grabdbfile  dbdfile  [/S]

             grabdbfile  the name of the GRABDB database file.  You can
                         specify a drive & path if you wish.  The file must
                         exist.

             dbdfile     the name of the dbDIAL database file.  You can
                         specify a drive & path if you wish.  The file will
                         be created if it doesn't already exist.

             /S          Database save mode.  See the same option on page
                         14.

          The program displays a copyright notice and various status
          messages while it works.  The total conversion time depends on
          the number of records being processed.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          c:\tp\dbdial\stuffy   18:37:58  Fri 12-20-91
          C>grab2dbd grabdb dbdial
          GRAB2DBD Copr. 1991, Barn Owl Software
          Opening grabdb...
          Opening dbdial...

          Created database C:\TP\DBDIAL\STUFFY\dbdial.DAT
          Records left: 0   Time left: 00:00:00
          Thank you for using dbDIAL!

          c:\tp\dbdial\stuffy   18:38:13  Fri 12-20-91
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                        Figure 19.1: Sample GRAB2DBD session

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        70



          WARNING:  Both filenames must end with a .DAT extension, and you
          must use different filenames for the two databases.  You could
          irreparably corrupt your data if you use the same filename for
          both databases.

          Chapter 20, "SixSorts utility"                                 71





          ____________________________Chapter 20___________________________
                                  SixSorts utility

          SIXSORTS.EXE modifies dbDIAL so it sorts databases six ways
          instead of five.

          By default, dbDIAL sorts on five key fields: name, company, zip
          code, last date called, and next date to call.  Social security
          numbers are included in the database but few people need to sort
          on them.  SixSorts is for those who do need this capability.

          Special note: Index files increase 14% in size if you sort by
          SSN.  Specifically, every 62 records (or fraction thereof) gene-
          rates 1624 more bytes in the index file.

          Move to the directory with DBDIAL.EXE, GRAB2DBD.EXE, and
          SIXSORTS.EXE and type:

                                       SIXSORTS

          at the DOS prompt.  The program displays a copyright notice and
          various status messages while it works.  The whole process takes
          less than a minute.

          SixSorts may abort if a file has its read-only attribute set or
          if it doesn't reside in the current directory.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        72



          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          c:\dbdial   16:38:46  Fri 12-20-91
          C>sixsorts
          dbDIAL SSN sort initializer utility
          Copr. 1991, Barn Owl Software
          Opening DBDIAL.EXE file
          Searching for SSN key ID string
          Modifying DBDIAL.EXE
          Closing DBDIAL.EXE
          Opening GRAB2DBD.EXE file
          Searching for SSN key ID string
          Modifying GRAB2DBD.EXE
          Closing GRAB2DBD.EXE
          Opening DBDMERGE.EXE file
          Searching for SSN key ID string
          Modifying DBDMERGE.EXE
          Closing DBDMERGE.EXE
          Thanks for using dbDIAL!

          c:\dbdial   16:38:56  Fri 12-20-91
          C>
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                        Figure 20.1: Sample SixSorts session

          WARNING: Delete all *.IX index files so dbDIAL can rebuild them
          from scratch.  NEVER use a five-sort index file if your copy of
          dbDIAL is set up for six sorts, and NEVER use a six-sort index
          file if your copy is set up for five sorts.

                                                                         73



















          ______________________________PART 4_____________________________
                                     Appendixes

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        74





          ____________________________Appendix A___________________________
                               Status & error messages

          The following is a list of all status & error messages.  In some
          cases there may be an obscure reason why the message would come
          up, and we've tried to list those reasons to help you out.  (We
          left out obvious possible causes like an unformatted disk or an
          open drive door.)

          Are you sure?

          Auto-capitalization is ON/OFF.

          Bad parameter or filename on the command line.
             * An invalid command-line option was specified.
             * The /K option was specified but the program could not find
               the configuration file.

          Be sure to press xxx when you hang up!
             * This information message reminds you the call is being
               logged.  Press the hotkey xxx (normally ALT-H) when you hang
               up so dbDIAL can log the end of the call.

          Call logging feature has been turned OFF.
             * A disk error occurred; dbDIAL recovered from it but was
               forced to turn off the CDS call logging feature.  CALLS WILL
               NO LONGER BE LOGGED FROM THIS POINT ON!  You can re-activate
               this feature by choosing "File/Change/Config/Database" from
               the main menu and resetting the "Log calls:" option.

          Can't accept wildcards in TSR mode unless you use /M option.
             * The "TSR mode" message goes away if you use the /M option
               when loading dbDIAL.EXE into memory as a TSR.

          Clipboard error occurred!
          Clipboard text too lengthy for the memo field.
             * Applies to people who run dbDIAL under Microsoft
               Windows 3.0.

          Config saved to xxxxxxxx.

          Couldn't find a phone number on screen.
             * You told dbDIAL to dial a phone number from the screen and
               then pressed the TAB key to move to the next phone number,
               but the program couldn't find any phone numbers on the
               screen.  (This sometimes happens with vanity phone numbers
               like 800-RSNBRGR.)  Move the highlight bar with the cursor
               keys and +/- keys until it covers the phone number you want
               to dial.

          Appendix A, "Status & error messages"                          75



          Couldn't recognize xxxxxxxx.
             * Multiple command-line options were listed without a space or
               tab to separate them.  "/I/N" is not acceptable, you must
               say "/I  /N".
             * An invalid command-line option was specified.
             * The specified dbDIAL configuration file doesn't exist.

          Created database xxxxxxxx.

          dbDIAL already loaded in memory.
          dbDIAL has been unloaded.
          dbDIAL loaded in memory.
          dbDIAL not resident in memory.
          Remember, hotkey1 and hotkey2 invoke dbDIAL!
             * DBDIAL.EXE displays these general status messages when it
               loads or unloads from memory as a TSR.

          dbDIAL can't unload at this time.
             * One or more TSRs were loaded into memory after DBDIAL.EXE.
               TSRs must be unloaded in reverse order, last to first.
             * You tried to unload DBDIAL.EXE from inside a standalone
               application or while operating in a secondary DOS shell.

          dbDIAL database corrupt, unable to reconstruct.
          Error importing/exporting dbDIAL records.
          Error reading/writing the xxxxxxxx file.
          Error trying to locate or read the help file.
             * The file is not a valid dbDIAL v1.0 configuration file,
               dbDIAL database file, help file, or dbDIAL record import
               file.  (You may be trying to read a file generated by a
               later version of dbDIAL.)
             * The identified file is corrupt.
             * The disk has become full.
             * Tried to write or erase a read-only file.
             * Tried to write or erase a file on a write-protected disk.

          Default config file located.  Use it?
             * dbDIAL located a DBDIAL.CFG file while switching to the
               database you specified.  The database has no special config-
               uration file of its own, so the program wants to know if it
               should use its current internal defaults or override them
               with the default configuration file.

          Did the call connect?
             * Unfortunately, dbDIAL can't tell when someone picks up the
               phone at the other end -- modems just don't return that kind
               of data.  You must tell the program if your call connected.

          Did you just hang up on the current call?

          Do you really want to quit the program?

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        76



          Do you want to pack/purge the database?
             * dbDIAL asks this after performing certain global database
               actions.  You should answer yes if you deleted anything for
               security reasons, or if you believe you can reclaim a lot of
               disk space.  Read chapter 12 and appendix C for further
               details.

          Do you want to redial the number?

          DOS says today is Tue 1-1-80!  That's not right!
             * The DOS date is not set properly.  It won't affect dbDIAL,
               but it could mean a bad call history file.  See chapter 2.3
               for more information.

          Eject page from printer?

          Elapsed time hh:mm:ss.
             * This information message displays whenever you halt the
               stopwatch function.

          Encountered database error: nnn.  Attempt rebuild?
             * dbDIAL encountered an unexpected error when it tried to open
               a database.  The program wants to try to rebuild the data-
               base to correct the error.  Answer yes ONLY IF you have
               adequate backups, and please call ZPAY to report the
               specific error number.

          Error occurred trying to access modem.
             * You failed to turn on an external modem.
             * You specified an improper COM port.

          Error writing a report to the printer device.
             * The printer has gone off-line for some unknown reason.
             * The disk has become full or is write-protected (assuming you
               decided to redirect printer output to a disk file).
             * You declared an invalid printer device handle.
             * You declared a printer initialization (or exit) string which
               somehow shuts down the printer so no more text will be
               accepted.
             * Too many files open at once.  Check your CONFIG.SYS file to
               see about increasing the FILES= entry.  (Consult your DOS
               manual if you are unfamiliar with this.)  If you use a
               program that can remove TSRs from memory, it may not have
               closed the files used by those TSRs.

          Export the notes for each record?

          Failure occurred in TSR handler logic.
             * DBDIAL.EXE failed its attempt to go resident as a TSR.  Call
               ZPAY for assistance.

          Appendix A, "Status & error messages"                          77



          Let me know when to dial the next portion...
             * A semicolon ";" character appeared somewhere in the string
               sent to the modem.  dbDIAL sent everything up to the
               semicolon and is now waiting for you to press a key so it
               can send the rest.  This is useful if you want the program
               to dial your credit card number, for example.  Read appen-
               dix B.4 for detailed information.

          Low key cannot be greater than high key.
             * You enter a low key value greater than the corresponding
               high key value for filtering database records.  Please enter
               a valid key range.

          nnn new records were added.

          No call is in progress.

          No data in the Windows 3.0 clipboard.
             * Applies to people who run dbDIAL under Microsoft
               Windows 3.0.

          No matching notes string found.
          No matching record found.
             * These information messages appear if dbDIAL finds no records
               matching your abstract or rigid criteria.

          Not a valid abbreviation.
             * You failed to enter a valid two-letter state/country
               abbreviation in the state field of a dbDIAL database record.
               Press F1 to see a list of valid abbreviations.

          Not enough memory to continue.
             * dbDIAL "grows" while it works, and grew too large to fit in
               memory.  Remove memory-resident programs and try it again.
               If you use multitasking software, increase dbDIAL's memory
               allotment or remove other programs from the queue.

          Not enough memory to drop to DOS.
             * dbDIAL has too little memory available to open a "DOS
               shell".  You must terminate the program if you need to do
               something at the DOS prompt.

          Paste address into Microsoft Windows clipboard?
             * Applies to people who run dbDIAL under Microsoft
               Windows 3.0.

          Pick up the phone AFTER the modem finishes dialing.
             * This information message appears when dbDIAL finishes
               sending the phone number to your modem.  Wait for the modem
               to completely dial the number, pick up the phone, and THEN
               press a key.  DON'T press a key before picking up the phone
               or you'll wind up talking to a dial tone.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        78



          Runtime error nnnn at xxxx:yyyy
             * This "catch-all" error message means a problem occurred that
               dbDIAL wasn't programmed to handle.  Please tell ZPAY if you
               get this message and give a detailed description of what you
               did that led up to it.

          Send output to printer?

          Shelling to DOS.  nnnK available.  Type "EXIT" to return to
          program.

          Sorry, couldn't find TIMEZONE.INF file.
          Sorry, couldn't find TOLLNMBR.INF file.
             * Some functions need the TIMEZONE.INF or TOLLNMBR.INF files
               to work properly.  See pages 65 and 64 for details.

          Sorry, you need ZIPKEY v1.91 or later.
          Sorry, ZIPKEY not loaded in memory.
             * Some functions need the ZIPKEY TSR to work properly.  See
               the advertisement at the back of the manual.

          That file doesn't exist.

          That file is labeled as "read-only".

          The key you pressed is not valid here.  Press F1 for help.

          Warning: a DOS 3.20 bug can corrupt log files!
             * This information message appears whenever dbDIAL runs on a
               computer using DOS version 3.20.  See chapter 2.3.

          Windows 3.0 not active; cannot copy from clipboard.
             * Applies to people who run dbDIAL under Microsoft
               Windows 3.0.

          You don't need to call anyone today.
             * You pressed ALT-S to see who needs to be called today, but
               no record in the current dbDIAL database has been flagged
               for a call in their next-call field.

          You haven't made any calls yet.

          You need to call some people today (press ALT-S to see them).
             * Each time dbDIAL opens a dbDIAL database, it checks if you
               need to call someone today (as listed in the next-call
               field) and lets you know if so.  You can turn this option
               off when you create a configuration file.

          You talked for nn minutes.

          Appendix A, "Status & error messages"                          79



          A.1  Exit codes

          The various programs which make up dbDIAL generate an exit code
          that tells how the session went.  This code is known as the
          "ERRORLEVEL" in batch files.  (Consult your DOS manual if you are
          unfamiliar with it.)  The possible exit codes are:

                            Table A.1: dbDIAL exit codes
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
           0 : Normal termination
           1 : Bad parameter or filename on the command line
           2 : Not enough memory to continue
           3 : Error reading/writing the configuration file
           4 : RESERVED
           5 : RESERVED
           6 : Error reading/writing the dbDIAL database
           7 : Error importing/exporting dbDIAL records
           8 : dbDIAL database corrupt, unable to reconstruct
           9 : Error trying to locate or read the help file
          10 : Error reading/writing a CDS log file
          11 : RESERVED
          12 : RESERVED
          13 : RESERVED
          14 : Cannot send report to a read-only file
          15 : Cannot send report to an invalid filename
          16 : Error writing a report to the printer device
          17 : Error occurred trying to access modem
          18 : Error occurred while trying to load as a TSR
          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        80





          ____________________________Appendix B___________________________
                                    Helpful hints


          B.1  Invoking dbDIAL

          Here are a few visual aids for dbDIAL's start-up options:

          DBDIAL
             Starts the program with no special instructions.

          DBDIAL  /I/N
             Wrong!  You must put a space between each option.  The program
             will only see the /I option in this case.

          DBDIAL  /N
             The program starts up in silent mode.

          DBDIAL  /I  /E
             Orders the program to use its internal defaults instead of
             looking for a configuration file.  It will also ignore LIM EMS
             memory if present.

          DBDIAL  /KC:\DOS\DATA\MY-DATA.CFG  SALES  /R  /S
             Tells dbDIAL to load as a TSR using the configuration file MY-
             DATA.CFG, overriding the configuration file with a special
             database called SALES.DAT in the current directory.  Database
             save mode will be in effect.

          DBDIAL  /R  /XX  /X1
             Tells the program to load as a TSR and use XMS instead of EMS
             for its memory swap file if it has a choice.  It will also use
             minimal disk space or XMS memory to store the swap file.


          B.2  Common questions & answers

          "How can I create my own 'blueprint' or 'mailmerge' files so I
          can generate form letters?"
             See chapter 14.2.3 for full details.  Fig. 14.2 on page 62
          will give you an idea of what your own form letters might look
          like.

          "I told dbDIAL which COM port to use but my modem won't dial.
          What's wrong?"
             See page 89 for possible fixes.

          "Why can't I get dbDIAL to sort on Social Security numbers?"
             Few people need this capability, so we disable it to reduce
          the size of database index files.  You can easily re-enable it
          with the SixSorts program.  See page 71.

          Appendix B, "Helpful hints"                                    81



          "Why doesn't F4 show me the current time of day for each zip
          code?"
             You must have the popular ZIPKEY program from Eric Isaacson
          Software, it must be version 1.91 or later, and it must be loaded
          before dbDIAL.

          "How do I get dbDIAL to run as a TSR?"
             See page 14.

          "I need dbDIAL's default hotkey for some other program.  Can I
          change it?"
             Certainly.  See pages 35 and 13.

          "I don't have expanded memory.  Can dbDIAL's TSR portion use
          extended memory?"
             The program can use extended memory directly if you load
          Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS device driver (available free from Micro-
          soft) or some other LIM XMS device driver as part of your
                          3
          CONFIG.SYS file.   dbDIAL can use extended memory even if you
          don't have a LIM XMS device driver: consult your DOS manual for
          information on a device driver usually known as RAMDISK.SYS or
          VDISK.SYS.  Set up a RAMdisk in extended memory and tell dbDIAL
          to use it like a regular disk drive.

          "I can't get dbDIAL to unload from TSR status."
             You may be running another application, or you may have loaded
          other TSRs after dbDIAL.  Exit to DOS from any program you may be
          running at the time, unload any "later" TSRs, and try again.

          "My system locks up when I press the dbDIAL hotkey while using a
          DOS application under Microsoft Windows."
             You loaded dbDIAL before starting Windows.  Load it from a
          batch file used to run a DOS application under Windows, and make
          sure Windows calls the batch file instead of the DOS application
          itself.

          "The program takes about 11k of memory instead of 8k when I load
          it.  How come?"
             You used the /X1 command line option (and possibly /XX as
          well).  See page 15.

          "The program loaded as a 500k TSR!  What happened?"
             First off, we can assume you either have no EMS/XMS memory or
          you used command line options to ignore it.  This means you
          either loaded the program from a floppy drive or used the special
          /D! option.
             * you loaded the program from a computer with no hard
               drive; or,

          _________________________________________________________________
          3. Most 286/386 memory managers programs provide LIM XMS support
             in lieu of HIMEM.SYS.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        82



             * you loaded the program from a floppy drive without using the
               /D option to tell dbDIAL where to store its memory swap
               files; or,
             * you loaded the program from a floppy drive without using a
               configuration file to tell dbDIAL where to store its memory
               swap files; or,
             * you used the /D! option to make the program load everything
               in regular memory; or,
             * you entered a "!" in the "TSR disk default" field of your
               configuration file.
          See page 13 for potential solutions.

          "Sometimes dbDIAL can't find files when I load it as a TSR from
          my AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  It works fine if I reload it into memory.
          What gives?"
             Your AUTOEXEC.BAT file loads the program before it sets the
          DOS PATH.  dbDIAL looks for files across the DOS PATH if it
          doesn't find them in the directory from which you loaded the
          program.  However, a quirk in DOS itself forces you to load TSRs
          after setting the PATH if the TSRs need the PATH.  Most of them
          don't need to look at the PATH so they have no problem with it.

          "I can't get my mouse to work with dbDIAL when I load it as
          a TSR."
             You're probably loading dbDIAL as a TSR before you load your
          mouse driver.  Load dbDIAL after the mouse driver.


          B.3  Special calling problems

          There are a number of cases where people dial local, toll, and
          long distance numbers that confuse dbDIAL.  In Maryland for
          example, you have to dial your own area code to make a toll call.
          In Los Angeles, you never dial a "1" prefix to reach a toll
          number.  Brookville, Indiana residents don't have to dial all
          seven digits for a local call (they can get away with five).  The
          list goes on.

          dbDIAL has to draw the line at some point -- it can't handle
          every possible dialing anomaly.  But there are a few ways you can
          fool dbDIAL into handling these cases so the phone numbers are
          dialed correctly.  The methods shown here have their pros & cons,
          and this is by no means a complete list.  We hope they will spur
          your imagination to find a solution for your dialing anomaly.

          If you must dial your own area code to make a toll call, you can
          change the default toll prefix string so it contains a "1"
          followed by the local area code.

          Suppose you don't need a "1" prefix to call a toll number but you
          want it to appear in CDS log files like a toll number.  (Some
          people need to do this if they generate phone bill reports using
          a CDS-compatible phone bill analyzer.)  In this case, choose a

          Appendix B, "Helpful hints"                                    83



          prefix code with no information in it (we recommend the "Z" pre-
          fix code) and use it to override the default prefix code.

          If you don't need to dial all seven digits, just put the whole
          phone number in the phone number field anyway.  Two digits won't
          make a difference to dbDIAL when it dials the call for you.


          B.4  Hotels & credit cards

          Unfortunately, phone service varies widely between cities and
          even between hotels in the same city.  Some systems may require
          you to dial "9" to get an outside line; others may force you to
          dial something like "88" or "02".

          If you use a credit card, you may have to dial a toll-free
          number, wait for a tone, dial the number you want, wait for
          another tone, and then dial your card number.

          The worst case is when you find yourself in a hotel with a credit
          card!  But luckily, dbDIAL can be configured to make your life
          simpler when you travel.  It takes some tinkering, though, to get
          it right.

          If you're in any of the newer hotels (especially ones with the
          convenient RJ11 phone jacks), chances are you'll dial "9" to get
          an outside line.  dbDIAL's /9 command may be all you need to deal
          with the hotel phone system.

          Some hotel phone systems may force you to pause briefly before
          you can dial out.  Most Hayes compatible modems accept a comma as
          a command to pause for two seconds, and dbDIAL's /9 command sets
          the default prefixes to "9,-" (local) and "9,1-" (long distance).

          Dialing a number can be tricky if you don't know how long of a
          pause to insert.  Most Hayes compatible modems accept a semicolon
          ";" character as a return-to-control-mode command, and dbDIAL
          takes advantage of this fact.  If you include a semicolon in the
          string, dbDIAL will:

            1. send everything up to and including the semicolon
            2. wait for you to press a key
            3. send the rest of the string

          You can insert more than one semicolon: the program will keep
          pausing until it reaches the end of the string.

          Many Hayes-compatible modems accept the "W" character as a "wait
          for dial tone" command.  If all you need to do is pause for the
          next dial tone, the modem can do all the work for you.  You and
          dbDIAL will never know the difference.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        84



          Practically all credit card users dial their card number after
          the phone number.  Your best bet is to change the default local &
          long distance suffix codes to include your card number.  Be sure
          to put a semicolon (or enough commas) at the beginning of the
          prefix string if you must wait before dialing the card number.

          WARNING: KEEP YOUR PHONE CREDIT CARD NUMBER CONFIDENTIAL!  Be
          careful if you store it in a dbDIAL configuration file -- someone
          could gain access to it if you aren't careful.

          Example: John Smith wants to dial his wife from his hotel phone.
          He will dial "9", pause briefly, then dial his MegaBell access
          node; wait for a second dial tone, then dial his wife's number
          with a "0" instead of a "1"; wait for a special ring tone, then
          dial his credit card number.  Smith's Hayes compatible modem
          recognizes ";" as a return-to-control-mode signal and "W" as a
          "wait for dial tone" command.  Here's what his settings might
          look like:

               Default prefix:   9,1-800-555-6789W0-
               Default suffix:   ;312-345-6789-0123
               Mrs. Smith ph#:   708-987-6543

          Smith's modem is Hayes compatible and recognizes the comma, semi-
          colon, and "W" as commands.  dbDIAL doesn't care about the comma
          or "W" but it does recognize the semicolon as a pause-for-key-
          stroke command.  The program will:

            1. send the prefix string, his wife's phone number, and the
               semicolon in the suffix string;
            2. wait for Smith to press a key
            3. send the rest of the suffix string

          CAUTION: many Hayes-compatible modems fail to execute a command
          longer than 40 characters!  Check your modem manual for important
          details on the maximum number of characters you can send in a
          single command.  If necessary, use the semicolon command capa-
          bility to split large dialing strings into smaller parts.

          Hint: it pays to check the phone rates before you use a credit
          card in a hotel.  Sometimes it's cheaper, and sometimes it
          needlessly adds money to the cost of the call.  This is a sad
          fact of life and it depends on the phone service at each hotel.


          B.5  Disable call waiting

          Homes and small businesses often pay for a "call waiting" feature
          so they can have the equivalent of two lines on a single phone.
          However, people sometimes find it offensive if the person at the
          other end takes time out answer another call.

          Appendix B, "Helpful hints"                                    85



          Most (but not all) people can temporarily disable call waiting so
          they aren't interrupted during an important conversation.  You
          just dial "*70" before the number.  Your call waiting feature is
          re-enabled when you hang up.

          dbDIAL makes it easy to implement this feature.  Change the modem
          dialing command from "ATDT" to "ATDT*70," and you're on your way.
          (Choose the Config/Hardware/Modem menu item to do this.)  Note:
          be sure to include the comma at the end of the dialing command!

          But what if the other guy has call waiting?  Can you turn it off
          on his end, too?  In some cases, YES -- but you must have three-
          way calling as well as call waiting to temporarily disable some-
          one else's call waiting, and your modem must recognize the "!"
          character as a "flash hook" command.

          Change dbDIAL's modem dialing command from "ATDT" to
          "ATDT,!,*70,".  Remember, you must have both three-way calling
          and call waiting on your end for this to work.  Note: be sure to
          include the comma at the end of the dialing command!


          B.6  One modem, two lines

          Many users have two or more phone lines and wonder how they can
          get the modem to work with them.  Let's say John Smith's wife
          works at home.  They have two lines, one for personal calls and
          one for her business.  Can Mrs. Smith get the modem to dial calls
          on both lines separately?

          It's possible, but it can be tricky.  The easiest method would be
          to use a two-line switch for your modem.  Radio Shack seems to be
          the only major chain of stores selling one, though many outlets
          don't carry it in stock.  You'll pay $34.95 plus tax -- quite a
          lot of money for a box with three buttons.  Ask for part
          number 43-380.

          Altex Electronics, a mail order firm, sells an A/B line switch
          for $18.95.  They even have a tollfree number: 800-531-5369.

          Do we use these devices?  No.  We built our own using $8.27 (plus
          tax) in Radio Shack parts.  It takes three minutes to assemble
          with no messy soldering or stripping.  You need a small flathead
          screwdriver and these items:

          -----------------------------------------------------------------

               PART #   PRICE DESCRIPTION
               275-1537 $1.99 DPDT knife switch
               279-310  $4.99 12ft RJ14/spade cord
               279-391  $1.29 12in RJ14/spade cord

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                  Figure B.1: Radio Shack parts for two-line switch

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        86



          Assembly is easy.  You'll notice the knife switch has six screws
          in a pattern much like a pool table; the loose wires on each cord
          have spade lugs for easy attachment.

            1. Loosen the knife switch screws.
            2. Attach the wires from the long and short cords to the screws
               as shown in figure B.2.
            3. Tighten the knife switch screws.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------

                  *                        *                       *
                LONG                     SHORT                    LONG
                 red                    red &                    black
                                         black

                                         SHORT
                LONG                    green &                   LONG
                green                   yellow                   yellow
                  *                        *                       *

          -----------------------------------------------------------------
                       Figure B.2: Diagram for two-line switch

          Just flip the switch when you want the modem to dial on the other
          line.  That's all there is to it.

          Look in the README.1ST file (included on the dbDIAL disk) for any
          last-minute news on other sources for this type of product.

          Appendix C, "Notes for advanced users"                         87





          ____________________________Appendix C___________________________
                              Notes for advanced users

          The dbDIAL database can store up to 2,147,483,646 records and
          uses ISAM (indexed sequential access method) techniques to sort &
          search them.  Unlike dBASE III+ programs, dbDIAL stores records
          and notes in the same file.  Variable-length records make this
          possible.

          Each record you see on the screen is a logical record composed of
          one to eight sections depending on the size of the notes field.
          The notes field uses a 384-byte section for every 377 characters.
          You can enter up to 2637 characters (7 sections, multiplied
          by 377 bytes, minus 2 bytes) before running out of room.

          The ISAM database automatically de-allocates sections if they are
          no longer needed and flags them for future use -- but the data-
          base never physically shrinks unless you pack-purge it.  This can
          be done by choosing the "File/Utils/Pack" option from the main
          menu.  CAUTION: you should pack-purge whenever you delete
          something for security reasons.

          When you add a record or write notes, the program searches for
          de-allocated sections it can reuse.  The database grows only when
          no more de-allocated sections exist.

          When should you pack-purge the database?  You can make a decision
          based on information provided by the "File/Utils/Details" item on
          the main menu (see chapter 12).  It gives you three key pieces
          of data:

            1. total logical records
            2. total sections they consume
            3. total de-allocated sections

          Each de-allocated section consumes 384 bytes of unused disk
          space.  Multiply it by the total number of de-allocated sections
          to learn how much space you would reclaim with a pack-purge.

          dbDIAL reserves 23 bytes in the first section of each record for
          possible future use.
                                                   4
          Index files work with 11,716-byte blocks.   Each block tracks 62
          records.  Like the database, the index file never physically
          shrinks in size unless you pack-purge, and it adds a new block
          only when the other blocks have no more room.



          _________________________________________________________________
          4. Sorting by SSN increases the size of a block to 13,340 bytes.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        88



          Two indexes use the "null" character (ASCII #0) for accuracy.  If
          you sort by the last name or by company, in reality you sort by:

             * Last name + null + first name + null + company
             * Company + null + last name + null + first name

          The program converts these index strings to uppercase and trun-
          cates them if they exceed 20 characters.  If you do incremental
          searching by name or company, you can specify a null character by
          pressing the spacebar.  dbDIAL checks the database for matching
          index strings first with a null, then with a space.  Null charac-
          ters appear on the screen as a regular space.  Thus, you can
          narrow your search for Roger Smith at Acme, Inc. by typing "SMITH
          ROGER ACME".  If the record you want has no first or last name in
          it, you can find it by pressing "  ACME".

          By default, dbDIAL "buffers" all database disk writes to increase
          the speed of the program (disk I/O is a slow process in computer
          terms) and "flushes" the buffers at the end of each transaction,
          which usually entails adding, editing, or deleting a single
          record.  The program accepts an optional /S command-line para-
          meter indicating all files will be accessed in "save mode."  No
          buffering takes place; disk writes are processed immediately to
          assure the integrity of databases and index files.  This
          eliminates reconstruction hassles associated with users who
          reboot or shut off the computer before exiting from the program.

          The speed degradation for /S is minor in most cases.  However,
          you probably won't want to use it if you import a sizable load of
          data or employ one of the "File/Utils" global routines.

          dbDIAL always closes files and flushes I/O buffers before it
          actually pops down from TSR mode, meaning your database is "safe"
          when the program lies dormant in memory.

          Appendix D, "Troubleshooting"                                  89





          ____________________________Appendix D___________________________
                                   Troubleshooting


          D.1  Call history file problems

          Remember to exit from dbDIAL before you shut off your computer!
          Failing to do so may corrupt your call history file.  Important
          information will be lost before it is written to disk.

          Some people visually check a .CDS file to see what it looks like.
          It's basically an ASCII text file, but it conforms to a stringent
          format imposed by the Call Data Standard.  You will most probably
          confuse dbDIAL if you make ANY changes to the file.


          D.2  Modem problems

          If you know you set your modem correctly, but it doesn't respond
          to the commands dbDIAL is sending it, the problem may be in how
          fast the program is talking to the modem.  Some modems can't
          accept commands at the same speed it accepts regular data.  You
          can slow down dbDIAL's command data transmission speed from the
          main menu.  Choose the "File/Change/Config/Modem" option (see
          chapter 7.2).


          D.3  DOS shell problems

          dbDIAL uses a complex "swapping" technique when it opens a DOS
          shell.  Everything is stored on disk or in EMS so you have memory
          to run other programs.  All that's left is a small 16k kernel and
          a secondary copy of the command processor.

          If dbDIAL swaps itself out to disk, two files will be labeled as
          "hidden" files.  This is so you don't accidentally delete or
          rename them.

          There are some rules you MUST follow when you invoke a DOS shell:

            1. Never load a TSR!  You'll have to reboot your computer the
               instant you type "EXIT".  Terminate dbDIAL if you want to
               load a TSR in memory.
            2. Never reboot the computer!  The swap files may become "lost"
               on your disk in such cases.  If you do reboot, immediately
               run the CHKDSK program to make sure everything is okay.
               (Consult your DOS manual if you are unfamiliar with it).
            3. Never delete/alter/rename the temporary swap files!  dbDIAL
               marks them as hidden to keep you from doing this.

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        90



            4. Never use a low-level disk modification utility!  This
               includes programs like CHKDSK, or any program that
               physically defragments hard disks, or anything that changes
               directory structures.

          It is possible to violate these rules in certain cases and get
          away with it, but you risk having to reboot your system.


          D.4  If that doesn't help

          Before you call ZPAY for help, please take the time to jot down
          your answers to these questions:

             * Did you install the program according to the instructions?
             * Did you read the appendix on helpful hints?
             * What brand/model of computer do you use?
             * What brand/model of modem do you use?
             * What does your CONFIG.SYS file look like (if you use one)?
             * What does your AUTOEXEC.BAT file look like (if you use one)?
             * Do you use multitasking or networking software?
             * Do you have any experience with similar products?
             * Did you modify any of the more advanced "misc. options"?

          Index                                                          91





          _________________________________________________________________

                                        Index

              /1 13                          E
              /2 13                          EGA 13
              /3 13                          ERRORLEVEL 79
              /4 13                          exit code 79
              /8 13
              /9 13                          F
              /[ 15                          files 8
              /A 13                          4DOS 12
              /D 13, 14, 18, 81, 82
              /E 14, 15                      G
              /I 14, 80                      GRAB Plus 7, 25, 41, 58
              /K 14, 15, 74                  GRABDB 9, 42, 58, 62, 69,
              /M 14, 34, 74                    See Also: GRAB Plus
              /N 14
              /Q 14                          H
              /R 14, 17                      help
              /S 14, 69, 88                    context sensitive 11,
              /U 14                            20, 24
              /X 15                          highlight bar 20, 21, 22,
              /X1 15, 17, 18, 81               47
              /XX 15, 81                     hints 80, 84
              /Z 15
                                             K
              C                              kernel 17, 89
              Call Data Standard See:
                CDS                          L
              cautions 55, 84, 87, See       legal notices 1
                Also: warnings               Logitech 11
              CDS 7, 9, 11, 28, 89
              CompuServe 1                   M
              CONFIG.SYS 76                  Microsoft 11, 12
              configuration 14, 16, 74,        Windows 7, 9, 12, 17, 42
                75, 80                       mouse 11
              current record 22
                                             N
              D                              networks 1
              dbDIAL                         notes 9, 11, 13, 15, 17,
                limited license 3              24, 28, 29, 35, 40, 41,
                support 4                      42, 45, 48, 58, 59, 61,
                syntax 15                      63, 71, 85, See Also:
              DESQView 12                      cautions
              disk vendors 3
              distributors See: disk         O
                vendors                      OmniView 12
              DOS 3.20 10
              DoubleDOS 12                   P
                                             PIF file See: Microsoft
                                               Windows

          dbDIAL v1.0 User Manual                                        92



              prefix 13, 14, 31, 32, 58,     templates See: blueprints
                59, 64, 82, 83, 84           trademarks 1

              R                              V
              registration 4                 VGA 13
                site 4                       visual aids 80
                volume discounts 4
                                             W
              S                              warnings 42, 53, 54, 55,
              screens                          70, 72, 78, 84, See
                EGA/VGA 13                     Also: notes
              scroll bar 26, 33, 57          warranty 2
              shareware 2
              suffix 13, 14, 31, 32, 58,     Z
                59, 64, 84, See Also:        ZIPKEY 7, 11, 44, 47, 49,
                prefix                         53, 81
                                             ZPAY address 1
              T
              TaskView 12