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The WIZARD (c) Music Database Unregistered Version 1.51 Written By SuperSoft P.O. Box 43528 Phoenix, AZ 85O8O-3528 USA Questions, Comments, Errors and other Scuttlebutt Compuserve User ID [70642,3220], Brett Simpson or leave a message on EXEC-PC to Brett Simpson All products described herein are copyright/trademarks of their respective companies. There is no warranty of any kind (express or implied) related to this product, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The copyright owner/author may not be held liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or for any other reason including any loss of profit or other damages arising out of or because of an inability to use the software. By using the software you agree to this. The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software. Copyright Brett A. Simpson, 1991, All Rights Reserved Table Of Contents I. Introduction ....................... 3 Software Introduction ....................... 3 System Requirements ......................... 3 Why Register ................................ 4 Future Enhancements ......................... 5 Getting Started ............................. 5 Quick Start ................................. 6 Definition Of Terms ......................... 6 II Using The Wizard(c) .......................... 7 The Main Menu ............................... 7 Entering New Data ........................... 7 Handy Entry Features .................... 8 Saving an Entry ............................. 8 Editing an Entry ............................ 9 Browsing your data .......................... 10 Displaying an Image ..................... 10 Playing Sound ........................... 11 Sound and Vision ........................ 11 Deleting an Entry ........................... 11 Understanding Searching and Sorting ......... 12 Sorting ..................................... 12 Query Builder ............................... 13 [Build A New Query] ..................... 13 [Restore Query From Disk] ............... 14 [Add To Current Query] .................. 14 [Count Number of Records That Match Query] .. 15 [View Records which matched Query] ...... 15 [Remove Existing Query] ................. 15 Disable Previous Query ...................... 15 Edit/Delete Query Titles .................... 16 Quick Reports ............................... 16 [Printing or Viewing List] .............. 16 [Saving List To Disk] ................... 17 [Restore List From Disk] ................ 17 [Edit/Delete Report Titles] ............. 17 Create Labels ............................... 18 [Create New Label File] ................. 18 [Select A Label File] ................... 18 [Modifications] ......................... 18 [Dimensions] ............................ 18 [Select Records] ........................ 19 [Print Labels] .......................... 19 [Test Pattern] .......................... 19 Table Of Contents PAGE 1 [Quit] ................................. 19 Configure .................................. 19 Display Current Configuration .......... 19 Sound Configuration .................... 20 Select Sound Card .................. 20 Select Sound Directory ............. 21 Image Configuration .................... 21 Utilities .................................. 21 Enter Defaults ......................... 21 Re-Index Files ......................... 21 Customize Colors ....................... 21 Purge Deleted Records .................. 22 Quit ....................................... 22 Info ....................................... 22 Appendices Appendix 1. Image files and their extensions ....... 23 Appendix 2. How can I get my images into The Wizard 23 Appendix 3. How can I get my sound into The Wizard 23 Appendix 4. How to make an internal speaker sound .. 24 better. Appendix 5. Contact Information .................... 24 Appendix 6. Registration Order Form ................ 25 PAGE 2 I. INTRODUCTION SOFTWARE INTRODUCTION --------------------- Thank you for trying out The Wizard(c) Database. This software was born out of a sense of perfectionism on my part. I decided to write my own software after trying several other Music collection software packages. The goal was to create a Music database that would allow the user to do several tasks that would make it easy to locate and print data and display and hear selections from the database. This database was designed to be feasible for all music collectors from A Disc Jockey at radio station to a Novice Collector to a Record/CD Dealer. I hope that the program succeeds in doing that. Here are the main features of The Wizard(c). 1.) Simple entry of all music data in the user's collection including extensive notes (64K byte) if required. 2.) Plays back SOUND selections from that collection on the most popular sound cards on the market, Sound Blaster, Sound Master II and on the internal speaker using Covox Sound Master II files 3.) Displays IMAGES from the users collection in several formats including GIF, TIF, PCX, TGA, IFF, LBM, IMG. 4.) Creates custom printouts of data in the database in any format that the user desires. 5.) Allows the user to easily SEARCH the database for data from any field in the database. 6.) Allows sorting on any field in the database. I hope that you will find it a rewarding product to work with. Many hours were spent in the development phase and in analyzing sound cards and video output for the IBM PC family of computers. This software was written specifically for IBM PC's and 100% compatibles and it will function on any compatible machine as long as that machine is 100% IBM compatible. This manual contains information on how to setup the software on a hard disk, and how to use the software. The appendices contain information on Graphics Formats, Sound formats and analyses of Sound Cards. To print this manual type in "TYPE wizard.doc > lpt1:" at the DOS prompt. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ------------------- PAGE 3 To run this software, you will need an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible computer with a minimum of 640K of memory and a hard disk. You will soon find that both SOUND and IMAGE files require large amounts of disk free space. The following table can be used as a rule of thumb for deciding on how much free space on your hard disk you would need: Number Disk Disk Disk Disk of Space Space Space Space Records Reqd. w/IMAGE w/SOUND w/IMAGE & SOUND -------------------------------------------------------- 100 50K 2Mg 2Mg 4Mg 500 250K 11Mg 11Mg 22Mg 1,000 500K 22Mg 22Mg 44Mg 10,000 5Mg 220Mg 220Mg 440Mg Note that these figures are for 20K IMAGE files and 20K SOUND files, which is quite conservative. However with the coming increase in Hard Drive sizes and the new 20Mg floppy disk technology this fact should not prove a hindrance in the future because The Wizard lets you store your data anywhere you want so it is feasible that large amounts of data could be stored on disk if need be. Also note that the figures above that include SOUND and IMAGES are only accurate if you store a SOUND and IMAGE file with every record that you enter. You might choose however to only store SOUND and IMAGES with those records that are of most importance to you, thereby keeping the overall size of the database manageable. You might be able to run this system on a single high density floppy but I wouldn't recommend it and it hasn't been tested under these circumstances. A printer is required if you desire printed reports. No other software is required (except for the DOS operating system). However, I strongly recommend that you obtain a back up utility for your hard disk. Your data files should be backed up any time you've made significant changes! (DON'T FORGET TO DO THIS). A good rule of thumb is to completely backup your data files (those ending with .DBF and . DBT) anytime you've made more new entries than you'd want to type over again. Your data is very important and backing it up should NOT be neglected. I know from experience! WHY REGISTER? ------------- By registering this software you can help support the programmer who has spent all his money and time writing it (over 3 months in development). But there are also several great advantages to registering this software they are listed below: 1.) Unlimited technical support. 2.) An extra Print selection on the main menu which PAGE 4 allows for the printing of MEMO fields and for the totalling of numeric fields (value). 3.) The ability to print IMAGE files! Image files can be printed on any HP Laser Jet compatible Laser printer or on any Epson compatible dot matrix printer. 4.) Notice of release of the next version. 5.) Next release mailed to you (additional $10.00 US) There are two registration plans available. For $40.00 US funds you receive the Registered version of the software that includes all of the above benefits. For $50 you receive the Registered version of the software with the above benefits plus you will get the next major release sent to you FREE. International Orders please add $2.00 US for shipping/handling. Future Enhancements ------------------- The following enhancements/improvements are planned for coming releases of The Wizard: - Zoomable Notes Field, zooms to full screen. - Definable columnar reports allowing column sizes to be changed. - Extended SOUND support for more Sound cards. - Support for high resolution Super VGA IMAGES. - Color Printer support for the HP Paint Jet. - Searching allowed on Notes Field. - Thumbnail Catalog IMAGES printout. - Browsing Thumbnail Catalog of IMAGES on the screen and selecting with a mouse. - Full Mouse Support - Playback of large SOUND files (up to amount of total available memory, including Extended and Expanded) - Template version allowing user to create there own screen and fields/layout. GETTING STARTED --------------- To begin using The Wizard(c) you should uncompress all files into one directory on your hard disk. Enter "Wizard" and press return to startup The Wizard(c). You must first configure the SOUND system that the Wizard(c) will use. To do this choose SOUND CONFIGURATION from the Configure menu and then choose SELECT A SOUND CARD. To get to the menu you want use the arrow keys. And press Enter to make a selection. Choose the Sound card that you will be using or choose Internal Speaker if you don't have a Sound card installed. Now choose Save Configuration from the Configuration menu. This will make sure that your configuration is remembered the next time that you use the Wizard. Now the Wizard is ready to begin displaying and PAGE 5 playing back your IMAGE and SOUND files. If you want to store your IMAGE and SOUND files in different directories than the current one you must configure them from the Configuration options as well. Please see the Configuration Menu section below for further details. QUICK START ----------- This is for those of you who don't like reading manuals (myself included) and who are already experienced computer users. First uncompress all of The Wizard's (c) files into one directory. Now enter WIZARD and press enter to begin The Wizard(c). You must first configure the program for the Sound card you are using, to do this choose the SOUND CONFIGURATION option from the Configuration Menu and then choose the SELECT SOUND CARD option. Choose the Sound card you will be using or choose INTERNAL SPEAKER if you don't have a Sound card. Now to view the sample data choose the BROWSE/SEARCH option from the MUSIC DATA menu. To begin browsing data press the Page Down key. The Wizard(c) will begin displaying the sample data. Insert a valid IMAGE file name in the IMAGE File field and/or a valid SOUND File name in the SOUND File field (you can use some of your pre- existing files to try out The Wizard(c) since NO SOUND or IMAGE files are distributed with the unregistered version. Press <F4> to view an IMAGE file for a record listed. Press <F5> to hear a SOUND file playback. Press <F6> if you want to view an IMAGE file and hear the SOUND playback at the same time. You can edit the data or delete it, if you want to begin entering your own data. To delete the sample data records press the Delete key while you are browsing. A DELETED tag should appear at the top left of the screen. Do this for all Sample records in the Sample database. Now choose the PURGE DELETED RECORDS option from the UTILITIES menu. This will erase all the records that you just deleted. You can now begin from scratch entering your own records. For more details of the capabilities of The Wizard please see the sections that follow below. DEFINITION OF TERMS ------------------- The Following terms will be used throughout this manual: FIELD: One item of information within a database record. See example below RECORD: One group of items within a database that constitute a unit of information. See example below. DATABASE: A file of several records in a database. See example below. PAGE 6 Example One FIELD = F. Name = Bob ------- in 1st record | F. Name L. Name Age ------------------- | Bob Jones 25 | <-Rec #1 One RECORD (2nd Record) ---->| Sue Smith 53 | <-Rec #2 =(Sue Smith 53) | Jenny Graham 39 | <-Rec #3 -------------------- | | One DATABASE = collection of all data (3 records)- FIELDS in example = First Name, Last Name, Age RECORDS in example = Record #1, Record #2, Record #3 II. USING THE WIZARD(c) THE MAIN MENU -------------- Make a selection from the Main Menu by using the right/left cursor keys to get to the desired function or option. Use the up/down cursor keys to make your selection in the desired field, and then press ENTER. You can also press the single key that each option begins with to select that option. ENTERING NEW DATA ----------------- Use the right/left cursor keys to get to the ENTER NEW MUSIC function. Select the ENTER NEW MUSIC option and an information entry screen will appear. Enter in the new data. The length of the bar next to each entry shows the amount of space available for each item. The cursor will not go past the ends of the bar. To move the cursor around within each field use the <HOME> and <END> keys or the left/right arrow keys. This will move the cursor to the beginning or end of the currently highlighted data. Other standard keys are active also: <Del> - deletes a character, <Insert> selects between Insert/Overwrite mode. The cursor can be moved around the screen by pressing <ENTER> or using the up/down cursor keys. If you have made several mistakes and you want to start over fresh with a new data record you can press <PgUp> or <PgDn>. This will clear out all data currently displayed for this record and it will NOT save it. The Notes section of the screen however is a little different and it uses other keys to help you edit the large PAGE 7 Notes area. To get to notes you press <Enter> or arrow keys to move down through your data to the Notes area. Edit the notes area as you would any other section, you can also press <Ctrl-Y> to delete an entire line in the Notes section. <Ctrl-PgUp> will take you to the Beginning of the current Notes window on the screen. <Ctrl-PgDn> will take you to the end of the current Notes window on the screen. <Ctrl-Home> Takes you to the beginning of the data that you have entered in the Notes field. <Ctrl-End> takes you to the end of your data. When you are finished entering your Notes data press the <F10> key to save the data and the rest of your data for this record, if you still want to make changes to the other field data on the screen you can get back to that by pressing <Ctrl-F10>. If you don't want to keep this entry press the <Esc> key. This will clear out all of your data and begin again from the first data field. HANDY ENTRY FEATURES -------------------- There are a few other features which are very handy when entering new data. You can press <F5> to get a Popup entry list for certain fields (those marked with a '<' next to them on the screen). This Popup entry list is also editable, which means you can add or delete and create your own Popup entry list. To do this Popup the entry list Popup menu and press <Spacebar> over an entry that you want to edit or delete. To delete it simple delete all characters or space over them or enter your own Popup entry. The Wizard(c) will remember your Popup entries and display them for you again next time you Popup the menu. Two other features allow for quick entry of data: these features which copy data are <Ctrl-F> which will copy the same field that you are on from the previous entered record into the current field. For example if you are entering a collection of records and you have just entered a Beach Boy's album and pressed enter, you are now ready to enter another album. If you have another Beach Boy's album to enter just press <Ctrl-F> while on the Artist field and Beach Boy's will be automatically copied into the new field from your previous entry! <Ctrl-R> will copy the entire previous record into the current one. This is very useful when entering several similar records. SAVING THE ENTRY ---------------- After all necessary information is entered, press the <F10> key to save the entry. Another blank information entry screen will appear for your next entry. When you are finished making entries, press <ESC> to return to the Main Menu. PAGE 8 EDITING AN EXISTING ENTRY ------------------------- Use the right/left cursor keys to get to the Music Data selection of the main menu. Select the BROWSE/SEARCH/ UPDATES/DELETIONS option and an information entry screen will appear. At the bottom of the screen you will see the message ENTER SEARCH CRITERIA. Before you can edit an entry you must first search for it and find it in the database! To use the SEARCH function, you can enter in any field of information on the screen**. The Wizard(c) will search for up to two pieces of information that you enter. For example if you enter information that you want to search on in the Artist field and in the Title field. The Wizard(c) will search for your information in both of those fields. If it cannot find an exact match it will leave you at the closest match that it could find and will display that record. If you then wish to view other records surrounding that one, you only need to press the <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys. These keys will allow you to browse through the data in the sorted order that you have designated by using the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option of the SORTING menu. **If you have not SORTED on that field first the search will be slower However, it will still locate your information. You will know whether you have sorted on this data or not because if you haven't you will see a small WAIT indicator appear at the top left of the screen if you haven't sort on this field. Also the Notes field cannot be searched (this is coming in future versions.) SORTING: Enables you to order information or fields any way you choose. Subsequent editing, searches, queries, etc., will then be processed in the new SORTED order. For example, if the first sort field is Artist and the second sort field is Time all data is first searched in alphabetical order pertaining to the Artist field and secondly ordered by the Time field. So this sort would show the records pertaining to each artist ordered by the length of time of each record listed in the Time field. SEE SORTING SECTION FOR MORE DETAILS. Press <PgUp> or <PgDn> to scroll through the database records. Use the <HOME> and <END> keys to get to the beginning or end of the database. A list of available keys and their actions are located at the bottom of the screen. Changes are made in the same way you originally entered the data information. To make changes or insert new information, in a record that appears on your screen, press the <INSERT> key. Use the <up/down> arrow keys to move through the fields. Once you have made the changes press <F10> to save your new information. You can also use the escape feature with this screen . When pressing <ESC>, you will be prompted to enter another SEARCH. Pressing <ESC>, again will return you to the MAIN MENU. PAGE 9 BROWSING YOUR DATA ------------------ After you have entered a search or whenever you see Data Search Information at the top right of the screen, you will be allowed to browse through your data records. To do this you can press <PgDn> to go forward to the next record (in sorted order) or press <PgUp> to go backward to the previous record (in sorted order). The <Home> and <End> keys will take you to the first or last sorted record respectively. Note that the order that your data appears when using these keys will correspond directly with the SORT order that you have chosen from the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option on the SORTING menu. If you haven't chosen a sort order then The Wizard(c) will sort your data by Artist and Title. Whenever you exit the program and return to it, The Wizard(c) will remember your sorting specifications and will return to them. The current sorting order can always be seen by looking at the bottom of the screen. When you are browsing your data you have several extended options available with The Wizard. These options include displaying IMAGE files that are stored with each record or playing back SOUND files on a sound card or on the internal speaker. These options will be discussed below. DISPLAYING IMAGES ----------------- When you are browsing through your data you will notice the image file field listed near the bottom left of the screen. To display an image file that is listed in the IMAGE file field simply press <F4> (you can also display an IMAGE and playback a SOUND file at the same time by pressing <F6>, see further instructions below under SOUND and VISION) The screen will go into graphics mode and display the image. The IMAGE will remain on the screen until you press a key, then it will clear and return you back to the Search Information screen. Note that the sample data image included with the WIZARD is for VGA and Super VGA monitors and cards only, it will not display if you have a CGA, EGA or monochrome monitor. The Wizard(c) is capable of displaying in all graphics modes up to 640x350, 256 color VGA. This include Hercules Monochrome, CGA, EGA, VGA and Super VGA, however if an image is saved in a mode that is higher in resolution than the mode that you have, you will NOT be able to display it. This means that if you have an EGA monitor you cannot display VGA images and likewise if you have a CGA monitor you cannot display an EGA image, however if you have an VGA monitor you will be able to display any of the available modes, CGA, EGA, VGA and Hercules Monochrome (if your card supports the Hercules Mode.) This field is also where you can enter a valid IMAGE file that you would like to display with this record. The PAGE 10 Wizard(c) can display PCX, GIF, TGA, TIF, IFF, LBM, IMG files. Note that the wizard distinguishes the file type by looking at the file extension, so you should make sure that these extensions are correct, see the extension table in the appendix if you are unsure as to what the extensions are for each file type. Also see the IMAGES appendix for more details on IMAGE files. PLAYING SOUND ------------- Below the IMAGE file field is the SOUND file field. If there is a valid SOUND file listed in this field you will be able to play back that file on your Sound card or Internal Speaker if you do not have an internal speaker. To playback the SOUND file press <F5> (you can also playback a SOUND file at and display an IMAGE file at the same time by pressing <F6>, see further instructions below under SOUND and VISION). While the SOUND file is playing back you can press any key on the keyboard to stop the playback, and return to the Search Information mode. Note that the current version of The Wizard is limited to playing back SOUND files that are less than 64K bytes in size. Future enhancements will allow the playback of any size SOUND files up to the maximum amount of memory available on your machine (including Extended and Expanded memory.) SOUND AND VISION ---------------- To display an IMAGE and play a SOUND file simultaneously press the <F6> key. The screen will go into graphics mode and display the corresponding graphics file, and your SOUND file will playback on the SOUND system that you have configured. To stop playback of the SOUND file press any key on the keyboard. The screen will return to the Search Information display. DELETING AN ENTRY ----------------- The BROWSE/SEARCH/UPDATES/ DELETES selection from the Main Menu is also used to delete an entry from the database. This feature is used when you wish to remove unwanted data records. You first must use the SEARCH function to get the entry that you wish to delete onto the screen. Next, press the <DEL> key. A message will then appear on the screen to DELETE RECORD or NO ACTION. If you do not wish to delete the record, use the <right/left> arrow key to move the cursor to NO ACTION and press the <ENTER> key. To delete the record, leave the cursor on DELETE RECORD and press the <ENTER> key. The entry will then be marked as deleted at the top left of the screen. This will not erase the entry immediately, all the information will still be there. When you are ready to remove all of your marked DELETED records use the PURGE DELETED RECORDS option of the UTILITIES menu. By choosing PAGE 11 this option you will remove all of the records from the database that you have marked for deletion. UNDERSTANDING SEARCHING AND SORTING ----------------------------------- To search for data, enter any form of information that is in the database. You can search for up to two items of information at a time. However to find your information fastest you should always sort your data first on the fields that you will be doing searches on, because The Wizard(c) will find sorted data much faster than it will unsorted data. This doesn't mean that you need to sort your data every time you are going to do a search, but if you are going to do alot of searches on a field or set of fields which is not currently sorted than it is advisable. Most of the time you will probably want to view your data sorted by Artist and Title. This will be fine for most searches, and even for those occasional searches which are not Artist or Title information. The first field that is entered in your sort will be the one that is found the fastest. If you enter a first name and a last name, it will order all the files or records by first name, and THEN order by last name. If you enter by last name only, then it will order all records by the last name. In other words, when choosing several SORT fields, all records will adhere to that corresponding sorted order. If you have not done a SORT first on the information desired, your information will be found. However, the search will be a bit slower. NOTE: SEE SORTING SECTION. You can use the ADVANCED SELECTION feature along with the SORTING feature, but search times will be even slower. SORTING --------- You use the SORT function to sort your data into the desired order. When you choose the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option from the SORTING menu you will be shown a list of all fields in the database. You will choose from this list which fields you wish to sort and the order that you would like to sort them in. You can sort on up to seven fields. If you choose more than seven you will be warned and sorting will begin with the first seven you have chosen. Remember that the order that you select the fields from the menu is the order in which your data will be sorted; this means that if you choose Title before Artist from the menu you will see your data in a totally different order than if you choose Artist then Title! Select the fields from the menu by pressing <ENTER> when the lighted bar is on the field. The field will then have a check mark appear next to it on the left side. If you select PAGE 12 it again by pressing <ENTER>, the check mark will disappear and this field will not be included in the current sort. After you have selected all of the fields that you'd like to include in the sort press <F10>. The Wizard(c) will then begin to sort your data and will display a bar in a window telling you how much of your data has been sorted by percentage. After the sort is finished it will display your sort conditions at the bottom of the screen. Keep in mind that the sort order displayed is in order sequence. This means that if the bottom of the screen shows MUSIC_TYPE+FORMAT, your data is sorted first alphabetically by Music Type and then alphabetically by FORMAT. Now when you browse through your data using the BROWSE/SEARCH option your data will appear in the new sorted order. Please keep in mind that The Wizard(c) will find sorted information faster than unsorted information. If you are planning on doing several sorts using different fields than those that you currently sorted under, you should sort under those fields. QUERY BUILDER ------------- The QUERY BUILDING function lets you view only specific entries from your database in which you set the conditions. After you have built a query this query will be applied to your data and it will affect the data that is displayed when you do a browse until you disable the query! It will also slow down your BROWSING operations, but it lets you be very specific as to the data you wish to view. Select the ENABLE QUERY BUILDER selection under the SORTING menu and press ENTER. A new screen will appear, [ONLINE QUERY BUILDER]. A QUERY is a set of conditions to be met when selecting records from a database. Some examples are all data that has the FORMAT Cassette, or all data on the artist The Beatles with a VALUE of more than $10.00. [BUILD A NEW QUERY ] Select [BUILD A NEW QUERY] from the list of options. You will then be prompted to pick a field or fields that you wish to use. Let's use our example above. Use the up/down arrow key to select FORMAT and press ENTER. You will now have to pick an operation. We will select S (SOUNDS LIKE) because it will find all data that is similar to the value you choose even if the spelling doesn't match or if part of the field is lower case and another part of the field is upper case. If you choose = (EQUAL TO), it will only find the exact information. You must now enter a CHARACTER or A VALUE TO COMPARE. Enter the word "Cassette". We can stop now and apply this query by selecting DONE and pressing ENTER. To be more selective, you can enter additional information for PAGE 13 example let's enter Artist S (SOUNDS LIKE) "Rolling Stones, The", note that you it is a good idea to enter the group name followed by The rather than The first, this way you will be able to search your data easier. Now we can select DONE from the menu and this query will be applied to our data. But before we do this we might want to save this query so we can call it up again later without having to retype it. To do this we will select [SAVE QUERY TO DISK] and type in a name for the new query, then press <ENTER>. Select QUIT from the ONLINE QUERY BUILDER to Enable your Query selection. Now you can view the records which match your query with the BROWSE/SEARCH selection in the MUSIC DATA menu. NOTE: we could also use the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option to put the data in the query in alphabetical order or whatever order you wish. Just repeat the instructions for sorting at this time. OTHER QUERY BUILDER FUNCTIONS ----------------------------- [RESTORE QUERY FROM DISK] Choose RESTORE QUERY FROM DISK and press ENTER. You will now have a list of queries that you have saved to select from. Use the up/down arrow keys to select the desired query you wish to use and press <ENTER>. The query will then be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Once you have restored a QUERY from the disk, you can edit the query to correct any errors that may be in the query by selecting EDITING CURRENT QUERY. The QUERY will appear in the EDIT QUERY box. You can use your right/left arrow keys to the position you wish to make any changes. When finished, press <ENTER> and you will be prompted as to whether you wish to save the query or not. [ADD TO CURRENT QUERY] If you wish to add something to a QUERY, restore the query from the disk and select ADD TO CURRENT QUERY. You may now select AND or any other option and continue on with the instructions for building a new query. Select DONE when you are finished. PAGE 14 [COUNT NUMBER RECORDS WHICH MATCH QUERY] Once you have selected "DONE" and your query is complete or you have selected a query from disk you can select COUNT NUMBER RECORDS WHICH MATCH CURRENT QUERY and press <ENTER> to count the number of matches from the database that match the query that you have entered. You can use this as a testing method to ensure that the query you entered is correct. [VIEW RECORDS WHICH MATCH CURRENT QUERY] To view the matches that match the query, select [VIEW RECORDS WHICH MATCH CURRENT QUERY] and press ENTER. This view of your records will be in a tabular format, which is not very appealing, or easy to read. It is much easier on the eye to view your records from the BROWSE/SEARCH option of the MUSIC DATA Menu, however this option could be used as a check to make sure that your query is selecting the records that you desired, before you actually exit the query builder. When using the tabular format, to go on to the next match press <N>, to look at the other fields in the record use the <up/down> arrow keys, to quit viewing matches press <Q>. After you have built a QUERY and choose QUIT, you can view your records through the CLIENTS UPDATES/DELETIONS selection or you can print a list of the records from the QUICK REPORTS option of the PRINTER menu. See the sections on QUICK REPORTS and BROWSE/SEARCH for more information. [REMOVE EXISTING QUERY] If you need to change your query and start over you can select this option to remove your query from the bottom query display of the screen and to erase your current query. If you have not SAVED YOUR QUERY TO DISK, your QUERY will be erased. If you did save the QUERY, it will only remove the displayed query as the CURRENT QUERY and these conditions will not be used when locating a record. The QUERY will still be on the disk. DISABLE PREVIOUS QUERY ---------------------- You can select this option from the SORTING menu of The Wizard(c) to disable any existing query which may currently be active. After disabling an existing query you will be able to view all of the records in your database again. PAGE 15 EDIT/DELETE QUERY TITLES ------------------------- This option allows you to choose a QUERY TITLE to EDIT OR DELETE. Select EDIT/DELETE QUERY TITLE from the SORTING menu and press <ENTER>. Use the <up/down> arrow to get to the desired title and press <ENTER>. You will now be prompted to enter in a new description. To delete, remove all the characters from the TITLE box by using the <Delete> key or the space bar, and press <ENTER>. This will delete the title and the query from the disk. Pressing ESC (ESCAPE) will take you back to the MAIN MENU. You can also change any of your query title names by changing the text as desired and pressing <ENTER> QUICK REPORTS ------------- By selecting QUICK REPORTS from the PRINTER menu, you will be allowed to view or print the records in your database in any order that you desire. These records can match all of the records, QUERY RECORDS, or records that you tag within the QUICK REPORT option (TAGGED RECORDS). When you select QUICK REPORTS and press ENTER, a new screen will appear which is the [LIST BUILDER]. You may now select certain fields of information in the record you wish to view or print. Select PICK FIELDS TO LIST and press <ENTER>. You will now see a list of the fields in the database. You can use your <up/down> arrow keys to select each field and press ENTER for each field that you want to list. After you have selected all your fields that you want to list press <F10>. The CURRENT FIELDS TO LIST that you have chosen will be at the bottom of the screen. If you wish to add to the list after you have pressed <F10>, you can select [MODIFY FIELDS TO LIST] and enter what you want to add in the same order as above. If you re-select a field you have already picked you will delete or unselect that field from the LIST. Also be aware of the columns required to print this list display in the bottom right of your screen. This tells you how many columns are required to print this report. [PRINTING OR VIEWING LIST] After you have selected all your fields you may now select OUTPUT FIELDS TO LIST to generate a screen, printer, or text file output list. You will be asked if you want to send this information to the PRINTER, TEXT FILE, or SCREEN. If you do not wish to have a printed report you can select screen or file. If you do wish a printed report you can select printer. You will now be asked what RECORD SELECTION you want. You have three choices, ALL RECORDS, QUERY MATCHES, or TAGGED RECORDS. ALL RECORDS selects all records in the database. QUERY MATCHES selects all records in your CURRENT QUERY or you may build a NEW QUERY at this time. Notice in the right- hand side of the screen you will see either NO QUERY, which PAGE 16 means there is no ACTIVE QUERY. In this case, you will need to build a QUERY and will be prompted to do so. Or you will see QUERY ACTIVE letting you know that there is an ACTIVE QUERY. In this case, the screen will ask if you want to modify the QUERY or keep it as is. By selecting YES, you are back to the ONLINE QUERY BUILDER and can follow the instructions under QUERY BUILDER. [TAGGED RECORDS] will reveal a list of records to TAG. When a query is active only the records those query records in the QUERY will appear on the screen. If you do not have an ACTIVE QUERY, then all records will appear for you to choose from. Simply use the up/down arrow key to the desired record, and press the SPACE bar. This will TAG the record for you. When you are finished simply press ESC (ESCAPE). After you have chosen the records you wish to print, you will be prompted as to the MAXIMUM LINE LENGTH TO PRINT, SPACES BETWEEN COLUMNS, AND MAXIMUM RECORDS TO PRINT. If you wish to make any changes, you may do so. If the VALUES are ok, press ENTER for each field. NOTE: standard printer width is 80 characters and compressed width is 132 characters. Keep this in mind as well as the fact that if you selected PRINT, you will get a printed report and your maximum columns which appears in the MAXIMUM LINE LENGTH TO PRINT should NOT exceed the maximum number of characters for your printer. If you selected SCREEN, a list of the records will appear on the screen for you to view. In either case, you will want to press ENTER for YES to view or print those records now. If you don't want to view or print them now select NO. [SAVING LIST TO DISK] If you wish to save your LIST TO DISK for future use, select SAVE LIST DEFINITION TO DISK and press ENTER. You will be asked for a description of this list. You can ENTER a brief description of what the list was used for to help you to remember. [RESTORE LIST FROM DISK] To restore a saved list from the disk, you may select [ RESTORE LIST DEFINITION FROM DISK]. A menu with different descriptions of your saved lists will appear, and you can use your <up/down> arrow keys to move to the desired list and press <ENTER>. This will place the desired list in the CURRENT FIELDS TO LIST at the bottom of the screen, and allow you to print, or view this list by using the previous described commands. EDIT/DELETE REPORT TITLES ------------------------- This option allows you to choose a REPORT TITLE to EDIT OR DELETE. Select EDIT/DELETE REPORT TITLES from the PRINTER menu and press ENTER. Use the <up/down> arrow to get to the desired title and press <ENTER>. You will now be prompted to PAGE 17 enter in a new description. To delete, remove all the characters from the TITLE box by using the <Delete> key or the <space bar>, and press <ENTER>. This will delete the title and the report. Pressing <Esc> will take you back to the MAIN MENU. You can also change any of your report title names by changing the text as desired and pressing <ENTER>. CREATE LABELS ------------- This feature will allow you to create custom labels that you can use to mark your data. Select the option CREATE LABELS under the printer menu and press ENTER. [CREATE NEW LABEL FILE] To create a new label file select [CREATE NEW LABEL FILE] under the label file menu and press [Enter]. You will now be asked to name your label file. You will notice that once you select the name and press [Enter] the file name will appear at the bottom of the screen. [SELECT A LABEL FILE] Choose [SELECT LABEL FILE] from the label file menu and use your <up/down> arrow to select a label definition file and press <Enter>. This label file will then appear at the bottom of the screen. [MODIFICATIONS] To layout the label you will select CONTENTS under the modifications menu. This will let you enter the field names in whatever order you want them to appear on the label. You will use the same procedure for the field picklist that you did with the FORM LETTERS SECTION. You can enter in the Artist and Format on line one, don't forget to space between them. You will notice the space will be inside single quotes. That is because anything that is not a fieldname MUST be inside single quotes. The Wizard(c) will only print the spaces or text you enter inside quotes as text. Anything that is not inside of quotes will be printed as a field name! [DIMENSIONS] After you have entered in all fields you want you need to choose the size of label you want to use. Select [DIMENSIONS] from the modifications menu and press <Enter>. This option will allow you to choose the height and width of your labels. It is already set for three standard types: 1.) STANDARD - Used for small return address labels. 2.) LARGE - Used for large Avery labels. PAGE 18 3.) CHESHIRE - Used for small return labels with three across. You can use the right/left arrow to select what size and press <Enter>. If you need to edit any of the dimensions choose edit and press <Enter>. You can now make any changes. After you have selected the dimensions you want select QUIT and press <Enter>. [SELECT RECORDS] Before you print your labels you need to TAG the records you wish to print. You will need to pick [SELECT RECORDS] TO PRINT] from the printing menu. Keep in mind that if you have an ACTIVE QUERY only those records will be shown, otherwise, all records will be shown. You may TAG these records with the same procedure that you used for the FORM LETTERS. [PRINT LABELS] After you have tagged the records select [PRINT LABELS] from the printing menu and press <Enter>. You will now be asked if you want to print the tagged records. Select YES. You will then need to select BEGINNING RECORD and tell the printer the maximum number of records to print. [TEST PATTERN] You can select [TEST PATTERN] to make sure that your printing will be aligned correctly on your labels. [QUIT] Select this option when you are finished and press <Enter>. You will then return to the MAIN MENU. CONFIGURE --------- The configure options will allow you to configure directories where you want to store your IMAGE and SOUND files. It will also allow you to configure the SOUND system that you will be using. DISPLAY CURRENT CONFIGURATION ----------------------------- This option will display your current configuration, telling you which directories you have currently configured to read IMAGE and SOUND files in and which SOUND system you will be using. You should be aware that the current configuration will not be retained unless you choose the SAVE CONFIGURATION option of the menu. Therefore if you make changes and you would like them to be used every time that you run The Wizard(c) then you should save them through the SAVE option, however if you want to temporarily choose a new SOUND or PAGE 19 IMAGE directory you can do that for your current session without affecting your saved configuration. SOUND CONFIGURATION ------------------- This option allows you to choose which SOUND system you will be using and which directory should be used by The Wizard(c) to read SOUND files. SELECT SOUND CARD ----------------- Choose the SELECT SOUND CARD option to configure your sound system. You will be prompted with a list of currently supported sound cards. The Wizard(c) will continue to add new sound cards support in the future, including Disney Sound Source and Silicon Shack Sound Cards. If you do not currently have a sound card you can still playback Covox SOUND files by choosing the Internal Speaker option. If you have selected a sound card you will be prompted for other specific information required for each card. This information can be attained from your individual sound card manuals, please refer to the manual for your sound card. Note that default card selections will be indicated on the menus. After you have selected all of the options for your card you will be returned to the Main Menu. If an error occurs while attempting to select your sound card, you must try selecting it again. If you do not select a valid sound card you will not be able to play back any sound files. Note that even if you don't have a SOUND card you can choose Internal Speaker and still hear the SOUND files, though the quality will not be as good as with a Sound card. But this is an excellent way for you to trade SOUND files with friends allowing them to hear your SOUND files even if they don't have a sound card! Note that future enhancements of The Wizard(c) will feature much improved Internal Speaker sound quality. For more information on Sound Cards and Internal Speaker modifications see Appendix 3 and 4 on page 23, 24. SELECT SOUND DIRECTORY ---------------------- This option allows you to choose which directory will be used by The Wizard(c) to read SOUND files from. After choosing this option you will be prompted for a directory name. You must enter a valid directory name (see DOS manual) including a drive name if required, for example to instruct The Wizard(c) to read SOUND files from drive A in directory ROCK, enter 'A:\ROCK', to use the currently active drive just enter the directory name, ie. '\WIZARD\MUSIC\'. If you are unsure about the directories on your machine press <F5> to get a list of valid drives and directories available on your machine. Pressing <F5> will first prompt you to choose a drive. Choose a drive by using the <right/left> arrow keys PAGE 20 and then pressing <Enter>. Now the program will read all of the directories on the drive you selected and display a menu of those directories. You can choose the directory that you want to use for your SOUND directory from this menu by using the arrow keys, and pressing <Enter> to select a directory. IMAGE CONFIGURATION ------------------- This option is used to let you tell The Wizard(c) where you would like to store your IMAGE files. Choose this option from the CONFIGURE menu and then follow the directions listed above for SELECT SOUND DIRECTORY to instruct The Wizard(c) as to where your IMAGE files are located at. UTILITIES --------- ENTER DEFAULTS Entering defaults will let you enter default information into the fields you specify. This default information will then appear automatically in the fields that you specify information for, every time that you choose to enter new data. This default information can be typed over while you are entering new data so it is recommended that if you are entering the same data for a certain field quite often then you should enter it as default information. By selecting ENTER DEFAULTS and pressing ENTER, you will have a blank default data information screen, which is identical to the Data Entry screen displayed when you ENTER NEW MUSIC. You can enter in any information in these fields and they will show up on your ENTER NEW MUSIC screen automatically when you are entering new data. For example, if the majority of your entries are CD's you should enter CD in the default data FORMAT field. Now every time that you ENTER NEW MUSIC this default information 'CD' will appear and you won't have to re-type it every time. You can also type over this information. Defaults save time in entering repetitive information. RE-INDEX FILES -------------- If you are having problems with sorting or searching for information you can select RE-INDEX FILES. This will re- index all your files to eliminate further problems. CUSTOMIZE COLORS ---------------- This option will let you customize any of the colors and menus of The Wizard(c). This option only works if you have a color monitor! You can change any color that is displayed except for the Error messages which always appear as White PAGE 21 text on a Red background (sorry but that's a standard in my book.) PURGE DELETED RECORDS --------------------- This function is used to remove all records that you have marked DELETED while using the record search option, or while browsing. You simply choose PURGE DELETED CLIENTS and press ENTER. The screen will let you know it is removing the deleted records and will then return to the MAIN MENU when finished. QUIT ---- To get out of the database simply select QUIT and press ENTER. INFO ---- To know more info about The Wizard(c) or how to get technical information or where to send any questions or comments select this option from the QUIT Menu and press ENTER. PAGE 22 APPENDIX 1. IMAGE FILES AND THEIR EXTENSIONS The following IMAGE files can be displayed with The Wizard(c) Extension File type ------------------------------------------------------------ .PCX PC Paintbrush .GIF Graphics Interchange Format (Compuserve) .TIF Aldus/Microsoft/HP .IMG GEM .TGA Targa (8 bit only) .IFF Amiga .LBM Electronic Arts APPENDIX 2. HOW CAN I GET MY OWN IMAGES INTO WIZARD? To do this I'd recommend the product Computer Eyes, however you can also use hand scanners or full page scanners to create IMAGE files. Computer Eyes Professional will create images by connecting it to a video camera. Once you have created an IMAGE file put in your IMAGE File directory (as you configured it for The Wizard(c)) and then when entering the database record it pertains to, enter it as the IMAGE File name. Now when you browse and press <F4>, there's your image in graphics mode on the screen. (Note The Wizard supports up to 640x480 resolution, 256 Colors) If you need images digitized, SuperSoft has this service available and will digitize an image for you (up to 640x480 resolution, 256 colors). The cost is $5.00 per image. For ordering info see the order form. The best file type to use is GIF in MCGA mode 320x200 256 colors creates an IMAGE file that is about 25K bytes per image. APPENDIX 3. HOW CAN I GET MY MUSIC/SOUNDS INTO THE WIZARD Use a sound card or have it digitized from SuperSoft. SuperSoft charges $4.00 per digitized sound. For ordering info see the order form. There are several sound cards available on the market which allow you to digitally record your own music/sounds. So far The Wizard(c) supports Sound Blaster (Creative Labs Inc.) and Sound Master II (Covox Inc.). More cards will be supported with future releases. After you have used a Sound card to save your Digitized SOUND file, put it in your SOUND file directory (as configured in The Wizard), enter it in the SOUND file field for the data record that it pertains to. Now when you browse your data press <F5> to hear your SOUND file. A good sampling rate that conserves space is around 7500K Hz, and a good compression ratio to use is 3 bit or 2.6 bit. This yields about a 40K byte file for 20 seconds of digitized sound. PAGE 23 APPENDIX 4. HOW TO MAKE AN INTERNAL SPEAKER SOUND BETTER. There are a few options for those of you with internal speakers only. You can wire in an external speaker directly to your mother board. To do this ask the folks at Radio Shack or any local computer hardware supply store for help, this is fairly cheap ($10-$15). Another option is a kit from Gwalias Enterprises Inc. Their Sound-Off kit allows you to control the volume of your internal speaker or connect an ear-phone (head phones) to listen to your internal speaker! It's list price is a mere $18.79 and it can be plugged into a slot without doing any wiring. The kit is available from Gwalia Enterprises Inc. 31-474 Southdale Rd. E London, Ontario N6E-1A4 CANADA Appendix 5. CONTACT INFORMATION Contact information: Send all questions, answers, comments, wishes, errors, bugs to: SuperSoft P.O. Box 43528 Phoenix, AZ 85O8O-3528 USA Or leave me a message on Compuserve. My User ID is 70642,3220 Or leave me a message on EXEC-PC BBS PAGE 24 Registration information: To order send $40.00 and the following page to the address listed above, or send $50.00 to receive the current version and the next released version, when it is ready. Please register me for ____ copies of The Wizard(c) at $40.00 each, send me ____ copies of The Wizard(c) and the next release for $50.00 each. Send me The Wizard(c) in the following disk format _____________. I got my Unregistered version of The Wizard(c) from _________________. Here's my address information: Name: ___________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________ City: __________________________ State: ____ Zip:_______ I intend on using The Wizard the most for ____________________ My most favorite Wizard feature is _______________________ My LEAST favorite Wizard feature is ______________________ What I'd like to see added to Wizard _____________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ PAGE 25