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- informa
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- ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION
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- A Complete Database For Cataloging A Collection
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- H.C.P. Services, Inc.
- HomeCraft Software
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
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- _______
- ____|__ | (tm)
- --| | |-------------------
- | ____|__ | Association of
- | | |_| Shareware
- |__| o | Professionals
- -----| | |---------------------
- |___|___| MEMBER
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- This manual and accompanying software
- copyright 1991, 1992 H.C.P. Services, Inc. Portions Copyright
- 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 Microsoft Corporation
-
-
-
- WELCOME TO SHAREWARE
-
- This software is distributed as shareware. This means you can
- try this software to see whether it provides what you need before
- paying for it. There are no limits in this software nor is it
- crippled in any way. It is true "try before you buy" software.
-
- You may have obtained this software from a shareware disk vendor,
- a bulletin board or a friend. I hope you also feel free to share
- copies of it with your friends and upload it to your favorite
- bulletin board(s). If you find you like this software and you've
- been using it for more than 60 days, you need to purchase a
- registered copy. We also know that nothing is perfect for
- everyone, so if you find this software does not meet your needs,
- please let us know what changes or additions you'd like.
-
-
- Registration Information
-
- This is a copyrighted software program protected by both U.S. and
- international copyright law. If you are using this software for
- more than 60 days you must purchase a registered copy in order to
- continue to use it. The registration for a single copy is $79.95
- (plus $4.00 S&H - $8.00 outside North America). Please note that
- although you may have purchased this disk in a retail store or
- via mail order, you have not purchased a registered copy. What
- you paid for this disk was a fee that compensates the vendor for
- their costs, time and effort in making this disk available.
-
- Introductory special - if you register before December 31, 1992
- you can save $20.00. During 1992 shareware users may register
- this software for just $59.95 (plus $4.00 S&H - $8.00 for
- shipments outside North America). In addition, when you
- register you will receive software for cataloging ten (10)
- different types of collections including: all types of music,
- books, stamps, coins, sports cards, home inventory, video tapes,
- guns and more! We accept VISA and Master Card. All checks in
- U.S. dollars must be drawn on a U.S. bank. We accept personal
- checks in your local currency from users in Canada, Mexico,
- Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway,
- France, Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Japan and Switzerland.
- We will add other countries as our bank allows.
-
- When you register you will receive:
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- [] The current version of this software. We are constantly
- making improvements and adding features suggested by users. We
- do not duplicate disks until just before we ship them, thus
- thus you get the very latest version.
-
- [] A copy of the illustrated, printed and bound manual with
- quick reference card.
-
-
-
-
- [] Free unlimited technical support via telephone, fax, mail or
- electronic mail.
-
- [] A free subscription to our newsletter which includes user
- tips, help with using your computer, information about low cost
- upgrades and special shareware disk offers.
-
- [] Depending on which program you are registering, a free disk
- with pre-entered data may be available. (See appendix B for more
- information about the availability of pre-entered data).
-
- [] A utility that allows you to use data you've entered using a
- previous version of one of HomeCraft's specialized database
- programs for collectors.
-
-
- MULTIPLE COMPUTERS AND NETWORKS
-
- If you wish to use this software on a network or simultaneously
- on more than one computer (eg. a computer at home and another
- computer at work or in the office of a charity), you will need a
- site license. Please see appendix E for information on site
- licenses.
-
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- DISTRIBUTION OF THE SHAREWARE VERSION OF THIS SOFTWARE
-
- (Please see the VENDOR.DOC file).
-
- Please feel free to give away copies of the shareware version of
- this software to friends, relatives, acquaintances or even
- strangers.
-
- You may NOT sell copies of this software, even if the purchase
- price is just to cover duplication costs; nor may you include
- this shareware on a CD-ROM or other type of package produced by
- any user group, commercial library, or any for profit or non-
- profit organization; nor may you distribute it with any other
- product or as an incentive to purchase any other product, without
- the express written permission of H.C.P. Services, Inc. The
- purpose of this is so that we will know who you are and we can
- then keep you supplied with updates. The only exception to this
- is that ASP approved disk vendors (except for PsL) may sell this
- software without prior approval.
-
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- OUR GUARANTEE
-
- If you have any problems with this program or the disk it is on,
- without regard to where you obtained it, you may send it to
- H.C.P. Services, Inc. (HomeCraft Software) for a free update to
- the current version.
-
-
-
-
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- SPECIALTY DATABASE
- U S E R L I C E N S E A G R E E M E N T
-
- NOTICE! - This manual and the enclosed software is provided to
- you on the express condition that you agree to this software
- license. By using this software you agree to the following
- provisions.
-
- <1> This manual, the enclosed software and the disks on which it
- is contained are licensed to you, for your own use only. This is
- copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the
- software or any copyright rights. You may not sublicense, rent,
- lease, modify, translate, convert to another programming
- language, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose.
-
- <2> You may make as many copies of this software as you need for
- backup purposes and copies may be given away provided no fee is
- charged. Private individuals may use this software on more than
- one computer, provided there is no chance it will be used
- simultaneously on more than one computer. This software may not
- be used on more than one computer, nor installed on more than one
- hard disk, nor installed on a network when used by a business,
- corporation, government agency or department, or institution of
- any kind. If you need to install this software on more than one
- computer or on a network, please contact us for information about
- a site license.
-
- WARRANTY - HCP SERVICES INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO
- THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
- LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
- FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY
- AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER HCP SERVICES, INC. NOR
- ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR
- DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT,
- CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
- INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF HCP SERVICES, INC. HAS
- BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO
- EVENT SHALL HCP SERVICES, INC.'s LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER
- EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE,
- REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE
- BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
- Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability
- for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation
- may not apply to you.
-
- This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
- Oregon and shall inure to the benefit of HCP Services, Inc. and
- any successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or
- proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out
- of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE
- or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Multnomah
- County, Oregon. The parties hereby consent to in personam
- jurisdiction of said courts."
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Information in this manual is subject to change without notice
- and does not represent a commitment on the part of H.C.P.
- Services, Inc. or HomeCraft Software. This manual and
- accompanying software is copyrighted and protected under both
- Federal Law and the Berne Convention (international law).
-
-
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- This manual is copyright 1991 & 1992 by H.C.P. Services, Inc.
- All Rights Reserved
-
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- WordPerfect is a trademark of WordPerfect Corporation
- IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines
- Microsoft and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
- dBase III is a trademark of Ashton-Tate
- Organize! is a trademark of H.C.P. Services, Inc.
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- Part number: 001-002M
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- 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
- 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to
- ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536
-
-
- H.C.P. Services, Inc.
- HomeCraft Software
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
- (503) 692-3732
- (503) 692-0382 (FAX)
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- TABLE OF CONTENTS
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- SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION 1
- Terminology 2
- Using This Manual 3
- Technical Support 4
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- SECTION TWO - INSTALLATION 6
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- SECTION THREE - QUICK START 9
- Starting The Software 9
- Using The Menus 10
- Make A New Entry 11
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- Editing 12
- Searching And Printed Reports 13
- Printed Reports 15
- Utilities 16
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- SECTION FOUR - REFERENCE SECTION
- (USING ORGANIZE!) 20
- The Main Screen 20
- Memos 22
- The Menus 23
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- Make Entries Menu 23
- Edit Menu 25
- Search Menu 27
- List All Entries 27
- Sequential Searches 28
- Alphabetical Searches 29
- Global Searches 31
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- Utilities Menu 33
- Copy Entries 33
- Import dBase File 36
- Reindex 37
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- Sorting 38
- Set Up New Format 42
- Set Up Macro 45
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- Set Security Code 46
- Delete File 47
- Select Filename 48
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- Report Menu 48
- Send (Report) To 48
- Page Length 50
- Set Up Report Format 51
- Printing Reports 53
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- Exit Menu 54
- Backing Up Your Catalog 54
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- Help Menu 56
-
- Return (Menu Selection) 56
-
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- SECTION FIVE - YOUR COLLECTION 57
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- APPENDIX A - OTHER SOFTWARE 59
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- APPENDIX B - PROBLEM SOLVING 62
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- APPENDIX C - FILES USED BY ORGANIZE! 65
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- APPENDIX D - USING DOS 68
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- APPENDIX E - SITE LICENSES 70
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- INDEX 77
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- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INTRODUCTION - 1
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- SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION
-
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- HomeCraft's ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION is an easy-to-use
- database/cataloging program designed specifically for your
- collection. It will automatically catalog and alphabetize
- information about your collection as you enter it and you can
- search for or cross reference any of the information you've
- entered on any line.
-
- This software was developed as an extension of HomeCraft's
- collector's series of software. Since 1986 HomeCraft has been
- recognized internationally as the leading publisher of software
- for cataloging collectibles such as records and CDs, business
- cards and books. Here's what the press has said about our
- software:
-
- "menu driven and easy" - PC Magazine
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- "Helping the insatiable collector stay organized." - Business
- Week
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- "The best are available from HomeCraft." - Jerry Osborn writing
- in his nationally syndicated newspaper column.
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- "first class support is what separates FOR RECORD/CD COLLECTORS
- from the rest of the pack." - review in Goldmine magazine in
- which our software was rated the best available for cataloging a
- record/CD collection.
-
- This is version 5 in our series of specialized databases. With
- this program we are introducing a much more powerful and flexible
- version than any previous program we've produced. However, it
- still maintains the easy-to-use interface and the clear screen
- displays that have become a HomeCraft trademark. Unlike previous
- versions you now have the flexibility to choose the specific
- lines (fields) you want to use. You can design your own report
- formats. Alphabetize any line and sort any combination of lines
- into a multiple level alphabetical listing. A Quick View screen
- lets you see 20 entries at one time. Macros and copy functions
- make entering information about your collection quicker and
- easier.
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- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INTRODUCTION - 2
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- USING EXISTING DATA FILES
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- If you have your collection cataloged using a database program
- such as dBase, this software will directly import your files if
- they are in a dBase III format.
-
- If you've been using any of HomeCraft's previous programs for
- collectors, you can convert your existing files for use with this
- software. One standard we maintain at HomeCraft, above all else,
- is that we will never make a change in our software that results
- in your having to retype all of your entries. I have several
- collections that involve 30 to 40 thousand entries and I do not
- want to ever have to retype them. So I understand how you feel
- and I promise that once you start using a HomeCraft specialty
- database, you will never need to retype your data again. If we
- do need to change the data format, all registered users of the
- new version will be supplied with a free conversion utility.
-
- If you currently have files created by a previous version of our
- software, you will be able to convert them using the free
- automatic conversion utility supplied with the registered version
- of this software.
-
-
-
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- TERMINOLOGY
-
- Throughout this manual we will be using a few standard computer
- terms you should be familiar with. I've tried to write this
- manual using plain English, but since we are talking about using
- a computer we will need to use a few computer terms.
-
- DATABASE - the "catalog" created by this software is called a
- database. A database is a collection of information. Software
- such as ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION can search, print, list and
- manipulate the information in a database and is thus referred to
- as database software.
-
- FLOPPY DISK - any software you purchase is supplied on a floppy
- disk. Floppy disks come in two sizes - 5-1/4 inch square and 3-
- 1/2 inch square. Although 5-1/4" disks are flexible (floppy) 3-
- 1/2" disks are made from rigid plastic. Thus the term "floppy
- disk" is not an accurate descriptive term. Floppy disks can
- typically contain from 0.360 mb to 1.44 mb of information.
- Floppy disk drives are usually designated as A and B.
-
- HARD DISK - a hard disk is installed inside your computer and can
- not typically be removed. Hard disks operate much faster and
- hold a lot more information than a floppy disk. Typical hard
-
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- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INTRODUCTION - 3
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- disks can hold from 40 mb to 100 mb (and more). Hard disk drives
- are designated by the letter C or greater. Hard disks are never
- designated as drive A or B. Not all computers have hard disks.
-
- The speed of database software is highly dependent on the speed
- of the disk containing the data. Thus I recommend that your
- ORGANIZE! database be stored on a hard disk.
-
- mb - this is an abbreviation for megabyte which is a measure of
- how much information can be stored on a disk. Typically a 40 mb
- hard disk is sufficient for most database files created by
- ORGANIZE!
-
- DIRECTORY/SUB-DIRECTORY - your computer can create separate
- "rooms" on disks. Each "room" is separate from the others and is
- called a directory. (Sub directories are "rooms" within the main
- directory "room"). Directories and sub-directories provide a way
- to keep the files on your disks organized. You should create a
- separate directory for each program you use. This will keep all
- of the files associated with that program together in one place
- and prevent them from becoming mixed with (and thus confused
- with) files used by other programs.
-
- See Appendix E for more information about directories.
-
- FILE and FILENAME - a computer stores information and programs in
- "files" on either a floppy disk or a hard disk. Each file has a
- name that is called its filename. A filename may have up to
- eight characters followed by a period and then a three letter
- filename extension. The name of the ORGANIZE! program file is
- OYC.EXE. "EXE" is the filename extension and "OYC" is the
- filename. By the way, OYC stands for Organize Your Collection.
-
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- USING THIS MANUAL
-
- This manual is divided into five sections plus appendixes. Part
- one is the section you are now reading and it contains the
- introductory information. Part two describes how to install this
- software on your computer.
-
- The third section provides quick start instructions. Please read
- this section before starting to use this software. It is short
- and has been designed to provide the key information needed to
- get you quickly started using the basic functions provided by
- this software.
-
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- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INTRODUCTION - 4
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- The fourth section is a reference section that describes in
- detail all of the features in this software.
-
- Section five provides the details about the various collector's
- database formats provided with this copy of this software
-
- No computer experience is required to use this software, however
- you will need to know which letter designates each disk drive on
- your computer. For example, a hard disk is usually drive C and
- floppy disks are drives A and B. Check your computer's manual
- for the letters used to designate the drives on your computer.
-
- NOTE: Please check the README.TXT file for information about
- changes to the software since the manual was printed. To get a
- printed copy of the README.TXT file do the following:
-
- 1) Get the DOS prompt for the disk containing the README.TXT
- file.
-
- 2) Type COPY README.TXT LPT1: and push enter.
-
-
- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: this software will only run on computers
- that are fully IBM compatible and have at least 320K of memory
- available. A color monitor is required for some of the features.
- A hard disk is recommended, but this software will run on floppy
- disks provided there is a minimum of 720K of disk space
- available. If you have a hard disk, please put this software on
- your hard disk and store your database files on the hard disk.
- Database software such as this software is very disk intensive.
- Because of the slow speed of floppy disks using the software on a
- floppy disk will slow it down considerably.
-
-
- TECHNICAL SUPPORT: If you have problems using this software,
- please read this manual first. Appendix B provides a trouble
- shooting guide that may be helpful in solving problems. If you
- are unable to solve the problem by reading the manual, feel free
- to give us a call. We do provide limited basic technical support
- for unregistered users (full support is available for registered
- users only). The number is (503) 692-3732. Technical support is
- available from 8am till 5pm pacific time monday through friday.
- You may also contact us by writing to us at:
-
- HomeCraft
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
-
-
-
-
-
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- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INTRODUCTION - 5
-
-
- MAKE BACK UP COPIES
-
- The most important suggestion I can pass on to you is to make
- back up copies of your data files (the ones that end with DAT).
- If you have a hard disk I recommend using software such as
- FastBack or PC Tools. You also could use the DOS back up
- utilities, but personally I don't use them. I've heard of too
- many problems with the DOS backup utilities. Problems such as
- only being able to restore lost files onto a similar computer
- using the same version of DOS. (That may not always be
- possible). For something as critical as making backup copies I
- prefer software that will backup and restore from and to any hard
- disk using any version of DOS on any computer.
-
- This version does include a backup utility. This utility will
- backup files that are approximately up to 1.3 megabytes big using
- a 360K floppy disk (larger files can be backed up using higher
- capacity floppy disks). This utility is provided in order to
- insure you have something you can use to backup up your data.
- However, this utility is not intended as a permanent solution.
- First, it is limited in that once your catalog exceeds the size
- that can be backed-up on a single floppy this utility will no
- longer be able to back it up. Second, it provides no tracking of
- the files that have been backed up. Unless you carefully label
- your backup disks you can lose track of what files are on which
- disks.
-
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- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INSTALLATION - 6
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- SECTION TWO - INSTALLATION
-
-
- Installation of this software is straight forward. First make a
- backup copy of this disk. You'll need to check the manuals that
- came with your computer to see how to make copies of a disk.
- Generally you would use the DOS DISKCOPY utility to copy a floppy
- disk. The commands you need to type to use DISKCOPY vary
- depending on the version of DOS you have and the floppy disk
- configuration in your computer.
-
- If you should damage or lose your only copy of this software, you
- can get another shareware disk from HomeCraft by sending us a
- blank floppy disk plus 50 cents for the return postage. (Outside
- the U.S. please include $2.00 US, or the equivalent in your
- currency, for air mail postage).
-
- There are three disk configurations for which this software can
- be installed.
-
-
- Hard Disk Installation
-
- To install on a hard disk:
-
- ° Put the backup copy of the floppy disk in a floppy drive.
-
- ° Get the DOS prompt on the screen and change it so that it is
- set for the disk drive that contains the this software floppy
- disk. For example, if the floppy disk is in the "A" drive and
- your computer has a "C>" prompt on the screen, type A: and push
- ENTER. You can change the DOS prompt so it is set for a
- different drive by typing the letter representing the drive you
- want to use, a colon, and then pushing ENTER. (See Appendix E
- for help with using DOS).
-
- ° Type INSTALL and follow the instructions that appear on the
- screen.
-
-
- NOTE: The installation process will supply a default directory
- name. However, if you are using several different versions of
- this software to catalog different types of collections, be sure
- to install each version in a different directory. You might
- possibly want to name the directories so they reflect the type of
- collection being cataloged.
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INSTALLATION - 7
-
-
- Single Drive Floppy Disk Installation
-
- If your computer only has a single floppy drive you will have to
- install the software manually. The easiest way might be to make
- a complete copy of the this software floppy disk and then delete
- the files you don't need. Please note that this software can not
- be used on a computer with single 360K floppy drive and no hard
- disk. If you have a single floppy drive it must have a capacity
- of at least a 720K.
-
- Most of the files you'll see on the disk are data (DAT) or set
- (SET) files. These are the formats for the various types of
- collections. The names of these files indicate the type of
- collection they are used with. You can erase any DAT and SET
- files that are used for collections you are not interested in
- cataloging.
-
- Next you'll need to de-archive the main set of files. To do this
- type LHA E ORGANIZE and push ENTER. Once all of the files have
- been de-archived you can erase the ORGANIZE.LZH file. The disk
- is now ready to use.
-
- If you have a computer with a hard disk and wish to use this
- software on a second computer that does not have a hard disk, the
- easiest way to install this software on a floppy disk is to first
- install it on the hard disk. Then copy all of the files from the
- hard disk to the floppy disk you want to use with your second
- computer.
-
- NOTE: This software may only be used on two computers if there is
- no chance that it can be used simultaneously on both computers.
- Please see the user license at the front of this manual.
-
-
- Dual Floppy Drive Installation
-
- If your computer has two floppy drives you can install this
- software just as if one of the floppy drives is a hard disk.
- First put the backup copy of the enclosed disk in the "A" drive.
- Put a blank formatted disk in the "B" drive. At the "A>" prompt
- type INSTALL and follow the directions that appear on the screen.
- In this case the drive you want to install the software on is the
- "B" drive so the required files will be copied to the blank disk.
- When the installation asks for the name of a directory, a default
- name of \OYC will be shown. Type a backslash "\" and then push
- the DEL key until only the backslash remains. This will install
- the software in the root directory on the floppy disk.
-
-
-
-
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- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - INSTALLATION - 8
-
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- CONFIG.SYS File
-
- Your computer uses a CONFIG.SYS file to tell it how to configure
- itself when it is first turned on. The CONFIG.SYS file is an
- ASCII text file that contains a series of instructions used by
- your computer. For this software to run these instructions must
- tell your computer to set itself up so up to 20 files may be
- opened at the same time. This is done by including a FILES=20
- (or any number greater than 20) statement in the CONFIG.SYS file.
- If you are running a Graphical User Interface such as Windows,
- your computer may need to be set to open as many as 50 or 60
- files.
-
- The CONFIG.SYS file needs to be in the root directory on your
- hard disk. If you use a floppy disk to boot your computer, the
- CONFIG.SYS file must be on the floppy disk used to boot your
- computer. The CONFIG.SYS file is not part of the this software.
-
- You can look at the contents of a CONFIG.SYS file by going to the
- root directory on your hard disk and typing: TYPE CONFIG.SYS at
- the DOS prompt. Then push ENTER.
-
- You can change a CONFIG.SYS file by using your word processing
- software, editing it as you would any other document and then
- saving it as a DOS text file (ASCII file).
-
- If you do not have a CONFIG.SYS file, or if it does not include a
- FILES=20 line, you can create one during the installation
- process. When you run the INSTALL utility you will be given a
- chance to install a CONFIG.SYS file with a FILES=20 line. This
- will not change any of the other lines in your CONFIG.SYS file.
-
-
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- _______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 9
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-
- SECTION THREE - QUICK START
- STARTING THE SOFTWARE
-
- As you read through this section I recommend you have the
- software installed and running on your computer. As I describe
- examples duplicate the steps I'm describing on your computer.
- This will take you step-by-step through all the main functions in
- the software. The Quick Start section does not describe all of
- the functions available, just those you need in order to use the
- basic capabilities of the software. For explanations of all of
- the functions and features in this software you will need to read
- the reference section of this manual.
-
- To start this software type OYC at the DOS prompt and push ENTER.
-
- If you are using this software on a hard disk, you will need to
- be in the directory or subdirectory in which the software was
- installed before you type OYC. If when your computer first
- starts it displays the DOS prompt, type CD \ and the name of the
- directory in which this software was installed. If you used the
- default directory name of OYC supplied by the installation
- software, you would type:
-
- CD \OYC
-
- The letters "CD" stand for Change Directory. Typing CD \OYC will
- put you in the OYC directory. Once in the OYC directory you can
- type OYC to start the software.
-
- User Tip (This is not required in order to use the this software.
- It is only provided to help make using your computer easier).
-
- Some computer "experts" suggest you include the directory name
- for all your major programs in the PATH statement contained in
- the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This allows you to start the program from
- any directory. I'd like to offer another suggestion. Include a
- directory called BATCH in your path statement. In the BATCH
- directory put batch files that first change to the directory
- containing the program they run and then run that program. If
- this software is on the "C" drive, the batch file for this
- software would look like:
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 10
-
- C:
- CD \OYC
- OYC
-
- You also can use this technique with other programs such as
- WordPerfect. The batch file that starts WordPerfect might look
- like:
-
- C:
- CD \WP51
- WP %1
-
- The %1 symbol allows WordPerfect (or any other program) to use a
- parameter. For example, if you start WordPerfect by typing WP
- WORK.DOC, WordPerfect will run and automatically load the
- WORK.DOC document. When used this way WORK.DOC is called a
- parameter.
-
-
-
- THE MAIN SCREEN
-
- After typing OYC (and pushing ENTER) the software will start
- running and display the complete cataloging format for your
- collection. Throughout this manual I will refer to this initial
- screen as the "Main Screen."
-
- These are the key parts of the Main Screen are the top two lines
- and the bottom line. They provide status information and menu
- selections. The majority of the screen is used to display the
- information lines (fields) in use.
-
- When the software first starts the Main Screen is displayed. You
- can return to the Main Screen from any other function such as
- editing, searching or making new entries, by pushing F7. The F7
- key is used to clear the screen and reset everything back to
- their default settings. With the Main Screen displayed you can
- immediately start typing and saving new entries. But, before
- getting started let's go over how to use the drop-down menus.
- This software provides drop-down menus that show you, at a
- glance, all of your options. The names of the menus are
- displayed across the top of the screen. They are: Make entries,
- Edit, Search, Utilities, Reports, eXit and Help.
-
-
- Using The Menus
-
- To select a menu hold down the ALT key and push the capitalized
- letter included as a part of the name of the menu you want to
- display. To start let's look at the Make entries menu. Hold
- down the ALT key and push the letter M. You'll see the screen
- shown in figure three.
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 11
-
- Once any of the drop-down menus has been displayed you can move
- from one menu to another by using the left and right cursor keys.
- Take a look at the other menus by pushing the right cursor key
- until the Make entries menu is displayed again.
-
- A scroll bar within each drop-down menu is used to select the
- function you want to use. The scroll bar is moved using the up
- and down cursor keys. When the scroll bar is at the top of the
- menu it can be directly moved to the bottom selection by pushing
- the up cursor key once. It can also be move from the bottom
- selection directly to the top by pushing the down cursor key.
-
- Some of the functions can be used directly without going through
- a menu. These have an "F key" designation next to them when the
- menu is displayed. Looking at the Make entries menu you'll see
- "<F5>" next to the word "Save". This means you can push F5 to
- save an entry without using the drop-down menu.
-
- To select an item on a menu first highlight it with the scroll
- bar and then push the ENTER key.
-
- For example, to exit from the program push the right cursor key
- until the "eXit" drop-down menu appears, then highlight "Exit
- Program" and push ENTER. (If you just exited from the software
- type OYC and push ENTER to get started again). By the way, you
- should never turn your computer off while a program (any program,
- except for a shell or menu program) is running. Always exit from
- the software before turning your computer off.
-
- If you do not want to make a selection from a menu you can return
- to the main screen from the drop-down menus by pushing the ESC
- key. You can also select "Return" on the menu bar at the top of
- the screen.
-
- If a drop-down menu is displayed push ESC to return to the main
- screen. Now let's try typing and saving an entry.
-
-
- MAKING NEW ENTRIES
-
- When you pushed ESC the drop-down menus should have disappeared
- and the cursor will be in the left hand space on the LAST NAME
- line.
-
- The names of the lines are listed along the left side of the
- screen. To the right of each name is a shaded area that shows
- the space available for entering information related to the line
- name. The cursor can be moved around in the shaded area using
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 12
-
-
- the four cursor keys. Whenever the cursor is at the beginning or
- end of a line, and can go no further, your computer will beep.
-
- To enter the information you want to catalog, just type it on the
- appropriate line.
-
- Start by typing information about the first item in your
- collection (you can make up something, this is only an example)
- on the top line. Then push ENTER. Pushing ENTER moves the
- cursor down to the first character of the next line.
-
- NOTE: The cataloging format as it appears on your screen may not
- be the format you want to use. You can eliminate unused lines,
- add 15 additional lines, and change the titles of most lines.
- We'll be discussing how to do that shortly.
-
- Then enter whatever else you want on the other lines and for this
- example enter CD001.92 on the CATALOG NUMBER line.
-
- You may change anything you've typed by using the cursor keys to
- put the cursor at the spot where you want to make a correction
- and then typing the new information. When the entry is complete
- and correct push ALT-M. The "Save" option will already be
- highlighted so all you need to do next is push ENTER and the
- entry will be saved.
-
- Pushing ENTER to select "Save" from the drop-down menu will clear
- the screen and leave it ready for the next entry to be typed.
- Notice that the entry number is displayed in the upper right hand
- corner. It should now say "Entry 2" as the next entry you type
- will be number 2.
-
- Now type in your second entry. To save this entry push F5. The
- F5 key provides a short cut for saving entries. Push ALT-M and
- notice that the word "Save" has "<F5>" next to it. This means
- pushing F5 performs the same function as selecting "Save" on the
- drop-down menu.
-
- That's it. That's all there is to entering information into your
- catalog.
-
- Push ESC to clear the drop-down menu from the screen.
-
-
- EDITING
-
- Now let's see if the information you just typed is really stored
- in the database. An editor is provided that lets you look at any
- entry and browse forward and backward through all of your
- entries. To use the editor push ALT-E. The "Select Number"
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 13
-
-
- option will be highlighted as shown in figure five. Push the
- ENTER key and a window will appear asking you to type an entry
- number. Push number 1 and then push ENTER. The first entry will
- be displayed.
-
- You can now do any of several things.
-
- - You can modify this entry by moving the cursor to the word(s)
- to be modified and typing the changes. When the changes are
- complete push ALT-E and move the scroll bar to "Save Changes."
- Then push the ENTER key to save the changes you just made. Also
- notice that you can push F5 to save the changes without using the
- drop-down menu.
-
- - The editor also offers a browse capability. If the drop-down
- menu is on the screen, push ESC to return to the editing screen.
- To browse use the F1 and F2 keys to move backward and forward
- through the mailing list. Push F2 now. Then push F1 to go back
- to the previous entry. That's about all you can do with just two
- entries. Once you have more entries this becomes an easy way to
- page through all of them.
-
- The drop-down menus always show all of the options available to
- you. Push ALT-E. Notice that Page Backward and Page Forward are
- identified as being operated by the F1 and F2 keys. You can
- browse by selecting Page Forward or Page Backward from this drop-
- down menu or by pushing F1 or F2.
-
- - When an entry is no longer needed it can be deleted using the
- Edit menu.
-
- Push the right cursor key and we'll look at the search
- capabilities of Organize Your Collection.
-
-
- SEARCHING AND PRINTED REPORTS
-
- Two types of "searches" are provided by this software. The first
- is a listing. There are two types of listings. These are shown
- in the top box of the Search menu shown in figure six. They are:
-
- List Entries: allows you to enter a starting and ending entry
- number and have all of the entries between (and including) the
- two numbers listed in sequence.
-
- List Alphabetically: allows you to list entries in alphabetical
- or numerical order. To use this function you need to be using
- the indexes.
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 14
-
- The second box down from the top on the Search menu lists the
- various types of searches you can do. Let's take a look at how
- these work. Push ESC to clear the drop-down menu from the
- screen then push F7 to clear the screen. (F7 is identified on
- the Make entries menu as the key that erases the screen).
-
-
- Sequential Searches
-
- To search for something first enter the information you want to
- find on the appropriate line. For example, let's search for a
- specific catalog number. Move the cursor to the CATALOG NUMBER
- line. Let's say you wanted to find catalog numbers that start
- with "CD". You would first type CD at the left edge of the
- CATALOG NUMBER line. Push ALT-S to drop-down the Search menu.
- Move the scroll bar to the "Sequential Search" selection and push
- the ENTER key. Normally, the first matching entry will be
- displayed, but in this case the software will say "NO MATCHES
- FOUND" because there is no entry with the catalog number.
-
- If you want to search for CD again push ALT-S and move the scroll
- bar to "Search Again" and push ENTER. If you do this you will
- get a "NO OTHER MATCHES FOUND" message at the bottom of the
- screen unless you happened to have entered CD on the CATALOG
- NUMBER line of the second entry.
-
- Sequential searches will find the specified search criteria,
- which in this case is CD on the CATALOG NUMBER line, without
- regard to where it is located on the line. The word (or phrase)
- you are searching for can even be within another word.
-
- There are short cut keys you can use for starting a sequential
- search. Push ALT-S to display the Search menu. Notice that
- sequential searches can be started by pushing F8. Also notice
- that you can find additional matches (Search Again) by pushing
- F2.
-
- When a match is found during a search it is displayed on the
- screen and the software automatically goes into the edit mode.
- You can make any changes or additions you want and then push F5
- to save them.
-
- Other types of searches are shown on the Search menu (figure
- six). The "Alphabetical Search" will list entries alphabetically
- based on the search criteria and using indexes created by the
- software. The "Find Deleted" search will list all of the entries
- that have been deleted and the "Global Search" finds a word or
- phrase regardless of what field it is in.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 15
-
-
- Printed Reports
-
- NOTE: For more detailed information on how to print reports see
- the section on the Report Menu in Section Four of this manual.
-
- The search you just conducted displayed matching entries on the
- screen. You can also print reports or save them in disk files.
- If the Search menu is still on the screen push the right cursor
- key twice to display the Reports menu. The first selection on
- this menu is called "Send To" and it is currently set for
- MONITOR. To send the report to the printer or a disk file push
- the ENTER key. This will open a window in the middle of the
- screen as shown in figure seven.
-
- The "X" next to MONITOR tells you that the results of a search or
- listing will be displayed on the screen. Push the TAB key to
- toggle through the available settings. When you have the option
- you want marked by the "X" push ENTER. The options are:
-
- PRINTER-Continuous Paper: will print the report on continuous
- feed paper such as used by dot matrix or laser printers.
-
- PRINTER-Single Sheet Feed: prints the report on printers that
- handle only one sheet of paper at a time
-
- ASCII File: saves the report as a text document in a disk file.
- You can specify the name of the file.
-
- dBase File: saves the report in a file on the disk using dBase
- III format. This report can be used for transferring information
- between various programs. Most other database software and
- spreadsheets can read dBase III files.
-
- QUICK VIEW: displays a list on the screen. You can then select
- specific items from the list. (Note: the Quick View feature
- requires video memory that is usually only available with color
- monitors. If you get an error when trying to use this feature,
- your computer does not have the required memory or other software
- is using this memory).
-
- LABELS: for use in printing labels. The other printed reports
- include form feeds that advance the paper to the next page. If
- the LABELS option is selected the form feeds are not included.
-
- Push the TAB key until the software is set for PRINTER-Continuous
- Paper. Then push the ENTER key to return to the Reports menu.
- Notice that the report type listed on the menu has changed to
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 16
-
-
- "PRINTER-C". Push the ESC key to clear the drop-down menus from
- the screen.
-
- Let's try the same search as before. Put "CD" on the CATALOG
- NUMBER line and push F8. A prompt, asking for a title, will
- appear at the bottom of the screen. You can type a single line
- title that will be printed on the top of the first page of your
- report. If you just push ENTER, without typing a title, the
- software will automatically print the search criteria on the top
- of the first page of the report. You can eliminate the title by
- pushing the space bar once and then pushing ENTER. For this
- example just push ENTER.
-
- The matching entries will be displayed on the screen as they are
- sent to the printer. When no other matches are found the "NO
- OTHER MATCHES FOUND" message will appear at the bottom of the
- screen. When you push any key you will be returned to the main
- screen.
-
-
- UTILITIES
-
- The Utilities menu provides a variety of functions that range
- from selecting the catalog you want to use to deleting catalog
- files. I'll discuss the two most important functions here.
-
- Catalogs
-
- You can create as many catalogs (database files) as you wish,
- giving each it's own name. Each catalog can have a different
- format. To change to a different catalog push ALT-U to display
- the Utilities menu. The last selection on this menu is "Select
- Catalog Name." Push the up cursor key to immediately move the
- scroll bar to this selection. Then push ENTER.
-
- A window will display the names of the catalogs in the current
- directory. You can use the cursor keys to highlight any one of
- them and then push ENTER to select that catalog. You can also
- create a new catalog (database) by pushing ESC and typing the
- name you wish to use for the new catalog. Please note that
- catalog names can not contain numbers and they must be eight
- characters or less in length.
-
- If you enter a new catalog name you will need to set up a format
- for that new catalog. How to set up a catalog format is
- discussed next.
-
- The names of the existing catalogs will be displayed on the
- screen you are now looking at. Highlight a catalog name and push
- ENTER. You are now ready to start entering information or to
- modify this format to meet your needs.
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 17
-
-
- Modifying A Catalog Format
-
- To modify a catalog format push ALT-U to display the Utilities
- menu. Move the scroll bar to the "Set Up New Cat. Format" option
- and push ENTER. This will display a screen similar to the one
- shown in figure eight. This set-up screen replicates the way the
- information entry area looks on the main screen. There are four
- things you can set on this screen:
-
- 1. The line title.
-
- 2. Toggle lines on and off (abbreviated as LINE TGL).
-
- 3. Select the lines to be indexed (alphabetized).
-
- 4. Select the lines to be totaled.
-
- Please note that once you have saved one or more entries in a
- catalog you can no longer toggle lines on or off in that catalog.
- You can change the titles, indexing and totalling settings at any
- time. Unless you set the software to use a new catalog name, the
- F2 prompt for "LINE TGLE" will never appear - because there are
- two entries in the catalog we have been using for the examples.
- (NOTE: these entries can be erased or the entire catalog deleted
- from your disk. This functions are discussed in the reference
- section). For now you may want to use a new catalog name
- (selecting a new catalog name is described on the previous page).
-
- On the Catalog Format Set UP screen the F2 key is used to select
- what you wish to set/modify. When working with a new catalog, in
- which no entries have been saved, the brackets next to the F2
- prompt at the bottom of the screen will contain the word TITLES.
- This means you can type new titles or modify existing titles.
-
-
- Setting Line Titles
-
- As this software is designed for a specific type of collection,
- five lines are preset for cataloging basic information about your
- collection. These are highlighted in green on the set up screen
- and may not be changed.
-
- A scroll bar can be moved up and down through the list of line
- titles, using the cursor keys. Place the scroll bar on the line
- you wish to change and type the new title. Then push ENTER will
- move the scroll bar down to the next line. If you wish to have a
- blank title, push the space bar and then push ENTER. Line titles
- may be up to 14 characters long and can contain letters, numbers,
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 18
-
-
- spaces and any other keyboard characters. You do not have to put
- a title on every line and you can skip lines.
-
- The next step is to select which lines you want to use. Push F2
- once and the phrase "LINE TGL" will appear in the brackets next
- to the F2 prompt. Position the scroll bar on the line you want
- to turn on or off and push ENTER. A highlight bar showing the
- length of the line will appear and a number specifying the length
- will be displayed. For information about the line lengths and
- intended purpose of the default settings of the line titles see
- appendix B.
-
- If a title is entered for a line that is turned off, that line
- will not appear on the main screen. On the other hand a line
- does not need to have a title in order appear on the main screen
- and be available in the catalog. You can include lines that have
- no titles as a part of a format. The factor that determines
- whether or not a line and its associated title is displayed as a
- part of a format is whether that line is turned on or off.
-
- Notice at the bottom of the screen that there is a bar containing
- the abbreviation "EST". The number in this bar provides an
- estimate of the number of entries you'll be able to store in a
- megabyte of space. As you the number of lines to be included,
- and add or take away lines to be indexed, this number will
- change.
-
-
- Selecting Lines To Index
-
- Once you have set which lines are to be on or off push F2 again.
- You'll now be able to select the lines you want to have indexed.
- An index for a computer is the same thing as it is for a book.
- If you need to quickly find something in a book, you look in the
- index. It's the same for a computer. An index is an
- alphabetical listing that allows the computer to find something
- quickly.
-
- To select a line to be indexed put the scroll bar on that line
- and push ENTER. Please remember that this will only work if the
- word "INDEXING" appears in the brackets next to the F2 prompt.
- When you push ENTER to select a line to be indexed a starburst
- symbol will appear next to that line. This symbol indicates that
- the line will be indexed. On the main screen the starburst
- symbol indicates the lines which are indexed and thus can be
- listed alphabetically.
-
- Getting Total Values
-
- Push F2 one more time and the word in the brackets will change to
- "VALUE". You can now select lines you want to have totaled at
-
-
-
-
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - QUICK START - 19
-
-
- the end of a report. Select the lines to be totaled in the same
- way you selected lines to be indexed. In this case three
- horizontal bars will appear to the right of the line to indicate
- that any values entered on the line will be totaled. This
- capability is used, for example, to get the total value of all
- items listed for insurance purposes.
-
- Push F2 again to return to the TITLE setting.
-
- Once you have set-up the format to be as you need it, push F5 to
- save it. You will be returned to the main screen.
-
- This completes the quick start section. In this section I have
- provided the basic information needed to use the software. There
- is a lot more you can do with this software and the details are
- provided in the next section of this manual.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 20
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- SECTION FOUR - REFERENCE SECTION
-
- This section of the manual provides detailed descriptions of each
- function on the drop-down menus. We'll start with the Make
- entries menu and work from left to right through the menus and
- cover each item on each menu. But first let's go over the
- information and options presented on the main screen.
-
-
- THE MAIN SCREEN
-
- Most of the time you'll be using functions that are accessed from
- the main screen. This screen includes a listing of menus across
- the top of the screen. The top line also includes the current
- entry number in the upper right corner of the screen. When
- typing a new entry the number displayed in the upper right is the
- entry number that will be assigned to the new entry. When
- editing or displaying the results of a search, the number
- displayed is the entry number associated with the information
- currently on the screen.
-
- Some people have tried using the entry number as a catalog
- number. I understand we all have different requirements and need
- to use the software in different ways, but I do not recommend
- using the entry number as a catalog number. My reason is that
- the entry number associated with a specific item can change if
- you delete an item from your database. The entry number is only
- intended to help you see how many total items you have in the
- database and to help you navigate around in your database.
-
- The second space from the top of the screen includes a horizontal
- double line. This is a status line. The current database
- filename in use will be displayed in the middle of this line.
- The function currently being used (i.e. make entries, editing,
- searching, etc.) is identified on the right side of this line.
- The left side of this line also includes status information. For
- example, if you push the INS key to put the software into the
- character insert mode, the letters "INS" will be displayed at the
- left edge of this line. As long as INS is shown there, the
- software is in the character insert mode.
-
- The space at the bottom of the screen also contains a horizontal
- double line. This bottom line is a prompt/status line. At some
- times F-Key functions that are not included on the drop-down
- menus are used. These are used only for specific functions and a
- prompt will appear on the bottom line describing each function.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 21
-
-
- The bottom line also displays status, such as telling you when a
- search is complete.
-
-
- Clearing The Screen
-
- There is one key that is very handy, the F7 key. Pushing F7 will
- clear the screen of all catalog information and return you to the
- Main Screen. If you are in the search or edit mode, and want to
- go to the make entries mode, push F7. If you need to erase a
- screen full of information, push F7.
-
-
- Typing Information
-
- Whether you are making a new entry or entering search criteria
- typing information on the main screen is done in the same way.
- The cursor can be moved around using the up/down and right/left
- cursor keys. When using the up/down cursor keys the cursor will
- move directly up and down - it will not return to the beginning
- of a line when moved to a new line. You can move the cursor to a
- new line and return it to the beginning of that line by pushing
- the ENTER key. Each time you push the ENTER key the cursor will
- move down by one line. When the cursor is on the bottom line,
- pushing ENTER will move it to the top line.
-
- To quickly move the cursor to the right you can use the TAB key.
- Each time the TAB key is pushed the cursor will move five spaces
- to the right.
-
- Whenever the cursor reaches the beginning or end of a line your
- computer will beep to indicate it can go no further.
-
- You can type information at any time. The character you type
- will be placed at the cursor location and the cursor will move
- one space to the right. The software will accept accented
- characters, characters used in some European languages as well as
- all English language characters. It will not accept most
- graphics characters.
-
-
- Insert & Delete
-
- If you need to insert characters, place the cursor at the point
- where the characters are to be inserted. Push the INS key. The
- letters INS will appear on the upper left of the screen (second
- line). You can now type the characters or words you want to
- insert. As you type, any information to the right of the cursor
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 22
-
-
- will move to the right. If the existing information reaches the
- right edge of the line, it will disappear and be lost - one
- character will disappear for each character you insert.
-
- To get out of the insert mode either push the INS key or push
- ENTER.
-
- Characters can be deleted by pushing the DEL key. When the DEL
- key is pushed the character at the cursor location will be erased
- and everything to the right of the cursor will move left by one
- space.
-
-
- Memos
-
- Each entry may also include a memo. To display the memo screen
- push the PgDn key. A word processor-like memo screen with 20
- lines will appear. You can type any information you want on the
- memo screen. However, information typed on the memo screen can
- not be included in searches nor is it included on the printed
- reports. This screen is just for keeping notes and miscellaneous
- information.
-
- When using the memo screen all normal word processing features
- will work. The INS and DEL keys work as they do in a word
- processor. The memo screen also includes word wrapping
- eliminating the need to push the ENTER key at the end of each
- line.
-
- When you have finished typing the memo push ESC to return to the
- main screen. The memo you just typed will permanently be
- attached to the entry you are making or editing.
-
-
- General Guidelines
-
- When making entries be consistent. Anytime you use an
- abbreviation be sure it is typed the same way every time. Be
- consistent in how you capitalize words. For example, don't
- capitalize all of the words on a line one time and then use upper
- and lower case on that same line with a later entry. If you use
- commas to separate items in a list, always use commas to separate
- items in a list.
-
- When entering numbers first determine what the largest number
- will be and then always use the same number of digits to the left
- of the decimal point for all numbers. For example, if you expect
- to have numbers as high as 10000 then number one should be
- entered as 00001. This is necessary if you want the computer to
- be able to sort numbers into correct numerical order. You can
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 23
-
-
- include decimals (eg. 001.52), but you do not need to include
- ".00" if there is nothing to the right of the decimal point.
-
-
- THE MENUS
-
- this software provides drop-down menus. All of the capabilities
- of the software are accessed through these menus or directly
- using F-keys. The names of the menus are listed across the top
- of the screen as shown in figure nine.
-
- The name of each menu contains one capitalized word. To select a
- menu hold down the ALT key and press the capitalized letter in
- the menu's name. For example, to select the Make entries menu
- push the ALT key and the letter M.
-
- Once one of the menus is displayed (dropped down) you can move
- from one menu to the next using the left/right cursor keys.
-
- When a menu is displayed the top selection on the menu will be
- highlighted by a scroll bar. The scroll bar can be moved up and
- down through the menu selections using the up/down cursor keys.
- To select an item on a menu first highlight it with the scroll
- bar and then push the ENTER key.
-
-
- Make entries Menu - Save <F5>
-
- The "Save" function is used after you have typed a new entry.
- Once you have typed all the information you want to enter select
- the "Save" option to save it in your database. You can also push
- F5 to directly save the entry without going through the menus.
-
-
- Make entries Menu - Copy Any Previous
-
- The "Copy Any Previous" function allows you to copy any previous
- entry you've made. When you select this option you will be
- prompted for an entry number to copy (see figure 10). This
- prompt will also display a default entry number. In figure 10
- the default setting is 2. To copy the default entry number just
- push ENTER. Otherwise you can type in any other entry number you
- wish to copy.
-
- The default entry number will be set to the last entry that was
- copied. This way you can repeatedly copy a previous entry by
- just pushing the ENTER key at this point.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 24
-
-
- Make entries Menu - Copy Last <F3>
-
- The "Copy Last" feature allows you to quickly copy the last entry
- you made. This copy method does not prompt for an entry number
- to copy and thus is faster than the "Copy Any Previous" feature.
- The quickest way to copy the previous entry is to push F3.
-
- The "Copy Last" feature is used when you have a series
- of similar entries to type. You can type the first one, push F5
- to save it, then push F3 to repeat the information you just
- entered. You then only need to change a few lines or characters
- and save the modified entry as a new entry.
-
-
- Copy A Single Line
-
- You can also copy individual lines from the previous entry. To
- copy a single line put the cursor on the line you wish to fill
- with information copied from the same line in the previous entry.
- Then hold down the ALT key and push F3.
-
- For example, if you are entering information about a series of
- books all written by the same author, you would start by entering
- the information about the first book in the series. Then push F5
- to save that entry. When you are ready to enter the author's
- name for the second book put the cursor on the AUTHOR line, hold
- down the ALT key and push F3. This will copy the author's name
- from the previous entry.
-
- Make entries Menu - Erase Screen <F7>
-
- The "Erase Screen" feature is used to completely clear all of the
- information from all lines. Selecting this option from the menu,
- or pushing F7, will immediately clear all of the lines.
-
- If you need to clear just one line or part of one line you can
- use the macro feature discussed later in this section.
-
-
- Make entries - Make Entries
-
- The "Make Entries" selection provides a way for you to leave any
- of the other functions and go to the basic make new entries
- screen. For example, if you are in the search mode and would
- like to make a new entry, select this option on the Make entries
- menu.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 25
-
-
- THE EDIT MENU
-
- The edit function provides a way for you to display any entry on
- the screen and browse backward and forward through your database.
- Once an entry is displayed on the screen it can be modified or
- deleted.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Select Number
-
- The "Select Number" option is how you tell the software which
- entry number you want displayed on the screen. You may enter any
- valid entry number.
-
- Once an entry is displayed on the screen you may make changes
- using the same methods used to originally type the entry. The
- TAB, INS and DEL keys all will work as they do in word processing
- software. Once you've made changes push F5 to save the changes.
-
-
-
- Edit Menu - Page Backward <F1>
-
- When the "Page Backward" function is selected the software will
- display the entry that comes directly before the entry that is
- currently displayed. You can also press F1, without using the
- drop-down menu, to move backward by one entry.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Page Forward <F2>
-
- The "Page Forward" function displays the next entry in sequence.
- You can also press F2 to see the next entry without using the
- drop-down menus.
-
- The "Page Backward" and "Page Forward" functions provide an easy
- way for you to browse through all of your entries. Computers are
- nice, they can quickly search for and find any entry you need.
- However, sometimes it's nice to just look through your database
- (catalog) to see what's there. You may discover items you forgot
- you had. The Page Forward/Backward features give you a way to do
- some browsing.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Delete Entry <F4>
-
- If you need to eliminate an item from your database use the
- "Select Number" option to enter the entry number to be deleted.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 26
-
-
- Once it is displayed on the screen push ALT-E and select the
- "Delete Entry" option.
-
- When an item is deleted it is not permanently removed from your
- database. The deleted entry will no longer be included in
- searches, but you can display it using the edit feature. All of
- the information still exists and can be brought back.
-
- With computers mistake sometimes seem to be very easy to make. A
- common mistake is to start deleting something and just as the
- final key is pushed to make the deletion final you realize that
- you did not want to delete this item. However, the thought comes
- just a half a second too late. If this should happen with this
- software you can recover the deleted entry.
-
- You might want to delete an entry if it is an item you've sold,
- but you still want to maintain a record of having once owned this
- item. You might also delete lost items that you intend to
- replace. When you get a replacement you can recover the deleted
- entry without having to retype it. If you are maintaining a
- mailing list you may wish to delete names that you need to
- temporarily remove from your mailing list. For example. you may
- want to delete someone who has changed jobs, but who you may want
- back on your mailing list in the future.
-
- When a deleted entry is displayed on the screen the words
- "Deleted Entry" will be displayed on the second line from the top
- of the screen.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Undelete Entry
-
- Deleted entries can be returned to the database by first
- displaying the entry on the screen and then selecting the
- "Undelete Entry" option on the Edit Menu.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Remove Memo
-
- Whenever you go to the memo screen (by pushing PgDn) a memo will
- be attached to the current entry. Even if nothing is typed in
- the memo, there will still be a memo attached to the current
- entry. That memo can be removed by going to the Edit Menu and
- selecting the Remove Memo option. If the current entry has a
- memo attached to it, that memo will be removed.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Save Changes <F5>
-
- The final selection on the Edit menu will save any changes you've
- made to an entry. You may make changes to an entry anytime it is
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 27
-
-
- displayed on the screen. First type the changes then select
- "Save Changes" on the Edit menu. You can also push F5 without
- using the drop-down menus.
-
-
-
- THE SEARCH MENU
-
- Figure 11 shows the Search menu. This menu is used to start all
- of the listings and searches. The top box on the Search menu
- includes the two types of listings available. The second box
- down includes all of the searches. The third box includes
- controls for searches.
-
- Whenever a search has displayed an entry on the screen you may
- make changes and resave the modified entry. Just type the
- changes and push F5 to save them.
-
- During a search or listing you can look at each entry on the
- screen and browse forward and backward using the F1 and F2 keys.
- Pushing F2 will display the next matching entry. Pushing F1
- moves you backward to look at the previous match.
-
- NOTE: for information on how to print a report go to the Reports
- Menu section of this chapter. The software is normally set to
- display the results of listings and searches on the screen. By
- changing the "Send To" option on the Reports Menu you can send
- your report to your printer or a disk file.
-
-
- Search Menu - List Entries
-
- The "List Entries" feature allows you to list entries in the
- order they were typed into your database. When you select "List
- Entries" on the Search menu you will be prompted for the entry
- number you want to start the listing with. Then you will be
- prompted for the last entry number to be included in the listing.
- The software will then list all of the entries between, and
- including, the entry numbers you specify.
-
- One of the key uses for this feature is for proof reading. Some
- people find it easier to proof read a printed copy of their
- entries instead of reviewing them on the screen. After you've
- typed a series of new entries use this feature to print a listing
- of just the new entries. You can then look over the listing to
- find typos and errors. Be sure to use a report format that
- prints all of the information you've entered.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 28
-
-
-
- Search Menu - List Alphabetically
-
- You can list the information on any of the lines in alphabetical
- order by selecting this option. However, the line must first be
- indexed. Lines that are indexed are marked by a starburst
- symbol. (Indexing is discussed in the Utility menu section).
-
- To get an alphabetical listing first put the cursor on the line
- to be listed alphabetically. Then push ALT-S to display the
- Search menu. Move the scroll bar to the "List Alphabetically"
- option and push ENTER. The entries will be listed in
- alphabetical order based on the line on which the cursor is
- located.
-
-
- Search Menu - Sequential Search
-
- There are two basic types of searches in this software -
- sequential searches and alphabetical searches. A sequential
- search looks at each entry, one at a time in "sequence",
- examining each to see if it contains a match for the search
- criteria. This type of search has the advantage of being able to
- find matches even if the matching information is not the first
- thing on the line.
-
- For example, if you use a sequential search to look for the word
- RED the following will be found as matches:
-
- RED ROSES FOR A BLUE LADY
-
- LITTLE RED WAGON
-
- SLEEPY AND TIRED
-
- Notice that the search criteria, RED, is capitalized and all of
- the matches are capitalized. Searches will only find EXACT
- matches. If the letter, word or phrase you are searching for is
- capitalized, the search criteria must be capitalized. If you
- search for RED, you will not find "Red Roses" because the
- capitalization does not match. There is a way to find matches
- when the capitalization does not match and it will be discussed
- as a part of the "Case" option on the Search menu.
-
- With sequential searches you can search for any part of the
- information entered on a line. Notice in the above example that
- searching for "RED" found matches at the beginning, middle and
- end of the line. This is particularly useful if you can only
- remember a part of what you want to find. It's also useful for
- keyword searches where several keywords are listed on a line.
- For example, if you cataloged a photograph of a beach with the
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 29
-
-
- following keywords: BEACH, SUNSET, SAILBOATS & SEA GULLS and used
- a sequential search to search for "SUNSET" this photograph would
- be identified as matching the search criteria.
-
-
- Cross References
-
- Any of the information you've entered can be cross referenced
- with any or everything else. All you need to do is enter the
- information you want to find on the appropriate lines and the
- software will automatically take care of the cross referencing
- during the search. Let's assume you've got a mailing list and
- want to send a newsletter to everyone with the last name of SMITH
- who lives in California. Start by entering "SMITH" on the Last
- Name line and " CA " on the City/State line. Then start a
- sequential search. All of the Smiths living in California will
- be listed.
-
- I included a space before and after the abbreviation for
- California on purpose. If you search for "CA" the search will
- not only find the abbreviation CA, it will also find every city
- with CA in its name. Putting a space before and after "CA"
- limits the search to just the abbreviation for California because
- the abbreviation for the name of a state will always have a space
- before and after it.
-
-
- Search Menu - Alphabetical Search <F6>
-
- To use the alphabetical searches you must be using the indexing.
- A line must be indexed, and must have a starburst next to it in
- order to be used as the basis of an alphabetical search.
-
- Alphabetical searches provide several advantages. First, they
- are very fast. While sequential searches may take several
- minutes, if you have a large database, alphabetical searches can
- find matches almost immediately. The indexing quickly determines
- whether there is a match and where the match is located. Second,
- alphabetical searches list matches in alphabetical order. The
- disadvantage of alphabetical searches is that they will only find
- exact matches. For example, an alphabetical search can not find
- matching words or phrases if they are within a line. The match
- must be exact starting at the beginning, left edge of the line.
-
- For example, using an alphabetical search to find the word "RED"
- would find RED ROSES FOR A BLUE LADY but it will not find LITTLE
- RED WAGON.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 30
-
-
- There are several ways to conduct an alphabetical search. The
- first is a straight alphabetical search. Enter the information
- you want to find on one of the lines marked by a sunburst, leave
- the cursor on that line, push ALT-S to drop-down the Search menu,
- highlight "Alphabetical Search" and push ENTER. You can also
- start an alphabetical search without going through the menus by
- pushing F6.
-
- Alphabetical searches can include cross reference information.
- Fill in the information you want to find on the appropriate
- lines, put the cursor on the line you wish alphabetized, and push
- F6 to start the search.
-
- NOTE: When starting an alphabetical search the cursor must be on
- a line that has been indexed. The alphabetical searches use the
- location of the cursor to determine the primary search criteria.
- If the cursor is not on a line that has been indexed, you will
- get a "Can't find required index" error message.
-
- The alphabetical searches can also be used to get partial
- alphabetical listings. For example, if you want an alphabetical
- listing of everything that starts with the letter "A", put an "A"
- on the line to be listed (that line must be indexed) and start
- the alphabetical search.
-
- Alphabetical searches will first find all exact matches based on
- the indexes. When no other matches can be found in the indexes a
- message will appear at the bottom of the screen that says:
-
- NO MATCHES FOUND. ESC to end, F1 for new entry or ENTER to
- continue search.
-
- If you wish to end the search push the ESC key. If the search
- did not find any matches you can push F1. This will bring you to
- the Make Entries screen and the information you entered as the
- search criteria will be pre-entered in the appropriate fields.
- If the software has found a match pushing F1 will put the
- information from that matching entry on the Make Entries screen.
-
- If you did not find what you were looking for using the
- alphabetical search you may wish to try a sequential search.
- Push the ENTER key at this point and the software will
- automatically go into a sequential search.
-
- What do you do if you are typing entries and want to be sure you
- are not duplicating entries already in your database. Type part
- of the entry, such as the last name on a mailing list, and push
- F6 to perform an alphabetical search. If the name is found push
- ESC. If the name is not found push F1 and them complete the
- entry.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 31
-
-
- Search Menu - Find Deleted
-
- Once an entry has been deleted using the editor it will no longer
- show up during searches. You need to use the editor to display
- it and then undelete it. However, if you don't remember its
- entry number, you can't use the editor to display it. The "Find
- Deleted" search provides another way to locate deleted entries.
- Select "Find Deleted" on the Search Menu and the software will
- automatically list all entries that have been deleted.
-
- Whenever a deleted entry is on the screen it may be undeleted by
- pushing ALT-E for the Edit Menu and then selecting "Undelete
- Entry". If you are searching for deleted entries the software
- will remain in the search mode and pushing F2 will find the next
- deleted entry.
-
-
- Search Menu - Global Search
-
- The term "Global Search" means that the software will search
- everything for a match to the specified search criteria. In all
- of the other searches the search criteria must be on the same
- line as the information you want to find. If you are searching
- for a specific last name, the name you want to find must be
- entered on the LAST NAME line.
-
- With a Global Search you can find a word or phrase regardless of
- the line it is located on. To start a Global Search select
- "Global Search" from the Search Menu. A window will open in the
- middle of the screen (see fig. 12) and you will be prompted to
- enter the word or phrase you want to find. Type the search
- criteria and push the ENTER key. A sequential search will be
- conducted based on the search criteria you entered. Remember a
- Global Search will find the specified search criteria wherever it
- is located. There may be times when an entry is displayed as
- matching the search criteria and it may not be obvious why it
- matches. However, the match may be taking place in the middle of
- a line or even in the middle of a word.
-
-
- Search Menu - Set Starting Point
-
- This option is used to start an alphabetical listing at any point
- in the alphabet. For example, let's assume you were printing an
- alphabetical list of everything in your database and the printer
- ran out of paper in the middle of the M's. After putting more
- paper in your printer you can start a second listing that picks
- up where the first ended.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 32
-
-
- To set a starting point first position the cursor on the line you
- wish to list alphabetically. Then push ALT-S and select the "Set
- Starting Point" option on the Search Menu. You will be prompted
- to enter a letter or word to be used as the starting point. You
- can also enter a phrase. If you were printing a copy of your
- mailing list alphabetically by last name and the last name listed
- was MORRIS, then enter "MORRIS" as the starting point. When you
- push ENTER you'll be returned to the Search Menu. Highlight the
- "List Alphabetically" option and the listing will start with
- MORRIS.
-
- This feature is very useful in producing reports for your
- insurance agent. For example, for each item in a home inventory
- you should enter a value. If you index the value line you can
- then set a starting value, such as $500, and list every item that
- has a value greater than the minimum value you set.
-
-
- Search Menu - Case [ Sensitive ]
-
- When I discussed sequential searches I said that they will only
- find exact matches. The capitalization of the search criteria
- and the information you are searching for must match. For
- example, searching for "Red Roses" will not find "RED ROSES" as a
- match. The "Case" option on the Search Menu allows you to find
- matches in which the capitalization does not exactly match.
-
- This option is a toggle. When the word "Sensitive" is in the
- brackets sequential searches will be case sensitive. This means
- the capitalization of the search criteria and the information you
- are looking for must match. Highlight the "Case" prompt and push
- ENTER to toggle it to "Insensitive". When set to insensitive
- sequential searches will not be case sensitive. This means you
- can search for "Red Roses" and "RED ROSES" will be found as a
- match. Set this way sequential searches will also find "red
- roses" and "Red roses" as matches.
-
-
- Search Menu - Save Changes <F5>
-
- Anytime information is displayed on the screen you may make
- changes. If you conduct a search and find a matching entry you
- can modify that entry. After you have typed the changes you want
- to make push ALT-S and then select "Save Changes" to save the
- modifications. You can also push F5 without using the drop-down
- menus.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 33
-
-
- Search Menu - Search Again <F2>
-
- If you are displaying the results of a search on the monitor, the
- software will display matching entries one at a time. To find
- and display the next matching entry select the "Search Again"
- option on the Search Menu. Please note that when the Search Menu
- drops down the "List Entries" option will be highlighted. You
- can move the scroll bar directly to the "Search Again" option by
- pushing the up () cursor key. You can also push F2 without
- going through the Search Menu.
-
-
- Screen Print Feature
-
- Anytime an entry is displayed on the screen as a result of a
- search (or when it is called up using the editor) a copy of the
- entry can be printed by holding down the CTRL key and pushing P.
- The entry will be printed using the current report format. If a
- report format has not been set-up, then nothing will print.
-
-
- Finding The Total Value Of Your Collection
-
- You can quickly get a total value for your collection by holding
- down the CTRL key and pushing ENTER. The software will search
- your entire catalog and provide a total value, based on the
- line(s) you have set to be totalled. The amount of time this
- takes will depend on the number of entries. If you need to
- interrupt the totaling process, push ESC.
-
-
- THE UTILITIES MENU
-
- The Utilities Menu provides a variety of functions for copying
- entries, indexing and setting up your databases. Press ALT-U to
- drop-down the Utilities Menu. The Utilities Menu is shown in
- figure 13.
-
-
- Utilities - Copy Entries
-
- The "Copy Entries" feature is used to copy the entries in one
- file to a new file. This feature allows you to copy your
- database to a new file that uses a different format. You'll be
- able to rearrange the information sending it to different lines
- in the new file, if you wish.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 34
-
-
- One circumstance in which you would use this feature would be if
- you should find that a database format you've designed is not
- adequate for what you need to do. Since you can not modify an
- existing format you will need to set-up a new file with a format
- that is suitable. You would then use the "Copy Entries" feature
- to copy your existing entries from the old filename to the new
- filename and format.
-
- To use the "Copy Entries" feature use the scroll bar to highlight
- "Copy Entries" on the Utilities Menu and push the ENTER key.
- This will bring up a series of screens that let you select the
- file to copy from, the file to copy to and what information will
- be stored on which line in the new file.
-
- Figure 14 shows the screen used to select the file you wish to
- copy from. The box in the middle of the screen shows the names
- of the database files in the current directory. Use the cursor
- keys to highlight the filename you wish to copy and then push
- ENTER.
-
- If you want to copy a file that is in a different directory push
- the ESC key and enter the drive and path that designate where the
- file is located. When entering the drive and path you must use
- standard DOS notation. The drive letter must be followed by a
- colon and each directory or subdirectory name proceeded by a
- backslash. If the drive and path you enter does not contain a
- data file, an error message will appear in the box. If data
- files do exist they will be listed in the box and you can then
- highlight the one you wish to copy and select it by pushing
- ENTER.
-
- NOTE: If you do not keep your programs in separate directories
- the listing of file-names in the box may contain the names of
- data files used by other programs. Normally you should keep all
- files used by the this software in the same directory. That
- helps keep your hard disk organized and makes it easier for you
- to identify what files go with which program when you are when
- you're cleaning up and organizing your hard disk.
-
- To exit at this point you need to push the ESC key twice. First
- push the ESC key to get the prompt asking for a new drive and
- path. Then press the ESC key again.
-
- Once you have selected a file to copy from a second, but similar
- screen will appear. (Note, the copy from screen has a red
- "shadow" under the box while the copy to screen has a black
- "shadow"). The name of the file you are copying from will be
- shown at the top of the screen. Select the file you wish to copy
- to by highlighting it and pushing the ENTER key.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 35
-
-
- If you want to create a new file to copy to then push the ESC
- key. You will be prompted to enter a new drive, path and
- filename. When entering a new filename do not enter a filename
- extension. You must enter a valid drive letter and directory
- path. The software will not create a new directory if the path
- you've entered is not correct. If you use a new filename the
- software will automatically create a file with a format that
- matches that of the file you are copying from.
-
- The next screen, shown in figure 15, allows you to select which
- information is copied to which field. First let's go over the
- information provided on this screen.
-
- At the top left of the screen the drive, path and filename you
- are copying from will be shown. The same information for the
- file you are copying to will be shown on the top right side of
- the screen.
-
- The format of the file you are copying from will be listed on the
- left side of the screen. Each line is identified by a letter and
- the title of each line is shown. The line titles of the file you
- are copying to are shown on the right side of the screen. A set
- of dashed lines in the center of the screen are provided only to
- help you see how the two formats line-up.
-
- At the bottom of the screen the total number of entries currently
- in each file is shown. When the copy process is started the data
- from the database shown on the left will be ** added to ** the
- data in the database file on the right.
-
- You can start copying entries from the file shown on the left to
- the one shown on the right by pushing F6. However, there is more
- information shown on this screen.
-
- Figure 15 shows a situation in which we want to change how
- information in a catalog is arranged. The format on the right
- puts the CATALOG NUMBER at the top of the format and adds a new
- line for a CONDITION. In addition, the ORIG. VALUE line is not
- included in the new format.
-
- When the screen shown in figure 15 first appears it will be set
- to copy the information from each line on the left to the line
- directly opposite on the right. If there is no line on the
- right, the space on the right will be highlighted and a left
- pointing arrow head will be displayed. For example, in figure 15
- the format is set so the DESCRIPTION line will be copied to the a
- line that is shut off. This means that this information will not
- be copied.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 36
-
-
- A scroll bar is provided to move through the line descriptions on
- the left side of the screen. This scroll bar is used to re-
- position lines until they are set in the proper order for copying
- information to the new filename. For example, the DESCRIPTION
- line on the left is currently set to be copied to the CATALOG
- NUMBER line on the right. To change this use the scroll bar to
- highlight the location you wish to move another line to and then
- push the letter associated with the line you wish to move. The
- two lines will be swapped. Let's look at an example.
-
- Looking at the left side of the screen. In this case we want to
- move the CATALOG NUMBER line to the spot where the DESCRIPTION
- line currently is located. To do this use the scroll bar to
- highlight "DESCRIPTION" and push the letter "G" (the letter that
- indicates where "CATALOG NUMBER" is located). The result is
- shown in figure 16.
-
- Shareware users note: this is difficult to describe without
- the illustrations. To see how this works try highlighting
- various line lines and push the letters associated with
- other lines. You'll see how the lines are moved around.
- You can leave this screen without making any changes by
- pushing the ESC key.
-
- If you move a line so that its contents will be copied to a
- shorter line, that shorter line will be highlighted in red
- to indicate that some of the information on the original
- line may be cut off because it will not all fit on the
- shorter line.
-
- You should now see a screen that looks like the one shown in
- figure 18. All of the lines have been positioned to be copied to
- the correct locations. We can now push F6 to start the copy
- process.
-
- If there are any entries in the file shown on the right side of
- the screen, the new entries copied from the file on the left will
- be added to those already in the file on the right.
-
- You can exit from the copy process by pushing the ESC key.
-
-
- Utility Menu - Import dBase File
-
- You can import the information contained in any dBase III file.
- To do this select the "Import dBase File" option on the Utilities
- Menu. You will then go through a series of screens that are
- exactly like those in the "Copy Entries" feature. (Please read
- the previous section which discusses the "Copy Entries" feature).
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 37
-
-
- The first screen that appears is used to select the dBase file
- you wish to copy from. Any dBase III files in the current
- directory will be listed in a box in the middle of the screen.
- If the file you want to copy from is on another drive or in
- another directory, push the ESC key and enter the drive and path
- you want to use. If there are dBase III files on the specified
- drive and path they will be listed in the box and you can select
- the one you want.
-
- Next the list of existing catalog files will be displayed. You
- can copy the dBase file to an existing catalog or create a new
- catalog. To create a new catalog push the ESC key and enter the
- drive, path and catalog name. If you enter a new catalog name
- the software will automatically create a format that matches that
- of the dBase file you are copying from.
-
- Next you will see a screen that allows you to set which
- information gets copied to which line (figure 19). This is the
- same screen as described in the section on Copy Entries and it
- works in exactly the same way.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Reindex
-
- First, what is an index and why does this software need to use
- indexes?
-
- A computer based index is just like an index in a book. When you
- need to find something in a book you look in the index. The
- index lists information alphabetically and allows you to quickly
- find what you need. A computer index works in the same way. It
- is an alphabetical listing that allows the computer to quickly
- find the information you are searching for.
-
- Just as with a book a computer has two ways to find information.
- If you are looking for specific information in a book you can
- start reading the book at page one and read until you find what
- you want. As you can imagine this could take a lot of time,
- especially if the information you are looking for is at the end
- of the book. Your other option is to look in the index and then
- go directly to the page that has the information you want. This
- is exactly what a computer does. A sequential search is similar
- to starting at the front of a book and reading every page until
- the required information is found. To find information quickly
- the alphabetical search uses an index to look up the required
- information and then go directly to the entry that has that
- information.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 38
-
-
- Indexes are also required to list information in alphabetical
- order. The software uses the indexes, which are in alphabetical
- order, to generate alphabetical listings.
-
- The lines to be indexed are selected when the format is set up.
- I'll discuss that in the section on "Set Up New Format". The
- software will normally keep all indexes up to date - adding new
- entries as you type them. However, there may be some
- circumstances in which you need to rebuild your indexes. If the
- software does not properly detect an index that should be there,
- an error message (figure 20) will appear. This message will tell
- you that the indexes need rebuilding.
-
- You can add additional lines to be indexed at any time. For
- example, you may originally start a mailing list in which only
- the ZIP CODE is indexed. If you later decide to index by last
- name, you would use the "ReIndex" feature to put the existing
- entries into this new index.
-
- Indexes are in separate files that maintain a fragile
- relationship among many separate words and phrases. If the files
- on your disk become fragmented or cross linked the indexes can be
- damaged. Although indexes do not effect your catalog files, if
- when you conduct a search the results of the search do not seem
- to make sense, then try making new indexes by using the "ReIndex"
- feature.
-
- The "ReIndex" feature is completely automatic. To reindex just
- use the scroll bar to highlight "ReIndex" on the Utilities Menu
- and then push ENTER.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Sort [ Off ]
-
- This software has the capability to do multiple level sorting.
- Sorting means to put entries into alphabetical order. The
- alphabetization provided by the indexing puts entries in
- alphabetical/numerical order one line at a time. Sorting can
- include up to 10 lines in determining alphabetical order. For
- example, you could produce a listing in numerical order by ZIP
- CODE and for each zip code have people listed alphabetically by
- their last name. This would be a two level sort.
-
- If your catalog has not been sorted the word "OFF" will be in the
- brackets after the word SORT. If it is in a sorted condition,
- the word "ON" will be in the brackets. Now let's see how to
- sort.
-
- Start by selecting the "Sort" option on the Utilities Menu. The
- Sort Menu, shown in figure 21, will appear. The line titles used
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 39
-
-
- by the current database will be listed along the left side of the
- screen. There will be a series of F-key prompts along the bottom
- of the screen.
-
- To set the order in which you want the database to be sorted push
- the letter associated with the line to be sorted. Do this in the
- order you wish the lines to be sorted. For example, if you want
- a mailing list sorted into zip code order and then for each zip
- code you want it to be in order by last name, you would first
- select the zip code line. In figure 21 the zip code line is line
- "G". Push the letter G to select the zip code line.
-
- Next select the last name line by pushing the letter A. As you
- push each letter a diagram will appear that shows the sorted
- order of the lines you have selected (figure 22). Once the order
- displayed matches what you want push F6 to start the sorting.
- From this point on the software will take care of everything
- automatically.
-
- Once the sorting is complete you can get a printed copy of your
- mailing list, in the correct sorted order, by doing an
- alphabetical listing based on the zip code.
-
- NOTE: You can include any line you wish in doing a sort.
- However, to produce an alphabetical listing the line used as the
- basis of that listing must be indexed and must be marked by a
- "starburst" symbol. For example, to list a mailing list in order
- by zip code and for each zip code have each entry listed
- alphabetically by last name, the ZIP CODE line must have a
- starburst symbol. The LAST NAME line does not need to have a
- starburst symbol unless you wish to get an alphabetical listing
- solely by last name.
-
- Getting back to setting up the sorted order of the lines, if you
- start selecting lines to sort and want to make a change, push F3.
- The F3 key will clear any sorted order that exists and clear the
- diagram from the screen.
-
- The F8 key is used to clear a sort. What does this mean?
- Sorting rearranges the entries so they are in the specified
- sorted order. Once sorted, for example, a sequential search will
- look through a mailing list based on the sorted order instead of
- the order the entries where originally typed. The "F8 - Clear
- Sort" function instantly returns your database to its original
- unsorted order. The indexes will still be in the sorted order,
- but sequential searches will no longer follow the sorted order.
- If you also wish to return the indexes to an unsorted condition
- all you need to do is ReIndex.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 40
-
-
- Indexes use space on your disk. The more entries you have the
- more space an index will use. If you have an index you no longer
- need you can delete that index by pushing F9. You will be
- prompted to enter the letter that is next to the line for which
- you want to erase the index. If you do not want to erase a index
- at this point, push ESC. Otherwise push the appropriate letter.
-
- The circumstances in which you might want to erase an index would
- be if you find you had originally set up a line to be indexed,
- but you are not using that index. You would first use the "Set
- Up New Format" feature to turn off that index, then go to the
- Sort screen to erase the index that was just turned off.
-
-
- Utility Menu - Reserve Space
-
- Next on the Utility Menu is the "Reserve Space" feature. This
- feature will set aside space on a hard disk for future entries.
- When the "Reserve Space" option is selected a window will open,
- display the number of entries currently in your catalog and
- prompt you for the amount of space you want to reserve. Estimate
- the total number of entries you expect to have and enter a number
- that will reserve enough space to hold them.
-
- Reserving space does not set a limit on the number of entries you
- can have. For example, if you reserve space for 100 entries, you
- can still make as many entries as you wish. The software will
- fill the 100 reserved spaces and then continue on without any
- problems. Also, you do not need to reserve space in order to use
- this software.
-
- The purpose of reserving space is two-fold. First, if you expect
- to have a lot of entries in your catalog, and you are using other
- software on the same disk, the reserve space feature is used to
- set aside disk space for use by this software. This will insure
- that the disk space you want to use for your catalog is not used
- up by files created by your other software.
-
- The reserve space feature is also used to help prevent the this
- software data file from becoming fragmented. Fragmented files
- are a normal result of using a computer. When a computer stores
- information on a disk it puts it into the next available sector
- on the disk. The next available sector may not be physically
- located anywhere near the previous sectors the computer was
- using. As you add to a data file it tends to be broken into
- small pieces that are scattered in various sectors all over the
- disk.
-
- The problem with fragmented files is that they slow down your
- computer because it takes more time for the heads in your disk
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 41
-
-
- drive to move from piece to piece of a file that is scattered all
- over a disk. With serious file fragmentation the computer can
- actually lose track of pieces of a file or start to get cross
- linked files. As a result the computer can become "confused" and
- lock-up, you might start getting strange results for searches or
- be unable to access some entries. (I've had this happen with
- WordPerfect and Lotus 123 files).
-
- Reserving space helps prevent your this software files from
- getting fragmented. If you start with a disk that has just been
- de-fragmented and reserve enough space to accommodate the
- anticipated number of entries, the data file that is created will
- stay together in one piece regardless of any other activity that
- affects the disk. Notice that I said you should start with a
- disk that was just de-fragmented. How do you de-fragment a disk?
- You will need a utility that has been designed to do that. Take
- a look in Appendix B for a further discussion of fragmented files
- and descriptions of several utilities I recommend.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Eliminate Deleted
-
- When an entry is deleted (using the Edit function) it is not
- erased. It still exists. What the software does is mark the
- entry as being deleted so it will not show up during searches or
- listings. If you want to permanently remove an entry from your
- data files you need to use the "Eliminate Deleted" feature.
-
- When you select the "Eliminate Deleted" feature on the Utilities
- menu the software will go through your entire database and
- permanently remove all deleted entries. The disk space used by
- the deleted entries will be recovered and made available for new
- entries. This process is automatic and there is nothing you need
- to do.
-
- Once started you can not interrupt this process. If it should be
- interrupted your database might be left with an entry duplicated
- (entered twice). There is no risk of losing data however, so if
- this process is interrupted by a power failure for example, all
- of your entries will still be there.
-
- Eliminating deleted entries will change the entry numbers for
- many of the entries in your database. You should reindex after
- using this feature.
-
- If you want to eliminate deleted entries without having the entry
- numbers change you can use the editor to individually type a new
- entry that replaces the old, deleted entry.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 42
-
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Set Up New Format
-
- This feature is used to both set up new catalog formats and to
- modify an existing format. The "Set Up New Format" feature is
- also used to select lines to be indexed and totaled.
-
- Push ALT-U to drop-down the Utility menu and use the scroll bar
- to highlight the "Set Up New Format" option. Then push ENTER to
- select it. Figure 23 shows the set up screen as it appears for a
- file that has not been set up previously. If you are modifying
- an existing format that format would be displayed on this screen.
-
- Let's start by looking at the F-key prompts at the bottom of the
- screen.
-
- At the lower left of the screen is a prompt that says, "F2 - [
- TITLES ]". This prompt indicates the current mode the software
- is set for. There are four possible modes. These are:
-
- TITLES - allows you to enter or change line titles.
-
- LINE TGL - used to toggle lines on or off.
-
- INDEXING - this mode used to mark the lines that are to be
- indexed. You may index up to 11 lines, however we suggest that
- no more than five or six lines be indexed. Keep in mind that
- indexes use disk space and the more lines you index, the more
- space each entry will use on the disk.
-
- VALUE - used to mark the lines you want to have totalled. For
- example, if you are using a line to keep track of the value of
- items, you can mark that line so all the values are totalled.
- Each time you conduct a search or listing the total value of all
- items listed will be displayed (or printed on the report).
-
-
- Setting Line Titles
-
- To start setting up a new format set the F2 toggle to TITLES.
- There is a scroll bar that can be moved up and down along the
- left side of the screen. For a new format the default titles
- will be displayed. Please note that you can change 16 of the 21
- line titles. The five line titles highlighted in green may not
- be changed.
-
- Move the scroll bar to a line you want to use and type the title
- for that line. You may enter up to 14 characters including
- letters, numbers, spaces and punctuation. If you make a mistake
- in typing a title, just highlight it with the scroll bar again
- and type the corrected title.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 43
-
-
- Titles do not have to be on consecutive lines. You can skip
- lines in order to create groups of lines. You can also have
- untitled lines. The LINE TGL determines whether that line will
- be a part of your catalog format. If you set a line to be on,
- that line will be part of the format regardless of whether it has
- a title.
-
-
- Line TGL
-
- Once you have put a title on each line you intend to use push F2
- to switch to the LINE TGL (Line Toggle) mode. The software will
- now allow you to set which lines you want to include in your
- format. If you are starting a new format, the default setting
- will be to have all lines on. To turn a line off move the
- highlight bar to that line and push ENTER. Pushing ENTER again
- will turn that line back on again.
-
- Go through all of the lines using the scroll bar to highlight
- each line title and push ENTER to either turn the line on or off,
- depending on whether you want to use that line. When you turn a
- line on the software will display a bar that graphically shows
- the length of the line. The number of characters in each line
- will be shown in a highlighted section at the left side of each
- line (figure 23).
-
- NOTE: Line lengths can not be turned on or off once an entry has
- been saved in a catalog. You can change the titles, indexing and
- totalling at any time. If you need to change your format, to add
- or delete a line, after saving entries in a catalog, do the
- following. 1) Set up a new catalog format, using a different
- catalog name, that has the line set the way you need them. 2)
- Then use the copy feature to copy your entries from the old
- format to the new format.
-
-
- Setting Lines To Be Indexed
-
- Push F2 again to switch to the Indexing mode. To mark a line to
- be indexed move the scroll bar to that line and push the ENTER
- key. A "starburst" symbol will appear next to that line to
- indicate it will be indexed. To remove a line from being indexed
- move the scroll bar to that line and push the ENTER key. The
- "starburst" symbol will disappear.
-
- You may index as many lines as you wish, however I recommend you
- only index important lines. Each index uses additional space on
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 44
-
-
- your disk. If you create a lot of indexes that you don't use,
- then you've wasted a lot of disk space.
-
- Totalling Values
-
- Once you've selected all of the lines to be indexed push F2 again
- to put the software into the Value mode. You can now move the
- scroll bar to any line and push the ENTER key to mark it as a
- line to be totaled. This will result in numerical values that
- are on the marked line being totaled during searches and
- listings. When entering information the value must be the only
- information on the line. If letters are included on the line
- being totaled they may cause the total to be incorrect.
-
- When you push F2 again the software will return to the Titles
- mode. You can then modify any of the titles or use the F2 toggle
- to change the mode and modify anything you've set up on this
- screen. When everything is set as you want it push F5 to save
- the format. This will return you to the Main Screen.
-
- You can modify a format anytime before you save the first entry.
- Just select the "Set Up New Format" option on the Utilities menu
- and make any required modifications. Once the first entry has
- been saved you only can change the line titles and the lines
- marked to be indexed or totaled. You can not change the line
- lengths.
-
- Take a look at figure 24. At the bottom of the screen is a
- status line that says "EST: 5,025 ENTRIES/MB". This is telling
- you that based on the current format you can store approximately
- 5,025 entries per megabyte of space. As you change the lengths
- of lines and the number of lines indexed this number will change.
- It can be used to give you a good idea of the amount of space
- your format uses.
-
-
- Copying A Catalog Format
-
- If you are creating a new catalog format that is similar to that
- of an existing catalog, you may find it easier to start by
- copying that existing format. To copy an existing catalog format
- start at the Main Screen and set the software so it is using the
- catalog name you want to copy. The catalog name you want to copy
- should be displayed in the center of the second line down from
- the top of the screen.
-
- Next select the Set Up Catalog Format option on the Utilities
- Menu. With the format set up screen displayed push F3 and then
- enter the name you want to use for the new format. The set up
- screen will change to the new name while retaining the old
- format. You may now modify the format or push F5 to save it.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 45
-
-
- Database Design
-
- Before we go on to the next item on the Utilities menu I'd like
- to talk a little bit about database design. When designing a
- database format there is the temptation use the longest lines
- available. However, this can waste a lot of disk space. In many
- cases you can select a line that has a shorter length and will
- handle 98% of everything you'll need to enter. Getting that last
- 2% is what will use a lot of disk space. Consider using
- abbreviations to shorten information that exceeds the length of a
- line.
-
- Another suggestion is that you should always include a line for
- miscellaneous information. Unless you're copying information
- from an established file (such as a card catalog or existing
- list) it is difficult to predict everything you might want to
- enter in the future. Having a miscellaneous line, even using one
- of the short lines, gives you the flexibility of having space to
- enter information you did not anticipate.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Set Up Macro
-
- A macro is a way to enter complete lines of information with just
- a single ALT key combination. Using a macro ALT-key combination
- you can enter any pre-set information at the cursor location.
- First lets look at how to set up the information in the macros.
- Select the "Set Up Macro" option on the Utilities Menu. This
- will display a window in the middle of the screen as shown in
- figure 25.
-
- You can have up to 30 macros. The ALT-key combination that
- activates each macro is shown along the left side of the window.
- To set up a macro just type the information you want to be able
- to automatically enter in your database next to one the ALT-key
- designations. After typing each macro line push ENTER. When you
- are done entering macros push the ESC key.
-
- Macros can be changed at any time by returning to the screen
- shown in figure 25 and making whatever changes you need. When
- you're done push the ESC key to return to the Main Screen.
-
- I recommend leaving one of the macro lines blank, possibly the
- ALT-B line. This gives you a way to erase (blank) a line or part
- of a line when entering or editing an entry. For example, if you
- leave ALT-B blank you can place the cursor on the NAME line in a
- mailing list, push ALT-B and that line will be blanked. You
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 46
-
-
- could also blank part of a line by putting the cursor anywhere on
- the line and pushing ALT-B. Everything from the cursor and to
- the right of the cursor will be erased.
-
-
- Utility Menu - Set Security Code
-
- This software provides a three level security system.
-
- Level 1 - provides access only to people who know the three digit
- access code.
-
- Level 2 - provides full access to anyone who knows the correct
- security code and read-only access to everyone else. With read-
- only access you can look up and read any of the entries, but you
- can not modify entries. With read-only access some selections on
- the drop-down menus, that would have allowed changes to be made,
- no longer appear on the menu. Figure 26 shows what the edit menu
- looks like when the software is set for read-only access.
-
- Level 2 security might be used in a library where only the
- librarian has access to change entries while patrons of the
- library have read-only access for looking up books and magazines.
-
- Level 3 - allows full access to anyone.
-
- To set a security code select the "Set Security Code" option on
- the Utilities menu. You will then be prompted to enter a three
- digit security code. If you enter a number between 001 and 250
- the software will run at level one security. You will need to
- enter the correct security code number before getting access to
- the software.
-
- Entering a number from 251 to 500 provides level 2 security. If
- you enter the correct code you have full access. Entering any
- other number provides read-only access.
-
- Setting the security code to any number greater than 500 allows
- full, level 3, access to anyone.
-
- If you've set a security code that is 500 or lower, when the
- software first boots a screen with just a plus (+) symbol will
- appear. The cursor will be next to the plus symbol. Type your
- security code at this point and push ENTER.
-
- The security code is stored in the HOMECRAF.SET file. If this
- file should be erased, you will not be able to use the software.
- You will need to either replace the HOMECRAF.SET file using a
- backup copy or from your original disk, or use the RESET.EXE
- utility.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 47
-
-
- Another problem you might run into is forgetting your security
- code. Should this happen you can still get into the software
- once you have the registered version. On the registered disk
- you'll get from us we have provided a file called RESET.EXE.
- This utility serves as a "skeleton" key that will reset the
- security code to allow full access. To use RESET copy it to the
- same disk and directory that has the this software program. Run
- RESET and the security code will automatically be reset. This
- utility also resets all of the other settings to their defaults.
- Thus the software will be returned to monochrome operation and
- the default filename of CATALOG.
-
- If you are using the security feature be sure to put any disks
- containing RESET.EXE away in a safe place.
-
- The RESET.EXE utility is not provided on the shareware disk in
- order to prevent people whom you do not want to have access to
- your files from getting a copy of the RESET.EXE file. So please
- be careful if you are using the security feature in the shareware
- version of this software.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Set Screen Colors
-
- this software will initially start running in the black & white
- mode. To switch it to color select "Set Screen Colors" on the
- Utilities menu. Five possible color settings will be displayed.
- Push a number, from 0 to 4, that indicates the color combination
- you want to use. (Generally #1 provides the best setting).
-
- You can go directly to the color selection screen by holding down
- the CTRL key and pushing the letter "A".
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Delete File
-
- If you are no longer using a file, it can be deleted using the
- "Delete File" option on the Utilities menu. Select "Delete File"
- and a listing of filenames will be displayed. Use the scroll bar
- to highlight the file you want to delete and push ENTER. If
- there are entries in the file the software will tell you how many
- entries it has (see figure 27) and ask you to confirm that this
- is the correct file to delete.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 48
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Select Filename
-
- The last selection on the Utilities menu allows you to select a
- filename or create a new catalog file. You can have as many
- catalog files as you wish, limited only by the limitations of the
- version of DOS you are using. When deciding on names for your
- catalogs you can not use numbers as a part of the catalog name.
- Numbers are used to identify the index files. Using a number in
- a catalog name might cause some confusion in the index files.
- Also, catalog names can not be longer than eight characters.
-
- Although you can create as many catalogs as you wish I recommend
- using as few as possible. Using multiple catalogs can become
- very confusing. In many cases you can enter all of your
- information in one catalog and let the software sort it out.
- This makes it a lot easier to find specific entries because you
- do not first have to figure out which file it is in. For
- example, for some people it may make sense to have separate
- personal and business catalogs. But, if your business serves
- several different industries do not make a separate catalogs for
- each industry. Use one catalog and include a line that allows
- that list to be sorted by industry.
-
- To change catalog names select "Select Catalog Name" on the
- Utilities menu. The existing catalogs will be shown in a box in
- the center of the screen. You can use the cursor keys to
- highlight a catalog or push ESC to enter a new catalog name. To
- use an existing catalog use the scroll bar to highlight it and
- then push ENTER.
-
-
-
- THE REPORT MENU
-
- The Report Menu allows you to select where a report will be sent
- (the printer, a disk file, the monitor, etc.). This menu is also
- used to design reports, set the report lengths and enter some of
- the final report design options.
-
- The Report Menu is shown in figure 28.
-
-
- Report Menu - Report Types (Send To option)
-
- There are seven types of reports available. These are:
-
- MONITOR: Displays the results of a search or listing one entry at
- a time on the monitor. The complete entry is displayed on the
- screen.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 49
-
-
- PRINTER - Continuous Paper: The results of a search or listing
- will be sent to your printer. This type of report is designed
- for printers with continuous feed paper such as dot matrix and
- laser printers.
-
- To send a report to the printer you first need to have designed a
- report format (which I'll discuss in a moment). The software
- comes with a standard format that will print everything in each
- entry. You can design your own report formats to look any way
- you want.
-
- PRINTER - Single Sheet Feed: This is the same type of report as
- the "PRINTER-Continuous Paper" report except that it is designed
- for printers that only handle one sheet of paper at a time. A
- daisy wheel printer would be an example of this type of printer.
-
- ASCII (document) File: You can save the results of a search or
- listing in a file on your disk. It will be stored as an ASCII
- text file which means it can be imported into any word processor.
- This allows you to include, for example, wanted lists in letters
- you send to other collectors.
-
- dBase File: Selecting this option will save the results of a
- search or listing in a dBase III file. This file can be used by
- any software that can read dBase III files.
-
- QUICK VIEW: This option puts the first 100 matches that result
- from a search or listing into a list that appears on the screen.
- You can then move a scroll bar through the list and pick
- individual entries to display. (Note: this feature requires the
- additional video memory that is normally only available with
- color monitors).
-
- The Quick View listing will only show information that is
- included in the first three lines. Based on this information you
- can then pick entries to look at in more detail.
-
- When the Quick View list is on the screen use the up/down cursor
- keys to move the scroll bar up and down. The PgDn and PgUp keys
- change the display by a complete page. The Home and End keys
- will take you directly to the beginning or end of the list.
-
- To get more detail on any entry use the scroll bar to highlight
- that entry and then push the ENTER key. You can return to the
- Quick View screen by pushing F2.
-
- With the Quick View screen displayed pushing the ESC key will
- exit from the Quick View function.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 50
-
-
- LABELS: The labels settings produces the same type of report as
- the "PRINTER-Continuous" report except that line feeds are not
- included. This setting should be used anytime you are printing
- continuous feed labels.
-
-
- Selecting Where You Want To Send Your Report (Send To)
-
- To select a report type use the scroll bar to highlight the "Send
- To" option on the Report Menu and push ENTER. This will open a
- window in the middle of the screen (see figure 29). All of the
- report types will be listed and there will be an "X" in the box
- next to Monitor. This indicates that the results of a search or
- listing will be displayed on the monitor. Push the TAB key to
- change the setting. Each time you press the TAB key the "X" will
- move to the next box changing and changing the setting. Press
- TAB until the software is set for the type of report you want to
- use and then press the ENTER key.
-
-
- Report Menu - Page Length
-
- The "Page Length" option allows you to set the number of lines
- that can be printed on a sheet of paper by your printer. For
- example, most dot matrix printers will print 66 lines per 11 inch
- page while laser printers print 60 lines per page. When you
- select this option a window will appear in the middle of the
- screen. The current page length will be displayed. You can then
- enter a new page length, which can be up to 999 lines.
-
-
- Report Menu - Dashed Line
-
- If you wish, you can have the software print a dashed line
- between each entry that is listed on a report. In some cases
- this helps to separate entries making them easier to read. The
- dashed line will also contain the entry number providing a means
- of determining which entry numbers are being printed.
-
- The "Dashed Line" selection on the Reports menu is a toggle.
- Highlighting the "Dashed Line" option and pushing ENTER will
- change the setting between on and off. The setting will be
- stored on the disk. Once set it will not change until you
- use this toggle again.
-
-
- Report Menu - Column Headings
-
- You can have column headings printed at the top of the page. The
- line titles you've set-up will be used as the column headings.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 51
-
-
- With the "Column Headings" option toggled "On" they will be
- printed using the same format as you've set up for the printed
- report.
-
- This option is a toggle. When you highlight the "Column
- Headings" menu selection and push ENTER the setting will be
- toggled between on and off.
-
- A typical use for column headings is with single line reports.
- You can set up a report format that prints all of the information
- on a single line (up to 250 characters wide - set your printer to
- use condensed print to get more characters per line). What
- you'll get using this type of format are columns of information
- with an identifying title at the top of each column.
-
-
- Report Menu - Set Up Report Format
-
- This software allows you to design your reports to look any way
- you want them to. You can include just the lines of information
- you want and design reports that print small labels or full sized
- reports. The "Set Up Report Format" option on the Reports menu
- brings up the screen used to design a report format. You may
- design and use as many different report formats as you wish,
- giving each format its own name.
-
- Figure 30 shows the screen used for designing a report. This is
- what the screen looks like before starting to design a report.
- Let's start by looking at the F-key prompts at the bottom of the
- screen.
-
- The first F-key prompt you'll need to use is "F6 - RPRT LENGTH"
- The F6 key is used to set the length of the report. Please note
- this is different from the page length that is set on the Report
- menu. The report length is the number of lines used to print the
- information about one entry. A report can have from one line up
- to 21 lines.
-
- There are two bars that graphically show the report length. The
- top bar contains the screen title and cursor position indicator.
- The lower bar is a solid line.
-
- Push F6 and a blank space will appear in the brackets next to the
- RPRT LENGTH prompt. Enter the number of lines you want to use to
- print each entry. The lower bar will then drop down to show the
- size of the report. Figure 30 shows the lower bar set for the
- minimum report length, one line. Entering 21 as a length will
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 52
-
-
- place the lower bar at the bottom of the screen. We'll look at
- an example of a report set for six lines (figure 31).
-
- The F2 key is used to select the line you want to put on the
- report. Each time you push F2 the line name in the brackets will
- change. In addition to the title of the line the length of the
- line is also shown. In figure 30 it is set for the LAST NAME
- line which is 15 characters long.
-
- The F3 key is used to place a line on the report. Use the cursor
- keys to move the cursor to the location where you wish to place a
- line. Notice that a counter in the upper right corner gives the
- row and column where the cursor is located. When you push the F3
- key the line shown in the brackets next to the F2 prompt will be
- placed on the report at the cursor location.
-
- If you try to place a line in a location that would result in two
- lines overlapping, your computer will beep and the placement of
- the line will not be accepted.
-
- You can relocate a line you've already placed by pushing the F2
- key until the name of the line you want to replace is in the
- brackets next to the F2 prompt, positioning the cursor at the new
- location and then pushing F3.
-
- The screen can only show reports that are 80 characters wide,
- however you can set up and print reports that are up to 250
- characters wide. As you place lines at locations that go beyond
- the 80 character width of your screen the display will scroll to
- the left in 40 character increments. You can move the cursor
- forty characters to the left or right by holding down the CTRL
- key and pushing the left or right cursor keys. (Watch the column
- numbers in the upper right corner).
-
- Figure 31 shows what the screen looks like after five lines have
- be placed. The asterisks after each line name show the amount of
- space the line will use when printed.
-
- To make things fit better you can shorten the length of the lines
- to be printed. For example, if you only wanted to include the
- first 15 characters of the company name push F2 until the COMPANY
- line title is shown in the brackets. Then push F4. The F4 key
- is used to change the length of any line. When you push F4 the
- line length
- number within the F2 brackets will be replaced by a blank space.
- You can then enter a new line length.
-
- If you place a line on the report and then decide that you don't
- want to include it in the report, use the F2 key to put the line
- name in the brackets. Then push F9. The F9 key is used to
- delete a line from the report.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 53
-
-
- Once you have a report designed the way you want it to be push F5
- to save it. You can save as many different report formats as
- you'd like, giving a different format name to each. The F7 key
- allows you to select the format name of an existing report or
- assign a name to a new report format. For example, in figure 33
- I have changed the format name to bring up the STANDARD report
- format for a mailing list. (This format is supplied with the
- software).
-
- To return to the Main Screen push F10 (or the ESC key).
-
-
- Report Menu - Report Format
-
- You can also change report names using the "Report Format" option
- on the Report menu. The current setting for the report format
- will be shown in brackets next to this menu item. When you
- select this option a box will appear that shows all of the format
- names currently used. You can select one by highlighting it with
- the scroll bar and pushing ENTER. You may also push the ESC key
- to enter a new format name.
-
- Please note that if you have the software set to use a format
- name for which no format has been defined, your printed reports
- will be blank.
-
-
- Printing A Report
-
- Here are the steps you would follow to print a report:
-
- 1) Design and save the report format you want to use. This needs
- to be done only one time. Once a report format has been saved it
- is available whenever you needed it.
-
- 2a) If you are searching for something, enter the search criteria
- on the appropriate line(s).
-
- 2b) If you wish to list your catalog in alphabetical order, move
- the cursor to the line you wish the alphabetical order to be
- based on. This line must be marked with a starburst symbol.
-
- 3) Push ALT-R for the Report Menu. The highlight bar will be on
- the "Send To" option. Push ENTER. A window displaying report
- options will open in the middle of the screen. Most people will
- want to use the CONTINUOUS PAPER setting, so push ENTER once to
- move the "X" to that setting. If you want to pause after each
- page is printed, put the "X" next to SINGLE SHT. FEED.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 54
-
-
- 4) Push ESC to close the window and return to the Report Menu.
-
- 5) Check the Dashed Line, Column Headings and Lock Top Line
- settings to be sure they are set the way you want them to be.
-
- 6) Push the left cursor key until the Search Menu is displayed.
- Highlight the search option you want to use and push ENTER. A
- prompt will now appear, at the bottom of the screen, asking for a
- title for this report. You can enter anything you like as a
- title as long as the number of characters in the title does not
- exceed 80 characters or the width of your report format,
- whichever is greater. If you push ENTER at this point, without
- entering a title, the software will put a default title on your
- report. If you do not want any title at all, push the space bar
- and then push ENTER.
-
- Your report will now start printing.
-
- I have taken you through printing a report in a step-by-step
- detailed manner. Once you have become familiar with using this
- software you can skip some of these steps and use the short cut
- keys. For example, if you've already printed one report you can
- print a second simply by entering your search criteria and
- pushing F6 (or F8).
-
-
- EXIT MENU
-
- You can drop-down the eXit menu by either pushing ALT-X or by
- pushing the ESC key.
-
- The eXit menu provides three options. The first is "Exit
- Program" and selecting this returns you to the DOS prompt (or a
- DOS shell program, if you are using one). You should always exit
- from this software before turning off your computer. Turning off
- your computer while any program is still running can result in
- the partial loss of data should that data still be in your
- computer's internal buffers.
-
-
- Backing Up Your Catalog
-
- Entering the information about your collection takes a lot of
- time and it's not something most people want to do twice. That's
- why maintaining current backup copies of all your catalog files
- is very important. The second selection on the Exit Menu
- provides a limited, but effective way to backup your catalog
- files.
-
- Please note, this utility is not intended to be a complete hard
- disk backup system. I strongly recommend that you purchase
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 55
-
-
- software such as PC Tools, Fastback, or any of the many other
- backup utilities available. We are only including this utility
- because a large number of users create catalogs having several
- thousand entries and then lose them when their computers
- encounter a hard disk problem. This utility is only intended to
- provide something you can use while your catalog is small and
- until you can purchase a normal backup utility program.
-
- The backup utility will backup the current catalog in use. The
- name of this catalog is displayed as a part of the Main Screen in
- the middle of the status line (second line down from the top).
- Each catalog must be backed up separately.
-
- To use the backup utility select "Backup" on the Exit Menu. Read
- the first screen that appears and then push ENTER. When the next
- screen appears you can push "E" to exit, "B" to start a backup,
- or "R" to recover backup copies from a floppy disk. On the next
- screen push the letter that identifies the disk drive containing
- the backup floppy disk.
-
- You should start your backup using a blank formatted disk and use
- a separate disk for each catalog. I suggest keeping a set of
- three backup disks for each catalog. Rotate through this set
- always using the oldest one for the current backup. That way, if
- your current backup should turn out to be a backup copy of files
- that have already been damaged (it happens a lot), you can go
- back to an older copy and still recover most of your catalog.
- Note: you do not need to erase or reformat backup floppies before
- using them a second, third, forth, etc. time for the same
- catalog. If the backup floppy is always used for the same
- catalog, the backup process will erase the previous backup copy.
- You only need to start with a blank floppy the first time that
- disk is used.
-
- You can recover a backup copy by following essentially the same
- sequence of steps. Just push "R" for recover instead of "B" for
- backup on the appropriate screen.
-
- NOTE: When files are being recovered the utility will not allow a
- file with an older date to overwrite a more recent file. If you
- have lost a catalog and in looking for it have created another
- catalog using the same name, the more recent catalog will have to
- be erased before the backup utility will copy the old files to
- your disk. There is a selection of the Utilities Menu that is
- used to delete catalogs.
-
- The backup utility uses an archiving utility called LHA. This
- utility was written by Yoshi and is copyrighted 1991 by Yoshi.
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - REFERENCE SECTION - 56
-
-
- The documentation for this utility is included on the disk in a
- text file called LHA.DOC.
-
- The final option on the Exit Menu is "Shell To DOS." The "Shell
- To DOS" option gets you to the DOS prompt without exiting the
- program. this software remains in your computer's memory and you
- can return to where you left off by typing the word EXIT at the
- DOS prompt.
-
- You might use the "Shell To DOS" option, for example, to use the
- DOS directory (DIR) command to check for files on your disk or to
- format a floppy disk.
-
-
- HELP MENU
-
- this software includes a series of help screens that have key
- information about the main functions. Push ALT-H to drop-down
- the Help Menu. Then use the scroll bar to select the topic you
- want information on.
-
-
- RETURN
-
- The final selection only appears at the top of the screen when a
- drop-down menu is displayed. The Return selection removes the
- drop-down menus from the screen and returns you to the Main
- Screen. You can also return to the Main Screen by pushing the
- ESC key.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - 57
-
-
- This catalog format provides a specialized database designed both
- for use by people who have a few comics and for the professional
- investor. It allows you to catalog a comic book library and
- then locate a book, or groups of books, by any one of up to 21
- criteria.
-
- The catalog name is: COMICS
-
- The following are descriptions of what I use each line of the
- default format for. You are not limited to this information.
- You can enter anything on any line and the software will still
- be able to conduct correct searches and sorts. The numbers in
- parenthasis show the number of characters that can be entered
- on each line. If you would like to change the length of a
- line, I recommend making those changes before you save your
- first entry.
-
- Title (40) - The title of this specific book.
-
- Issue (4) - The issue number.
-
- Writer (40) - The name(s) of the writers.
-
- Artist (40) - The artist who did the art for this book.
-
- Note (25) - This line is provided for miscellaneous
- information. You can enter an abbreviation for the type of
- book; or your opinion of this book; or any other information
- you feel is valuable.
-
- Value (8) - Enter the current value of the book. The software
- will then be able to search and find all books whose value is
- greater than the amount you enter.
-
- Cost (8) - Enter the amount you paid for this book. We may
- develop a utility in the future that will compare this number
- with the current value and tell you how much your collection
- has appreciated.
-
- Condition (15) - A conservative estimate of the condition of
- this book. (Note: any estimation of condition is subject and
- may be different for different people).
-
- Other (40) - Like the NOTE line you can enter whatever
- information you feel is useful.
-
- Publisher (40) - Name of the publisher.
-
- Cover Date (8) - Date of publication.
-
- Hero(s) (40) - The name(s) of hero(s). The there can be more
- than one on this line - that you wish to track.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - 58
-
- Villain(s) (60) - The name(s) of villain(s) - there can be more
- than one on this line - you wish to track.
-
- Appearance(s) (60) - Names of characters from other books that
- make an appearance in this book.
-
- Cross Reference Title (60) - Another book that you wish to
- cross reference with this book.
-
- The last six lines are all 64 characters long and are intended
- to be used for miscellaneous information and a summary of the
- story.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX A - 59
-
-
-
- APPENDIX A - OTHER SOFTWARE
-
- HomeCraft publishes a complete series of programs for cataloging
- various types of collections. Each program has been designed
- based on HomeCraft's extensive experience publishing specialized
- database software. They make setting up a catalog for a specific
- type of inventory or collection easy - leaving you to just select
- what you want to do and fill in the blanks.
-
- HomeCraft's experience with cataloging collections helps you get
- started quickly. Our extensive experience and large base of
- users means that more experience and feedback has gone into the
- design of each program than any one individual could provide. We
- listen to our users and change our software to accommodate your
- suggestions. This can be very valuable to you because other
- users may have thought of ways to set up their catalogs that may
- not immediately be apparent to you.
-
- We currently offer software to catalog the following types of
- collections:
-
-
- Professional Series: (to be released during May 1992)
-
- Mailing List Manager
- Home/Office Inventory - now available!
- For Photographers (catalog slides, prints and
- negatives) - now available!
- Professional Book Minder (books, periodicals
- and papers) - now available!
- Client Contact List
- Parts List (Bill of Material)
- Project (tickler) File
- Employee Records System
- Supplier/Vendor Contacts
- Regulatory Database
-
-
- Collectors Series - All of the following are now available:
-
- Organize Your Record/CD/Tapes (pop, country and rock)
- Organize Your Classical Music
- Organize Your Record/CD/Tapes (jazz version)
- Organize Your Books and Magazines
- Organize Your Film & Video Tapes (TV shows, movies and family
- videos)
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX A - 60
-
-
- Organize Your Sports Cards (baseball, football, hockey cards,
- car racing, etc.)
- Organize Your Gun Collection
- Organize Your Coin Collection
- Organize Your Stamp Collection
- Organize Your Home (Home Inventory)
- Organize Your Comic Book Collection
- Organize Your Art Collection
- Organize Your Antique Documents
- Organize Your Memorabilia Collection
-
-
- Coming soon!
-
- Organize Model Railroads
- Organize Your Fabrics & Patterns
- Organize Your Business Card Collection
-
- plus more on the way!
-
- If you are a registered user of any HomeCraft program you may
- purchase any or all of the above programs for $25.00 each.
- Please add $4.00 for shipping and handling to your order ($8.00
- for air mail shipment outside North America). They are available
- directly from: H.C.P. Services, Inc., P.O. Box 974, Tualatin, OR
- 97062. Please be sure to specify the disk size you need (3-1/2"
- or 5-1/4") and don't forget to include your name and address. We
- accept VISA and Master Card.
-
-
-
- Pre-entered Data
-
- We are working on establishing databases of pre-entered data for
- various types of collections. We currently offer over 1.5
- megabytes of pre-entered baseball cards for use with this
- software. We are now working on building pre-entered databases
- for stamp, coin, movie and CD (music) collections.
-
-
- Baseball Cards
-
- If you'd like to avoid a lot of typing you may purchase a disk
- containing a catalog of Topps cards for the years 1978 through
- 1990 and the years 1955 through 1961. These files provide over
- 1.5 megabytes of data. The cost is $25.00. However, these files
- are provided free if you register the ORGANIZE YOUR SPORTS CARDS
- software before 12/31/92.
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX A - 61
-
-
- We are working to add other years. Please feel free to contact
- us for more information concerning additional years and card
- manufacturers. In some cases you may find a flyer, describing
- the current status of new data files, included with this manual.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX B - 62
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX B - PROBLEM SOLVING
-
- This section describes some of the errors and problems other
- users have encountered and recommends solutions. In most cases
- the software will detect problems, diagnose them and put a
- message on the screen.
-
-
- Permission Denied - this is a DOS error message. It means that
- you are using a disk that is write protected. Remove the write
- protection and the problem will be solved. This problem might
- also be caused by a directory that is full. You can have a full
- directory even if there is space available on your disk.
- Depending on the version of DOS you have there is a limit on the
- number of files you can have in a directory. In most cases this
- limit is 128 files. If you try to create more than 128 files you
- may get the "Permission Denied" error message.
-
-
- Unable To Change The Length Of A Line - If you want to change the
- length of a line in your catalog format, but the prompt for the
- line lengths does not appear on the Catalog Format Set Up screen,
- then the software is telling you that at least one entry has
- already been saved. Once an entry has been saved the length of
- the lines can not be changed.
-
- this software uses what is called a fixed length random access
- data file. This allows entries to be found very quickly, but it
- means that if you change the lengths of any of the lines the
- software will no longer be able to read the data file. Thus, the
- software will not allow you to change the length of a line after
- an entry has been saved.
-
- If you need to change your catalog format after saving an entry
- you can do this by creating a new catalog format with the line
- lengths you want. Then use the copy feature to copy the entries
- from your old format to the new format. Once all of the entries
- have been copied (use the editor to see that they are correctly
- copied) the old catalog can be deleted. There is a Utility Menu
- option that is used to delete catalogs.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX B - 63
-
-
- The Software Won't Start - if when you type OYC the software does
- not start there are several possibilities:
-
- 1. If you get a message that says "Bad Command or Filename" then
- your computer can not find the OYC.EXE file. Be sure you are in
- the directory that contains the OYC.EXE file. To do this type
- DIR *.EXE and check to see that OYC.EXE is listed in the
- directory. If it is not listed you most likely will need to use
- the DOS CD command to change to the correct directory.
-
- 2. If nothing happens or your computer locks up when you type
- OYC, you may have fragmented or cross linked files. Please see
- the section which discusses fragmented files.
-
-
- All Data Files Have Disappeared - I've had many people call me
- with this problem. Yesterday they were typing entry 4000 and
- today the software says they are on entry #1. What happened?
- Usually the cause of this problem is that the database filename
- has been changed. All 4000 entries still exist, they are just
- stored using a different filename than the current filename. In
- many cases the two filenames may be very similar such as PHOTO
- and PHOTOS. Its easy to get them mixed up, so be sure you are
- using the right filename.
-
-
- The Software Can't Find A Database Filename You Know Exists - in
- addition to the filename you can also set a PATH. This allows
- you to store data in other directories. If you are looking for a
- database file that is stored in a different directory, you will
- need to specify the PATH to that directory as a part of the
- filename.
-
- I generally recommend you keep all of your database files in the
- same directory as the OYC.EXE file. This makes it easier to keep
- track of what these files are used for and which program they go
- with.
-
-
- Fragmented Files - there is no error message that will tell you
- that your computer has fragmented files. Fragmented files are a
- normal result of using a computer. When a computer stores
- information on a disk it puts it into the next available sector
- on the disk. The next available sector may not be physically
- located anywhere near the previous sectors the computer was
- using. As you add to a data file it tends to be broken into
- small pieces that are scattered in various sectors all over the
- disk.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- The problem with fragmented files is that they slow down your
- computer because it takes more time for the heads in your disk
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX B - 64
-
-
- drive to move from piece to piece of a file that is scattered all
- over a disk. With serious file fragmentation the computer can
- actually lose track of pieces of a file or start to get cross
- linked files. As a result the computer can become "confused" and
- lock-up, you might start getting strange results for searches or
- be unable to access some entries.
-
- If your computer was working fine yesterday and today seems to be
- giving you strange results and problems, the cause may be the
- result of fragmented files. I've seen all kinds of problems the
- range from software locking up to files becoming inaccessible.
- To solve and prevent this problem you'll need utility software
- such as PC Tools or the Norton Utilities. Both of these programs
- provide file de-fragmentation.
-
- You should defragment your hard disk on a regular basis. I've
- found my computer can get fragmented files after just one day of
- use (one day of use for me is probably a lot for someone else).
- In most cases you should perform preventive maintenance by
- defragmenting your hard disk after every 50 to 100 hours of use.
-
-
- An Asterisks Appears When The Software Is Started - If when you
- boot this software you get a blank screen with just an asterisks,
- then the security feature is activated. If you are unable to get
- past that screen, then you will need to use the RESET.EXE utility
- to regain access to this software. RESET.EXE is provided on the
- original this software disk. Because it serves as a generic key
- that will "open" the software, the install procedure leaves it on
- the original disk where other people can not use it.
-
- To use RESET.EXE you can copy it to the directory containing the
- this software (if you are not concerned about security). It may
- also be run from the original floppy disk. If you run it from a
- floppy disk, first set your computer so that the directory
- containing this software is the current directory on your hard
- drive. Get the DOS prompt for the disk drive where RESET.EXE is
- located. Type RESET. The utility will ask you to push the
- letter that identifies your hard disk. The utility will then
- reset the security function.
-
- NOTE: For more information on using DOS, see appendix E.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX C - 65
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX C - FILE NAMES
-
- This software uses file naming standards such that each catalog
- will have a set of files with the same basic filename and various
- filename extensions. A filename extension is the three letter
- "code" the follows the eight (or fewer) letter filename. For
- example, in OYC.EXE the filename extension is EXE. This
- indicates this is an executable program file that the software
- can run.
-
- See appendix E for more information on filename extensions.
-
- When you first receive your this software disk the main program
- files are stored in a compressed format in an archive file called
- ORGANIZE.LZH. The files which are archived in ORGANIZE.LZH are:
-
- OYC.EXE - the main program file.
-
- HOMECRAF.SET - contains the basic configuration settings such as
- the current database filename, the security code and the display
- color setting.
-
- BRUN30.EXE - a support file required for the software to run.
-
- HOMECRAF.HLP - contains help information and error messages used
- by the software.
-
- CONVERT.EXE - a utility that converts data from versions of
- HomeCraft's collector's software released prior to version 5.
-
- MAIL*.* - there are set of files containing MAIL in their
- filenames. These are the sample mailing list manager files.
-
- When used in a filename an asterisk is a wildcard. Thus MAIL*.*
- identifies are filenames that start with "MAIL" and which can
- have any filename extension. This would include MAIL.DAT,
- MAIL.SET and MAILXX01.NDX.
-
- The files in ORGANIZE.LZH are all that are required to use the
- software. If you want to use the software without using the
- installation utility, all you need to do is de-archive these
- files and copy them to where-ever you want to use this software.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX C - 66
-
-
- The LHA.EXE utility is used to de-archive files. To de-archive
- the files type:
-
- LHA E ORGANIZE
-
- The letter "E" tells LHA to extract the files from the ORGANIZE
- file. You will need to have copied both LHA.EXE and ORGANIZE.LZH
- to a disk with at least 300K of space available (after copying
- these two files to it).
-
- Other files that you'll find on the disk include:
-
- RESET.EXE - resets the HOMECRAF.SET file to its default settings.
- This ius a utility used to open the software should you be using
- the security codes and you've forgotten your code.
-
- INSTALL.EXE - the utility for installing this software.
-
- CONFIG.OYC - a generic configuration file. This file is provided
- for computers on which there is no CONFIG.SYS file. This file
- will need to be renamed as CONFIG.SYS before it can be used.
-
- LHA.EXE, LHA.DOC and LHA.HLP - these three files make up the
- compression utility used by the catalog backup feature. LHA.DOC
- contains the documentation for using LHA.EXE. This utility may
- be used to compress and archive any files. It is not limited to
- the files used by this software.
-
- Any other files on the disk are files created by this software or
- format files. These files will all use the filename you select
- and add a filename extension that indicates the file's function.
- For example, if the filename is CATALOG the following files will
- be used (or created if they do not already exist).
-
- CATALOG.DAT - contains the information you've typed in your
- catalog. The DAT files are all ASCII files. This means that in
- an emergency you could read a this software DAT file using word
- processing software.
-
- CATALOG.SET - contains the settings associated with the specific
- file. These settings include the identification of the lines to
- be indexed or totaled. This file should always stay on the same
- disk and in the same directory as the DAT file.
-
- CATALOG.MCR - contains the information for any macros that have
- been set up.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX C - 67
-
-
- CATALOG.FMT - any filename ending with "FMT" contains the
- specifications for a printed report format.
-
- CATALOG.DBF - the letters "DBF" are used by dBase to indicate a
- dBase data file. Files with a "DBF" filename extension will be
- created if you export a file to a file in dBase format. If you
- want to import a dBase file, that file must have a filename
- extension of DBF.
-
- CATALOG.MEM - the letters MEM indicate that this is the file
- containing the memos attached to entries in the data file of the
- same name. If this file is erased the software will try to
- automatically recover it. If you want to erase the memos, please
- use the Remove Memo option on the Reports Menu. Using the Remove
- Memo feature will not erase the MEM file. If you want to erase
- the MEM file, first Remove all of the memos then use the DOS DEL
- command to erase the file.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX D - 68
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX D - USING DOS
-
- It is becoming more and more common to find either Windows 3.0 or
- a DOS shell installed on a computer in the factory. This means
- that most people do not see a DOS prompt (which looks something
- like C:\>) when they turn on their computers. Is it important to
- know how to work at the DOS prompt? Well, the problem is that
- the DOS prompt provides the only common language for owners of
- different IBM compatible computers. Each DOS shell and Windows
- 3.0 use different terminology and methods for accomplishing
- things. The only way we can communicate with each other is to
- talk about how things are done at the DOS prompt.
-
- Working at the DOS prompt is not difficult. Once you learn a
- little bit most people find it to be easier and quicker to work
- at the DOS prompt than to work through a DOS shell or menu
- program. However, it is not necessary that you learn how to work
- at the DOS prompt. You can use this software and most other
- application programs without ever seeing the DOS prompt.
-
-
- The DOS Prompt
-
- The DOS prompt is sometimes also called the command line. It is
- where you type the DOS commands used to have your computer
- perform numerous utility functions. The DOS prompt can contain a
- variety of characters. In general it consists of a letter that
- designates the current disk drive. For a hard disk this is
- usually the letter "C". Drive letter designations are usually
- followed by a colon, so that C: represents the "C" drive. In
- many cases the DOS prompt will also identify the current
- directory. So before we go any further, let's talk about
- directories.
-
-
- Directories
-
- Directories are usually described as being like a tree. That's
- how the ROOT directory got its name. Like the roots of a tree,
- it is where all of the rest of the directories are based.
- However, I like to think of directories as if they were rooms in
- an office building.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX D - 69
-
-
- When you enter an office building you usually enter through the
- lobby. In order to get to any of the offices in the building you
- need to go through the lobby. It's the same for the root
- directory, which is like the lobby of any office building. To
- get to any of the other directories on a disk you need to go
- through the root directory.
-
- Once inside the building you would go to the reception area for
- the suite of offices used by the company you want to visit. This
- reception area is like a directory on your disk. If the company
- is a small one, there may be no additional offices and all of the
- work takes place in the "reception" area. Bigger companies will
- have a suite of offices, just like bigger programs will have sub-
- directories branching off from the directory.
-
- Thus, if you need to pick up a file in your friend Bob's office,
- you would go through the lobby, through Bob's company's reception
- area, and into Bob's office where you would find the file. The
- directories on your hard disk work the same way. If you are
- looking for a file you start at the root directory, which is
- indicated by a backslash (\). You would then go to the
- "RECEPTION" directory, which has "Bob's Office" as a subdirectory
- in which you would find the file you are looking for. This is
- called following a PATH to the file.
-
- The description of the PATH in a computer is written in a
- "shorthand notation" that uses backslashes to separate each
- directory on the path. The path I have been describing would
- look like:
-
- \RECEPTION\OFFICE\FILENAME
- | | | |
- | | | |- the file you are looking for
- | | |- the subdirectory
- | |- the directory
- |- the root directory
-
- The first backslash on the left always indicates the root (lobby)
- directory. Then we go through RECEPTION and OFFICE to reach the
- file we want. The word "RECEPTION" is not misspelled in the path
- description. Directory names can only be a maximum of eight
- characters long. That's why it was necessary to drop one of the
- characters in "RECEPTION."
-
- Why all this discussion about paths and directories and
- subdirectories? Because many times the DOS prompt includes a
- description of the path to the current directory. That way you
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX D - 70
-
-
- can always tell where you are on the disk. For example, the DOS
- prompt could look like:
-
- C:\RECEPTON\OFFICE>
-
- If you wanted to run a program that was in the OFFICE
- subdirectory of the RECEPTON directory and you DOS prompt looked
- like C:\>, then you know you are in the root directory and can
- not run that program. You first need to change to the directory
- (or subdirectory) containing the program you want to run. You do
- that by typing CD followed by the name of the directory and
- subdirectories you want to go to. CD stands for Change
- Directory. To go to the OFFICE subdirectory you would type:
-
- CD \RECEPTON\OFFICE
-
-
- Typing Commands
-
- Anytime you want your computer do something, such as run a
- program, you would type the appropriate command at the DOS prompt
- and push ENTER. When you type a command you are generally typing
- the program's filename. So before we go any further let's talk a
- little bit about filenames.
-
-
- Getting To The DOS Prompt
-
- The first step is to get the DOS prompt on your screen. That way
- you see listings of the filenames on your disk and find out what
- you have on your disk. If your computer does not display the DOS
- prompt when you first turn it on, it is most likely running a DOS
- shell or Windows 3.0. You will need to read your manuals to find
- out how to exit the shell and get to the DOS prompt. In some
- cases you can just push the ESC key or the F10 key. In other
- cases an ALT key combination, such as ALT-F9 is required. With
- other shells there is a drop down "FILES" menu that has an exit
- option. They are all different, so I'll have to let you find out
- how to get to the DOS prompt on your own.
-
-
- Filenames
-
- Filenames have two parts. The filename itself and the filename
- extension. I'll explain what this means by using an example.
- Filenames can be shown in many ways. Here are some examples:
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX D - 71
-
-
-
- PROGRAM.EXE
- PROGRAM EXE
- PROGRAM EXE
-
- If the above examples "PROGRAM" is the filename and "EXE" is the
- filename extension. The filename can be up to eight characters
- long and may include letters and numbers. Filenames may not
- include spaces. The filename extension can be up to three
- characters and is usually used to indicated they type of file.
- Some common filename extensions and their definitions are:
-
- EXE - executable file. These are program files that
- can be run.
-
- COM - Command file. This is essentially the same type
- of file as an EXE file.
-
- BAT - Batch file. A text file that contains a series
- of instructions to be executed by the computer. You
- can see the contents of a batch file by entering
- TYPE FILENAME.BAT at the DOS prompt. The "TYPE"
- command will list the contents of a text file on the
- screen and a batch file is nothing more than a text
- file
- containing a series of DOS commands.
-
- The above three types of files are the only ones that will run.
- You can type the filename of any file that has an EXE, COM or BAT
- filename extension and that file will generally run a program.
- If you type the filename of any of the following types of files,
- nothing will happen.
-
- DAT - data file. The information in your catalog will be
- stored in a data file.
-
- NDX - index file.
-
- TXT - Text file. Text files contain written information
- stored in ASCII format. ASCII is a standard code that
- all computers use. Thus in ASCII the letter "A" is
- stored in the same way on all computers. You can see
- the contents of a TXT file by entering TYPE
- FILENAME.TXT at the DOS prompt.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX D - 72
-
-
- DOC - Document file. This may or may not be a text file.
- Document files contain written information just
- like a text file. But, in addition, they may also
- contain formatting codes and other non-text
- information.
-
- Depending on the type of software used to create the
- document file, letters of the alphabet may be stored
- using a code system that can only be read by a limited
- number of programs. In many cases though, document
- files and text files are the same.
-
- SYS - System file. These are files used by your computer
- system to perform specialized functions.
-
-
- Using The DIR Command
-
- You can see a listing of the files in the current directory by
- typing DIR at the DOS prompt and pushing ENTER. If there are
- more than about 20 files the list will scroll off the top of the
- screen. To get the directory listing to pause when the screen is
- full type DIR /P and push ENTER.
-
- The DIR command is called a DOS internal command. You will not
- find a file called DIR on your disk. DOS has a number of
- commands that are built into it and are always in the computer's
- memory. You can use these commands anytime you are at the DOS
- prompt. It does not matter which drive is the current drive or
- what directory you are in.
-
- If you want to narrow down the listing produced by entering DIR
- so you can more easily spot the file you are looking for, you can
- enter parameters after the DIR command. For example, you can
- list just the files with EXE as a filename extension by typing:
-
- DIR *.EXE
-
- The asterisk is used as a wildcard. The above example tells the
- DIR command to list all filenames that have a filename extension
- of EXE. You could list just the files that start with the letter
- "G" by typing:
-
- DIR G*.*
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _________________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION APPENDIX D - 73
-
-
- Copying Files
-
- One of the most useful DOS commands is the COPY command. The
- COPY command is used to copy a file from one location to another.
- You can copy a file from one disk drive to a different disk
- drive. Or you can copy a file from one directory to another
- directory. The basic syntax of the COPY command is:
-
- COPY source filename destination filename
-
- If they are not in the current directory or on the current drive
- the source and destination filenames must contain the PATH
- description that identifies where the file is located. Let's
- assume your computer is set for the directory containing your
- this software files and that the original this software disk is
- in the "A" floppy disk drive. To copy the two files containing
- the default format for cataloging books to your hard disk you
- would type:
-
- C:\ORGANIZE>COPY A:BOOKS.DAT
-
- C:\ORGANIZE>COPY A:BOOKS.SET
-
- Since the DOS prompt contains "ORGANIZE" we know we are in the
- ORGANIZE directory and thus a destination directory does not need
- to be specified. If we wanted to copy the BOOKS.DAT file from
- the "C" drive to a disk in the "A" drive we would type:
-
- C:\ORGANIZE>COPY BOOKS.DAT A:
-
- This specifies that BOOKS.DAT is to be copied from the current
- directory on the "C" drive to the current directory on the "A"
- drive. We could also copy both of the BOOKS files with one
- command by using a wildcard:
-
- C:\ORGANIZE>COPY BOOKS.* A:
-
- I hope this brief introduction to DOS has been some help. For
- more information on using DOS I suggest picking up a copy of a
- beginning level book about DOS. One that I can recommend is
- Simply DOS by Kris Jamsa published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - SITE LICENSES - 74
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX E - SITE LICENSES
-
- HCP Services, Inc.
- HomeCraft Software
- Site License Agreement
-
- If you intend to use this software on more than one computer a
- site license is required. A site license allows internal use and
- copying of the software for as many sites/computers as contracted
- for. An unlimited site license allows unlimited copying of the
- software for internal use only. This is copyrighted software and
- any distribution or reselling of the software to third parties is
- not allowed.
-
- HCP Services, Inc. grants ____________________________ a site
- license for the use of the following software program(s):
-
-
- This is a perpetual license for the use of the software within
- your company or organization, and is not transferable. This site
- license allows internal use and copying of the software for use
- by/on ______ users/computers.
-
- HCP Services will provide technical support for one year of the
- date of this agreement to one person, designated as the key
- contact within your company or organization.
-
- HCP Services, Inc. warrants that it is the sole owner of the
- software and has full power and authority to grant the site
- license without the consent of any other party.
-
- HCP SERVICES INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS
- SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
- TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
- PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND
- SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER HCP SERVICES, INC. NOR ANYONE
- ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR
- DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
- INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE
- USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF HCP SERVICES, INC.
- HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS.
- IN NO EVENT SHALL HCP SERVICES, INC.'s LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES
- EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE,
- REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE
- BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - SITE LICENSES - 75
-
-
- This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
- Oregon and shall inure to the benefit of HCP Services, Inc. and
- any successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or
- proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out
- of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE
- or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Multnomah
- County, Oregon. The parties hereby consent to in personam
- jurisdiction of said courts.
-
- Company:
-
- Address:
-
- City: State/Prov: Zip:
-
- Country: Phone:
-
-
-
- Authorized Signature Print or Type Name Title
-
-
- Date
-
- Steven C. Hudgik President HCP
- Services, Inc.
- Authorized Signature
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- ____________________ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION - SITE LICENSES - 76
-
- HCP Services, Inc.
- HomeCraft Software
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
- U.S.A.
- (503) 692-3732
-
-
- Site License Price List
-
- The following include one diskette and one copy of the
- documentation. These may be copied for the number of machines
- contracted for. (Prices are based on one registered copy already
- have been purchased).
-
- 2 to 5 computers at $25@: # of computers: ____ X $25 = _____
-
-
- 6 to 10 computers at $20@: # of computers: ____ X $20 = _____
-
-
- 11 to 20 computers at $16@: # of computers: ____ X $16 = _____
-
-
- 21 to 50 computers at $12@: # of computers: ____ X $12 = _____
-
-
- 51 or more computers $975 one time fee: ______
-
-
- Additional manuals are available for $15 each: ______
-
- Subtotal >>>>>> ______
-
- Add $4.00 for S&H, Shipping >>>>>> ______
- ($5.00 for Canada or $8.00 outside No. America)
-
- TOTAL ORDER >>> ______
-
-
-
- Diskette format (choose one) [] 3-1/2" [] 5-1/4"
-
-
- Terms: ALL LICENSES ARE PREPAID ONLY. Master card, VISA,
- checks or money orders drawn in U.S. dollars drawn
- on a U.S. bank are accepted. Corporate purchase
- orders (Net 30 days) accepted. Please make
- checks and money orders payable to HomeCraft.
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- I N D E X
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- ASCII file, 15
- Alphabetical searches, 14, 28, 29
- Asterisks, 66
- Backing up, 5, 54
- Browsing, 13, 25
- CONFIG.SYS file, 8
- Catalogs, Changing Names, 16
- Catalogs, Setting Name, 16
- Catalog format, Copying,44
- Catalog Format, Indexing, 18
- Catalog Format, Line TGL, 43
- Catalog Format, Line Titles, 17, 42
- Catalog Format, Modifying, 17
- Catalog Format, Setting Up, 17
- Catalog Format, Totals, 18
- Catalog line lenghts, changing, 64
- Clearing the screen, 21
- Column headings, 50
- Continuous Paper, 15
- Copy previous entry, 23
- Copy last entry, 24
- Copy a single line, 24
- Copy entries, 33
- Cross referencing, 29
- DOS prompt, 70
- DOS, using, 70
- Dashed line, 50
- Data files, existing, 2
- Database, definition, 2
- dBase file, importing, 36
- Delete key, 21
- Deleted entries, finding, 31
- Deleted entries, eliminate, 41
- Directory, definition, 3
- Directories, 70
- Editing Entries, 12
- Edit menu, 25
- Edit menu, select number, 25
- Edit menu, page backward, 25
- Edit menu, page forward, 25
- Edit menu, undelete entry, 26
- Edit menu, remove memo, 26
- Edit menu, save changes, 26
- Entry number, 20
- Erase screen, 24
- Exit menu, 54
- F1 key, 25
- F2 Key, 25, 33
- F3 key, 24
- F6 key, 29
- F7 key, 24
- Filenames, 67, 72
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- Find deleted entries, 31
- Floppy disk, definition, 2
- Fragmented files, 40, 54
- Global search, 31
- Hard disk, definition, 2
- INSTALL.EXE, 6
- Indexing, 18, 43
- Insert key, 21
- Installation, 6
- Installation, floppy disk,7
- Installation, hard disk, 6
- LHA.EXE, 55
- Line Titles, 17
- Line TGL, 43
- List entries, 27
- Macros, 45
- Main Screen, 10, 20
- Make new entries, saving, 23
- mb, definition, 3
- Memos, 22
- Memo, removing (erasing), 26
- Menus, Using the, 10
- New Entries, Making, 11
- New Entries, Saving, 12
- New catalog format, set up, 42
- OYC.EXE, 9
- Other software, 61
- Page backward, 25
- Page forward, 25
- Page length, 50
- Permission denied error, 64
- PgDn key, 22
- Printed Reports, 15
- Quick View, 15
- RESET.EXE, 65
- Reindex, 37
- Report menu, 48
- Report menu, send to, 48
- Report menu, dashed line, 50
- Report menu, column headings, 50
- Report menu, page length, 50
- Report menu, set up format, 51
- Report format, set up, 51
- Reports, printing, 53
- Reserve space, 40
- Saving entries, 23
- Screen print feature, 33
- Screen colors, 47
- Searching, 13
- Search menu, 27
- Search menu, list entries, 27
- Search menu, alphabetically, 28
- Search menu, sequential, 28
- Search menu, global search, 31
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- Search menu, set starting point, 31
- Search menu, case setting, 32
- Search menu, save changes, 32
- Search again, 33
- Security code, 46
- Sequential Searches, 14, 28
- Site licenses, 76
- Sorting, 38
- System requirements, 4
- Technical support, 4
- Total Values, 18, 33
- Undelete entry, 26
- Using this manual, 3
- Utilities, 16
- Utilities menu, 33
- Utility menu, copy feature, 33
- Utilities menu, reindex, 37
- Utilities menu, sort, 38
- Utilities menu, reserve space, 40
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