The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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DBCOIN(TM) FOR WINDOWS Coin Collection Inventory System for Microsoft Windows(TM) USER'S GUIDE Version 1.0 This product was developed with Microsoft Visual Basic(TM). (C) Copyright 1992 by Mark L. Hetzel If you are an individual, (not a company or an institution) you may use the program on any other computer(s) that you personally own. You may make backup copies of the program only for your use. However, no part of this user guide may be photocopied. I am relying primarily on your good faith not to violate my copyright. (C) Copyright 1987-1991 by Microsoft Corporation (C) Copyright 1984-1991 by Coromandel Industries, Inc. Microsoft, Windows and Visual Basic are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The author warrants for a 90-day period commencing on the date you receive delivery of a registered copy of the program, that, if properly installed and operated on a computer for which it was designed, the program will perform substantially in accordance with the User's Guide. The author's liability shall, in any event, be limited to the purchase price of the program and shall not include consequential damages, such as loss or destruction of data resulting from use of the program. The author will not honor any warranty unless you own a registered copy of the program. Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Getting Started Introduction 1 Hardware and Software Requirements 1 System Files 1 Overview of dBCoin Features 1 Installing dBCoin 2 Chapter 2 - Using dBCoin Starting and Exiting dBCoin 5 Working with the Menu Bar 6 Selecting Menu Commands 6 Using dBCoin's Control Menu 6 Chapter 3 - Building a Database Opening a Database File 8 Adding Records 10 Editing Records 12 Chapter 4 - Database Reports Types of Reports 15 Displaying and Printing Reports 15 Chapter 5 - Technical Support 19 CHAPTER 1 - GETTING STARTED Introduction Welcome to dBCoin for Windows. dBCoin is a coin collection inventory system developed specifically for Microsoft Windows 3.0 or higher. dBCoin takes advantage of Windows' Graphical User Interface (GUI) and its memory management capabilities. dBCoin is a Windows application. The program will not work outside the Windows operating system. dBCoin for Windows was developed with Microsoft Visual Basic. Hardware and Software Requirements 80286, 80386 or 80486 PC 2 MB RAM Hard Drive Microsoft Windows 3.0 or 3.1 System Files included with dBCoin: README Basic information about program and a registration form in ASCII text format. DBCOIN.DOC User's Guide in ASCII text format. DBCOIN.EXE dBCoin for Windows application. VBRUN100.DLL Visual Basic run time file. CMDIALOG.VBX Visual Basic run time file. GRID.VBX Visual Basic run time file. ISAM.DLL Isam data manager run time file. ISAMUDT.DLL Isam data manager run time file. BURMNGR.EXE Isam data manager run time file. ISAM.INI Isam initialization file. SAMPLE.DAT Sample data. SAMPLE.IDX Index file for sample data. Overview of dBCoin Features * Intuitive data entry, edit, query and browse features. * Information sorted and indexed on all fields (except comments). * Quick and easy access to coin information. * Reports display records and collection statistics on screen or in printed form. * Create one or more database files. Each file can contain an unlimited number of records. * Mouse and keyboard supported. 1 Installing dBCoin dBCoin files should be copied to your hard drive before attempting to run the program. Windows' File Manager will help you create a directory and copy the program files from the diskette to the new directory on the hard drive. File Manager is usually in the first position in the Main Group window of Program Manager. If you use a Windows desktop manager such as Norton Desktop(TM), follow the desktop manager's instructions for creating a directory and adding dBCoin to an application group. Mouse * Double-click the File Manager program icon. Keyboard * Press the left or right arrow key to move the highlight to the File Manager program icon and press ENTER. Create a New Directory: Mouse 1. Point to File on the menu bar and click. 2. Point to the Create Directory menu item and click. The Create Directory dialog box will appear. 3. Type the new directory name including the drive, if different then the current one. Example: c:\DBCOIN 4. Point to the OK button and click to create a directory. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, F to open the File menu. 2. Press E to select Create Directory. The Create Directory dialog box will appear. 3. Type the new directory name including the drive, if different then the current one. Example: c:\DBCOIN 4. Press ENTER to create a directory. Copy dBCoin Files to New Directory: Make sure the source and destination disk drive icons are visible. Mouse 1. Point to the disk drive icon (A or B) containing DBCO1N.EXE and click. 2. Point to DBCO1N.EXE in the file list on right side of screen and click. DBCO1N.EXE will be highlighted. 3. Point to File on the menu bar and click. 4. Point to the Copy menu item and click. The Copy dialog box will appear. 2 5. Type the destination disk drive and directory. Example: C:\dBCoin 6. Point to the OK button and click. 7. Point to the drive icon where DBCO1N.EXE is located and click. 8. Point to the directory where DBCO1N.EXE is located and click. 9. Point to DBCO1N.EXE and double-click. dBCoin will now be unpacked in the new directory. KeyBoard 1. Press CTRL and letter of disk drive containing DBCO1N.EXE. 2. Press TAB to move cursor to file list. 3. Press the Down direction key to highlight DBCO1N.EXE. 4. Press F8. The Copy dialog box will appear. 5. Type the destination disk drive and directory. Example: C:\dBCoin 6. Press ENTER to begin copying files. 7. Press TAB to move cursor to a drive icon. Use the direction key(s) to highlight the drive containing DBCO1N.EXE and press ENTER. 8. Press TAB to move cursor to directory list. Use the direction key(s) to highlight the directory containing DBCO1N.EXE and press ENTER. 9. Press TAB to move cursor to file list. Use the direction key(s) to highlight DBCO1N.EXE and press ENTER. dBCoin will now be unpacked in the new directory. Exit File Manager: Mouse 1. Point to File on the menu bar and click. 2. Point to Exit menu item and click. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, F to open the File menu. 2. Press X. 3 Add dBCoin to an Application Group: Mouse 1. Double-click the Windows Setup program icon. The Windows Setup dialog box will appear. 2. Point to the Options menu item and click. 3. Point to Set Up Applications and click. The Setup Applications dialog box will appear. 4. Point to "Ask you to specify an application." and click. 5. Point to the OK button and click. 6. Enter the path and file name. Example: c:\DBCOIN\DBCOIN.EXE 7. Press A to select the program group where you want dBCoin located. 8. Point to the OK button and click. The dBCoin icon will now appear in the program group you selected. Keyboard 1. Press the direction arrow key(s) to move the highlight to the Windows Setup Program icon and press ENTER. The Windows Setup dialog box will appear. 2. Press ALT, O to open the Options menu. 3. Press S. The Set Up Applications dialog box will appear. 4. Press the Down direction key to highlight "Ask you to specify an application." and press ENTER. 5. Enter the path and file name. Example: c:\DBCOIN\DBCOIN.EXE 6. Press A to select the program where you want dBCoin located. 7. Press Tab to highlight the OK button and press ENTER. The dBCoin icon will appear in the program group you selected. 8. Press ALT, O and X to exit from Windows Setup. dBCoin will now be included in an applications group window with its own program icon. 4 CHAPTER 2 - USING DBCOIN Starting and Exiting dBCoin Starting dBCoin from Program Manager: Mouse 1. Open the Program Manager window, if not already open, by double-clicking the Program Manager icon. 2. Open the application group window containing dBCoin, if not already open, by double-clicking the application group icon. 3. Double-click the dBCoin icon. The dBCoin title page will appear. 4. Point to the Continue button and click. The dBCoin menu bar will appear. KeyBoard 1. Open the Program Manager window, if not already open, by using direction keys to highlight the Program Manager icon and press ENTER. 2. Open the application group window containing dBCoin, if not already open, by pressing CTRL, TAB to highlight the applications group icon and press ENTER. 3. Use the direction arrow keys to highlight the dBCoin program icon and press ENTER. The dBCoin title page will appear. 4. Press ENTER. The dBCoin menu bar will appear. Exiting dBCoin: Mouse 1. Point to File on the menu bar and click. 2. Point to the Exit menu item and click. The dBCoin for Windows order form will appear if you are using a review copy. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, F. 2. Press X. The dBCoin for Windows order form will appear if you are using a review copy. 5 Working the Menu Bar Select a Menu: Mouse * Point to the name of the menu item on the menu bar and click to open the menu. Keyboard * Press ALT and the underlined letter of the menu item you want. Cancel a Menu: Mouse * Click the menu name or any where outside the menu. KeyBoard * Press ALT to cancel the menu and move back to the application workspace. Press ESC to cancel the menu but remain on the menu bar so that you can select another menu. Selecting Menu Commands Choose an Item from a Selected Menu: Mouse * Point to the menu item and click. Keyboard * Type the underlined letter in the item name. Using dBCoin's Control Menu Open dBCoin's Control Menu: Mouse * Point to the Control Menu box in the upper-left corner of the window and click. Do not double-click or you will close the window. Keyboard * Press ALT and SPACEBAR. Control Menu Commands Command Action Restore Restores the window to its size before it was enlarged or shrunk to an icon. 6 Move Allows window to be moved to another position of the screen. Size Allows you to change the size of the window. Minimize Shrinks the window to an icon. Maximize Enlarges the window to full screen. Close Closes window and exits from dBCoin. Switch To... Starts Task List, which lets you switch among running applications. Screen Color: The background color of each dBCoin screen can be changed through the Windows Control Panel. The color of text, data entry fields and report screens cannot be changed. 7 CHAPTER 3 - BUILDING A DATABASE Opening a Database File dBCoin allows you to create one large database or several small database files for your coin collection. See Chapter 2 to start dBCoin. Create a Database File: Mouse 1. Point to File on the menu bar and click to open the menu. 2. Point to the New File menu item and click. The File Open dialog box will appear. 3. Enter the file name to be created. The file name must have eight or fewer characters. The current drive and path is displayed to the right of the file name entry box. dBCoin will add the file extension .DAT for you. (Example: Coin.Dat) Change the drive - a. Point to the Drive List box arrow in the lower right hand corner of screen and click. A list of the available drives will appear. b. Point to the appropriate drive and click. The new drive will appear to the left of the file name box. Change the directory - a. Point to the current drive in the Directory List box and double-click. b. Point to the new directory and double-click. The drive and new directory will appear to the right of the file name text box. 4. Point to the OK button and click to create the file entered in #3. The File Open dialog box will disappear when a valid file name is entered. Cancel your selection without creating a file by pointing to the Cancel button and clicking. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, F to open the menu. 2. Press N. The File Open dialog box will appear. 8 3. Enter the file name to be created. The file name must have eight or less characters. The current drive and path is displayed to the right of the file name entry box. dBCoin will add the extension .DAT for you. (Example: Coin.Dat) Change the drive - a. Press TAB to highlight the Drive List box. b. Press the direction arrow key to open the Drive List box. c. Press the direction arrow key(s) to highlight a new drive and press ENTER. Change the directory - a. Press TAB to highlight the Directory List box. b. Press the direction arrow key(s) to highlight the new directory and press ENTER. The drive and new directory will appear to the right of the file name text box. 4. Press TAB to highlight the OK button and press ENTER to create the file entered in #3. The File Open dialog box will disappear when a valid file name is entered. Cancel your selection without creating a file by pressing TAB to highlight the Cancel button and pressing ENTER. Open an Existing Database File: Mouse 1. Point to File on the menu bar and click to open the menu. 2. Point to the Open menu item and click. The File Open dialog box will appear. Change the drive - a. Point to the Drive List box arrow in the lower right hand corner of screen and click. A list of the available drives will appear. b. Point to the appropriate drive and click. The new drive will appear to the left of the file name box. Change the directory - a. Point to the current drive in the Directory List box and double-click. b. Point to the new directory and double-click. The drive and new directory will appear to the right of the file name text box. 9 3. Point to the file listed in file list box and double-click. The database file will be opened and the File Open dialog box will disappear. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, F to open the menu. 2. Press O. The File Open dialog box will appear. Change the drive - a. Press TAB to highlight the Drive List box. b. Press the direction arrow key to open the Drive List box. c. Press the direction arrow key(s) to highlight a new drive and press ENTER. Change the directory - a. Press TAB to highlight the Directory List box. b. Press the direction arrow key(s) to highlight the new directory and press ENTER. The drive and new directory will appear to the right of the file name text box. 3. Press TAB until the first item in the file list box is highlighted. 4. Press the direction arrow key(s) to highlight the file to be opened and press ENTER. The database file will be opened. The File Open dialog box will disappear. Close a Database File: Mouse 1. Point to File on the menu bar and click to open the menu. 2. Point to the Close menu item and click. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, F to open the menu. 2. Press C. Adding Records Mouse 1. Point to Records on the menu bar and click to open the menu. 10 2. Point to the Update menu item and click. The Data Entry and Edit screen will appear if you have already opened a database file. A Menu dialog box will appear if a file is not open. Point to the OK button and click. The dialog box will disappear. See the instructions for Opening a Database File. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, R to open the menu. 2. Press ENTER. If you have already opened a database file, the Data Entry and Edit screen will appear. A Menu dialog box will appear if a file is not open. Press ENTER. The dialog box will disappear. See the instructions for Opening a Database File. The following list are the data entry fields for each record stored in the database: Length Field Description (Characters) Format Country Issuing stamp 25 Text Catalog No. Catalog number 8 Alpha/Numeric Type Coin type 20 Text Denomination Circulation value 20 Text Mint Date Year minted 8 Alpha/Numeric Coin Grade Condition 5 Alpha/Numeric Purchase Date Date purchased 8 MM/DD/YYYY Cost Purchase price 9 $0-$999,999.00 Market Value Catalog value 9 $0-$999,999.00 Notes Remarks 100 Text Enter Data: Data entered does not become part of a field until the cursor is moved to another field by pressing TAB, pointing to a field and clicking or pressing SHIFT, TAB. Press TAB to move the cursor forward from field to field and button to button. Press SHIFT, TAB to move backward. A mouse can be used to move around the screen by pointing to a field and clicking once. Within each field the direction, DEL and INS keys can be used to edit. The BACKSPACE key can delete characters in each field except the cost and market value fields. The program does not require fields to be changed when the data from the previous record is the same as the current record you are entering. Press TAB to skip to the next field without changing information in the current field. 11 Each data entry field has built-in edit checking. Information is verified as valid when entered. For example, you cannot enter alpha characters in the Cost field. A Data Entry Error dialog box will appear if an invalid entry is made. Press ENTER to remove the dialog box. A coin's purchase date can be entered as 1/1/92. dBCoin will format the date to 01/01/1992 after pressing TAB. Data Entry and Edit Command Buttons: The command buttons at the top of the screen can be activated by pointing to a button and clicking or pressing ALT and the key for the underlined letter except the query buttons (=, > and =>). Also, TAB can be used to move the highlight to a button and pressing ENTER to activate that button. Save a Record: Mouse * Point to the Add button and click. Keyboard * Press ALT, A. This will save the record currently displayed on the screen in memory. The cursor will then be moved to the Country field. New records are saved to the hard drive when you exit from the Data Entry and Edit screen. Editing Records The Data Entry and Edit screen is also used to edit records stored in your database. Find a Record: dBCoin provides powerful query features to find records. A query is made by using an exact match (=) or an approximate search (> or =>). dBCoin will search on the first field that has an entry. Selecting (>) or (=>) when all fields are empty will cause dBCoin to display records in the order they were entered. Note: Database searches can be done on only one field at a time. For example, 1964D is entered in the Mint Date field and the (=) query key is selected. dBCoin will display the first record with a Mint Date equal to 1964D. If Jefferson is entered in the Type field and 1964 in the Mint Date field and the (=) query key is selected. dBCoin will display the first record with a Type equal to Jefferson. The Mint Date field will be ignored. Queries are case sensitive. If information was originally entered with the first letter of each word uppercase and all characters in your search criteria are uppercase then the query results may not be what you expect. 12 1. Enter the search criteria in the appropriate field. 2. Select a query button (=) EQUAL TO, (>) GREATER THAN or (=>) GREATER THAN EQUAL TO and click or press ENTER. 3. dBCoin will now search the database using the criteria you specified. dBCoin will display in the Data Entry and Edit screen the first record meeting the criteria. The Data Entry Error dialog box will appear if a record is not found. Press ENTER to clear the dialog box from the screen. 4. Use the Next button to move forward through the database. Use the Previous button to move backward. Mouse * Point to the Next or Previous buttons and click to display record on the screen. Keyboard * Press Alt, N (Next) or P (Previous) to display record on the screen. You also can press TAB to highlight the Next or Previous buttons and press ENTER. Note: Next button - When you reach the last record in the database, the Data Entry Error dialog box will appear. Press ENTER to clear the dialog box from the screen. Previous button - When you reach the first record in the database, the Data Entry Error dialog box will appear. Press ENTER to clear the dialog box from the screen. Change a Record: The Change button is used to save changes made to the record currently displayed in the Data Entry and Edit screen. After editing the record do the following to save the change(s): 1. Point to the Change button and click or press ALT, C. The Edit Record dialog box will appear requesting verification to save the change(s). 2. Point to the YES button and click or press ENTER to save the change(s). Point to the NO button and click or press TAB to highlight the NO button and press ENTER to cancel the change(s). Changes are saved to disk when you exit from the Data Entry and Edit screen if you selected YES. Delete a Record: The Delete button is used to delete the record currently displayed in the Data Entry and Edit screen. 13 1. Point to the Delete button and click or press ALT, D. An Edit Record dialog box will appear requesting verification. 2. Point to the YES button and click or press ENTER to delete the record. All fields will be cleared. Point to the NO button and click or press ALT, A to cancel Delete. Clear Data Entry Fields The Clear button will remove information entered in the data entry fields. Using the Clear button will not affect information already stored in the database. Point to the Clear button and click or press ALT, L to clear the screen. Print a Record The Print button is used to print the record displayed in the Data Entry and Edit screen. Point to the Print button and click or press ALT, R to print the record. Exit the Data Entry and Edit Screen: Point to the Exit button and click or press ALT, X to leave the Data Entry and Edit screen. Exiting from the Data Entry and Edit screen will save all additions, changes and deletions made to the database. dBCoin updates the database index file when records are added, changed or deleted. 14 CHAPTER 4 - REPORTS Types of Reports dBCoin can generate various reports that can be printed or displayed on your computer screen. The Coin Inventory List will list the records in sorted order. The Collection Analysis Report will show statistical information about your coin collection database. Reports are setup to print on an 80 column printer. dBCoin provides powerful query features to find records. A query is made by using an exact match (=) or an approximate search (> or =>). dBCoin will search on the first field that has an entry. Selecting (>) or (=>) when all fields are empty will cause dBCoin to display records in the order they were entered. Queries are case sensitive. If information was originally entered with the first letter of each word uppercase and all characters in your search criteria are uppercase then the query results may not be what you expect. Coin Inventory List: Display Records on Screen Mouse 1. Point to Reports on the menu bar and click to open the menu. The report screen will appear if a database file is open. A Menu dialog box will appear if a file is not open. Point to the OK button and click. The dialog box will disappear. See instructions for opening a database file. 2. Point to the List Records menu item and click. 3. Enter your search criteria in the appropriate query field. Query fields are located below the command buttons. Query fields are similar to the data entry fields in the Data Entry and Edit screen. 4. Point to the appropriate query button (=) EQUAL TO, (>) GREATER THAN or (=>) GREATER THAN EQUAL TO and click. The Screen and Printer buttons will become visible if a record(s) is found. A Coin Inventory dialog box will appear if no records are found. Point to the OK button and click. The dialog box will disappear. 5. Point to the Screen button and click to display record(s) found. All or some records found will be display on the screen. A maximum of 19 records can be displayed on the screen at once. Scroll through the records by pointing to a Scroll button and clicking. 15 6. Point to the left and right scroll bar arrows at the bottom of the screen to display more columns of information. The following buttons are used to scroll through the database: Home - Scrolls to first record. Up - Scrolls up one record. Down - Scrolls down one record. PgUp - Scrolls up one screen. PgDn - Scrolls down one screen. End - Scrolls to last record. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, E to open the Report menu. The report screen will appear if a database file is open. A Menu dialog box will appear if a file is not open. Point to the OK button and click. The dialog box will disappear. See the instructions for opening a database file. 2. Press ENTER. 3. Enter your search criteria in the appropriate query field. Query fields are located below the command buttons. Query fields are similar to the data entry fields in the Data Entry and Edit screen. 4. Press TAB to highlight the appropriate query button (=) EQUAL TO, (>) GREATER THAN or (=>) GREATER THAN EQUAL TO and press ENTER. The Screen and Printer buttons will become visible if a record(s) is found. A Coin Inventory dialog box will appear if no records are found. Press ENTER and the dialog box will disappear. 5. Press ALT, S to display record(s) found. All or some records found will be display on the screen. A maximum of 19 records can be displayed on the screen at once. Scroll through the records by highlighting a Scroll button and pressing ENTER. 6. TAB to the area where records are displayed. Use the direction arrow key(s) to display more columns of information. The following methods can be used to scroll through the database: 1. Press TAB to highlight a Scroll button and press ENTER. 2. Press ALT and letter underlined on the Scroll button. (Example: ALT, E for the End button) 16 Clear Screen The Cancel button will remove records and information from the query fields. Point to the Cancel button and click or press ALT, C to clear the screen. Print Report Follow the same procedure for displaying records on the screen except click or press the Printer button. Exit List Records Point to the Exit button or press ALT, X to leave the Coin Inventory List screen. Collection Analysis Report: Display Report on Screen Mouse 1. Point to Reports on the menu bar and click to open the menu. The report screen will appear if a database file is open. A Menu dialog box will appear if a file is not open. Point to the OK button and click. The dialog box will disappear. See instructions for opening a database file. 2. Point to the Analysis menu item and click. The Report screen will appear. 3. Enter your search criteria in the appropriate query field. Query fields are located below the command buttons. Query fields are similar to the data entry fields in the Data Entry and Edit screen. 4. Point to the appropriate query button (=) EQUAL TO, (>) GREATER THAN or (=>) GREATER THAN EQUAL TO and click. The Screen and Printer buttons will become visible if a record(s) is found. An Analysis dialog box will appear if no records are found. Point to the OK button and click. The dialog box will disappear. 5. Point to the Screen button and click to display the report if record(s) is found. Keyboard 1. Press ALT, E to open the Records menu. 2. Press A. The Collection Analysis Report screen will appear. 17 3. Enter your search criteria in the appropriate query field. Query fields are located below the command buttons. Query fields are similar to the data entry fields in the Data Entry and Edit screen. 4. Press TAB to highlight the appropriate query button (=) EQUAL TO, (>) GREATER THAN or (=>) GREATER THAN EQUAL TO and press ENTER. The Screen and Printer buttons will become visible if a record(s) is found. A Collection Analysis dialog box will appear if no records are found. Press ENTER and the dialog box will disappear. 5. Press ALT, S to display the report if record(s) is found. Clear Screen The Cancel button will remove records and information from the query fields. Point to the Cancel button and click or press ALT, C to clear the screen. Print Report Follow the same procedure for displaying records on the screen except click or press the Printer button. Exit Collection Analysis Report Point to the Exit button or press ALT, X to leave the Coin Inventory Analysis screen. 18 CHAPTER 5 - TECHNICAL SUPPORT I have attempted to design dBCoin to be easy to use. Still, I will be happy to help you if you encounter a problem. Contact me by one of the following methods: Telephone (608) 273-2739 Probably the best way to solve a problem. It is easier to provide assistance when I can speak with you directly. Call me during the following times: Monday - Friday 7 - 9 PM Saturday 9 AM - 4 PM All times are Central Standard Time. Please try to be in front of your computer with the program operating. It is difficult to diagnose a software problem if you are not at the computer. CompuServe ID number 71371,731 Write Send correspondence to: Mark L. Hetzel 4466 Sentinel Pass Madison, WI 53711 Any comments or suggestions you have dBCoin for Windows would be appreciated. 19