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1995-05-05
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"BALLCARDS"(TM) v3.2 ***SHAREWARE EVALUATION COPY***
Copyright 1991-1995 BOB-KIT SOFTWARE CO.; All Rights Reserved.
Toll-Free Orders: 1-800-473-3137
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| CONGRATULATIONS - YOU FOUND IT! An outstanding sports card |
| tracking system - in its 4th year with thousands of users |
| all over the world. After evaluating this software, we |
| know you'll agree: "BALLCARDS is The Best!" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
+* NOTICE *---------------------------------------------------+
| BALLCARDS v3.2 is a "shareware" program. As such, it is |
| freely distributed for the purpose of evaluation. You are |
| hereby granted a 30 Day Limited License to use this soft- |
| ware. After 30 days, you must either: |
| |
| a) Register BALLCARDS (buy it). [Call 1-800-473-3137] |
| or |
| b) Discontinue use. |
| |
| Obviously, we want you to select "a", so your cost is |
| only $29.95 and includes: |
| * Latest registered version of BALLCARDS on disk. |
| * Printed User Manual. |
| * Free product support from the author. |
| * 175,000+ card database. Saves you months (or Years) |
| of typing! For details, please see order form. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
"To say the least, BALLCARDS is absolutely the best sports
card inventory program that I've seen. I chose to purchase
BALLCARDS after evaluating 13 similar programs."
- Denny Y., Citrus Heights, CA
"...very easy to work with and provides walk-thru instructions."
- Steve M., Salem, OR
"This is one of the best investments I've been associated with.
Thanks for the great product!"
- George M., Pullman, WA
"...I must tell you: Yours is the best and easiest to use by a
longshot!"
- Kelvin B., Cohutta, GA
"Keeping track of my sports cards is very simple with
BALLCARDS."
- Ludy W., Houston, TX
"After 3 or 4 weeks trying to learn (another program), I
gave up! With your program I'm finally going to be able
to sort and keep track of all my cards. Thanks!"
- Donna K., Oakhurst, CA
"Very good program at a very reasonable price!"
- Richard B., Mishawaka, IN
+-------------------+
| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
+-------------------+
README.1ST . . . . . . . . 3
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . 4
Program Features . . . . . 4, 5
GETTING STARTED. . . . . . . 5, 6
Installation . . . . . . 6
Fire It Up! . . . . . . 6
Command Line Switches . . . . 6, 7
RUNNING BALLCARDS . . . . . . 7, 8
Important Notes . . . . . 8, 9
Accessing Data-Files . . . . 9, 10
Automatic Indexing. . . . . 10
Tracking SETs . . . . . . 11, 12
Filenames . . . . . . . 12
User-Definables . . . . . 13
COMMANDS . . . . . . . . 13
ADD Card(s) . . . . . . 13, 14
Change Mfr/Yr . . . . . . 14
DELETE Card . . . . . . 14
EDIT Card . . . . . . . 14, 15
FIND Card . . . . . . . 15
LOAD a File . . . . . . 15
Mass EDIT . . . . . . . 16
PRINT Options . . . . . . 16
QUIT to DOS . . . . . . 17
SORT File . . . . . . . 17
User-Def. ED. . . . . . . 17, 18
ZAP! or List . . . . . . 18, 19
+/- Quantity . . . . . . 19
"Hidden" Commands . . . . . 19
REPORTS. . . . . . . . . 20
Creating . . . . . . . 20-23
Print/View/Delete . . . . . 23
Report Number 001 . . . . . 23
UPDATES. . . . . . . . . 24
ORDER FORM . . . . . . . . 25
+------------+
| README.1ST |
+------------+
SHAREWARE = Try Before You Buy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Shareware' is a marketing idea. It is used by software
authors to introduce potential customers to their programs.
In theory, you should be able to truly TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.
In reality, you will usually pay a small charge to SOMEBODY
to acquire shareware....BBSs, online services, disk vendors,
and now even retail stores provide shareware evaluation copies
for a nominal fee. Unless otherwise stated, the program author
receives NO COMPENSATION from these sources. In other words,
if you pay for a shareware evaluation copy, you have paid for
the SERVICE that provided you the shareware - the author has
not been paid a dime. For this reason, many authors offer
incentives to register (buy). For example: Printed user guide,
enhanced version of the software, extra game levels, etc.
"BALLCARDS" meets or exceeds standards set forth by:
* Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)
* Shareware Trade Association and Resources (STAR)
DISTRIBUTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shareware and LCR vendors: Please see 'VENDOR.DOC'.
COPYRIGHTS/TRADEMARKS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BALLCARDS and its documentation are protected by United
States Copyright law and international treaty provisions. All
rights are reserved worldwide.
"BALLCARDS" and its logos are trademarks of BOB-KIT SOFTWARE
COMPANY. Other trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned in
this manual are property of their respective holders.
DISCLAIMER
~~~~~~~~~~
Users of BALLCARDS must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
BALLCARDS is supplied 'as is'. The author disclaims all warranties,
expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties
of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author
assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which
may result from the use of this program.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PC/Compatible, 640K RAM, DOS 3.0 or higher, hard-drive.
Registered version requires up to 22 MB of hard-drive space,
depending on how much data you choose to install.
PG 3
+--------------+
| INTRODUCTION |
+--------------+
BALLCARDS simplifies categorizing, sorting, and reporting on
all your treasured cards. Whether you've just started collecting
or have been doing it for years, this program will be a welcome
organizer and reporter for your entire collection! Up to 40
card-types may be defined, so you're not limited to just a few
sports - ANY cards you collect may be tracked & reported on.
Nearly four years have been spent developing, writing, and
re-writing this software to make it EASY, FAST, and the ULTIMATE
program for card collectors. Plus, this is the only card program
with hundreds of "user-definables" - you're able to CUSTOMIZE
fieldnames, pop-up window data, and the Manufacturers for your
own needs! Many fields are pre-defined to help get you going,
but you can edit them easily.
Whenever you access a file, its value is displayed (HI $ x
Quantity). The total is automatically updated after changes.
BALLCARDS comes complete with a fantastic report generator.
Let the program:
* Find all cards of one player.
* List your collection and show you its total value. You need an
inventory of your cards for insurance purposes - now you'll
have one!
* Locate all cards worth over $5. (or ANY value you choose)
* Search for Rookie Cards.
* Find all cards you've put in one particular box (by taking
advantage of user-definable fields)
* Create a 'Want List' for your next visit to the local card shop.
* Show only cards from one card manufacturer.
* Narrow a search down to any one year or range of years.
* Much more!
Each report can be created, printed, or viewed right from
the program anytime. Summary reports are also available.
** BALLCARDS can only report on card data that already exists in
the directory. For example, you cannot get a listing of all
Frank Thomas cards unless you've typed them all in. To save you
many months (or years) of typing, you will receive a 175,000+
card database with your registered copy of BALLCARDS. Please
see order form for details.
PROGRAM FEATURES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Track up to 40 different card-types (Baseball, Football, etc.)
produced by any card company.
PG 4
* A complete set of user-definables for EACH card-type, including:
- 52 Manufacturer names (Topps, Fleer, etc.)
- 3 fieldnames to use on the card entries (Comments,
Position, etc.)
- 40 quick-entry fields assigned to each of those 3
fieldnames for a total of 120.
This gives you a grand total of:
- 2080 Manufacturer names
- 120 fieldnames
- 4800 quick-entry fields
* Up to 999 entries are allowed in each data-file. Here's an
example of a 'data-file': 1995 Donruss Baseball cards.
* Each single card entry may show a quantity from 0 - 999.
* Complete sets, whether hand-collated or factory, can be tracked
separate from your singles! In fact, ALL sets of the same Card-
Type can be put in ONE file, regardless of Manufacturer or Years.
* No limit on the number of matches a report can locate.
* Up to 300 report-files can be available for Printing or Viewing
from the program at any time.
* Commands are executed with "hot-keys" (single keystrokes) or
selected from a pop-up menu using a highlight bar.
* Reports will show grand total values up to $9,999,999.99.
+-----------------+
| GETTING STARTED |
+-----------------+
Before you continue, please note the following:
* Throughout this manual, quotations are used for emphasis. No
commands will require you to actually type quotations.
* A makeshift arrow, "->", is to the left of examples showing you
what to type.
* This is a DOS prompt: C:\>
* "C" in the above DOS prompt indicates you're logged onto Drive
C. This is normally your hard-drive (fixed disk) and where we'll
be installing BALLCARDS.
* "[ENTER]" always means to press your [Enter] or [Return] key.
* Brackets ("[" and "]") will surround whatever key you're
expected to press. For example, "[a]" means hit the letter "a".
PG 5
* When an example shows you what to type at the DOS prompt, the
letters you would enter are in lower case while the prompt itself
is in upper case. Example: "C:\BALLCARD>bc [ENTER]" means you
should type [b] [c] then hit [ENTER].
NOTE: When you actually TYPE the letters, case is not important.
* To "log on" to a disk, press the drive letter, colon, &
[ENTER]. To access Drive A, type:
-> C:\>a: [ENTER]
INSTALLATION (for registered version)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
BALLCARDS includes its own self-installer. "Log on" to the
original BALLCARDS diskette (as shown previously) and type:
-> A:\>go [ENTER]
"BC-SETUP" will ask you where to install BALLCARDS (with a
default setting of "C:\BALLCARD"). BC-SETUP will create this new
directory and place all necessary files in it.
NOTE: If you're using any kind of Menu system or Microsoft
Windows, you need to exit/quit to DOS. After installing
BALLCARDS, please see your appropriate instructions for setting
up new programs to be accessed with your menu or Windows.
FIRE IT UP!
~~~~~~~~~~~
After installation is complete, you can begin a session by
changing to the program's directory and typing:
-> C:\BALLCARD>bc [ENTER]
Remember, to Change to the BALLCARDS Directory, you must be
at the DOS prompt and type:
-> C:\>cd \ballcard [ENTER]
If your prompt only looks like this: C> ..then you need
to type the following:
-> C>prompt $p$g [ENTER]
Now, DOS will always display the current directory.
COMMAND LINE SWITCHES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These allow you to configure BALLCARDS when beginning a session.
PG 6
* Turn OFF most sound, except 'wrong key' and 'error', with the
"/S" switch.
-> C:\BALLCARD>bc /s [ENTER]
* Force COLOR or MONOCHROME. BALLCARDS configures itself by
reading your video card, but you can override it with the "/C" or
"/M" command switch. This is particularly useful if you use a
color video adaptor with a monochrome (or B&W) monitor. Use the
"/M" switch to force MONO. "/C" tells BALLCARDS to use COLOR.
-> C:\BALLCARD>bc /m [ENTER]
* Configure BALLCARDS to use a different file viewer with the
"/VIEW=[Filename]" command switch. BALLCARDS comes with a simple
file viewing utility named "VIEW.COM". This is used by the
program to let you 'VIEW' reports from within BALLCARDS. You can
use your favorite file viewer instead. To use a program called
"LIST.COM", you'd type:
-> C:\BALLCARD>bc /view=list [ENTER]
NOTES: The 3-character extension, in this case ".COM", is not
necessary - if the program were named "READ.EXE", you would use
"bc /view=read". You only need to execute this once - BALLCARDS
will keep using the same file viewer until this command line
switch is used again. The program you choose does not have to
reside in the BALLCARDS directory, but must be in a directory
that is part of your "PATH". (Your DOS manual has details
regarding the 'PATH').
IMPORTANT: Notice there is NO space on either side of the "=".
More than one command switch can be used at the same time, but
"/view=[filename]" must be LAST. Spaces are only used here for
clarity - they're not necessary. "bc/m/s/view=list [ENTER]" will
work just as well as "bc /m /s /view=list [ENTER]".
+-------------------+
| RUNNING BALLCARDS |
+-------------------+
There are 2 ways to make selections or execute commands in
BALLCARDS:
- One is via "hot-key". Press the letter that's surrounded
by brackets to execute. For example, if "[P]rint" is the choice,
"P" is its hot-key.
- The other is a pop-up window displaying choices with a
highlight bar over one of them. In most cases, there are more
possible selections than those appearing in the window - if so,
you will see the word "more", with arrows on either side, just
under the last visible option. Move the highlight bar using your
cursor keys. Pressing a letter will cause the bar to jump to the
first, or next, match.
PG 7
The YEAR pop-up menu lists "<RARE>" and "SETs" at the bottom
(Fig. 1). Use RARE for pre-1950 cards - track each card's year
by utilizing one of your 3 definable fields (Fig. 2). SETs are
another type of file, used for complete hand-collated or factory
sets. See "Tracking SETs" for more.
+|* YEAR *|+
|**********|-+
| 1956 | |
| 1955 | |
| 1954 | |
| 1953 | |
| 1952 | |
| 1951 | |
| 1950 | |
Pre-1950 =======> <RARE> | |
| SETs <======= Hand-collated
+----------+ | or factory SETs
Fig. 1 +----------+
| Lo/High $ $ | |
You can name | Pd/Sold $ $ | |
these three | | |
fields =====> (1) ==> *definable*: < | |
+------------+ (2) ==> *definable*: < | |
| See "User- | (3) ==> *definable*: < | |
| Def. ED." | +---------------------------+ |
| for more. | +---------------------------+
+------------+ Fig. 2
If you select "MIXED" (last choice of Mfr. menu - as shown
in Fig. 4), a pop-up window will let you choose any Manufacturer
from your list each time you ADD or EDIT a card. (HINT: This
option is most useful for tracking full SETs)
IMPORTANT NOTES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Your [ESC] key should only be used to CANCEL what you're doing
or, in the case of selecting a file, 'back up'. If you're ADDing
or EDITing a card and you expect your changes to be saved, press
[F10]. When EDITing, [ESC] allows you to change your mind and
put things back the way they were. To reiterate, [ESC] means
CANCEL.
* If you select a file to access and BALLCARDS says "FILE DOES
NOT EXIST. Okay to create [Y/N]?", ***STOP!*** The program is
telling you that your choice does NOT exist. A [Y] response
("Yes, it's Okay to create") causes BALLCARDS to:
1) Initiate a NEW file. No cards have been entered yet.
2) Automatically execute the "ADD" command. Pressing [ESC]
at this point gives you one blank card.
If you expected the file to already exist, then press [ESC]
to cancel and back up. Carefully choose again.
PG 8
Other files may, of course, be created. However, a file
will not exist unless:
A) You ALLOW it to be created.
B) It came with your copy of BALLCARDS.
To get rid of files created by accident, use the "ZAP! or
List" command. Keep in mind that you cannot delete (Zap) the
file you're currently working with - load another file first.
* Remember to follow instructions shown at the top of your
screen. Those windows appear for your benefit.
ACCESSING DATA-FILES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A data-file contains the following three (3) elements:
- CARD-TYPE (Baseball, Golf, etc.)
- MANUFACTURER (Leaf, Upper Deck, etc.)
- YEAR (1957, 1989, '94-95, etc.)
Each is selected from a pop-up window by moving the
highlight bar to your choice and pressing [ENTER].
The first pop-up menu that presents itself is always "Card-
Type". If you collect only baseball cards, you'll always hit
[ENTER] with the highlight bar sitting on "BASEBALL". However,
those who collect HOCKEY, FOOTBALL, & others need to choose which
one they want to work with for the moment. If what you'd like to
access isn't somewhere in those 40 possible selections, MAKE it
appear! In the lower part of the Card-Type's pop-up menu, it
says "[ALT] + [E] to Edit this list" (Fig. 3). By pressing [Alt]
& [E] at the same time, a much larger window will appear in the
middle of your screen with all 40 Card-Types showing. A blinking
cursor sits at the end of choice #1 waiting for you to make
whatever changes you'd like. Using your arrow keys or [ENTER],
move to a space occupied by an entry you don't expect to use.
Erase it using [BackSpace], then type in whatever you want!
+|* Card-Types *|+
|****************|-+
| BASEBALL | |
| BASKETBALL | |
| FOOTBALL | |
| GOLF | |
| HOCKEY | |
| NASCAR | |
| ____________ | |
| ____________ | |
+-------------+ |----( more )----| |
| Bottom of |===> | [ALT] + [E] to | |
| "Card-Type" | | Edit this list | |
| (or "Mfr.") | +----------------+ |
| window. | +----------------+
+-------------+ Fig. 3
PG 9
Use the [Alt+E] feature on your Manufacturer menu, too. If
you need a card company name that isn't in your current list, PUT
IT THERE! Abbreviate long names (like subsets). For example,
we use "FLEER R. S." for FLEER ROOKIE SENSATIONS.
Here's how you would access a 1994 Topps Baseball file:
- At the "Card-Type" pop-up menu window, move your highlight
bar to "BASEBALL" and hit [ENTER].
- Press [T] at your "Manufacturer" menu - this should make
the highlight bar jump to "TOPPS". If so, press [ENTER]. If
not, use [T] or your [Up]/[Down] arrow keys to place the bar over
"TOPPS", then hit [ENTER].
- Move to "1994" and press [ENTER].
Once a file is loaded, use your cursor keys to flip thru the
cards. Your [PgUp] & [PgDn] keys flip ten (10) cards at a time
in either direction while [Up] and [Down] move them one at a
time. [Home] places Record #1 on top and [End] puts the last
card up front.
Each "card" entry accommodates the following fields:
- Manufacturer (Card Company)
- Card # (letters and/or numbers)
- Player's First Name
- Player's Last Name
- Quantity (how many of this card you have)
- LO $ (Value)
- HI $ (Value)
- Paid $ (How much you paid for the card)
- Sold $ (How much you sold the card for)
- [Definable 1 of 3]
- [Definable 2 of 3]
- [Definable 3 of 3]
"SET" entries are different. See "Tracking SETs" for more.
A 'FILE Info' window appears on the right of your screen
once a file is accessed. Until you exit BALLCARDS, this window
will contain the following information about your current file:
Card-Type; Year; & "TOTAL $" Value (Quantities multiplied by HI
$ values). The other 2 items in that window refer to: The card
up front ("TopCard) and total cards in the file. For example,
"Record: 10" & "Total: 792" tell you the TopCard is 10th of 792.
NOTE: The "Card #" isn't necessarily the same as the Record #
since you can "SORT" each file by ANY field.
AUTOMATIC INDEXING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BALLCARDS will sort the current file by the NUMERIC VALUE of
"Card No." whenever you ADD a card or EDIT the TopCard's "Card No."
field. Use the "SORT File" command to sort by ANY field.
PG 10
TRACKING SETS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By using "MIXED" Manufacturers you can put ALL sets of each
Card-Type in ONE file. If you choose "BASEBALL", then select
"MIXED" (Fig. 4) & "SETs" (Fig. 5) to create a file capable of
holding every baseball card set you own. The same can be done
for FOOTBALL, HOCKEY, or ANY type of card you collect.
+| > Manufacturer < |+
|********************|-+
| FLEER | |
| PINNACLE | |
| RUN CREATORS | |
| SCORE | |
| TOPPS | |
+--------------+ | STADIUM CLUB | |
| "MIXED" lets | | UPPER DECK | |
| you use ANY |====> << MIXED MFRS >> | |
| Mfr. listed! | |------( more )------| |
+--------------+ | [ALT] + [E] to | |
| Edit this list | |
Fig. 4 +--------------------+ |
+--------------------+
+|* YEAR *|+
|**********|-+
| 1956 | |
| 1955 | |
| 1954 | |
| 1953 | |
| 1952 | |
| 1951 | |
+-----------------+ | 1950 | |
| Track all hand- | | <RARE> | |
| collated and/or |======> SETs | |
| factory sets! | +----------+ |
+-----------------+ +----------+
Fig. 5
Using this method to store sets, you can print them all and
show a Grand Total value with "PRINT Options". If you store sets
in several different files and you want a print-out, you need to
access EACH one and print it separately.
When you ADD a card (set entry), another pop-up window will
appear listing all your Manufacturers. Move the bar to your
choice and press [ENTER].
PG 11
Each entry in a SET file can contain the following data:
- Manufacturer (Card Company)
- Year
- Beginning # of set (letters and/or numbers)
- Ending # of set (letters and/or numbers)
- Quantity (how many of this set you have)
- LO $ (Value)
- HI $ (Value)
- Paid $ (Value)
- Sold $ (Value)
- Note (example: "factory set")
Here's what a blank SET entry looks like:
+| SETs |-----------------+
| MFR: |-+
| Year: <<<<<<<<< | |
| Beg.# <<<<<<< | |
| End.# <<<<<<< | |
| Qty.: <<<<<<<<<<<< | |
| Lo/Hi $ $ | |
| Pd/Sd $ $ | |
| Note: | |
+-------------------------+ |
+-------------------------+
After you enter a 'Note', press [F10] to "Save" this entry
(or [TAB] to ADD another). If you end up at the list of
manufacturers again and don't want to make a change, use your
[Right Arrow] cursor key to go to the "Year" field. Now, press
[F10] (or [TAB]) to save the entry.
FILENAMES
~~~~~~~~~
Each file is named in the following manner:
- The first 2 and last 2 letters of the Manufacturer make
up the beginning 4 characters of the filename. However, "MIXED"
= "MIXD".
- Card-Type follows using the first 4 letters (excluding
"A", "E", and "U").
- 3-character extensions represent the version of BALLCARDS
you're using and the year that file is dedicated to. So, ".392"
contains data for "1992" or "'91-92". Exceptions: ".3RR" is used
when you choose "<RARE>" and ".ST3" is appended to SET Files.
Example: FOOTBALL; TOPPS; 1992 produces the file "TOPSFOOT.392".
PG 12
USER-DEFINABLES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are 40 sets of user-definables at your disposal. One
set is assigned to each "Card-Type". Each User-Definable Set
consists of:
* 52 Manufacturer Names (TOPPS, FLEER ULTRA, etc.)
* 1st Fieldname + 40 Quick Entry Fields
* 2nd Fieldname + 40 Quick Entry Fields
* 3rd Fieldname + 40 Quick Entry Fields
Any changes you make to the currently loaded set will not
affect any OTHER set.
If 52 is not enough manufacturer names, create another
card-type to get 52 more. For example, "BASEBALL 2".
+----------+
| COMMANDS |
+----------+
If you want to EDIT or DELETE a card, it must be the
"TopCard" - this is the one up front with all its information
showing. To place a particular card on top, use your cursor keys
or the "FIND Card" command.
Once a data-file is accessed, a Command Menu sits on the
left side of your screen (Fig. 6).
+-----------------+
| [A]DD Card(s) |-+ +===================+
|*[C]hange Mfr/Yr | | <===| Your Command Menu |
| [D]ELETE Card | | +===================+
| [E]DIT Card | | +-----------------------+
| [F]IND Card | | | Each is accessed via |
| [L]OAD a File | | | 'hot-key'. Some also |
| [M]ass EDIT | | | have their OWN menu. |
|*[P]RINT Options | | | (Indicated with "*") |
| [Q]UIT to DOS | | +-----------------------+
| [S]ORT File | |
|*[U]ser-Def. ED. | |
|*[Z]AP! or LIST | |
| [+/-] Up/Dn Qty | | Fig. 6
+-----------------+ |
+-----------------+
"ADD Card(s)"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Data-files that we provide have the proper number of cards
already entered. Thus, ADDing cards is normally unnecessary.
This command is used to enter cards into data-files you
create, including your SET files.
PG 13
If you want to ADD more than one card, press [TAB] when
you're finished with the current entry. This gives you another
blank card to fill in. Press [F10] when you're finished ADDing
cards for the moment (you can always re-execute the ADD command).
If you cancel an ADD with [ESC], ONLY the current card entry is
canceled - any other ADDitions you just made are still there.
See "EDIT Card" for further related details.
"Change Mfr/Yr"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This command lets you jump from one manufacturer to another
or to a different year. See "LOAD a File" for more.
"DELETE Card"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you ADD a card by mistake or you just want to dump one,
use DELETE. You must be looking at the entry you wish erased -
it has to be the TopCard. In other words, you can't DELETE
record #25 in this file if #14 is the TopCard.
BALLCARDS will always ask for confirmation before a card is
DELETED and removed from the file.
NOTE: When a card is deleted, it is literally erased from the
file.
"EDIT Card"
~~~~~~~~~~~
BALLCARDS makes it very easy to maneuver around a card. Use
your cursor keys to move inside a field and to go on to another
field. Reaching the end of a field will jump your cursor to the
next one (except during a FIND or Mass EDIT - this allows you to
fill the field & still press [ENTER] to signify completion).
Especially unique is the numerical editing for value fields.
If you type:
-> [2] [5] [ENTER]
...the resulting figure is ".25" (25 cents). By adding a decimal
after the "5", you'll make it "25.00" (25 dollars) ...even
without adding the zeros. Typing:
-> [2] [5] [0] [ENTER]
...nets you "2.50". Practice adding or editing values. If you mess
up the card, hit [ESC] to cancel.
Each time you go to a value field, the current value is in
memory, but not on the screen. If you type nothing, the 'old'
value is restored.
PG 14
BALLCARDS upper-cases the first letter of each word for all
Card fields and user-definables. Realizing that most avid card
collector/investors might not be 60 or 70 wpm typists, BALLCARDS
was designed to be as easy as possible to enter details.
When editing the bottom three fields of a single card entry,
you're presented with pop-up menus. Move the highlight bar to
your choice and press [ENTER]. To by-pass the window, use [Right
Arrow] to go down a field or [Left Arrow] to go up. If you
select "TYPE", the first choice on these menus, you can manually
type whatever you want in that field or edit existing data.
"Date$" enters today's date (MM/DD/YY). To edit the information
in those windows, choose '[U]ser-Def. ED.' from the Command Menu
(see that section for more).
A menu similar to those described above is also used in
"MIXED" files. The window will pop-up to the upper right of your
card entry (or blank SET card) and contains your list of Mfrs.
You can only change (EDIT) information on the TopCard - this
is the one up front.
"FIND Card"
~~~~~~~~~~~
Rather than flipping through 300 cards to reach Card #301,
use 'FIND'. To place #301 on top, you'd press [F] then type:
-> [3] [0] [1] [ENTER]
Your TopCard will now be #301.
You can utilize ANY field of your cards to locate a match
and fields that contain characters (letters) support "string"
searches. To place a 'Jeff Bagwell' card up front, press [F],
move your cursor to the 'Last' field, type [a] [g] [w] [ENTER].
The first card with "agw" anywhere in that field will be placed
on top. If it's not "Bagwell", do it again. To narrow down the
search, type more (or all) of the name.
NOTE: "agw", "AgW", or "AGW" will produce the same results.
If the file is "MIXED", you may also use the 'Manufacturer'
field to locate a card.
Numeric fields require the entire number or value you're
looking for.
FIND is used for the current file. To search more than one
file, see "REPORTS".
"LOAD a File"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To change Mfr. AND Year, go to/from SETs, or choose a
different card-type, use this command.
PG 15
"Mass EDIT"
~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's say you want to change all your 'common' card values
in a file. Since there may be 300-400, it could take hours to
EDIT all those cards! This is where Mass EDIT comes in.
For example, to change all "HI $" values from ".05" to
".07", start by pressing [M]. Next, move your cursor to the
'HI $' field and type:
-> [.] [0] [5] [ENTER]
Now, type:
-> [.] [0] [7] [ENTER]
BALLCARDS searches the current file very quickly and changes
each matching entry. BALLCARDS will also let you know how many
cards were changed ... OR tell you there were no matches.
Originally, this was the only purpose of Mass EDIT - change
values on all matching cards in a file. However, now you can use
ANY field. Particularly handy if you have one of almost every
card in a file - change all 'Quantity' fields from "0" (zero) to
"1" (one). Then use [-] on cards you DON'T have.
NOTE: "Mass EDIT" is not available for SET files.
"PRINT Options"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you'll see in the "REPORTS" section, you can print out
your cards based on several different factors. However, each
report is relative to ALL your data-files. To print a currently
loaded file, use PRINT Options.
* ALL CARDS. Just as it states, all cards in this file will
be printed.
* RANGE OF CARDS. By using the SORT File command, you can
have your cards sorted however you choose. If you only
wanted to print a certain range of entries, use this option.
You'll be prompted for the Record #'s to start/end with.
* Want List. Print ONLY cards with a quantity of "0". This
is ideal for getting a quick print-out of the cards you need
to complete a set - especially if you're on the way to a
dealer or card show!
The word "Cards" refers to Records in that file.
If the current file only has 1 or 2 entries, no options are
presented - BALLCARDS will automatically get ready to print.
NOTE: All "PRINT" info is sent to the LPT1 parallel port.
PG 16
"QUIT to DOS"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BALLCARDS will ask if you're sure you want to exit. If you
answer [Y]es, files are closed and the program safely releases
all memory back to DOS. To exit without asking for confirmation,
press [ALT] + [Q].
Pressing [ESC] with no other command in operation is the
same as [Q].
"SORT File"
~~~~~~~~~~~
This lets you place the current file in any order you wish -
based on whichever field you select. Press [S], move your cursor
to the field you want this file sorted by, then hit [F10].
BALLCARDS will quickly put all cards in their new alphabetical or
numerical order. (All SORTs are ascending)
NOTE: When you 'QUIT to DOS' or 'Change FILE', the current file
is saved in its present order. Remember that BALLCARDS performs
Automatic Indexing each time you ADD cards or EDIT a "Card #".
"User-Def. ED."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Short for "User-Definables EDIT", this lets you customize
BALLCARDS!
First, it should be noted that these edits will ONLY affect
the currently loaded 'User-Definable Set'. Any changes made to
your 'BASEBALL' set will not affect the 'FOOTBALL' set.
You can make changes to the Manufacturers, the 3 Fieldnames
(Fig. 7), and the pop-up window data for any of those 3 fields
(40 per window).
| Lo/High $ $ | |
You can name | Pd/Sold $ $ | |
these three | | |
fields =====> (1) ==> *definable*: < | |
(2) ==> *definable*: < | |
(3) ==> *definable*: < | |
Fig. 7 +---------------------------+ |
+---------------------------+
The 3 fieldnames are very popular. Use them for:
* NOTES, TEAM, & POSITION.
* BUY DATE, SELL DATE, & BOX NUMBER
* Whatever YOU want!
When you're editing a card, each of your three definable
fields has its own pop-up menu (Fig. 8). To edit the pop-up menu
itself, choose [1], [2], or [3] from your User-Def. ED. menu -
whichever one is appropriate.
PG 17
| Lo/High $ 7.00 $ 10.00+|* 1st Field |+ <===+===============+
| Pd/Sold $ 4.00 $ 9.00| *> TYPE <* |-+ | A window pops |
| | AS | | | up to let you |
| COMMENTS: <| COR | | | quickly select|
| TEAM: <| ERR | | | an entry and |
| POSITION: <| HOF | | | plug it in. |
+--------------------------| RC | | ==> "TYPE" allows |
+------------------------┤ RC COR | | | manual entries|
+--------------+ | | or editing of |
Fig. 8 +--------------+ | existing data.|
+===============+
Using our example, press [1] to edit the window data for the
"COMMENTS" field. The "TEAM" field window data is accessed with
[2] and "POSITION" data by pressing [3]. If you wanted to change
the NAME(s), press [F] (Fieldnames) from the User-Def. ED. menu
(Fig. 9).
+| EDIT User-Defs. |--+
| |-+ +===============+
Edit your Mfrs. ====> [M]anufacturers | | |Also edit Mfrs.|
| | | |from THEIR menu|
Change name(s) =====> [F]ieldnames | | |with [Alt]+[E].|
+-----------------+ | | | +===============+
| Edit the pop-up |==> [1]st Field Window | |
| window data by | | | |
| pressing the |==> [2]nd Field Window | |
| corresponding | | | |
| number [1/2/3]. |==> [3]rd Field Window | |
+-----------------+ | | |
+---------------------+ |
+---------------------+
Fig. 9
"ZAP! or List"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is actually a 'DELETE' function you can use on entire
files. If you choose to 'ZAP!' a field, move your cursor to the
desired field and press [F10]. If it is a numeric field (Card #,
Quantity, etc.), it will now contain "0" (zero) on every entry.
If it is a text field, each will now be blank.
The other function of 'ZAP!' is deleting files - ALL reports
or selected data-files. Dump all reports after running several
for practice or if they're outdated. Erasing data-files is handy
if, for instance, you don't collect any "Donruss" baseball cards
- use 'ZAP!' to get rid of them!
When selectively deleting data-files, a pop-up menu will
list all files of the card-type you choose. Each entry will
show: Filename, Year, Mfr., and number of cards in the file.
Example: "FLERBSBL.'93 -> 1993 FLEER 300"
PG 18
Use [SpaceBar] or [ENTER] to "tag/untag" each file you wish
to delete. 'ZAP!' WILL NOT DELETE ANYTHING UNTIL YOU CONFIRM IT.
Also, you cannot 'ZAP!' the file you're currently working with -
to do so, load a different data-file before executing this
command.
+/- Quantity
~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Quantity' on the TopCard is changed using [+] or [-]. You
don't have to be in EDIT mode, making this one of the most
popular features of BALLCARDS. [+] (plus) will increase Quantity
by 1 and [-] (minus) will, of course, decrease it by 1. Each
change will also update the TOTAL $ shown in your "FILE Info"
window.
Most keyboards have 2 sets of [+] and [-] keys. One set is
next to the numeric keypad, while the other resides above the
letters. You may use either set. To avoid confusion, [_] or [=]
will work, too.
If the current Quantity is "0", pressing [-] will net "999".
Going above "999" with the [+] key produces "0".
When you're in EDIT mode, type the actual value you want
placed in the 'Quantity' field.
"HIDDEN" COMMANDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since our goal was to give BALLCARDS a clutter-free
appearance, there are 2 "hidden" commands. They're available
while any data-file is loaded, just like those on the Command
Menu. The difference is these are never shown.
* [Alt] + [U] = Print User-Definables. It's quick (one page) and
it's handy. Try it out!
* [Alt] + [Q] = Immediate QUIT to DOS. "[Q]UIT to DOS" asks you
for confirmation - when you answer [Y]es, files are closed and
the program safely releases all memory back to DOS. Pressing
[Alt] & [Q] skips the confirmation.
PG 19
+---------+
| REPORTS |
+---------+
The BALLCARDS report creator has several excellent options
for you to choose from:
* Find all cards of one player.
* List your collection and show you its total value. You need an
inventory of your cards for insurance purposes - now you'll
have one!
* Locate all cards worth over $5. (or ANY value you choose)
* Search for Rookie Cards.
* Find all cards you've put in one particular box (by taking
advantage of user-definable fields)
* Create a 'Want List' for your next visit to the local card shop.
* Show only cards from one card manufacturer.
* Narrow a search down to any one year or range of years.
* Much more!
In addition, you're able to select one of these options for each
report:
- Only the cards you have.
- ALL matching cards, regardless of quantity.
- Only the matches you DON'T have (creating a "Want List").
Reports can be printed immediately or you can call them up
for Printing or Viewing from inside BALLCARDS. Reports are
formatted uniformly and include all important details of each
matching card. Have you accumulated so many cards that you have
no idea how much they're worth? Create a report! Each one shows
a 'Grand Total' of Quantity and "HI $" value.
All reports are based on the current Card-Type - you can
create a report as soon as you choose a Card-Type from the first
pop-up menu window.
CREATING
~~~~~~~~
Since you can't Print/View reports unless one has actually
been created, you start here.
Anytime you see "[ALT] + [C] = Create Report" shown near the
bottom of your screen, you may create a report. You press [Alt]
& [C] simultaneously to execute.
Figure 10 illustrates the 2 pop-up windows that appear first
when you choose to create a report.
PG 20
+-----------------------------------------+
(1)==> | All cards with a LO $ amount above $??? |-+
(2)==> | All cards with a HI $ amount above $??? | |
(3)==> | * All cards of one particular Player | |
(4)==> | * All cards from 1 YEAR (Example: 1995) | |
(5)==> | * All cards - YR. range (Ex: 1984 - 93) | |
(6)==> | * All cards from 1 MFR (or "MIXED") | |
(7)==> | * All BASEBALL cards! | |
| +-----------------------------------------+ |
| +-----------------------------------------+
| +-----------------------------------------+
| | Please select which Report you want the |-+
| | program to generate. All files of this | |
| | Card-Type will be searched in. Results | |
| | are written to disk, then you may Print | |
| | and/or View them. [ESC]=Cancel Report. | |
| | ("*" Indicates there are Extra Options) | |
| +-----------------------------------------+ |
| +-----------------------------------------+
| Fig. 10
|
+------- Your first 7 report options.
Move the highlight bar to your choice and press [ENTER].
Press [ESC] anytime before or during a report to cancel it.
NOTES: All reports are based on data that already EXISTS in your
BALLCARDS directory. Data may be entered manually or installed
from "data-disks". Each report searches the CURRENT Card-Type -
the last option shown above would read "All FOOTBALL cards!" if
FOOTBALL was the selected Card-Type.
If you choose any of those with an asterisk ("*"), you will
be asked if you'd like the report to be more specific. Answering
[Y]es will give you a 2nd menu to select from - utilize this if
you want to narrow down the search.
Here are report options details:
1) "All cards with a LO $ amount above $???" You will be
asked for the amount to look above - type in a value just
like you do when EDITing a 'LO $' or 'HI $' field. For
example, typing [9] [9] [ENTER] (99 cents) will tell
BALLCARDS that any card containing a 'LO $' value of $1 or
more is a match.
2) "All cards with a HI $ amount above $???" You will be
asked for the amount to look above - type in a value just
like you do when EDITing a 'LO $' or 'HI $' field. For
example, typing [2] [.] [ENTER] ($2.00) will tell BALLCARDS
that any card containing a 'HI $' value of $2.01 or more is
a match.
PG 21
3) "All cards of one particular Player." Here's a super
way to find out all the regular issue cards of your favorite
player(s)! BALLCARDS will ask for the Player's name. If
Frank Thomas is the player, you can enter "Frank Thomas" or
"Thomas". Case is not important (upper- and lower-case
letters are treated equally), but spelling is.
4) "All cards from 1 YEAR." BALLCARDS will only search
files from the year you choose. You won't need to select
a year if there is only data from one year - BALLCARDS
will show that year as your choice.
5) "All cards - YR. range." Choose any years within the
range that exists in your BALLCARDS directory. If you have
data-files from 1980 to 1993, for example, you can choose
any years from '80 - '93 including either of them (using
both would be the same as "ALL"). BALLCARDS won't ask for
the range to search if you only have data from one year.
6) "All cards from 1 MFR. (or 'MIXED')." For example,
show only cards produced by TOPPS. Although we recommend
you use 'MIXED' to track complete sets, it is available
for reports in case you use it for singles, too.
7) "All (current card-type) cards!" Use this to get a
list of all cards in each type you collect. This is an
excellent tool to help satisfy insurance company
requirements.
If no data-files match your criteria, BALLCARDS will let
you know. For example, if you choose to search only cards from
"Upper Deck" and there are no such files in the BALLCARDS
directory, the program responds with: "There are no files
matching your selection. Press any key."
BALLCARDS lets you know what it will be looking for in the
"Report Info" window. If you've made a mistake, press [ESC] to
cancel the report, then start again.
Each report includes "Your Memo". Give it a title or just
tap out a quick reminder about the report's content. When you
choose to "Print/View" reports, Your Memo will appear in the pop-
up window menu. It is also written at the top of your report.
Your last selection is one of these:
+---------------------------------------------------+
(a)| FULL REPORT: Ignore 'Quantity' [Show ALL matches] |-+
(b)| * SUMMARY *: Ignore 'Quantity' [Show ALL matches] | |
(c)| FULL REPORT: ONLY cards you have [Qty > 0 (zero)] | |
(d)| * SUMMARY *: ONLY cards you have [Qty > 0 (zero)] | |
(e)| FULL REPORT: Want List. ONLY cards you don't have | |
+---------------------------------------------------+ |
+---------------------------------------------------+
PG 22
Using the letters shown next to each choice, here's what
they mean:
(a) Each "matching" card will be included in the report, no
matter if you have any or not.
(b) Same as (a), but nothing is saved to disk.
(c) If a card matches the criteria you've set forth, do not
consider it a "match" UNLESS you have told BALLCARDS you have at
least one of them. In other words, the Quantity field must have
a value greater than zero.
(d) Same as (c), but nothing is saved to disk.
(e) If a card matches the criteria you've set forth, do not
consider it a "match" if you already have one. In other words,
the Quantity field must have a value of zero.
When your report is finished, you may:
- Print and (optionally) delete it.
- Save it, then use the "Print/View" command later.
A report is automatically canceled if no matches are found.
NOTE: SETs are not included in reports. Use "PRINT Options" to
get a print-out and total of any SET file.
PRINT/VIEW/DELETE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each report you save can be called up virtually anytime to
Print, View, or Delete. When you see "[Alt] + [P] = Print/View
Reports" near the bottom of your screen, press [Alt] & [P] for a
pop-up window menu. Selections are headed with:
- Report Number ("Rpt #", Range: 001 - 300).
- Your Memo (the note/title you wrote for this report).
- Matches (# of cards meeting the criteria searched for).
- Value (Quantities multiplied by 'HI $' values).
Move the highlight bar to your choice and press [ENTER].
Next, you need to select whether to [P]rint, [V]iew, or [D]elete
this report. When you're finished, you may then select another
report or press [ESC] to cancel.
NOTE: Upon Deletion, BALLCARDS automatically renumbers reports so
there's no gap. For example, your list of reports shows #1 -
#12...If you Delete #8, your list will now show #1 - #11.
REPORT NUMBER 001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report-files are named "BCREPORT.###" where "###" represents
a number from "001" to "300". BALLCARDS automatically starts at
"001" if the file "BCREPORT.DAT" does not exist, so to zero-out
reports and begin with #001:
- Delete all report-files from DOS.
- Use 'ZAP!' from inside BALLCARDS to delete all reports.
PG 23
+---------+
| UPDATES |
+---------+
SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH BALLCARDS(tm) UPDATES!
Each month, your favorite price guide lists new cards, as well
as value changes for the other cards. You can spend days at the
keyboard logging changes and entering new cards . . OR . . you
can let your computer do the work for you! That's where
BALLCARDS updates come in. Each Update Disk includes:
* The newest data for BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL,
and HOCKEY cards!
~~~
* Automatic HI/LO $ value changes. We track over
175,000 card values!
* FREE "BALLCARDS" program upgrades. As we incorporate
your suggestions for improvements, you get the
latest release with your updates!
The cost to obtain these updates is incredibly low and, as any of
our update subscribers will tell you, each update is very FAST!
A utility program is provided that will update card values at the
rate of 200-1000 per second. ONLY values are altered - no other
fields are touched by the updating software, so you do not have
to re-enter data or reset quantities.
Monthly updates keep you on the cutting edge. You get the newest
data and BALLCARDS upgrades FIRST!
~~~~~
Quarterly updates combine 3 months of data and value changes.
For example, the 'June 1995 Quarterly Update' combines April,
May, and June 1995. (A quarterly update is produced each month.
The first update arrives 2-3 months after your order is
processed. Your invoice will show your schedule of updates.)
You may also choose to download updates directly from our BBS to
your computer.
Updates are an important service we provide to registered users.
It's our on-going commitment to support BALLCARDS today - and
in the future!
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 2 4 H O U R B B S : ( 8 1 0 ) 7 5 8 - 4 1 2 1 |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
PG 24
* * * * * * * * * * O R D E R F O R M * * * * * * * * * *
[X] YES! Send me the latest registered version of BALLCARDS.
In addition, I will receive a printed User Manual and over
175,000 cards already entered for me. This database of cards
includes all major manufacturers covering:
* 1950 to Present Baseball * 1980-81 to Present Basketball
* 1980 to Present Football * 1980-81 to Present Hockey
* All Cards List Current HI/LO $ Values!
Optional Updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each update includes: New Data-Files, automatic value changes,
and FREE software upgrades! (See page 24 for details)
[ ] $ 48.00 - Twelve (12) Monthly Update Disks (only $4 each!)
[ ] 24.00 - Four (4) Quarterly Update Disks ($6 each)
[ ] 7.00 - Next Update Disk. Try one before subscribing.
[ ] 30.00 - Download 12 monthly updates from our BBS (2.50 ea.)
Please select disk size you prefer:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[ ] 3.5" 1.44Mb [ ] 3.5" 720K [ ] 5.25" 1.2Mb [ ] 5.25" 360K
(If you forget to make a selection, we'll send 3.5" 1.44Mb disks.)
29.95 - BALLCARDS registration and 175,000+ card database.
____________ - Update(s) (Please enter dollar amount from above)
6.00 - Shipping & Handling
____________ - TOTAL Enclosed (U.S. currency/check/m.o.)
Make checks payable to: BOB-KIT SOFTWARE CO.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| If you have any comments or suggestions regarding BALLCARDS, |
| please write them on the back of this order form. THANK YOU! |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Name_________________________________________________
Address Line 1_______________________________________
Address Line 2_______________________________________
City________________________ST_____Zip_______________
Country_____________________Phone____________________
Send payment and order form to: BOB-KIT SOFTWARE CO.
ATTN: ORDER DEPT.
26154 COLMAN DRIVE
SUITE ONE
WARREN, MI 48091-3930
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| TO USE VISA/MASTERCARD, CALL 1-800-473-3137 or 1-810-758-4580 |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
For office use: 9505BKS