Shareware Overload Trio 2/Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO/dir25/rg1c.zip/MANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1993-09-13 | 17KB | 397 lines

                            Recipe Gourmet

                        Version 1.0 Test Drive

                              User Guide


Recipe Gourmet is a simple, no-nonsense program designed to help you
in the kitchen. It allows you to keep recipes and has a few helpful
tips as well. It is our vision of what a computer recipe program should
be like. Not only can you store recipes, there is a wealth of easy to
access data that will help you in the kitchen: a beef chart with general
cooking instructions for the various cuts, information on wines, and
an easy reference for substitutions and equivalents.

When we investigated computer aided cooking, we were surprised to find
two distinct classes of computer users. The first group spends hours and
hours plugging in calories/cholesterol and so on, and uses the computer
to plan meals based on caloric intake. From what we saw, most people
give up on this after the novelty wears off. The second group tends to
view the computer as a storage and resource medium, and these people
tend to type in only the recipes that they really like regardless of the
calories involved.

When we looked at programs we found that there were a wealth of them for
people of the first group, and they all cater to the idea that the right
thing to do is use the computer to adjust recipes for you. Well, we think
you're smarter than that. You and I both know that if it takes 8 oz of
something to make a dish for 4 people it takes 16 oz for 8 people. This
isn't something that requires a computer. Likewise, when you have a 4
person recipe and you're planning a 6 person dinner party, you simply
double the recipe for 8 servings. This allows you more options: you can
allow for really hungry people (another serving), you can allow for the
inevitable foulup. Yes, we all make mistakes. There's no reason to
carefully compute a dinner for 6 and then blow the whole dinner because
you slipped and dropped a plate!

We also found that many recipes were designed to take advantage of the
size of the cookware. it's easier to use two pans of 13x9x2 to make
something with than try to outguess the oven using one 13x9x2 pan for
the first 4 people and taking a wild guess with some other size. All too
often that extra pan dish comes out a tad too dry or a bit overdone or a
little underdone. We also found that doubling certain recipes just plain
doesn't work, like making chocolate chip cookies. Doubling the recipe
we use at home makes really tough and and uh, 'chewy' cookies (just ask
our sixteen year old daughter.)

For that second group of people there's now Recipe Gourmet. The purpose
of this program is to provide easy storage of recipes in a manner that
is simple to understand. Not only can you store food recipes, you can
also store your favorite drink mixes, canning instructions, and so on.
I hope you'll find Recipe Gourmet to be easy to use.

                     --- G.L. Alston / Summer 1993


I. TEST DRIVE INSTALLATION

Unpack the archive file in a separate directory. Take the *.VBX files
and any *.DLL files and place them in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
Most of you have this on drive C:. An example? Sure? Let's say that you
have put a copy of the ZIP file in D:\RG:

D:\RG> copy *.vbx c:\windows\system
D:\RG> copy *.dll c:\windows\system

(Start Windows)

D:\RG> win

Once Windows is started, open the FILE menu in the PROGRAM MANAGER.
Select NEW. Select PROGRAM ITEM, choose OK. Enter the following:

Description:   Recipe Gourmet
Command Line:  RG.EXE
Directory:     D:\RG  <----- in keeping with our example!
Shortcut Key:  (none)

Select OK. The program will now be installed, and you can double-click the
icon to start as you would any other program.

A short aside:

What a pain, huh? Sorry, but Windows installers take up too much room, and
the name of the game in shareware distribution is DISTRIBUTION. The bottom
line is that the blasted installer takes up too much room for easy and fast
distribution. It's no sweat to add a few K to a disk, but who wants to
download that? If you buy this program you'll get a real installer. We know
how to do it. Honest. No, seriously...


II. GETTING STARTED

Two important concepts to master here, and that's it. This is a very
simple, no nonsense program.

DATABASES:

A database uses the concept that information will always follow a given
format.  This format breaks down the individual pieces of information
into blocks called "fields." Each group of FIELDS is called a "Record."
As a 'for instance', take the case of a mailing list:


                   /       Name         <--- One Field
                  |        Street
      1 RECORD   <         City
                  |        Zip
                   \       Phone


The above constitutes a RECORD. Each line of information is a FIELD. In
the case of a mailing list, the database uses the same format for each
and every RECORD, although the information in each FIELD will change
depending on the RECORD viewed. A Rolodex (tm) is a database.


TEMPLATES:

A template is little more than a how a series of fields fit together
for particular information. In this program there is a series of 5
fields that you can define the name, purpose, and data type. Is this
text, or is this a number? There is also a pick list that you can use.
The pick list is a very powerful item in a data management tool. Rather
than type in redundant information record after record, a pick list
simplifies common data entry and keeps spelling error minimised. Take
a look at the sample file (provided on the distributon disk) to see how
pick lists are implemented. Essentially, the pick list is the definitive
categorization, such as 'type of liquor' or 'type of dish.'

It's not required to use all available fields, either. The important
thing to know is that the template can be set up easily by YOU to work
with the type of data you need. The examples on the disk show you how
some possibilities.


III. OPERATING

The Scroll Bar (on screen right) is used to move the view from recipe to
recipe. The Add and Delete buttons are used to Add and Delete complete
recipes.

The four pushbuttons with icons:

Folder -- OPENS a data file.

Disk -- Saves a data file .

Magnifying Glass -- Allows you to open the SEARCH window.

Clipboard -- this is used to temporarily hold information from a record
(by copying) so that you can do less typing by duplicating it (pasting)
into an empty record.

There are also two other 'clickable' icons on screen:

The one in between the basic data and the cooking instructions (it looks
like a face) is a way to 'rate' a recipe. This can be turned on or off
in the template used. The idea here is to provide a reminder of what the
general perception was of this recipe by your family. To change the face,
just click it. It will change from "OK" (straight face) to "GOOD" (smile
on face) to "SUPERB" (big grin.)

The book icon to the left of the cooking instructions text area is used
to run WRITE (it comes with Windows) and put the instructions into it for
more fancy printing than what's available in the program. Just click it
and the text in that area will be loaded into WRITE for you.


The following is the instructions for the main menu. The convention used
here is the menu item, a separator, and the subitem. An asterisk (*) will
alert you to any notes. The menu follows standard Windows conventions,
including the use of accelerator (shortcut) keys. Items that include an
ellipses (...) will bring up another window.

FILE

The file menu allows you to create, open, save, print, and rename data
files, create and edit templates, and EXIT the program.

FILE | NEW -- allows you to create a new data file from scratch. You will
need to choose the template used from the file dialog box.

FILE | OPEN -- shows you a file dialog so that you can choose a file to
open.

FILE | SAVE -- saves an opened data file.

* if OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE has been checked, a backup file of the
same data will be written to the disk as FILENAME.BAK

FILE | SAVE AS -- allows you to save the open data file to disk under
another name.

* if OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE has been checked, a backup file of the
same data will be written to the disk as FILENAME.BAK

FILE | PRINT

FILE | PRINT | CURRENT RECORD -- prints the record shown on screen, using
the print mask.

FILE | PRINT | ALL RECORDS -- prints the entire data file, using the print
mask.

FILE | PRINT | LAST SEARCH -- when enabled, this will print all items
found in the last search that was made using the print mask.

FILE | EDIT TEMPLATE -- this brings up a file dialog allowing you
to choose an existing template to edit. See TEMPLATE EDITOR.

FILE | CREATE NEW TEMPLATE -- this will bring up a dialog to create
a new file name before bringing up the edit template window. See
TEMPLATE EDITOR.

FILE | FILE BACKUPS MADE -- when on: when data files are saved to
disk, this will create a new file on disk that is a duplicate of the
original. The extension *.BAK is used.

* This is an option that is TRUE or ON when checked.

FILE | EXIT -- Quits Program and returns to Windows


EDIT

The edit menu is only active when the Cooking Instructions text area
window is active.  Note that the menu items are disabled when they are
not pertinent. For instance, PASTE will be grayed out (disabled) if there
is no text in the Windows Clipboard to paste with. Text operations are
Windows standard, i.e. selecting, etc. If you do not know how to select
text in Windows, please refer to your Windows 3.x operation guide.

EDIT | UNDO -- this will "undo" a previous CUT or DELETE operation, and
acts as an "oops" selection for unintentional deletions.

EDIT | COPY -- this will copy any selected text to the Windows
Clipboard.

EDIT | CUT -- this will copy any selected text to the Windows Clipboard
and remove it from the screen.

EDIT | PASTE -- this will take text from the Windows Clipboard and place
it into the text window at the cursor position.

EDIT | DELETE -- this will remove text from the screen. You can change
your mind and choose UNDO to reverse the operation, but deleted text
does NOT go to the Windows Clipboard.

EDIT | IMPORT TEXT -- this allows you to read a separate text file and
add the contents to the text window. The File Open dialog will default
to the "*.TXT"  extension (in keeping with Windows Notepad conventions)
but it will read in ASCII text using any oher extension.


REFERENCE

The OPTIONS menu is used to access reference information.

REFERENECE | AMOUNTS, EQUIVALENTS, SUBSTITUTIONS -- this is handy help
that you may need when you discover that you don't know how many apples
you need to make 3 cups of diced apples, what size pan you can use when
you don't have the right one, etc.

REFERENCE | BEEF CHART -- Clicking any area will give you information
about the cuts of meat that come from this area. General information
consists of cooking recommendations, what USDA grades mean, etc.


HELP

This menu allows you to access the online help and place an order for
the enhanced version.

HELP | TOPICS -- brings up the online help window.

HELP | ORDER INFO -- brings up the order form window.

HELP | ABOUT -- Who is responsible for this, anyhow?



IV.  TEMPLATE CREATION USING THE TEMPLATE EDITOR

In the template editor there are 5 fields and a pick list. Each of
these are defined by you. The fields can be either TEXT or NUMERIC
depending on which option you choose for each field. The text window
inside each frame is for you to give the field a name. This name should
be as descriptive as possible, and can be up to 35 characters long. If
a name is over 35 characters long, you won't be able to save the file.

The pick list is for entering the primary categorization of the item
that the template is about. By all means look at the supplied sample
files to see how this is done. The purpose of the list is to keep the
entry of your inventory data simple. It also serves another purpose:
you cannot misspell something chosen from a list when searching.

Adding to the list is simple: just type what you want it to say in the
text box above the list, and choose ADD. The new item will be added to
the bottom of the list. Deleting a list item is also simple: choose the
item from the list to delete so that it shows up in the list box window,
and choose DELETE.

The "Include Rating" check box allows you to turn the smiley face off
and on. The text box is used to name the 'rating' such as "what the
kids think' or 'Bob's thoughts' and so on.

When you are done editing or creating the template, choose SAVE.



V. SEARCHING

In the search window, the fields have a check box next to them. Clicking
a check box will tell the program that a search can be made. This pops up
a CRITERIA window that allows you to enter the data to sarch for. If the
field is numeric, you can search for MATCHING values, values LESS THAN or
GREATER THAN what you entered, or you can enter 2 values to initiate a
search for range: GREATER THAN the first value, and LESS THAN the second.
Text fields and lists are searched for MATCHING values only. If it is a
text field, the other options are disabled in the criteria window. Note
the IGNORE CASE check box: this will allow you to specify whether the
search should look for text EXACTLY as you typed it, or if it should
ignore letter capitalizing. When you are done filling in the values to
look for, just choose OK to close the criteria window.

All fields can be searched and the same process takes place on each one.
If you choose a check box that has already been marked, this has the effect
of clearing it. Just choose it again to re-enter a new search criteria.

If you choose the CLEAR button, all fields are forced into the unchecked
state and any search criteria is erased. If you choose the SEARCH button,
a search will be made through the data file on the checked fields.

Choosing DONE will close the window, but not erase it -- if you re-open
the window, it will be as you left it. This way you can either close or
minimize the window (and place it on the desktop) and not lose any data.

When a search is made, Recipe Gourmet calculates the number of recipes
found and shows them in the window. A scroll bar will appear that will
allow you to scroll through the found recipes -- these will show up in
the main window. As you scroll through, the main window scroll bar also
changes to show a relative file position.

You can switch back and forth between the windows as desired, and operate
either scroll bar at any time. Just remember that the one in the search
window scrolls only through records found in the search.



VI. SHAREWARE, DISCLAIMERS, AND CONTACT INFO

You have an implicit license to EVALUATE this program for a reasonable
period of time to see if it meets your needs. We figure 45 days or so is
pretty reasonable because it lets you take your time: no pressure! If you
want to use it beyond this time, you'll need to order the registered
version, which gives you a license to use it forever. If you don't want
to register it, you'll need to remove it from your system. It's illegal
after that to use it. Seriously. This is copyrighted software, just like
the stuff in the stores. We prefer to work this way though, because we
get closer to the average users, and it helps us write better programs.
To sweeten the pot a bit (we try to make it worth your while) you'll get
lots of extra goodies when you buy the program. (Hint: if you think it's
fast and easy now, well... it's even better!)

See the help file while in the program for details. There's a lot of stuff
that you'll get as a registered owner.


Standard Software Industry Disclaimer:

Alston Software Labs makes no claim or warranty whatsoever as to the
fitness or suitability to purpose of Recipe Gourmet.

Contact Information:

Alston Software Labs
1320 Standiford Ave #242
Modesto CA 95350
Tel (209) LAB - 8666
FAX (209) 522 - 8666

Compuserve: 76040,2247
GEnie     : G.ALSTON5
Internet  : [e-mail]

Or try our home BBS in Modesto, The Programmer's Retreat @ [phone]
to get the latest versions or other ASL software. Just log in, use ASL for
the password.

Recipe Gourmet and this manual are copyright 1993 by Alston Software Labs,
Modesto, CA.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA.