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FishBase ][ Version 3.0 By Richard Olsen Olsen Outdoors TABLE OF CONTENTS The ShareWare Concept...............................1 FishBase ][ Support.................................2 Registration........................................2 Introduction to FishBase ][.........................3 Versions Prior to 2.5...............................4 Converting Old FishBase Files.......................4 What You Need To Run FishBase ][....................5 Getting Started.....................................5 The SAMPLE Data Base................................7 Entering Information................................7 Entering LENGTH and WEIGHT..........................7 Entering Data (The INPUT Form)......................8 Special Keys........................................9 Searching For Information..........................10 The Statistics Option..............................12 The Print Menu.....................................13 Printing The Entire Data Base......................13 Displaying The Entire Data Base....................13 Display Speed......................................13 Additional Comments About Printing.................13 Editing Forms......................................14 Editing Individual Forms...........................14 Editing Forms GLOBALLY.............................15 Wild Cards.........................................16 The GOODIES Menu...................................17 Fishing Area Information...........................17 Individual Angler Information......................17 Lure Type Information..............................18 Water Temperature Chart............................18 Moon Phase Dates...................................18 Sort Data Base.....................................19 Changing To Another Data Base......................20 Deleting Forms.....................................20 Ending A Session...................................21 Using HELP Screens.................................21 A Few Words About Data Bases.......................22 Disclaimer Of Warranty.............................23 Association Of Shareware Professionals.............23 REGISTRATION FORM..................................24 < 1 > The SHAREWARE Concept FishBase ][ is distributed under the concept of ShareWare. Under this novel idea, you are free to distribute copies of this software to your friends without charge. You are required to distribute this document along with the software, being sure that this notice remains attached. You are NOT permitted to sell this software under any circumstances. Under the concept of ShareWare, all rights to the software remain with the author. By using this software, you have the unique opportunity to "try before you buy". If, after a reasonable length of time, you find this software useful, you are expected to register with the author. Some of the best software available today is obtained through ShareWare. Let's keep it coming! Registered users will receive a disk containing the newest version of FishBase ][, free of charge. Registering also entitles you to a prompt reply to any correspondence regarding FishBase ][, and telephone support if necessary. Registered users also have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping to support the efforts of the author, which encourages more ShareWare to be made available to all of us. For the rest of you, I'll answer your questions and provide help as time permits. Along with any correspondence, please indicate what version of FishBase ][ you are using, what type of computer you have, and what kind of option cards you have installed. To satisfy my own curiosity, please indicate how you obtained your copy of FishBase ][. We've all got much to learn about fishing, and maybe if we share our ideas, and even our data, we can take some of the mystery out of the sport and improve our success! < 2 > FishBase SUPPORT: FishBase, like all of my other programs, is well supported. This support is available whether or not you are a registered user. If you have a problem or a question regarding FishBase, you can obtain assistance in one of the four ways listed below. However you seek help, make sure you provide me with information regarding your computer, and what version of FishBase you have. 1. TELEPHONE. I do not publish my telephone number for lots of reasons. It is listed, and you can obtain it by calling the telephone company information service. If you must call, please be considerate by not calling after 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. If I'm available, I answer all calls personally. If I'm not there, please leave a message stating (clearly please) what your name is and the phone number where you can be reached. It's also helpful if you specify the best time for me to call. Since the registration fees for my programs are low, expect any return calls to be COLLECT. 2. MAIL. This is the slowest but most reliable way to obtain support. In any correspondence, please specify what program you have a question about, and include the information about your machine configuration as requested on the previous page. I answer all mail personally, but tend to reply to registered users first since I feel they deserve preferential treatment. 3. COMPUSERVE. Leave messages on CompuServe via CMAIL to my PPN, 70031,534. I check in there almost daily and answer messages as soon as I get them. 4. XEVIOUS BBS. My 'home BBS' is Xevious in Framingham, MA. The phone number is (508) 875-3618. Leave messages to DICK OLSEN. I check into Xevious several times a week, so allow a day or two for a reply to appear. REGISTRATION: To register your copy of FishBase ][, please use either the registration form at the end of this document, or print the file REGISTER.DOC from your disk. Fill out the form and send it together with $15.00 (U.S., cash, check or money order) to the author: Richard Olsen Olsen Outdoors 68 Hartwell Ave. Littleton, Ma. 01460 < 3 > Introduction to FishBase ][ vers. 3.0 Welcome to FishBase ][! FishBase ][ was written by a fisherman because it was needed. Like many other fishermen, I kept a diary of all of my fishing trips noting such things as weather conditions, water temperature, size of fish caught and what lures I used to catch them. After a few years of this, I began to try to decipher all of the data and to derive some sort of pattern or reason for the success or failure of my exploits. It quickly became apparent that I wasn't very consistent with my record keeping and that it was difficult and time consuming to determine the things I wanted to know about my fishing activities. For example, I wanted to know what kind of lures accounted for the most fish. What color lures caught the biggest fish? What water temperature seemed to bring the most success? Did the phase of the moon really have anything to do with the willingness of the fish to strike? What week seemed to be the most likely time for the bass to be spawning? These questions and many others were hard to answer from the information contained in my fishing log. The information was mostly there, but it sure took a long time to dig it out. I then decided to use my personal computer to help me find out what I wanted to know. At first, I used a commercially available data base program to enter most of the data from my fishing diary. It was a big help, but it fell short when it came to providing me with all the statistics I was looking for. While it was easier to find out how many bass of four pounds or greater that I had caught, it still took a long time to figure out what lures were the most productive or if the most fish were caught during the full moon or at other times. Then I decided to write my own program to do exactly what I wanted. After many hours of work, FishBase ][ was created. Over many months, it underwent change after change, and improvement after improvement. Features were added. Speed was increased. Some fancy windows were included. Pretty soon, my friends convinced me that it might be useful to other fishermen as well. Even professional fishermen could benefit from it. Clubs could use it for their tournament record keeping. After all of this prodding, I decided to make FishBase ][ available to all fishermen, in the hopes that it will improve their catches. I've tried to make it easy to use, and as bug-free as humanly possible. If you do find a bug, or have a suggestion for improving it, drop me a line and I'll do what I can to fix or improve the program. In return, I'll send you a free updated copy. I'd also be interested in hearing any comments you may have, good or bad, about the program. Good luck! Dick Olsen < 4 > **** Important Information For Users of FishBase ][ Versions Prior to Version 2.5: Beginning with version 2.5 of FishBase, two new data entry fields have been added and the COMMENTS field has been expanded to allow up to three comment lines. These additions were made at the request of registered users. Because of these new features, data bases created with older versions of FishBase are no longer compatible with version 2.5 and up. The newly added fields are TIME and TIDE. The distribution disk has a program on it called CONVFB.EXE, which will quickly update older data bases so they are compatible with version 2.5 and up. Since new data fields have been added, data base size will be about 38% larger than those created with older versions of FishBase. This is important since a data base that used to fit on a 360k floppy may not fit anymore. With versions of FishBase prior to v2.5, about 800 forms would fit on a standard 360k floppy. Now only about 640 forms will fit. The program, however, will still handle data bases as large as 1000 forms. Users of older versions of FishBase will quickly notice some major changes in this new version. Some of them are: * The ability to sort the active data base by any field. * Greatly improved graphing capabilities that now support EGA, VGA, and Hercules displays, as well as the original CGA. * The ability to completely delete a form. * Improved data base selection capability. * Improved forms editing. Converting old FishBase data files to the new format: A program is provided on the version 3.0 FishBase diskette that makes it easy to convert your old FishBase data files to a format compatible with version 3.0. To use this conversion program, copy it from the FishBase diskette into the directory where your data base files are stored. In most cases, this will be the FBASE directory. Then, type CONVFB and press ENTER. A list of the data base files (those with the .DAT suffix) will appear on your screen. Use the UP or DOWN arrows to move the pointer to the file you want to convert, then select it by pressing ENTER. The convert program will save a copy of your original data base with the .OLD suffix, then it will modify your data base so that it is compatible with the file format used by versions 2.5 and up. Repeat this process until all of your data base files have been converted. Be careful because the names of those files already converted will still appear in the list on your screen, and trying to convert them again will make a mess of them. If everything looks good after the conversion process, you can delete the files with the .OLD suffix. Don't delete them though until you have looked at each data base file with FishBase and determined that they are okay. < 5 > For floppy disk users, please read the README.DOC file on the FishBase ][ distribution disk. What You Need To Use FishBase ][ FishBase ][ requires an IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible with at least 256k of memory. A color display makes it nicer, but is not necessary. If you have a hard disk, FishBase ][ will run much faster and will be easier to use. Remember that if you are using a hard disk, you should make frequent back-up copies of your data file so that in the event of a computer problem or power failure, your data will not all be lost. These things DO happen, so use some common sense and protect your investment in time. If you do not have a hard disk based computer, FishBase ][ will run on either a one or two floppy machine. Floppy disk users should also get in the habit of making backup copies of their data base. It is highly recommended that you read this manual in its entirety before using FishBase ][. This doesn't take very long, and it will give you a much better understanding of what's happening on the screen. Getting Started The FishBase ][ diskette contains an installation program to help you get it up and running on your machine. This install program is only needed if you intend to run FishBase ][ on a hard disk. To install the program on your hard disk, insert the FishBase ][ diskette into one of your floppy drives. Make that the "active" drive by typing A: or B: (depending on where your're installing from). Next, type INSTALL (then press the ENTER key). Choose item 1 from the install menu. See the README.DOC file on your diskette for more INSTALL information. The install program does not need to be run again unless you want to install the program on another computer, or use it to print any of the documentation files. Once the installation program has finished, simply typing 'FB2' while in the main (root) directory will run the program. After the title screen appears, pressing any key will cause the title screen to clear, and you will be presented with a list of FishBase ][ data bases that are in your FBASE directory. These data bases end with the suffix '.DAT'. If this is the first time you have run FishBase ][, only the SAMPLE.DAT data base that is supplied with FishBase ][ will be listed. A small arrow will be visible to the left of the file names. Use the up and down arrow keys to move the arrow to the data base file you want FishBase ][ to use. If you want to create a new data base, or use a data base from another disk or directory, select the last item in the list, CREATE/SELECT DATA BASE. < 6 > When you select CREATE/SELECT DATA BASE, FishBase ][ will attempt to use the data base you have specified, or if you just pressed 'ENTER' it will use the default data base file called FISHFILE.DAT. If the data base you have specified cannot be found, FishBase ][ will create it. After the data base is created (or an existing one is found), the main menu will be displayed and FishBase ][ is ready to use. If you are going to run FishBase ][ from floppy disks, first make a copy of the program disk. Always use the copy and store the original diskette in a safe place. If your computer has only one floppy disk drive, insert the program disk into the drive and type "FB". This will start FishBase ][ running. and soon the title screen will be displayed. Once the title screen appears, press any key to begin. You will be asked to select the name of the data base you want to use. At this point, remove the program disk from the drive and insert a blank, formatted disk. Once you've done this, choose the last item listed, CREATE/SELECT DATA BASE. If you just press 'ENTER' in response to the request for a file name, FishBase ][ will check the disk drive for a file called FISHFILE. If FISHFILE does not exist, FishBase ][ will create it for you. If FISHFILE already exists, it will become the active data base used by FishBase ][. You can also enter the name of some other data base you have created and FishBase ][ will use it as the active data base if it exists on your floppy. If it does not exist, FishBase ][ will create it for you. You should see the light on your disk drive come on for a moment or two while FishBase ][ checks for the presence of the data base. After this business is completed, the main menu will be displayed, indicating FishBase ][ is ready to use. If your computer has two disk drives, insert the program disk into drive A: and insert a blank, formatted disk into drive B:. Next, type "A:FB". Once the title screen has appeared, press any key to proceed. When you are asked to select what data base you want to use, choose the CREATE/SELECT DATA BASE option. Then type "B:FISHFILE", or the name of whatever data base you want to use. FishBase ][ will then run just as described above. If you need help copying or formatting disks, refer to the operating system manual supplied with your computer. A 360k diskette will hold about 640 fish forms. < 7 > The SAMPLE Data Base The FishBase ][ diskette contains a sample data base, called SAMPLE.DAT, for you to experiment with. This data base contains information on more than 200 fish. Although the angler's names and the fishing spots are fictitious, the data is genuine. It is highly recommended that you "play" with this data base before you start your own. You can try adding new forms, searching, and editing with this data base. To use the sample data base, just position the arrow at SAMPLE.DAT when you are asked to select a data base. Entering Information It cannot be over stressed just how important it is to be consistent when you are entering information on an input form. When entering the date, it is MANDATORY that you use the format 'YY/MM/DD'. For example, July 14, 1987 should be entered as '87/07/14'. There is good reason for this. When you run the statistics portion of FishBase ][, a great deal of sorting is done, and if the dates are entered in some other format, the results of the sorting may not be what you'd expect. When you are entering the date, FishBase ][ will check for the proper format. If the format of the date is invalid, FishBase ][ will beep and display a message near the bottom of your screen. Likewise, when entering things like lure type or lure color, it pays to be consistent. Entering LENGTH and WEIGHT When you enter the length and weight of your fish, don't use fractions. Enter fractions as decimal values. For example, a 15 1/2 inch fish that weighed 2 3/4 pounds should have 15.5 entered for the length, and 2.75 entered for the weight. The statistics produced if you enter fractions will not be correct. The program contains several help windows to assist you in being consistent. If you flub up, and do something silly like enter 'SPINNER BAIT' for a lure type during one input session and then enter 'SPINNERBAIT' during another input session, the program will consider them both different lure types, and the statistics that are generated will not be accurate. The program contains powerful editing features which will allow you to clean up your data base and eliminate inconsistencies. The editing features, the HELP windows and the statistics routines will be discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this document. It should also be noted that word processing programs or editors cannot be used to edit your data base. This is because the data base is a random file in compressed format. < 8 > Entering Data....The Input Form Once you have selected a data base to use, the MAIN MENU will be displayed. Selecting item 1 will bring up a blank input form, which is the main vehicle used to enter new data. Pressing 'ENTER' after you have typed in the data for a particular field will cause the cursor to advance to the next field. Pressing 'ENTER' by itself (without actually having entered data) will cause the field to remain blank and the cursor will move to the next field. The 'TAB' key can also be used to advance to the next field and the 'BACK TAB' key (shift-tab) will move the cursor to the previous field. You can use the 'TAB' keys to move around the form to fix errors or to skip over fields. The 'TAB' keys will not change the data in a field, but the ENTER key will. Remember that pressing the ENTER key when the cursor is at the first character position of a field will cause the the field to be blanked. The 'TAB' keys merely retain the data currently in a field. You can also use the ARROW KEYS to move up, down left or right on a form. They function in the same manner as the TAB keys. Each of the fields has a maximum number of characters that can be entered into it. If you try to enter too many characters, FishBase ][ will beep, the excess characters will be ignored and the cursor will remain at the last character position for the field. Any field can be left blank, but it's always best to enter data in as many fields as you can. Blank fields, particulary in the LENGTH and WEIGHT fields can cause misleading statistics to be produced. There are times when most of the fields will be blank. One example of this would be when you've been 'skunked', or caught nothing (ugh!) on a particular outing. Just as it's important to know why you caught fish, it's equally important to know why you didn't! < 9 > Special Keys When filling out new forms, there are a few special keys that you should know about. One key is the '/' key. This key will cause all data entered on the form up to the point at which the '/' key is used to be saved to the data base, and you will be asked if you wish to enter another. The '=' (equals) key is another special key you need to know about. This key acts like a ditto key, in that whatever data was entered in that field on the previous form will be popped into the same field on the current form. This is especially handy when you have to enter a bunch of fish that were caught on the same date or at the same place. It saves a lot of typing and makes filling out the forms a lot faster. Each of these keys only works when used as the FIRST character of a field. If they're used after the first character, they're treated just like any other character. Another special key to be aware of is the ' " ' key (double quote). This key is only responded to in a special way when the message 'Would you like to enter another ?' is displayed near the bottom of your screen after you have entered a new form. If you press the ' " ' key at this time, the form currently displayed will be duplicated in it's entirety. This is handy if you have lots of fish to enter that are the same size, caught on the same bait, at the same place etc. A message will appear with a count of the number of forms you have duplicated. Use this key ONLY if all information is identical. The last special key is the ESC key. Pressing this key will usually bring you back to the main menu. It's handy if you want to abort an operation such as entering a new form, or searching your data base. Sometimes, you will need to press the key several times. < 10 > Searching For Information Selecting item 2 from the MAIN MENU will cause a blank form to be displayed. This is the form you use to enter your search criteria, or the information you'd like FishBase ][ to find for you. We call it the FINDER FORM. This is a very powerful function, and when properly used, can be very useful. Only the fields in which you enter something will be used to conduct the search. Obviously, the more information you enter on the form, the more specific your search will be. Entering search criteria works just like entering new information, except that entering a "/" at the start of a field will cause the search to begin immediately, based on the information you've entered up to that point. The ditto function is not available in the search mode. An example might be that you want to find all of the fish you have caught that were equal to or greater than 15 inches in length during the year 1984. Furthermore, you want to see only those caught on a black plastic worm by you, and only you. Here is where some of the features of the search mode really come into play. On fields that normally contain numerical data, like length, weight, water temperature etc. you can specify things like '=' (equal) or '=>' (equal or greater than) or '<=' (less than or equal to) and the program will only locate those. In this example, we want to find fish caught during the year 1984. So, in the DATE field, we would enter '84'then press the ENTER key to move to the CAUGHT BY field. Here we would enter your name, or at least most of the letters of your name. FishBase ][ will use only the information you enter. If your name was John, and you entered only the letters 'JO' in the CAUGHT BY field, someone whose name was Joe would also be included in the search. After entering your name in the CAUGHT BY field, pressing ENTER will cause the cursor to move to the SPECIES field. Since we don't care what kind of fish it is in this example, just press ENTER to leave that field blank. We have now moved to the LENGTH field, which is another one we care about. Here we are interested in fish that are equal to or greater than 15 inches long, so we would type '=>15' in this field. < 11 > Use the ENTER key to move the cursor down to the LURE TYPE field. In this field, we want to enter 'PLASTIC WORM'. Using the ENTER key again, move to the LURE COLOR field. Here we would enter 'BLK' or 'BLACK' depending upon the way you've decided to enter your color information. Consistency, remember? (One of the help windows contains some suggestions for consistent color abbreviations.) At this point, we have entered information in those fields we care about, and the cursor should be in the first character position of the LURE SIZE field. Since we don't care about any of the rest of the fields, we are ready to begin the search. Typing '/' then pressing ENTER will now start the search. You will be asked if you would like to stop on each form found. If you answer with a 'y' or 'yes', each form found that matches the search criteria you've specified will be displayed, and will remain on the screen. The search can be abandoned at any point by pressing 'ESC'. If you answered 'n' or 'no', each form found will be displayed, but the program will automatically start looking for the next matching form. Again, pressing 'ESC' will abort the search and return to the MAIN MENU. As you can imagine, the search possibilities are almost endless. With a little practice, you will be able to find almost any kind of information you can think of. The distribution diskette contains a sample data base containing over 200 fish. The name of the file is 'SAMPLE.DAT'. It is provided as a means to allow you to see what FishBase ][ can do. In order to experiment with the sample data base, you must specify 'SAMPLE.DAT' when the program asks for the name of the data base to use. The name of the data base you are currently using is shown any time the main menu is displayed. < 12 > The Statistics Option Selecting this option from the MAIN MENU will cause a window to appear on your screen that describes the statistics that will be compiled. When this window is displayed, you have the option of entering a "p" to have the statistics listed to a printer, or entering a "d" which will create a file called 'stats.dat' on your disk. This file will look exactly like what you see on your screen, and can be printed at some other time. If you just press 'enter', the statistics will not be sent to either your printer or the disk. After you have selected "p", "d" or just pressed enter, the message 'press any key to begin' will appear. If you press 'ESC', the statistics function will abort and you will be returned to the main menu. Pressing any other key will start the statistics routine running. Once the statistics routine is running, the data base is analyzed and many sorting and checking functions are performed. The time required to compute all of the statistics depends on the type of computer you have, how many forms your data base contains, and whether or not you have a hard disk. On a data base containing about 300 fish, the statistics routine will take about 2 minutes on a PC/AT class machine. You can usually abort the statistics routine by pressing 'ESC' several times while it is running. Each time you run the statistics routine with the "d" option selected, the old 'STATS.DAT' file is overwritten with the new information. To print out the 'STATS.DAT' file after you exit from FishBase ][, type 'COPY STATS.DAT PRN:' if you are using computer equipped with a hard disk, or 'COPY B:STATS.DAT PRN:' if you are using a floppy disk based system. Most word processing programs will also accept the 'STATS.DAT' file. The statistics option provides you with a listing of the following: * The average length of all the fish * The average length of fish caught each year, and a count of how many were caught. * Individual angler totals and averages * A list of the 20 largest fish, who caught them, when they were caught, and what lure was used. * A sorted list of all lures used * A list of the most productive lures * What lures produced the best at the various water temperatures. * A list of how many were caught at each water temperature range * A list of how many were caught during full and new moon phases During most operations, you can pause the display by pressing any key (except the ESC key). To continue the display, press any other key. < 13 > The PRINT MENU Selecting option 4 from the MAIN MENU will cause the PRINT MENU to be displayed. In the PRINT MENU, you have three choices. Printing The Entire Data Base If you choose option 1 from the PRINT MENU, the entire data base will be sent to the printer. This mode works continuously until the whole data base has been printed, or until you press the 'ESC' key. If you select this option, and you do not have a printer connected, or your printer is not responding, a message will appear on your screen to let you know that FishBase ][ cannot print. Displaying The Entire Data Base Selecting option 2 from the PRINT MENU will cause the entire data base to be listed to the display. The information from the data base is displayed sequentially in the order in which it was entered. You can abort the listing by pressing the 'ESC' key, which will return you to the MAIN MENU. Display Speed The speed of the display can be slowed by pressing "s" while the display is in progress. Each time you press the "s" key, the speed of the display will slow down a little. Keep pressing the "s" key until the display is scrolling at the speed you like. Pressing "f" will make the display run faster. Multiple presses of the "f" key will gradually increase up the speed of the display. Selecting option 3 from the PRINT MENU does exactly what it says...it returns you to the MAIN MENU again. Additional comments about printing: Most versions of DOS are supplied with a utility program called GRAPHICS.COM. Before you run FishBase ][, if you first type GRAPHICS, DOS will load the special graphics printing driver called GRAPHICS.COM. If you run this special printer driver as described above, you will be able to print ANY screen from FishBase at any time by just typing SHIFT-PRTSCR on your keyboard. This is very handy if you want a print out of something like the individual angler statistics or the graph of the water temperatures. It should be noted however, that EGA, VGA and Hercules equipped systems cannot use this method to print the temperature chart on DOS versions prior to 5.0 since GRAPHICS.COM on these older versions of DOS does not support them. < 14 > Editing Forms Forms can be edited in either of two ways. The first method is handy for making additions or corrections on individual forms. The second method, called GLOBAL, allows high speed editing of many forms. Editing Individual Forms The first step in editing an individual form is to find the form you want to edit using the FINDER discussed previously under the topic of SEARCHING. To begin, first select item 2 from the MAIN MENU, Search/Edit Current Data Base. The FINDER FORM will appear. Enter the information you want FishBase to look for in the appropriate field or fields. You can enter information in as many of the fields as you like. Once you have enter all the information you want Fishbase to look for, enter a "/" (without the quotes) in a field by itself. This tells FishBase to begin the search based on the information you have entered. FishBase will then ask if you want to stop on each matching form found. Since you want to edit a form, answer YES or Y to this question. FishBase will scan the currently active data base from beginning to end and stop on forms that match your search criteria. When a matching form is found, it will be displayed on the screen. If the form is one you want to edit, press the F1 key to begin editing. Use the TAB keys or the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move to the field you want to change. Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to move within a field. The DEL key will DELETE the character at the cursor position. Typing any text character will insert that character at the cursor position. Continue editing the fields until the form is the way you want it, then press the ESC key to save the form as it appears on the screen. If you change your mind and decide you don't want to save the changes, press the F5 key to cancel the changes and leave the form as it appeared originally. After saving the form or cancelling the changes, FishBase will continue its search for other forms that match your search criteria, and if found, the process will be repeated. < 15 > GLOBAL Editing The process of editing forms GLOBALLY is begun by selecting item 5 from the main menu. Global editing allows high speed changes to all forms or just selected forms. It's VERY useful for making the same change to lots of forms. Things like misspelled names or bait types, changing color abbreviations etc. are some of the things that Global Editing can do very quickly. GLOBAL Form editing consists of two operations, the first being the FINDER FORM. The finder form appears immediately after you select item 5 from the main menu. The FINDER FORM is where you enter the information you want to locate. It works in a manner similar to the search option discussed earlier except that in most cases you must specify the information more exactly. For instance, if you wanted to find all forms that contained SPINNERBAIT for the lure type, you would have to enter the whole word, SPINNERBAIT. Entering just SPINNER would only find the forms that had SPINNER in the lure type field. This is important because if you decide to use the GLOBAL CHANGE command, you want to be sure that only the forms that contain an exact match would be changed. As many fields as you want can be included in the FINDER FORM, but each must exactly specify the information that you are looking for. Once you have entered all of the information you need on the FINDER FORM, enter the '/' at the beginning of the next field. The '/' key tells FishBase ][ that you are finished entering your FINDER FORM information and it's time to enter your CHANGE FORM information. The second operation when GLOBALLY Editing forms is called the CHANGE FORM. This form appears after you have fully specified what forms you want to find with the FINDER FORM. On the CHANGE FORM, enter information only in the fields that are to be changed. You can enter the CHANGE information in as many fields as you need. Use the 'TAB' and the 'BACK TAB' keys to move to the fields to be changed, and leave the unchanged fields blank. You can also use the 'ARROW' keys to move around on the form. If you want to entirely erase the contents of a field, use the SPACE BAR to "erase" the contents of a field. Once you have finished filling in the fields to be changed, enter the '/' key in the next empty field to start the find/replace operation. FishBase ][ will begin scanning all of your forms looking for a precise match for all of the fields you specified on the FINDER FORM. When the first exact match is found, the form will be displayed, and you will be asked if this is the form you want to change. Answering 'Y' will cause the information you specified on the CHANGE FORM to replace the information on the displayed form in ONLY those fields you specified. Answering 'N' will skip the displayed form and the search process will proceed. < 16 > You can abort the find/replace operation at any time by pressing the 'ESC' key. If you decide that you want to end the find/replace operation before any further changes are made, just enter 'Q' to return to the main menu. Entering 'G' in response to the 'Make your changes to this form' question will cause all forms that exactly match your FINDER FORM to be changed to the information specified on your CHANGE FORM. This is a very powerful command that should be used with care since you will not have the opportunity to change your mind once it starts. You can, however, press the 'ESC' key during a global change to cause it to abort. Only the forms that were changed before you pressed 'ESC' will show the changes. Wild Cards There is one exception to the exact match rules on the FINDER FORM. This is called the WILDCARD. Wild cards are specified by entering a '*' as the first character in the field, followed by the rest of the characters you are interested in. For example, if you entered '*SP' in the lure type field, all forms that had a lure type of SPOON, SPINNER, or SPINNERBAIT would be found, and the information specified on the CHANGE FORM would replace the corresponding fields on those forms. You can use wild cards in as many fields as you like, but again, be careful when you use them, particularly in conjunction with the global change command. It is recommended that you use these powerful features sparingly until you become proficient with the use of FishBase ][. < 17 > The Goodies Menu Selecting option 6 from the main menu will cause a window to appear that provides six additional features of interest. Information About A Fishing Area The first of these allows you to display information about a particular fishing area. If you choose [1], you will be asked to enter the name of the area of interest. You do not need to enter the complete name, because FishBase ][ will find all forms that contain the name as you enter it. For example, if you want to find out how you have done while fishing Toledo Bend, just entering 'TOLEDO' is enough. Of course, you can still enter the whole name if you wish. This is important because if you have both a 'LONG LAKE' and a 'LONG POND' in your data base, and they are different places, then you need to spell out the whole name of the one you are interested in. After specifying the name of the place you're interested in, FishBase ][ will compute all kinds of information about that place for you. The information you will be given is: * Total number of fish caught at this location * Total weight of these fish * Average weight of fish caught * Average length of fish caught * Number of times the area was fished * Average number of fish caugth each trip * The five most productive lures at this location * The biggest fish caught at this location * Who caught the biggest fish * What lure caught the biggest fish Angler Information Selecting item [2] from the goodies menu will let you enter the name of a particular angler that you want information about. When you specify the name, it's a good idea to completly spell out the name. As with the evaluation of a fishing spot, FishBase ][ will find all the forms that contain the name as you have entered it. If you just enter the name 'JOE', then all anglers with the letters JOE in their name will be included in the report. The report produced is similar to that of the fishing spot report and includes the following information: < 18 > * Number of fish caught * Total weight of fish caught * Average weight of fish caught * Average length of fish caught * How many times the angler has been 'skunked' * Number of fishing trips logged by angler * Average number of fish caught per trip * The best lures for that angler * The biggest fish caught by that angler * Where the biggest fish was caught * When the biggest fish was caught * What lure caught the biggest fish Lure Type Information Option [3] in the Goodies menu allows you to obtain statistics about a certain TYPE of lure. For example, if you're interested in finding out how well you've done using a plastic worm, enter "plastic worm" for the lure type. The color does not matter. All fish caught with a plastic worm will be analyzed, and FishBase ][ will tell you how many fish were caught (on ALL plastic worms), their average size, who caught the biggest fish on the plastic worm, as well as where and when it was caught. Water Temperature Chart If you choose [4] from the goodies menu, a chart showing water temperature versus date will be drawn on your screen. A separate line is drawn for each year, allowing you to compare the water temperatures by dates for each year. This is handy to help predict what the approximate water temperature will be on any given date. This choice is valid for graphics displays only, and will draw the graph in the best screen mode your equipment is capable of using. Moon Phase Dates Choosing option [5] from the goodies menu will allow you to obtain the full and new moon dates for any month or year that you enter. Make sure you use the format requested when you enter the month and year information. < 19 > Sort Data Base Option [6] in the goodies menu allows you to sort the data base you are currently using based on any of the fields on the form. When you select this option, a blank form will appear with a highlighted area next to the field title. Use the arrow keys to move this highlighted bar to the field of interest to you, then press the ENTER key to begin the sort process. It is important to note that your original data base as it appears on the disk IS NOT SORTED. Only the information in memory is sorted. Once the sort is finished, you will have three choices of what to do next. First, you can save the sorted data base on your disk. You will be asked for a name for the sorted data base. FishBase will append the '.DAT' suffix following the name you enter, unless you enter the name with the suffix already added. For example, if you name your sorted data base SORT, FishBase will call it SORT.DAT. Only files with the .DAT suffix will appear in the list of available data base files. You can also view your sorted data base on the screen by choosing number 2. When you select number 2, the first form in your sorted data base will appear. Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to sequence forward or backward through your data base. You can send the entire sorted data base to your printer by choosing number 3. Pressing ESC while the data base is being printed will abort the printing and return you to the goodies menu. Some printers have a large buffer and may take awhile for the printing to stop. If you change your mind, and want to get out of the goodies menu, just press ESC to return to the main menu. < 20 > Changing To Another Data Base Option 7 from the main menu allows you to select a different data base to use, or to create a new data base file. Selecting option 7 will list the database files that FishBase finds in it's directory. Data base files are those in the FishBase directory that end in the suffix '.DAT'. To select a different data base, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move the pointer to the file name you want to use, then press ENTER to select it. If you want to use a data base that is not in the FishBase directory, or for some reason does not have the '.DAT' suffix (suppose you renamed it), move the pointer to the first item in the list, CREATE/SELECT DATA BASE, then press ENTER. You will be asked for the name of the data base you want to use. If it is on another disk drive, you need to tell FishBase where to find it. For example, if you had a data base called BIGFISH.DAT on a disk in drive B:, the correct entry would be: B:BIGFISH.DAT If you want to use a data base in the FishBase directory called BIGFISH.XYZ, you would enter simply BIGFISH.XYZ since FishBase assumes the file you want is in the FishBase unless you specify otherwise. Deleting Forms Option 8 from the MAIN MENU allows complete deletion of a form. Form deletion consists of filling out a FINDER FORM which FishBase will use as the basis of its search. Enter enough data on the FINDER FORM to accurately direct FishBase to the correct form. After you have entered your information, enter a "/" alone in the next field to begin the search. FishBase will stop when it finds a form that matches the search criteria that you entered on the FINDER FORM, and display the form for your verification. If the form found is the one you want to delete, answer 'Y' to the "Delete this form?" question. Pressing ESC will return to the main menu, pressing any other key will continue the search. FishBase will then remove the form from your data base, and reorder the file. Only one form may be deleted at a time, for safety. < 21 > Ending A Session Selecting option 'Q' from the MAIN MENU will prompt you with the question 'Are you sure...?'. If you answer 'yes', FishBase ][ will end, and return you to the DOS prompt, leaving you in the 'FBASE' directory. This gives you one last chance to change your mind. If you answer 'no' in response to the question, the main menu will be redisplayed and FishBase ][ will not terminate. Using the HELP Screens Several layers of help screens are built into FishBase ][. These screens (or windows) can be called upon to jog your memory when it comes to abbreviations, weather conditions and some other useful things. The help windows can only be used when you are: 1. Entering a new form (option 1 from the main menu) 2. Searching for information (option 2 from the main menu) 3. Editing forms (option 5 from the main menu) 4. Deleting forms (option 8 from the main menu) To bring up the HELP windows when you are using either of these modes, just press the '?' key and the first window will pop onto the screen. Each successive window can be displayed by pressing the 'down arrow' cursor control key. Previous help windows can be brought back by pressing the 'up arrow' key. To exit the help windows and restore your form in its entirety, just press the '?' key again. It doesn't matter what help window is displayed when you decide to exit the help mode. In other words, you can return to your form no matter how many layers of help windows are on your screen. Help windows such as the length-to-weight chart are only meant to be used as a guide, and to remind you to be consistent in your data entry. The weights given for a particular length are derived from my own fishing experience and reflect typical weights for a largemouth bass of those lengths. Naturally, the weights will vary according to things like time of year, the region in which you fish, and obviously the species of fish. The color abbreviations help window is used to remind you what abbreviation to use for a given lure color. I've found that after using FishBase ][ for a while, that I seem to remember these pretty well. The general abbreviations window lists several suggestions for standard abbreviations. Weather conditions, water conditions etc. are included here. The SEARCH help window concerns itself with things to do with searching for data. Some hints on using the search capability appear here, to save having to look it up in the manual. The last help window contains some general help information and might save you thumbing through the manual. < 22 > A Few Words About Data Bases FishBase ][ data bases are limited to about 800 fish each. This is due to memory limitations of PC compatible computers, not the program itself. If the number of fish in your data base starts to approach the 800 fish limit, it's best to start a new data base. If you're using 360k floppy disks for your data base files, start a new data base when there are about 600 fish forms in your file. A 360k disk will hold about 640 fish forms. A new data base is easy to create by entering the name you want to call the new data base when FishBase ][ first starts running. Be sure that the name you choose is different from any data base that you currently have on your disk! If you use the name of a data base that already exists, FishBase ][ will happily add forms to it, and you may exceed the maximum limit. If the limit is exceeded, all functions of FishBase ][ will work except for the statistics compiler and the goodies stuff. Trying to run the statistics compiler or the goodies (except the moon phase) may cause the program to halt unexpectedly if you have too many forms in the data base. Be sure to try the Xevious BBS system in Framingham, MA. The newest version of FishBase ][ is always available there first! You can also leave me messages there. Leave notes to Dick Olsen, then check again in a few days for a reply. The number for Xevious is (508)-875-3618. Xevious has 1 gigabyte of disk space (and growing), with HST modems on most of the lines. < 23 > ************************************************************ * DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY * ************************************************************ This software is sold "as is", without any warranty as to performance or any other warranties whether expressed or implied. Because of the many hardware and software environments into which this program may be used, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. The user must assume the entire risk of using the program. Any liability of the seller will be limited exclusively to product replacement or the refund of the registration fee. ************************************************************* * ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS * ************************************************************* This software is produced by Richard Olsen who is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427, USA or send a CompuServe message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER < 24 > FishBase ][ Version 3.0 REGISTRATION FORM Dear Dick, Enclosed please find my check or money order for the amount shown below. Please register me as a FishBase user and send me the newest REGISTERED version of the program along with any other goodies I'm entitled to. Thanks! YOUR NAME___________________________________________________ STREET ADDRESS______________________________________________ CITY, STATE, ZIP____________________________________________ COUNTRY_____________________________________________________ Where did you get FishBase ][?______________________________ DISK SIZE NEEDED: __________5.25" __________3.5" COMMENTS____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Registration Fee ($15 for 5.25", $17.00 for 3.5") ____________ Shipping: _______________ (NOTE: Shipping is $2.00 within North America. Outside North America, it is $4.00.) Massachusetts Residents Please add 5% SALES TAX ______________ TOTAL ENCLOSED ______________ Mail your registration to: Richard Olsen Olsen Outdoors 68 Hartwell Avenue Littleton MA 01460