GCW Games & More & Wacky Windows Companion

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ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows Software for cataloging collections PSG-HomeCraft P.O. Box 974 Tualatin, OR 97062 (503) 692-3732 (voice) (503) 692-0382 (Fax & BBS) _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER Member: STAR Member: Oregon Software Association Member: IJARC Member: ARSC This manual and accompanying software copyright 1994 By H.C.P. Services, Inc. WELCOME TO SHAREWARE This software is distributed as shareware. This means you can try this software to find out whether it provides what you need before you pay for it. There are no limits in this software nor is it crippled in any way. It is true "try before you buy" software. You may have obtained this software from a shareware disk vendor, a bulletin board or a friend. I hope you also feel free to share copies of it with your friends and upload it to your favorite bulletin board(s). If you find you like this software and you've been using it for more than 30 days, you must register as a user by purchasing a registered copy. This software may not be used for more than 30 days without registering. Registration Information This is a copyrighted software program protected by both U.S. and international copyright law. If you are using this software for more than 30 days you must purchase a registered copy in order to continue to use it. The registration for a single copy is $59.95 (plus $6.00 S&H - $10.00 outside North America). Please note that even though you may have purchased this disk from a retail store or via mail order, you have not purchased a registered copy. What you've paid for this disk was a fee that compensates the vendor for their costs, time and effort in making this disk available. We accept company checks, personal checks, VISA, Master Card, and American Express. All amounts shown are in U.S. dollars. All checks in U.S. dollars must be drawn on a U.S. bank. Users outside the U.S.: We accept cheques in your local currency from users in Canada, Mexico, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Japan and Switzerland. We will add other countries as our bank allows. You can register as a user via Compuserve by sending an E-Mail with the appropriate information (or E-Mailing the ORDERFRM.TXT file) to ID 71450,254. When you register you will receive: [] The current version of this software. We are constantly making improvements and adding features suggested by users. We do not duplicate your disk until just before we ship the registered version of your software, thus you get the very latest version and newest features. [] A copy of the illustrated, printed and bound manual. [] One year free, unlimited technical support via telephone, fax, mail or electronic mail. [] A free subscription to our newsletter which includes user tips, help with using your computer, information about upgrades and new cataloging systems. [] 10 additional cataloging formats including: sports cards, plants and garden, memorabilia, model railroad (2 formats), art, fabrics & notions, tokens, guns, and photographs. MULTIPLE COMPUTERS AND NETWORKS If you wish to use this software on a network or simultaneously on more than one computer (eg. on a computer at home and another computer at work or in the office of a charity), you will need a site license. Please contact PSG-HomeCraft for additional information about site licenses. DISTRIBUTION OF THE SHAREWARE VERSION OF THIS SOFTWARE (Please see the VENDOR.DOC file). Please feel free to give away copies of the shareware version of this software to friends, relatives, acquaintances or even strangers. You may NOT sell copies of this software, even if the purchase price is just to cover duplication costs; nor may you include this shareware on a CD-ROM or other type of package produced by any user group, commercial library, or any for profit or non- profit organization; nor may you distribute it with any other product or as an incentive to purchase any other product, without the express written permission of H.C.P. Services, Inc. The purpose of this is so that we will know who you are and we can then keep you supplied with updates. The only exception to this is that ASP approved disk vendors (except for PsL) may sell this software without prior approval. OUR GUARANTEE If you have any problems with this program or the disk it is on, without regard to where you obtained it, you may send it to H.C.P. Services, Inc. (HomeCraft Software) for a free update to the current version. This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536 Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment of any kind on the part of H.C.P. Services, Inc. or HomeCraft Software. This manual and accompanying software is copyrighted. It is a violation of federal law and the Berne Convention (international law) to copy this manual or software on any medium, for any reason other than those described in the accompanying user license. This manual is Copyright 1994 by H.C.P. Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Microsoft, Windows, and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation dBase III is a trademark of Ashton-Tate Organize! Your (name of collection) and Organize! Your Collection are trademarks of H.C.P. Services, Inc. Part number: 018-002W H.C.P. Services, Inc. PSG-HomeCraft P.O. Box 974 Tualatin, OR 97062 (503) 692-3732 SPECIALTY DATABASE U S E R L I C E N S E A G R E E M E N T NOTICE! - This manual and the enclosed software is provided to you on the express condition that you agree to this software license. By using this software you agree to the following provisions. If you do not agree with these, please return these materials for a full refund. <1> This manual, the enclosed software and the disks on which it is contained are licensed to you, for your own use only. This is copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the software or any copyright rights. You may not sublicense, rent, lease, convey, modify, translate, convert to another programming language, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose. <2> You may make as many copies of this software as you need for backup purposes. Private individuals may use this software on up to two computers, provided there is no chance it will be used simultaneously on more than one computer. This software may not be used simultaneously on more than one computer, nor installed on more than one hard disk, nor installed on a network used by a business, corporation, government agency or department, or institution of any kind. If you need to install this software on more than one computer or on a network, please contact us for information about a site license. WARRANTY - HCP SERVICES INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER HCP SERVICES, INC. NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF HCP SERVICES, INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL HCP SERVICES, INC.'s LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Oregon and shall inure to the benefit of HCP Services, Inc. and any successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Multnomah County, Oregon. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts." TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION 1 Using This Manual 2 Using Existing Data Files 2 Back-up Copies 3 Getting Started - Short Cut 3 SECTION TWO - SOFTWARE REFERENCE 5 The Main Screen 5 The File Menu 6 Picking A Catalog To Use 6 Starting A New Catalog 8 Alphabetization 10 Totalling Values 11 The Edit Menu 18 The View Menu 23 List Range Of Entries 25 Report Setup Button 25 Report Formats 28 Report Maintenance Options 29 Alphabetical Listings 34 Searches 35 Sequential 36 Alphabetical 37 Global 39 Quick View 40 Utilities Menu 40 SECTION THREE - STEP-BY-STEP 48 Using Different Catalogs 48 Printing A Report 49 Alphabetical Listing 49 Searching 50 Another Way To Search 51 Entering Similar Entries 52 Lock Top Line Feature 52 APPENDIX - PROBLEM SOLVING 54 __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 1 SECTION ONE INTRODUCTION HomeCraft's ORGANIZE! Your Collection For Windows software is a quick and easy-to-use database/cataloging program designed specifically for organizing information about personal collections. Cataloging systems for ten types of collections are each described in separate files (icons). Plus you can design your own cataloging systems to meet your requirements. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: this software requires an IBM compatible computer running Windows version 3.1 or later. A hard disk is required. USING THIS MANUAL This manual is divided into three main sections plus appendixes. You are reading section one now. It contains the introductory information and it also includes a short, two page set of instructions for those of you who can't wait to give ORGANIZE! a try. Section two provides more detailed instructions to help you start using the software as soon as possible. The third section is a "how-to" section providing step-by-step instructions for the most commonly used features in ORGANIZE! The ORGANIZE! software can be used to catalog a wide variety of collections. For that reason this manual does not specifically describe using the ORGANIZE! software for any one type of collection. Examples are given using a variety of collections. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 2 USING EXISTING DATA FILES The Windows version of ORGANIZE! can not directly use files created by the DOS version of OYC. If you have files created by the DOS version, or another of HomeCraft's programs such as "Book Minder", "For Record Collectors", or "Home Insurance", you need to get the registered version of this software. The registered version of "OYC In Windows" can directly read DOS version 5 and 6 files, and it can convert files created by versions older than 5.0. At HomeCraft a standard we maintain (for registered users), above all else, is that: we will never make a change in our software that results in your having to retype your catalog. If we do need to change the data format, all registered users of the new version will be supplied with a free conversion utility. (We've only needed to supply a conversion utility once in the past ten years). We know that the information in your catalog is very important and took a lot of work to compile--we'll do everything we can to insure you never have to type it again. If you have your collection cataloged using a database program that can create dBase III files, ORGANIZE! will directly import those files. All you need to do is select the "Import dBase" option on the Catalog Maintenance window. There are specific instructions on how to import dBase III files in the second section of this manual. TECHNICAL SUPPORT: If you have problems using the ORGANIZE! software, please read the entire manual first. Appendix A provides a trouble shooting guide that may be helpful in solving problems. If you are unable to solve the problem by reading the manual, feel free to give us a call. The number is 1-503- 692-3732. Limited technical support for shareware users is generally available from 9am till 5pm Pacific time monday through friday. When you call, please be near your computer and have it turned on. You may also contact us via Compuserve at ID number 71450,254; or by fax at 1-503-692-0382. You can contact me directly, for technical support or with questions, by writing to: Steve Hudgik, President - PSG-HomeCraft P.O. Box 974 Tualatin, OR 97062 U.S.A. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 3 MAKE BACK UP COPIES The most important suggestion I can pass on is to ask that you make sure to make back-up copies of your data files (the ones that end with DAT). If you have a hard disk I recommend using software such as FastBack or PC Tools. Any time you have typed more entries than you'd want to type again, you should backup up your catalog. Anytime you are going to defragment your hard disk; install a new program; or modify and OYC catalog, first be sure you have a current backup copy of your OYC catalog(s). GETTING STARTED - SHORT CUT For those of you who want to get started right away, here is a very short summary of how to use the ORGANIZE! software. In this "short-cut" summary I have assumed you have a basic knowledge of computers and Windows. If you are unfamiliar with Windows or computers, you may want to skip this section as it could make things appear to be confusing. After installing ORGANIZE! its icon will appear as a part of the "Main" program group in the Program Manager. You can move the icon to another group by clicking on the "OYC" icon and dragging it into the program group where you'd like it to be permanently located. When you start ORGANIZE! for the first time it will be set to use the mailing list format. To switch to the catalog format you need for your collection pull down the File Menu and click on "Catalog Maintenance" (see figure 1). When the "Catalog Maintenance window is displayed you will see a box on the lower left side that displays a list of all of the catalogs you've installed. Double click on the one you want to use. Then click on the "OK" button to return to the Main Screen. You can use this catalog the way we've designed it, however most people like to customize it to specifically fit what they want to do. In most cases you will not need all of the fields, or you may want to add some other fields. To change the catalog format go back to the "Catalog Maintenance" window and click on the "Change Format" button. This will display a screen on which the __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 4 field names and lengths can be changed. Setting a field length to zero removes that field from the catalog format. The "Catalog Setup" window is also used to mark the fields to be alphabetized or totalled. Marking a field with the "key" symbol sets it to be alphabetized. I recommend that you not alphabetize more than four or five fields at one time. Each field that is marked to be alphabetized results in the creation of index files, which can use a significant amount of disk space. Once the catalog is set up the way you want it to be, you can start entering information about your collection. Just fill in the blanks and click on the "Save" button at the top of the screen. Anytime you push "F5" then entry displayed on the screen will be saved. Each time you save a new entry, a new blank screen will appear, ready for another entry to be typed. For additional "quick start" information about using OYC For Windows read the help screens provided in the software. The next section in the manual provides detailed information about each feature in the software. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 5 SECTION TWO SOFTWARE REFERENCE This section provides information about using each of the features in ORGANIZE! Your Collection For Windows. THE MAIN SCREEN The Main Screen has five different areas: 1) The line across the top of the screen identifies the software and the version number. It also includes the three standard Windows symbols: a minus sign in the upper left corner, and up/down arrows in the upper right corner. These are used to control the size and position of the Main Screen. For information describing how these controls work please see Appendix B, Using Windows. 2) The second line from the top of the screen is a menu bar. We'll discuss each menu and menu selection shortly. 3) The third line from the top provides a series of push buttons. These buttons provide direct access to the most commonly used OYC features. Each push button will be discussed when the corresponding menu selection is discussed. 4) The center area of the screen is used to display and enter information about your collection. 5) At the bottom of the screen there are a series of status displays (see figure 2). These show, from left to right: the current entry number being displayed; the name of the current catalog in use; the entry status--whether the entry is deleted or has a memo attached to it; whether the catalog is sorted or unsorted; where the results of a search or listing will be displayed; and the current mode (ie. Make Entries, Edit, Search, etc.) the software is in. I'll explain the information shown here in greater detail as we go along. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 6 THE FILE MENU Put the mouse cursor on the word "File" (it's the left-most selection on the menu bar at the top of the screen) and click once. This will display the File Menu. You can also display the File Menu by holding down the ALT key and pushing the letter "F". There are only two selections on the File Menu: Catalog Maintenance and Exit. Select "Exit" when you are done using OYC and wish to exit from the software. The Catalog Maintenance option provides a variety of features related to the catalogs such as: switching between various catalogs; designing a new catalog; renaming catalogs; and backing-up a catalog onto a floppy disk. Go ahead and select the Catalog Maintenance option (use the mouse to click on it) on the Files Menu. This will display the Catalog Maintenance window. I'll discuss each of the features in this window. Picking A Catalog To Use The Catalog Maintenance window is shown in figure 3 and the next page). The left side of the Catalog Maintenance window is used to select the catalog you want to use. Catalogs can be stored on any drive and in any directory, although I suggest keeping all of your OYC files together by storing the catalog files in the same directory as the OYC program. The top box on the left side of the window shows the drive, path, and directory where the current catalog in use is located. To select a different disk drive use the mouse to click on the down arrow that is on the left side of the upper box. In figure 3 this box contains the words "c:[VOLUME 1]". This will pull down a list of the available drives on your computer. Click on the letter for the drive you want to use. The path display, below the box you just used to select a drive, will change to show the current path and directory on the drive you just selected. (If you are not familiar with these terms, see the Appendix B in the Installation & Formats manual for information about paths, directories, and filenames). Use the mouse cursor and double-click on the directory you want to use. If the directory is not shown, double-click on the root directory __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 7 (which just has a the drive letter, a colon, and a backslash) to see a listing of all directories. If there are more directories than can be displayed in this box, a slider will appear on the right side of the box. Use the mouse to move this slider up and down to see other parts of the list of directories. The box in the lower-center of the left side of the Catalog Maintenance window lists the names of the available OYC catalogs in the selected directory, and it shows the number of entries in each catalog. The catalog currently being used is shown at the bottom of this window. The right side of the Catalog Maintenance window has a vertical line of push buttons. Here's a brief description of what each does: Change Format: used to modify the format of the current catalog. New: used to start a completely new catalog format. Rename: This button is used to change the name of the current catalog. Delete: lets you delete a catalog so that it is no longer on the disk. Backup: runs the OYC backup utility that will compress the catalog files onto a floppy disk. Reserve Space: is used to set aside space for future entries in the catalog. Import DBase: converts DBase III files to the data format used by OYC. Select: is used to select the catalog you want to use. OK: Click on the button to close and exit from the Catalog Maintenance window. I'll cover each of these starting with the most frequently used. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 8 Selecting A Catalog To get OYC to switch to another existing catalog, go to the Catalog Maintenance window. In the box displaying the list of catalogs, use the mouse cursor to double-click on the name of the catalog you want to use. The blue scroll-bar will highlight that catalog's name and a light yellow border will appear around the outer edge of the scroll-bar. Next click on the "Select" push button and the highlighted catalog will become the current catalog. You can now click on the "OK" button to leave the Catalog Maintenance window and return to the Main Screen. The format for the newly selected catalog will then be displayed on the Main Screen. It is possible that files created by other programs will be listed as OYC catalogs. Should this happen, the number of entries for that catalog will be zero. If you try to select a non-OYC file, you will get an error message that says, "The default catalog is invalid or missing. No catalog selected." Starting/Designing A New Catalog To start a new catalog go to the Catalog Maintenance window and use the mouse to click on the "New" button. A window titled "New Catalog" will open. Enter the name you want to use for the new catalog. Catalog names must be valid DOS filenames. They may have up to eight characters and they may not contain punctuation or blank spaces. Then either press ENTER or click on the "OK" button. The easiest way to start a new catalog is to copy the format from an existing catalog, if there is one that is similar to what you want in the new catalog. The next prompt you see on the screen asks whether you like to use the format of the highlighted catalog, and copy it to the new catalog you are creating. Notice the format of the highlighted catalog will be copied, not the currently selected catalog. This allows you to highlight any catalog, picking the one that best serves as a good starting point for your new catalog, without having to set the software to use that catalog. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 9 You'll now be at the Catalog Setup window. The name of the catalog you are working on is shown in brackets at the top of the window. There are four components of a catalog format that can be changed: the names of the fields; the length of the fields; which fields are to be alphabetized; and which fields are to be totalled. There are a total of 21 fields (lines) that can be used for entering information about the items in your collection. First I'll describe how to set up a catalog format, then I'll talk about how the software should be used for cataloging a collection. Field Names The field names are shown in a column on the left side of this window. Notice that there is a button that looks like a white "circle" next to each field (see figure 4). The button that contains a black dot indicates the line you are currently working on. To move the black dot to another circle, so you can work on another line, put the mouse cursor on the line you want to work on and click the left mouse button. To change a field name, or enter a field name where none exists, put the mouse cursor on the field name box where you want to enter the new name and push the left mouse button. A thin vertical line will appear within that field name box. You can then type in the new field name. Note: the software is always in the insert mode when typing field names. If there is already a name for the field, it will move to the right as you type in the new name. Push the delete key to erase the existing field name. Field names can be up to 14 characters in length. If you are unable to type in a field name that has 14 or less characters, then there is probably still some of the previous field name left. Push the DEL key to erase the previous field name. Note: You do not need to have a name for each field. Field Lengths Fields can be anywhere from one character up to 64 characters in length. Fields whose lengths are set to zero will not appear as __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 10 a part of the catalog format. Thus, setting a field to a zero length, "turns off" that field so it no longer exists. Field lengths can be set in two ways. The first way is to use the "Add" and "Subtract" buttons on the right side of this window. Clicking on the "Add" button adds one character to the length of the field. Clicking on the "Subtract" button reduces the length of the field by one character. The second way to set the field length is to click on the "Length" box and then type in the number for the length of the field. To give you a feel for the actual length of the field, a sample field is shown at the bottom of the window. This sample graphically shows the length of the currently selected field. Alphabetizing With Indexes (Key Fields) The OYC software uses indexes to put information into alphabetical order. A computer uses an index in the same way an index is used in a book. In a book the index is an alphabetical listing of the contents of a book. If you want to find something in the book quickly, you look it up in the index so you can go directly to the correct page. A computer index works the same way. A computer index is an alphabetical listing of the information in a specific field. If you want to quickly find something in your catalog, the computer can use the index to immediately go to the correct entry. A computer index is also used to put a catalog into alphabetical order, just like a book index puts the contents of the book into alphabetical order. Thus, if you want to put your catalog in order by catalog number, you will need to set the catalog number field to be indexed. To select fields to be indexed first click on the field name, and then click on the small box next to the word "Key" on the right side of the window (you can also push ALT-K instead of using the mouse). The word "key" refers to the "key" words in an index. A key symbol will appear next to each field that has been set to be indexed. To stop a field from being indexed just repeat this process and the "key" symbol will be removed. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 11 I recommend that you not set more than four or five fields to be indexed. Each index uses additional disk space and will tend to slow down the software. Totalling Values In Fields Fields can be set so that any numerical values entered in those fields will be totalled. This feature would be used, for example, to get the total value (or total cost) of your collection. Any field that is marked to be totalled, will give a total value at the end of every search or listing. Only those items included in the search or listing will be included in the total. Thus, for example, if you search for all of the items in your collection that start with the letter "A", the total value of those items will be shown at the end of that report. To set a field to be totalled click on the small box next to the word "Sum" on the right side of the window. An "X" will appear in the box when the field is set to be totalled and a sum symbol (it looks like an "M" turned on its side) will be displayed next to the field. Saving The Catalog Format Once the catalog format has been set up the way you want it to be, click on the "OK" button (or push ALT-O) to save the new format and return to the Catalog Maintenance window. Renaming A Catalog You can change the name of a catalog using the "Rename" button on the Catalog Maintenance window. Click on the "Rename" button. You'll then be prompted to enter the new name for the catalog. The name must be a valid DOS filename. This means you may enter up to eight characters, except that punctuation characters and spaces may not be used in catalog names. Deleting A Catalog If you no longer need a catalog, you can delete it from the disk. First click on the name of the catalog you wish to delete so that the blue highlight bar moves to that catalog name. Then click on __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 12 the "Delete" button. You'll be asked to confirm that you really wish to delete the selected catalog. Click on "Yes" to delete the catalog or "No" to return to the Catalog Maintenance window without deleting the catalog. Backing Up Your Catalog Entering information into ORGANIZE! can take a lot of time and it's not something most people want to do twice. That's why maintaining current backup copies of all your catalog files is very important. The backup button on the Catalog Maintenance window provides a limited, but effective way to backup your catalog files. NOTE: this backup feature is not intended to be a complete hard disk backup system. I strongly recommend that you purchase software such as PC Tools, Fastback, or any of the many other backup utilities available. We include this utility only because a large number of users create catalogs having several thousand entries and then lose them when their computers encounter a hard disk problem. This utility is only intended to be used while your catalog is small and until you can purchase a normal backup utility program. The backup utility will backup the catalog currently in use. The name of this catalog is displayed at the top of the Main Screen. Each catalog must be backed up separately on separate floppy disks. To use the backup utility, click on the "Backup" button on the Catalog Maintenance window. Read the first screen that appears and then push ENTER. When the next screen appears, you can push "E" to exit, "B" to start a backup, or "R" to recover backup copies from a floppy disk. On the next screen, push the letter that identifies the disk drive containing the backup floppy disk. You should start your backup using a blank formatted disk and you must use a separate disk for each catalog. The backup utility will first erase the floppy disk before it starts to make the new backup. If you try to backup two catalogs onto the same floppy disk, the first will be erased. I suggest keeping a set of three backup disks for each catalog. Rotate through this set always using the oldest one for the __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 13 current backup. For example, use disk #1 to make today's backup. Next week, when you make another backup copy, use disk #2. The third time you make a backup use disk #3. Then when you backup this catalog for the fourth time, use disk #1 again. That way, if your current backup should turn out to be bad or if it copied files that were damaged just before the backup was made (it happens a lot), you can go back to an older copy and still recover most of your catalog. NOTE: you do not need to erase or reformat backup floppies before using them a second, third, forth, etc. time for the same catalog. The backup process will erase the previous backup files on the floppy disk. You only need to start with a blank floppy when starting to back up a catalog that has never been backed up before. Each floppy disk should be used to backup just one catalog -- even if there is free space on the floppy disk. Multiple catalogs can not be backed up to a single floppy disk. Each backup disk should be labeled to show the catalog that was backed up and the date the backup was made. You can recover a backup copy by following essentially the same sequence of steps. Just push "R" for recover instead of "B" for backup on the appropriate screen. NOTE: When files are being recovered, the backup utility will not allow a file with an older date to overwrite a more recent file. If you have lost a catalog and in looking for it have created another catalog using the same name, the more recent catalog will have to be erased before the backup utility will copy the old files to your disk. There is a selection of the Utilities Menu that is used to delete catalogs. The backup utility uses a utility file called LHA. It is a separate program that ORGANIZE! runs by shelling to DOS. This utility was written by Yoshi and is copyrighted 1991 by Yoshi. The documentation for the LHA utility is included on the disk in a text file called LHA.DOC. You may use this utility for other things, such as transferring files between computers and compressing files to save space on your hard disk. I recommend you read the documenta-tion (Neither HomeCraft nor Yoshi provide technical support for the LHA utility.) Please note that LHA may not be used with any software that uses copy protection. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 14 Reserve Space The Reserve Space feature provides a way for you to set aside space on your hard disk, and reserve that space for future entries in your OYC catalog. When you click on the "Reserve Space" button a window will open and prompt you to enter the number of entries for which you want to reserve space (see figure 4). Estimate the total number of entries you expect to have and enter that number. However, if you expect to have a large number of entries (greater than 1000 or so), you should not reserve space for more than 500 to 1000 new entries at one time. Reserving too much space can result in a lot of wasted disk space, if you later change your mind about how many entries you'll be putting in the catalog. Reserving space does not set a limit on the number of entries you can have. For example, if you reserve space for 100 entries, you can still make as many entries as you wish. The software will fill the 100 reserved spaces and then continue on without any problems. If you do not wish to reserve any space, you do not need to, as the software does not require that space be reserved. The purpose of reserving space is two-fold. First, if you expect to have a lot of entries in your catalog, and you are using other software on the same disk, the reserve space feature is used to set aside disk space for use by ORGANIZE!. This will insure the disk space you want to use for your ORGANIZE! catalog is not used up by files created by other software. This feature is primarily valuable when saving a catalog on a floppy disk. The reserve space feature is also used to help prevent the catalog file from becoming fragmented. Fragmented files are a normal result of using a computer. When a computer stores information on a disk, it puts that information into the next available sector on the disk. The next available sector may not be physically located anywhere near the previous sectors the computer was using. As you add to a catalog file, it tends to be broken into small pieces that are scattered in various sectors all over the disk. The problem with fragmented files is that they slow down your computer because it takes more time for your disk drive to put __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 15 the pieces of a file together if it is scattered all over a disk. With serious file fragmentation the computer can actually lose track of pieces of a file. As a result the computer can become "confused" and lock-up; you might begin getting strange results for searches or be unable to access some entries. (This will happen with all types of programs. I've had fragmented files create problems with WordPerfect, Lotus 123 and Microsoft Works files). Reserving space helps prevent files from becoming fragmented. If you start by reserving space and then defragment your hard disk, the ORGANIZE! catalog file will stay together in one piece regardless of any other activity that affects the disk. Notice that I said you will need to defragment your hard disk. How do you de-fragment a disk? You will need a utility that has been designed to do that. Take a look in Appendix A for a further discussion of fragmented files and descriptions of several utilities I recommend. Import A dBase File You can import the information contained in most dBase III files. To do this, click on the "Import dBase" button on the Catalog Maintenance window. This will open a window that is used to select the dBase file you want to import. The dBase file may be on any drive and in any directory. If the file you want is on another disk drive, use the drop-down list box labeled "Drives" to select the correct drive. If the dBase file is in a different directory, use the "Directory" box to select another directory. The next window contains a prompt asking you to enter a name for the new catalog that will be created. You must enter a valid eight-character DOS filename, and the name may not already be in use. The next window displays the name of the selected dBase file and shows how many records (entries) it contains. Click on the "OK" button to copy the information in the dBase file to the new OYC catalog. NOTE: this utility will only copy non-relational dBase files. Relational dBase files can not be imported into ORGANIZE!. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 16 The "Select" Button The "Select" button on the Catalog Maintenance screen is used to select a catalog. When you click on the "Select" button the catalog that is currently highlighted by the blue scroll-bar will become the currently selected catalog. For example, to switch from the MAIL catalog to the BOOKS catalog, use the mouse to click on "BOOKS" in the listing of available catalogs. This will move the blue scroll-bar to highlight "BOOKS". Then click on "Select" (or push ALT-S) to select the BOOKS catalog and make it the current catalog. When you leave the Catalog Maintenance window the BOOKS catalog format will be displayed on the screen. The "OK" Button When you have finished using the Catalog Maintenance window, and everything is as you want it to be, click on the "OK" button. This will close the Catalog Maintenance window and return you to the Main Screen. Typing A New Entry Information is entered into a catalog by typing it into the appropriate fields on the Main Screen and then pushing F5 or clicking on the "Save" button at the top of the screen. When entering information in a catalog there are several things to keep in mind. Be Consistent Be consistent in how you enter the information. Always use consistent capitalization. If the words entered in a field are capitalized, then always capitalize what you enter in that field. If you use abbreviations, always use the same abbreviations. Don't change how a word or term is abbreviated from one entry to the next. When you start to type in your first few entries, set some consistent standards and then always follow those standards. This will make finding things in your catalog much easier. Numbers When entering numbers, if you want the software to put them in the correct numerical order, always use the same number of digits __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 17 to the left of the decimal point. If the largest number you expect to enter is 1000, then all numbers should be entered using four digits. Number one would be entered as "0001" and one hundred and one as "0101". Numbers do not need to have decimal points and, if they do, it does not matter how many digits each number has to the right of the decimal point. Numbers and letters can be mixed together and the software can put them in the correct alpha-numerical order, as long as the numbers are always entered using the same number of digits. Thus if you have a catalog number that has a number in the middle, such as "ART-777-X", if there is another item in which the number in the middle is number one, it should be entered as "ART-001-X". Dates As with numbers, dates also need to be entered using the same number of digits. For example, if you enter years as 19xx, then always include the "19". Don't enter one date as "1966" and for another entry type it in as "66". In addition, always use two digits for the month and day. January 1st should be entered as 01/01/95. Computers put things into alpha-numerical order starting from the left and working through the characters from left to right. As a result, if you want the computer to put your catalog in order by date so that it is in order by year, then by month for each year, and then by day for each month, you need to enter the date with the year first, then the month, ten the day. For example, August 10, 1995 would be entered as 95/08/10. If you entered dates as 08/10/95 (month, day, year) then the computer will group the dates together first by month, then by the day of the month. You would list the dates this way, for example, if you use the software to keep track of birthdays and you want to get a list of birthdays in chronological order starting with January 1st and going through until the end of the year. For this type of listing the year is not important, so it is last. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 18 THE EDIT MENU The features on the Edit Menu are used to browse through the catalog and make changes and corrections. (See figure 6.) These features are: Save Entry: Saves the information for the entry currently displayed on the screen. Erase Screen: Clears the screen and returns you to the Main Screen. Delete Entry: Deletes an entry from the catalog. Undelete Entry: Restores a deleted entry. Copy Any Previous: This feature will copy the information from any existing entry to the current entry displayed on the screen. Copy Last: copies the information from the entry immediately preceding the entry currently on the screen. Remove Memo: memos can be attached to any entry. This feature is used to get rid of a memo that you wish to delete. Memo: Allows you to add a memo to an entry or to edit an existing memo. Notice that some of the options on this menu have an "F" key designation next to them. For those items an "F" key can be used instead of going through the menu. For example, the "Save Entry" __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 19 option has "F5" to the right of it. This means that you can push F5 to save an entry without going through the Edit Menu. Let's take a look at each of the features on the Edit Menu. Save Entry This is the first option on the Edit Menu and it does exactly what it says. Clicking on this menu option, or pushing ALT-S, will save the current entry that is displayed on the screen. You can also save the entry that is on the screen by clicking on the "Save" button on the top of the screen. Erase Screen This is one of the most frequently used features in OYC. Clicking on "Erase Screen" (or pushing F7) will clear the screen and reset the software back to the Main Screen. You can also erase the screen by clicking on the "Clear" button at the top of the screen. Delete Entry If you want to remove an entry from your catalog there are two ways you can do this. The first is to put the entry to be removed on the screen and then type new information (a new entry) so that it replaces the old entry you want to get rid of. The second way is to get the entry you want to get rid of on the screen and then click on the "Delete Entry" option on the Edit Menu. This will mark that entry as being deleted and it will no longer be included in searches or listings. For example, when you conduct a search, even if the information in the deleted entry matches what you are looking to find, that entry will not be listed as a matching entry. You can also delete an entry by pushing F4, or by clicking on the "Delete" button at the top of the screen, when the entry to be deleted is displayed on the screen. Although an entry has been deleted it can still be displayed on the screen. For example, the "Find Deleted" option on the View __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 20 Menu will find and display deleted entries. When a deleted entry is on the screen the word "Deleted" will appear in the display at the bottom of the screen in the third box from the left. However, a deleted entry still exists and is still part of your catalog. A second step is required to permanently remove it from the catalog. A two step process is used to give you a chance to think about what you are doing before you permanently erase entries from your catalog. Your catalog will contain some very valuable, and sometimes irreplaceable information. It's not uncommon, when using a computer, to delete an item. But then, a fraction of a second after you press the key that performs the deletion, you realize that you've deleted the wrong item. Should that happen in OYC you can recover the deleted item and bring it back into your catalog. Once you've deleted one or more entries from a catalog, and you are sure you want to permanently get rid of them, go to the Utilities Menu and click on "Eliminate Deleted". Undelete Entry This feature brings back an entry that has been deleted. If you've just deleted an entry by mistake, click on this Edit Menu option to bring it back. You can also use some of the features on the View Menu to find deleted entries that you may want to bring back using the Undelete Entry feature. For example, the "Find Deleted" option on the View Menu will find and list all of the deleted entries in the catalog. I'll discuss other ways of displaying entries, including deleted entries, when I talk about the View Menu. Copy Any Previous For many types of collections there are many items that are very similar, with just minor variations in the information that is cataloged. The "Copy Any Previous" feature allows you to refer back to any previous entry you've made and copy all of the information from that entry to the entry currently displayed on the screen. If you are making a new entry, the information will be copied to the blank screen. If you have an existing entry display, the information will be copied to that entry so that it replaces what was there. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 21 However, the new information will not be permanently saved until you push F5 (or you select "Save Entry" on the Edit Menu, or you click on the "Save" button at the top of the screen). If you've used the "Copy Any Previous" feature by mistake, and you do not wish to loose the information in an existing entry, just push "F7" to clear the screen. If you are in the edit, search, or listing modes you can also push F1 or F2 to switch to another entry without saving the information that was copied from that entry. To use the "Copy Any Previous" feature click on this option on the Edit Menu. The screen shown in figure 7 will be displayed. type in the number of the entry you want to copy and click on "OK". Copy Last The "Copy Last" feature is one of the most frequently used. This feature copies all of the information from the entry that comes just before the entry that is currently displayed on the screen. You can also use the Copy Last feature without going through the Edit Menu by either pushing F3 or by clicking on the "Copy Last" button at the top of the screen. Here's how this feature is most often used: Let's say you are entering information about a series of similar items. A good example would be cataloging all the songs on a CD. In this case each song should be cataloged as a separate entry. This allows you to enter unique information about each song such as the timing, type of music, and the name of the artist (if this is a various artist CD). You would do this by entering all of the information about the CD, such as the CD title, label information, etc. and all of the information about the first song on the CD. Then push F5 to save this first entry. To catalog the second song on the CD you start by pushing "F3" to copy the information you just typed. This way you only need to type in information that has changed, such as the song title. The information about the CD, label, artist, etc. has all been copied from the first entry and need not be retyped. This same approach applies to entering information about any series of similar items whether they are postage stamps or Elvis posters. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 22 Memo and Remove Memo The bottom two selections on the Edit Menu allow you to add a memo to any entry or to remove a memo from an entry. A memo can be attached to any entry in your catalog. Memos contain information that is typed in paragraph form. They are usually used for notes and comments about the entry. For example, when cataloging a stamp collection a memo can be used for historical information about a stamp. The information entered in a memo can not be searched. For that reason many people prefer not to use memos. Instead they will set up three or four long lines as a part of the catalog format. These long lines are then used for notes and comments. Whether or not you use memos will depend on whether you what to include paragraphs of text about individual items, and whether you want to be able to use the searches to find information in the memos. To add a memo to an entry go to the Edit Menu and click on "Memo". This will display the "Edit Memo" window. You can type paragraphs of information in the "Edit Memo" window in the same way as you would using word processing software. The HOME, INSERT, DEL, etc. keys all work as they normally do in any word processing program. When you have completed typing the memo, click on the "OK" button to save the memo. If you wish to exit the "Edit Memo" window without saving the memo, click on the "Cancel" button. If you are editing an existing memo, clicking on "Cancel" will return you to the Main Screen without saving any of the changes you may have typed on the "Edit Memo" window. The memo will remain as it originally was. When an entry has a memo attached to it the word "See" (for See Memo) will be displayed in the third box from the left at the bottom of the screen. If an entry has a memo attached to it that is no longer needed, the "Remove Memo" feature on the Edit Menu is used to erase that memo. Start by getting the entry that has the memo to be erased on the screen, then go to the Edit Memo and click on "Remove Memo". The memo will immediately be erased. (Be sure this is the memo you want to erase before doing this). __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 23 THE VIEW MENU The View Menu is used to display or print the information in your catalog. This is the menu used to start all searches and listings. First I should talk about the difference between a search and listing. To search means to find something. A listing means that all of the entries that meet a certain criteria will be listed. For example, if you want to find all of the books written by "Isaac Asimov" you would search for "Asimov" as the author. If you want to find all of the books by authors whose names start with the letter "A", you would search for "A". However, if you want an alphabetical listing, by author, of your complete catalog then you are not having the computer search for anything specific, you are just doing a listing. Now let's talk about the features available on the View Menu (see figure 9). These features are: Select Number: let's you display the information for a specific entry number. Previous: displays the entry that comes before the one currently displayed on the screen. Next: displays the entry that comes after the one currently displayed on the screen. List Range: This feature displays all of the entries that fall within a range of entry numbers you specify. List Alphabetically: gives you a complete alphabetical listing of the entries in your catalog. Search: is used to find specific information in your catalog. Global Search: is used to find specific information in your catalog without regard to which field it is entered in. Find Deleted: finds and lists all of the deleted entries. Totals: calculates and displays the total value of your collection. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 24 Now let's discuss each of these in detail. Select Number (Viewing A Specific Entry Number) Each entry in your catalog gets a unique entry number assigned to it by the software. These numbers are not intended to be catalog numbers or part of the numbering system you use for your collection. They are only used by the computer to kept track of what information is stored where and the sequence in which you entered the information. They also tell you how many total entries you have in your catalog. However, the entry numbers can also be used by you to browse through your catalog. The "Select Number" option allows you to pick a specific entry number that you'd like to see displayed on the screen. To see the information stored in a specific entry click on the "Select Number" option on the View Menu. You'll then be prompted to enter the number for the entry you want to display. Type the number for the entry you want to see and push ENTER. The designated entry will be displayed on the screen and the software will switch into the edit mode. This means that you can edit the entry that is on the screen to make any required changes or additions. Just type the changes you want to make and push F5 to save the modify entry. Previous/Next - Browsing The Catalog You can also use the selected entry as the starting point for browsing through your catalog. There are two options on the Edit Menu; one called "Previous" and another called "Next". Clicking on the "Next" option will display the next entry in your catalog. Clicking on the "Previous" option will display the entry that comes immediately before the one currently on the screen. This is called browsing through the catalog. You can also see the next or previous entries without going through the View Menu. There are "Next" and "Previous" buttons at the top of the screen. Clicking on these will display either the next or previous entry. You can also push F1 to see the previous entry and F2 to see the next entry. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 25 List Range - Listing By Entry Number Entries within a specified range of entry numbers can be displayed on the screen or printed. This feature is useful, for example, if you'd like to proofread the entries you've just typed. If you've just type 100 entries, you can use the "List Entries" option to print those entries so you can proofread them and make any needed corrections. (I find that when I read something printed on paper I see things differently and I will catch errors I did not see on the screen). To list a group of entries by entry number click on the "List Range" option on the View Menu. This will open a window that contains prompts for the "Start #" and the "End #" (see figure 10). Type in the entry number you want to start the listing with and then the entry number of the last entry you want listed. When you press ENTER, or click on the "OK" button, the software will then list all of the entries within the range you've specified. Before trying to print a report we need to talk about something else--setting up a report. The "List Range" window includes a button titled "Report Setup". Let's talk about the features provided by this button. REPORT SETUP BUTTON There are a lot of features provided by the Report Setup button (see figure 11). They are: Report Destination: determines where the results of a search or listing will be displayed. Report format: sets some of the characteristics that effect what a printed report will look like. Paper options: let's you set the software so that it works with the type of paper you have in your printer. Page length: sets the number of lines that will be printed on each page. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 26 QV Maximun number of lines: sets the maximum number of entries that will be displayed in the Quick View mode. QV Maximum Column Width: sets the amount of space used to display a field on the Quick View screen. To select the setting you want to use put the mouse cursor on the circle next to the option you want to select and click the left mouse button. Report Destination You can have the results of a search or listing displayed, printed, or saved to a file on your disk. The "Report Destination" box on the Report Setup window is used to set where the information will go. This box includes the following options: Monitor: shows entries one at a time on the Main Screen. Print: prints the entries using the currently set printed report format. I'll talk about printed report formats as soon as I finish this section. Quick View: displays the entries on the screen so that you can see 20 entries at one time. ASCII File: uses the currently set report format to save the entries in a text file. You will be given the opportunity to enter a name of the file to be used. The software will automatically assign a filename extension of "TXT". dBase File: saves the entries in a file using the dBase III file format. You will be given the opportunity to enter a name for the dBase file. A filename extension of "DBF" will automatically be added. Paper Options The box in the upper right corner of the Report setup window provides three options for the type of paper. Continuous: This is the option that is normally used. Select this option if you have a printer that continuously feeds paper into the printer. This includes laser printers. Although laser printers use individual sheets of paper, they automatically feed the paper into the printer. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 27 Single Sheet: Select this option if your printer only accepts one sheet of paper at a time and you need to feed each sheet into the printer manually. Some people have found this feature useful for printing on both sides of the paper. The software prints the first side of the page, and then waits for another page to be fed into the printer. You then take the first page and feed it into the printer so that the back side of the page is printed. Labels: This option works like the continuous setting, except that the software will not skip the page breaks. This allows you to print continuous feed labels in a dot-matrix printer. Laser printer labels should be printed using the "continuous" setting, as laser labels work just like sheets of paper. To change this setting put the mouse cursor on the circle next to the setting you wish to use and click the left mouse button. Report Options The box in the lower left corner of the Report Setup window provides several options that affect what your printed reports look like. These are all features that are toggled on or off by putting the mouse cursor on the button (that looks like a small box) next to the feature you wish to turn on or off, then clicking once. When an "X" is in the button next to a feature, that feature is on. In previous versions of this software some people have decided that they wanted to try all of the features, and they have turned all of the features shown in this box on at the same time, without regard to how their report format was designed. Do not just turn everything on without understanding what it does. While turning everything on will not hurt anything, nor will it cause any damage to your catalog, you can get some strange looking printed reports. Dashed Line: When this feature is on the software will print a dashed line between each entry that is printed. The dashed line serves to separate the entries and helps to make them easier to read. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 28 Column Headings: Use this feature when you are printing a report in which the information is printed in columns. When the column headings are turned on, the names of the fields being printed will be listed at the top of each page. I do not recommend using this feature for reports that are not printed in columns. If you are getting printed reports that have the names of the fields in the top half of the page, and the information for a single entry on the bottom half of the page (thus only getting one entry printed per page), go to the Report Setup window and turn the Column Headings off. Lock Top Line: This is a special feature in OYC that is used to create headings on listings. It is generally only used with two line report formats. Then "No Space" option that is a part of the "Lock Top Line" feature provides a way to add a blank line before each heading. I'll discuss the "Lock Top Line" feature when I talk about setting up a report format in the next section. Sometimes, when you click on the "Report Setup" button a message that says, "No report format selected. Printer and file output disabled." will be displayed. This means that there has not yet been a report format selected. So let's talk about selecting and setting up a report format. REPORT FORMATS Before you can print a report you need to set up a report format to that specifies which fields to print how how they will be arranged on the page. The software comes with several report formats. If you print a report without changing any of the settings, the software will automatically use a report format that prints all 21 lines. If you've set the catalog format to have less than 21 lines, you'll probably see quite a bit of blank space on each page. One important point that many people get mixed about is that the catalog format and the printed report format are two different formats. Most other software prints reports by taking the information that you see on the screen and printing it in the same arrangement on paper. This software is different! OYC gives up the flexibility to arrange the information on the paper any way you want, without regard to how it appears on the screen. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 29 You can include just those lines you want to have printed, you need not print all of the information you've entered about each item. As far as what information is included and how it is arranged, the catalog and reports formats are two different formats that are not related. You can have as many different report formats as you want, with each one having the information arranged differently. The "Report Maintenance" option on the Reports Menu (see figure 12) is used to create and modify report formats. When you click on "Report Maintenance" you will see a window that looks very similar to the "Catalog Maintenance" window. Report Maintenance The "Report Maintenance" window includes the following features: Report Format box: is used to select the report format you want to use. Edit: used to modify an existing report format New: click on this button to create a new report format. Copy: creates a new report format that is the same as the current report format, but with a different name. This feature is used to setup new report formats that are similar to an existing format. Rename: renames the current report format. Delete: deletes the report format and erases it from the hard disk. Select: click on this button to select the highlight report format. You can also select a report format by double clicking on its name. OK: closes this window and returns you to the Main Screen. Now let's look at each of these in detail. The "Report Maintenance" window. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 30 Report Formats - Selecting A Report Format The "Report Formats" box is used to select the report format you want to use or edit. To select a report format put the mouse cursor on the name of the report format you want and then double click. This will select that format. To delete, rename, copy, or edit a report format you do not need to select the format. Click on the name of the format once and the highlight bar will move to that format. However, the selected format, shown at the bottom of the window, will not change. You can then work on the highlighted format without, for example, losing track of the format you want to use for your next printed report. Edit / New - Creating And Modifying Report Formats The "Edit" and "New" features work exactly the same way and use the same screens, with the exception that the "New" feature first prompts you to enter a name for the new report format. When you click on the "Edit" button the "Edit Report Format" screen will open and the format of the currently highlighted report format will be displayed. If you have forgotten how a report format is set up, this is a good way to quickly see that format. When you click on the "New" button you will be prompted to enter the name you want to use for the new report format. Type in the name, using up to eight letters or numbers, and then either push ENTER or click on "OK". This will open and display the "Edit Report Format" screen. The name of the report format you are working on will always be displayed in parenthesis at the top of the screen. Looking at the controls on the "Edit Report Format" screen: On the left is a box labeled "# Lines". Your catalog format can have up to 21 lines of information. The report format reflects that and can also have up to 21 lines. To increase the number of lines that will be used to print each entry click on the "up arrow". To decrease the number of lines click on the "down" arrow. The number in the box next to the up/down arrows shows the number of lines that will be used for each item. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 31 Notice that as you click on the up/down arrows there is a line that moves up and down on the screen. In figure 14 this line is just below the "OWNER" field. This line is used to show the active work area, which is the area above the line. The lines of information that are placed in the active work area are the ones that will be printed when you print a report. The box at the bottom center of the screen is used to position information on the report format. Any of the lines in the catalog format can be positioned anywhere within the active work area. Start by clicking on the "Name" box to display a menu that lists all of the names in the catalog format. Then double click on the name of the line you want to add to report format. Next position the cursor in the active work area at the top of the screen, at the spot where you would like the selected line to be printed, and click the left mouse button. The active work area is a representation of part of a sheet of paper and it shows where each line will be located when it is printed. However, the active work area is only an approximation of how things will look when printed. Because, in many cases, Windows prints using proportional fonts, the spacing may vary slightly. You just need to be aware that, if you've set Windows to use a proportional font--which is almost any font except courier--that it takes more space to print the letters "W" and "M" than it does for the letters "i" or "l". Thus, if the information being printed has a lot of M's or W's, that may effect the end result you see on the paper. This is not something you need to worry about, but it is something you need to be aware of. When you put a line on the report format the name of that line will appear at the spot where you have set it to be printed-- although in some cases only part of the name will appear. The software approximates the amount of space that will be used to print the average information that might be in your catalog, and displays the name of the line using that amount of space. However, if this is a short name or a short line (which, as a result, uses little space), only part of the line name will appear. The number of characters to be printed can be reduced to a number that is less than the number of characters in that line in the catalog format. For example, let's suppose that your catalog __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 32 format has a DESCRIPTION line that has 40 characters. However, when you print a report you want to save paper by printing the information from several catalog lines on a single line in the printed report. If you feel that the first 20 characters of the description is enough for you to know what the item is, you can decrease the length of the DESCRIPTION line so that only the first 20 characters are printed. This has no effect on the catalog format, where the DESCRIPTION line stays at 40 characters. It only effects the number of characters that will be used to print the information on the description line. The "Width" control (see figure 15) is used to adjust the number of characters that will be used in the printed report. Clicking on the down arrow decreases the number of characters that will be printed. Clicking on the up arrow increases the number of characters. However, the number of characters can not be increased above the length of the line in the catalog format. You can have information from more than one line printed on a single line in a report. However, you must have at least one blank space between each item. The software will not allow you to place lines on the report format so that they run together or overlap each other. Once a line is placed on the report format it can be moved around in several ways. For example, you can use the mouse to click on the line you want to relocate. (That will turn the background for that line black). Then put the cursor at the new position for the line and click the left mouse button. There is also a set of four arrow buttons located just above the "Remove" button. Clicking on any of these will move the selected line by one space in the direction of the arrow. You can not, however, use these buttons to move a line into an invalid location--for example, a location that is already occupied by another line. The "Remove" button is used to remove a line from the report format. First click on the line you want to remove so that it is highlighted in black, then click on the "Remove" button. You can create report formats that are up to 256 characters wide. However, most printers can not print that many characters across the width of a page. You need to be aware of how many characters your printer can fit on a single line. And keep in mind that this number will vary depending on which font you are using and whether you are printing in landscape or portrait mode (on a laser printer). A general rule of thumb is that when using a 12 point courier font, you can get 80 characters per line. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 33 A column and row display in the center box shows the position of the currently selected line. This can be used to help you determine whether all of the lines on your report format will fit within the available width of the paper. If, when setting up a report format, you want to place lines in columns that are off the right edge of the screen, use the "Scroll Page" arrows to shift the screen to the left. Using the "Scroll Page" arrows you have access to the full 256 columns that can be printed. The final option on the "Edit Report Format" screen is the "Show Titles" option. You have the option of either having the line title printed as a part of the report format, or just having the information printed with no title. For example, if this option is active, then a line titled "DESCRIPTION" would first print the word "DESCRIPTION", then a colon, and then the information on the description line. When line titles are printed an additional 16 characters is added to the space used to print each line. Once you have the report format set up the way you want it to be, click on the "OK" button to save the format and return to the "Report Maintenance" screen. Copying Report Formats Should you be setting up a new report format that is very similar to an existing format, you can copy that existing format and use it as the starting point for the new format. To copy a report format first click (once) on the name of the format you want to copy. This will move the blue highlight bar to that name. Then click on the "Copy" button. The dialog box shown in figure 17 will appear. Type in the name you want to use for the new format; and then push ENTER or click on the "OK" button. Rename A Report Format If you'd like to change the name of a report format, first click (once) on the name of the format to be renamed. This will move the blue highlight bar to that name. Then click on the "Rename" button and enter the new name for this format. Push ENTER, or click on OK, and the format will be renamed. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 34 Deleting Report Formats To get rid of a report format, and erase it from the disk, click (once) on the name of the report format to be erased so that the blue highlight bar moves to that format. Then click on the "Delete" button. The software will ask you if you are sure you want to erase this format. Click on "OK" and the format will be erased. Now let's return to the View Menu and continue covering the menu options on that menu. We've already talked about listing a group of entries based on their entry numbers, so let's go on to the next option on the View Menu, List Alphabetically. VIEW MENU - List Alphabetically The "List Alphabetically" option provides a way to list either your entire catalog, or a selected portion of it, in alphabetical order. To produce an alphabetical listing the line that will be alphabetized must have a key symbol on it indicating that it is indexed. When you click on the "List Alphabetically" option on the View Menu the "List Alphabetically" window will be displayed. The first step is to select the field that will be alphabetized. Click on the "Key Field" box to see a menu listing all of the index fields. Then click on the field you want listed alphabetically. If you need to change the settings on the "Report Setup" window, click on the "Report Setup" button. You would do this, for example, if you had been listing information on the Quick View screen and you now wanted to reset the software to produce a printed report. If you want an alphabetical listing of your complete catalog, click on "OK" and the software will start the listing. If you want to limit the entries that will be listed to a specified range, you can set both a starting point and an ending point. To set a starting point click on the "Set Start" button. This will display the "Setup Alpha Starting Point" screen. You can enter starting point criteria for any of the lines in your catalog. However, the information you enter to designate the starting point must match an existing entry. If it does not you will get a "No matches found" message when you start the listing. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 35 I recommend keeping things as simple as possible when setting a starting point. Keep in mind that the more information you enter, the more chances there are for a typo. You should generally only enter information on the line being listed alphabetically. However, if you need to you can enter information in other fields and the software will automatically cross reference to find the matching entry that will be the starting point of the listing. The ending point is set in the same way using the "Set End" button. You can set either a starting point or an ending point without setting the other. For example, setting a starting point, but no ending point, will start the listing with the designated entry and list the catalog from that point to the end. VIEW MENU - Searches The searches are used to find things in your catalog. To start a search click on the "Search" option on the View Menu. This will display the "Search" window. There are two type of searches: alphabetical and sequential. The alphabetical search uses the indexes to quickly find and jump to the matching entries. An alphabetical search works just like using an index in a book to find something. You can look in the index, find what you want, and go directly to the age containing the information you want. A sequential search, on the other hand, works like reading a book. One way to find the information you need in a book is to start reading the book from the beginning and keep reading until you come to the information you want. Reading a book, from the beginning, takes a lot more time than just looking in the index and going directly to the page you need. But it does have advantages (otherwise, why would we bother reading books?). For example, an index does not contain a listing of all of the information in the book. The index just lists the "key" topics. There's a lot more in the book than just what is listed in the index. By reading the book you can find information that may not be listed in the index. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 36 Computers work in exactly the same as I've described for books. The alphabetical searches use the indexes to quickly find the desired information. The sequential searches start at the beginning of the catalog, and read through the entire catalog looking for and identifying entries that have the information you want. While sequential searches are slower, they can do things that alphabetical searches can not, such as find information within a line. Alphabetical searches can only find exact matches of information, starting on the left end of the field. Let's start by seeing dow to do a sequential search. Sequential Searches The Search Window has a box in the upper left corner that is used to select either an alphabetical or a sequential search. Click on the circle next to the word "Sequentially" to set the software to use a sequential search. Next you need to tell the computer what you want it to find. Click on the "Search Setup" button. This will display the "Setup Search Criteria" window (see figure 20). All you do is type in the information you want to find, in the same field where it is located in your catalog. You can enter information on multiple fields and the software will automatically cross reference the information you've entered and find just those entries that match all parts of the search criteria. You can enter information you want to find in one field, or in all of the fields. However, I suggest keeping the search criteria as simple as possible. The more complex you make it, the more fields on which you enter something to search for, the more likely it is that there will be a typo. You do not need to enter complete words or phrases as the search criteria. For example, if you are searching for the name "Paul Stephanopolis", but can't remember how to spell it, just search for "Paul Ste". You can also search for letters, words, or phrases that are contained within the information in a field. For example, searching for "Red" will find "Redbird", "Robert Redford", and "Red Roses For A Blue Lady." Once you have entered the criteria that identifies what you want to find, click on the "OK" button. This will return you to the search window. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 37 If you have not already selected a report type, click on the "Report Setup" button. You can now set the report to be printed, saved in an ASCII file on the disk, listed on the Quick View screen, etc. I generally find the Quick View screen to be the most convenient way to look at the results of a search or listing. It lists 19 entries at a time on the screen, and it's easy to scroll through the list. I'll be discussing the Quick View screen shortly. The settings on the Report Setup screen are retained from one search to the next. Once you have set them, you do not need to set them again unless you need to make a change. The settings will go back to their defaults anytime you use a different catalog or when you exit from the software. There is one additional setting to look at before starting the search. The software can be set to do searches in either a case sensitive mode or case insensitive mode. When doing case sensitive searches the capitalization of the search criteria must exactly match that of the information in the catalog. When set to case insensitive, the capitalization does not matter. The case sensitive/insensitive setting is set by clicking on the box next to the words "Case Sensitive". When there is an "x" in the box the searches will be case sensitive. It might seem that you would want all searches to always be case insensitive. That way you wouldn't need to worry about whether a word is capitalized or not. However, there are some very important uses for case sensitive searches. For example, using the example of searching for "Red"; if you wanted to find all people whose names start with "Red" then you should run a case sensitive search. That way the search would just find "Redford" and "Redmond", and would ignore "Fredrickson" and "Predwell". To start the search click on the "OK" button. Alphabetical Searches To run a search in which the matching entries are listed in alphabetical order, start by selecting "Search" on the View Menu. The "Search" window will appear. Click on the circular button next to "Alphabetically". __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 38 As with the sequential searches, if you have not already done so, you should click on the "Report Setup" button to set these options. Next click on the "Search Setup" and enter the search criteria. This is done in the same way as for the sequential search. The main difference between the alphabetical searches and the sequential searches is that the buttons in the "Alpha Setup" box can now be used (see figure 21). Start by clicking on the "Key Field" box. This will display a menu of showing the fields that are indexed. Click on the name of the field that you want to use to set the alphabetical order. If you want the search to include your complete catalog, click on "OK" and the software will start the listing. If you want to limit the entries that will be searched to a specified range, you can set both a starting point and an ending point. To set a starting point click on the "Set Start" button. This will display the "Setup Alpha Starting Point" screen. You can enter starting point criteria for any of the lines in your catalog. However, the information you enter to designate the starting point must match an existing entry. If it does not you will get a "No matches found" message when you start the search. I recommend keeping things as simple as possible when setting a starting point. Keep in mind that the more information you enter, the more chances there are for a typo. You should generally only enter information on one or two fields. However, if you need to you can enter information in, other fields and the software will automatically cross reference to find the matching entry that will be the starting point of the search. The ending point is set in the same way using the "Set End" button. You can set either a starting point, or an ending point, without setting the other. For example, setting a starting point, but no ending point, will start the search with the designated entry and list the catalog from that point to the end. To start the search click on the "OK" button. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 39 Global Search The sequential and alphabetical searches I've described so far only search the fields in which search criteria is entered. If you entered a word to search for on a NAME field, the search will only find those entries that have that word in that specific field. But what if you want to find something that might be included in any of the fields. For example, you might want to search for "Ron Howard" and find all the movies in which has acted, or which he has produced, or directed or written. You could do this with four separate searches, by searching the actor, producer, director, and writer fields one at a time. Or you can use a global search. A global search will find entries that contain information that matches the search criteria, without regard to which field contains that information. To start a global search click on "Global Search" on the View Menu. This will display the Global Search window (see figure 22). There is only one setting on this window, the toggle for the "Case Sensitive" setting. Like the other types of searches, you can set global searches to be either case sensitive or case insensitive. Start thee global search by typing the information you want to find. This can be a single character, an abbreviation, a word, or a phrase. Remember, if the search is set to be case sensitive, the capitalization of what you type here as the search criteria must exactly match the way it is entered in your catalog. Once the search criteria is entered, click on the "OK" button to start the search. Finding Deleted Entries When an entry is deleted from the catalog using the "Delete Entry" option on the Edit Menu, it is not physically removed from the catalog. What happens is that the entry is marked as being deleted and all searches and listings will treat that entry as if it does not exist. However, there may come a time when you want to recover a deleted entry--possibly it was deleted by mistake. But since the searches and listing no longer recognize it as a valid entry, there is no way to find it--especially if you have a large catalog. This is where the "Find Deleted" option is handy. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 40 Clicking on the "Find Deleted" option on the View Menu will list all of the deleted entries in the catalog. Before doing this be sure the software is set for the report mode you want to use. For example, if you want to look at the deleted entries using the Quick View screen, use the "Setup" option on the Reports Menu to set the software to use the Quick View screen. Getting Total Values The final option on the View Menu is called "Totals". This option provides a quick way to see the total value of your collection. Just click on "Totals" and the software will display the total amount entered in all fields that are marked to be totaled. For example, if you have a VALUE field, this feature will go through your catalog and add up the amount entered in that field for each entry, and then display the total. Quick View I've mentioned the Quick View screen several times. The Quick View screen provides a way to see 19 entries on a single screen (see figure 23). The information for each entry is listed horizontally on the screen. A slider along the bottom of the Quick View screen allows you to move the display left and right, and thus see all of the fields. The slider on the right edge of the Quick View screen let's you move the display up and down to see additional entries. Entries can be edited right on the Quick View screen. To make a change use the mouse cursor to click on the field you want to change. That field will then be placed into an edit box (the outline around the field becomes bold). You can then edit the contents of that field and the changes will automatically be saved. The top of the Quick View screen will always display the column headings that identify the fields. These headings are shown on a grey background. The entry number is shown on a grey background on the left edge of the screen. UTILITIES MENU The Utilities Menu has six options (see figure 24). These are: __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 41 Reindex: creates all new indexes for all fields marked with a "key" symbol. Sort: puts the catalog into alpha-numerical order based on the information in several fields. Copy Entries: copies entries from one catalog to another. Eliminate Deleted: permanently removes deleted entries from the catalog and recovers the space used by the deleted entries. Set Security Code: is used to set up a security code that limits access to your catalogs. Setup Macro: A macro provides a way to use a single ALT-key combination to enter a full line of information. This option on the Utilities Menu is used enter the information the macro ALT- keys display. Now let's take a look at each of these in more detail. Re-indexing A Catalog As we've already discussed, the indexes are used to put the catalog into alphabetical order. The reindex feature is used anytime you need to have the software take all of the information in your catalog and put it into an index. Normally entries in a catalog are entered into the indexes as you type them. You do not need to reindex just because you've added some information to a catalog. However, if you already have some entries in a catalog, and you then turn on the indexing for a field, the existing entries will not be in the index for that field. This is when you need to run the "Reindex" feature to put all the existing entries into the new index. Another circumstance that results in having to reindex a catalog is when files get damaged. While the catalog is a very difficult file to damage, the indexes are very fragile. They maintain information that is both large and complex, and which can be damaged by things such as fragmented or cross-linked files. Should it seem that the software is having trouble with listing _________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 42 entries in the correct alphabetical order, running the Reindex feature will usually clear up the problem. Re-indexing is simple and straight-forward. Click on the "Reindex" option on the Utilities Menu and the re-indexing is automatically taken care of by the software. Multiple-Level Sorting Sorting, like indexing, also puts the entries in your catalog into alphabetical order. However, unlike indexing, which handles each field individually, sorting can base the alphabetical order on several fields. With music, for example, you might use the sort feature to put your catalog into alphabetical order by artist, and then for each artist have all of the songs listed alphabetically. With a book collection you can list it alphabetically by subject; and for each subject have the titles arranged alphabetically by author; and for each author have all of their books listed alphabetically by title. For a stamp collection you might want it grouped by country, and for each country have the stamps listed by year, and then for each year put them in order by Scott number. All of these are done using the sort feature. To sort your catalog click on the "Sort" option on the Utilities Menu. This will display the "Sort Setup" window (see figure 25). This window is used to set the order in which you want your catalog sorted. The main part of this window will initially be blank. On the left side of the lower portion of the window is a drop-down list-box that lists the fields in the catalog. Use this list-box to select the first field to be alphabetized. Then click on the "add" button to add it to the list of fields to be sorted. Then select the next field to be alphabetized. For example, if you have a book catalog that want to be in alphabetical order by AUTHOR, and then for each author have all of their books listed alphabetically by TITLE; first select the "AUTHOR field in the drop-down list-box and then click on the "Add" button. You'll see the word "AUTHOR" appear near the top of the window. Go to the drop-down list-box again and select "TITLE". Click on the "Add" button and the word "TITLE" will appear on the upper portion of this window. As you select the fields to be alphabetized, they will be included in the diagram that shows the order in which the fields will be sorted. Although the software can handle more, I recommend that you not sort more than four fields. Anything more than that just uses up __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 43 a lot time in getting the sorting done, and any fields after the fourth have little effect on the final sorted order. If you need to change the order in which you have selected fields, the "Remove" button will remove the field listed lowest on the diagram. Or you can click on the "Clear All" button to clear all of the fields and start over again. The "Clear All" button also clears any previous sort order the catalog might be in, instantly returning the catalog to its original unsorted order. Once you've selected the fields to be used for sorting, click on the "OK" button to start the sorting. The software will run through the fields, in reverse order, indexing and then sorting the catalog into the proper order. When you want to list the catalog in the sorted order, start an alphabetical listing based on the first field selected for the sorted order. That field will need to have a "key" symbol to show that it is indexed. None of the other fields need to be indexed. Copying Entries From One Catalog To Another The "Copy Entries" feature on the Utilities Menu was designed so that you can enter information using one computer (or have several people working on several computers simultaneously-- keeping in mind that you must have a site license for you software, if you are doing this) and then copy those entries into a main catalog file on another computer. For example, I like to work on cataloging my collection while watching television. I use a laptop computer to type new entries. When I'm done I copy that catalog files (the files that end with DAT and SET) to a floppy disk in my laptop. Then I copy the catalog files from the floppy disk to the hard disk in my desktop computer. To add the new entries to my existing catalog I use the "Copy Entries" feature on the Utilities Menu to copy the entries from the new catalog to my existing catalog.. There are two things to keep in mind when doing this. Always start with a blank catalog when typing the new entries on the second computer. Otherwise each time you copy the entries to the main catalog you will be creating addition copies of entries that are already in the main catalog. You don't want to copy the same __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 44 entries to the main catalog twice. And remember that in order to use software on two computers, you need to have purchased two copies of the software or you need a site license. HomeCraft gives you, with the purchase of this software, a personal site license that allows you to install the software on one additional computer for personal use only. This allows you to legally use this single copy of the software on another computer as long as the software can not be used simultaneously by two people. (See the license in the front of this manual for specific details). Here's how the "Copy Entries" feature works: Click on "Copy Entries" on the Utilities Menu. This will open a window titled "Enter Source/Destination." This window is used to select the catalog you want to copy from (source) and the one to which the entries will be copied (destination). Drop-down list boxes are used for selecting each catalog. Once you have selected each catalog click on the "OK" button. You'll now see the "Configure Copy" window (see figure 27). You can use this window to rearrange the order of the fields. To rearrange then click on the circle next to the line where you want to put a different field. Then click on the drop-down list box at the bottom of the screen. This will display a list of the field names. Click on the name of the field you want positioned where the "dot" is located. The field currently on the line with the "dot" will be swapped with the field selected in the drop- down list box. Click on "OK" to start copying. To copy a catalog the software goes through the complete catalog and copies each entry individually. This allows the contents of one catalog to be added to another catalog. However, copying large catalogs may take awhile. Eliminate Deleted When the "Delete Entry" option on the Edit Menu is used to delete an entry from the catalog, the entry is not completely removed from the catalog. It has only been marked as deleted and the searches and listings no longer recognize it as a valid entry. However, that entry still exists and it can be recovered using the "Undelete Entry" feature. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 45 When you are sure that you want to get rid of the deleted entries in your catalog, the "Eliminate Deleted" feature is used to completely remove them from the catalog and recover the space they were using. Start by clicking on the "Eliminate Deleted" option on the Utilities Menu. You will be asked whether you are sure you want to do this. Click on the "OK" button if you want to proceed. The software will then go through the entire catalog and permanently remove all the deleted entries. Set Security Code The ORGANIZE! software provides a three-level security system. However, few people actually need to use the security features. I mention this because some people feel that if a feature is in the software, then it must be something they should be using. This is not the case with the security feature. The purpose of the security feature is so the software can be used in places where a large number of people have access to a catalog, but you want to prevent them from changing the information in the catalog. They can look things up, but not modify them. Only the people who have the security code, that allows full access, have the ability to make new entries and modify existing entries. This type of situation typically exists in a library, at a club meeting, or in a business. Any place where you might want to allow people to have access to a catalog, but you don't want them to be able to change anything. The three security levels are: Level 1 - provides access only to people who know the three digit access code. Level 2 - provides full access to anyone who knows the correct security code and read-only access to everyone else. With read-only access you can look up and read any of the entries, but you can not modify entries. With read-only access, some selections on the drop-down menus (ones that would have allowed changes to be made) no longer appear on the menu. An example of where level 2 security might be used is in a library. In that case only the librarian has the security code __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 46 that allows changes to be made. Patrons of the library have read-only access for looking up books and magazines. Level 3 - allows full access to anyone, eliminating the need to enter a security code. To set a security code, select the "Set Security Code" option on the Utilities menu. You will then be prompted to enter a three- digit security code. If you enter a number between 001 and 250 the software will run at level one security. You will need to enter the correct security code number before getting access to the software. Entering a number from 251 to 500 provides level 2 security. If you enter the correct code you have full access. Entering any other number provides read-only access. Users can look at the information in the catalogs, but they can not change anything. Setting the security code to any number greater than 500 allows full, level 3, access to everyone. If you've set a security code that is 500 or lower, when the software first boots, a dialog box will appear and request that you enter the security code. The correct security code must be entered. The security code is stored in the HOMECRAF.SET file. If this file should be erased, you will not be able to use the software. You will need to either replace the HOMECRAF.SET file using a backup copy or from your original disk, or use the RESET.EXE utility to create a new copy of this file. Another problem you might run into is forgetting your security code. Should this happen you can still get into the software. On the original floppy disk we have provided a program called RESET.EXE. This utility serves as a "skeleton" key that will reset the security code to allow full access. To use RESET, copy it to the same disk and directory that has the ORGANIZE! software. Get the DOS prompt on the screen for the directory containing ORGANIZE!, type RESET and push ENTER. The security code will automatically be reset. This utility also resets all the other settings to their original defaults. If you are using the security feature, be sure to put any disks containing RESET.EXE away in a safe place. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 47 Setup Macros The last option on the Utility Menu is "Setup Macro". A macro is a way to enter a complete line of information using a single ALT- key combination. Macros are very useful, and time saving, when you need to frequently type in the same information for a large number of entries. For example, if you are cataloging an international stamp collection, you can set up ALT-key combinations that quickly enter the name of a country. The ALT-A combination can be set to enter the word "AUSTRALIA"; ALT-B can be set to enter BRAZIL; and ALT-C can be set to enter "CANADA". With macros setup for each country in your collection you'll never need to type out the complete name of a country again. You can set up as many 30 different macros. Start by clicking on "Setup Macro" on the Utility Menu. This will display the "Edit Macro" window (see figure 28). A drop-down list-box shows all of the ALT-key combinations that are available to be set up as macros. Both letters and numbers can be combined with the ALT-key and be setup as a macro. However, not every letter can be used. Some of the ALT-letter combinations are used to pull down menus on the Main Screen. For example, ALT-E displays the Edit Menu and ALT-F displays the File Menu. To set up a macro use the drop-down list-box to select the ALT- key combination you want to use for the macro. Then type in the text you want to assign to that ALT-key combination. Set up (or edit) all of the macros then click on the "Save" button. To leave the "Edit Macro" window click on the "OK" button. To use a macro put the cursor in the field where you want to type in the information contained in the macro and push the ALT-key combination. For example, if you set up ALT-A as "AUSTRALIA", to enter "AUSTRALIA" in a field on the Main Screen, put the cursor in the COUNTRY field (on the Main Screen), hold down the ALT key and push the letter "A". You can use a macro to put information anywhere in a field, it does not have to be placed at the left side of the field. You can even insert the information in a macro into the middle of a word. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 48 SECTION THREE STEP-BY-STEP The following is a step-by-step giude to using the key features in the ORGANIZE! Your Collection For Windows software. Using Different Catalogs To switch the software to use a different catalog, start by pulling down the Files Menu by clicking on "Files" in the upper left corner of the screen. Next click on "Catalog Maintenance". The "Catalog Maintenance" window is used to select the catalog you want to use. Catalogs can be on any drive and in any directory. The boxes on the left side of the "Catalog Maintenance" window are used to select the catalog you want to use. If you see the name of the catalog you want displayed in the "Catalogs" box in the lower left part of the window, use the mouse cursor to double-click on that name. Then click on the "OK" button to return to the Main Screen. The list of catalog names is shown in alphabetical order. If you do not see the catalog you want to use, it may be on a part of the list that is not shown. If the list is too long to fit in the box, there will be a slider control on the right side of the box. Use the mouse to move the slider up or down (or click on the up/down arrows at the top and bottom of the slider) until you see the catalog you want. Then double click on that catalog to select it, and click on the "OK" button to return to the Main Screen. If the catalog you want to use is in another directory, or on a different disk drive, you'll need to use the box in the upper left corner of the window to first select the drive and path __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 49 where the catalog is located. Start by clicking on the drop-down list box at the top of the screen to display a list of disk drives. Click on the disk drive that has the catalog you want to use. Now use the box below the disk drive drop-down list-box, to select the directory containing the catalog you want. If the directory is not shown, click on the top item, which should be just the drive letter, a colon, and a back slash. This will select the root directory and you should then see a listing of all the directories on that drive. Once you have selected the correct directory, you can select the catalog as described above. Printing A Report - Alphabetical Listing The ORGANIZE! software can print an alphabetical listing based on the information in any of the fields in your catalog. To do this, follow these steps: 1) Pull down the View Menu and click on the "List Alphabetically" option. 2) In the "List Alphabetically" window click on the "Key Field" drop-down list-box. This will display a list of the fields that are alphabetized. Click on the field you want listed alphabetically. 3) Click on the "Report Setup" button. Then click on the circular button next to "Printer" in the Report Destination box. The black dot should move to the button next to the word "Printer". 4) Check the "Report Format" box in the lower left section of this window to be sure the dashed line, column headings, and lock top line are all set the way you want them to be. 5) Click on "OK" to leave the "Report Setup" window. Then click on "OK" in the "List Alphabetically" window. NOTE: You also need to have already setup a report format. Setting up a report format means that you have told the computer how you want the information arranged on the page when it is printed. The "Report Maintenance" option on the Reports Menu is used to design, select, and setup report formats. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 50 6) The next window allows you to enter a title for your report. This title will be printed at the top of the first page of the report. The title can be used for things such as to identify what the report is showing; the date of the report; the reason for the report, etc. If you do not want to put a title on the report, click on the "Cancel" button. The software will now start to print the report using the print options and fonts selected in Window's Print Manager. Depending on your computer, it may take a few minutes for your printer to start, as sometimes Windows is a little slow in getting documents printed. Printing A Report - Searching When you want to find something specific, and print a list of all the entries that have what you are looking for, it is called a search. This is how to search for something in your catalog and print the results of the search: 1) Click on "View" to display the View Menu. Then click on "Search". 2) In the "Search" window click on "Sequentially". 3) Click on the "Report Setup" button. And then set the report destination to be the printer by clicking on "Printer" (see figure 30). Check to be sure the paper options and the items in the report format box are set the way you want them. Then click on "OK". This returns you to the "search" window. 4) Check to be sure the "Case Sensitive" setting is the way you want it to be. 5) Click on the "Search Setup" button. 6) Type the information you want to find in the fields were it you expect to find it. For example, if you are looking for all of the books by a specific author, type that person's name in the author field. You can enter information on multiple fields. For example, with books you might enter a name on the author line, and a word or phrase--such as "American History" on the subject line. The software will automatically cross-reference what __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 51 you've entered as the search criteria and list all books, by the author you've specified, that are about American history. Now click on the "OK" button on the "Setup Search Criteria" window. This will return you to the "Search" window. 7) Click on "OK". 8) The next prompt gives you an opportunity to put a title on the first page of your report. If you do not want to have a title, click on the "Cancel" button. Otherwise you can type a title that is up to one line in length, and that will be printed at the top of the first page. Another Way To Search You can run searches that are printed in alphabetical order based on a field other than one of the fields included as a part of the search criteria. Do everything the same as described in the previous section. Before step 7 add the following steps: 6a. Click on "Alphabetically" to switch the software to do an alphabetical search. 6b. In the "Alpha-Setup" box click on the "Key Field" drop-down list-box. Select the field you want to use for setting the alphabetical order by clicking on its name. This does not need to be a field that is included as a part of the search. 6c. Click on "OK" to start the search. Here's an example using a music collection: Let's say that you want to find all the songs you have by a certain artist, and you want them listed alphabetically by song title. Enter the name of the artist, in the ARTIST field, in the "Setup Search Criteria" window. Then, in the "Alpha-Setup" box set the key field to "SONG TITLE". Be sure the software is set to do an alphabetical search and then click on "OK" to start the search. __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 52 Entering Similar Entries If you are entering information about a lot of similar items, you can save a lot of keystrokes by using the "Copy Last" feature. 1) Type in the first item in the series. This might be the first song on an album; the first issue of a magazine or comic book; the first in a series of video tapes; etc. 2) Push F5 (or click on the "Save" button at the top of the screen) to save this first entry. A blank screen, ready for the next entry will be displayed. 3) Push F3 (or click on the "Copy Last" button at the top of the screen). This will copy the information you just entered to the new entry. 4) Change the information that is different from the previous entry and push F5 (or click on "Save") to save this entry. 5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have finished the series of items. Using The Lock Top Line Feature The Lock Top Line feature is used to put headings on sections of a printed report. To use the Lock Top Line feature you need to set up a report format that has just two lines. The top line of the report format should contain the information you want to "lock" in place as a heading. The second line should have all of the other information you want to print. Let's look at an example using a video tape collection. Let's say you wanted to list all of your movies in alphabetical order by the major star. Start by setting up a report format that has just the star's name on the top line. On the second line of the report format put the name of the movie, the year, and the time (or whatever other information you are interested in printing). Use the "List Alphabetically" feature to start an alphabetical listing by STAR. Be sure that the "Lock Top Line" feature, on the "Report Setup" window, is turned on. (There should be an "x" in the box next to "Lock Top Line". __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 53 The resulting printed report will look like: GRANT, CARY Charade 1963 112:57 His Girl Friday 1940 91:21 LAUREL, STAN & HARDY, OLIVER Flying Deuces 1939 70:00 Utopia 1950 80:00 WAYNE, JOHN Shootist, The 1976 NA Trail Beyond, The 1933 60:00 __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 54 APPENDIX A Problem Solving This appendix talks about things you can do should you run into a problem with using OYC. Back Up Your Catalog I can't say it enough times--back up your catalog on a regular basis. The rule ofthumb you should follow is that your catalog should be backed up any time you've typed more new enytries (or editor more existing entries) than you'd want to type again. For some people this is 40-50 entries. For others it might be 100-150 entries. Always keep in mind that things happen in computers that can result in your catalog file being damaged or lost--in particular if you are using software that doubles the space on your hard disk. The best way to be protected to to have multiple backup copies of your catalog. OYC includes a backup utility that can be used to backup small catalogs. The size of the catalog you can backup with the OYC utility depends on how much information you've entered in your catalog, and the number of fields in the catalog. If OYC can no longer fit a backup onto a single floppy disk, you will need to use a more powerful backup utility. DOS Six includes a fair backup utility, but you should really get a program such as PC Tools, Fastback, or Hard-Back. Out Of Memory Errors Should Windows repeatedly display a "Not Enough Memory" message, you will need to make some changes in how you use your computer. Keep in mind that each program you are running requires memory __________________ORGANIZE! Your Collection In Windows - 55 space. If you have several programs running, try closing some of them. If you are using a word processor or sreadsheet, close some of the documents or spreadsheets. Using programs whose icons are in different program groups will also use up extra memory. Put all of the programs you most frequently use in the samen program group. General Protection Fault A General Protection Fault happens when the software trys to use memory that has not been allocated to the software. Essentially what this means is that the computer no longer has enough resources left to do what you are telling it to do. Try closing all of the applications that are running and rebooting your computer. Restarting Windows is the best way to clear up this problem. If you do not restart Windows you will continue to get General Protection Fault error messages. You should also check for cross-linked files and/or fragmented files. These types of errors can corrupt a file with the result that a General Protection Error is caused. Another thing you can try is to start a program called DRWATSON.EXE. This program is in your Windows directory. Once DRWATSON.EXE is running, if you run into a General Protection Error (or any other type of error) information about what happened will be stored in a file called DRWATSON.LOG. You can then read this file to get a better understanding of what happened.