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VIDEOCAT Video Cassette Database Program Version 4.0 (C) COPYRIGHT 1986 by W. A. Jackson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED VIDEOCAT Version 4.0 User Documentation INDEX PURPOSE........................................................1 MINIMAL INSTRUCTIONS...........................................1 LICENSE........................................................1 WARRANTIES.....................................................1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS............................................2 INSTALLATION...................................................2 GENERAL TIPS...................................................2 DEVELOPMENT HISTORY............................................3 COMMENTS AND BUG REPORTS.......................................3 A)dd a movie to the catalog....................................4 C)hange a record in the catalog................................7 D)elete a record from the catalog..............................8 P)rint complete catalog listing................................9 R)eview current changes.......................................10 S)earch catalog...............................................11 T)alley statistics............................................13 U)pdate data base.............................................14 E)xit from program without updating...........................15 PURPOSE VIDEOCAT is a specialized database program designed for cataloging a collection of movies and other materials stored on videocassettes. The catalog can be printed out in its entirety or can be searched for items meeting specified criteria. MINIMAL ISTRUCTIONS FOR THE USER IN A HURRY VIDEOCAT.EXE must be on a diskette with enough unused space available for the program to create work and data files and must be run from the logged drive. The first time you run the program you must enter I from the main menu to I)nitialize your permanent data file. Use A to A)dd records. The records you A)dd will not be in the disk file and available for other functions until you U)pdate. Most output is to the printer. If your printer is not ready, the program will hang up. LICENSE This is "user supported software". It is NOT in the public domain but is protected under the copyright laws of the United States. You are granted a limited license to use, copy and distribute VIDEOCAT subject to the following conditions: (1) you may make only personal, non-commercial use of VIDEOCAT; (2) you may distribute VIDEOCAT to others for their personal, non-commercial use; (3) you may not charge any fee for copying and distribution other than actual costs of copying, bulletin board on-line charges, and similar nominal costs. Voluntary contributions are welcome and will encourage further maintenance and enhancement of VIDEOCAT. They may be sent to: W. A. Jackson 6529 Matilija Avenue Van Nuys, CA 91401 A contribution of $20 or more will guarantee that you will receive a copy of the next update on diskette by mail when available. WARRANTIES Did you seriously expect warranties with user-supported VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 1 software? Just to make sure that everything is perfectly clear, this software comes without any warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or suitability for its intended purpose. It is distributed to you "as is" and "with faults". Under no circumstances shall the author be liable for any consequential damages. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Although not experimentally verified, the minimum system required to run VIDEOCAT is believed to be: - IBM PC or compatible - 128 K or more of memory - 1 floppy disk drive - MS-DOS or PC-DOS, version 2.0 or later - color or monochrome monitor - printer INSTALLATION VIDEOCAT.EXE should be on a system disk. It should always be on the logged drive when it is run, because it will look on the logged drive for the data file when run. Leave plenty of room on the diskette for the creation of data and work files. Any other files on the diskette will diminish the maximum size of data file which VIDEOCAT can create. The first time you run VIDEOCAT you must select I from the main menu to I)nitialize your data file. DO NOT I)NITIALIZE ON ANY SUBSEQUENT RUNS UNLESS YOU WANT TO ERASE YOUR DATA FILE. Most output requires a printer. The program directs printed output to PRN:. If you have a parallel printer, just turn it on and be sure it is connected and ready. If you have a serial printer, you will need to run the appropriate DOS commands to redirect PRN: to your serial printer before you run VIDEOCAT. If your printer is not properly connected or ready, VIDEOCAT will either hang up or send output into the Twilight Zone. GENERAL TIPS ON RUNNING THE PROGRAM The program is menu-driven. Each menu option is described in detail in the pages which follow. Remember that input data will not be reflected in the data file until U)pdate is performed. All items of input data can be any combination of letters and numbers. All alphabetical characters will be automatically converted to upper case. Leading and trailing blanks are always ignored; however blanks between non-blank characters are treated as significant. Only certain entries are mandatory (title, year, VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 2 subject, type); others can be omitted by simply hitting return. It is prudent to make a backup copy of at least the data file on another diskette. If your collection is large, you will spend many hours building your data file. Physical damage to the disk or abnormal termination during an update could result in loss of your entire data file. If you have a backup, you will not have to reconstruct the entire file, but only the items added since the last time you made a backup copy. DEVELOPMENT HISTORY Versions 1 and 2 were written in UCSD Pascal for the Apple II series of computers. Versions 3 and 4 were written in C and compiled by the C86 compiler for the IBM PC familiy of computers. Since Version 4.0 is the first to be published, there is no need for further discussion of differences between versions. COMMENTS AND BUG REPORTS Your comments, complaints, suggestions and reports of bugs in this program are welcome. Contributors of useful suggestions may, at the discretion of the author, receive a free update on diskette. No other compensation will be provided to contributors for their ideas. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 3 A)dd a movie to the catalog --------------------------- This is the basic function for adding an item to the catalog. It need not be a movie, although in general the formats used in this program are primarily adapted to movies. Note that records created by A)dd are temporarily stored in RAM and not actually placed in the data file on diskette unitl U)pdate is performed. This function is invoked by entering A <cr> while in the main menu. The initial response will a message telling you to get ready to enter data for a movie record and hit <cr> when you are ready to continue. Then various items of data will be requested. Title -> -------- Enter the title of the movie or other item. The maximum size is 40 characters; any excess characters will be truncated. It is suggested that "A", "An" or "The" at the beginning of a title be appended to the rear. For example, instead of entering "THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI", enter "BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE". For an episode in a series, it is suggested that the series title be entered first, then the episode title. For example: "STAR TREK: GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION" and "STAR TREK: SPOCK'S BRAIN". A title can begin with, or even consist entirely of, numbers. Since the program sorts titles in ASCII sequence, such titles will come before titles beginning with letters. Thus the movie "1941" will be placed at the beginning of the list, not in the N's, as is common in the organization of published movie directories. The title is a mandatory entry; the program will drop any entry lacking a title. More than one item can have the same title (thus allowing for remakes), but the program will not permit two items to have both the same title and the same year. Year -> ------- Year is the year of release of a production, normally expressed as 4 numeric digits, e.g. "1939". The program treats the year as a 4-character string, so non-numeric characters will not be rejected. Any characters beyond four will be truncated. Year is a mandatory entry, as the combination of title and year constitutes the "key" for identifying and sorting records. If you don't know the year for sure, either look it up in a published guide or make a reasonable guess. You must enter something. Star 1 LAST name -> ------------------- VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 4 The program allows for the recording of the names of three actors and one director. The first prompt asks for the LAST name of the first of the three actors. The maximum combined length of first and last names is 30 characters; any excess will be truncated from the first name. In response to the LAST name pompt, enter the actor's last name, including prefixes and suffixes which are properly a part of the last name. For example: "VON STROHEIM" and "FAIRBANKS, JR.". Star 1 FIRST name -> -------------------- Now enter the first name. For example, "ERIC" and "DOUGLASS". If middle names or initials are important, they should be appended to the FIRST name. For example: "LESLIE ANN" and "GEORGE C." Star 2 LAST name -> Star 2 FIRST name -> Star 3 LAST name -> Star 3 FIRST name -> Director LAST name -> Director FIRST name-> --------------------- Respond to these in the same manner described above. Note that these entries are all optional and can be omitted by simply hitting return. Subject code -> --------------- A list of character codes corresponding to 42 enumerated subject catagories will be displayed on the screen. Pick the one which seems most appropriate and enter the appropriate single character. At the moment you must choose one of these 42; future versions may include more choices or the possibility of user- defined codes. The screen will recycle if you enter anything other than one of the enumerated codes. Form Code -> ------------ A list of character codes corresponding to 24 enumerated form descriptions will be displayed on the screen. As in the case of subject codes, the current version limits you to these predefined possibilities. Rating Code-> ------------- VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 5 A list of character codes corresponding to 8 enumerated rating descriptions. As in the case of subject and form codes, you must choose one of the enumerated possibilities. Whether you rate an item based on your own personal opinion or that of professional critics is up to you. Cassette No. -> --------------- This entry may be up to 4 characters long and may be any combination numbers and letters. It can be omitted, although in the cataloging of a large collection this is the most useful single piece of information. Index No. -> ------------ This entry may also be any combination of letters and numbers up to 4 characters in length. If you have multiple items on the same cassette and wish to record the tape index number for the starting point of each item, this entry may be used for that purpose. It may be omitted. After all items of data have been entered, the complete record will be displayed on the screen and you will be asked if it is correct. If you answer "Y", the record will be placed in RAM storage to await the next invocation of the U)pdate procedure. If you answer "N", the record will be discarded. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 6 C)hange a record in the catalog ------------------------------- The purpose of this procedure is to change the data recorded for a record already in the catalog. Note that it cannot be used to change the key record items, title and date. In the current version title and/or date can be changed only by D)eleting the entire record and then A)dding a replacement in a subsequent update cycle. Any other items of data can be changed using the C)hange procedure. To invoke C)hange, enter C <ret> when in the main menu. You will be warned that when you enter the data the title and year must exactly match an existing record in the data file or else the change transaction will be discarded. Otherwise the C)hange procedure acts almost exactly like the A)dd procedure in terms of data entry. Note that in the current version it is necessary to enter ALL requested data for the complete record, i.e. both changed and unchanged items. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 7 D)elete a record from the catalog --------------------------------- The purpose of this procedure is to delete a record which already exists in the catalog disk file. It will not delete a record which is in the current work batch awating U)pdate. To invoke D)elete, enter D <ret> when in the main menu. You will be warned that when you enter the data the title and year must exactly match an existing record in the data file or else the delete transaction will be discarded. The program will then prompt for entry of title and year in the same manner as described under A)dd. No other data items will be requested. You will be asked to verify the correctness of the transaction. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 8 P)rint complete catalog listing ------------------------------- The purpose of this procedure is to print out a complete catalog listing on the printer. The current version does not give the option of using any other output device. It is assumed that printing will be on pages 80 columns x 66 lines. The catalog will be printed in ASCII sequence by title. All data items for each record will be printed. To invoke P)rint, enter P <ret> from the main menu. Be sure the printer is properly connected and ready. There is no way to halt the printing other than by Ctrl-S to suspend or Ctrl-Break to terminate the program. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 9 R)eview current changes ----------------------- The purpose of this procedure is to review changes (adds, changes and deletes) which have been entered but not yet processed through U)pdate. To invoke R)eview, enter R <cr> from the main menu. The transactions awaiting posting will be displayed on the screen. The current version does not permit individual transactions to be changed or deleted prior to U)pdate. If the list contains errors, the only alternatives are to U)pdate and then try to correct the errors in a subsequent batch or E)xit without updating, thus discarding the entire batch of current transactions. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 10 S)earch catalog --------------- The purpose of S)earch is to search through the data file for those records containing some specified data item and print out a list of only those records which contain the item sought. The current version sends the output to the printer and does not offer any option to direct to any other output device. The current version also does not provide for any combination of search criteria. To invoke S)earch, enter S <cr> from the main menu. The search menu will then appear giving you choices between six types of searches. T)itle search ------------- Enter T <cr> to search by title. The program will then prompt for entry of the title in the same manner as in the A)dd procedure. All entries having the specified title will be printed. Y)ear search ------------ Enter Y <cr> to search by year. The program will then prompt for the entry of the year of production in the same manner as the A)dd procedure. All entries having the specified year will be printed. N)ame search ------------ Enter N <cr> to search by name. The program will then prompt for the entry of a name in the same manner as the A)dd procedure (i.e., last name, then first name). All entries having the specified name will be printed, regardless of whether the name is placed in the Star 1, Star 2, Star 3 or Director field. S)ubject search --------------- Enter S <cr> to search by subject. The program will then prompt for a 1-character subject code from a displayed list in the same manner as the A)dd procedure. All records having the specified subject code will be printed. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 11 F)orm search ------------ Enter F <cr> to search by form. The program will then prompt for a 1-character form code from a displayed list in the same manner as the A)dd procedure. All records having the specified for code will be printed. R)ating search -------------- Enter R <cr> to search by rating. The program will then prompt for a 1-character rating code from a displayed list in the same manner as the A)dd procedure. All records having the specified rating code will be printed. E)xit to the Main Menu ---------------------- Enter E <cr> to exit from the Search Menu and return to the Main Menu. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 12 T)alley Statistics ------------------ The purpose of the T)alley procedure is to compile and print certain statistics about the composition of the entire collection represented by the data file catalog. In the current version, the statistics are numbers and percentages broken down (1) by subject, (2) by form, and (3) by rating. To invoke the Talley procedure, enter T <cr> from the main menu. Output is to printer, so be sure that the printer is properly connected and ready. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 13 U)pdate data base ----------------- The purpose of this procedure is to update the data file with adds, changes and deletes entered during the current session. These transactions are held in memory for batch update to the disk file in the interest of efficiency. As the disk data file grows larger, the time consumed by a file update will increase. Batch updating minimizes the amount of physical reading and writing of disk files. Do not forget to U)pdate before exiting from the program, however, as current changes are in volatile memory and are not permanently recorded until U)pdate is performed. To performe U)pdate, enter U <cr> from the main menu. The only screen output will be a note that the update is in progress. You should see and hear occasional disk activity. U)pdate creates a temporary file merging the old records with the current transactions. Upon successful completion of the merging, the contents of the merged file replace the old contents of the data file. If there is not enough room to create the merged file, the procedure SHOULD abort without destroying the existing data file. (This has been planned, but not tested). Be very careful to avoid any abnormal termination of the program during the U)pdate procedure. This could result in making the data file unreadable. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 14 E)xit from program without updating ----------------------------------- The purpose of this procedure is to terminate the program normally and return to DOS. If you have entered any adds, changes or deletes during the current session, be sure to U)pdate before exiting. To invoke E)xit, enter E <cr> from the main menu. In the current version you will exit immediately; there will be no warning that you should be sure to update first. VIDEOCAT Documentation Page 15