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- File Express(tm) User's Guide ---------------------------------------------- I M P O R T / E X P O R T / C L O N E ---------------------------------------------- File Express has the capability to Import, Export and Clone many diff- erent types of files. These include sequential, mail-merge, fixed length, and DIF files. Importing a file is the process where by a file created by another program, whether it be a word processor, text editor, spreadsheet, database manager, etc., is converted into a format that can be read by File Express. Exporting a file is done so that the information contained in a File Express database file can be used in a different program. Cloning a database allows you to create entirely new database files from current ones by taking the record format from an existing file and then deleting fields, adding new fields, lengthening or shortening fields, or rearranging fields, and then choosing which records, from the existing file, to include in the new database. This is done simply and easily. Some definitions: A "Standard Mail-merge" file is one in which each piece of informa- tion in the file that is on the same line is separated by a comma. String values may or may not be surrounded by quotation marks. Example: "Johns","Mike","123 N.E. 5th","San Pedro","CA" or Jones,Fred,1234,April,21,1909,Seattle,WA A "Special Mail-merge" file is one in which the comma that is normally used to separate information is replaced by some other character such as a slash. Example: "Mr."/"Albert"/"ABC Printing"/"New York" or Mrs.*Fredericks*XYZ Rental*Dallas As with a Standard Mail-merge file, alphabetic word groups may or may not be surrounded by quotation marks. A "Fixed Length" file is one in which each piece of information is contained in a specific number of bytes or character positions regard- less of how much shorter the information is. Example: Harold Baker Portland OR97034 Jim McDaniels San FranciscoCA90356 WilliamKeller New York NY06756 Each line of a fixed length file is usually followed by an invisible (75) - File Express(tm) User's Guide carriage-return or carriage-return, line-feed combination. A "DIF" type file, which stands for "Data Interchange Format", consists of several lines of setup information followed by the information itself in a standard format. Example: TABLE 0,1 "" VECTORS 0,7 "" TUPLES 0,70 "" DATA 0,0 "" -1,0 BOT 1,0 "Johnson" 1,0 "Mike" 0,16 V -1.0 BOT To Import or Export a file from File Express, press <8> while viewing the Main Menu. After doing so you will see the message: Transferring to Import / Export Section After the proper program module is loaded you will see the Import / Export Menu: (76) - File Express(tm) User's Guide Import / Export Menu ---------------------------------------- | | | 1 - Import a file | | | | 2 - Export a file | | | | 3 - Clone new Database | ---------------------------------------- | 4 - Re-Sort database Index | | | | 5 - Print Reports | | | | 6 - Print Mailing Labels | | | | 7 - Return to Main Menu | | | | 8 - QUIT all processing | | | ---------------------------------------- IMPORTING FILES INTO FILE EXPRESS To Import a file into File Express format, press <1> while viewing the Import / Export Menu. The first thing to appear will be the Import Menu: Import Menu 1 - Import from Standard Mail-merge file 2 - Import from Special Mail-merge file 3 - Import from Fixed Length file 4 - Improt from DIF type file 5 - Select a previously saved format Selection SETTING UP THE IMPORT FILE FORMAT After selecting the type of file that you will be Importing by pressing its corresponding menu number, you will be asked to specify the name, type, and length of each field that you will be pulling the information into. This setup process is very (77) - File Express(tm) User's Guide similar to the one used when defining a new database except that you are not permitted to set up calculated fields when Importing a file. (Calculated fields may be added later by using the "Clone" option). After you have told File Express the name, type, and length of the fields in the new database you will be asked: Would you like to save this format (Y/N)? File Express allows you to save the format that you have just specified so that you may use it in the future if you ever need to specify the same type of format again. If you answer <Y> then you will be asked for a file name and the format will be saved on the Data Disk. If you have chosen a Special mail-merge type file to import then you will now be given the opportunity to specify what character is used to separate the information on a line. (If the type of file was other than this then skip ahead to the "Input and Output File" section). "field contents","field contents","field contents" Delimiter between fields in Mail-merge file is currently a <,>...O.K. (Y/N)? If the character used to separate fields is something other than a comma, press <N>. You will then be asked to: Enter new separator character After typing in the new character the commas in the sample line will change to the new character and you will again be asked: Delimiter bwtween fields in Mail-merge file is currently a <x>...O.K. (Y/N)? (the <x> will be the new separator) Answer <Y> if the desired character is shown. INPUT AND OUTPUT FILE INFORMATION The next information that File Express will request is: Which DISK DRIVE contains the Input File? Answer by typing in the letter of the drive that contains the file to be Imported. Now: Enter the NAME of the Input file (including the extension, if any) __________________ (78) - File Express(tm) User's Guide Type in the name of the file to be Imported. Include any extension that the file may have. Next you must: Enter DISK DRIVE to put new Database Enter the letter of the drive where you want the soon to be created database file to be placed. And finally you must: Enter the NAME of the new Database (Don't include an extension) Answer by entering the name that you want the new database file to be called. Do not enter any extension at this time. File Express will supply a default extension of ".DTA". After answering the filename question, File Express will read in the information from the specified input file and will save the new data- base file along with a header file. When the process is completed you will see: New database is now ready for use by File Express...press any key Pressing any key will take you back to the Import / Export Menu. As with any newly created database, before you can use it you must run the "SORT" utility to create an Index for the file. (Choose option <4> from the Main Menu). The first time or two that you try to import a fixed length file you may find that the information in the fields is offset by one or more characters with each successive record. This is usually because you incorrectly specified the length of one or more of the fields. This usually happens in the last field of a record. Remember, carriage returns and line-feeds are invisible on a screen but must be accounted for in the new field lengths. Be sure and specify an extra field at the end to account for these unseen characters, if they exist. (79) - File Express(tm) User's Guide SELECTING PREVIOUS IMPORT FORMATS If you have previously setup and saved any import formats then you may view a list of these files by pressing <5> while viewing the Import Menu. You will be shown a list of all the Import formats that were saved on the Data Disk and File Express will ask you to: Enter Number of Import format Enter the number of the file you would like to look at and press <Enter>. a list of the field names, types, and lengths will be displayed and you will be asked to: Press <Enter> to use this format or <Esc> to go back for another If you press <Esc>, you will be taken back to the list of formats where you may choose another. Pressing <Enter> will take you to a Secondary Import Menu. 1 - Use format with Standard Mail-merge file 2 - Use format with Special Mail-merge file 3 - Use format with Fixed Length file 4 - Use format with DIF type file Selection You may now choose which type of import file you will be drawing from. After your selection you will taken to the point just after you would have set up the format manually. (80) - File Express(tm) User's Guide EXPORTING FILES FROM FILE EXPRESS To Export a file from File Express, press <2> while viewing the Import / Export Menu. You will then see the Export Menu: Export Menu 1 - Export Standard Mail-merge file 2 - Export Special Mail-merge file 3 - Export DIF type file Selection EXPORTING MAILMERGE TYPE FILES To export a Standard or Special mail-merge type file from File Express, press either <2> or <3> from the Export Menu. You will then be presented with a list of the field names for the current file. The command line at the bottom of the screen will read: First field number for mail-merge file <End>-finished You may now begin to enter the fields that you want to include in the mail-merge file. To choose a field from the current file, enter the number of the field from the list and press <Enter>. The position of the field will be shown next to the field name. The command line will change to: Next field for mail-merge file You may continue to enter field numbers in any order you wish. When you have finished, press <End>. If you are Exporting a mail-merge file then you may now select the character to be used to separate the fields of a line. "field contents","field contents","field contents" Delimiter between fields in mail-merge file is currently a <,> ...O.K. (Y/N)? If you would like the character used to separate fields to be some- thing other than a comma, press <N>. You will then be asked to: Enter new separator character (81) - File Express(tm) User's Guide After typing in the new character, the commas in the sample line will change to the new character and you will again be asked: Delimiter between fields in mail-merge file is currently a <x> ...O.K. (Y/N)? (the <x> will be the new separator) Answer <Y> if the desired character is shown. If you are Exporting a Special Mail-merge file then you may specify whether or not quotes are to be used around string information and whether you would like to have all the fields from a given record on the same line or on separate lines. You will then be taken to the Record Choice Menu: Record Choice Menu 1 - Use EVERY Record in List 2 - Use SOME Records in List 3 - Redo the new Database Layout Selection USING EVERY RECORD IN NEW FILE If you would like to include in your mail-merge file the information from every one of the records in the old file, press <1>. You will then be asked: Enter NEW name for output file You may enter up to an eight character name for the file. You will then be asked: Which drive for Output File You may want to put the new mail-merge file on a drive other than the one you are currently working on. Type the letter of the desired disk drive. File Express will immediately begin to extract the information from the old file and start building the new one. The screen will clear and the message: Creating new mail-merge file called xxxxxxxx Please Wait..... will appear. After File Express has completed the new file, you will be returned to the Import / Export Menu. (82) - File Express(tm) User's Guide USING SOME RECORDS IN NEW FILE If you would like to be selective in your choice of which records to be included in the mail-merge file, press <2> from the Record Choice Menu. you will then be asked which kind of comparisons to make and from which fields. You may make up to ten AND and OR comparisons when making your selection. (To read the complete description of how to make these choices, see the "USING SOME RECORDS" section of the PRINT REPORTS chapter). You will then be asked for the filename that you would like to give to the new mail-merge file and the drive to put it on. After the new file has been Exported you will be returned to the Import / Export Menu. (83) - File Express(tm) User's Guide CLONING NEW DATABASES With File Express, you can create entirely new databases. You can take the record format from an existing file and delete fields, add new fields, lengthen or shorten any fields, and then choose which records, from the existing file, that you would like to use in the new database. This is done simply and easily. To reach the Clone New Database section of File Express, press <3> while viewing the IMPORT/EXPORT/CLONE Menu. You will then be presented with a list of the field names for the current file. The command lines at the bottom of the screen will read: "First field number for new database" "<^S>-Empty field <^C>-New calculated field <End>-finished" You may now begin to enter the fields that you want to make up the new database with. To choose a field from the current file, enter the number of the field from the list, and press <Enter>. The column indicator will increase by the length of that field and the position of the field will be shown next to the field name. The command line will change to: "Next Field for new database" You may continue to enter field numbers in any order you wish. ADDING NEW FIELDS If you want to insert an entirely new field, press <^S> instead of a field number. After pressing this key, you will be asked: "Length of Empty Field?" Type in the length of the new field that you are creating. You may create new fields that are up to 60 characters long. After specifying the length, you will be asked for: "Name of new field?" Type in the name that you would like to give this field, (up to twelve characters). If you can't think of what you would like to call it at this point, just press the <Enter> key and the field will automatically be named "EMPTY". You can change this name later from the Main Menu by choosing the "File Maintenance" option. (84) - File Express(tm) User's Guide You may choose up to forty fields, including new empty fields, for the new database. CALCULATED FIELDS You can define new calculated fields to be included in your new database. The procedure is identical to that in the Report For- mat section, so if you would like to read more about it, that is the place to go. If you choose a field from the existing database that is a calc- ulated field, you will only transfer the value associated with that field and not the equation. In the new database the field will simply be numeric and will not do any calculations for you. If you want to include a field that does the same calculations, you must redefine a new one and be sure to include in the new database all the referenced numeric fields that are used in the equation. These numeric fields must appear before the calc field itself. When you have finished building the framework for the new file, press <End>. CHANGING LENGTH OF FIELDS After specifying the order of the fields for the new database and the new file name and output drive, you will be given a chance to change the length of any of the fields. You may have a "First Name" field that you had originally specified as a 10 character field, and now realize that you have run into a few names that are longer than that, and you would like to change the length to 15. This is where you can do just that. The next question to ap- pear will be: "Change Length of any Fields? (Y or N)" To change the lengths, press <Y>. A list of all the chosen fields from the old file and the new empty fields, if any, will be listed on the screen, along with the current field length to the right of each one. The line at the bottom will read: "Enter Number of Field to Change" To change the length of any of the fields, enter the field number. The chosen field name will be highlighted and a prompt line will appear to the right of the current field length. You may now enter the new length of the field, either shorter or longer, (up to 60 characters for a non-numeric field and up to 14 for a numeric field). Dollar fields must be at least four digits long. After pressing <Enter>, the new length will jump over to replace the old (85) - File Express(tm) User's Guide value. You will then be asked: "<C>hange another <End>-finished" To change another field, press <C>. You will then be asked to enter the field number of the next field length to be changed. When you have finished changing the lengths of the fields, press <End>. You will then be taken to the "Record Choice Menu". Record Choice Menu 1 - Use EVERY Record in List 2 - Use SOME Records in List 3 - Redo the new Database Layout Selection USING EVERY RECORD IN NEW DATABASE If you would like to include in your new database, the information from every one of the records in the old file, press <1>. You will then be asked for the: "Enter NEW name for output file?" You may enter up to an eight character name for the file. (Be sure you enter a file name that is different from the one you are cloning from if you are putting the new file on the same disk drive as the old file.) You will then be asked: "Which drive for Output File? " You may want to record the new database on a drive other than the one you are currently working on. Type the letter of the desired disk drive. File Express will immediately begin to extract the information from the old file and start building the new one. The screen will clear and the message: "Creating new database called drive:filespec" Please Wait..... will appear. After File Express has completed the new file, you will be returned to the Main Menu. If you would then like to work (86) - File Express(tm) User's Guide with the newly created file, you may select option <1> and enter the number of the new database. Before you can do any work with it though, you must first go through the "Sort Index" option, also from the Main Menu. If you try to do anything else with the file you will be told that you must first sort the index before pro- ceeding. USING SOME RECORDS IN NEW DATABASE If you would like to be selective in your choice of which records from the old file to be included in the new one, press <2> from the "Record Choice Menu". You will then be asked which kind of comparisons to make and from which fields. You may make up to ten AND and OR comparisons when making your selection. (To read the complete description of how to make these choices, see the "USING SOME RECORDS" section of the PRINT REPORTS chapter). (87) - File Express(tm) User's Guide ---------------------------------------------------------------- E N D S E S S I O N or C H A N G E D I S K D R I V E S ---------------------------------------------------------------- To change the selected disk drive where File Express records all the information, or to end the session altogether, press <9> while viewing the Main Menu. You may then choose: 1 - End Session 2 - Change disk drives 3 - Set Function Keys END SESSION If you are finished using File Express press <1> and you will be returned to DOS. CHANGE DISK DRIVES If you would like to record your data in a file on a different drive, press <2>. This will send you back to the Opening Title Screen, where you may then select which drive you would like to use. When changing drives, the file you were working with is closed. After selecting a new drive you will have to choose a file to work with, even if it will be the same one you were pre- viously using. SET FUNCTION KEYS If you would like to set the value of the Function Keys, press <3>. You will then be led through the process of setting the Function Keys to whatever you like. (To read a complete des- cription of the process please see the SET FUNCTION KEY portion of the Add Data section. (88) - File Express(tm) User's Guide CONVERTING PC-FILE III(tm) FILES Files created while using PC-FILE III are easily converted to File Express format. All you have to do is copy the database file created with PC-FILE III (the file with the ".DTA" extension) and its corresponding header file (the file with the ".HDR" exten- sion) to a blank disk and use it as your Data Disk. File Express will directly read PC-FILE III's header file (although the reverse is not true). The only thing left to do is to go through the Sort option to create a new Index. Simple! ------------------------------- S A M P L E D A T A B A S E ------------------------------- A sample of a mailing list type database is being included in the File Express package to serve as an example of one way in which a database record may be set up. How long should a field be that is going to contain a person's last name? How about a first name? How long should it be to fit the name of a city, or state? What is too long? What is too short? Many people, when first setting up new database have these ques- tions. Many times a database is set up without taking a look at the overall consequences that each decision might have. The sample setup called "EXAMPLE" has the following format: Field Name Type Length ____________ _ __ 1 ORIGIN DATE- ! 8 2 LAST NAME A 18 3 FIRST NAME A 13 4 ADDRESS ! 30 5 CITY A 16 6 STATE A 3 7 ZIP CODE N 10 8 CATEGORY ! 30 9 COMMENTS ! 60 The length of each record is 188 characters plus a trailing carriage return for a total of 189. Even with a record as long as this, about 1700 will fit on a 1.1 formatted diskette and over 1900 will fit on a 2.0 formatted diskette. (And if you happen to have an IBM AT with quad density drives you can fit over 6300 record on each diskette.) (89) - File Express(tm) User's Guide The lengths were chosen for the fields with two things in mind. They should be long enough to fit the vast majority of the names that exist and second, they should fit on a standard sized label in case I want to print mailing labels for my Christmas cards. (How impersonal!) Included on the Utilities Disk are a sample of a Report format and a Mailing Label format. These can be used from the Report Section and Mailing Label Section respectively. To use the EXAMPLE database files it is recommended that you copy all the EXAMPLE files onto a blank diskette to use as the Data Disk. This is because the Utilities Disk is nearly full and thus leaves little room to expand the files or to add new ones. If you have a two drive system, place the Program Disk in drive A and the new Data Disk in drive B. Type 'FE' to start File Express. When the Opening Screen appears, press 'B' for the Data Drive. After the Main Menu is shown, press '1' to Select a file. A one item list will appear with EXAMPLE as number 1. Press <1> and <Enter>. When the Main Menu reappears all the menu options will be highlighted and ready for you to explore the many features of File Express. ------------------------------------------------------------------- C O M P A T I B I L I T Y W I T H O T H E R P R O G R A M S ------------------------------------------------------------------- File Express can be used to create files for many other programs. The mail-merge file export option can be used with several word processing programs to generate custom individualized letters. (90) - File Express(tm) User's Guide ------------------------------------------------- F E E D B A C K , P R O B L E M S , B U G S ? ------------------------------------------------- It is the intent of Expressware to maintain File Express and re- lease updates and improvements on a regular basis. If you can find the time Expressware would appreciate any feedback you might want to give about File Express. Countless hours have been spent testing and debugging this product. If, however, you run into any problems or find any bugs, we would very much like to know the circumstances that led to the difficulty. In return, if you are the first to report a particular bug that we decide needs fixing, Expressware will send you a corrected version by return mail. If you are a registered owner of File Express and you run into problems you can call Expressware during west coast business hours for some help. The number is: (206) 481-3040 If you are not a registered owner but would like to call and tell us that you want to send us the money, that is O.K. too. Really! --------------------- D I S C L A I M E R --------------------- EXPRESSWARE makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warren- ties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. FILE EXPRESS is licensed on an "As Is" basis. EXPRESSWARE shall have no liability or responsibility to you or any other person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused by FILE EXPRESS, including but not limited to any loss of profits, interruption of service, loss of business or consequential damages resulting from the use of such programs. When starting the use of a new system it is good Data Processing procedure to run and test the program with sample data, and to run the system in parallel with any previous system for a period of time sufficient to ensure satisfactory results. FILE EXPRESS is a trademark owned by EXPRESSWARE. (91) - File Express(tm) User's Guide ------------------------- E R R O R C O D E S ------------------------- The following error codes may show up due to the explanation following each code. Error Code Explanation 24 Device Timeout error. This usually happens with a printer. If your printer has a print buffer who's size is controllable then try making the buffer smaller. 25 Device Fault error. Something has happened to some J device in the system. This is usually a printer or a disk drive. Check your equipment for damage or breakdown. (Not caused by File Express) 61 Disk Full error. This is trapped in many places in File Express but if it appears you will have to do some reorganization of your disk space. 63 Bad Record Number error. This generally occurs if an index has become contaminated for some reason. Try re-sorting the index. 67 Too Many Files error. DOS only allows a certain number of files to be opened at any one time. If you are using utility programs that stay resident in memory, such as Superkey(tm), ProKey(tm), SideKick(tm), KeySwap(tm), GRAPHICS.COM etc. you will have to either reduce the number of these programs in memory at one time or if you are using DOS 2.0 or higher you can set the number of files higher by putting the following lines in the CONFIG.SYS file that is used when the system is booted or rebooted. FILES=15 BUFFERS=15 Then re-boot the system to put them into effect. 68 Device Unavailable error. For some reason a device is not responding to a DOS call. Check all connections and retry. (92) - File Express(tm) User's Guide 70 Disk Write Protect error. File Express uses a small amount of disk space on the program disk when changing from one module to another. Do not put a write protect tab on the working copy of the Program Disk. The Data Disk used to store the database files must not have a tab eit 71 Disk Not Ready error. The door to the disk drive was probably left open. Close it. 72 Disk Media error. Something is wrong with the disk you are using. Try running the DOS utility CHKDSK.COM to see if you can repair the disk. If not, then re-format a new disk and copy all the files from the questionable disk onto it. (93) - File Express(tm) User's Guide --------------------------------------------------------- F O R M A T O F F I L E E X P R E S S F I L E S --------------------------------------------------------- * (Please see Registered User's Guide for complete description) SAMPLE BASIC PROGRAM TO ACCESS FILE EXPRESS FILES * (Please see Registered User's Guide for complete description) ----------- I N D E X ----------- * (Please see Registered User's Guide for index) (94) - ----------------------------------------------------------------- O R D E R F O R M ----------------------------------------------------------------- E X P R E S S W A R E P.O. Box 230 Redmond, WA 98073 Phone (206) 481-3040 PRICE PRICE DESCRIPTION QUANTITY EACH EXTENDED ----------------------------------------------------------------- File Express disk set _____ $10.00 $_______ (Lastest version) (Complete program) File Express (Registered Owner) _____ $40.00 $_______ (Including User's Guide and Technical Support) Step up to Registered Owner _____ $30.00 $_______ (If you sent $10.00 already) (Send User's Guide) Additional printed User's Guide _____ $10.00 $_______ (Registered owners only) Printed User's Guide _____ $20.00 $_______ (Un-Registered owners) File Express "Program Disk" _____ 4/$1.00 $_______ Labels File Express "Utility Disk" _____ 4/$1.00 $_______ Labels Subtotal $_______ 7.9% State Sales Tax $_______ (Washington Residents) Total: $_______ Please make checks payable to : EXPRESSWARE (U.S. funds only) Name ___________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ City _________________________ State _________ Zip Code ________ Description of Computer System _________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ - If you have received this program from a User's Group or a friend and would like to be put on Expressware's mailing list so that you will receive information on upcoming releases and notification of new products, please fill in your name and address below and send to: E X P R E S S W A R E P.O. Box 230 Redmond, WA 98073 Name ___________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ City _________________________ State _________ Zip Code ________ We would also appreciate any input you would care to give concerning File Express. If you have any ideas or comments that would make File Express a better program please let us know. Is this User's Guide clear enough? Are you ever confused as to what to do next at any point in the program? We are working hard to make File Express the best, most useful, and affordable information management program in it's class on the market today. With your input we will be well on our way to achieving that goal. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________