Shareware Super Platinum 8

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Shareware Super Platinum 8 / Shareware Super Platinum 8.iso / mac / DATABASE / DPTEST.ZIP;1 / README.1 < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1993-02-11 | 114.6 KB | 3,043 lines

Copyright WordPerfect Corporation 1992 All Rights Reserved. README.1 02/01/93 This file is in DOS text format and is approximately 65 pages long. € Introduction DataPerfect Test Drive introduces you to the DataPerfect database program. This diskette contains the same powerful program as DataPerfect, but it limits the number of panels you can create to 4, and the number of records you can add to each panel to 99. By following the instructions in these README files, you can learn the basics of designing, defining, and using a database. Because of the power and flexibility of DataPerfect, not all features or applications of the program can be covered in the README files. README.1 contains an overview of the DataPerfect program, as well as lessons to help you become familiar with using a database. If you are not familiar with DataPerfect, you should complete these lessons before moving on to the lessons in README.2. README.2 contains lessons for defining a database. The database you create is called CLIENT, and is identical to the CLIENT2 database included on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette. If you need help while using DataPerfect Test Drive, press Help (F3) for information. Pressing Help (F3) twice will display an on-screen template of DataPerfect function keys. Pressing Help (F3) three times will display a list of features and keystrokes. Set the CONFIG.SYS File The CONFIG.SYS file lets you change your system default settings. DOS searches for this file in your root directory each time you start your computer. Your computer does not require this file, so you may not even have one at this point. However, to run DataPerfect properly, you must have a CONFIG.SYS file that contains the following commands: FILES=40 BUFFERS=6 The FILES= command represents the maximum number of files that DOS allows to be open at the same time. The BUFFERS= command represents the number of buffers DOS allocates in memory. In the following instructions, you first will check to see if your computer has a CONFIG.SYS file that has the correct commands. You then will go through the process of creating or modifying your CONFIG.SYS file. Additional information about the CONFIG.SYS file can be found in your DOS documentation. 1 If you start your computer from your hard disk type cd\ at the DOS prompt and press Enter to change to the root directory. or If your computer requires a startup disk, leave the startup disk in drive A, type a:\ and press Enter. If you get an error message, be sure you typed a backslash (\). 2 Type type config.sys and press Enter. If a listing appears that includes a number equal to or greater than 40 next to the FILES= command, and a number equal to or greater than 6 next to the BUFFERS= command, your CONFIG.SYS file is set to run DataPerfect. If more than one FILES= or BUFFERS= command exists in the CONFIG.SYS file, the one nearest the end of the file is used. If "File Not Found" appears, or if a listing appears that does not include a number equal to or greater than 40 next to the FILES= command and a number equal to or greater than 6 next to the BUFFERS= command, 3 Type copy config.sys+con config.sys and press Enter to append to the existing CONFIG.SYS file, or to create a new one. Be sure that spaces appear in the proper places. If the file already exists, the words CONFIG.SYS and CON appear on the screen. If the file does not already exist, only the word CON appears on the screen. 4 Type files=40 and press Enter to add the command. 5 Type buffers=6 and press Enter to add the command. 6 Press F6 to include the code which ends the CONFIG.SYS file (^Z). 7 Press Enter. 8 Turn off the computer, then turn it on again.€ Startup Options The DataPerfect Test Drive startup options are listed below. /c This option forces DataPerfect to use colors (for example, dpt/c). It may be necessary for some color monitors. /d-directory This option redirects the temporary files to the specified directory (for example, dpt/d-c:\data\temp). If you do not specify a directory, the temporary files are stored in the default directory. This option overrides the redirection in the wpc environment variable. /p=panel number This option moves you directly to the specified panel without showing the panel list (e.g., dpt/p=3 customer). It is only effective upon initial entry into a database. /z=panel number This option moves you directly to the specified panel without showing the panel list (same as /p above), however, when you exit the panel, DataPerfect exits you to DOS rather than to the panel list. database name This option moves you directly to the specified database (for example, dpt customer). Multiple Options The above options can be used together on the same command line. If you include the database name, it must be the last command on the line (e.g., dpt/c/d- c:\data\temp/p=3/r customer).€ Starting and Exiting DataPerfect Test Drive The Install program copied the DataPerfect Test Drive files into the DPT directory (unless you specified another directory during the installation). Starting DataPerfect Test Drive When starting DataPerfect Test Drive, follow the directions below for your system configuration. Hard Disk Drive System To start DataPerfect Test Drive on a hard disk drive system, 1 At a DOS prompt, type cd\ and the name of the directory that contains your database files (such as, cd\dptest). 2 Press Enter. 3 Enter dpt to start DataPerfect Test Drive. To enter DataPerfect from a subdirectory that does not contain the DataPerfect program files, you need to include the subdirectory in the path or include a full pathname (such as, c:\dpt) when executing the program. One or Two Disk Drive System To start DataPerfect Test Drive on a one or two disk drive system, 1 Insert the diskette to which the Install program copied the DataPerfect Test Drive files during installation. Then, at the DOS prompt, change to that drive (such as, A: or B:). 2 Type dpt and then press Enter to begin the program. Enter a Database When you start DataPerfect, the database list for the default or specified drive or directory is displayed. Three options appear in the instruction box: Create a New Database Use this option to create a new database. Change Directory Use this option to access a database which is located in a different directory or drive than the one displayed on the screen. Exit Use this option to exit the database list. To access a database listed on the screen, 1 Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the desired database. The databases are listed in alphabetical order. 2 Press Enter to enter the database. Exiting DataPerfect Test Drive To exit DataPerfect Test Drive, 1 Press Exit (F7). Depending on where your cursor is in the program, you may have to press Exit more than once.€ What Is a Database? A database is a collection of information. Databases come in many forms, such as mailing lists, encyclopedias, and card files. These examples sound very different, but they all share a common feature: they contain information which is sorted or indexed so that it can be retrieved quickly. In a very simple sense, a computerized database can be compared to files stored in a file cabinet. There are important differences, however. Suppose a doctor's office has records for all of its patients in a file cabinet. If the files are arranged in alphabetical order according to last name, it is simple to find the record for a given patient. However, if it is necessary to look up patients' records by billing date, insurance company, or the last office visit, things suddenly become much more complex. To arrange records by these other categories as well as by last name would require many duplicate files. A computerized database lets you sort records in many different ways. Because of this, the doctor's office could have one record for each patient, but be able to look up that record by name, insurance company, last date visited, and so forth, making record storage and access more efficient.€ How Does DataPerfect Work? DataPerfect is a menu-driven database program which does not require the use of a programming language. Like other database programs, DataPerfect uses files, records, and fields to divide information into manageable units. Because of its relational nature, DataPerfect lets you connect related files, allowing them to share common information. Each file in the database has its own panel which displays the records in that file on screen. You can view records one at a time in the panel, or you can view many records by performing a lookup. Each database you design can contain up to 80 panels, each representing a different type of record (DataPerfect Test Drive limits the number of panels to four). Panels can be indexed, related, and interrelated in a variety of ways. Fields can be formatted differently, depending on the type of information they will contain and the way they are to be displayed and used. There are formats for dates, numbers, alphanumeric characters, and large amounts of text. DataPerfect uses indexes to reference information, much the same as a reader would use an index to find specific information in a book. You can define several indexes for each panel in a database, so records can be cross-referenced many different ways. To print information from a database, DataPerfect lets you define reports by selecting fields from a panel. A report can include any or all fields from the panel for which it is defined, as well as fields from any linked panels. A report can also include variables, computed fields, and so forth, and can be sorted and formatted to fit your specific needs.€ DataPerfect Terms To understand how DataPerfect works, you should be familiar with a few basic terms. Let's tour the sample database on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette to get acquainted with DataPerfect terms. 1 Start DataPerfect (DPT). A list of databases appears. 2 Move the cursor to CLIENT2, press Enter. A list of panels in the CLIENT2 database appears. Notice that there are five panels. Panel A panel is a box-shaped template which displays a DataPerfect record. Its purpose is to label information and make records easy to read. The panel we will look at is called Customer Information. 3 Move the cursor to Customer Information, then press Enter. The Customer Information panel appears, displaying name, address, and other customer information. When you create a panel you determine the information it will include and how that information will appear on-screen. Field A field contains the smallest unit of data in a database. Pieces of information like last name, first name, and telephone number are individual fields. You can move from field to field by pressing Tab. Record The information in fields in a panel combine to make up a record. A record is a group of related data that describes one subject, such as a person. (It is the actual information displayed in a panel.) 4 Press Page Down to move to the next record. A different record is displayed in the same panel. File The data in a panel is stored in a file. A file consists of one or more records. The name of the file you are viewing appears in the upper left corner of the panel. 5 Press Page Down a few times. All of the records you can display in the Customer Information panel are contained in the CLIENT2.DAT file. The total number of records in the file appears next to the filename. Lookup List A lookup list helps you find records. 6 Use Tab to move the cursor to the Last Name field. 7 Press Lookup (F8) or Up Arrow. The fields in the lookup list are displayed in the lookup area at the top of the screen. 8 Use Down Arrow to scroll through the listed records. Notice that as the cursor in the lookup list moves to a new name, the record for that person is displayed in the Customer Information panel. Lookup lists provide an easy way to find a desired record. You can create a lookup list for any or all fields in a panel. If you do not create a lookup list for a field, the program will use a default lookup list for that field. 9 Use Up Arrow to move to Allen Caldiero in the lookup list, then press Enter to return to the panel. A lookup list does not control the order in which the records are sorted. You must choose an index so DataPerfect will know how to sort the records in the lookup area. See Index for more information. Panel Link A panel link lets you move from a record in one panel (a source panel) to a related record in another panel (a destination panel). This type of link is commonly used for one-to-one and one-to-many relationships (for example, to connect customer's records to their payments). A panel link appears as a rectangle (±) and is not attached to a field. 10 Press Down Arrow to move to the Payments panel link, then press Down Arrow again to move through the link. The Payments panel appears. This is one of the five panels you saw on the panel list when you entered the CLIENT2 database. By accessing the panel through the panel link, you only access Payment panel records for the customer whose record is being displayed in the Customer Information panel. 11 Press Page Down to display the next payment record. Panel links from the destination panel also let you create windows. A window displays related record information in the source panel. To see an example of a window, 12 Press Exit (F7) twice to return to the panel list. 13 Move the cursor to the Invoices panel and press Enter. The Invoice panel appears. 14 Press Tab a few times to move the cursor from field to field. Notice that the cursor does not stop at the Items Purchased information. That information is actually contained in another panel, Items Purchased, which is linked through the Invoice Items panel link. Data Link A data link is another way to relate a record in one panel to a record in another. A data link is commonly used to relate records in a many-to-one relationship. It can be used in conjunction with a panel link to form a many-to-many relationship. (For example, you would use a data link to connect employees' records to records of the departments in which they work.) A data link appears as a diamond character and is attached to a field. In the Invoices panel, there is a data link attached to the Customer ID field. This link connects the Invoices panel to the Customer Information panel. 15 Use Tab to move the cursor to the Customer ID field, the press F8 to view the linked record. The Customer Information panel appears. This type of link is used for data checking. As its name implies, data checking is a method of checking the data entered into a field. Data checking can require the user to select the proper value for a field from a lookup list of related records. This not only provides accuracy, but also saves time and keystrokes when a user is creating a record. This type of data checking is useful for including items in an invoice record, or any time a field needs to match a field in a related record which has already been created. Data checking also prevents you from entering alternate spellings, typographical errors, or data for which a related record does not yet exist. It does this by making sure that the value entered in a field is identical to the value in the same field of a linked panel. This provides accuracy for both sorting and record lookup. 16 Press Exit until you have exited DataPerfect. Index An index is a sorted list of fields used to locate and differentiate between records in a database. DataPerfect requires indexes to establish links and lookup lists, and to sort records for reports. You can define several indexes for each panel in a database, so records can be sorted and cross-referenced in a variety of ways. You must define at least one index for each panel of a database. When you create an index, you select fields from a panel in the order you want them sorted. For example, if you select the Last Name field, then the First Name field, then the Middle Initial field, the result is an index with the following priorities: (1) Last Name, (2) First Name, and (3) Middle Initial. This index would first sort records by last name, and then use first names to further sort records which have the same last name. In the event that two records had the same last and first names, the index would further sort by middle initial. Key Link Field List You are asked to select fields for a key link field list each time you create a panel link or data link. This field list needs to be a subset of the index you select for the link. It is used to determine the fields brought through the link and displayed in the destination panel. An index and its three possible ordered subsets are shown below: Index (destination panel) Customer ID hidden Invoice Number Link Field List (source panel) Customer ID or Customer ID hidden or Customer ID hidden Invoice Number The fields in the link field list must be the field(s) common to the two linked panels. Formula A formula computes a value to be stored in a field. Suppose you create a panel containing a Subtotal field, a Tax field, and a Total field. You could create a formula in the Tax field to multiply the contents of the Subtotal field by the tax rate. The result of this formula would appear in the Tax field. You could also attach a formula to the Total field which would add the contents of the Subtotal field and the Tax field. The sum of that formula would then appear in the Total field. Report A report is a way of extracting information from a database. A report can be sent to the screen, a disk file, or the printer. Reports can be used to create form letters, compile information sorted under various headings, create custom merge files for use with WordPerfect, and so forth. Reports can also be used to modify, create, or delete information in a database. Menu A menu is a list of choices. In DataPerfect, built-in menus provide features necessary for database creation, navigation, reporting, and other functions. You may also see user-defined menus in which the definer provides direct access to panels, reports, or other functions through menu number choices.€ Keystrokes Keystrokes are included in the steps of each lesson to guide you through accomplishing a task. All are followed by the keys you need to press to select the feature or option. Conventions The words below have specific meanings and are used throughout the lessons in the step-by-step instructions. Enter Type the character(s), then press Enter. Because DataPerfect converts field formats and filenames to uppercase as you type them, you do not need to use the Shift Key when you see an instruction such as "Enter N9999::E as the field format." Type Type the character(s), but do not press Enter. Select Choose an option from a menu. You can select an option from a DataPerfect menu by typing its number. Press Press the specified key on your keyboard. Most DataPerfect features are selected by pressing a function key on your keyboard (F1, F2, F3, and so forth.). Often you will need to hold down Shift, Alt, or Ctrl and then tap a function key to select the feature. Whenever you need to hold down one key and then tap another, the two keys are separated by a hyphen (such as, Ctrl-F1). Remember that you can press Help (F3) twice to display an on-screen template of DataPerfect function keys.€ DataPerfect Relationships One aspect of DataPerfect which makes data storage and retrieval much more convenient than a traditional filing cabinet is its ability to link related records. This lets you link invoice records to account records, children records to parent records, and so forth. DataPerfect lets you link records in four types of relationships: one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many. One-to-One A one-to-one relationship is established when one record in a source panel is related to only one record in the destination panel. This type of relationship lets you connect one record to a single related record. A link connecting an Employee Information panel to an Employee Spouse Information panel would relate one employee record to the record of his or her spouse. This type of relationship is generally established by using a panel link. One-to-Many A one-to-many relationship is established when one record in a source panel is related to many records in a destination panel. This type of relationship lets you connect one record to related records. For example, a link connecting a Mother Information panel to a Child Information panel could relate a mother's record to records for all of her children. This type of relationship is established by using a panel link. Many-to-One A many-to-one relationship is established when many records in a source panel are related to only one record in a destination panel. For example, a link connecting a Patient panel to an Insurance Company panel could relate the records of several patients to the record of one insurance company. This type of relationship is established by using a data link, and allows data checking. Many-to-Many A many-to-many relationship is established when many records in a source panel are related to many records in a linked panel. For example, a database used to schedule classes at a school might have a Students panel linked to a Classes panel. The linked records would have a many-to-many relationship because many students can each be assigned to many classes. This type of relationship may require both panel links and data links, depending on whether or not data checking is desired. It consists of two separate relationships to a third panel. For example, student records could be linked in a one- to-many relationship to registration records. Class records could also be linked in a one-to-many relationship to registration records. The combination creates a many-to-many relationship between students and classes through the third panel (the Registration panel).€ Menu With the DataPerfect Menu feature, you can define a menu to simplify user tasks and restrict database access. Users access a panel or report by choosing a menu option instead of navigating DataPerfect manually. Once you have created a menu, a user enters a number to access a panel, a panel list, or a report list, or to run a report or Shell macro. An entire menu can be secured with a Definer Password. Each option of the menu can contain a password to limit user access to the database. If necessary, you can set passwords to prevent users from accessing any part of the database. A database must already be defined before you attempt to create a menu for that database. Menu Concepts Like database creation, menu creation requires an understanding of basic concepts. Before designing or creating your menu, make sure you understand the concepts explained in this section. DataPerfect menu creation includes two distinct steps: designing the text screen and assigning menu option definitions. Once you understand the menu creation process, you should plan the menu before proceeding. Next, you will create the menu text (the portion of the menu the user will see). Finally, you will assign certain actions to menu numbers in the Define Menu screen. Text Screen The text screen lists available choices (menu items) and the numbers associated with these choices. In simple terms, the text screen tells users what number to enter in the prompt field to do specific tasks like running a report or entering a panel. The prompt field is the only active part of the text screen. Definition Screen The Define Menu screen lets you define menu assignments. This screen lists menu selection numbers and associated actions, once these actions are assigned. In this screen, you can assign actions to menu selection numbers and edit existing assignments.For instance, if a definer assigned menu item 1 to the Customer Information panel, a user would gain access to the panel by entering the number 1 in the menu prompt field in the text screen. The Define Menu options let the definer assign actions to menu selection numbers. These options are listed in a table later in this section and are explained in detail in Menu, Define. Your menu will be more successful if, before defining a menu, you read about the options you want to use. Planning the Menu If you plan your menu before you define it, the definition process will be easier and the menu you create will probably be more efficient and secure. Decide what tasks your users will use the menu to perform. Sketch a rough design of the text screen, listing and numbering the tasks from step 1 and including the basic design elements you want (a title, boxes, lines, color, and so on). Decide which Define Menu option you will use to define each menu item (task). Refer to the table below for general information about the types of menu items you can define. For more detailed information about menu item types, see the corresponding heading later in this section. For example, to see more information on how to define an item that lets a user access a specific panel, see Go To Panel (1) under Menu, Define. Option Explanation Go to Panel (1) Lets users access a specific panel. If desired, the definer can enter a key word to choose which sorted records the user can access through this option. Go to Panel (User Selects Record) (2) Lets users access a specific panel. User must enter a key word to view sorted records which match the key word. Run Report (3) Runs a specific report. Go To Panel List (4) Lets users access the Panel List. Go To Report List (5) Lets users access the Report List. Submenu (6) Creates a submenu. Launch Shell Macro (7) Launches an existing Shell macro. Decide security issues. For example, you may decide to add both a definer and a supervisor password to the database and to add a password to the option that allows access to the panel list. See the headings that correspond to option types for information on how to add passwords to your menu items. See Menu Security for more information. Create the text screen and assign actions to menu items according to your plan. For information on how to create the text screen, see Create/Edit Menu Text in Menu, Define. For information on how to assign actions to menu items, see Menu, Define. Menu, Define The following steps give an overview of how to create a menu. Refer to the appropriate headings later in this section to find out more about specific menu options. If this is the first time you've defined a menu, make sure you have read Menu. Plan the menu. Access the database panel list. Press Define Panel/Menu (Alt-F8) to enter menu define mode. Once a menu is in place, you will not have direct access to the panel list. You can modify an existing menu by pressing Define Panel/Menu (Alt-F8) from the menu. The Define Menu options are displayed. Options 1-7 let you create new menu assignments. Options eight and nine let you edit existing assignments. Option A lets you create or edit the menu text. Option B lets you position the user prompt. If you are not familiar with the types of menu items you can define, read the heading that corresponds to the Define Menu option later in this section. Select Create/Edit Menu Text (A) to display a skeleton sample screen of menu text. Modify the sample screen to create the menu you want, or delete the sample screen and create one of your own. For details on creating menu text, see Create/Edit Menu Text later in this section. When you are finished creating the menu text, press Exit (F7). Whatever is on the screen when you exit will be your menu. If you make any changes in the text screen, the prompt field appears at the end of the menu text when you exit. If you enter the text screen and exit without making any changes, the prompt field does not appear. If you want to move the prompt field, use the arrow keys to move the prompt field to the location you want. For details on moving the menu prompt, see Move the Menu Prompt later in this section. Press Enter to set the menu prompt and return to the Define Menu options. Use options 1-7 to assign a number for each menu item you typed as menu text. For information about each option, see the corresponding entry later in this section. For example, if you want to define a menu selection that lets the user access a specific panel, follow the steps in Go To Panel (1) later in this section. If you want to define a menu selection that lets the user access the report list, see Report List (5) later in this section. Press Exit (F7) to display the menu you have created. Press Exit (F7) to exit the database. The next time you enter the database, your menu will be displayed. Create/Edit Menu Text To create or edit the text portion of the menu, Start from the Define Menu screen. Select Create/Edit Menu Text (A). The Edit Menu Text screen appears. A skeleton sample screen is available to help your menu creation. If you plan to type items in the sample screen box or any box you create, use typeover mode instead of insert to avoid moving the right side of the box. If you want to delete the sample screen in order to create a screen of your own design, first move the cursor to the top left corner of the screen by pressing Home,Home,Up Arrow. Then press Block (Alt-F4), move the cursor to the end of the text by pressing Home,Home,Down Arrow, and then press Backspace to delete the blocked text. If you are using a color monitor, menu colors are determined by the colors you have chosen for your database in Screen Options (Ctrl-F3). Type an item number followed by an item name for each menu selection you want. Add any other desired menu elements (boxes, lines, bold or underline codes, and so on). To draw lines, boxes, or backshadowing, you can use line draw and other special characters. You can create lines by using Extended ASCII codes, which are available by simultaneously pressing the Alt button and numbers on your numeric keypad. Line draw characters begin with character 179 and end with character 218. For example, to draw a single vertical line, you would press the keypad numbers 1, 7, and 9 while holding the Alt key. See your DOS manual for more details. On color monitors, bold and underline appear as colors. If menu users will view your database on color monitors, you can use Bold (F6) and Underline (F8) to color screen elements like boxes and backshadowing. Bold and underline appear differently on monochrome monitors than they do on color monitors. Use of bold and underline for special effects on monochrome monitors is not recommended. Press Exit (F7) when you have finished entering text. If you have not made any change to the screen, you are returned to the Define Menu options. If you have made any changes to the screen, the prompt field appears. The prompt field is the field in the text screen where the user enters a selection. Depending on how your text is positioned, you may want to move the prompt field. If you want to re-position the prompt field, move it to the desired location with the arrow keys, then press Enter to save the location and return to the Define Menu screen. Move the Menu Prompt The prompt field is the field on the text screen where the user types a menu item number to make a menu selection. By default, the prompt field on the menu text screen appears after the last character of menu text. DataPerfect lets you move the prompt field immediately after the initial menu creation. Once you have entered text and exited the text screen, you can choose this option to change the prompt field location. You can also change the prompt field location by making changes to menu text (A) and then pressing Exit (F7) From the Define Menu screen, Select Move the Menu Prompt (B). The menu text screen is displayed. Use the arrow keys to reposition the prompt field. Press Enter to save the prompt field location and return to the Define Menu screen. Go To Panel (1) This option lets you create a menu item that lets users access a panel that you specify. If you want, you can sort the panel records with a key word. Then when users choose this item, they will see only records that you have specified for this item with the key word. The key word is specified by you, the menu definer. Users are not prompted for a key word with this option. To create a panel entry with or without a definer- specified key word, Make sure you are in the Define Menu screen. Select Go to Panel (1). Type the number of the menu selection you want to add and press Enter. The panel list is displayed. Place the cursor on the desired panel and press Enter. Set the toggle for each of options 1-6. Refer to the table below for available settings. # Option Settings 1 Panel Access Rights Read/Write No Delete Create OK - No Delete/Edit Read-Only 2 Access Report List Yes (user can access reports) No (user can't access reports) 3 Restrict Modification to First Level No (user can modify records in the original panel, but cannot modify any records reached through a link) Yes (user can modify records in the original and any linked panels) 4 Edit Password No options. See step A below. 5 Edit Keyword No options. See step B below. 6 Choose Index No options. See step C below. A Password If you want to add a password to restrict access to the panel, choose Edit Password (4), then type the password using eight characters or fewer and press Enter. B Keyword If you want to sort the records with a key word, choose Edit Key Word (5), then enter a word of four characters or fewer to sort by. If you chose a key word to sort by, the index you choose must include as its first field the field that will contain the key word. C Index Choose Index (6), use the up and down arrow keys to access the desired index, then press Select (F4). D Press Exit (F7) to return to the Define Menu options. Go To Panel (User Selects Record) (2) Go To Panel (User Selects Record) (2) This option lets you create a menu item that lets users access a panel that you specify. The records in the panel are sorted according to the first field of the index you specify while defining the menu item. The sorted records are then displayed according to user response to a key word prompt. For example, suppose an assistant to two attorneys enters records for both attorneys in one panel. The assistant might want to view the record for a specific client who works with only one of the attorneys. The assistant could do a lookup on only records for one attorney or the other by first selecting a menu item (access to the panel, for example) and then entering the keyword associated with the selected attorney. For security purposes, the keyword search will find only those records with an exact match. The key word search is not case-sensitive and can contain as many as 64 characters. If you establish a keyword of "smi", the keyword search will find Smiley, Smith, Smithers, and other words that are a subset of the keyword which match the character order. To create a panel entry with a user-entered key word, Start from the Define Menu screen. Choose Go to Panel (User selects record) (2). Type the number of the menu selection you want to assign and press Enter. Place the cursor on the desired panel and press Enter. Set the toggle for each of options 1-5. Refer to the table below for available settings. # Option Settings 1 Panel Access Rights Read/Write No Delete Create OK - No Edit/Delete Read Only 2 Access Report List Yes (user can access reports) No (user can't access reports) 3 Restrict Modification to First Level No (user can modify records in the original panel, but cannot modify any records reached through a link) Yes (user can modify records in the original and any linked panels) 4 Edit Password No options. See step A below. 5 Choose Index No options. See step B below. A If you want to add a password to restrict access to the panel, choose Edit Password (4), then type a password of eight or fewer characters. B Select Choose Index (5). The index you choose must include as its first field the field that the user is prompted to match. C Use the up and down arrow keys to move to the appropriate index, then press Select (F4). D Press Exit (F7) to return to the Define Menu options. Run Report (3) This option lets you create a menu item that lets the user run a specific report. Start from the Define Menu screen. Select Run Report (3). Type the number of the menu selection you want to assign and press Enter. The report list is displayed. Place the cursor on the desired report, then press Enter to select the report. The Report menu appears. The default setting report option A is Normal Report Mode. Single Record Report From Lookup lets you run a report on a single record and then returns the cursor to the lookup list so you can select multiple records for the report quickly. If you want to select Single Record Report From Lookup mode, choose A. If you want to add a password to this report, choose B, then type a password of eight characters or fewer, and then press Enter. If you want to allow the person who executes the report to be able to set options for printer, disk file, index, search conditions, sort direction, and print options, choose C, then press Enter. Press Exit to return to the Define Menu options. Go To Panel List (4) This option lets you create a menu item that lets users access the panel list. You may want to use a password to restrict some users from accessing the panel list. Start at the Define Menu screen. Select Go To Panel List (4). Type the appropriate menu selection number. Type a password of eight or fewer characters or Press Enter to return to the Define Menu options. Go To Report List (5) This option lets you define a menu item that lets users access the report list. You may want to use a password to restrict some users from accessing the report list. Start at the Define Menu screen. Select Go To Report List (5). Type the appropriate menu selection number and press Enter. Type a password of eight or fewer characters. or Press Enter to return to the Define Menu options. Submenu (6) You can create one or more submenus to the main menu. Each selection on the menu of submenus displays a new menu. You can add a submenu to a submenu. Unlimited levels of submenus are allowed. Select Submenu (6). Type the number of the menu selection to which you want to add a submenu and press Enter. Dataperfect prompts you for a definer password. Type a password of eight or fewer characters and press Enter. or If you want no password, press Enter to return to the Define Menu options. A new Define Menu screen is displayed. Create or edit a submenu as you would any other menu. Press Exit (F7) to return to the previous Menu screen. Launch Shell Macro (7) This option lets you create a menu entry that runs a Shell macro that you designate. Shell macros let you automate DataPerfect tasks. For example, you could use a Shell macro to export data from and import data to a database. If the Shell macro does not yet exist, define it before continuing. Make sure you know the location of the Shell macro you want this item to launch. Make sure you are in the Define Menu screen. Choose Launch Shell Macro (7). Type the appropriate menu selection number and press Enter. Choose Edit Macro Name (1). Enter the macro path and name (for example, c:\dp23\macros\exp&imp.shm). If you want a password on this item, choose Edit Password (2), type a password of eight characters or fewer, and then press Enter. Press Exit (F7) to return to the Define Menu options. Edit an Existing Entry (8) This option lets you make changes to an existing menu selection. You can use this option to change settings like passwords, key words, and so on. However, you cannot change the destination of a menu entry. To change the destination of a menu entry, you need to delete and re-create the entry. Start from the Define Menu screen. Choose Edit an Existing Entry (8). Type the number of the menu selection you want to edit and press Enter. Make the changes for the menu item you selected. For details on how to make changes to the menu item you selected, refer to the appropriate heading above. For example, if the item you selected lets users access the panel list, see Panel List (4) above. Delete an Existing Entry (9) To delete a menu entry, start at the Define Menu screen. Select Delete an Existing Entry (9). Enter the number of the menu entry you want to delete. You are prompted to confirm the deletion. The menu entry is deleted and you are returned to the Define Menu screen. Menu, Remove There are two ways to remove a menu from a database. One involves editing the databases .STE file. The .STE file is a text file that defines the database structure. This method is useful because it deletes submenus, but is only available to you if you have DPEXP and DPIMP. DPEXP and DPIMP are available with DataPerfect packages, but not with the DataPerfect TestDrive kit. The other method of removing a menu from a database involves deleting the contents of the text screen. This method is quicker and easier than editing the .STE file. Removing the Menu by Deleting Menu Text You can remove a menu from a database by deleting everything in the menu text screen. However, the menu cannot be restored to the database unless you re-create it. Submenus are not deleted when you delete the text of the main menu, but are not accessible unless the database has a main menu. If you have deleted the main menu and have left residual submenus, you can access them again by creating a new main menu for the database. If the .STE is exported and imported while the database has residual submenus and no main menu, the submenus are deleted. To remove a menu by deleting menu text, Access the database menu. Press Define Panel/Menu (Alt-F8) to enter menu define mode. If the database has a password on it, you will have to enter the password to access the Define Menu options. Select Create/Edit Menu Text (A). The Edit Menu Text screen appears. Without moving the cursor, press Block (Alt-F4). Press Home,Home,Down Arrow to move the cursor to the end of the text. Press Backspace, then press y to confirm the deletion. Press Exit three times to exit the text screen and database. Re-enter the database to make sure the menu is removed. Menu Security A DataPerfect menu lets you control user access to a database. Database security requires some planning. Without planning, you may defeat your own attempts to secure data. For example, you might put a password on a certain panel. However, if you create another option that allows panel list access and neglect to put a password on that option, unauthorized users will still have access to the data in the panel you secured with a password. In almost all cases, you should secure the database with a definer password. This will prevent users from accessing the Menu Define screen and altering menu options or accessing data you want protected. You may want to add a supervisor password in addition to the definer password. This password lets the supervisor access the Define Menu screen and change the passwords or options of existing entries, but not to add or delete options. You can secure a panel, report, panel list, submenu, macro, or report list with a password. See the appropriate heading (for example, Panel List) in Menu, Define for more information. You can control the records a user sees in a panel by adding a keyword to the menu option that allows access to that panel. See Go To Panel (1) in Menu, Define for more information.€ Using a Database 1: Navigating This lesson introduces you to the fundamental keystrokes that let you move around in a database. You also become familiar with various help messages, the Lookup feature, and exiting a database. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete these lessons again in the future. If you have not copied the database to another directory, 1 Copy CLIENT2.* from the DPT directory to another directory. The steps you used to make a copy of the CLIENT2 database are the same steps you use to back up a database. Because making backup files is important to avoid data loss due to power or machine failure, you should back up your databases regularly. To start the lesson, 2 Start DataPerfect (DPT) (if you need detailed instructions, see Starting and Exiting DataPerfect in this README file). When you start DataPerfect, a list of all databases in the current directory appears. If two or more databases are in the database list, you can use the arrow keys to move the cursor through the list. From this database list you can enter any database or can change to another directory. 3 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. Now enter the CLIENT2 database. 4 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Enter to display the panel list. A list of the panels in the database appears. Display a Panel Panels display the records in the database. They can contain fields as well as field labels and other text. You can use the arrow keys to move through the panel list and then press Enter to display the highlighted panel. 1 With the cursor positioned on the Customer Information panel, press Enter to access the panel. The Customer Information panel appears. Move from Record to Record Page Down displays the next record in a panel. Page Up displays the previous record in a panel. 1 Press Page Down several times to view records for Allen R. Caldiero, Marshall H. Cameron, and Joseph Corrales, Jr. 2 Press Page Up to move the cursor back to the record for Marshall H. Cameron. Move from Field to Field You can use Tab to move the cursor to the next field in a panel. Shift-Tab and Escape move the cursor to the previous field. 1 Press Tab to move the cursor from the Last Name field to the First Name field. 2 Press Shift-Tab to move the cursor back to the Last Name field. In addition to Tab and Shift-Tab, you can use Shift-Up Arrow, Shift-Down Arrow, Shift-Right Arrow, or Shift- Left Arrow to move to the field above, below, right, or left respectively. Be sure to use the arrows on the numeric keypad (depending on the type of keyboard you are using, you may not be able to use the arrow keys on the dedicated cursor keypad). Number Lock should be off. 3 Use Shift-Arrows to move the cursor from field to field in the panel. Move Within a Non-Text Field Use the following keys to move the cursor within a non- text field (also known as a fixed length field): Left Arrow Character Left Right Arrow Character Right Home Beginning of Field End End of Field 1 Move the cursor to the ZIP field (a non-text field). 2 Use the keystrokes listed above to move the cursor within the field. Move Within a Text Field Use the following keys to move the cursor within a text field (also known as a variable length field): Left Arrow Character Left Right Arrow Character Right Up Arrow Character Above Down Arrow Character Below Home, Left Arrow Beginning of Line Home, Right Arrow or End End of Line Home, Up Arrow Several Lines Up Home, Down Arrow Several Lines Down Home, Home, Up Arrow Beginning of Field Home, Home, Down Arrow End of Field 1 Use Tab to move the cursor to the Comments field (a text field). 2 With the cursor in the Comments field, try each of the above keystrokes to see how the cursor moves in a text field. To return to the Browse mode (the mode you are in when you first start DataPerfect), 3 Press Cancel (F1). View Help Messages DataPerfect provides four levels of help. Program Help provides information about the feature you are using. Template Help provides an on-screen representation of the function keys with template labels. Feature List Help provides a list of DataPerfect features and keystrokes. Custom Help is discussed below after step 5. To display the various help messages, 1 Use Tab to move to the Comments field. 2 Press Help (F3) to display the Program Help screen. Because the Comments field is a text field, the information shown in the instruction box gives specific help for text fields. 3 Press Help (F3) again to display the Template Help screen. A DataPerfect template is shown on screen. 4 Press Help (F3) again to display the Feature List Help screen. The Feature List screen appears. When you want to exit a help message, press Enter. 5 Press Enter to exit the help message and return to the panel. Your database definer may have added specific instructions about each application (Custom Help). If so, this help message may appear on the screen without your assistance, or you may need to press Help (F3) to see a custom help message. If a custom help message has been defined for a field, the Program Help screen will appear the second time you press Help. To see a custom help message, 6 Use Tab to move to the State field. The help message appears at the top of the screen if Auto-Help is on. If the help message does not appear at the top of the screen, press Help to display the help message, then press Enter to return to the panel. Perform a Lookup You can use Lookup (F8) or Up Arrow to look through, locate, and retrieve records in a database. You can perform a lookup from any field in a panel. 1 Use Shift-Tab to move the cursor to the Last Name field. 2 Press Lookup (F8) or Up Arrow to display the lookup list. A lookup list (a sorted list of records) appears at the top of the screen. Because each record appears as one line, only a few of the fields of each record are displayed. These fields can be determined by the database definer. The record currently displayed in the panel is highlighted in the lookup list. You can move through a lookup list with the following keys: Up Arrow/Down Arrow Moves up/down to the next record. Home, Up Arrow/Down Arrow Page Up/Page Down Plus (+) or Minus (-) on Numeric Keypad Moves to the top/bottom of the displayed list. Home, Home, Up Arrow/Down Arrow Moves to the beginning/end of the list of records. 3 Type a plus sign (+) on the numeric keypad three times. Notice how the cursor scrolls through the list. 4 Type a minus sign (-) on the numeric keypad twice. Notice how the cursor scrolls through the list. 5 Press Home, Home, Down Arrow to move the cursor to the end of the list. 6 Press Home, Home, Up Arrow to move the cursor to the beginning of the list. If you know the first few characters in a field, you can type them to move quickly to the desired record. DataPerfect is not case sensitive when performing a search in the lookup list (that is, it doesn't matter whether you type lowercase or uppercase letters). 7 Type s to move the cursor to the record in the lookup list for Christian F. Sergeant. Notice that an "S" appears embedded in the top line of the box containing the lookup list. 8 Press any arrow key to reset the search conditions before looking for another record. If you do not press an arrow key to indicate that you want to look for a new record, DataPerfect uses your previous search (s) and adds any new letters you type. For example, if you now type o, DataPerfect searches for a last name beginning with "so." The search conditions are also reset each time you press Enter to retrieve a record from the list. 9 Type o to move the cursor to the record in the lookup list for Troy Jacob Oakes. An "O" appears above the lookup list. 10 Press any arrow key to look for another record. 11 Type fra to move the cursor to the record in the lookup list for Karen C. Frame. Again, the letters you typed appear above the lookup list. Retrieve a Record Once you have located a record on the lookup list, you can display it in the panel by pressing Enter. 1 With the cursor on the record in the lookup list for Karen C. Frame, press Enter. Notice that the cursor moves back to the panel and displays the record for Karen C. Frame. Cancel a Record Retrieval If you do not want to retrieve a record during a lookup, press Cancel. 1 Press Lookup (F8) or Up Arrow to display the lookup list. 2 Type o to move the cursor to the record in the lookup list for Troy Jacob Oakes. 3 Press Cancel (F1). Notice that the Karen C. Frame record still is displayed in the panel (instead of the Troy Jacob Oakes record). Exit the Database To exit the database, 1 Press Exit (F7) to return to the panel list. 2 Press Exit again to return to the database list.€ Using a Database 2: Entering Data Now that you know how to move around in a database, you are ready to learn how to enter and save data. This lesson teaches you how to enter data, how to create a new record, and how to save the data you enter in a database. You are also introduced to various formats available for individual fields in DataPerfect. You will enter data in the Customer Information panel of the CLIENT2 database. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete this lesson again in the future. To start the lesson, 1 Start DataPerfect (DPT). 2 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. 3 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Enter to display the panel list. Enter the Customer Information Panel To enter the Customer Information panel, 1 With the cursor positioned on the Customer Information panel, press Enter to enter the panel. The Customer Information panel appears. Enter Data Using Different Field Formats Some fields in a database may contain numbers, uppercase letters, and lowercase letters, while others may contain only numbers or only uppercase letters. As you create a new record in the CLIENT2 database, you will become familiar with several different field formats. 1 Press Create (F9). The record for Jane M. Burnett disappears, and a new record appears which is blank, except for the Customer ID field. The Customer ID has been formatted as an automatic incrementing field. Each time a record is created, the number in this field increases by one. Notice that the message "Creating Record" appears in the upper left corner of the screen, indicating you are now in Create mode. You are ready to enter data in the new record. 2 Type Harrison in the Last Name field, then press Tab to move to the next field. 3 Type Darrell in the First Name field, then press Tab. 4 Type Matthew as the middle name, then press Tab to move to the Address field. 5 Type 403 Poplar Circle as the address, then press Enter to move to the second line of the Address field. The Address field is formatted as a text field. When you press Enter in a text field, the cursor does not move to the next field in the record. Instead, a hard return is inserted. You must press Tab to move the cursor from a text field. 6 Type Apt. #3 and press Tab to move to the City field. 7 Type Brooklyn in the City field, then press Tab. 8 Type ny in the State field. The lowercase "ny" is converted to "NY" because the State field is designated to change all lowercase letters to uppercase. The State field is also designated as an auto-enter field. When an auto-enter field is entirely filled with data, the cursor moves to the next field (you do not need to press Tab or Enter). 9 Type 11221 in the ZIP field, then press Tab. 10 Press Tab to leave the Home Phone field blank. You do not always have to enter information in every field. However, if you leave a field blank which has been formatted to require information, a message appears when you try to save the record. When instructed to insert information in one of these fields, type the information, then press Tab. The Work Phone field can contain only numbers (letters are not accepted). The hyphen is part of the existing field format, so it is not necessary for you to enter a hyphen. 11 Type 7185551000 in the Work Phone field. If you make a mistake, press Shift-Tab to return the cursor to the field, then type over the incorrect digit(s). A text field (such as the Comments field) can contain many lines of text. 12 Type Mr. Harrison buys for Canadian Imports, Inc. Give him a 10% discount on purchases over $1,000. in the Comments field, then press Enter. Notice that pressing Enter does not move the cursor to the next field. Instead, pressing Enter in a text field inserts a hard return. 13 Press Tab to exit the Comments field. Save a Record and Create Another To create more than one record in succession, press Create to save the current record and prepare the screen to enter another record. (Press Help (F3) after pressing Create if you need additional information.) 1 Press Create (F9) to save the record currently on the screen and to prepare the screen for creating another record. The record for Darrell Matthew Harrison is now saved in the Customer Information panel, and you're ready to create a record for yourself. 2 With the cursor on the Last Name field, enter your last name. 3 Enter your first and middle names in the appropriate fields. 4 Type your street address. If your address is more than one line long, press Enter to insert a hard return between lines. 5 Press Tab to move to the City field, then enter the name of your city. 6 Type the two-digit abbreviation for the state in which you live. 7 Enter your ZIP Code. 8 Type your home and work phone numbers in the appropriate fields. The cursor is now on the Comments field. 9 Type Requested a copy of our most recent catalog. and any other comments you would like to include. Save a Record Without Creating Another When you want to save a record without creating another, press Save. You can also press Exit to save the record and exit the panel. 1 Press Save (F10) once to save the data you entered in the last field. 2 Press Save again to save your newly created record. 3 Press Exit (F7) until you return to the panel list. If Auto-Save is on, the record is saved whenever data is entered in the last field in the record (after you have pressed Tab, Enter, or a Shift-arrow key to move off the field).€ Using a Database 3: Editing Data Now that you know how to enter data in a database, you are ready to learn how to modify (edit) previously entered data. This lesson teaches you how to edit data in a record and how to copy data from one record to another. You also learn how to delete a record. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete this lesson again in the future. If you have not copied the database to another directory, or if you have already been through this lesson since you last copied the files, 1 Copy CLIENT2.* from the DPT directory to another directory. To start the lesson, 2 Start DataPerfect (DPT). 3 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. 4 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Enter to display the panel list. Edit a Record You can edit a record by typing over existing information in a field. DataPerfect then switches into Edit mode when you move to the next field or press Save or Exit. 1 From the panel list, enter the Customer Information panel. 2 With the cursor on the Last Name field, press Up Arrow or Lookup (F8). 3 Type j to move the cursor to the record in the lookup list for Rosanne Jacobsen. 4 Press Enter to retrieve the record for Rosanne Jacobsen. 5 Press Tab to move the cursor to the First Name field. 6 Use Right Arrow to move to the "a" in Rosanne. 7 Type an e to change the spelling of Roseanne. 8 Press Save (F10) to save the edited field. Notice that you are now in Edit mode. 9 Press Save again to save the edited record and return to Browse mode. You can also edit a record using Edit and Insert. 10 Press Shift-Tab or Escape (Esc) to move the cursor to the Last Name field. 11 Press Up Arrow to perform a lookup. 12 Type q to move to the record in the lookup list for Leslie Marie Quenton. 13 Press Enter to retrieve the record. 14 Press Edit (F6) to go into Edit mode. 15 Move the cursor to the letter "o" in "Quenton." 16 Press Insert (Ins) to go into Typeover mode. The "Typeover" message appears at the top of the screen. 17 Type i to replace the "o" in "Quenton." 18 Press Save (F10) to save the edited field. 19 Press Save again to save the edited record. Block and Move Text You can use the Block and Move features to copy text from one text field to another. 1 Press Up Arrow, then type fri to move to the record in the lookup list for Stanley W. Fritzke. 2 Press Enter, then use Escape (Esc) to move the cursor to the Comments field. 3 Press Left Arrow to allow you to edit the Comments field. 4 Press Block (Alt-F4) to turn on Block. The "Block" message appears at the top of the screen. 5 Press Home, Right Arrow to move the cursor to the end of the line. 6 Press Save (F10) once to save the blocked text into memory. 7 Press Save twice to save the field and the record. 8 Press Page Down once to move to the record for Thomas James Grant. 9 Press Left Arrow to allow you to edit the Comments field. 10 Press Move (Ctrl-F4) to retrieve the marked block of text. 11 Press Save twice to save the field and the record. 12 Press Page Down until the record for Heidi G. Johnson appears on the screen. 13 Repeat steps 9 through 11 to retrieve the same block of text for the Heidi G. Johnson record. Bold Text You can bold characters in a text field. To bold text as you type, press Attributes (Shift-F6), then select Bold On/Off (1) to turn on Bold. Type the text you want bolded, then press Attributes and select Bold On/Off again to turn off Bold. You can bypass the Attributes menu by pressing F6 (the Bold key in WordPerfect) to turn Bold on and off. To bold existing text in a text field, 1 Use Tab to move the cursor to the Last Name field. 2 Press Up Arrow or Lookup (F8) to perform a lookup. 3 Type cr to move to the record in the lookup list for Howard Jay Criddle. 4 Press Enter to retrieve the record. 5 Use Escape (Esc) or Shift-Tab to move the cursor to the Comments field. 6 Press Down Arrow to move the cursor to the "N" in No. 7 Press Block (Alt-F4) to turn on Block. 8 Press Home, Right Arrow to move the cursor to the end of the line. You now have blocked the text you want to bold. 9 Press Attributes (Shift-F6), then select Bold On/Off (1). or Press F6 (the WordPerfect Bold key). 10 Press Save (F10). Notice that you are now in Edit mode. 11 Press Save again to save the change. Underline Text You can underline characters in a text field. To underline text as you type, press Attributes (Shift- F6), then select Underline On/Off (2) to turn on Underline. Type the text you want underlined, then press Attributes and select Underline On/Off again to turn off Underline. You can bypass the Attributes menu by pressing F8 (the Underline key in WordPerfect) to turn underline on and off. To underline existing text in a text field, 1 Use Tab to move the cursor to the Last Name field. 2 Press Up Arrow or Lookup (F8) to perform a lookup. 3 Type t to move to the record in the lookup list for David L. Tolman. 4 Press Enter to retrieve the record. 5 Use Escape or Shift-Tab to move the cursor to the Comments field. 6 Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the "I" in Imports. 7 Press Block (Alt-F4) to turn on Block. 8 Press Right Arrow until the cursor is positioned on the period following International. You've now blocked the text you want to underline. 9 Press Attributes (Shift-F6), then select Underline On/Off (2). or Press F8 (the WordPerfect Underline key). 10 Press Save (F10). Notice that you are now in Edit mode. 11 Press Save (F10) to save the change. Use Select to Copy Data Use Select (F4) to copy information from a background record (the most recently displayed record in the panel). 1 Press Create (F9) to create a new record. 2 Enter the information you want in the Last, First, and Middle Name fields. 3 With the cursor on the Address field, press Select (F4) to retrieve the information from the Address field of the background record (the record for David L. Tolman). 4 Use Select to copy the background record data for the City, State, ZIP, Home Phone, and Work Phone fields to the newly created record. Select always uses the value of the background record. You can change the background record by performing a lookup and pressing Enter when the cursor is on the desired record. 5 When you finish entering the information, press Save (F10) to save the record. Delete a Record Pressing Remove (Shift-F5) deletes the record on which the cursor is positioned. Now you'll delete the record you created for Darrell Matthew Harrison in Lesson 2. 1 Use Tab to move the cursor to the Last Name field. 2 Press Up Arrow or Lookup (F8) to perform a lookup. 3 Type ha to move the cursor to the record in the lookup list for Darrell Matthew Harrison. 4 Press Remove (Shift-F5) or Delete (Del). 5 Type y to confirm the deletion of the record. Using a lookup list is not the only way to delete a record. You can delete a record that is displayed in the panel by pressing Remove (Shift-F5), and then confirming the deletion. 6 Press Exit (F7) until you return to the panel list.€ Using a Database 4: Using Links A link connects two panels and establishes relationships between records. Links let you move between panels in a database, and allow panels to share common data. If links did not exist, the only way you could move from panel to panel would be to exit the current panel and select another one from the panel list. This lesson explains the difference between a source panel and a destination panel, and shows you how to access data in a linked panel, and how to identify a related record. For information about features found only in panel links or only in data links, see Lessons 5 and 6. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete this lesson again in the future. If you have not copied the database to another directory, or if you have already been through this lesson since you last copied the files, 1 Copy CLIENT2.* from the DPT directory to another directory. To start the lesson, 2 Start DataPerfect (DPT). 3 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. 4 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Enter to display the panel list. Look at Some Links DataPerfect uses the terms panel link and data link to describe the two types of links which connect files. A panel link is marked with a rectangle (≤) on the screen. A data link is marked with a diamond character on the screen. 1 Move the cursor to Invoices then press Enter. The panel in which a link originates (and where the link symbol is found) is the source panel. The panel to which the link leads is the destination panel. A panel can be both a source panel and a destination panel. The Invoices panel is an example of this. It is a source panel because it contains the Invoice Items link which leads to the Items Purchased panel. It is a destination panel because you can move through the Invoices link from the Customer Information panel to access the Invoices panel. Move to the Nearest Link If your cursor is not positioned on a link, the easiest way to move it to the nearest link is to press Down Arrow or Down Panel (F5). If your cursor is already on a link, you must use Tab or Enter to move to another link. 1 Press Tab to move the cursor off of the Customer ID link. 2 Press Down Arrow or Down Panel (F5) to move the cursor to the Invoice Items panel link. Once your cursor is positioned on a link, you can move through the link to the destination panel. Move Through a Link When you use Down Arrow to move through a link to a destination panel, you can only access records that have one or more fields in common with the source panel record (see Look at Related Records below). If there are no related records, pressing Down Arrow to move through a link will display a message stating that there are no related records in the destination panel. If the cursor is already positioned on a link, pressing Down Panel (F5) moves the cursor through the link and starts a new record in the destination panel. You do not want to create a new record at this time, so you'll use Down Arrow instead. (You will learn more about creating a new record with Down Panel in lessons 5 and 6. 1 With the cursor on the Invoice Items panel link, press Down Arrow to move through the panel link to the Items Purchased panel. The panel displayed in the middle of your screen is the destination panel because it is the panel to which the link leads. 2 With the Items Purchased panel on the screen, press Up Arrow to perform a lookup. Because you entered the link using Down Arrow, the only records in the lookup list are for the items purchased on Invoice Number 00001, the same Invoice Number on the record in the Invoices panel (the source panel). 3 Press Exit (F7) twice to return to the Invoices panel. Lookup on a Panel Link You can perform a lookup with your cursor on a panel link. If you use Up Arrow to perform a lookup, the lookup list displays records from the source panel. If you use Lookup (F8) to perform a lookup, the lookup list displays only related records from the destination panel. To see how Lookup and Up Arrow work when the cursor is on a link, 1 With the cursor on the Invoice Items panel link, press Up Arrow to perform a lookup. Notice that records from the source panel (the Invoices panel) are displayed in the lookup list. The fields in this lookup list, from left to right, are Customer ID, the hidden field, and Invoice Number. 2 Press Exit (F7) to return to the Invoices panel. 3 Press Lookup (F8) to perform a lookup. Notice that the related records from the destination panel (the Items Purchased panel) are displayed in the lookup list. Both records are related to the record in the source panel (invoice number 00001). 4 Press Exit (F7) twice to return to the panel list. Look at Related Records A related record is a record that shares one or more common fields with a record in another panel. To observe an example of related records from the Customer Information panel and the Payments panel, 1 Move the cursor to the Customer Information panel in the panel list, then press Enter. 2 Press Lookup (F8) or Up Arrow to perform a lookup. 3 Type cr to move to the record in the lookup list for Howard Jay Criddle (Customer ID Number 00004). 4 Press Enter to retrieve the record. 5 Press Down Panel (F5) to move the cursor to the Payments panel link. 6 Press Down Arrow to move through the link to the Payments panel. Remember that using Down Arrow to move through a link lets you access only related records. 7 Press Up Arrow to perform a lookup of the related records (Howard Jay Criddle's payment records). Notice that Customer ID Number 00004 is a field in the payment record in the lookup list. The record for Howard Jay Criddle in the Customer Information panel also contains a field for Customer ID Number 00004. Because both records contain the same data in the same field, they are known as related records. 8 Press Exit (F7) until you return to the panel list.€ Using a Database 5: Using Panel Links A panel link is represented on the screen by a rectangle (≤). It stands alone; the database definer can place a panel link anywhere in a panel. It does not need to be attached to a field (as a data link does). This lesson discusses link features found only in panel links. You'll use a panel link to enter data in a destination panel, see how totals work through panel links, and look at a window in the Invoices panel. For general information on links, see Lesson 4: Using Links. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete this lesson again in the future. If you have not copied the database to another directory, or if you have already been through this lesson since you last copied the files, 1 Copy CLIENT2.* from the DPT directory to another directory. To start the lesson, 2 Start DataPerfect (DPT). 3 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. 4 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Enter to display the panel list. Enter Data Through a Panel Link A panel link lets you access related records in a destination panel. You do not need to exit the current panel to access a linked panel. Instead, you can move from one panel to another through a panel link. HALVA International just received a payment from Jane M. Burnett for the items she purchased on Invoice Number 00001. The payment was a check for $100. You will add the payment to her account. To enter the payment, 1 Move the cursor to Customer Information, then press Enter. The Customer Information record for Jane M. Burnett is displayed on your screen. Note that the amount shown in the Balance Due field is $115.31. 2 Press Down Arrow to move to the nearest link (the Payments panel link). Now move to the Payments panel. 3 Press Down Panel (F5) to move through the link and create a new record in the destination panel (the Payments panel). The current date is inserted automatically by the date formula. If there were no formula to insert the current date, you could have pressed Edit (F6). You can use Edit to insert the current date in any date field in DataPerfect. 4 Tab to the Amount field, type 100 as the amount paid, then press Tab. 5 Press Exit (F7) to save the record and return to the source panel (the Customer Information panel). Notice the Balance Due field. The original Balance Due for Jane M. Burnett's account was $115.31. However, since a check for $100 was credited to her account, the Balance Due is now $15.31. The definer of CLIENT2 has used the panel links to store a total in the Balance Due field. The Balance Due is based on the total amount of a customer's invoice(s) (recorded in the Invoices panel) and the amount of payments which have been made (recorded in the Payments panel). 6 Press Exit to return to the panel list. Look at a Window A window is a viewing area in a source panel that displays related records from a destination panel. Only the database definer can create a window. To see a window, 1 Move the cursor to Invoices in the panel list, then press Enter. The data in the Items Purchased, Price, QTY, and Ext. Price columns is not really part of the Invoices panel. The Invoices panel has a window in the middle of it. This window displays information from the Items Purchased panel. For example, the invoice now on the screen tells you that Jane M. Burnett purchased two music boxes on May 10, 1989: (1) Always, and (2) Black Forest Summer. The part of the panel that displays this information is simply a window to the Items Purchased panel. A window can be created with or without a border around it. For the Invoice panel, the database definer created a window that does not have a border around it. 2 Press Exit (F7) to return to the panel list.€ Using a Database 6: Using Data Links Unlike a panel link (which stands alone), a data link is attached to a field. A data link is represented on the screen by a diamond character, and it may enable you to perform data checking. In this lesson you enter data through a data link, and see how data checking works. For general information on links, see Lesson 4. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete this lesson again in the future. If you have not copied the database to another directory, or if you have already been through this lesson since you last copied the files, 1 Copy CLIENT2.* from the DPT directory to a personal directory. To start the lesson, 2 Start DataPerfect. 3 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. 4 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Enter to display the panel list. Enter Data Through a Data Link An item purchased by Cecily Ann Rhoton was mistakenly omitted from her invoice. You'll add the item to her invoice through a data link. 1 Move the cursor to Invoices, then press Enter to display the panel. 2 Press Page Down until you find the invoice for items purchased by Cecily Ann Rhoton. To add an item to an invoice, you need to create an Items Purchased record. Move through the link to the Items Purchased panel. 3 Use Tab to move the cursor to the Invoice Items panel link. 4 Press Down Panel (F5) to go through the link to the Items Purchased panel and create a new record. You will add a new item to the list of items purchased by Cecily Ann Rhoton on Invoice Number 00010. 5 With the cursor on the Item data link, press Up Arrow to perform a lookup of all items in stock. 6 Type r to move the cursor to the record in the lookup list for Return to the Danube. 7 Press Enter to add Return to the Danube to the Items Purchased panel. 8 Press Tab to move the cursor to the QTY field, then type 1 to indicate the number purchased. 9 Press Exit (F7) to save the record and return to the Invoices panel. Notice that Return to the Danube is now added to the invoice as an item purchased. Also, the invoice total has changed to include the charge for the new music box. Use Data Checking Data checking is a feature that can be used with a data link. When you enter data into a field with data checking, the feature checks to see if a related record exists in the destination panel. To see how data checking works, try to add an item which is not in the Items in Stock panel to the Items Purchased panel. 1 With the cursor on the Invoice Items panel link, press Down Panel (F5) to initiate create mode in the Items Purchased panel. 2 Type Grecian Urn as an item for the Items Purchased panel. 3 Press Enter to move to the Price field. Because Grecian Urn is not found in the Items in Stock panel, a message tells you that you must perform a lookup and then select a value for the field. This type of data checking will not let you create a new record in the destination panel. Other types of data checking prompt you to create a new record or require that you create a new record. To add the correct record, 4 Press Up Arrow twice to display the lookup list. 5 Type gr to move to the correct record (Grecian Holiday), then press Enter. 6 Press Tab to move the cursor to the QTY field, then type 1 to indicate the number purchased. 7 Press Exit (F7) to save the record and return to the Invoices panel. Notice that Grecian Holiday now appears on the invoice. 8 Press Exit until you return to the panel list.€ Using a Database 7: Searching for Records The DataPerfect Search feature lets you set three types of search conditions: template search, range search, and formula search. In this lesson you use a template search to find records with a particular phrase in a text field, and then use a range search to find records for customers in New York. You are introduced to how DataPerfect lets you combine several search conditions at once. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete this lesson again in the future. If you have not copied the database to another directory, or if you have already been through this lesson since you last copied the files, 1 Copy CLIENT2.* from the DPT directory to another directory. To start the lesson, 2 Start DataPerfect (DPT). 3 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. 4 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Tab to display the panel list. Begin a Search To begin a search, 1 With the cursor on Customer Information, press Enter. 2 From the Customer Information panel, press Forward Search (F2). The Search Options menu is displayed at the top of the screen. Enter a Search Condition In the steps below, you will perform a template search for the records of customers who receive 10% discounts on their purchases. (A template is a word or number pattern.) To enter a search condition, you must first move to the field you want to search, and then select a Search option. 1 Use Escape (Esc) to move the cursor to the Comments field. 2 Select Specify Template (2). A prompt appears. 3 Enter *10% discount* as the template. Entering *10% discount* as the template tells DataPerfect to search for all occurrences of the phrase 10% discount in the Comments field, regardless of what precedes or follows the phrase (the asterisks act as wildcards which represent multiple characters). Start the Search To begin searching through the records from the beginning of the file, 1 Press Forward Search (F2). The search pauses when it locates the first record which matches the template (the record for Marshall H. Cameron). 2 Press Forward Search again to search for the next matching record. Reverse the Search Reverse Search reverses the direction of a search. After you change directions, pressing Forward Search will continue searching in the reverse direction. If you want to return to the original search direction, you must press Reverse Search again. 1 Press Reverse Search (Shift-F2) to change the direction of the search and move to the previous matching record. The record for Marshall H. Cameron is again displayed on the screen. 2 Press Reverse Search again to change the direction of the search, returning it to its original direction. 3 Press Forward Search (F2) until you see the message at the top of your screen: "Search to the end of the file completed." Enter an Additional Search Condition You can add to existing search conditions. In the steps below, you will add a range search to find customers who live in the state of New York. To enter the additional search condition, 1 Press Forward Search (F2). 2 Select Display Conditions (4) to see the current search conditions. Notice that DataPerfect still searches for *10% discount*. Existing search conditions are used until they are changed or deleted. 3 Press Exit (F7) to return to the Search Options menu. 4 Use Tab to move the cursor to the State field, then select Specify Range (1). You are prompted for a low range value. To search for records of customers who live in New York, you must enter NY as both the low range value and the high range value. 5 Enter ny as the low range value. You are prompted for a high range value. The value you entered as the low range (in this case, NY) appears as the default. 6 Press Enter to accept ny (New York) as the high range value. Match Any/All Search Conditions When you enter two or more search conditions, DataPerfect assumes that you are looking for only those records that match all conditions. If you want to find all records that match any of the conditions, you can select Match Any/All Conditions (6). 1 Select Display Conditions (4) to see that DataPerfect will search for records which include 10% discount in the Comments field AND NY (New York) in the State field. 2 Press Exit (F7) to return to the Search Options menu. 3 Select Match Any/All Conditions (6) to match any of the specified conditions. Notice that DataPerfect accepts option 6 without giving any visual indication that it has done so. 4 Select Display Conditions (4) again to see that DataPerfect now will search for records which include 10% discount in the Comments field OR NY (New York) in the State field. 5 Press Exit to return to the Search Options menu. 6 Press Forward Search (F2) several times to see the records which match either search condition. 7 When the message "Search to the end of the file completed" appears at the top of the screen, press Forward Search once more to return to the Search Options menu. Reset Search Conditions Use Reset Search Conditions (5) to delete the current search conditions. 1 From the Search Options menu, select Reset Search Conditions (5). The message is now displayed at the bottom of the Search Options menu: "No search conditions have been defined." The previous search conditions are deleted. 2 Press Exit (F7) until the panel list appears on the screen.€ Using a Database 8: Generating a Built-In Short Report Built-in short reports are the easiest way to extract data from a database. They are preset report formats which can be used to export data, create WordPerfect secondary merge files, create disk files for use with other programs, or print lists of data. In this lesson you use a built-in short report to print a price list of items in stock. Start the Lesson The database you will use in this lesson is called CLIENT2. Because you will be making changes to the database, it is important that you use a copy of the database files on the DataPerfect Test Drive diskette and not the actual files themselves. This will allow you or others to complete this lesson again in the future. If you have not copied the database to another directory, or if you have already been through this lesson since you last copied the files, 1 Copy CLIENT2.* from the DPT directory to another directory. To start the lesson, 2 Start DataPerfect. 3 Select Change Directory (2), then enter the name of the personal directory to which you copied the CLIENT2 database. 4 With the cursor on the CLIENT2 database, press Enter to display the panel list. Generate a Built-In Short Report A built-in short report can be generated as a price list for merchandise sold by HALVA International. To generate a price list and send a copy to the printer, 1 From the panel list, move the cursor to Items in Stock, then press Enter. 2 Press Report/Export (Shift-F7) to display the report list. 3 Be sure the cursor is on Built-In Short Reports, then press Enter. The Built-In Report/Export menu is displayed on the screen. 4 Select Report/Export Format (8) to display the Built-In Report Format Selection menu. 5 Select Columns, Single Line (1) as the report format. The first two options on the Report menu, Printer On/Off (1) and Disk File On/Off (2), let you specify the destination of the report. The current settings of these options appear at the top of the menu as the destination. For this lesson, you will print the report. 6 If "Printer" and the number of the correct printer port do not appear as the destination, use Printer On/Off (1) to toggle to the Printer Port menu. 7 Specify the number of the printer port to which your printer is attached (usually LPT1). If you do not know the number of your printer port, consult your dealer or database definer. 8 If "Create Disk File" or "Append to Disk File" appears as the destination, select Disk File On/Off (2) to toggle it off. Now you're ready to run the report. To see the report in the screen as well as send it to the printer. 9 Press Screen (Ctrl-F3), then select Report Display On/Off (7). If you want to see one screen of the report at a time, you can turn on Scroll Lock. You can then press any key to scroll from one screen to the next as the report runs. If you do not turn on Scroll Lock, the entire report will scroll on-screen without stopping. 10 Press Report/Export (Shift-F7) to generate the report. Because only two fields exist in the Items in Stock panel (the name of each item and its price), only these two fields are shown in the built-in short report. Like all DataPerfect reports, built-in short reports also can be sent to disk or just to the screen. 11 Press Exit (F7) until you return to the panel list.