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DL-FishLog 3.0 USER MANUAL The fish logging system where every BYTE counts. FISHLOG.DOC PAGE 1 ******************************* CONTENTS ************************************* INTRODUCTION............................................2 HELPFUL HINTS( Read this, very important! ).............3 DEFINITION OF TERMS.....................................6 INSTALLATION............................................7 System Requirements................................7 New Users..........................................7(paragraph A:) Current users who are upgrading, re-installing.....8(paragraph B:) GETTING STARTED.........................................9 PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION...................................14 Files..............................................14 Main Screen........................................14 [Y]es and [N]o Prompts.............................14 Menu System........................................15 MAIN MENU .........................................15 [NEXT].....................................15 [PREV].....................................15 [GOTO].....................................15 [LIST].....................................16 [EDIT].....................................16 [ADD]......................................16 [MARK].....................................17 [DEL]......................................17 [SORT].....................................17 [TEXT].....................................18 [BLD]......................................18 [QUIT].....................................18 GOTO MENU .........................................18 [Fish Species].............................18 [Location].................................19 [Date].....................................19 [Top]......................................19 [Bottom]...................................19 [Skip+/-]..................................19 [Record no.]...............................19 [Exit Menu]................................19 PRINT MENU ...... .................................19 [Marked Records]...........................19 [Complete Log].............................19 [Exit/Return]..............................19 FORMAT MENU .......................................19 [All Information]..........................19 [Mini List] ...............................19 [Exit/Return]..............................19 EDIT/ADD SCREEN....................................20 ENTRY FIELDS.......................................20 NAME CHANGE (Fish Log of..... )....................21 BACKING-UP YOUR DATABASE FILE......................21 RUN-TIME ERRORS-Prevention, Warnings, etc..........22 SAMPLE RECORDS.....................................25 DL-FishLog PAGE 2 Welcome to DL-FishLog DL-FishLog is a database manager designed specifically for the sport fisherman, both salt and fresh water. Through use of its menu driven record sorting and retrieval features, all the details of all your catches can now be at your fingertips. Program prompts coupled with the ever present help messages at the screen bottom make record entry, retrieval, and printing easy. "Where have I had the best luck with LARGEMOUTH BASS ?... What LURE did I use ?.... What was the WATER TEMPERATURE, pH?...How fast was I trolling when the BLUEFINS hit. ..What were the WATER CONDITIONS, WINDS, and TIDE ?... What were the LORAN coordinates ?..". These are the types of questions that you will be able to answer easily and accurately with DL-FishLog. When you begin to enter your catches into DL-FishLog, you will notice that the entry screen for each record is "FISH" and not "DATE" oriented, that is to say, the screen prompts you for the FISH SPECIES and LOCATION of the catch before asking you for the DATE and insists that you enter only one SPECIES per record. This is different from other logs that you may be use to using that simply store all the information for a particular date on a single record. This usually allows you only one look-up method, that being by date. DL-FishLog, in contrast, through its unique record filing and retrieval system, automatically sorts all records entered by FISH SPECIES and LOCATION, as well as DATE. This is what gives DL-FishLog its power and gives you, as a DL-FishLog user, a tremendous advantage, for you will be able to sort and list your fishing records not only by DATE, but also be able to quickly sort and list all your catches recorded for a particular FISH SPECIES, or quickly look-up your complete fishing history at a particular LOCATION. The advantages to this filing system will become apparent to you as your DL-FishLog database grows. You will be able, for instance, to quickly look-up where you were fishing and what luck you had on any particular DATE in the past. Want to go after a particular FISH SPECIES?....You will be able to quickly recall and list all your catches of that species, and the date, location and all other details related to each catch. Want to try your luck at a particular LOCATION(way-points can be used for location), ... DL-FishLog will be able to quickly tell you what you caught on all trips to that location in the past and what bait/lures, fishing techniques you used as well as the moon phase, water and weather conditions you have experience there when you had your best catches. DL-FishLog PAGE 3 There are two things you must do, however, to make DL-FishLog work best for you. 1. You must take the time to read the rest of this document and the LICENSE.DOC, and become familiar with all the features of DL-FishLog. Both the "Helpful Hints" found at the top of this document and the "GETTING STARTED" section are very important. 2. You must make the effort to routinely record and then enter all your fishing trip information into DL-FishLog. That's all there is to it. **************************** HELPFUL HINTS ******************************** Before proceeding with the installation and documentation, here are some hints that I feel will help you get the most out of this program. I have put these at the top of this document so you will be sure to read them and so they will be easy to find for future reference. They may seem a little obscure right now, but they will help get you off to a good start when you begin to use the program to store your own records. The symbols [ADD], [EDIT] , [DEL], etc. in the following refer to menu choices you will find in the program, and are explained further along in this manual. 1: Look to the bottom line of the screen for a help message that occurs with each menu choice and input option. 2: A: Enter only one FISH SPECIES per record. If more than one species was caught on the same outing, enter them on separate records with the specifics related to each. That doesn't mean you can't have more than one FISH per record, only that they should all be the same type of fish. This will enable you to sort your records by FISH SPECIES when you set the program to sort in that order. Example: We caught 2 BLUEFIN TUNA and 4 BLUEFISH 22 miles off CAPE HATTERAS last Saturday. I would enter the 2 BLUEFINs on one record and 4 BLUEFISH on another with the location, date, bait/lure, technique and other details related on each record. HINT: If you make two or more separate trips on the same date, consistent use of the TIME: entry field will keep the records together when in the DATE sorting mode. This mode sorts records first by DATE then by TIME, SPECIES, and LOCATION. This can be useful for keeping all the records for half day trips together. An entry of "AM" or "PM" in the TIME DL-FishLog PAGE 4 field will keep each trip's records together when the sorting mode is set to DATE. Be consistent in use of upper/lower case in the TIME field for best results. B: Enter only one LOCATION per record. If you caught fish in two DISTINCTLY different locations on the same trip, use a different record entry for each LOCATION. This is not mandatory, but it will increase your sorting power for LOCATION. Use your own judgement as to how specific you want to get and what you want the program to do for you. LORAN/GPS coordinates can be entered in the LOCATION field. If you were trolling between two sets of coordinates, you could enter both way-points: (27750/41345 to 27870/41445) or you could enter your starting way-point in LOCATION and enter any other instructions, directions or coordinates under NOTES(example-Trolled due east of way-point 10 miles and back again). 3: Be consistent in your FISH SPECIES and LOCATION entries. These fields are sorted by alphabetical/alpha-numerical order. Entries that seem the same to you may be perceived by the computer as very different. For example: FISH SPECIES: Entry 1: LARGEMOUTH BASS Entry 2: BASS, LARGEMOUTH The above entries would be sorted alphabetically and, instead of being grouped together, would end up at different locations in the database. LOCATION: Entry 1: LAKE SMITH Entry 2: LAKE SMITH-NEAR TOWER The above entries would be grouped together only as far as they are the same(the H). Beyond that, the next symbols or letters(or spaces) would take over. A subsequent entry of LAKE SMITH-EAST CORNER would be placed between the two above entries. The bottom line is, that no matter what scheme of entry you devise, it is most important that you be consistent. However, you may edit entries at any time to correct any errors and thus bring the entry back into the correct sorting order. 4: In DL-FishLog, [MARK]ed records can either be printed or deleted. If you [MARK] records for printing and do not want to delete them, make sure you remember to unmark them to avoid accidental erasure. DL-FishLog PAGE 5 5: The TOP and BOTTOM menu choices you will see in the program do not refer to the Record No.s displayed on the screen, but to the first and last record as ordered by the sorting order selected. (Fish Species, Location or Date). 6: Remember that the Record No. displayed on the screen with each record is not really a permanent fixture. The next available record number is assigned to each new record as it is entered. However, if any records are deleted, all record numbers are reassigned to the remaining records. 7: To exit the [EDIT] or [ADD] mode it requires an [Enter] keystroke when the cursor is at the last entry field (NOTE-2 field). 8: In normal operation the program updates the index(sorting) files automatically with each record entry or deletion. However, if you seem to be missing some records or the [SORT] function is not working as usual(can be caused by power outage will updating records) try implementing a [BLD]. This will rebuild your index files and may fix the problem. 9: Altering or editing the DL-FishLog .DBF files outside of the DL-FishLog program may cause program failure. 10: Backup your DL-FishLog FISH.DBF file regularly. This files stores all your fishing records. If your FISH.DBF file becomes damaged or lost- has erroneous data (after implementing No. 8 above) your backup files can be copied into your the DL-FishLog directory, but will contain only those records since your last backup, so backup these files frequently to play it safe and avoid losing your data. Also, make a backup copy of the main program FISH.EXE and all the .DOC files for safe keeping. See 'BACKING UP FILES' in this manual for more information on this. 11: The header line "Fish Log of...." can be changed to your name, vessel name, etc. as described in NAME CHANGE at the end of the PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION below. 12: You can enter a "blank record" into your database, mark it and print it. Use copies of this blank form to record information when you are fishing. DL-FishLog PAGE 6 *************** DEFINITION OF TERMS AS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT ************** RECORD- A record is one complete entry in your DL-FishLog database. The MAIN SCREEN in the program displays one complete record at a time. When you go into an [ADD] or [EDIT] mode in the program, you will be able to edit all the fields (see below) in one record. FIELD- Fields are the individual entries that comprise each record. These are the color delimited areas on the screen where you read, edit or enter specific data into each record. INDEX- Indexing is the same as sorting. The program sorts (alpha/alpha-numeric order) the records according to the field you have chosen to sort on. The files that store this sorting information are called "index files." [ ]- These brackets indicate either a keyboard key or a program menu choice. Examples: "Press the [Enter] key." "Activate [MARK] on the main menu to mark the displayed record." DL-FishLog PAGE 7 **************************** INSTALLATION ****************************** System requirements: 100% IBM PC compatible 512 K RAM Hard Disk- DL-FishLog must be installed on a hard disk to run properly. DOS 3.1 or higher for best performance Database disk usage- about 1MB/1000 records. DL-FishLog can store in excess of 10,000 records. Time of execution of some of the more lengthy program functions will increase as your DL-FishLog database grows and will be determined by the speed and memory capacity of your computer system. See the performance under [MARK], [DEL] and [BLD] below. The following lines should be included in your DOS CONFIG.SYS file: files=20 buffers=20 If these commands already appear in your CONFIG.SYS and have higher values, they should not be changed. If you are not familiar with this file; or how to look up or change these settings, you can still try to run the program, but if you encounter any problems, you will need to look at this file. IF YOU MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE CONFIG.SYS FILE YOU WILL NEED TO RE-BOOT THE COMPUTER BEFORE THEY WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE. A: New User Installation (First time DL-FishLog users) IMPORTANT!!! If you are currently using another version of DL-FishLog, and are up-grading to this version(3.0), or want to re-install the present version skip down to: B: Upgrade Installation. For users installing from a download, all DL-FishLog files must reside in the same separate directory on a hard disk. For those installing from a diskette, copy all files(*.*) from the DL-FishLog diskette to a separate directory on the hard disk. For those not familiar with DOS, you can make a directory on your hard disk, call it anything you like, ("LOG" on drive C: in this example) with this command at the DOS prompt: MD C:\LOG DL-FishLog PAGE 8 Then copy all DL-FishLog files to this directory. This example assumes B: as the drive holding the DL-FishLog files: COPY B:*.* C:\LOG CAUTION! After installing DL-FishLog, never re-install this or any other version into the same DIRECTORY using this method or down-load another version of DL-FishLog into the same DIRECTORY, as this may erase your records. ******************* End of install for New Users ***************************** B: Upgrade or Re-installation(for those who are currently using DL-FishLog) If you are already using a earlier version of DL-FishLog and are upgrading to this version(3.0) or want to re-install the program follow these instructions: Make a new back-up copy of your present FISH.DBF file for safe keeping. Copy the program version you want to install into ANOTHER directory (with the name of your choice), but NOT into your current version's directory. Copy ONLY the FISH.DBF file FROM the directory holding your OLD files to the directory holding your NEW files of DL-FishLog. Run up the new version by changing to that directory and entering "FISH". To initialize your old records to the new program perform a [BLD]. Your upgrade installation is now complete. Use the new directory as your working version of DL-FishLog. ************* End of install for those already using DL-FishLog ******** NOTE: It is recommended that you not run this program in a multitasking environment. This may result in expanded memory conflicts. End multitasking sessions and run the program in a DOS environment for best results. DL-FishLog PAGE 9 GETTING STARTED NOTE: All the screens, menu options and program functions referred to in this section are each explained in more detail in the PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION section that follows. To run the program change to the directory in which the DL-FishLog program resides. This example assumes that the program is in the directory called "LOG" on drive C:. CD C:\LOG Then at the DOS prompt type the word- FISH -and press the [Enter] key. The first screen is the DL-FishLog sign-on screen. If you decide to support DL-FishLog, the author's address is found on this screen. Press the [Enter] key to pass this screen. If the program has not been run-up before, the next screen will ask you to create the FISH.DBF file. This is the file that stores all your fishing records. To create this file press the [Y] key then the [Enter] key. (All- [Y]es or [N]o -prompts in the program have an answer already in place, to choose the answer already in place simply press the [Enter] key, or change the answer then press the [Enter] key.) The next screen is the DL-FishLog MAIN SCREEN. This screen displays all the information for each one of your fishing records you have entered. The MAIN MENU is at the screen bottom. This menu, like all others in the program, can be navigated by the arrow keys to highlight a choice. As each choice is highlighted a message appears beneath the menu explaining what each choice does. To activate a highlighted choice, press the [Enter] key. To enter your first record, highlight the [ADD] option and press the [Enter] key, then answer the window prompt- press the [Y] key and then press [Enter]. NOTE: It does not matter what sorting order is presently being used when using [ADD] to enter a new record. You can now enter your fishing information into each field of the blank record. Enter only the information you want to save and leave blank any fields you are not interested in saving. Use the NOTE fields to store additional information about each catch. You can use the arrow keys, backspace key, delete key, etc. to: move to, enter, edit, erase, etc. information into each field. Press [Enter] to accept information in each field. To exit this [ADD] screen press [Enter] with the cursor in NOTE-2 field. DL-FishLog PAGE 10 Remember to enter only one FISH SPECIES in each record. For better sorting power for LOCATION, you may opt to enter only one LOCATION per record, and remember that LORAN/GPS way-points can be entered and sorted just like location names. See the example records at the end of this document. The FISH SPECIES and LOCATION fields have automatic capitalization to insure more accurate sorting on these fields. To edit a record once it is entered, display that record on the screen (using methods described below) and use the [EDIT] menu option. This option works exactly the same as the [ADD] option above. Once you have some records entered, you can use the various other MAIN MENU options to change the sorting order of your records and to locate, view or print your records in various ways: The [NEXT] AND [PREV] options of the MAIN MENU cause the program to display the next or previous record in your DL-FishLog database on the MAIN SCREEN in the sorting order that you choose. The [SORT] option of the MAIN MENU allows you to choose the sorting order - FISH SPECIES, LOCATION, or DATE. - you want your records to be in as indicated by the blinking ">>" and highlighting on some monitors. The FISH SPECIES sorting order groups all like SPECIES together in alphabetical order. The LOCATION sorting order groups all like LOCATIONS together in alphabetical/(alpha-numeric for way-points) order. The DATE sorting order groups all DATES in chronological order. NOTE: The order of more that one record with the same date is decided by the TIME field entry, thus, the records for two or more fishing trips on the same day can be kept together by entering AM, PM, NIGHT, etc. in the TIME entry field. (See [SORT] in PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION for more on this). The [LIST] option is a very powerful option that allows you to list and view your records in the sorting order you have chosen with the [SORT] option. The list always begins with the record displayed on the main screen when you activated [LIST]. While in the [LIST] mode you can browse through the your records with the up/down arrow keys, find and highlight a record to view on the MAIN SCREEN or mark/unmark records for printing or deletion. See [LIST] under PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION. DL-FishLog PAGE 11 The [GOTO] option of the MAIN MENU opens the GOTO MENU which allows you to quickly go to an display a record or groups of records without having to search for them. The choices FISH SPECIES, LOCATION and DATE all automatically change the sorting order to the field being sought and goes to and displays on the MAIN SCREEN the FIRST record matching your GO TO entry or CLOSEST match to your GO TO entry. EXAMPLE: Assume the sorting order is set to LOCATION. You perform a [GOTO] [Fish Species] and type- LARGEMOUTH -and [Enter]. The program would automatically set the sorting order to FISH SPECIES and go to and display on the MAIN SCREEN the first LARGEMOUTH in your files and you, with a series of [NEXT]s or a [LIST], could display the rest. If the GO TO object is not found, the closest match in alphabetical, numeric or date order PAST what you entered will be displayed. HINTS: Be consistent in your entries for best sorting and GO TO performance, try to develop good entry habits from the start. EXAMPLE: Always enter FISH SPECIES then same way in each record, such as the singular- BLUEFIN - or the plural BLUEFINS, but not sometimes one way and sometimes the other. If some records were entered BLUEFIN and some BLUEFINS, a [GOTO] [Fish Species] "BLUEFINS" would pass over all the BLUEFIN entries and go to BLUEFINS. And never enter any more letters in the [GO TO] search field than necessary, in fact the [GO TO] will search partial entries just as well if they are specific enough: EXAMPLE: The only entry in your files for LOCATION that begins with an "O" is OCEAN VIEW, just entering an "O" would take you to this LOCATION entry. Remember that way-points as well as names of places(or both) can be entered and found using GO TO. DL-FishLog PAGE 12 If you are not sure of the exact date you want to find with a GO TO, enter the earliest possible date it could be and then perform a [LIST] to find the exact date. The [TEXT] option on the MAIN MENU allows you to print selected records in certain formats. The [DEL] option on the MAIN MENU allows you to delete all marked records permanently from your files. The prompts in this function remind you to periodically back-up to a separate disk for safe keeping the file called FISH.DBF which stores all your fishing records. With the [MARK] option on the MAIN MENU you can mark records for printing or deletion. Be sure to use this command to unmark any records after printing that you don't want to erase. The [BLD] option of the MAIN MENU rebuilds all your index files that control the sorting orders in the program. These files are self-building under normal operation, but power surges or other program interruptions may damage these files. If you seem to be missing some records or the GO TO function is not working as usual try implementing a [BLD] and this may fix the problem. The [QUIT] option of the MAIN MENU should always be used to exit the program. This will save all your entries and properly close all your DL-FishLog files. The best way to learn how to use the program is to just start using it. Don't be afraid to enter some records, practice records if you like, and then explore how the program responds to various [SORT] choices, [GOTO]s, [LIST] and other commands. This will give you the best insight into how the program works and how it can best work for you. Remember that to get the best possible sorting power from the program, enter only one FISH SPECIES and one main LOCATION per record. In this example, LARGEMOUTH BASS were caught on the same trip but at two widely separate locations. By entering the fish caught at each location on separate records, I can now sort those locations independently for comparison purposes. Like wise, if you caught more than one SPECIES on one trip at the same general location(2 BLUEFIN, 5 BLUEFISH trolling from 12345/12345 to 12360/12360 off CAPE HATTERAS), enter the 5 BLUEFISH on one record and 2 BLUEFIN on another with the LOCATION(way-points in this example) and DATE the same. That will enable you to separately sort the species and also allows you to record the TECHNIQUE,BAIT/LURE, and other parameters specific to each species caught. DL-FishLog PAGE 13 Another method you can use to navigate the menus is pressing the first letter of the menu choice. This not only highlights the choice but also activates it. Using this method ia very fast, but can be confusing at first. Use it only when you are very familiar with the program. Thank you for trying this program. I hope it can be of use to you and I hope you have as much fun using it as I do. Grab your fishing rod, tackle box and laptop and may your fishing luck be good. DL-FishLog PAGE 14 DL-FishLog DOCUMENTATION PROGRAM FILES: The following files should be present in the directory in which DL-FishLog is installed: FISH.EXE - The DL-FishLog program file. Enter 'FISH' to run program. *FISH.DBF - The main DL-FishLog database file. Back-up this file often. *JSNTP.DBF - Ancillary database file. README.DOC - Introduction to DL-FishLog. FISHLOG.DOC - Installation, documentation. LICENSE.DOC - User/Supporter information. *MAIN.NTX - Index file. *LOCO.NTX - Index file. *DATE.NTX - Index file. (* denotes files created by the program when it is run the first time.) You can see if all these files are present by using the DOS command "DIR". THE MAIN SCREEN The main DL-FishLog screen(the first screen past the sign-on screen) always displays all the data(fields) for a single entry(record) in your DL-FishLog database. The Record Number for the record is located in the upper right corner. The menu of choices(MAIN MENU) used to manipulate the records that will appear on this screen is found at the bottom of the screen. The blinking- >> - and highlighting indicate the field that is controlling the sorting order of your records. Help messages will appear at the very bottom of the screen when any menu choice is highlighted or entry field is activated. Each Main Menu choice is described below. (Help messages also appear in some of the program windows.) [Y]es and [N]o PROMPTS All yes and no prompts in the program have an answer already in place. To affirm the answer already in place, just press the [Enter] key. To change answer, key in either [Y] or [N] then press [Enter]. Example: "Printer is ready, start printing now [Y]es or [N]o ?": [Y] An [Enter] would start printing, while an [N] and [Enter] would abort printing. Upper or lower case does not matter for [Y] or [N] answers. DL-FishLog PAGE 15 THE MENU SYSTEM All menus choices have help messages displayed at the screen bottom. All the menus in DL-FishLog can be navigated in two ways: 1. To make a menu choice you can use the arrow keys to place the menu cursor on a menu label and then press the [Enter] key to activate the choice. or 2. To make a choice you can press the first letter of the menu label you wish to activate. It is recommended that you use the first method until you get a feel for the program. You can use [Esc] to exit any menu except the MAIN MENU. The MAIN MENU: [NEXT]- Moves to the next record in the database. The next record will be determined by the SORTING ORDER that is chosen. The program begins with the SORTING order set to FISH SPECIES. In FISH SPECIES order your fishing records will be sorted in alphabetical order according to the fish species that you have entered on each of your records. In LOCATION order your fishing records will be sorted in both alphabetical and alpha-numeric order according to the locations you have entered on each of your records. Thus way-points entered as locations will be sorted alpha-numerically and names of places will be sorted alphabetically. In DATE sorting order your fishing records will be sorted and arranged in date order according to the dates of your entries. While in DATE order, to group records together for two separate trips on the same day, enter, for example, "AM" and "PM" in the TIME: entry field. Since in DATE order TIME is sorted next after date, all "AM" and "PM" trips would be grouped together even if the same FISH SPECIES were caught at the same LOCATION. This will become clearer as you use the program. The [SORT] choice(described below) on the MAIN MENU can be used to change the sorting order. [PREV]- Moves to the previous record. Works the same as [NEXT] above except it moves through your records in reverse order. [GOTO]- Opens a menu of choices that allows user to go to specific records or groups of records. (see [GOTO] menu below) DL-FishLog PAGE 16 [LIST]- Displays a list of your records STARTING with the record that is presently displayed. The order of the records and fields displayed in the list is determined by the SORTING ORDER you have chosen. If the order is set to FISH SPECIES, the list will be in FISH SPECIES order and SPECIES will be in the first column. If the SORTING order is set to LOCATION the list will be in LOCATION order with the first column being LOCATION. If the order is set to DATE order, your records will be listed in DATE order with the first column being DATE. The list can be navigated by using the up/down arrow keys or the [Page Up]/[Page Down] keys to scroll the list up or down. Use the [Ctrl]+[Page Up]/[Page Down] keys to go to the first record or last record in the file. The arrow keys can be used to place the cursor on a particular record. With the cursor on a particular record pressing the [F10] will mark or unmark the record. Marked records are indicate by a preceding "*". To exit the [LIST] mode you can press the [Esc] key or the [Enter] key. The [Esc] key returns to the main screen and displays the record that was displayed before the [LIST] was activated.(no-choice mode of exit). Using [Enter] to exit the [LIST] mode returns to the main screen and displays the record that the [LIST] cursor was on when [Enter] was pressed (make-choice mode of exit). Summary of commands for navigating [LIST]: [Arrow Up]: Scroll up [Arrow Down]: Scroll down [Page Up]: Scroll one screen up [Page Down]: Scroll one screen down [Ctrl]+[Page Up]: Go to top of file(in sorting order) [Ctrl]+[Page Down]: Go to bottom of file(in sorting order) [F10]: Toggles to mark/unmark highlighted record [Enter]: Displays highlighted record on main screen [Esc]: Displays record on main screen that was present before activating [LIST] [EDIT]- Allows editing all the data of the record displayed. Field input messages appear at the bottom line of the screen for each field chosen. To navigate the edit screen, use the arrow keys to move to the field you wish to edit, then press [Enter] when finished. Continue this process with as many fields as you wish or continue pressing [Enter] until the last field(NOTE-2) is entered, and you will return to the main menu. See EDIT/ADD SCREEN below for more details on adding/editing your records. [ADD]- Allows you to add a new record to your the DL-FishLog database. Works the same as [EDIT] above. See EDIT/ADD SCREEN below for more information. DL-FishLog PAGE 17 [MARK]- Toggles between Marking or Unmarking the present record for either printing or deletion. Allows the user to choose groups of records to print or delete. When records are [MARK]ed they will say "Record Marked." When records are [LIST]ed, all [MARK]ed records are preceded by an "*". Activating [MARK] on previously [MARK]ed record will bring a menu of choices that allows either the unmarking of the one record or the unmarking of all records. Records should not be left [MARK]ed unnecessarily since they are vulnerable to deletion. Unmarking all records using my 16 MHz 386sx with 1MB RAM average times: 500 Records- 20 seconds 1000 Records- 40 seconds 2000 Records- 1 minute 30 seconds NOTE: For a large database, depending on your system's speed, it may be less time consuming, in the case of needing to un[MARK] just a few records, to un[MARK] them individually rather than implementing an un[MARK] all. This can be accomplished either in the main screen mode or the [LIST] mode. [DEL]- Permanently deletes all [MARK]ed records. If you are going to delete more than one record, mark them all and delete them all at once. This will save time since, as your database grows, the [DEL] function will grow more lengthy. DO NOT INTERRUPT (power-down or reset) A [DEL] ONCE STARTED, AS THIS CAN CAUSE CORRUPTION OF YOUR DL-FishLog DATABASE FILES. OBSERVE WINDOW WARNING. [DEL] using my 16 MHz 386sx with 1MB RAM average times: 500 Records- 46 seconds 1000 Records- 1 minute 33 seconds 2000 Records- 3 minutes 24 seconds [SORT]- Each time this choice is activated the sorting order changes as indicated by the blinking ">>".(and highlighted field on some monitors.) Also, the listing and printing field order for FISH SPECIES, LOCATION and DATE is changed. When activated, goes to the first record in the database in the sorting order chosen. DL-FishLog PAGE 18 Total controlling index for each sorting order chosen: FISH SPECIES= FISH SPECIES+LOCATION+COUNT+DATE LOCATION= LOCATION+FISH SPECIES+COUNT+DATE DATE= DATE+TIME+FISH SPECIES+LOCATION By having COUNT index before DATE, the DATES of the best catches in records with the same SPECIES and LOCATION will be grouped together. This can best be seen by [LIST]ing. [TEXT]- Brings up menu of printer options(see below). [BLD]- Rebuilds all the program's index files that sort your records into different orders. Use this function to initialize your records when re-installing the program, or after installing a back-up copy of your FISH.DBF, or if you are having trouble sorting, or if you can't seem to locate records that you thought were there. In normal operation, the index files are self-building. Rebuilding index using my 16 MHz 386sx with 1MB RAM average times: 500 Records- 25 seconds 1000 Records- 45 seconds 2000 Records- 1 minute 37 seconds [QUIT]- Exits program and closes all DL-FishLog files. Always use this command to exit DL-FishLog. The GO TO menu Some of the GO TO menu choices present a window with an entry field requesting information. You simply type in this information and press [Enter] when finished. An [Enter] with no information typed in or an [Esc] will abort the procedure and return you to the GO TO menu. [Fish Species]- Goes to the FIRST record in the database with the closest FISH SPECIES match to the word or letter(s) entered. Also changes the sorting order to FISH SPECIES. Depending on your particular FISH SPECIES entries, just a few first letters of a fish name may take you to the correct records. For example, if the only 'L' FISH SPECIES entry was LARGEMOUTH, then just entering 'L' would take you to the first LARGEMOUTH entry. If BLUEFIN and BLUEFISH were entries, it would take an entry of at least "BLUEFIS" to pass BLUEFIN and end up at BLUEFISH. Note, however, that an entry of BLUEFINS(the plural) would also go right past BLUEFIN to BLUEFISH, so be careful not to enter any more letters than that of the actual entry that you wish to find. DL-FishLog PAGE 19 [Location]- Goes to the FIRST record in the database with the closest LOCATION match to the word, letter(s) or number entered. Also changes the sorting order to LOCATION. Abbreviated entries work the same as in FISH SPECIES above. [Date]- Goes to the FIRST record in the database with the closest match to the DATE entered. Also changes the sorting order to DATE. If the date entered is not found the NEXT date in date order will be the record that will be displayed. If you are unsure about the exact date you wish to find, try entering the earliest possible date it could be, then [LIST] to find the exact record. For example, if I wanted to find a particular record in early June, 1990, I could enter 06/01/90 and then [LIST]. [Top]- Goes to the first record in the database according to sorting order. [Bottom]- Goes to the last record in the database according to sorting order. [Skip+/-]- Goes forward or backward(-) the number of records entered. [Record no.]- Goes to the record with the record number matching the number entered. Also displays total number of records in your database. [Exit Menu]- Returns to main menu. The PRINT menu All printer output is directed to your system's default printer. [All Marked]- Includes all marked records in report. [Complete Log]- Includes all records in report. [Exit/Return]- Returns to main menu The FORMAT menu [All Information]- Prints all fields for each record printed. [Mini List]- Prints first SIX fields for each record printed. [Exit/Return]- Returns to PRINT menu. DL-FishLog PAGE 20 The EDIT/ADD Screen Enter only the information you want to save. Leave blank any field that is not applicable. This screen is navigate by the UP and DOWN ARROW keys. or By pressing [Enter].(Forward only) Entries should be completed with [Enter] to accept. An [Enter] with the cursor in the NOTE-2: field is required to exit the screen an return to the main menu. ALWAYS PROOF READ YOUR ENTRIES BEFORE EXITING THE ADD/EDIT MODES. THE ENTRY FIELDS Use customary word processing keys to edit each field: [Space bar], [Back Space], [Delete], etc. To exit a field after an entry, always use the [Enter] key. Each entry field has an associated help message at the screen bottom. FISH SPECIES- Enter only one fish species per record. Converts entry to uppercase. This is one of the index fields, so be consistent in your entries. See 'Helpful Hints'. LOCATION- Enter only one general location per record. How specific you want to get is up to you. LORAN/GPS coordinates can be entered. Converts alpha entry to uppercase. This is one of the index fields, so be consistent in your entries. See 'Helpful Hints'. DATE- Impossible dates will be rejected- Example: 02/31/92. Cursor will then move to beginning of the field and wait for correction. This, also, is one of the index fields. COUNT- Accepts numeric only. DL-FishLog PAGE 21 The rest of the fields will take both alpha/numeric entries. Be sure to indicate pounds, inches, mph etc. where appropriate. Study the example records for examples of different types of entries. Also, pay attention to the help massages that occur with each field at the bottom of the screen. NAME CHANGE To change the name of the screen and printout header, perform an [ADD] record and in the last field in notes(NOTE-2) in this record enter the following text string(with no other text on the line) EXACTLY as below observing upper-case: CHANGE_NAME_123456789 This will bring up the screen that prompts for a name. Enter your name, example: John Smith or vessel name, example: the Sundance The program will then add 'Fish Log of' to your entry. After entering the name as you want it, the program will terminate. When you restart the program the new name will be in use. BACKING-UP YOUR DATABASE FILE. You need to routinely make a back-up copy of your FISH.DBF for safe keeping. This file stores all your fishing records. If your file is small, 500 hundred or so records it will probably fit on a single diskette(use the largest capacity format you have.) Then, you can simply copy it from your DL-FishLog directory to the diskette with the following command at the DOS prompt while currently in your DL-FishLog directory:(assumes C:\LOG as your DL-FishLog directory and A: as the diskette drive you are saving to). C:\LOG> Example: COPY FISH.DBF A: then press [Enter] Label the diskette 'FISH.DBF back-up'. and keep it in a safe place. Remember, if you have to use this file to replace a damaged or lost DL-FishLog PAGE 22 FISH.DBF file it will only be as recent as your last back-up, so back it up often. As your file becomes to large to fit on a single disk, you can use the DOS BACKUP command or a utility program to back it up on more than one disk. If you suspect that your FISH.DBF file is damaged and have performed a [BLD] to fix it without success, to replace a damaged or lost FISH.DBF file you would copy while at the diskette drive DOS prompt: (A: is assumed as the diskette drive holding the back-up and C:\LOG the DL-FishLog directory on the hard disk in this example.) A:> Example: COPY FISH.DBF C:\LOG Then run up the program and perform a [BLD] to initialize the back-up file to the program. As your back-up file becomes to large to fit on a single disk, you can use the DOS RESTORE command or a utility program to copy it to your DL-FishLog directory should it be necessary. RUN-TIME ERRORS The best way to handle run-time errors is to prevent then from happening in the first place. There are four main reasons for run-time errors that you, as a user, have some control of: DOS Environment : The DL-FishLog program needs 512 K RAM to operate. If your computer has that much RAM but the program does not run and gives either: Error message: not enough memory or The warning: Low RAM it could be caused by TSR(Terminate and Stay Resident) programs such as calendar programs, popup calculator, menuing programs, etc. that stay in and take up memory while other programs are running. Sometimes disk cashing software will cause this to happen as well as causing conflicts with expanded memory also used by DL-FishLog PAGE 23 DL-FishLog. To gain back some RAM you could not install these programs while running DL-FishLog. Also this is a program that should be run in a pure DOS environment from the DOS prompt and not out of mutitasking environment. Damaged/Missing files: DL-FishLog uses several files to store your fishing records. If they become damaged or acciden- tally erased or you move them moved out of the directory in which you are running the program, then the program cannot store and retrieve your data. as usual. Symptoms of this are: sorting not performing as expected. Some Records seem to be missing. 'Gibberish' entered in record. The warning: VARIABLE DOES NOT EXIST. The warning: FISH.DBF FILE MISSING Error message: DBSKIP(0) 1210, usually triggered shortly after a [GOTO] [Record no]. Damage to files can occur when the program is abruptly terminated by a power surge, power loss or the computer being "soft" reset while the program is running. Treat your files kindly by always using the [QUIT] function to exit DL-FishLog. Never run your working copy of your FISH.DBF file in any other software outside of DL-FishLog. This could also alter your files and cause them not to function correctly. If you think the sorting function is not working up to par, or some of your records seem to be missing performing a [BLD] will rebuild your index files and may fix the problem. The "FISH.DBF file missing." warning indicates that this file is not present in the directory in which DL-FishLog is running. The program will generate a new, empty FISH.DBF file if you tell it to, but DL-FishLog PAGE 24 if you are not using the program for the first time and have already stored data, then it means that your data file is missing. If you have recently re-installed or otherwise moved the program to a different directory or drive, you may have forgotten to copy your working copy of your FISH.DBF file. If you cannot locate you working copy of this file, you will have to copy your back-up of this file into your the DL-FishLog directory. When you copy this file into your DL-FishLog directory, it will overwrite your damaged or missing FISH.DBF file and contain only those records since your last backed it up, so back-up this file often. You will then need to perform a [BLD] to rebuild all the index files. Printer not ready: The programs print-status checker displays messages and beeps when the printer is not on-line or not ready, then prompts you to take action. Disk Access: DL-FishLog files can grow very large and, for that reason, the program should only be run on a hard disk that has ample room for data storage. DL-FishLog files need at least 1 Meg of disk storage space for every 1000 records entered. It is good practice in general to routinely perform 'housekeeping' on your hard disk and erase any useless, unwanted files. This will improve your hard disk performance, also. DL-FishLog PAGE 25 FOR EXAMPLE ONLY: Fish Log of David Jones >> FISH SPECIES: AMBERJACK LOCATION: CHESAPEAKE LIGHT 27102/41292 Record No. 8 DATE: 07/04/86 COUNT: 5 TECHNIQUE: DRIFT FISHING 9/0 HOOK BAIT/LURE: LIVE BUOYJACKS, SPOT SIZE: LARGEST- WEIGHT: 57 LBS 6 OZS LENGTH: N/A OTHER- ABOUT 25 LBS AVRG -----WATER----- ------WEATHER/ASTRO------ TEMP: 74 F SKY: CLEAR DEPTH: 60 FT WIND: CALM CLARITY: 20 FT MOON: NEW Ph: N/A TIDE: INCOMING SALINITY: N/A BAROPRESS: 30.0 RISING BOTTOM: SANDY TIME: ALL DAY NOTE-1: Party of 4. Jim Smithson landed the big one. NOTE-2: Released 4. ***************************************************************************** Fish Log of the Sun-Chaser >> FISH SPECIES: BLUEFIN TUNA LOCATION: 27750/41196* Record No. 243 DATE: 07/12/86 COUNT: 4 TECHNIQUE: TROLLING AT 8-12 KNOTS BAIT/LURE: RED/WHITE CEDAR PLUGS SIZE: LARGEST- WEIGHT: 76 LBS 12 OZS LENGTH: N/A OTHER- AVRG: 40 LBS TOTAL: 210 LBS -----WATER----- ------WEATHER/ASTRO------ TEMP: 72 F SKY: SUNNY DEPTH: 80 to 150 FT WIND: SSE 5-10 mph CLARITY: CRYSTAL CLEAR MOON: FULL Ph: N/A TIDE: INCOMING SALINITY: N/A BAROPRESS: 30.9 FALLING BOTTOM: LUMPS TIME: PM NOTE-1: Party of 6. Jim Smith and family. Joe got the big one. NOTE-2: * We trolled due east of way-point 10 miles and back. DL-FishLog PAGE 26 FOR EXAMPLE ONLY: Fish Log of Jan Smith >> FISH SPECIES: FLOUNDER LOCATION: TIGER WRECK Record No. 407 DATE: 05/21/92 COUNT: 2 TECHNIQUE: BOTTOM FISHING, 4 oz SINKER BAIT/LURE: LIVE MINNOWS SIZE: LARGEST- WEIGHT: 7 LBS 3 OZS LENGTH: N/A OTHER- 4 LBS 2 OZS -----WATER----- ------WEATHER/ASTRO------ TEMP: 63 F SKY: OVERCAST DEPTH: 60 FT WIND: SSW 10-15 MPH CLARITY: 10 FT MOON: UNDER FOOT Ph: TIDE: INCOMING to SLACK SALINITY: BAROPRESS: BOTTOM: SANDY/WRECK DEBRIS TIME: AM NOTE-1: Joe Miller and family. Party of 4. NOTE-2: **************************************************************************** Fish Log of Jim Smith >> FISH SPECIES: LARGEMOUTH BASS LOCATION: LAKE JONES-EAST END Record No. 23 DATE: 06/15/83 COUNT: 7 TECHNIQUE: CASTING TOWARD SHORE BAIT/LURE: YELLOW SKIPPER WITH GREEN TRAILER SIZE: LARGEST- WEIGHT: 8 LBS 2 OZS LENGTH: N/A OTHER- TOTAL WT- 35 LBS 7 OZS -----WATER----- ------WEATHER/ASTRO------ TEMP: 70 F SKY: OVERCAST DEPTH: 20 to 30 FT WIND: CALM CLARITY: MURKY BROWN MOON: UNDER FOOT Ph: 7.8 TIDE: N/A SALINITY: N/A BAROPRESS: 30.0 RISING BOTTOM: REEDS/STUMPS TIME: AM NOTE-1: NOTE-2: