Shareware Super Platinum 8

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

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

Wrap

Text File | 1991-08-16 | 31.5 KB | 814 lines

History of PopDBF Development Future Features MAY include: -------------------------------------------------------- o Mouse support o Record level locking for network usage o Modify structure o Save database field selection o Memo read/edit o Index support o Import/Export functions o Count and Sum functions o Support for .FRM files with @ SAY commands Version 4.0 - Released August 15, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------- o Added swapping to disk or EMS to leave only 4K! Program will default to the best swap possible, but this can be overridden by a command line parameter. If swapping to disk, you can specify the complete file name to be used for the swap. This allows you to swap to RAM drives and Network drives for a speedier response. You can also load PopDBF high is you have enough memory. o Added the ability to pop up over graphics. Though this feature works, graphics video is not saved and part of the graphics screen may be corrupted. This will be fixed, but I left it in this version because it is only a visual problem. o Read-Write mode now opens databases in EXCLUSIVE mode for access on networks. Read-Only mode will open databases so that multiple access is possible. Record level locking is not implemented in this version. o Structure mode is now called Setup mode, but does essentially the same thing. o Added the ability to cut and paste data from the edit screen to the underlying application. Cutting is done in Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 1 History of PopDBF Development Edit mode and pasting is done via a separate hotkey. Letter 'P' in the upper right border of the Edit window indicates paste buffer has data. You can also paste data to the current record, a different record in the same database or a record in another database. o Added the ability to print data from the Edit/Append screen. This feature can be used to print labels or just act as a faster, better print screen. o Added the ability to print to a file. This is true when printing from Setup, Browse, or Edit/Append. o Files and Directories in the Pick window are now sorted alphabetically. o Added a field separator in the Browse window. Pressing Shift-| will toggle. This defaults to no separator. o Fields lengths can be sized temporarily now while in Browse using Ctrl-Left and Ctrl-Right. o Pressing ESCAPE while in a frequently accessed database will now save the current mode and position. o Border of Edit window now shows number of field pages. o Pressing Alt-PgDn and Alt-PgUp in Edit mode will do the same thing as PgDn and PgUp, but multiple page records will stay on the same page of fields. o Pressing Ctrl-V while in Edit mode will toggle verify mode on and off. If verify mode is on, entering data in the last position of a field will NOT cause the cursor to move to the next field. Verify mode is indicated by a 'V' in the border of the Edit window. o The Hotkey can be disabled/enabled by using command line parameter /I. o Configuration program PopCFG allows you to change the paste hotkey, which defaults to Ctrl-Alt-P. It can also be used to change the speed and frequency of pasting. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 2 History of PopDBF Development o Added support for European date and number formats. Configuration program PopCFG allows you to select format, date separator and type of decimal point. o PopAID now creates the .DBT file if a memo field is included in the database structure. o When finding a record the ESCAPE key will now abort as it should. All other keys are ignored and the message reflects this. o Pressing left arrow when being prompted for data will no longer cause the cursor to move left if you are in the first position. o Added Alt-F5 to display the underlying screen. This avoids having to swap out and back in just to see what was on the screen. o Files and Directories in the Pick window are now sorted alphabetically. o Page numbers are now displayed in the border of the Edit window. o A 'P' in the border of the Edit window indicates that there is a data in the paste buffer. Shift-F4 will erase the paste buffer. o Added the ability to turn on Verify mode in Edit. This is done by pressing Ctrl-V. A 'V' will appear in the upper right corner of the Edit window border. In verify mode, you must press ENTER to exit a field. Entering data in the last position in a field will not move to the next field automatically as it does when verify mode is off. o Added a command line option to specify a database to open when PopDBF is first activated (/y). This is similar to passthru mode, but for TSR execution. o Record counting is now visible when you do a Pack. This at least lets you know that something is happening. o Fixed a problem for LANs which occurred when changing to a directory with no subdirectories and no files matching the current file specification. Though no parent directory Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 3 History of PopDBF Development entry will be displayed, pressing BackSpace will take you to the parent directory. o Fixed a problem which caused changes to a record to be lost if doing a find found the same record (in essence causing no movement). o Fixed a problem with frequent databases which would not remember going into Append or Edit mode after being in the opposite mode. o Added an arrow symbol to directory entries in the Pick File window to indicate pressing ENTER will move to a new directory. o In read/write mode, when opening a database that is readonly or can't be opened due to a network violation, an attempt will be made to switch to read-only mode and open the file. Closing that database will cause the mode to revert to read/write. I hope this makes life easier for everyone. o Changed the help display so that headings are now in the same color as the help title. This makes the sub-topics stand out and makes reading easier. o Pressing ENTER in Setup View (formerly View Structure) will now return you to either Browse or Append/Edit, depending on which you were last in. Hopefully this will make changing the setup easier. o Added the /l option to specify the directory where the master POPDBF.FRQ file is to be located. This allows network users to load PopDBF from one location on the network, but still have a personalized POPDBF.FRQ files. o Pressing Backspace in the Pick window will now try to move to the parent directory even if one doesn't exist. This is especially helpful on LANs. o All windows (Pick, Setup and Browse) are filled with entries if at all possible. The only reason that the entire window would not be filled is if there are not enough files, fields, or records. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 4 History of PopDBF Development o Find now positions the window (for Browse) or the cursor (for Edit) in the field and on the text if successful. Hopefully, it will make this function even more helpful. o Fixed a bug which caused find to fail when searching for data in large fields in Browse mode. o Implemented the Wordstar "diamond" (kinda). The following keys have the listed functions: Ctrl-A same as Ctrl-LeftArrow Ctrl-C same as PgDn Ctrl-D same as LeftArrow Ctrl-E same as UpArrow Ctrl-F same as Ctrl-RightArrow Ctrl-Q same as ESCAPE Ctrl-R same as PgUp Ctrl-S same as RightArrow Ctrl-X same as DownArrow o In the Pick window, Ctrl-B will change the file spec to *.DBF and Ctrl-I will change it to *.??X (to show all index files). Ctrl-N will show names of frequent databases currently available. o In Browse and Edit, Ctrl-K will now turn century on and off instead of Ctrl-C. o In Edit, Ctrl-J will restore the original field data, Ctrl-N will position the cursor to the end of the field and Ctrl-O will restore the entire original record data. o Ascii characters greater than 127 are now allowed anywhere character data input is valid. This will allow people in Europe to search for data with accented characters, etc. o Fixed a problem which occurred when pressing BackSpace through a number field from the field just after it. The decimal point would disappear. o Fixed a problem with date fields which allowed entry of invalid dates if you pressed Escape after entering a bad date and answered "N" to the question "Lose changes?" Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 5 History of PopDBF Development Another problem with entering invalid dates occurred if the date was the 19th or greater field in the database. The error message beep would sound, but the error message itself was written off the screen. Version 3.7 - Released October 22, 1990 --------------------------------------- o Fixed bug with /T option which didn't work and sometimes caused the system to hang. Version 3.7 - Released October 15, 1990 --------------------------------------- o Added the following major functions: - COPY STRUCTURE, copies all or selected fields to new database - DELETE FILE, to delete any file from the pick file window - PACK, physically deletes records tagged for delete - ZAP, physically deletes ALL records in the database o The color scheme has been SIGNIFICANTLY changed. Also, colors can now be configured along with the hotkey, using POPCFG.COM. This program is now included with ALL REGISTERED COPIES. If you like the old color scheme use command line option /CO. o The force monochrome colors command line option has been changed from /M to /CM. o The write file access command line option /W has been replaced by /TW. You can now change any of the "toggle" indicators (file access, field borders, insert mode, case sensitivity) using the command line option /T<B,C,I,W>. o Pressing PgDn while appending a record will NOT move back and forth between the last record in the database and the new record. This was a bug. o Fixed a bug, which occurred when pressing Alt-M while in an already open READ-ONLY database. This will now cause an access error. o Fixed a bug which occurred when specifying a default directory on the command line (/D) and did not also specify the drive. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 6 History of PopDBF Development o Fixed a bug which ignored the action option (/A) if it was specified after the passthru option (/P) when PopDBF was already resident. o When trying to access PopDBF while in a graphics application, a chime will sound, indicating that your request was heard, but can't be accommodated. Pop-up over graphics will be supported in the future. o Ctrl-U now toggles the record delete flag in the Browse window, just like it does in the Edit window. o Negative numbers are now supported. o Support for FoxPro and dBase IV databases. o The beep function was changed to be faster and quieter. o When an error message is displayed, a chime will now sound. o ENTER key on numeric keypad now works like ENTER key. o Moving to <parent> directory now positions selection bar on that directory. o Command line options may be combined (i.e. /mwz). However, options with variable length arguments must be last (i.e. /p). No spaces may separate options /D and /P and additional text. o Arrow indicators were added to windows to provide information on valid directions of cursor movement. o Default action now displays as a descriptive word. o Video routines have been optimized and speeded up. o Hot keys for frequently used databases (Alt-1 etc.) can be used from anywhere in the program and previous positions and modes are retained. Also, Alt-dash and Alt-= can be used to access up to 12 frequent databases. In addition, each directory can contain a .FRQ file so that the frequently used databases can be application dependent. If a .FRQ file is not found in the current directory, Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 7 History of PopDBF Development PopDBF will look in the directory where POPDBF.COM is located. o Commercial version now includes KBSPEED, a keyboard speed- up program, and ARROW, a TSR position display program, which are NOT included in shareware registered copies. Version 3.6 - Released February 8, 1990 --------------------------------------- o Commercial version includes a program, POPCFG.COM, to configure the hotkey. This is NOT included in the shareware version! o Path option from Pick File Window has been replaced by Dir option which functions like the change directory command in DOS. This same option is now used to change drives just as you would in DOS. o You may enter a specific file, including drive and path, by pressing F3 from Pick File Window. o Added command line option to specify default action, /A. The default action is taken for each file when Enter is pressed. It can be changed at any time by pressing F5. o The frequently used database file can optionally specify the action to be taken when the appropriate hotkey is pressed (Alt-1 thru 0). If the file name, in POPDBF.FRQ is preceded by one of the following letters, A B E or S AND a space the action taken will be the same as pressing Alt and that letter. o Added a warning when leaving Edit or Append and changes that you have made have not been saved. o Changed all prompts for input to use left and right arrow keys, home, end, delete and insert. CTRL-Y will always blank input field. o Changed the pass-thru function so that it can be used even if PopDBF is already loaded in memory. o Pressing PgDn while in Append will now position you to the last record in the file in Edit mode. Pressing PgDn in Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 8 History of PopDBF Development Edit mode when on the last record will take you into Append. o Pressing ESCAPE from Structure, Browse, or Append/Edit will always return you to the Pick File window. o Fixed problems caused by not recognizing an extended keyboard. These were primarily in Edit and prevented certain key combinations from doing what they were supposed to do (i.e. Ctrl-Delete). o Fixed a bug which occurred when Ctrl-PgUp or Ctrl-PgDn was pressed while appending an empty database. o Fixed a bug which allowed invalid months and days in date fields. o Fixed a bug which zeroed numeric fields when the ENTER key was pressed after editing a preceding date field. o Fixed a bug caused by insufficient video storage and occurred when using help while editing a record. o Fixed the /D command line, which option did not work correctly when no drive was specified. Version 3.5 - Released November 3, 1989 --------------------------------------- o Program is now just one version, EDIT. However, a READ- ONLY version is available upon request. o Made necessary changes to join ASP. Demo version is fully functional with the only difference being the registration information screen, not included in registered copies. o You no longer have to be in the directory where POPDBF.COM is located when you load PopDBF into memory for context sensitive help to be available. However, POPDBF.HLP does need to be in the same directory as POPDBF.COM. o The default number of fields has been reduced from 128 to 64 and the default edit buffer has been reduced from 2K to 1K. This is just to reduce the default memory footprint. You can specify /F128 and /E2048 on the command line to use the old values. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 9 History of PopDBF Development o To make the pop-up more instantaneous, only directories WITHOUT an extension are available in the Pick file window. o You can now get from any major area to any other major area by directly pressing some ALT key combination. The major areas are: Append records, Browse records, Edit records, File selection, view Structure. Pressing ALT and the proper capital letter will take you to that area. o Pressing the ALT key will cause the status line to show a menu with the areas described above and the appropriate letter highlighted as well as other options. o Help has been greatly improved both in content and functionality. You can now scroll up and down through help and hotkey out of it. o You can now change the file access mode from anywhere by pressing Alt-M. File access mode must be read/write to Edit or Append. o Frequently used files feature. A file named POPDBF.FRQ can contain up to 10 fully qualified database file names for access from the Pick file window using Alt-1 through Alt-0. o Current field and record are now shown with their corresponding maximum (i.e. 10/200). o While finding text the record number in the window border will reflect the current record being searched. o Added ability to search on a selected field or fields. You can also force the search string to be found entirely within one field to avoid finding part of a string in one field and the rest of it in adjacent field. o Changed the key that moved the cursor to the first blank character after any data in a field in Edit from Alt-End to End. Ctrl-E will now move to the last position in the field. o Changed the century toggle key from Ctrl-D to Ctrl-C. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 10 History of PopDBF Development o Added two new command line arguments. /D will allow you to specify an initial directory and /Z will start the Browse window in zoomed out (expanded) mode. o Fixed an error which occurred when deleting some characters in a field while in Edit and then pressing the End key. The error did cause a Divide Overflow error, which forced a reboot. o Fixed an error which occurred when no files or directories were found in the current directory on the current drive. Now zero files are displayed and you can use F3 to change drives or hotkey out. o Fixed an error in the find next which didn't beep when sitting on the last record in the file, but should have. o Fixed an error which occurred when all fields in the structure were marked (numbered). EDIT would perform strangely when using the hotkey to exit and re-enter. Version 3.4 - Released August 17, 1989 -------------------------------------- o Added message when trying to edit record in read mode. o Added Alt-END to go to first position AFTER last non-blank character. o Fixed a bug that caused underlying applications to terminate when exiting PopDBF. This really got fixed on 8/24/89, but only a few people fell between the cracks. Version 3.3 - Released July 24, 1989 ------------------------------------ o Added the ability to view an index expression from the File Selection window. o Added ability to specify a default file specification by pressing function key F4 from the File Selection window. o Added ability to copy any record onto the current record being appended or edited. (EDIT version only) Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 11 History of PopDBF Development o Added ability to move a word at a time. (EDIT version only) o Added system date stamp. (EDIT version only) o Fixed many minor bugs in the edit routine. (EDIT version only) o Fixed a bug which occurred when specifying a pass-thru filename that contained wildcards. o Fixed file selection to handle 0 files found. o Smaller default buffer sizes. Version 3.2 - Released June 17, 1989 ------------------------------------ o Fixed a bug which occurred when editing a character field that was longer than 60 bytes. The field was edited correctly, but the cursor was positioned incorrectly. Version 3.2 - Released May 31, 1989 ----------------------------------- o There is now a "pass-thru" mode so you can use PopDBF without installing it into memory. You may also specify a file name with this option and go right to browsing that file. o Should work with all dBASE IV files. Version 3.1 - Released May 27, 1989 ----------------------------------- o Fixed bug when assigning a mark and no other marks exist. o After panning to the right, executing a ZOOM did force browse display to begin with first field, but now works. o You can now adjust the size of the read buffer in bytes, the size of the edit buffer in bytes (EDIT version only), and the maximum number of fields. This is done by specifying command line parameters when loading PopDBF into memory. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 12 History of PopDBF Development o All windows now have shadows to give a 3-D look. Version 3.0 - Released April 26, 1989 (first release to BBS) ------------------------------------------------------------ o Included the EDIT capability!!. o Fixed the find-next to start at the record after the one the bar is on instead of the second record from the top of the window. o Changed find and find next to be F7 and F8 for easier operation. o Failure of either a find or find next now causes the bell to sound. o Added to /W switch to start in EDIT mode. Version 2.55 - Released April 9, 1989 ------------------------------------- o Dates are now formatted correctly as MM/DD/YY. Also, you can now press Alt-D when browsing to toggle the century on or off. When on, the date is formatted as MM/DD/YYYY. o Memos now show as the word 'memo'. o Pressing F10 from FILE SELECTION will now work correctly, even if an alternate path had been specified Version 2.54 - Released April 6, 1989 -------------------------------------- o Fixed a bug in the find routine that could have caused system crashes. o Pressing the hotkey while entering find text now exits back to the browse window instead of beginning the find. o You can now assign sequence marks to unmarked fields. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 13 History of PopDBF Development o When printing records you may elect to limit the printing to only those records in the print range that meet a previous find condition. o Alt-F1 will pop-up a help window with information about general keyboard movement. o Pressing PGDN in file selection or view structure when there are less than a window's worth of entries now moves the bar to the last entry in the window. Version 2.53 - Released April 1, 1989 ------------------------------------- o If help file is not found, error message did not show where it expected it to be located. o After panning to the right, executing a GOTO or a FIND did force browse display to begin with first field, but now works. Version 2.52 - Released on March 25, 1989 (1st release) ------------------------------------------------------- o Context sensitive help improved both in the area of speed and text. o Added ability to toggle case sensitivity indicator while in the find window. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 14