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- ORGANIZE! YOUR COLLECTION
-
- A Complete Database For Organizing A Collection
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- HomeCraft Software
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
-
- Compuserve: 71450,254
- GEnie: S.HUDGIK
- Prodigy: HPBN19A
-
-
- _______
- ____|__ | (tm)
- --| | |-------------------
- | ____|__ | Association of
- | | |_| Shareware
- |__| o | Professionals
- -----| | |---------------------
- |___|___| MEMBER
-
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-
- This manual and accompanying software
- copyright 1991, 1992 by Steven C. Hudgik. Portions Copyright
- 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 Microsoft Corporation
-
-
-
-
- WELCOME TO SHAREWARE
-
- This software is distributed as shareware. This means you can
- try this software to find out whether it provides what you need
- before you pay for it. There are no limits in this software nor
- is it crippled in any way. It is true "try before you buy"
- software.
-
- You may have obtained this software from a shareware disk vendor,
- a bulletin board or a friend. I hope you also feel free to share
- copies of it with your friends and upload it to your favorite
- bulletin board(s). If you find you like this software and you've
- been using it for more than 30 days, you must register as a user
- by purchasing a registered copy. This software may not be used
- for more than 30 days without registering.
-
-
- Registration Information
-
- This is a copyrighted software program protected by both U.S. and
- international copyright law. If you are using this software for
- more than 30 days you must purchase a registered copy in order to
- continue to use it. The registration for a single copy is $59.95
- (plus $4.00 S&H - $8.00 outside North America). Please note that
- even though you may have purchased this disk from a retail store
- or via mail order, you have not purchased a registered copy.
- What you've paid for this disk was a fee that compensates the
- vendor for their costs, time and effort in making this disk
- available. If you'd like us to, we will be happy to refund the
- price you paid for the shareware disk. Just include a copy
- the receipt showing the purchase of the shareware disk and
- we'll deduct that amount from the registration price.
-
- We accept company checks, personal checks, VISA and Master Card.
- All amounts shown are in U.S. dollars. All checks in U.S.
- dollars must be drawn on a U.S. bank. Users outside the U.S.:
- We accept cheques in your local currency from users in
- Canada, Mexico, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand,
- Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Japan
- and Switzerland. We will add other countries as our bank allows.
-
- You can register as a user via Compuserve, GEnie or Prodigy
- using the ID numbers listed on the first (cover) page. Just
- send us an E-Mail giving your name, address, credit card
- number, the disk size you need and the name of the program.
- For additional information about registering, please see the
- order form (also included on the disk as the ORDER.FRM file)
-
- When you register you will receive:
-
- [] The current version of this software. We are constantly
- making improvements and adding features suggested by users. We
- do not duplicate your disk until just before we ship the
- registered version of your software, thus you get the very latest
- version.
-
- [] A copy of the illustrated, printed and bound manual with
- quick reference card.
-
- [] Free unlimited technical support via telephone, fax, mail or
- electronic mail.
-
- [] A free subscription to our newsletter which includes user
- tips, help with using your computer, information about upgrades
- and new cataloging systems.
-
- [] 20 additional cataloging formats including: stamps, coins,
- music, books, video tapes, art, home inventory, sports card,
- comic books, and more!
-
- [] An additional program that provides a set of specialized
- utilities that can make doing some things in OYC faster
- and easier. Including a search and replace utility and the
- ability to control the Quick View capacity.
-
-
- MULTIPLE COMPUTERS AND NETWORKS
-
- If you wish to use this software on a network or simultaneously
- on more than one computer (eg. on a computer at home and
- another computer at work or in the office of a charity), you
- will need a site license. Please see appendix C for information
- on site licenses.
-
-
- DISTRIBUTION OF THE SHAREWARE VERSION OF THIS SOFTWARE
-
- (Please see the VENDOR.DOC file).
-
- Please feel free to give away copies of the shareware version of
- this software to friends, relatives, acquaintances or even
- strangers.
-
- You may NOT sell copies of this software, even if the purchase
- price is just to cover duplication costs; nor may you include
- this shareware on a CD-ROM or other type of package produced by
- any user group, commercial library, or any for profit or non-
- profit organization; nor may you distribute it with any other
- product or as an incentive to purchase any other product, without
- the express written permission of H.C.P. Services, Inc. The
- purpose of this is so that we will know who you are and we can
- then keep you supplied with updates. The only exception to this
- is that ASP approved disk vendors (except for PsL) may sell this
- software without prior approval.
-
-
- OUR GUARANTEE
-
- If you have any problems with this program or the disk it is on,
- without regard to where you obtained it, you may send it to
- H.C.P. Services, Inc. (HomeCraft Software) for a free update to
- the current version.
-
-
-
-
-
- SPECIALTY DATABASE
- U S E R L I C E N S E A G R E E M E N T
-
- NOTICE! - This manual and the enclosed software is provided to
- you on the express condition that you agree to this software
- license. By using this software you agree to the following
- provisions.
-
- <1> This manual, the enclosed software and the disks on which it
- is contained are licensed to you, for your own use only. This is
- copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the
- software or any copyright rights. You may not sublicense, rent,
- lease, modify, translate, convert to another programming
- language, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose.
-
- <2> You may make as many copies of this software as you need for
- backup purposes and copies may be given away provided no fee is
- charged. Private individuals may use this software on more than
- one computer, provided there is no chance it will be used
- simultaneously on more than one computer. This software may not
- be used on more than one computer, nor installed on more than one
- hard disk, nor installed on a network when used by a business,
- corporation, government agency or department, or institution of
- any kind. If you need to install this software on more than one
- computer or on a network, please contact us for information about
- a site license.
-
- WARRANTY - HCP SERVICES INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO
- THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
- LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
- FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY
- AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER HCP SERVICES, INC. NOR
- ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR
- DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT,
- CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
- INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF HCP SERVICES, INC. HAS
- BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO
- EVENT SHALL HCP SERVICES, INC.'s LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER
- EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE,
- REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE
- BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
- Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability
- for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation
- may not apply to you.
-
- This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
- Oregon and shall inure to the benefit of HCP Services, Inc. and
- any successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or
- proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out
- of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE
- or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Multnomah
- County, Oregon. The parties hereby consent to in personam
- jurisdiction of said courts."
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Information in this manual is subject to change without notice
- and does not represent a commitment on the part of H.C.P.
- Services, Inc. or HomeCraft Software. This manual and
- accompanying software is copyrighted and protected under both
- Federal Law and the Berne Convention (international law).
-
-
-
- This manual is copyright 1991 & 1992 by Steven C. Hudgik
- All Rights Reserved
-
-
-
-
- WordPerfect is a trademark of WordPerfect Corporation
- IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines
- Microsoft and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
- dBase III is a trademark of Ashton-Tate
- Organize! is a trademark of H.C.P. Services, Inc.
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- Part number: 002-001A
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-
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- This program is produced by a member of the Association of
- Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
- shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
- shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
- member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
- help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
- does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
- write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI
- 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to
- ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536
-
-
- HomeCraft Software
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
- (503) 692-3732
- (503) 692-0382 (FAX)
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- TABLE OF CONTENTS
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- SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION 1
- Terminology 2
- Using This Manual 3
- Technical Support 4
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- SECTION TWO - INSTALLATION 6
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- SECTION THREE - QUICK START 9
- Starting The Software 9
- Using The Menus 11
- Make A New Entry 12
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- Editing 13
- Searching And Printed Reports 14
- Printed Reports 15
- Utilities 16
-
- SECTION FOUR - REFERENCE SECTION
- (USING ORGANIZE!) 20
- The Main Screen 20
- Memos 22
- The Menus 23
-
- Make Entries Menu 23
- Edit Menu 25
- Search Menu 27
- List All Entries 27
- Sequential Searches 28
- Alphabetical Searches 29
- Global Searches 31
-
- Utilities Menu 33
- Copy Entries 33
- Import dBase File 36
- Reindex 37
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- Sorting 38
- Set Up New Format 41
- Set Up Macro 45
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- Set Security Code 45
- Delete Catalog 47
- Select Catalog 47
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- Report Menu 48
- Send (Report) To 48
- Page Length 50
- Set Up Report Format 51
- Printing Reports 54
-
- Exit Menu 55
- Backing Up Your Catalog 55
-
- Help Menu 56
-
- Return (Menu Selection) 56
- Calculator 56
- Graphic Images 57
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- SECTION FIVE - Cataloging Video Tapes 59
-
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- APPENDIX A - PROBLEM SOLVING 63
-
- APPENDIX B - FILE NAMES 66
-
- APPENDIX C - SITE LICENSES 69
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INTRODUCTION - 1
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- SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION
-
-
- HomeCraft's ORGANIZE Your Collection is an easy-to-use data-
- base/cataloging program designed specifically for organizing
- collections.
-
- This software was developed as a part of HomeCraft's
- collector's series of software. Since 1986 HomeCraft has been
- recognized internationally as the leading publisher of software
- for cataloging collectibles such as records and CDs, business
- cards and books. Here's what the press has said about our
- software:
-
- "menu driven and easy" - PC Magazine
-
- "Helping the insatiable collector stay organized." - Business
- Week
-
- "The best are available from HomeCraft." - Jerry Osborn writing
- in his nationally syndicated newspaper column.
-
- "first class support is what separates HomeCraft's software
- from the rest of the pack." - review in Goldmine magazine in
- which our software was rated the best available for cataloging a
- record/CD collection.
-
- The author of this program, Steve Hudgik, is a collector.
- He has music, book, stamp, coin and several other collections.
- In addition to his experience, the format used for this
- software was developed with the assistance of other collectors,
- dealers, and people who have been using this software for the
- past eight years.
-
-
- This is version 5 in our series of specialized databases. With
- this program we are introducing a much more powerful and flexible
- program than any previous software we've published. However, it
- still maintains the easy-to-use interface and the clear screen
- displays that have become a HomeCraft trademark. Unlike previous
- versions you now have the flexibility to choose the specific
- fields you want to use, rename most fields and adjust their
- length. You can design your own report formats. Alphabetize any
- line and sort any combination of lines into a multiple level
- alphabetical listing. A Quick View screen lets you see 20
- entries at one time. Macros and copy functions make entering
- information about your collection quicker and easier.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INTRODUCTION - 2
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- USING EXISTING DATA FILES
-
- If you have your collection cataloged using a database program
- such as dBase, this software will directly import your files if
- they are in a dBase III format.
-
- If you've been using any of HomeCraft's previous cataloging
- programs, the registered version of this software includes
- a conversion utility that will convert your existing files
- for use with this software.
-
- A standard we maintain at HomeCraft, above all else, is
- that we will never make a change in our software that results
- in your having to retype all of your entries. If we do
- need to change the data format, all registered users of the
- new version will be supplied with a free conversion utility.
-
-
-
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- TERMINOLOGY
-
- Throughout this manual we will be using a few standard computer
- terms you should be familiar with. I've tried to write this
- manual using plain English, but since we are talking about using
- a computer we will need to use a few computer terms.
-
- DATABASE - the "catalog" created by this software is called a
- database. A database is a collection of information. Software
- such as ORGANIZE Your Collection can search, print, list and
- manipulate the information in a database and is thus referred to
- as database software.
-
- FLOPPY DISK - any software you purchase is supplied on a floppy
- disk. Floppy disks come in two sizes - 5-1/4 inch square and 3-
- 1/2 inch square. Although 5-1/4" disks are flexible (floppy) 3-
- 1/2" disks are made from rigid plastic. Thus the term "floppy
- disk" is not an accurate descriptive term. Floppy disks can
- typically contain from 0.360 mb to 1.44 mb of information.
- Floppy disk drives are usually designated as A and B.
-
- HARD DISK - a hard disk is installed inside your computer and can
- not typically be removed. Hard disks operate much faster and
- hold a lot more information than a floppy disk. Typical hard
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INTRODUCTION - 3
-
-
- disks can hold from 40 mb to 100 mb (and more). Hard disk drives
- are designated by the letter C or greater. Hard disks are never
- designated as drive A or B. Not all computers have hard disks.
-
- The speed of database software is highly dependent on the speed
- of the disk containing the data. Thus I recommend that your
- ORGANIZE! catalog be stored on a hard disk.
-
- mb - this is an abbreviation for megabyte which is a measure of
- how much information can be stored on a disk. Typically a 40 mb
- hard disk is sufficient for most database files created by
- ORGANIZE!
-
- DIRECTORY/SUB-DIRECTORY - your computer can create separate
- "rooms" on disks. Each "room" is separate from the others and is
- called a directory. (Sub directories are "rooms" within the main
- directory "room"). Directories and sub-directories provide a way
- to keep the files on your disks organized. You should create a
- separate directory for each program you use. This will keep all
- of the files associated with that program together in one place
- and prevent them from becoming mixed with (and thus confused
- with) files used by other programs.
-
-
- FILE and FILENAME - a computer stores information and programs in
- "files" on either a floppy disk or a hard disk. Each file has a
- name that is called its filename. A filename may have up to
- eight characters followed by a period and then a three letter
- filename extension. The name of the ORGANIZE! program file is
- OYC.EXE. "EXE" is the filename extension and "OYC" is the
- filename. By the way, OYC stands for Organize Your Collection.
-
-
- USING THIS MANUAL
-
- This manual is divided into five sections plus appendixes. Part
- one is the section you are now reading and it contains the
- introductory information. Part two describes how to install this
- software on your computer.
-
- The third section provides quick start instructions. Please read
- this section before starting to use this software. It is short
- and has been designed to provide the key information needed to
- get you quickly started using the basic functions provided by
- this software.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INTRODUCTION - 4
-
-
- The fourth section is a reference section that describes in
- detail all of the features in this software.
-
- Section five provides the details about the various organiza
- -tional systems provided with this software
-
- No computer experience is required to use this software, however
- you will need to know which letter designates each disk drive on
- your computer. For example, a hard disk is usually drive C and
- floppy disks are drives A and B. Check your computer's manual
- for the letters used to designate the drives on your computer.
-
- NOTE: Please check the README.TXT file for information about
- changes to the software since the manual was printed. To get a
- printed copy of the README.TXT file do the following:
-
- 1) Get the DOS prompt for the disk containing the README.TXT
- file.
-
- 2) Type COPY README.TXT LPT1: and push enter.
-
-
- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: this software will only run on computers
- that are fully IBM compatible and have at least 380K of memory
- available. A color monitor is required for some of the features.
- A hard disk is recommended, but this software will run on floppy
- disks provided there is a minimum of 720K of disk space
- available. If you have a hard disk, please put this software on
- your hard disk and store your database files on the hard disk.
- Database software such as this software is very disk intensive.
- Because of the slow speed of floppy disks using the software on a
- floppy disk will slow it down considerably.
-
-
- TECHNICAL SUPPORT: If you have problems using this software,
- please read this manual first. Appendix A provides a trouble
- shooting guide that may be helpful in solving problems. If you
- are unable to solve the problem by reading the manual, feel free
- to give us a call. We do provide limited basic technical support
- for unregistered users (full support is available for registered
- users only). The number is (503) 692-3732. Technical support is
- available from 9am till 5pm pacific time monday through friday.
- You may also contact us by writing to us at:
-
- HomeCraft
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INTRODUCTION - 5
-
-
-
- MAKE BACK UP COPIES
-
- The most important suggestion I can pass on to you is to make
- back up copies of your data files (the ones that end with DAT).
- If you have a hard disk I recommend using software such as
- FastBack or PC Tools. You also could use the DOS back up
- utilities, but personally I don't use them. I've heard of too
- many problems with the DOS backup utilities. Problems such as
- only being able to restore lost files onto a similar computer
- using the same version of DOS. (That may not always be
- possible). For something as critical as making backup copies I
- prefer software that will backup and restore from and to any hard
- disk using any version of DOS on any computer.
-
- This version does include a backup utility. This utility will
- backup files that are approximately up to 1.3 megabytes big using
- a 360K floppy disk (larger files can be backed up using higher
- capacity floppy disks). This utility is provided in order to
- insure you have something you can use to backup up your data.
- However, this utility is not intended as a permanent solution.
- First, it is limited in that once your catalog exceeds the size
- that can be backed-up on a single floppy this utility will no
- longer be able to back it up. Second, it provides no tracking of
- the files that have been backed up. Unless you carefully label
- your backup disks you can lose track of what files are on which
- disks.
-
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INSTALLATION - 6
-
-
-
-
-
-
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- SECTION TWO - INSTALLATION
-
-
- Installation of this software is straight forward. First make a
- backup copy of this disk. You'll need to check the manuals that
- came with your computer to see how to make copies of a disk.
- Generally you can use the DOS DISKCOPY utility to copy a floppy
- disk. The commands you need to type to use DISKCOPY vary
- depending on the version of DOS you have and the floppy disk
- configuration in your computer.
-
- If you should damage or lose your only copy of this software, you
- can get another shareware disk from HomeCraft by sending us a
- blank floppy disk plus 50 cents for the return postage. (Outside
- the U.S. please include $2.00 US, or the equivalent in your
- currency, for air mail postage).
-
- There are three disk configurations for which this software can
- be installed.
-
-
- Hard Disk Installation
-
- To install on a hard disk:
-
- + Put the backup copy of the floppy disk in a floppy drive.
-
- + Get the DOS prompt on the screen and change it so that it is
- set for the disk drive that contains the this software floppy
- disk. For example, if the floppy disk is in the "A" drive and
- your computer has a "C>" prompt on the screen, type A: and push
- ENTER. You can change the DOS prompt so it is set for a
- different drive by typing the letter representing the drive you
- want to use, a colon, and then pushing ENTER.
-
- + Type INSTALL and follow the instructions that appear on the
- screen.
-
-
- NOTE: The installation process will supply a default directory
- name. However, if you are using several different versions of
- this software to catalog different types of collections, be sure
- to install each version in a different directory. You might
- possibly want to name the directories so they reflect the type of
- collection being cataloged.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INSTALLATION - 7
-
-
- Single Drive Floppy Disk Installation
-
- If your computer only has a single floppy drive you will have to
- install the software manually. The easiest way might be to
- install the software on someone else's hard drive and then copy
- all of the files from the hard drive to your floppy disk.
- Please note that this software can not be used on a
- with single 360K floppy drive and no hard disk. If
- you have a single floppy drive it must have a capacity
- of at least a 720K.
-
- NOTE: This software may only be used on two computers if there is
- no chance that it can be used simultaneously on both computers.
- Please see the user license at the front of this manual.
-
- Once installed most of the files on the disk are data (DAT) or
- set (SET) files. These are the formats for the various
- organizing systems. The name of each file indicates what
- it is used for and corresponds to the catalog names given in
- section 5 of this manual. You can erase any DAT and SET
- files that are used for areas you are not interested in
- organizing.
-
-
- To install the software manually:
-
- You'll need to de-archive the main set of files. To do this
- type LHA E ORGANIZE and push ENTER. Once all of the files have
- been de-archived you can erase the ORGANIZE.LZH file. The disk
- can now be used. Just type OYC to start the software.
-
-
- Dual Floppy Drive Installation
-
- If your computer has two floppy drives you can install this
- software just as if one of the floppy drives is a hard disk.
- First put the backup copy of the enclosed disk in the "A" drive.
- Put a blank formatted disk in the "B" drive. At the "A>" prompt
- type INSTALL and follow the directions that appear on the screen.
- In this case the drive you want to install the software on is the
- "B" drive so the required files will be copied to the blank disk.
- When the installation asks for the name of a directory, a default
- name of \OYC will be shown. Type a backslash "\" and then push
- the DEL key until only the backslash remains. This will install
- the software in the root directory on the floppy disk.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - INSTALLATION - 8
-
-
-
-
- CONFIG.SYS File
-
- Your computer uses a CONFIG.SYS file to tell it how to configure
- itself when it is first turned on. The CONFIG.SYS file is an
- ASCII text file that contains a series of instructions used by
- your computer. For this software to run these instructions must
- tell your computer to set itself up so up to 20 files may be
- opened at the same time. This is done by including a FILES=20
- (or any number greater than 20) statement in the CONFIG.SYS file.
- If you are running a Graphical User Interface such as Windows,
- your computer may need to be set to open as many as 50 or 60
- files.
-
- The CONFIG.SYS file needs to be in the root directory on your
- hard disk. If you use a floppy disk to boot your computer, the
- CONFIG.SYS file must be on the floppy disk used to boot your
- computer. The CONFIG.SYS file is not part of the this software.
-
- You can look at the contents of a CONFIG.SYS file by going to the
- root directory on your hard disk and typing: TYPE CONFIG.SYS at
- the DOS prompt. Then push ENTER.
-
- You can change a CONFIG.SYS file by using your word processing
- software, editing it as you would any other document and then
- saving it as a DOS text file (ASCII file).
-
- If you do not have a CONFIG.SYS file, or if it does not include a
- FILES=20 line, you can create one during the installation
- process. When you run the INSTALL utility you will be given a
- chance to install a CONFIG.SYS file with a FILES=20 line. This
- will not change any of the other lines in your CONFIG.SYS file.
- _______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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- SECTION THREE - QUICK START
- STARTING THE SOFTWARE
-
- As you read through this section I recommend you have the
- software installed and running on your computer. When you
- first start OYC it will be ready to use and set to accept
- your first entry. As I describe examples, I suggest you
- duplicate the steps I'm describing using your computer.
-
- This section will take you through all the main functions in
- the software. The Quick Start section does not describe all of
- the functions available, just those you need in order to use the
- basic capabilities of the software. For explanations of all of
- the functions and features in this software you will need to read
- the reference section of this manual.
-
- To start this software type OYC at the DOS prompt and push ENTER.
-
- If you are using this software on a hard disk, you will need to
- be in the directory or subdirectory in which the software was
- installed before you type OYC. If when your computer first
- starts it displays the DOS prompt, type CD \ and the name of the
- directory in which this software was installed. If you used the
- default directory name of OYC supplied by the installation
- software, you would type:
-
- CD \OYC
-
- The letters "CD" stand for Change Directory. Typing CD \OYC will
- put you in the OYC directory. Once in the OYC directory you can
- type OYC to start the software.
-
- User Tip (This is not required in order to use the this software.
- It is only provided to help make using your computer easier).
-
- Some computer "experts" suggest you include the directory name
- for all your major programs in the PATH statement contained in
- the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This allows you to start the program from
- any directory. I'd like to offer another suggestion. Include a
- directory called BATCH in your path statement. In the BATCH
- directory put batch files that first change to the directory
- containing the program they run and then run that program. If
- this software is on the "C" drive, the batch file for this
- software would look like:
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 10
-
- C:
- CD \OYC
- OYC
-
- You also can use this technique with other programs such as
- WordPerfect. The batch file that starts WordPerfect might look
- like:
-
- C:
- CD \WP51
- WP %1
-
- The %1 symbol allows WordPerfect (or any other program) to use a
- parameter. For example, if you start WordPerfect by typing WP
- WORK.DOC, WordPerfect will run and automatically load the
- WORK.DOC document. When used this way WORK.DOC is called a
- parameter.
-
-
- COMMAND LINE - When starting the software you may enter the
- name of the catalog you want to use as a part of the command
- that starts the software. In normal circumstances the
- software will boot up and use the same catalog that was in
- use when you last exited the software. If you'd like to use
- a different catalog type OYC, then a space, then the name of
- the catalog you want to use. For example, if you want
- to use CATALOG, you would type OYC CATALOG at the DOS prompt.
-
-
-
- THE MAIN SCREEN
-
- After typing OYC (and pushing ENTER) the software will start
- running and display the complete cataloging format for your
- collection. Throughout this manual I will refer to this initial
- screen as the "Main Screen."
-
- The key parts of the Main Screen are the top and bottom two
- lines. They provide status information and menu
- selections. The majority of the screen is used to display the
- information lines (fields) in use.
-
- When the software first starts the Main Screen is displayed. You
- can return to the Main Screen from any other function such as
- editing, searching or making new entries, by pushing F7. The F7
- key is used to clear the screen and reset everything back to
- the default settings. With the Main Screen displayed you can
- immediately start typing and saving new entries. But, before
- getting started let's go over how to use the drop-down menus.
-
- OYC provides drop-down menus that show you, at a
- glance, all of your options. The names of the menus are
- displayed across the top of the screen. They are: Make entries,
- Edit, Search, Utilities, Reports, eXit and Help.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 11
-
-
- Using The Menus
-
- To select a menu hold down the ALT key and push the capitalized
- letter included as a part of the name of the menu you want to
- display. To start let's look at the Make entries menu. Hold
- down the ALT key and push the letter M. You'll see the screen
- shown in figure three.
-
- Once any of the drop-down menus is displayed you can move
- from one menu to another by using the left and right cursor keys.
- Take a look at the other menus by pushing the right cursor key
- until the Make entries menu is displayed again.
-
- A scroll bar within each drop-down menu is used to select the
- function you want to use. The scroll bar is moved using the up
- and down cursor keys. When the scroll bar is at the top of the
- menu it can be directly moved to the bottom selection by pushing
- the up cursor key once. It can also be move from the bottom
- selection directly to the top by pushing the down cursor key.
-
- Some of the functions can be used directly without going through
- a menu. These have an "F key" designation next to them when the
- menu is displayed. Looking at the Make entries menu you'll see
- "<F5>" next to the word "Save". This means you can push F5 to
- save an entry without using the drop-down menu.
-
- To select an item on a menu first highlight it with the scroll
- bar and then push the ENTER key.
-
- For example, to exit from the program push the right cursor key
- until the "eXit" drop-down menu appears, then highlight "Exit
- Program" and push ENTER. (If you just exited from the software
- type OYC and push ENTER to get started again). By the way, you
- should never turn your computer off while a program (any program,
- except for a shell or menu program) is running. Always exit from
- the software before turning your computer off.
-
- If you do not want to make a selection from a menu you can return
- to the main screen from the drop-down menus by pushing the ESC
- key. You can also select "Return" on the menu bar at the top of
- the screen.
-
- If a drop-down menu is displayed push ESC to return to the main
- screen.
-
-
- USING A MOUSE
-
- A mouse may be used to operate most of the functions in OYC.
- A rectangular mouse cursor will appear on the screen whenever
- the mouse is active. If you know the mouse is active, but you
- do not see the mouse cursor try moving the mouse slightly.
-
- The left button on the mouse serves as the "ENTER" key. To
- make a selection place the mouse cursor on the item you want to
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 12
-
-
- select and push the left mouse button. When making a selection
- from a menu you will need to "double" click the mouse. Double
- clicking means to push the left mouse button twice in rapid
- succession. Pushing the left mouse button once will move the
- highlight bar to the menu selection marked by the mouse cursor.
- Pushing it a second time selects that option.
-
- The right mouse button serves as an ESC key. In many cases when
- the software asks you to push the ESC key, you can also push
- the right mouse button.
-
- Please note that a series of prompts across the bottom of the
- Main Screen provides direct mouse access to the short cut keys.
- The numbers in these prompts refer to the "F" key numbers.
-
- The mouse can be used at nearly every prompt in OYC. With
- prompts that request a (Y/N) response, place the mouse cursor
- on either the "Y" or "N" and push the left mouse key once.
- Anytime a prompt asks you to push a letter to make a selection
- you can place the mouse cursor on that letter (in the prompt)
- and push the left mouse key.
-
- You can even bypass the opening copyright screen by clicking
- the left mouse key after the copyright screen appears.
-
-
-
- MAKING NEW ENTRIES
-
- When you pushed ESC the drop-down menus should have disappeared
- and the cursor will be in the left hand space on the top
- line.
-
- The names of the lines are listed along the left side of the
- screen. To the right of each name is a shaded area that shows
- the space available for entering information related to the line
- name. The cursor can be moved around in the shaded area using
- the four cursor keys. Whenever the cursor is at the beginning or
- end of a line, and can go no further, your computer will beep.
-
- To enter the information you want to catalog, just type it on the
- appropriate line.
-
- Starting with the top line, fill in the appropriate informa-
- and push ENTER. That will move the cursor down to the first
- character of the next line.
-
- NOTE: The cataloging format as it appears on your screen may not
- be the format you want to use. You can eliminate unused lines,
- add other additional lines, and change the titles of most lines.
- We'll be discussing how to do that shortly.
-
- Then put in the rest of this entry by filling
- in the rest of the lines.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 13
-
-
- You may change anything you've typed by using the cursor keys to
- put the cursor at the spot where a correction is needed and
- just typing the new information. When the entry is complete
- and correct push ALT-M. The "Save" option will already be
- highlighted so all you need to do next is push ENTER and the
- entry will be saved.
-
- Pushing ENTER to select "Save" from the drop-down menu will clear
- the screen and leave it ready for the next entry to be typed.
- Notice that the entry number is displayed in the upper right hand
- corner. It should now say "Entry 2" as the next entry you type
- will be number 2.
-
- Now type in your second entry. To save this entry push F5. The
- F5 key is short cut key that saves entries. Push ALT-M and
- notice that the word "Save" has "<F5>" next to it. This means
- pushing F5 performs the same function as selecting "Save" on the
- drop-down menu. You can also use the mouse to save entries
- by clicking on the "5 Save" prompt at the bottom of the screen.
-
- That's it. That's all there is to entering information into your
- catalog. Push ESC to clear the drop-down menu from the screen.
-
-
-
- EDITING
-
- Now let's see if the information you just typed is really stored
- in the database. The Editor lets you look at any entry
- and browse forward and backward through all of your
- entries. To use the editor push ALT-E. The "Select Number"
- option will be highlighted as shown in figure five. Push the
- ENTER key and a window will appear asking you to type an entry
- number. Push number 1 and then push ENTER. The first entry will
- be displayed.
-
- You can now do any of several things.
-
- You can modify this entry by moving the cursor to the word(s)
- to be modified and typing the changes. When the changes are
- complete push ALT-E and move the scroll bar to "Save Changes."
- Then push the ENTER key to save the changes you just made. Also
- notice that you can push F5 to save the changes without using the
- drop-down menu.
-
- The editor also offers a browse capability. If the drop-down
- menu is on the screen, push ESC to return to the editing screen.
- To browse use the F1 and F2 keys to move backward and forward
- through your catalog. Push F2 now. Then push F1 to go back
- to the previous entry. That's about all you can do with just two
- entries. Once you have more entries this becomes an easy way to
- page through all of them.
-
- The drop-down menus always show all of the available options.
- Push ALT-E. Notice that Page Backward and Page Forward are
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 14
-
-
- identified as being operated by the F1 and F2 keys. You can
- browse by selecting Page Forward or Page Backward from this drop-
- down menu or by pushing F1 or F2. You can also use the mouse
- to browse forward and backward by clicking on either the
- "1 Back" or "2 Fwd" prompts at the bottom of the screen.
-
- When an entry is no longer needed it can be deleted using the
- Edit menu.
-
- Push the right cursor key and we'll look at the search
- capabilities of Organize Your Collection (OYC).
-
-
- SEARCHING AND PRINTED REPORTS
-
- Two types of "searches" are provided by OYC. The first is a
- listing. There are two types of listings. These are shown in
- the top box of the Search menu shown in figure six. They are:
-
- List Entries: allows you to enter a starting and ending entry
- number and have all of the entries between (and including) the
- two numbers listed in sequence.
-
- List Alphabetically: allows you to list entries in alphabetical
- or numerical order. To use this function you need to be using
- the indexes.
-
- The second box down from the top on the Search menu lists the
- various types of searches you can do. Let's take a look at how
- these work. Push ESC to clear the drop-down menu from the
- screen then push F7 to clear the screen. (F7 is identified on
- the Make entries menu as the key that erases the screen). You
- can also use the mouse by clicking on the "7 Clr" prompt.
-
-
- Sequential Searches
-
- To search for something first enter the information you want to
- find on the appropriate line. For example, let's search for a
- a specifics company. Move the cursor to the COMPANY line.
- Let's say you wanted to find everyone who works for the AJAX
- corporation. To start this search first type AJAX on the
- COMPANY line. Push ALT-S to drop-down the Search menu.
- Move the scroll bar to the "Sequential Search" selection and push
- the ENTER key. The first, and in this case the only, matching
- entry will be displayed.
-
- If you want to search for AJAX again push ALT-S and move the
- scroll bar to "Search Again" and push ENTER. If you do this,
- you will see a "NO OTHER MATCHES FOUND" message at the bottom
- of the screen - unless you happened to have entered AJAX on
- the COMPANY line as you were trying out the software.
-
- Sequential searches will find the specified search criteria,
- which in this case is AJAX on the COMPANY line, without
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 15
-
-
- regard to where it is located on the line. The word (or phrase)
- you are searching for can even be within another word.
-
- There are short cut keys you can use for starting a sequential
- search. Push ALT-S to display the Search menu. Notice that
- sequential searches can be started by pushing F8. Also notice
- that you can find additional matches (Search Again) by pushing
- F2.
-
- When a match is found during a search it is displayed on the
- screen and the software automatically goes into the edit mode.
- You can make any changes or additions you want and then push F5
- to save them.
-
- Other types of searches are shown on the Search menu (figure
- six). The "Alphabetical Search" will list entries alphabetically
- based on the search criteria and using indexes created by the
- software. The "Find Deleted" search will list all of the entries
- that have been deleted and the "Global Search" finds a word or
- phrase regardless of what field it is in.
-
-
-
- Printed Reports
-
- NOTE: For more detailed information on how to print reports see
- the section on the Report Menu in Section Four of this manual.
-
- The search you just conducted displayed matching entries on the
- screen. You can also print reports or save them in disk files.
- If the Search menu is still on the screen push the right cursor
- key twice to display the Reports menu. The first selection on
- this menu is called "Send To" and it is currently set for
- MONITOR. To send the report to the printer or a disk file push
- the ENTER key. This will open a window in the middle of the
- screen as shown in figure seven.
-
- Within this window the "X" next to MONITOR tells you the results
- of a search or listing will be displayed on the screen. Push
- the TAB key to move the X through the available settings. When
- the option you want is marked by the "X" push ENTER. The other
- options are:
-
- PRINTER-Continuous Paper: will print the report on continuous
- feed paper such as used by dot matrix or laser printers.
-
- PRINTER-Single Sheet Feed: prints the report on printers that
- handle only one sheet of paper at a time
-
- ASCII File: saves the report as a text document in a disk file.
- You can specify the name of the file.
-
- dBase File: saves the report in a file on the disk using dBase
- III format. This report can be used for transferring information
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 16
-
-
- between various programs. Most other database software and
- spreadsheets can read dBase III files.
-
- QUICK VIEW: displays a list on the screen. You can then select
- specific items from the list. (Note: the Quick View feature
- requires video memory that is usually only available with color
- monitors. If you get an error when trying to use this feature,
- your computer does not have the required memory or other software
- is using this memory).
-
- LABELS: for use in printing labels. The other printed reports
- include form feeds that advance the paper to the next page. If
- the LABELS option is selected the form feeds are not included.
-
- Push the TAB key until the software is set for PRINTER-Continuous
- Paper. Then push the ENTER key to return to the Reports menu.
- Notice that the report type listed on the menu has changed to
- "PRINTER-C". Push the ESC key to clear the drop-down menus from
- the screen.
-
- Let's try the same search as before. Put "AJAX" on the COMPANY
- line and push F8. A prompt, asking for a title, will
- appear at the bottom of the screen. You can type a single line
- title that will be printed on the top of the first page of your
- report. If you just push ENTER, without typing a title, the
- software will automatically print the search criteria on the top
- of the first page of the report. You can eliminate the title by
- pushing the space bar once and then pushing ENTER. For this
- example just push ENTER.
-
- The matching entries will be displayed on the screen as they are
- sent to the printer. When no other matches are found the "NO OTHER
- MATCHES FOUND" message will appear at the bottom of the screen.
- When you push any key you will be returned to the main screen.
-
-
- UTILITIES
-
- The Utilities menu provides a variety of functions that range
- from selecting the catalog you want to use to deleting catalog
- files. I'll discuss the two most important functions here.
-
- Catalogs
-
- You can create as many catalogs (database files) as you wish,
- giving each it's own name. Each catalog can have a different
- format. To change to a different catalog push ALT-U to display
- the Utilities menu. The last selection on this menu is "Select
- Catalog Name." Push the up cursor key to immediately move the
- scroll bar to this selection. Then push ENTER.
-
- A window will display the names of the catalogs in the current
- directory. You can use the cursor keys to highlight any one of
- them and then push ENTER to select that catalog. You can also
- create a new catalog (database) by pushing ESC and typing the
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 17
-
-
- name you wish to use for the new catalog. Please note that
- catalog names can not contain numbers and they must be eight
- characters or less in length.
-
- If you enter a new catalog name you will need to set up a format
- for that new catalog. How to set up a catalog format is
- discussed next.
-
- The names of the existing catalogs will be displayed on the
- screen you are now looking at. Highlight a catalog name and push
- ENTER. You are now ready to start entering information or to
- modify this format to meet your needs.
-
-
-
- Modifying An Existing Catalog Format
-
- To modify a catalog format push ALT-U to display the Utilities
- menu. Move the scroll bar to the "Set Up New Cat. Format" option
- and push ENTER. This will display a screen similar to the one
- shown in figure eight. This set-up screen replicates the way the
- information entry area looks on the main screen. There are four
- things you can set on this screen:
-
- 1. The line (field) title.
-
- 2. Change the lengths of lines (fields).
-
- 3. Select the lines to be indexed (alphabetized).
-
- 4. Select the lines to be totaled.
-
- Please note that once you have saved one or more entries in a
- catalog you can not change the length of the lines for that
- catalog. You can change the titles, indexing and totalling
- settings at any time. However, unless you set the software
- to use a new catalog name, the F2 prompt for "LENGTH" will no
- longer appear on this set up screen.
-
- Because there is an entry in the catalog we're using as
- an example, you can not change the length of the lines.
-
- On the Set Up Catalog Format screen the F2 key is used to select
- what you wish to set/modify. When working with a new catalog, in
- which no entries have been saved, the brackets next to the F2
- prompt at the bottom of the screen will contain the word TITLES.
- This means you can type new titles or modify existing titles.
-
-
- Setting Line Titles
-
- OYC comes with eleven preset cataloging formats. These formats
- can be modified using the Set Up Catalog Format feature on the
- Utilities Menu.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 18
-
-
- Using the cursor keys a scroll bar can be moved up and down
- through the list of line titles. Place the scroll bar on the line
- you wish to change and type the new title. Then push ENTER to
- move the scroll bar down to the next line. If you wish to have a
- blank title, push the space bar and then push ENTER. Line titles
- may be up to 14 characters long and can contain letters, numbers,
- spaces and any other keyboard characters. You do not have to put
- a title on every line and you can skip lines.
-
-
- The next step is to select which lines you want to use and set
- their lengths. Push F2 once and the word "LENGTH" appears in the
- brackets next to the F2 prompt. Position the scroll bar on the
- line whose length is to be set and enter a number from 2 to
- 64. A highlight bar showing the length of the line will appear
- and a number showing length will be displayed. For information
- about the line lengths and intended purpose of the default
- settings of the line titles see section 5.
-
- If a title is entered for a line that is turned off (set to zero
- length), that line will not appear on the main screen. On the
- other hand a line does not need to have a title in order appear
- on the main screen and be available in the catalog. You can
- include lines that have no titles as a part of a format. The
- factor that determines whether or not a line and its associated
- title is displayed as a part of a format is whether or not that
- line has a length greater than 0.
-
- Notice at the bottom of the screen that there is a bar containing
- the abbreviation "EST". The number shown here provides an
- estimate of the number of entries you'll be able to store in a
- megabyte of space. As lines are set up, there lengths adjusted,
- and lines to be indexed are added or deleted, this number will
- change.
-
-
- Selecting Lines To Index
-
- Once you have set the line lengths push F2 again. You'll
- now be able to select the lines you want to have indexed. An
- index for a computer is the same thing as it is for a book. If
- you need to quickly find something in a book, you look in the
- index. It's the same for a computer. An index is an alpha-
- betical listing that allows the computer to find entries quickly.
-
- To select a line to be indexed put the scroll bar on that line
- and push ENTER. Please remember this will only work if the
- word "INDEXING" appears in the brackets next to the F2 prompt.
- When you push ENTER to select a line to be indexed a starburst
- symbol will appear next to that line. This symbol indicates that
- the line will be indexed. On the main screen the starburst
- symbol indicates the lines which are indexed and thus it shows
- which lines can be listed alphabetically.
- ______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - QUICK START - 19
-
-
-
- Getting Total Values
-
- Push F2 one more time and the word in the brackets will change to
- "VALUE". You can now select lines you want to have totaled at
- the end of a report. Select the lines to be totaled in the same
- way you selected lines to be indexed. In this case three
- horizontal bars will appear to the right of the line to indicate
- that any values entered on the line will be totaled. This
- capability is used, for example, to get the total value of all
- items listed for insurance purposes.
-
- Push F2 again to return to the TITLE setting.
-
- Once you have set-up the format to be as you need it, push F5 to
- save it. You will be returned to the main screen.
-
-
- DISPLAYING TOTAL VALUES
-
- The total value of all items listed in a printed report will be
- shown at the end of all printed reports. However, you can
- get the total value of everything in a catalog without
- printing a report. When you are at the Main Screen hold down
- the CTRL key and push the ENTER key. The values will be
- totalled and displayed along the right side of the screen.
-
- This completes the quick start section. In this section I
- have provided the basic information needed to use the software.
- There is a lot more you can do with this software and there
- are many additional features that make using the software
- easier and faster. This Quick Start section is only provided
- as a brief summary of the major features so you can quickly
- start using the software.
-
- At this point I'd suggest trying out the software. Type in
- a few test entries. Try a few searches and maybe try running
- a printed report. Then read the next section which provides
- a detailed description of each feature - including such
- things as designing your own reports, multiple level
- alphabetical listings, and creating your own catalog formats.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 20
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- SECTION FOUR - REFERENCE SECTION
-
- This section of the manual provides detailed descriptions of each
- function on the drop-down menus. We'll start with the Make
- entries menu and work from left to right through the menus and
- cover each item on each menu. But first let's go over the
- information and options presented on the main screen.
-
-
- THE MAIN SCREEN
-
- Most of the time you'll be using functions that are accessed from
- the main screen. This screen includes a listing of menus across
- the top of the screen. The top line also includes the current
- entry number in the upper right corner of the screen. When
- typing a new entry the number displayed in the upper right is the
- entry number that will be assigned to the new entry. When
- editing or displaying the results of a search, the number
- displayed is the entry number associated with the information
- currently on the screen.
-
- Some people have tried using the entry number as a catalog
- number. I understand we all have different requirements and need
- to use the software in different ways, but I do not recommend
- using the entry number as a catalog number. My reason is that
- the entry number associated with a specific item can change if
- you delete an item from your database. The entry number is only
- intended to help you see how many total items you have in the
- database and to help you navigate around your catalog.
-
- The second space from the top of the screen includes a horizontal
- double line. This is a status line. The current catalog
- name in use will be displayed in the middle of this line.
- The function currently being used (i.e. make entries, editing,
- searching, etc.) is identified on the right side of this line.
- The left side of this line also includes status information. For
- example, if you push the INS key to put the software into the
- character insert mode, the letters "INS" will be displayed at the
- left edge of this line. As long as INS is shown there, the
- software is in the character insert mode.
-
- The space at the bottom of the screen also contains a horizontal
- double line. This bottom line is a prompt/status line. At some
- times prompts for F-Key functions are shown. You can use the
- mouse to click on any of these prompts to quickly use the
- features they represent.
-
- The bottom line also displays status, such as telling you when
- a search is complete.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 21
-
-
- The second line from the bottom is a double line. The center
- of this line contains a word that shows where reports would
- be "sent to" should you start a search or listing.
-
-
- Clearing The Screen
-
- There is one key that is very handy, the F7 key. Pushing F7 will
- clear the screen of all catalog information and return you to the
- Main Screen. If you are in the search or edit mode, and want to
- go to the make entries mode, push F7. If you need to erase a
- screen full of information, push F7. If you are using a mouse,
- you can click on the "7 Clr" prompt at the bottom of the screen
- to accomplish the same thing as pushing F7.
-
-
- Typing Information Into A Catalog
-
- Whether you are making a new entry or entering search criteria
- typing information on the main screen is done in the same way.
- The cursor can be moved around using the up/down and right/left
- cursor keys. When using the up/down cursor keys the cursor will
- move directly up and down - it will not return to the beginning
- of a line when moved to a new line. You can move the cursor to a
- new line and return it to the beginning of that line by pushing
- the ENTER key. Each time you push the ENTER key the cursor will
- move down by one line. When the cursor is on the bottom line,
- pushing ENTER will move it to the top line.
-
- To quickly move the cursor to the right you can use the TAB key.
- Each time the TAB key is pushed the cursor will move five spaces
- to the right. Pushing the END key will move the cursor to the
- end of the line. The HOME key moves it to the beginning of
- the line. Holding the CTRL key and pushing either the left or
- right cursor key will move the cursor to the left or right
- by one word.
-
- Whenever the cursor reaches the beginning or end of a line your
- computer will beep to indicate it can go no further. If you
- do not want to hear this "beep", you can turn it off by push-
- ing CTRL-A. This will display the Screen Set-Up options. Push
- the F1 key to toggle the beep off. Then push ESC to return to
- the Main Screen.
-
- You can type information at any time. The character you type
- will be placed at the cursor location and the cursor will move
- one space to the right. The software will accept accented
- characters, characters used in some European languages as well
- as all English language characters. It will not accept most
- graphics characters.
-
-
- Insert & Delete
-
- If you need to insert characters, place the cursor at the point
- where the characters are to be inserted. Push the INS key. The
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 22
-
-
- letters INS will appear on the upper left of the screen (second
- line). You can now type the characters or words you want to
- insert. As you type, any information to the right of the cursor
- will move to the right. If the existing information reaches the
- right edge of the line, it will disappear and be lost - one
- character will disappear for each character you insert.
-
- To get out of the insert mode either push the INS key again.
-
- Characters can be deleted by pushing the DEL key. When the DEL
- key is pushed the character at the cursor location will be erased
- and everything to the right of the cursor will move left by one
- space. The Backspace key will also delete characters. When
- the Backspace is pushed the character to the left of the
- cursor will be erased.
-
-
- Memos
-
- Each entry may include a memo. To display the memo screen
- push the PgDn key. A word processor-like memo screen with 20
- lines will appear. You can type anything you want on the
- memo screen. However, information typed on the memo screen can
- not be included in searches nor is it included on the printed
- reports. This screen is just for keeping notes and miscellaneous
- information.
-
- When using the memo screen all normal word processing features
- will work. The INS and DEL keys work as they do in a word
- processor. The memo screen also includes word wrapping
- eliminating the need to push the ENTER key at the end of each
- line.
-
- When you have finished typing the memo push ESC to return to
- the main screen. The memo you just typed will be permanently
- attached to the entry you are making or editing.
-
- NOTE: A graphic image can be included as a part of each entry
- Graphic images are discussed at the end of this section.
-
-
- General Guidelines For New Entries
-
- When making entries be consistent. Anytime you use an
- abbreviation be sure it is typed the same way every time. Be
- consistent in how you capitalize words. For example, don't
- capitalize all of the words on a line one time and then use upper
- and lower case on that same line with a later entry. If you use
- commas to separate items in a list, always use commas to separate
- items in a list.
-
- When entering numbers first determine what the largest number
- will be and then always use the same number of digits to the left
- of the decimal point for all numbers. For example, if you expect
- to have numbers as high as 10000 then number one should be
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 23
-
- entered as 00001. Entering numbers this way is necessary if you
- want the computer to sort them into numerical order. You can
- include decimals (eg. 001.52), but you do not need to include
- ".00" if there is nothing to the right of the decimal point.
-
-
- THE MENUS
-
- OYC uses drop-down menus. All of the capabilities of OYC
- are accessed through these menus. Some of the frequently used
- functions can be used directly by pushing the appropriate "F"
- key. The names of the menus are listed across the top
- of the screen as shown in figure nine.
-
- The name of each menu contains one capitalized word. To select a
- menu hold down the ALT key and press the capitalized letter in
- the menu's name. For example, to select the "Make entries" menu
- push the ALT key and the letter M. You can pull down a menu
- using a mouse by putting the mouse cursor on the menu's name at
- the top of the screen and clicking the left mouse button.
-
- Once any menu is displayed (dropped down) you can move
- from one menu to the next using the left/right cursor keys.
-
- When a menu is displayed the top selection on the menu will be
- highlighted by a scroll bar. The scroll bar can be moved up and
- down through the menu selections using the up/down cursor keys.
- To select an item on a menu first highlight it with the scroll
- bar and then push the ENTER key. If you are using a mouse,
- put the mouse cursor on the menu selection you wish to use
- and click the left mouse button twice (double click).
-
-
- Make entries Menu - Save <F5>
-
- The "Save" function is used after you have typed a new entry.
- Once you have typed all the information you want to enter select
- the "Save" option to save it in your catalog. You can also push
- F5 to directly save the entry without going through the menus.
- Or you can use the mouse to click on the "5 Save" prompt at
- the bottom of the screen.
-
-
- Make entries Menu - Copy Any Previous
-
- The "Copy Any Previous" function allows you to copy any previous
- entry you've made. When you select this option you will be
- prompted for an entry number to copy (see figure 10). This
- prompt will also display a default entry number. In figure 10
- the default setting is 2. To copy the default entry number just
- push ENTER. Otherwise you can type in any other entry number you
- wish to copy.
-
- The default entry number will be set to the last entry that was
- copied. This way you can repeatedly copy a previous entry by
- just pushing the ENTER key at this point.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 24
-
-
- Make entries Menu - Copy Last <F3>
-
- The "Copy Last" feature allows you to quickly copy the last entry
- you made. This copy method does not prompt for an entry number
- to copy and thus it is faster than the "Copy Any Previous" feature.
- The quickest way to copy the previous entry is to push F3 or
- use the mouse to click on the "3 Copy" prompt at the bottom of
- the screen.
-
- The "Copy Last" feature is used when you have a series
- of similar entries to type. You can type the first one, push F5
- to save it, then push F3 to repeat the information you just
- entered. You then only need to change a few lines or characters
- and save the modified entry as a new entry.
-
-
- Copy A Single Line
-
- You can also copy individual lines from the previous entry. To
- copy a single line put the cursor on the line you wish to fill
- with information copied from the same line in the previous entry.
- Then hold down the ALT key and push F3.
-
- For example, if you are entering information about a series of
- books all written by the same author, you would start by entering
- the information about the first book in the series. Then push F5
- to save that entry. When you are ready to enter the author's
- name for the second book put the cursor on the AUTHOR line, hold
- down the ALT key and push F3. This will copy the author's name
- from the previous entry.
-
-
- Make entries Menu - Erase Screen <F7>
-
- The "Erase Screen" feature is used to completely clear all of the
- information from all lines. Selecting this option from the menu,
- or pushing F7, will immediately clear all of the lines. You
- can also use the mouse to clear the screen by clicking on the
- "7 Clr" prompt at the bottom of the screen.
-
- If you need to clear just one line or part of one line you can
- use the macro feature discussed later in this section. For
- example, pushing ALT-B will erase every on a line that is to
- the right of the cursor.
-
-
- Make entries - Make Entries
-
- The "Make Entries" selection provides a way for you to leave any
- of the other functions and go to the basic make new entries
- screen. For example, if you are in the search mode and would
- like to make a new entry, select this option on the Make entries
- menu.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 25
-
-
-
-
- THE EDIT MENU
-
- The edit function provides a way for you to display any entry on
- the screen and browse backward and forward through your catalog.
- Once an entry is displayed on the screen it can be modified or
- deleted.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Select Number
-
- The "Select Number" option is how you tell the software which
- entry number you want displayed on the screen. You may enter
- any valid entry number.
-
- Once an entry is displayed on the screen you may make changes
- using the same methods used to originally type the entry. The
- TAB, INS and DEL keys all will work as they do in word processing
- software. Once you've made changes push F5 to save the changes.
-
- If you want to edit a different entry you do not need to pull
- down the Edit Menu again. Just push F9 to open the window
- in which a new entry number to edit may be entered.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Page Backward <F1>
-
- When the "Page Backward" function is selected the software will
- display the entry that comes directly before the entry that is
- currently displayed. You can also press F1, without using the
- drop-down menu, to move backward by one entry.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Page Forward <F2>
-
- The "Page Forward" function displays the next entry in sequence.
- You can also press F2 to see the next entry without using the
- drop-down menus. There are prompts at the bottom of the
- screen - "1 Back" and "2 Fwd" - that you can click on with
- a mouse to move backward and forward through your catalog.
-
- The "Page Backward" and "Page Forward" functions provide an easy
- way for you to browse through all of your entries. Computers are
- nice, they can quickly search for and find any entry you need.
- However, sometimes it's nice to just look through your catalog
- to see what's there. You may discover items you forgot you
- had. The Page Forward/Backward features give you a way to do
- some browsing.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Delete Entry <F4>
-
- If you need to eliminate an item from your catalog use the
- "Select Number" option to enter the entry number to be deleted.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 26
-
-
- Once it is displayed on the screen push ALT-E and select the
- "Delete Entry" option.
-
- When an item is deleted it is not permanently removed from your
- catalog. The deleted entry will no longer be included in
- searches, but you can display it using the edit feature. All of
- the information still exists and can be brought back.
-
- With computers mistakes sometimes seem to be very easy to make.
- A common mistake is to start deleting something and just as the
- final key is pushed to make the deletion final you realize that
- you did not want to delete this item. However, that realization
- comes just a half a second too late. If this should happen with
- OYC, you can recover the deleted entry.
-
- When a deleted entry is displayed on the screen the words
- "Deleted Entry" will be displayed on the second line from the top
- of the screen.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Undelete Entry
-
- Deleted entries can be returned to the catalog by first
- displaying the entry on the screen and then selecting the
- "Undelete Entry" option on the Edit Menu. Or you can just
- push F5 to undelete the entry by saving it.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Remove Memo
-
- Whenever you go to the memo screen (by pushing PgDn) a memo will
- be attached to the current entry. Even if nothing is typed in
- the memo, there will still be a memo attached to the current
- entry. That memo can be removed by going to the Edit Menu and
- selecting the Remove Memo option. If the current entry has a
- memo attached to it, that memo will be removed.
-
-
- Edit Menu - Save Changes <F5>
-
- The final selection on the Edit menu will save any changes you've
- made to an entry. You may make changes to an entry anytime it is
- displayed on the screen. First type the changes then select
- "Save Changes" on the Edit menu. You can also push F5 without
- using the drop-down menus.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 27
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- THE SEARCH MENU
-
- Figure 11 shows the Search menu. This menu is used to start all
- of the listings and searches. The top box on the Search menu
- includes the two types of listings available. The second box
- down includes all of the searches. The third box includes
- controls for searches.
-
- Whenever a search has displayed an entry on the screen you
- may edit and resave the modified entry. Just type the
- changes and push F5 to save them.
-
- During a search or listing you can look at each entry on the
- screen and browse forward and backward using the F1 and F2 keys.
- Pushing F2 will display the next matching entry. Pushing F1
- moves you backward to look at the previous entry.
-
- NOTE: for information on how to print a report go to the Reports
- Menu section of this chapter. The software is normally set to
- display the results of listings and searches on the screen. By
- changing the "Send To" option on the Reports Menu you can send
- your report to your printer or a disk file.
-
-
- Search Menu - List Entries
-
- Starting at the top of the Search Menu the first item is
- the "List Entries" feature. It will list entries in the
- order they were typed into your catalog. When you select "List
- Entries" on the Search Menu you will be prompted for the entry
- number to start the listing with. Then you will be prompted
- for the last entry number to be included in the listing.
- The software will list all of the entries between, and
- including, the entry numbers you specify.
-
- One of the key uses for this feature is proof reading. Some
- people find it easier to proof read a printed copy of their
- entries instead of reviewing them on the screen. After typing
- a series of new entries use this feature to print a listing
- of just the new entries. You can then look over the listing to
- find typos and errors. Be sure to use a report format that
- prints all of the information you've entered.
-
-
-
- Search Menu - List Alphabetically
-
- You can list the information on any of the lines in alphabetical
- order by selecting this option. However, the line must first be
- indexed. Lines that are indexed are marked by a starburst
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 28
-
-
- symbol on the left end of the line. (Indexing is discussed
- in the Utility menu section).
-
- To get an alphabetical listing first put the cursor on the line
- to be listed alphabetically. Then push ALT-S to display the
- Search menu. Move the scroll bar to the "List Alphabetically"
- option and push ENTER. The entries will be listed in
- alphabetical order based on the line on which the cursor is
- located.
-
-
- Search Menu - Sequential Search
-
- There are two basic types of searches in OYC - sequential
- searches and alphabetical searches. A sequential
- search looks at each entry, one at a time in "sequence",
- examining each to see if it contains a match for the search
- criteria. This type of search has the advantage of being able to
- find matches even if the matching word or phrase is not the first
- word or phrase on the line.
-
- For example, if you use a sequential search to look for the word
- RED the following will be found as matches:
-
- RED FILING CABINET
-
- LITTLE RED WAGON
-
- SLEEPY AND TIRED (the RED is at the end of "TIRED")
-
- Notice that the search criteria, RED, is capitalized and all of
- the matches are capitalized. Searches will only find EXACT
- matches. If the letter, word or phrase you are searching for is
- capitalized, the search criteria must be capitalized. If you
- search for RED, you will not find "Red Cabinet" because the
- capitalization does not match. However, there is a way to find
- things when the capitalization does not match. It will be
- discussed when we talk about the "Case" option on the Search menu.
-
- With sequential searches you can search for any part of the
- information entered on a line. Notice in the above example that
- searching for "RED" found matches at the beginning, middle and
- end of the line. This is particularly useful if you can only
- remember a part of what you want to find. It's also useful for
- keyword searches where several keywords are listed on a line.
- For example, if you cataloged a photograph of a beach with the
- following keywords: BEACH, SUNSET, SAILBOATS & SEA GULLS and used
- a sequential search to search for "SUNSET", this photograph would
- be identified as matching the search criteria.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 29
-
-
-
- You can start a sequential search by first entering the
- word or phrase you want to find on the appropriate line
- and then selecting the "Sequential Search" option on the
- Search Menu; or push F8; or use the mouse cursor to click
- on the "8 Srch" prompt at the bottom of the screen.
-
-
- Cross References
-
- Any of the information you've entered can be cross referenced
- with any or everything else. All you need to do is enter the
- information you want to find on the appropriate lines and the
- software will automatically take care of the cross referencing
- during the search. Let's assume you've got a catalog and
- want to cross reference the information on two lines. It's
- as easy as filling in the blanks. Just enter the information
- you want to find on each line. Then start a sequential
- search. All of the matching entries will be listed.
-
-
-
- Search Menu - Alphabetical Search <F6>
-
- To use the alphabetical searches you must be using the indexing.
- A line must be indexed, and must have a starburst next to it in
- order to be used as the basis of an alphabetical search.
-
- Alphabetical searches provide several advantages. First, they
- are very fast. While sequential searches may take several
- minutes, if you have a large catalog, alphabetical searches can
- find matches almost immediately. The indexing quickly determines
- whether there is a match and where the match is located. Second,
- alphabetical searches list matches in alphabetical order. The
- disadvantage of alphabetical searches is that they will only find
- exact matches. For example, an alphabetical search can not find
- matching words or phrases if they are within a line. The match
- must be exact starting at the beginning, left edge of the line.
-
- For example, using an alphabetical search to find the word "RED"
- would find RED FILING CABINET, but it will not find LITTLE
- RED WAGON.
-
- There are several ways to conduct an alphabetical search. The
- first is a straight alphabetical search. Enter the information
- you want to find on one of the lines marked by a sunburst, leave
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 30
-
-
- the cursor on that line, push ALT-S to drop-down the Search menu,
- highlight "Alphabetical Search" and push ENTER. You can also
- start an alphabetical search without going through the menus by
- pushing F6 or my clicking on "6 Alpha" at the bottom of the
- screen.
-
- Alphabetical searches can perform cross references. To do this
- fill in the appropriate lines with the information you want to
- find, put the cursor on the line you wish alphabetized, and push
- F6 to start the search.
-
- NOTE: When starting an alphabetical search the cursor must be on
- a line that has been indexed. The alphabetical searches use the
- location of the cursor to determine the primary search criteria.
- If the cursor is not on a line that has been indexed, you will
- get a "Can't find required index" error message.
-
- The alphabetical searches can also be used to get partial
- alphabetical listings. For example, if you want an alphabetical
- listing of everything that starts with the letter "A", put an "A"
- on the line to be listed (that line must be indexed) and start
- the alphabetical search.
-
- Alphabetical searches will first find all exact matches based on
- the indexes. When no other matches can be found in the indexes a
- message will appear at the bottom of the screen that says:
-
- NO MATCHES FOUND. ESC to end, F1 for new entry
- or ENTER to continue search.
-
- If you wish to end the search push the ESC key.
-
- If you did not find what you were looking for using the
- alphabetical search you may wish to try a sequential search.
- Push the ENTER key at this point and the software will
- automatically go into a sequential search.
-
- What do you do if you are typing entries and want to be sure you
- are not duplicating entries already in your database. Type part
- of the entry and push F6 to perform an alphabetical search. If
- a match is found push ESC. If a match is not found push F1 and
- then complete the entry. Anytime a search does not find a
- matche you can push F1. This switches OYC to the Make Entries
- screen and the information entered as the search criteria will
- be pre-entered on the appropriate lines. If OYC found a match
- pushing F1 will put the information from that matching entry
- on the Make Entries screen.
-
-
- Search Menu - Find Deleted
-
- Once an entry has been deleted it will no longer show up
- during searches. To recover that entry use the editor to display
- it and then undelete it. However, if you don't remember its
- entry number, you can't use the editor to display it. The "Find
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 31
-
-
- Deleted" search provides another way to locate deleted entries.
- Select "Find Deleted" on the Search Menu and the software will
- automatically list all entries that have been deleted.
-
- Whenever a deleted entry is on the screen it may be undeleted by
- pushing ALT-E for the Edit Menu and then selecting "Undelete
- Entry". You can also push F5 or use the mouse to click on the
- "5 Save" prompt. If you are searching for deleted entries the
- software remains in the search mode and pushing F2 will find
- the next deleted entry.
-
-
- Search Menu - Global Search
-
- The term "Global Search" means that the software will search
- everything to find a match for the specified search criteria.
- In all of the other searches the search criteria must be on
- the same line as the information you want to find.
-
- With a Global Search you can find a word or phrase without
- regard to the line it is located on. To start a Global Search
- select "Global Search" from the Search Menu. A window will
- open in the middle of the screen and you will be prompted to
- enter the word or phrase you want to find. Type the search
- criteria and push the ENTER key. A sequential search will be
- conducted based on the search criteria you entered. Remember a
- Global Search will find the specified search criteria wherever it
- is located. There may be times when an entry is displayed as
- matching the search criteria, but it may not be obvious why it
- matches. However, the match may be taking place in the middle of
- a line or even in the middle of a word.
-
-
- Search Menu - Set Starting Point
-
- This option is used to start an alphabetical listing at any point
- in the alphabet. For example, let's assume you were printing an
- alphabetical list of everything in your catalog and the printer
- ran out of paper in the middle of the M's. After putting more
- paper in your printer you can start a second listing that picks
- up where the first ended.
-
- To set a starting point first position the cursor on the line you
- wish to list alphabetically. Then push ALT-S and select the "Set
- Starting Point" option on the Search Menu. You will be prompted
- to enter a letter or word to be used as the starting point. You
- can also enter a phrase. If you were printing a copy of your
- catalog alphabetically, specify the information shown in the
- last entry listed (on the line you were using for your search
- criteria) as the starting point. When you push ENTER
- you'll be returned to the Search Menu. Highlight
- "List Alphabetically" option and the listing will start with
- at the point you specified.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 32
-
-
- This feature is very useful in producing reports for your
- insurance agent. For example, for each item in an office
- inventory you should enter a value. If you index the value
- line you can set a starting value, such as $500, and list
- every item with a value greater than that minimum value.
-
-
- Search Menu - Case [ Sensitive ]
-
- When I discussed sequential searches I said they will only
- find exact matches. The capitalization of the search criteria
- and the information you are searching for must match. For
- example, searching for "Red Cabinet" will not find "RED
- CABINET". The "Case" option on the Search Menu allows OYC to
- find matches in which the capitalization does not match.
-
- This option is a toggle. When the word "Sensitive" is in the
- brackets sequential searches will be case sensitive. This means
- the capitalization of the search criteria and the information you
- are looking for must match. Highlight the "Case" prompt and push
- ENTER to toggle it to "Insensitive". When set to insensitive
- sequential searches will not be case sensitive. This means you
- can search for "Red Cabinet" and "RED CABINET" will be found.
- When set this way sequential searches will also find "red
- cabinet" and "Red cabinet" as matches.
-
-
- Search Menu - Save Changes <F5>
-
- Anytime an entry is displayed on the screen you may make
- changes. If a search finds a matching entry, that entry
- can be modified. After you have typed the changes you want
- to make push ALT-S and then select "Save Changes" to save the
- modifications. You can also push F5 without using the drop-down
- menus or click on the "5 Save" prompt.
-
-
- Search Menu - Search Again <F2>
-
- If you are displaying the results of a search on the monitor, the
- software will display matching entries one at a time. To find
- and display the next matching entry select the "Search Again"
- option on the Search Menu. Please note that when the Search Menu
- drops down the "List Entries" option will be highlighted. You
- can move the scroll bar directly to the "Search Again" option by
- pushing the up cursor key. You can also use the F2 key, without
- going through the Search Menu, to go to the next entry.
-
-
- Screen Print Feature
-
- Anytime an entry is displayed on the screen as a result of a
- search (or when it is called up using the editor) a copy of the
- entry can be printed by holding down the CTRL key and pushing P.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 33
-
-
- The entry will be printed using the current report format.
- If a report format has not been set-up, then nothing will
- print. (Please see the section on the Report Menu for
- information about report formats and printing).
-
-
-
- Finding The Total Value Of Your Collection
-
- You can quickly get a total value for your collection by holding
- down the CTRL key and pushing ENTER. The software will search
- your entire catalog and provide a total value, based on the
- line(s) you have set to be totalled. The amount of time this
- takes will depend on the number of entries. If you need to
- interrupt the totaling process, push ESC. (See the following
- section on the Utilities Menu for information on setting
- the lines to be totaled).
-
-
-
- THE UTILITIES MENU
-
- The Utilities Menu provides a variety of functions for copying
- entries, indexing and setting up your catalog. Press ALT-U to
- drop-down the Utilities Menu. The Utilities Menu is shown in
- figure 13.
-
-
- Utilities - Copy Entries
-
- The "Copy Entries" feature is used to copy the entries in one
- catalog to another catalog. This feature allows you to copy a
- catalog to a new catalog that uses a different format. You
- can rearrange the information by sending it to different lines
- in the new catalog, if you wish.
-
- One circumstance in which you would use this feature would be if
- you should find that the catalog format you're using is not
- adequate for what you need to do. Since you can not modify the
- line lengths of an existing format you will need to set-up a
- new catalog with a lines lengths that are suitable. Then use
- the "Copy Entries" feature to copy the entries from the old
- catalog to the new catalog and format.
-
- To use the "Copy Entries" feature use the scroll bar to highlight
- "Copy Entries" on the Utilities Menu and push the ENTER key.
- This brings up a series of screens that let you select the
- catalog to copy from, the catalog to copy to and what infor-
- mation will be stored on which line in the new catalog.
-
- Figure 14 shows the screen used to select the file you wish to
- copy from. The box in the on the left side of the screen shows
- the names of the catalogs in the current directory. Use the
- cursor keys to highlight the catalog you wish to copy from and
- push ENTER.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 34
-
-
- You can select a catalog using the mouse by putting the mouse
- cursor on the catalog name you want to select and pushing
- the left mouse button twice.
-
- If you want to copy a catalog located in a different directory,
- push the ESC key and enter the drive and path to designate
- where the catalog is located. When entering the drive and
- path you must use standard DOS notation. The drive letter
- must be followed by a colon and each directory or subdirectory
- name proceeded by a backslash. If the drive and path you enter
- does not contain a OYC catalog, an error message will appear in
- the box. If data files exist they will be listed in the box
- and you can then highlight the one you wish to copy and select
- it by pushing ENTER.
-
- NOTE: If you do not keep your programs in separate directories
- the listing of catalogs may include the names of data
- files used by other programs. Normally you should keep all
- files used by the OYC in the same directory. That helps
- keep your hard disk organized and makes it easier for you
- to identify what files go with which program when you are
- cleaning up and organizing your hard disk.
-
- To exit at this point you need to push the ESC key twice. First
- push the ESC key to get the prompt asking for a new drive and
- path. Then press the ESC key again.
-
- Once you have selected a file to copy from a second similar
- screen will appear. (Note, the "copy from" menu will be on
- the left side of the screen. The "copy to" menu will be on
- the right side of the screen. The name of the catalog you
- are copying from will be shown at the top of the screen.
- Select the catalog you want to copy to by highlighting it and
- pushing the ENTER key.
-
- If you want to create a new file to copy to then push the ESC
- key when the "copy to" menu is displayed. You will be prompted
- to enter a new drive, path and catalog name. When you do this
- a new catalog will be created that has the same format as the
- catalog being copied.
-
- When entering a new catalog name do not enter a filename
- extension. You must enter a valid drive letter and directory
- path. The software will not create a new directory if the path
- you've entered is not correct. If you use a new catalog name
- OYC will automatically create a file with a format that
- matches that of the catalog you are copying from.
-
- The next screen, shown in figure 15, allows you to select which
- information is copied to which field. First let's go over the
- information provided on this screen. If you are not running
- the OYC software, I suggest that you boot it up and go into
- the entry copy feature so that the screen we are now discussing
- is displayed on your monitor.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 35
-
-
- At the top left of the screen the drive, path and catalog you
- are copying from will be shown. The same information for the
- catalog you are copying to will be shown on the top right side
- of the screen.
-
- The format of the catalog you are copying from will be shown on
- the left side of the screen. Each line is identified by a
- letter and the title of each line is shown. The line titles
- of the catalog you are copying to are shown on the right side
- of the screen. A set of dashed lines in the center of the
- screen are provided only to help you see how the two formats
- line-up.
-
- At the bottom of the screen the total number of entries in
- each catalog is shown. When the copy process is started the data
- from the catalog shown on the left will be ** added to ** the
- data in the catalog on the right.
-
- You can start copying entries from the catalog on the left to
- the one shown on the right by pushing F6. However, there is
- more information shown on this screen.
-
- Figure 15 shows a situation in which we want to change how
- information in a catalog is arranged. The format on the right
- puts the CATALOG NUMBER at the top of the format and adds a new
- line for a CONDITION. In addition, the DESCRIPTION line is not
- included in the new format. (Below is a representation of
- figure 15).
- ________________________________________________________________
- From: C:\HOME\NEW\INVTRY To: C:\HOME\NEW\INVEN
-
- A DESCRIPTION 15 ---------------- CATALOG NUMBER 12 <
- B MANUFACTURER 15 MANUFACTURER 25
- C NAME 25 NAME 15 <
- D STORED IN 30 ---------------- STORED IN 30
- E NOTE 30 NOTE 30
- F VALUE 20 VALUE 20
- G CATALOG NUMBER 10 ---------------- 0 <
- H 0 CONDITION 20
- I OTHER 14 OTHER 14
- J 0 ---------------- 0
- ________________________________________________________________
- figure 15 - shows part of the copy entries screen.
-
- When the screen shown in figure 15 first appears it will be set
- to copy the information from each line on the left to the line
- directly opposite on the right. If there is no line on the
- right, the space on the right will be highlighted and a left
- pointing arrow head will be displayed. For example, in figure 15
- the format is set so the CATALOG NUMBER line will be copied to the
- a line that is shut off. This means this information will not
- be copied unless this set is changed.
-
- A scroll bar is provided to move through the line descriptions on
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 36
-
-
-
- the left side of the screen. This scroll bar is used to re-
- position lines until they are set in the proper order for copying
- information to the new catalog. For example, the line at the "A"
- position on the left is currently set to be copied to a different
- titled line on the right. To change this use the scroll bar to
- highlight the location you wish to move another line to and then
- push the letter associated with the line you wish to move. The
- two lines will be swapped.
-
-
-
-
- Shareware users note: this is difficult to describe without
- the illustrations provided in the printed manual. To see
- how this works try highlighting various lines and
- push the letters associated with other lines.
- You'll see how the lines are moved around. You can
- leave this screen without saving any of the changes you
- made by pushing the ESC key.
-
-
-
-
- If you move a line so that its contents will be copied to a
- shorter line, that shorter line will be highlighted in red
- to indicate that some of the information on the original
- line may be cut off because it will not fit on the
- shorter line.
-
- You should now see a screen that looks like the one shown in
- figure 18. All of the lines have been positioned to be copied to
- the correct locations. We can now push F6 to start the copy
- process.
-
- If there are any entries in the catalog on the right side of
- the screen, the new entries copied from the catalog on the left
- will be added to those already in the file on the right.
-
- You can exit the copy process by pushing the ESC key.
-
-
-
- Utility Menu - Import dBase File
-
- You can import the information contained in most dBase III files.
- To do this select the "Import dBase File" option on the Utilities
- Menu. You will then go through a series of screens that are
- exactly like those in the "Copy Entries" feature. (Please read
- the previous section which discusses the "Copy Entries" feature).
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 37
-
-
- The first screen that appears is used to select the dBase file
- you wish to copy from. Any dBase III files in the current
- directory will be listed in a box in the middle of the screen.
- If the file you want to copy from is on another drive or in
- another directory, push the ESC key and enter the drive and path
- you want to use. If there are dBase III files on the specified
- drive and path they will be listed in the box and you can select
- the one you want.
-
- Next the list of existing catalog files will be displayed. You
- can copy the dBase file to an existing catalog or create a new
- catalog. To create a new catalog push the ESC key and enter the
- drive, path and catalog name. If you enter a new catalog name
- the software will automatically create a format that matches that
- of the dBase file you are copying from.
-
- Next you will see a screen that allows you to set which
- information gets copied to which line (figure 19). This is the
- same screen as described in the section on Copy Entries and it
- works in exactly the same way.
-
- NOTE: this utility will only copy nonrelational dBase files.
- Relational dBase files can not be imported into OYC.
-
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Reindex
-
- First, what is an index and why does this software need to use
- indexes?
-
- A computer based index is just like an index in a book. When you
- need to find something in a book you look in the index. The
- index lists information alphabetically and allows you to quickly
- find what you need. A computer index works in the same way. It
- is an alphabetical listing that allows the computer to quickly
- find the information you are searching for.
-
- Just like in a book a computer has two ways to find information.
- If you are looking for specific information in a book you can
- start reading the book at page one and read until you find what
- you want. As you can imagine this could take a lot of time,
- especially if the information you are looking for is at the end
- of the book. Your other option is to look in the index and
- go directly to the page that has the information you want. This
- is exactly what a computer does. A sequential search is similar
- to starting at the front of a book and reading every page until
- the required information is found. To find information quickly
- the alphabetical search uses an index to look up the required
- information and then go directly to the entry that has that
- information.
-
- Indexes are also required to list information in alphabetical
- order. The software uses the indexes, which are in alphabetical
- order, to generate the alphabetical listings.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 38
-
-
-
- The lines to be indexed are selected when the format is set up.
- I'll discuss that in the section on "Set Up New Format". The
- software will normally keep all indexes up to date - adding new
- entries as you type them. However, there may be some
- circumstances in which you need to rebuild your indexes. If the
- software does not properly detect an index that should be there,
- an error message will appear. This message will tell
- you that the indexes need rebuilding.
-
- You can add additional lines to be indexed at any time. For
- example, you may originally start an inventory in which only
- the top line is indexed. If you later decide to index by other
- lines, you would use the "ReIndex" feature to put the existing
- entries into this new index.
-
- Indexes are separate files that maintain a fragile relation-
- ship among many separate words and phrases. If the files
- on your disk become fragmented or cross linked the indexes
- can be damaged. Although indexes do not effect your catalog
- files, if the results of a search do not seem to make
- sense, try making new indexes by using the "ReIndex" feature.
-
- The "ReIndex" feature is completely automatic. To reindex just
- use the scroll bar to highlight "ReIndex" on the Utilities Menu
- and push ENTER.
-
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Sort [ Off ]
-
- This software has the capability to do multiple level sorting.
- Sorting means to put entries into alphabetical order. The
- alphabetization provided by the indexing puts entries in
- alphabetical/numerical order one line at a time. Sorting, on
- the other hand, can include up to 10 lines in alphabetical
- order.
-
- If your catalog has not been sorted the word "OFF" will be in the
- brackets after the word SORT. If it is in a sorted condition,
- the word "ON" will be in the brackets. Now let's see how to
- sort.
-
- Start by selecting the "Sort" option on the Utilities Menu. The
- Sort Menu, shown in figure 21, will appear. The line titles used
- by the current database will be listed along the left side of the
- screen. There will be a series of F-key prompts along the bottom
- of the screen.
-
- To set the order in which you want the catalog to be sorted push
- the letter associated with the line to be sorted. Do this in the
- order you wish the lines to be sorted.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 39
-
-
-
- Once the sorting is complete you can get a printed copy of your
- catalog, in the correct sorted order, by doing an alphabetical
- listing based on the the primary sort criteria (the line you
- selected as the first line to be sorted).
-
-
- NOTE: You can include any line you wish in doing a sort.
- However, to produce an alphabetical listing the line used as the
- basis of that listing must be indexed and must be marked by a
- "starburst" symbol.
-
-
- Getting back to setting up the sorted order of the lines, if you
- start selecting lines to sort and want to make a change, push F3.
- The F3 key will clear any sorted order that exists and clear the
- diagram from the screen.
-
- The F8 key is used to clear a sort. What does this mean?
- Sorting rearranges the entries so they are in the specified
- sorted order. Once sorted, for example, a sequential search will
- look through a catalog based on the sorted order instead of
- the order the entries where originally typed. The "F8 - Clear
- Sort" function instantly returns your catalog to its original
- unsorted order. The indexes will still be in the sorted order,
- but sequential searches will no longer follow the sorted order.
- If you also wish to return the indexes to an unsorted condition
- all you need to do is ReIndex.
-
- Indexes use space on your disk. The more entries you have the
- more space an index will use. If you have an index you no longer
- need you can delete that index by pushing F9. You will be
- prompted to enter the letter that is next to the line for which
- you want to erase the index. If you do not want to erase a index
- at this point, push ESC. Otherwise push the appropriate letter.
-
- The circumstances in which you might want to erase an index would
- be if you find you had originally set up a line to be indexed,
- but you are not using that index. You would first use the "Set
- Up New Format" feature to turn off that index, then go to the
- Sort screen to erase the index that was just turned off.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 40
-
-
-
- Utility Menu - Reserve Space
-
- Next on the Utility Menu is the "Reserve Space" feature. This
- feature will set aside space on a hard disk for future entries.
- When the "Reserve Space" option is selected a window will open,
- display the number of entries currently in your catalog and
- prompt you for the amount of space you want to reserve. Estimate
- the total number of entries you expect to have and enter a number
- that will reserve enough space to hold them, but generally you
- should not reserve space for more than 500 or so new entries.
- Reserving too much space can result in a lot of wasted disk
- space, if you later change your mind about how many entries
- you'll have.
-
- Reserving space does not set a limit on the number of entries you
- can have. For example, if you reserve space for 100 entries, you
- can still make as many entries as you wish. The software will
- fill the 100 reserved spaces and then continue on without any
- problems. Also, you do not need to reserve space in order to use
- this software.
-
- The purpose of reserving space is two-fold. First, if you expect
- to have a lot of entries in your catalog, and you are using other
- software on the same disk, the reserve space feature is used to
- set aside disk space for use by OYC. This will insure the
- disk space you want to use for your OYC catalog is not used
- up by files created by other software.
-
- The reserve space feature is also used to help prevent the
- catalog file from becoming fragmented. Fragmented files
- are a normal result of using a computer. When a computer stores
- information on a disk it puts it into the next available sector
- on the disk. The next available sector may not be physically
- located anywhere near the previous sectors the computer was
- using. As you add to a data file it tends to be broken into
- small pieces that are scattered in various sectors all over the
- disk.
-
- The problem with fragmented files is that they slow down your
- computer because it takes more time for the heads in your disk
- drive to move from piece to piece of a file that is scattered all
- over a disk. With serious file fragmentation the computer can
- actually lose track of pieces of a file or start to get cross
- linked files. As a result the computer can become "confused" and
- lock-up, you might start getting strange results for searches or
- be unable to access some entries. (I've had this happen with
- WordPerfect, Lotus 123 and Microsoft Works files).
-
- Reserving space helps prevent your this software files from
- getting fragmented. If you start by reserving space and then
- defragment your hard disk, the OYC catalog file that will
- stay together in one piece regardless of any other activity that
- affects the disk. Notice that I said you will need to
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 41
-
-
- defragment your hard disk. How do you de-fragment a disk?
- You will need a utility that has been designed to do that. Take
- a look in Appendix A for a further discussion of fragmented files
- and descriptions of several utilities I recommend.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Eliminate Deleted
-
- When an entry is deleted (using the Edit function) it is not
- erased. It still exists. What the software does is mark the
- entry as being deleted so it will not show up during searches or
- listings. If you want to permanently remove an entry from your
- catalog you need to use the "Eliminate Deleted" feature.
-
- When you select the "Eliminate Deleted" feature on the Utilities
- menu the software will go through your entire catalog and
- permanently remove all deleted entries. The disk space used by
- the deleted entries will be recovered and made available for new
- entries. This process is automatic and there is nothing you need
- to do.
-
- Once started you can not interrupt this process. If it should be
- interrupted your catalog might be left with an entry duplicated
- (entered twice). There is no risk of losing data however, so if
- this process is interrupted by a power failure for example, all
- of your entries will still be there.
-
- Eliminating deleted entries will change the entry numbers for
- many of the entries in your catalog. You should reindex after
- using this feature.
-
- If you want to eliminate deleted entries without having the entry
- numbers change you can use the editor to individually type a new
- entry that replaces the old, deleted entry.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Set Up New Format
-
- This feature is used to both set up new catalog formats and to
- modify an existing format. The "Set Up New Format" feature is
- also used to select lines to be indexed and totaled.
-
- Push ALT-U to drop-down the Utility menu and use the scroll bar
- to highlight the "Set Up New Format" option. Then push ENTER to
- select it. Figure 23 shows the set up screen as it appears for a
- file that has not been set up previously. If you are modifying
- an existing format that format will be displayed on this screen.
-
- Let's start by looking at the F-key prompts at the bottom of the
- screen.
-
- At the lower left of the screen is a prompt that says, "F2 - [
- TITLES ]". This prompt indicates the current mode the software
- is set for. There are four possible modes. These are:
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 42
-
-
- TITLES - allows you to enter or change line titles.
-
- LENGTHS - used to set the lengths of lines.
-
- INDEXING - this mode used to mark the lines that are to be
- indexed. You may index up to 10 lines, however we suggest that
- no more than five or six lines be indexed. Keep in mind that
- indexes use disk space and the more lines you index, the more
- space each entry will use on the disk.
-
- VALUE - used to mark the lines you want to have totalled. For
- example, if you are using a line to keep track of the value of
- items, you can mark that line so all the values are totalled.
- Each time you conduct a search or listing the total value of all
- items listed will be displayed (or printed on the report).
-
-
- Starting A New Catalog
-
- There are two ways to start a new catalog. You can start
- from scratch or copy any existing catalog.
-
- To start from scratch push ALT-U for the Utilities Menu and
- highlight the bottom selection, "Select Catalog". Push ENTER
- and when the catalog selection menu appears push the ESC key.
- You can now enter the name you want to use for your new catalog.
- Once a new name is entered you'll be returned to the Main
- Screen where you should push ALT-U and select the "Set Up Cat.
- Format Option."
-
- To copy any existing catalog format go to the "Set Up Cat.
- Format" screen. Push F3 to activate the copy feature. You'll
- be prompted to enter the name for the new catalog you want to
- create. Enter a new catalog name and push ENTER. The set up
- screen will switch to the new name and will use the format
- copied from the catalog OYC was initially using.
-
-
- Setting Line Titles
-
- To start setting up a new format set the F2 toggle to TITLES.
- There is a scroll bar that can be moved up and down along the
- left side of the screen. If you just installed the software the
- default titles will be displayed. If you have started a new
- catalog all of the line titles will display "NOT SET".
-
- Move the scroll bar to a line you want to use and type the title
- for that line. You may enter up to 14 characters including
- letters, numbers, spaces and punctuation. If you make a mistake
- in typing a title, just highlight it with the scroll bar again
- and type the corrected title.
-
- Titles do not have to be on consecutive lines. You can skip
- lines in order to create groups of lines. You can also have
- untitled lines. The LINE TGL determines whether that line will
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 43
-
-
- be a part of your catalog format. If you set a line to be on,
- that line will be part of the format regardless of whether it has
- a title.
-
-
- Setting Line Lengths
-
- Once you have put a title on each line you intend to use push F2
- to switch to the LENGTHS mode. The software will now allow you
- to set or modify the lengths of each line. If you are starting a
- new format, you will need to set lengths for all of the lines.
- To set the length of a line move the highlight bar to that line,
- enter a number from 2 to 64 and push ENTER. Lines may be no
- shorter than 2 characters and no longer than 64 characters.
-
- Go through all of the lines using the scroll bar to highlight
- each line title and enter the desired length for each. When you
- enter a line length the software will display a bar that
- graphically shows the length of the line. The number of
- characters in each line will be shown in a highlighted section at
- the left side of each line (figure 23).
-
- NOTE: Line lengths can not be changed once an entry has been
- saved in a catalog. You can change the titles, indexing and
- totalling at any time. If you need to change your format, to
- add, delete or change the length of a line, after saving entries
- in a catalog, do the following: 1) Set up a new catalog format,
- using a different name, that has the lines lengths set the way
- you need them. There is a copy function (F3) on the Catalog
- Format Set Up screen that makes doing this quick and easy. 2)
- Then use the copy feature to copy your entries from the old
- format to the new format.
-
-
- Setting Lines To Be Indexed
-
- Push F2 again to switch to the Indexing mode. To mark a line to
- be indexed move the scroll bar to that line and push the ENTER
- key. A "starburst" symbol will appear next to that line to
- indicate it will be indexed. To remove a line from being indexed
- move the scroll bar to that line and push the ENTER key. The
- "starburst" symbol will disappear.
-
- You may index as many lines as you wish, however I recommend you
- only index important lines. Each index uses additional space on
- your disk. If you create a lot of indexes that you don't use,
- then you've wasted a lot of disk space.
-
-
- Totaling Values
-
- Once you've selected all of the lines to be indexed push F2 again
- to put the software into the Value mode. You can now move the
- scroll bar to any line and push the ENTER key to mark it as a
- line to be totaled. This will result in the numerical values
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 44
-
-
- on the marked line being totaled during searches and
- listings. When entering information the value must be the only
- information on the line. If letters are included on the line
- being totaled they may cause the total to be incorrect.
-
- When you push F2 again the software will return to the Titles
- mode. You can then modify any of the titles or use the F2 toggle
- to change the mode and modify anything you've set up on this
- screen. When everything is set as you want it push F5 to save
- the format. This will return you to the Main Screen.
-
- You can modify a format anytime before you save the first entry.
- Just select the "Set Up Cat. Format" option on the Utilities menu
- and make any required modifications. Once the first entry has
- been saved you only can change the line titles, and the lines
- marked to be indexed or totaled. You can not change the line
- lengths.
-
- Take a look at figure 24. At the bottom of the screen is a
- status line that says "EST: 5,025 ENTRIES/MB". This is saying
- that, based on the current format, OYC can store approximately
- 5,025 entries per megabyte of space. As you change the lengths
- of lines and the number of lines indexed this number will change.
- It can be used to give you a good idea of the amount of space
- your format uses.
-
-
- Copying A Catalog Format
-
- If you are creating a new catalog format that is similar to that
- of an existing catalog, you may find it easier to start by
- copying that existing format. To copy an existing catalog format
- start at the Main Screen and set the software so it is using the
- catalog name you want to copy. The catalog name you want to copy
- should be displayed in the center of the second line down from
- the top of the screen.
-
- Next select the Set Up Catalog Format option on the Utilities
- Menu. With the format set up screen displayed push F3 and then
- enter the name you want to use for the new format. The set up
- screen will change to the new name while retaining the old
- format. You may now modify the format or push F5 to save it.
-
-
- Catalog Design
-
- Before we go on to the next item on the Utilities menu I'd like
- to talk a little bit about catalog design. When designing a
- catalog format there is the temptation use the longest lines
- available. However, this can waste a lot of disk space. In many
- cases you can select a line that has a shorter length and will
- handle 98% of everything you'll need to enter. Getting that last
- 2% is what will use a lot of disk space. Consider using
- abbreviations to shorten information that exceeds the length of a
- line.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 45
-
-
- Another suggestion is that you should always include a line for
- miscellaneous information. Unless you're copying information
- from an established file (such as a card catalog or existing
- list) it is difficult to predict everything you might want to
- enter in the future. Having a miscellaneous line, even a
- short one, gives you the flexibility of having space to
- enter information you did not anticipate.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Set Up Macro
-
- A macro is a way to enter complete lines of information with just
- a single ALT key combination. Using a macro ALT-key combination
- you can enter preset information at the cursor location.
- First let's look at how to set up the information in the macros.
- Select the "Set Up Macro" option on the Utilities Menu. This
- will display a window in the middle of the screen as shown in
- figure 25.
-
- You can have up to 30 macros. The ALT-key combination that
- activates each macro is shown along the left side of the window.
- To set up a macro just type the information you want to
- automatically enter in your catalog next to one the ALT-key
- designations. After typing each macro line push ENTER. When you
- are done entering macros push the ESC key.
-
- Macros can be changed at any time by returning to the screen
- shown in figure 25 and making whatever changes you need. When
- you're done push the ESC key to return to the Main Screen.
-
- I recommend leaving one of the macro lines blank, possibly the
- ALT-B line. This gives you a way to erase (blank) a line or part
- of a line when entering or editing an entry. For example, if you
- leave ALT-B blank you can place the cursor on any line in your
- catalog, push ALT-B and that line will be blanked. You
- could also blank part of a line by putting the cursor anywhere on
- the line and pushing ALT-B. Everything from the cursor and to
- the right of the cursor will be erased.
-
-
- Utility Menu - Set Security Code
-
- This software provides a three level security system.
-
- Level 1 - provides access only to people who know the three digit
- access code.
-
- Level 2 - provides full access to anyone who knows the correct
- security code and read-only access to everyone else. With read-
- only access you can look up and read any of the entries, but you
- can not modify entries. With read-only access some selections on
- the drop-down menus, that would have allowed changes to be made,
- no longer appear on the menu. Figure 26 shows what the edit menu
- looks like when the software is set for read-only access.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 46
-
-
- Level 2 security might be used in a library where only the
- librarian has access to change entries while patrons of the
- library have read-only access for looking up movies & TV shows.
-
- Level 3 - allows full access to anyone.
-
- To set a security code select the "Set Security Code" option on
- the Utilities menu. You will then be prompted to enter a three
- digit security code. If you enter a number between 001 and 250
- the software will run at level one security. You will need to
- enter the correct security code number before getting access to
- the software.
-
- Entering a number from 251 to 500 provides level 2 security. If
- you enter the correct code you have full access. Entering any
- other number provides read-only access.
-
- Setting the security code to any number greater than 500 allows
- full, level 3, access to everyone.
-
- If you've set a security code that is 500 or lower, when the
- software first boots a screen with just a plus (+) symbol will
- appear. The cursor will be next to the plus symbol. Type your
- security code at this point and push ENTER.
-
- The security code is stored in the HOMECRAF.SET file. If this
- file should be erased, you will not be able to use the software.
- You will need to either replace the HOMECRAF.SET file using a
- backup copy or from your original disk, or use the RESET.EXE
- utility (available only in the registered version).
-
- Another problem you might run into is forgetting your security
- code. Should this happen you can still get into the software
- once you have the registered version. On the registered disk
- you'll get from us we have provided a file called RESET.EXE.
- This utility serves as a "skeleton" key that will reset the
- security code to allow full access. To use RESET copy it to the
- same disk and directory that has the this software program. Run
- RESET and the security code will automatically be reset. This
- utility also resets all of the other settings to their defaults.
- Thus the software will be returned to monochrome operation and
- the default filename of CATALOG.
-
- If you are using the security feature be sure to put any disks
- containing RESET.EXE away in a safe place.
-
- The RESET.EXE utility is not provided on the shareware disk in
- order to prevent people whom you do not want to have access to
- your files from getting a copy of the RESET.EXE file. So please
- be careful if you are using the security feature in the shareware
- version of this software.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 47
-
-
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Set Screen Colors
-
- OYC will initially start running in the black & white
- mode. To switch it to color select "Set Screen Colors" on the
- Utilities menu. You can also push CTRL-A to jump directly
- to this screen. Five possible color settings will be displayed.
- Push a number, from 0 to 4, that indicates the color combination
- you want to use. (Generally #1 provides the best setting).
-
- This set up screen also allows you to control the BEEP that
- sounds when the cursor reaches the end of a line Push F1 to
- toggle the BEEP on or off.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Delete Catalog
-
- If you are no longer using a catalog, it can be deleted using
- the "Delete Catalog" option on the Utilities menu. Select
- "Delete Catalog" and a listing of catalogs will be displayed.
- Use the scroll bar to highlight the catalog you want to delete
- and push ENTER. If there are entries in the file OYC will
- tell you how many entries it has (see figure 27) and ask you
- to confirm that this is the correct file to delete.
-
- Do not try to delete the catalog if OYC is set to use that
- catalog. If you do, the catalog will be deleted and then
- immediately recreated as OYC tries to use that catalog.
-
-
- Utilities Menu - Select Catalog
-
- The last selection on the Utilities menu allows you to select a
- catalog or create a new catalog file. You can have as many
- catalog files as you wish, limited only by the limitations of the
- version of DOS you are using. When deciding on names for your
- catalogs you can not use numbers as a part of the catalog name.
- Numbers are used to identify the index files. Using a number in
- a catalog name might cause some confusion in the index files.
- Also, catalog names can not be longer than eight characters.
-
- Although you can create as many catalogs as you wish I recommend
- using as few as possible. Using multiple catalogs can become
- very confusing. In many cases you can enter all of your
- information in one catalog and let the software sort it out.
- This makes it a lot easier to find specific entries because you
- do not first have to figure out which catalog it is in.
-
- To change catalog names select "Select Catalog Name" on the
- Utilities menu. The existing catalogs will be shown in a box in
- the center of the screen. You can use the cursor keys to
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 48
-
-
- highlight a catalog or push ESC to enter a new catalog name. To
- use an existing catalog use the scroll bar to highlight it and
- then push ENTER.
-
- The menu for selecting the catalog name is designed to make
- selecting the correct catalog quick and easy. For example,
- you can move the scroll bar directly to the catalog you want
- to highlight by pushing the first letter of the catalog name.
- If several catalogs start with the same letter, push that
- letter until the correct catalog is highlighted.
-
- A mouse can be used to select a catalog name by placing the
- mouse cursor on the catalog to be selected and pushing
- the left mouse button twice. You can move through the
- list of catalogs by using the diamond shaped slider along
- the right edge of the menu. Put the mouse cursor on the
- "slider", hold the left mouse button down and move the
- mouse cursor up or down.
-
-
-
- THE REPORT MENU
-
- The Report Menu allows you to select where a report will be sent
- (the printer, a disk file, the monitor, etc.). This menu is also
- used to design reports, set the report lengths and enter some of
- the final report design options.
-
-
- Report Menu - Send To [ Monitor ]
-
- There are seven places you can send a report. These are:
-
- MONITOR: Displays the results of a search or listing one entry at
- a time on the monitor. The complete entry is displayed on the
- screen.
-
- PRINTER - Continuous Paper: The results of a search or listing
- will be sent to your printer. This type of report is designed
- for printers with continuous feed paper such as dot matrix and
- laser printers.
-
- To send a report to the printer you first need to have designed a
- report format (which I'll discuss in a moment). The software
- comes with a standard format that will print everything in each
- entry. You can design your own report formats to look any way
- you want.
-
- PRINTER - Single Sheet Feed: This is the same type of report as
- the "PRINTER-Continuous Paper" report except that it is designed
- for printers that only handle one sheet of paper at a time. A
- daisy wheel printer would be an example of this type of printer.
-
- ASCII (document) File: You can save the results of a search or
- listing in a file on your disk. It will be stored as an ASCII
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 49
-
-
- text file which means it can be imported into any word processor.
- This allows you to include, for example, wanted lists in letters
- you send to other collectors.
-
- dBase File: Selecting this option will save the results of a
- search or listing in a dBase III file. This file can be used by
- any software that can read dBase III files.
-
- QUICK VIEW: This option puts the results of a search or
- listing into a list, in which each entry is shown on one line,
- on the screen that shows 21 entries per screen. You can then
- move a scroll bar through the list and pick individual entries
- to display. (Note: this feature requires the additional
- video memory that is normally only available with color monitors
- The Quick View also uses your disk for temporary storage.
- Thus you must have space available on your disk).
-
- The Quick View listing contains all of the information in the
- entry. If the combined length of the lines in your catalog
- format exceeds 80 characters (the width of the screen), you
- can move the Quick View display to the right or left using
- the right or left cursor keys. Each time you push either
- cursor key the display will move by the amount of space
- used by one column of information.
-
- When the Quick View list is on the screen use the up/down cursor
- keys to move the scroll bar up and down. The PgDn and PgUp keys
- change the display by a complete page. The Home and End keys
- will take you directly to the beginning or end of the list.
-
- To get more detail on any entry use the scroll bar to highlight
- that entry and then push the ENTER key. You can return to the
- Quick View screen by pushing F2.
-
- With the Quick View screen displayed pushing the ESC key will
- exit from the Quick View function.
-
- LABELS: The labels settings produces the same type of report as
- the "PRINTER-Continuous" report except that page feeds are not
- included. This setting should be used anytime you are printing
- continuous feed labels.
-
-
- Selecting Where You Want To Send Your Report (Send To)
-
- To select a report type use the scroll bar to highlight the "Send
- To" option on the Report Menu and push ENTER. This will open a
- window in the middle of the screen (see figure 29). All of the
- report types will be listed and there will be an "X" in the box
- next to Monitor. This indicates that the results of a search or
- listing will be displayed on the monitor. Push the TAB key to
- change the setting. Each time you press the TAB key the "X" will
- move to the next box changing and changing the setting. Press
- TAB until the software is set for the type of report you want to
- use and then press the ENTER key.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 50
-
-
-
- Report Menu - Page Length
-
- The "Page Length" option allows you to set the number of lines
- that can be printed on a sheet of paper by your printer. For
- example, most dot matrix printers will print 66 lines on an 11
- inch page while laser printers print 60 lines per page. When you
- select this option a window will appear in the middle of the
- screen. The current page length will be displayed. You can then
- enter a new page length, which can be up to 999 lines.
-
-
- Report Menu - Dashed Line
-
- If you wish, you can have the software print a dashed line
- between each entry listed on a report. In some cases
- this helps to separate entries making them easier to read. The
- dashed line will also contain the entry number providing a means
- of determining which entry numbers are being printed.
-
- The "Dashed Line" selection on the Reports menu is a toggle.
- Highlighting the "Dashed Line" option and pushing ENTER will
- change the setting between on and off. The setting will be
- stored on the disk. Once set it will not change until you
- use this toggle again.
-
-
- Report Menu - Column Headings
-
- You can have column headings printed at the top of the page. The
- line titles you've set-up will be used as the column headings.
-
- With the "Column Headings" option toggled "On" they will be
- printed using the same format as you've set up for the printed
- report.
-
- This option is a toggle. When you highlight the "Column
- Headings" menu selection and push ENTER the setting will be
- toggled between on and off.
-
- A typical use for column headings is with single line reports.
- You can set up a report format that prints all of the information
- on a single line (up to 250 characters wide - set your printer to
- use condensed print to get more characters per line). What
- you'll get using this type of format are columns of information
- with an identifying title at the top of each column.
-
-
- Lock Top Line - this can be a very useful feature. When toggled
- ON the Lock Top Line will print the first line of the report
- only when it differs from the first line of the previous entry
- printed. For example, if you had a report (for a listing of
- movies) that puts the star's name on the first line and the
- title on the second line, you would get a printed
- report looking like:
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 51
-
-
- CLINT EASTWOOD
- Coogan's Bluff 600091
- Every Which Way But Loose 012665
- Hang 'Em High 780099
-
- GREGORY PECK
- Gunfighter, The 780123
- Guns Of Navarone 012077
-
- CHUCK NORRIS
- Delta Force 007866
- Hitman, The 780123
-
- With the LOCK TOP LINE option set to "OFF" the star's name
- would be printed for every item listed. To print a listing
- like the one shown above you will need to set up a two line
- report format. The star's name goes on the first line
- and all of the other information on the second line.
-
-
- Report Menu - Set Up Report Format
-
- OYC gives you a way to design your reports to look any way
- you want them to. You can include just the lines of information
- you want and design reports that print small labels or full sized
- reports. The "Set Up Report Format" option on the Reports menu
- brings up the screen used to design report formats. You may
- design and use as many different report formats as you wish,
- giving each format its own name.
-
- Figure 30 shows the screen used for designing a report. This is
- what the screen looks like before starting to design a report.
- Let's start by looking at the F-key prompts at the bottom of the
- screen.
-
- The first F-key prompt you'll need to use is "F6 - RPRT LENGTH"
- The F6 key is used to set the length of the report. Please note
- this is different from the page length that is set on the Report
- menu. The report length is the number of lines used to print the
- information about one entry. A report can have from one line up
- to 21 lines.
-
- There are two bars that graphically show the report length. The
- top bar contains the screen title and cursor position indicator.
- The lower bar is a solid line.
-
- Push F6 and a blank space will appear in the brackets next to the
- RPRT LENGTH prompt. Enter the number of lines you want to use to
- print each entry. The lower bar will then drop down to show the
- size of the report. Figure 30 shows the lower bar set for the
- minimum report length, one line. Entering 21 as a length will
- place the lower bar at the bottom of the screen. We'll look at
- an example of a report set for six lines (figure 31).
-
- The F2 key is used to select the line you want to put on the
- report. Each time you push F2 the line name in the brackets will
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 52
-
-
- change. In addition to the title of the line the length of the
- line is also shown. In addition to the 21 line titles you can
- also place the entry number on your reports. The entry number
- will appear as the 22nd title when pushing F2 to change the title
- shown in the brackets.
-
- The F3 key is used to place a line on the report. Use the cursor
- keys to move the cursor to the location where you wish to place a
- line. Notice that a counter in the upper right corner gives the
- row and column where the cursor is located. When you push the F3
- key the line shown in the brackets next to the F2 prompt will be
- placed on the report at the cursor location.
-
- If you try to place a line in a location that would result in two
- lines overlapping, your computer will beep and the placement of
- the line will not be accepted.
-
- You can relocate a line you've already placed by pushing the F2
- key until the name of the line you want to replace is in the
- brackets next to the F2 prompt, positioning the cursor at the new
- location and then pushing F3.
-
- The screen can only show reports that are 80 characters wide,
- however you can set up and print reports that are up to 250
- characters wide. As you place lines at locations that go beyond
- the 80 character width of your screen the display will scroll to
- the left in 40 character increments. You can move the cursor
- forty characters to the left or right by holding down the CTRL
- key and pushing the left or right cursor keys. (Watch the column
- numbers in the upper right corner).
-
- Figure 31 shows what the screen looks like after five lines have
- be placed. The asterisks after each line name show the amount of
- space the line will use when printed.
-
- To make things fit better you can shorten the length of the lines
- to be printed. For example, if you only wanted to include the
- first 15 characters of the company name push F2 until the COMPANY
- line title is shown in the brackets. Then push F4. The F4 key
- is used to change the length of any line. When you push F4 the
- line length number within the F2 brackets will be replaced by a
- blank space. You can then enter a new line length.
-
- Line lengths can not be set to be longer than they are in the
- catalog format. Thus, if the length of a line in the catalog
- format is 4 characters, then you can not set that line to be
- longer than 4 characters on the report format. Since the name
- of the line is used to show how much space the line will use
- when printed, if the line is only 4 characters long, then only
- the first four characters of the line name will be displayed on
- the report format setup screen.
-
- If you place a line on the report and then decide that you don't
- want to include it in the report, use the F2 key to put the line
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 53
-
-
- name in the brackets. Then push F9. The F9 key is used to
- delete a line from the report.
-
- You can have the titles of the lines printed on your reports.
- OYC will print the line title, a colon and the information on
- that line. Do not use this feature when printing in columns.
-
- The line titles are toggled on or off when by pushing CTRL-T
- ("T" for title). The status of the line title setting will be
- displayed as a part of the top line.
-
- When the line titles are toggled on an additional 16 spaces
- will be used to print each line. This will be shown on the
- "Set Report Format" screen by an increase in the displayed
- length of the lines. Please note that the name of the line
- will always be shown as a part of the line - without regard
- to whether the line titles are on or off. The amount of space
- that will be used to print the line, or the title plus the line,
- will be indicated by a combination of the name of the line plus
- a series of asterisks.
-
- Please note that, if you switch the titles between being toggled
- on and off it may appear that some of the lines have disappeared.
- This just means that the line locations can not be displayed on
- the screen as it is set up. Should this happen you should re-
- arrange the location of the affected items. Before saving a report
- format be sure you can see all of the lines you want to print
- and that none of them are overlapping.
-
- If you are going to include the titles on your printed reports
- you might want to use the "Set Up Catalog" function on the
- Utilities Menu to right justify the line titles. This will result
- in a cleaner looking report.
-
- Once you have a report designed the way you want it to be push F5
- to save it. You can save as many different report formats as
- you'd like, giving a different format name to each. The F7 key
- allows you to select the format name of an existing report or
- assign a name to a new report format. For example, in figure 33
- I have changed the format name to bring up the STANDARD report
- format. (This format is supplied with the software).
-
- To return to the Main Screen push F10 (or the ESC key).
-
-
- Report Menu - Report Format
-
- You can also change report names using the "Report Format" option
- on the Report menu. The current setting for the report format
- will be shown in brackets next to this menu item. When you
- select this option a box will appear that shows all of the format
- names currently used. You can select one by highlighting it with
- the scroll bar and pushing ENTER. You may also push the ESC key
- to enter a new format name.
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 54
-
-
- Please note that if you have the software set to use a format
- name for which no format has been defined, your printed reports
- will be blank.
-
-
- Printing A Report
-
- Here are the steps you would follow to print a report:
-
- 1) Design and save the report format you want to use. This needs
- to be done only one time. Once a report format has been saved it
- is available whenever you needed it.
-
- 2a) If you are searching for something, enter the search criteria
- on the appropriate line(s).
-
- 2b) If you wish to list your catalog in alphabetical order, move
- the cursor to the line you wish the alphabetical order to be
- based on. This line must be marked with a starburst symbol.
-
- 3) Push ALT-R for the Report Menu. The highlight bar will be on
- the "Send To" option. Push ENTER. A window displaying report
- options will open in the middle of the screen. Most people will
- want to use the CONTINUOUS PAPER setting, so push ENTER once to
- move the "X" to that setting. If you want to pause after each
- page is printed, put the "X" next to SINGLE SHT. FEED.
-
- 4) Push ESC to close the window and return to the Report Menu.
-
- 5) Check the Dashed Line, Column Headings and Lock Top Line
- settings to be sure they are set the way you want them to be.
-
- 6) Push the left cursor key until the Search Menu is displayed.
- Highlight the search option you want to use and push ENTER. A
- prompt will now appear, at the bottom of the screen, asking for a
- title for this report. You can enter anything you like as a
- title as long as the number of characters in the title does not
- exceed 80 characters or the width of your report format,
- whichever is greater. If you push ENTER at this point, without
- entering a title, the software will put a default title on your
- report. If you do not want any title at all, push the space bar
- and then push ENTER.
-
- Your report will now start printing.
-
- I have taken you through printing a report in a step-by-step
- detailed manner. Once you have become familiar with using this
- software you can skip some of these steps and use the short cut
- keys. For example, if you've already printed one report you can
- print a second simply by entering your search criteria and
- pushing F6 (or F8).
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 55
-
-
-
- EXIT MENU
-
- You can drop-down the eXit menu by either pushing ALT-X or by
- pushing the ESC key.
-
- The eXit menu provides three options. The first is "Exit
- Program" and selecting this returns you to the DOS prompt (or a
- DOS shell program, if you are using one). You should always exit
- from this software before turning off your computer. Turning off
- your computer while any program is still running can result in
- the partial loss of data should that data still be in your
- computer's internal buffers.
-
-
- Backing Up Your Catalog
-
- Entering the information about your collection takes a lot of
- time and it's not something most people want to do twice. That's
- why maintaining current backup copies of all your catalog files
- is very important. The second selection on the Exit Menu
- provides a limited, but effective way to backup your catalog
- files.
-
- Please note, this utility is not intended to be a complete hard
- disk backup system. I strongly recommend that you purchase
- software such as PC Tools, Fastback, or any of the many other
- backup utilities available. We are only including this utility
- because a large number of users create catalogs having several
- thousand entries and then lose them when their computers
- encounter a hard disk problem. This utility is only intended to
- provide something you can use while your catalog is small and
- until you can purchase a normal backup utility program.
-
- The backup utility will backup the current catalog in use. The
- name of this catalog is displayed as a part of the Main Screen in
- the middle of the status line (second line down from the top).
- Each catalog must be backed up separately.
-
- To use the backup utility select "Backup" on the Exit Menu. Read
- the first screen that appears and then push ENTER. When the next
- screen appears you can push "E" to exit, "B" to start a backup,
- or "R" to recover backup copies from a floppy disk. On the next
- screen push the letter that identifies the disk drive containing
- the backup floppy disk.
-
- You should start your backup using a blank formatted disk and use
- a separate disk for each catalog. I suggest keeping a set of
- three backup disks for each catalog. Rotate through this set
- always using the oldest one for the current backup. That way, if
- your current backup should turn out to be a backup copy of files
- that have already been damaged (it happens a lot), you can go
- back to an older copy and still recover most of your catalog.
- Note: you do not need to erase or reformat backup floppies before
- using them a second, third, forth, etc. time for the same
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 56
-
- catalog. If the backup floppy is always used for the same
- catalog, the backup process will erase the previous backup copy.
- You only need to start with a blank floppy the first time that
- disk is used.
-
- You can recover a backup copy by following essentially the same
- sequence of steps. Just push "R" for recover instead of "B" for
- backup on the appropriate screen.
-
- NOTE: When files are being recovered the utility will not allow a
- file with an older date to overwrite a more recent file. If you
- have lost a catalog and in looking for it have created another
- catalog using the same name, the more recent catalog will have to
- be erased before the backup utility will copy the old files to
- your disk. There is a selection of the Utilities Menu that is
- used to delete catalogs.
-
- The backup utility uses an archiving utility called LHA. It is
- a separate program that OYC runs by shelling to DOS. This
- utility was written by Yoshi and is copyrighted 1991 by Yoshi.
- The documentation for this utility is included on the disk in a
- text file called LHA.DOC. You may use this utility for other
- things and I recommend you read the documentation. Please
- note that LHA may not be used with any software that uses
- copy protection.
-
- The final option on the Exit Menu is "Shell To DOS." This
- option gets you to the DOS prompt without exiting the program
- OYC remains in your computer's memory and you can return to
- where you left off by typing the word EXIT at the DOS prompt.
-
- You might use the "Shell To DOS" option, for example, to use the
- DOS directory (DIR) command to check for files on your disk or to
- format a floppy disk.
-
-
- HELP MENU
-
- OYC includes a series of help screens that have key
- information about the main functions. Push ALT-H to drop-down
- the Help Menu. Then use the scroll bar to select the topic you
- want information on.
-
-
- RETURN
-
- The final selection only appears at the top of the screen when a
- drop-down menu is displayed. The Return selection removes the
- drop-down menus from the screen and returns you to the Main
- Screen. You can also return to the Main Screen by pushing the
- ESC key.
-
-
- CALCULATOR
-
- A pop-up calculator is included in OYC and can be accessed from
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 57
-
-
- the Main Screen, Edit Screen, or Make Entries Screen. To
- display the calculator push CTRL-C.
-
- The calculator displays a "tape" of the calculation. Use the
- numeric keypad just as you would a normal calculator. (The
- ENTER key functions as the = key). As you use the numeric keypad
- to enter calculations you will see them printed on the "tape"
- that appears on the screen.
-
-
- GRAPHIC IMAGES
-
- The OYC software can display PCX graphics images. There can
- be a separate graphics image for each entry in your catalog.
- The number of graphic images is only limited by the size
- of your hard disk.
-
- The software uses the 21st line of the catalog format to specify
- the filename for the graphics image. If you already have an
- existing OYC catalog in which the 21st line is not used, you
- will need to set up a new catalog (with the 21st line set for
- at least 8 characters) and then copy the entries from the old
- catalog to the catalog you just set up. You would use the
- same procedure as is used to change the length of a line and which
- is described earlier in this manual.
-
- When you set-up line 21 you do not need to limit it to 8
- characters in length. However, only the first 8 characters will
- be used to identify graphics images. Provided you put a space
- after the PCX filename, you can use any additional space on this
- line for other information. This line still functions in the
- same way as all of the other lines. It can be indexed, searched,
- and cross referenced.
-
- Please note that due to limited space on the disk we have not
- been able to include a sample graphics file. A sample file
- is included with the registered version.
-
- Once you have a catalog with line 21 set-up all you need to do is
- enter the filename used by a PCX graphics image on that line.
- Just enter the filename, you do not need to enter the PCX filename
- extension. For example, if the name of the PCX file is SAMPLE.PCX,
- then just enter SAMPLE on line 21.
-
- Graphics images can only be displayed after an entry has been saved.
- Once an entry has been saved use either a search or the editor
- to display the catalog entry. You can also push F1, immediately
- after saving an entry, to directly go into the edit mode and
- display the entry you just saved.
-
- To display a graphics image push CTRL-PgDn.
-
- You can also display graphic images stored in other formats such
- as GIF files. Instead of building the graphics display software
- ________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - REFERENCE SECTION - 58
-
-
- into the OYC.EXE file we have provided it in a separate OYCOVL.EXE
- file. The OYCOVL.EXE file supplied with OYC will display only
- PCX graphic images. However, by supplying these feature using
- a separate utility you can upgrade OYC yourself to display
- nearly any type of graphics image. Here's how the OYC graphics
- display works:
-
- The command OYC sends to display a graphic image is
-
- OYCOVL filename
-
- Where "filename" is the name of the graphic image file to be
- displayed.
-
- To display a GIF (or any other format) file you will need a
- utility that will display GIF files. Rename the utility
- as OYCOVL.EXE and put it in the directory containing the OYC
- software. Now when OYC runs the OYCOVL utility it will run the
- utility you supplied to display the GIF file.
-
- You can also display EXE graphics files by replacing OYCOVL.EXE
- with a batch file called OYCOVL.BAT. The batch file should have
- one line with "%1" followed by a carriage return. If any
- switches are required put a space after the "1" and then
- include the switches.
-
- If when you push CTRL-PgDn to see a graphics image you get a
- blank screen instead, then one of the following has happened:
-
- 1) The graphic image is in the wrong format.
- 2) Your computer can not display graphic images
- of the size and/or type stored in this file.
- 3) The image file does note exist.
- _____________________________________CATALOGING VIDEO TAPES - 59
-
-
-
-
-
- CATALOGING VIDEO TAPES
-
- This software is designed for use by both people who have a few
- family videos in their home and by the professional as a cat-
- aloging tool. Organize! Your Video Tapes allows you to create a
- catalog and then locate a tape or video sequence by any one of up
- to 21 characteristics. For example, you'll be able to get a list
- of all of the sunset videos taken at the beach; or all of the
- movies starring Robert Redford.
-
- Another nice feature of this software is that it can be used with
- video tapes, laser disks, or just specific video sequences or
- specific frames. Entries can be made for individual sequences
- allowing you to list the individually unique information about
- each sequence.
-
- The format name is: VIDEO
-
- Let's look at the type of information that can be entered on each
- line:
-
-
- Title - The name of the movie, program or personal tape.
-
- Star(s) - Who is (are) the star? If this is a family video you
- could put the name of the person who is featured in a video
- segment. (Note: you can catalog individual video segments using
- the counter number on your VCR. However, please be aware that
- counters count differently on different machines).
-
- Director - The name of the director.
-
- Catalog Number - The identifying number used to find this video
- in your files.
-
- Note - This line is provided for miscellaneous information. You
- can enter an abbreviation for the type of movie; or describe the
- quality; or enter any other information you feel is valuable. If
- you are cataloging video segments or multiple shows on a single
- tape, you might use this line for the counter number.
-
- Value - Enter the current value of the film or tape. This
- information is useful for insurance purposes.
-
- Always use the same number of digits when entering values. If
- the values of items in your collection ranges from $1 to $1000,
- then the $1 items should have their values entered as 0001 which
- uses the same number of digits as 1000. If you need to include
- cents some entries, such as in $1.50, but not on others, you do
- not need to type ".00". Digits to the right of the decimal
- point, while significant in determining the value of an item, do
- not effect how a computer sorts values.
-
- ___________________________________CATALOGING - VIDEO TAPES - 60
-
-
-
-
- Co-star(s) - The names of any co-stars.
-
- Producer - The name of the producer and/or the production
- company. The executive producer could also be entered on this
- line.
-
- Other - Like the NOTE line you can enter whatever information you
- feel is useful. You may enter the name of the family event, or
- the type of video camera used (for personal a video).
-
- Type - Use this line to classify entries by type. The
- classifications you use will depend on your requirements. You
- can classify entries by type of movie (action, comedy, drama,
- etc., by type of film (B&W, stereo sound, etc.); by type of
- family event; or any other or all of the above. You can put
- multiple classifications on this line. For example a entry might
- be CLR/ST - a color movie with stereo sound.
-
- Year - You can use this line for the year the movie was made or
- the dates you recorded this video.
-
- Rating - Use this line to indicate whether the movie is PG,
- PG-13, G, R or X. We've also made the line long enough so that
- you can add your personal rating. For example you could enter
- "GOOD / PG-13" and a search would find both PG-13 and GOOD.
-
- Review-1 thru 3 - The next three lines are used to enter a
- description of the movie (or contents of a family video). You
- can describe the plot and your opinion of this tape.
-
- Studio - The name and location of the studio that made this film.
-
- Soundtrack - Enter the name of the composer or names of major
- songs.
-
- Screenplay - The names of the writers.
-
- Comment - Use this line for your comments or other miscellaneous
- information.
-
- Time - The duration of the movie (HRS:MINUTES).
-
- Location - Where is this tape stored? In your home or the city
- library?
- _____________________________ CATALOGING VIDEO TAPES 61 & 62
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- These pages are intentionally blank.
-
- _____________________ORGANIZE Your Collection APPENDIX A - 63
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX A - PROBLEM SOLVING
-
- This section describes some of the errors and problems other
- users have encountered and recommends solutions. In most cases
- the software will detect problems, diagnose them and put a
- message on the screen.
-
-
- Permission Denied - this is a DOS error message. It means that
- you are using a disk that is write protected. Remove the write
- protection and the problem will be solved. This problem might
- also be caused by a directory that is full. You can have a full
- directory even if there is space available on your disk.
- Depending on the version of DOS you have there is a limit on the
- number of files you can have in a directory. In most cases this
- limit is 128 files. If you try to create more than 128 files you
- may get the "Permission Denied" error message.
-
-
- Unable To Change The Length Of A Line - If you want to change the
- length of a line in your catalog format, but the prompt for the
- line lengths does not appear on the Catalog Format Set Up screen,
- then the software is telling you that at least one entry has
- already been saved. Once an entry has been saved the length of
- the lines can not be changed.
-
- OYC uses what is called a fixed length random access
- data file. This allows entries to be found very quickly, but it
- means that if you change the lengths of any of the lines the
- software will no longer be able to read the data file. Thus, the
- software will not allow you to change the length of a line after
- an entry has been saved.
-
- If you need to change your catalog format after saving an entry
- you can do this by creating a new catalog format with the line
- lengths you want. Then use the copy feature to copy the entries
- from your old format to the new format. Once all of the entries
- have been copied (use the editor to see that they are correctly
- copied) the old catalog can be deleted. There is a Utility Menu
- option that is used to delete catalogs.
-
-
- The Software Won't Start - if when you type OYC the software does
- not start there are several possibilities:
-
- 1. If you get a message that says "Bad Command or Filename" then
- your computer can not find the OYC.EXE file. Be sure you are in
- the directory that contains the OYC.EXE file. To do this type
- DIR *.EXE and check to see that OYC.EXE is listed in the
- directory. If it is not listed you most likely will need to use
- the DOS CD command to change to the correct directory.
- _______________________ORGANIZE Your Collection APPENDIX A - 64
-
-
- 2. If nothing happens or your computer locks up when you type
- OYC, you may have fragmented or cross linked files. Please see
- the section which discusses fragmented files.
-
-
- All Data Files Have Disappeared - I've had many people call me
- with this problem. Yesterday they were typing entry 4000 and
- today the software says they are on entry #1. What happened?
- Usually the cause of this problem is that the database filename
- has been changed. All 4000 entries still exist, they are just
- stored using a different filename than the current filename. In
- many cases the two filenames may be very similar such as PHOTO
- and PHOTOS. Its easy to get them mixed up, so be sure you are
- using the right filename.
-
-
- The Software Can't Find A Database Filename You Know Exists - in
- addition to the filename you can also set a PATH. This allows
- you to store data in other directories. If you are looking for a
- database file that is stored in a different directory, you will
- need to specify the PATH to that directory as a part of the
- filename.
-
- I generally recommend you keep all of your database files in the
- same directory as the OYC.EXE file. This makes it easier to keep
- track of what these files are used for and which program they go
- with.
-
-
- Fragmented Files - there is no error message that will tell you
- that your computer has fragmented files. Fragmented files are a
- normal result of using a computer. When a computer stores
- information on a disk it puts it into the next available sector
- on the disk. The next available sector may not be physically
- located anywhere near the previous sectors the computer was
- using. As you add to a data file it tends to be broken into
- small pieces that are scattered in various sectors all over the
- disk.
-
- The problem with fragmented files is that they slow down your
- computer because it takes more time for the heads in your disk
- drive to move from piece to piece of a file that is scattered all
- over a disk. With serious file fragmentation the computer can
- actually lose track of pieces of a file or start to get cross
- linked files. As a result the computer can become "confused" and
- lock-up, you might start getting strange results for searches or
- be unable to access some entries.
-
- If your computer was working fine yesterday and today seems to be
- giving you strange results and problems, the cause may be the
- result of fragmented files. I've seen all kinds of problems the
- range from software locking up to files becoming inaccessible.
- To solve and prevent this problem you'll need utility software
- such as PC Tools or the Norton Utilities. Both of these programs
- provide file de-fragmentation.
- _________________________ORGANIZE Your Collection APPENDIX A - 65
-
-
- You should defragment your hard disk on a regular basis. I've
- found my computer can get fragmented files after just one day of
- use (one day of use for me is probably a lot for someone else).
- In most cases you should perform preventive maintenance by
- defragmenting your hard disk after every 50 to 100 hours of use.
-
-
- An Asterisks Appears When The Software Is Started - If when you
- boot this software you get a blank screen with just an asterisks,
- then the security feature is activated. If you are unable to get
- past that screen, then you will need to use the RESET.EXE utility
- to regain access to this software. RESET.EXE is provided on the
- original this software disk. Because it serves as a generic key
- that will "open" the software, the install procedure leaves it on
- the original disk where other people can not use it.
-
- To use RESET.EXE you can copy it to the directory containing the
- this software (if you are not concerned about security). It may
- also be run from the original floppy disk. If you run it from a
- floppy disk, first set your computer so that the directory
- containing this software is the current directory on your hard
- drive. Get the DOS prompt for the disk drive where RESET.EXE is
- located. Type RESET. The utility will ask you to push the
- letter that identifies your hard disk. The utility will then
- reset the security function.
-
-
- USING OYC WITH HOMECRAFT VERSION 4 OR EARLIER SOFTWARE
-
- The OYC software uses a data format that is not compatible
- with previous HomeCraft Software collector's databases.
- However, HomeCraft guarantees that we will never make a
- change that results in your needing to retype your data
- files. All registered users receive a conversion utility
- that will automatically read files created by any HomeCraft
- Software database previous to version 5 and convert them to
- the format used by version 5.
- _________________________ORGANIZE Your Collection APPENDIX B - 66
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX B - FILE NAMES
-
- OYC uses file naming standards such that each catalog
- will have a set of files with the same basic filename and various
- filename extensions. A filename extension is the three letter
- "code" the follows the eight (or fewer) letter filename. For
- example, in OYC.EXE the filename extension is EXE. This
- indicates this is an executable program file that the software
- can run.
-
- When you first receive your this software disk the main program
- files are stored in a compressed format in an archive file called
- ORGANIZE.LZH. The files which are archived in ORGANIZE.LZH are:
-
- OYC.EXE - the main program file.
-
- HOMECRAF.SET - contains the basic configuration settings such as
- the current database filename, the security code and the display
- color setting.
-
- BRUN30.EXE - a support file required for the software to run.
-
- HOMECRAF.HLP - contains help information and error messages used
- by the software.
-
- VIDEO*.* - there are set of files containing POP in their
- filenames.
-
- When used in a filename an asterisk is a wildcard. Thus VIDEO*.*
- identifies are filenames that start with "VIDEO" and which can
- have any filename extension. This would include VIDEO.DAT,
- VIDEO.SET and VIDEOX01.NDX.
-
- The files in ORGANIZE.LZH are all that are required to use the
- software. If you want to use the software without using the
- installation utility, all you need to do is de-archive these
- files and copy them to where-ever you want to use this software.
- The LHA.EXE utility is used to de-archive files. To de-archive
- the files type:
-
- LHA E ORGANIZE
-
- The letter "E" tells LHA to extract the files from the ORGANIZE
- file. You will need to have copied both LHA.EXE and ORGANIZE.LZH
- to a disk with at least 300K of space available (after copying
- these two files to it).
-
- Other files that you'll find on the disk include:
-
- RESET.EXE - resets the HOMECRAF.SET file to its default settings.
- This ius a utility used to open the software should you be using
- the security codes and you've forgotten your code.
- _________________________ORGANIZE Your Collection APPENDIX B - 67
-
-
- INSTALL.EXE - the utility for installing this software.
-
- CONFIG.OYC - a generic configuration file. This file is provided
- for computers on which there is no CONFIG.SYS file. This file
- will need to be renamed as CONFIG.SYS before it can be used.
-
- LHA.EXE, LHA.DOC and LHA.HLP - these three files make up the
- compression utility used by the catalog backup feature. LHA.DOC
- contains the documentation for using LHA.EXE. This utility may
- be used to compress and archive any files. It is not limited to
- the files used by this software.
-
- Any other files on the disk are files created by this software or
- format files. These files will all use the filename you select
- and add a filename extension that indicates the file's function.
- For example, if the filename is CATALOG the following files will
- be used (or created if they do not already exist).
-
- CATALOG.DAT - contains the information you've typed in your
- catalog. The DAT files are all ASCII files. This means that in
- an emergency you could read a this software DAT file using word
- processing software.
-
- CATALOG.SET - contains the settings associated with the specific
- file. These settings include the identification of the lines to
- be indexed or totaled. This file should always stay on the same
- disk and in the same directory as the DAT file.
-
- CATALOG.MCR - contains the information for any macros that have
- been set up.
- _________________________ORGANIZE Your Collection APPENDIX B - 68
-
-
- CATALOG.FMT - any filename ending with "FMT" contains the
- specifications for a printed report format.
-
- CATALOG.DBF - the letters "DBF" are used by dBase to indicate a
- dBase data file. Files with a "DBF" filename extension will be
- created if you export a file to a file in dBase format. If you
- want to import a dBase file, that file must have a filename
- extension of DBF.
-
- CATALOG.MEM - the letters MEM indicate that this is the file
- containing the memos attached to entries in the data file of the
- same name. If this file is erased the software will try to
- automatically recover it. If you want to erase the memos, please
- use the Remove Memo option on the Reports Menu. Using the Remove
- Memo feature will not erase the MEM file. If you want to erase
- the MEM file, first Remove all of the memos then use the DOS DEL
- command to erase the file.
- ____________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - SITE LICENSES - 69
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX C - SITE LICENSES
-
- HCP Services, Inc.
- HomeCraft Software
- Site License Agreement
-
- If you intend to use this software on more than one computer a
- site license is required. A site license allows internal use and
- copying of the software for as many sites/computers as contracted
- for. An unlimited site license allows unlimited copying of the
- software for internal use only. This is copyrighted software and
- any distribution or reselling of the software to third parties is
- not allowed.
-
- HCP Services, Inc. grants ____________________________ a site
- license for the use of the following software program(s):
-
-
- This is a perpetual license for the use of the software within
- your company or organization, and is not transferable. This site
- license allows internal use and copying of the software for use
- by/on ______ users/computers.
-
- HCP Services will provide technical support for one year of the
- date of this agreement to one person, designated as the key
- contact within your company or organization.
-
- HCP Services, Inc. warrants that it is the sole owner of the
- software and has full power and authority to grant the site
- license without the consent of any other party.
-
- HCP SERVICES INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS
- SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
- TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
- PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND
- SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER HCP SERVICES, INC. NOR ANYONE
- ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR
- DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
- INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE
- USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF HCP SERVICES, INC.
- HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS.
- IN NO EVENT SHALL HCP SERVICES, INC.'s LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES
- EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE,
- REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE
- BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
- ____________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - SITE LICENSES - 70
-
-
- This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
- Oregon and shall inure to the benefit of HCP Services, Inc. and
- any successors, administrators, heirs and assigns. Any action or
- proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out
- of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE
- or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Multnomah
- County, Oregon. The parties hereby consent to in personam
- jurisdiction of said courts.
-
- Company:________________________________________________
-
- Address:________________________________________________
-
- City:_________________ State/Prov:_______ Zip:________
-
- Country:_______________________ Phone:_________________
-
-
- ______________________ __________________ ____________
- Authorized Signature Print or Type Name Title
-
- _________
- Date
-
-
- __________________________ ___________
- Steven C. Hudgik, President HomeCraft Software Date
- ____________________ORGANIZE Your Collection - SITE LICENSES - 71
-
-
- HomeCraft Software
- P.O. Box 974
- Tualatin, OR 97062
- U.S.A.
- (503) 692-3732
-
-
- Site License Price List
-
- The following include one diskette and one copy of the
- documentation. These may be copied for the number of machines
- contracted for. (Prices are based on one registered copy already
- have been purchased).
-
- 1 to 5 add'l computers at $30@: # of computers: ____ X $30 = _____
-
-
- 6 to 10 add'l computers at $26@: # of computers: ____ X $26 = _____
-
-
- 11 to 20 add'l computers at $22@: # of computers: ____ X $22 = _____
-
-
- 21 to 50 add'l computers at $20@: # of computers: ____ X $20 = _____
-
-
- 51 add'l or more computers $1,000 one time fee
- plus $5.00 per computer/hard disk/terminal ______
-
-
- Additional manuals are available for $15 each: ______
-
- Subtotal >>>>>> ______
-
- Add $4.00 for S&H, Shipping >>>>>> ______
- ($5.00 for Canada or $8.00 outside No. America)
-
- TOTAL ORDER >>> ______
-
-
-
- Diskette format (choose one) [] 3-1/2" [] 5-1/4"
-
-
- Terms: ALL LICENSES ARE PREPAID ONLY. Master card, VISA,
- checks or money orders drawn in U.S. dollars drawn
- on a U.S. bank are accepted. Corporate purchase
- orders (Net 30 days) accepted. Please make
- checks and money orders payable to HomeCraft.
-
-
-
- I N D E X
-
- ASCII file, 15
- Alphabetical searches, 14, 28, 29
- Asterisks, 79
- Backing up, 5, 54
- Browsing, 13, 25
- CONFIG.SYS file, 8
- Calculator, 56
- Catalogs, Changing Names, 16
- Catalogs, Setting Name, 16
- Catalog format, Copying,44
- Catalog Format, Indexing, 18
- Catalog Format, Line Lengths, 43
- Catalog Format, Line Titles, 17, 42
- Catalog Format, Modifying, 17
- Catalog Format, Setting Up, 17
- Catalog Format, Totals, 18
- Catalog line lengths, changing, 87
- Clearing the screen, 21
- Column headings, 50
- Continuous Paper, 15
- Copy previous entry, 23
- Copy last entry, 24
- Copy a single line, 24
- Copy entries, 33
- Cross referencing, 29
- Dashed line, 50
- Data files, existing, 2
- Database, definition, 2
- dBase file, importing, 36
- Delete key, 21
- Deleted entries, finding, 31
- Deleted entries, eliminate, 41
- Directory, definition, 3
- Editing Entries, 12
- Edit menu, 25
- Edit menu, select number, 25
- Edit menu, page backward, 25
- Edit menu, page forward, 25
- Edit menu, undelete entry, 26
- Edit menu, remove memo, 26
- Edit menu, save changes, 26
- Entry number, 20
- Erase screen, 24
- Exit menu, 54
- F1 key, 25
- F2 Key, 25, 33
- F3 key, 24
- F6 key, 29
- F7 key, 24
- Filenames, 90 Find deleted entries, 31
- Floppy disk, definition, 2
- Fragmented files, 40, 54
- Global search, 31
- Graphic Images, 57
- Hard disk, definition, 2
- INSTALL.EXE, 6
- Indexing, 18, 43
- Insert key, 21
- Installation, 6
- Installation, floppy disk,7
- Installation, hard disk, 6
- LHA.EXE, 55
- Line Titles, 17
- Line Lengths, 43
- List entries, 27
- Macros, 45
- Main Screen, 10, 20
- Make new entries, saving, 23
- mb, definition, 3
- Memos, 22
- Memo, removing (erasing), 26
- Menus, Using the, 10
- Music cataloging, 59
- New Entries, Making, 11
- New Entries, Saving, 12
- New catalog format, set up, 42
- OYC.EXE, 9
- OYCOVL file, 58
- Page backward, 25
- Page forward, 25
- Page length, 50
- Permission denied error, 91
- PgDn key, 22
- Printed Reports, 15
- Quick View, 15
- RESET.EXE, 65
- Reindex, 37
- Report menu, 48
- Report menu, send to, 48
- Report menu, dashed line, 50
- Report menu, column headings, 50
- Report menu, page length, 50
- Report menu, set up format, 51
- Report format, set up, 51
- Reports, printing, 53
- Reserve space, 40
- Saving entries, 23
- Screen print feature, 33
- Screen colors, 47
- Searching, 13
- Search menu, 27
- Search menu, list entries, 27
- Search menu, alphabetically, 28
- Search menu, sequential, 28
- Search menu, global search, 31
- Search menu, set starting point, 31
- Search menu, case setting, 32
- Search menu, save changes, 32
- Search again, 33
- Security code, 46
- Sequential Searches, 14, 28
- Site licenses, 97
- Sorting, 38
- System requirements, 4
- Technical support, 4
- Total Values, 18, 33
- Undelete entry, 26
- Using this manual, 3
- Utilities, 16
- Utilities menu, 33
- Utility menu, copy feature, 33
- Utilities menu, reindex, 37
- Utilities menu, sort, 38
- Utilities menu, reserve space, 40