0010LetÆs first learn how to use Lotus Approach by looking at an existing database of Mercury Sports products.
0020To open an Approach database, youÆll choose Open from the File menu.
0030Select the file PROD.APR from the Tutorial directory and click OK.
0040You always work with Approach files with the extension .APR, which are a window onto your database files. This lets you keep data in its native format so it is available to other applications.
0050This database contains information about all the products that your company, Mercury Sports, manufactures.
0060Right now you are looking at a form that displays one record, information about one product.
0070You can see all the records in your database at once, by clicking on the Worksheet tab.
0080To switch back to the single record, you'll click on the tab labeled Form 1.
0090LetÆs add a new record with information about a new shoe Mercury Sports is offering.
0100Click on the New Record icon in the SmartIcon bar. Approach creates a new empty record, ready for you to enter data.
0110Approach stores data in fields - individual categories of information. You'll enter "Mercury Pump" into the Product field.
0120Press the Tab key to move to the next field.
0130YouÆll enter "Hightop Basketball Sneaker" into the DESCRIPTION field.
0140Watch while we type the rest of the product information for you.
0150Now press the Tab key to move to the CATEGORY field.
0160Approach can provide choices for the user. You'll select "Sport" from the drop-down list.
0170Tab to the Picture field. To add a picture, you'll choose Paste from File from the Edit menu.
0180Select PUMP.BMP and click OK.
0190When you're done entering a record, click the Enter icon in the SmartIcon bar. Approach saves your new record automatically.
0200You can look at the records in your database in a number of different ways.
0210You can click the Next, Previous, First and Last icons in the SmartIcon bar to move among records.
0220You can also click on the record number in the center of the status bar...
0230...and type in the number of the record that you want to go to. LetÆs jump to record 10.
0240You can also find records in a database that match certain criteria.
0250YouÆll click on the Find icon.
0260Approach displays a find request, which looks like a blank record. You can type the information you want to find in the appropriate fields.
0270LetÆs select Sports in the Category field, and click OK.
0280Approach finds all the records in your database that contain Sport in their Category field.
0290You can see the number of records that Approach found displayed in the status bar. Of the 23 records, Approach found 12 in the Sport category. Approach calls these matching records the Found Set.
0300Right now you are working with this group of 12 records, called a Found Set. You can perform activities such as exporting and printing, and you'll be working with only these found records.
0310To work with all the records in the database again, click the Show All icon.
0320Congratulations! You have now explored a Lotus Approach database file.
