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PopDBF (tm) "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Copyright (c) 1988-1990 Bowen Software By: Don Bowen Member of the Association of Shareware Professionals ┌─────────┐ ┌─────┴───┐ │ (tm) ──│ │o │────────────────── │ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of │ │ │─┘ Shareware └───│ o │ Professionals ──────│ ║ │──────────────────── └────╨────┘ MEMBER PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Table of Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1 Copyright and Registration Information . . . . . . 1 1.2 How to Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.3 Association of Shareware Professionals . . . . . . 2 1.4 How to Contact Bowen Software . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.5 Software Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.6 Trademark Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.7 Disclaimer and Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.1 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.2 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.3 Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.4 Installing PopDBF Files on Your Hard Disk . . . . . 5 2.5 Modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT to Load PopDBF . . . . . . . 5 2.6 How to Invoke PopDBF (Using the "Hotkey") . . . . . 6 2.7 Command Line Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 /A<A|B|E|S> Default action . . . . . . . . . . . 6 /C<C|M|O> Color scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 /D<dir> Initial PopDBF Directory . . . . . . 6 /E<size> Edit buffer of size bytes . . . . . 7 /F<num> Maximum of num fields . . . . . . . 7 /H Command line syntax/options . . . . 7 /O Use old keyboard bios calls . . . . 7 /[!]P[file] Use "passthru" non-resident mode . . 8 /R<size> Read buffer of size bytes . . . . . 8 /S Enable snow checking . . . . . . . . 8 /T<B,C,I,W> Toggle indicator defaults . . . . . 9 /U Uninstall (remove) from memory . . . 9 /Z Zoom the Browse window . . . . . . 10 3 Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.1 Generic Help (Alt-F1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.2 Context Sensitive Help (F1) . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4 Alt Menu (Alt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.1 Alt Action Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.2 Alt Toggle Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.3 Toggle Indicator Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 5 Pick File (Alt-P) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.1 Select Directory/File/Index (Enter) . . . . . . . 14 5.2 Move to Parent Directory (BackSpace) . . . . . . 14 5.3 Change Directory and/or Drive (F2) . . . . . . . 14 5.4 Enter A Specific File (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.5 Change File Specification (F4) . . . . . . . . . 15 i PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Table of Contents 5.6 Change Default Action (F5) . . . . . . . . . . . 15 5.8 Move to Current DOS Drive & Directory (F10) . . . 15 5.9 Frequent Database Access (Alt-1 thru Alt-=) . . . 15 6 View Structure (Alt-S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 6.1 Number/Un-Number Fields (Space) . . . . . . . . . 17 6.2 Clear Field Numbers (F2) . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 6.3 Assign a Specific Field Number (F3) . . . . . . . 17 6.4 Order Fields Using Field Numbers (F4) . . . . . . 17 6.5 Tag/Un-Tag Field for Exclusive Find (F6) . . . . 17 6.6 Clear Exclusive Find Tags (F7) . . . . . . . . . 18 6.7 Copy Structure (F8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 6.8 Print the File Structure (F9) . . . . . . . . . . 18 7 Browse Records (Alt-B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 7.1 Current Record and Delete Status . . . . . . . . 19 7.2 Pan the Browse Window ( / ) . . . . . . . . . . . 19 7.3 View Large Fields (Tab/Shift-Tab) . . . . . . . . 19 7.4 Zoom the Browse Window (F2) . . . . . . . . . . . 19 7.5 Goto a Specific Record (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . 19 7.8 Find Text (F7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 7.9 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) . . . . . . . . 20 7.10 Print Records (F9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 7.11 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-C) . . . . . . . . . . 21 7.12 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) . . . . . . . . 21 8 Edit/Append Records (Alt-E/Alt-A) . . . . . . . . . . . 22 8.1 Copy a Record (F2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 8.2 Goto a Specific Record (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . 22 8.3 Find Text (F7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 8.4 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) . . . . . . . . 22 8.5 Field Information (F10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 8.6 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-C) . . . . . . . . . . 22 8.7 System Date (Ctrl-D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 8.8 Move to Last Field Position (Ctrl-E) . . . . . . 23 8.9 Restore Field Data (Ctrl-F) . . . . . . . . . . . 23 8.10 Abort and Lose Changes (Ctrl-Q/Esc) . . . . . . 23 8.11 Restore Entire Record (Ctrl-R) . . . . . . . . . 23 8.12 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) . . . . . . . . 23 8.13 Quit and Save Changes (Ctrl-W/Ctrl-End) . . . . 23 8.14 Blank Current Field (Ctrl-Y) . . . . . . . . . . 23 8.15 Blank to End of Field (Ctrl-Delete) . . . . . . 23 8.16 Move to End of Data (End) . . . . . . . . . . . 24 8.17 Move to First Position (Home) . . . . . . . . . 24 8.18 Move Word (Ctrl- /Ctrl- ) . . . . . . . . . . . 24 8.19 Move to First/Last Field (Ctrl- /Ctrl- ) . . . . 24 ii PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Introduction 1 Introduction 1.1 Copyright and Registration Information PopDBF, its documentation and supplementary files and programs are Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software. All rights reserved worldwide. PopDBF is not now, nor was it ever, public domain or free software. PopDBF is currently available in shareware and commercial versions. You are granted a limited license to use PopDBF. Non-registered users are granted a limited license for 21 days only. After 21 days if you continue to use PopDBF you MUST register it. Use of PopDBF after the 21 day trial period violates Bowen Software's license. Under no circumstances shall any other person or business profit from the sale of this program, other than to distribute the program in a shareware library, unless previously approved by Bowen Software in writing. Distributors MUST read and abide by the accompanied VENDOR.DOC file, which explains Bowen Software's distribution policy. 1.2 How to Register Registration of PopDBF is mandatory for commercial and government users. To register your copy of PopDBF, send your registration fee, payable in US funds (see ORDER.FRM), to: Bowen Software P.O. Box 2134 East Peoria, Illinois 61611 You can order by sending check, cash or money order to Bowen Software at the address listed above. You can also register with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from the Public (software) Library (PsL) by calling 1-800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 1-713-524-6398 or by CIS Email to 71355-470. These numbers are for ORDERS ONLY. To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc, must be directed to Bowen Software at 309-699-0950. You can also mail credit card Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 1 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Introduction orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. There is an additional $5 charge for using this service. PopDBF must be registered for EACH USER at your site; alternatively, contact Bowen Software for current SITE LICENSE information. Registered users are provided services and software not available to the non-registered user. Registered users are notified of program updates and provided the first update FREE! Also, the registered version of PopDBF does NOT contain the registration information screen, which pops up on the screen at each invocation of PopDBF. FREE!! -- when you register, you are entitled to a free introductory subscription to CompuServe Information Service - the biggest national BBS! You will receive: a private user ID number and Password, a $15 usage credit (over 1 hour connect time at 2400 baud), a complimentary subscrition to CompuServes's monthly computing magazine: 'Compuserve'. If you are registered, please see the file CIS.$15 on the diskette for directions. 1.3 Association of Shareware Professionals Bowen Software is 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 P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via Easyplex to ASP Ombudsman [70007,3536]. 1.4 How to Contact Bowen Software Bowen Software shareware products have their home on the Exec-PC bulletin board located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Exec-PC phone number is (414) 789-4210. Electronic messages can be left on Exec-PC and should be addressed to Don Bowen. This is also where you can find the latest version of PopDBF and other programs by Bowen Software. You can also contact Bowen Software by leaving messages on Compuserve, where our number is 76665,736. The latest version of PopDBF can be found on Compuserve in the IBMAPP forum DL 3. Contacting us using the above two methods is preferred. If you do not have access to electronic communication you can contact us Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 2 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Introduction by phone at (309) 699-0950. Messages are usually returned within 24 hours. The cheapest way to ask questions or make suggestions is by mail. Send inquiries or recommendations to: Bowen Software P. O. Box 2134 East Peoria, IL 61611 1.5 Software Support Registered and commercial users are provided free phone support for six months. No support is guaranteed for non-registered users, but we are happy to answer questions about our products and consulting services. Bowen Software can be reached at (309) 699-0950. Registered users will be asked for their serial number. 1.6 Trademark Acknowledgements CLIPPER is a trademark of Nantucket Corporation. COMPAQ is a registered trademark of COMPAQ Computers, Inc. dBASE and dBASE III are registered trademarks of Ashton Tate, Inc. dBASE III Plus and dBASE IV are trademarks of Ashton Tate, Inc. FoxBASE+ is a registered trademark of Fox Software, Inc. FoxPro is a trademark of Fox Software, Inc. PopDBF is a trademark of Bowen Software. Quicksilver is a trademark of Wordtech Systems, Inc. Sidekick is a trademark of Borland International, Inc. 1.7 Disclaimer and Warranty This software is provided "as is" without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software is with you. Should the software prove defective, the user, NOT Bowen Software, assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction. In no event shall Bowen Software be liable to the user for any damages, including lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this software, even if Bowen Software has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 3 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Getting Started 2 Getting Started 2.1 Description PopDBF is a memory resident program that will give you "instant access" to Clipper, dBASE III Plus, dBASE IV, FoxBASE+, FoxPro and Quicksilver (or any other dBASE compatible) files from anywhere at the press of the hotkey (Alt-BackSpace). It provides an easy way to move throughout your hard disk(s) and find your database files. It also has context sensitive help for novice (or forgetful) users. You can use PopDBF to: ■ pick a database file ■ delete a (database) file ■ view file structure ■ print file structure ■ browse records ■ delete records ■ print records ■ search for strings anywhere in a database ■ append and edit records ■ pack and zap a database ■ specify fields and assign their order for the above features ■ view index expressions of index files PopDBF has four main areas, Pick File, View Structure, Browse Records, and Edit/Append Records. These areas are described more fully below along with the actions available from each. 2.2 Limitations Though PopDBF has many features, it does not do everything, yet!. Currently PopDBF does not do the following: ■ install itself in extended memory (v3.8). ■ allow two or more users on a network to access the same file ■ view or edit memo fields ■ use index files (it does display the expression used to create them) ■ view more than one database file at a time. ■ handle database files with more 65,535 records. ■ handle fields larger than 1080 characters. 2.3 Cautions Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 4 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Getting Started When using PopDBF from within any product that allows editing of dBASE compatible files, like dBASE, it is important to remember that most of those products do internal record buffering. This means that if a record is changed in dBASE and resides in a dBASE internal buffer, it will NOT reflect that change when viewed from within PopDBF. Likewise, if a record is changed in PopDBF while that same record is in an internal dBASE buffer, the change will be overwritten by dBASE when it closes the file and/or flushes the internal buffer. As a general rule, do not change records in a database that might be opened by dBASE or any of its compatibles. 2.4 Installing PopDBF Files on Your Hard Disk To load the PopDBF files on your hard disk do the following: ■ Place the PopDBF diskette in drive A: ■ Type A:INSTALL [d:\path\]directory and press RETURN. directory is the directory and optional drive and path, where you want the PopDBF program and files installed. If you don't specify a directory it will default to C:\POPDBF. When PopDBF is executed it assumes that POPDBF.HLP, the context sensitive help file, is in the same directory as POPDBF.COM. If POPDBF.HLP is not in that directory, it will not function. See "Help" on page 11. 2.5 Modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT to Load PopDBF To load PopDBF at boot time, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: . [path\]POPDBF [options] <load PopDBF into memory> . If the optional path is not specified, POPDBF.COM must either be in the current directory or in the PATH. For help on which options to use when loading PopDBF see "Command Line Options" on page 6. You can conserve memory by loading PopDBF (or any other memory resident program) before doing any PROMPT, PATH or SET commands. For additional memory saving tips see /E, /F, and /R under "Command Line Options" on page 6. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 5 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Getting Started PopDBF does not need to be the last memory resident program. However, it can NOT be uninstalled from memory if it isn't the last memory resident program or if another memory resident program has recaptured one of PopDBF's interrupts. 2.6 How to Invoke PopDBF (Using the "Hotkey") By default the hotkey to invoke PopDBF is Alt-BackSpace. To invoke PopDBF, press and hold the Alt key and at the same time press the BackSpace key. The commercial version includes a program that will allow you to change this default. As soon as you press the PopDBF hotkey, the PopDBF program will "pop" onto the screen. Pressing the hotkey again will take you right back to the interrupted program. You can "hotkey" out of PopDBF from anywhere in the program, except a few places when you are being prompted for information. At those times, pressing the hotkey will abort that action just as if you had pressed Esc. When you press the hotkey to leave PopDBF, any open database is closed. Pressing the hotkey again will return you to the same location in PopDBF with the file being opened automatically as if it had never been closed. You can even hotkey out and back while in the middle of using Edit or Append! 2.7 Command Line Options To load or execute PopDBF type the following at the DOS prompt: PopDBF [options], where options can be: /A<A|B|E|S> Default action, where: A>ppend <B>rowse E>dit S>tructure /C<C|M|O> Color scheme, where: <C>urrent M>ononchrome O>riginal The original colors option is provided for those people who liked the colors used in versions before 3.7. /D<dir> Initial PopDBF Directory The format of <dir> is [d:\]path, where d: is the optional drive identifier. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 6 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Getting Started The initial PopDBF directory is set to the current DOS directory the first time PopDBF invoked, if this option is not specified. The PopDBF directory changes only when a move is made from within PopDBF. Each time PopDBF is invoked, the current DOS directory is saved and the PopDBF directory becomes the current directory. When leaving PopDBF the DOS directory is restored. See also "Move to Current DOS Directory" on page 15. /E<size> Edit buffer of size bytes (default = 512) If a file has a record size larger than the edit buffer size, you will not be allowed to Edit or Append. You can conserve memory by specifying a buffer size as small as 0. However, if the buffer is too small you will not be allowed to Edit or Append. /F<num> Maximum of num fields (default = 64) The default value should handle most needs, however Clipper databases can have up to 1024 fields. The maximum number of fields also determines the maximum number of files that the Pick File window can display. To calculate the maximum number of files, multiply the maximum number of fields by 20 and divide by 14. The default is 91 (64 x 20 / 14 = 91). You can conserve memory by specifying less than the default number of fields. The savings is 21 bytes per field. /H Command line syntax/options /O Use old keyboard bios calls There are a few machines that are capable of supporting an extended 101/102 key keyboard, but have an old 88 key keyboard attached. Use this option if this is your hardware setup. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 7 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Getting Started /[!]P[file] Use "passthru" non-resident mode This option will NOT load PopDBF into memory, but will execute it and allow you to use all of its features. If a file is also specified (no brackets are necessary), PopDBF will automatically come up in Browse, unless the /A option is used to specify a different action. Passthru mode is indicated on the screen by the word "PASSTHRU" in the upper left-hand corner. The /P option can also be used even if PopDBF is already in memory. Pressing the PopDBF hotkey will cause the resident version to pop up over the passthru version. Preceeding the P with an exclamation point (!) will cause PopDBF to exit when ESC is pressed from append, browse, edit, or structure. This is a nice feature to use from batch files. /R<size> Read buffer of size bytes (default = 4096) If a file's record size is larger than the read buffer size, you will not be allowed to Browse the file. The larger the read buffer the faster scrolling and finding will be done when in Browse and Edit. You can conserve memory by specifying a buffer size as small as 512 (this is the minimum). However, in doing so you may only be able to view the structure of some files. If the specified buffer is small than the size of one record you will not be allowed to Browse, Edit or Append the database. /S Enable snow checking Older color graphic adapters (CGA) produce snow or sparkle when accessing video memory directly. PopDBF gets some of its speed by directly accessing video memory. If you see snow on your monitor, using this option should eliminate most of the distraction. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 8 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Getting Started /T<B,C,I,W> Toggle indicator defaults Any or all of the toggle indicator letters may be specified to override the defaults. The letters and the toggle indicator they modify are discussed below. The /W option should be specified as /TW. However, it will still function to provide backward compatibility. B - Borders for fields ON Specifying this option forces all finds to be successful only if WITHIN field borders. C - Case sensitive Specifying this option forces all finds to be sensitive to upper and lower case letters. I - Insert mode When insert mode is on and you are entering information or editting a record, characters to the right will move to the right as you enter data. W - Write file access Specifying this option will cause each database to be opened with read-write access. For more information on toggle indicators, see "Alt Toggle Keys" on page 12. /U Uninstall (remove) from memory This will remove PopDBF from memory, but ONLY if it is the last memory resident program. In some special cases, even when PopDBF is the last memory resident program it can't be removed from memory. This occurs if another resident program recaptures one of the interrupt vectors after PopDBF has chained into it. Sidekick is an example of this type of program. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 9 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Getting Started /Z Zoom the Browse window By default the Browse window shows only 12 records. When zoomed it will show 18 records. See also "Zoom Browse Window" on page 19. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 10 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Help 3 Help Help is available in PopDBF only if the file POPDBF.HLP is in the same directory as POPDBF.COM, the main program. While in Help you can press the up and down arrow keys as well as PgUp and PgDn to scroll the help text. To get out of Help, press Esc. 3.1 Generic Help (Alt-F1) You can get generic help about the system by pressing Alt-F1 from any area of the program. This help explains the Alt Action and Toggle Keys and the toggle indicators. See "Alt Menu" on page 12. It also explains cursor and lite-bar movement. 3.2 Context Sensitive Help (F1) Pressing F1 will provide specific help for any area of PopDBF. The help provided is essentially the same text found in this manual. Some areas of PopDBF are explained only in context sensitive help. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 11 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Alt Menu 4 Alt Menu (Alt) Pressing the Alt key will show the Alt menu on the status line. Releasing the Alt key will restore the previous status line. The Alt menu is divided into two parts, "Action Keys" and "Toggle Keys". Pressing Alt and one of the highlighted Action Keys will cause the appropriate action to occur. Pressing Alt and one of the highlighted Toggle Keys will toggle the appropriate indicator in the indicator window located in the lower left border of the main window. 4.1 Alt Action Keys Alt Action Keys will have no effect when responding to an error, a prompt, or inside of Help. They also have no effect while positioned on a directory in the Pick File window. The Alt Action Keys are: Alt-A Append records in the current database. Ignored if file access mode is read-only. Alt-B Browse records in the current database. If pressed while in Edit or Append is the same as pressing Esc to abort. See "Abort and Lose Changes" on page 23. Alt-E Edit records in the current database. If the file access mode is read-only, Edit acts as a full screen record viewer. Alt-P Pick a different database or directory. If pressed while in Edit or Append is the same as pressing Esc to abort. Alt-S View field structure of current database. If pressed while in Edit or Append is the same as pressing Esc to abort. 4.2 Alt Toggle Keys Alt Toggle Keys will function regardless of where you are in the program. The Alt Toggle Keys are: Alt-C Toggles the case sensitivity indicator between "IC", ignore case, and "CS", case sensitive. This indicator affects how the Find function does its search. See "Find Text" on page 20. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 12 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Alt Menu Alt-D Toggles the field border indicator between "NB", no borders, and "BO", borders on. This indicator also affects how the Find function behaves. Alt-I Toggles the insert/overstrike indicator between "IN", insert mode, and "OV", overstrike mode. This indicator affects how text is placed into fields in Edit. It can also be toggled by pressing Insert. Alt-M Toggles the file access mode indicator between "RO", read-only mode, and "RW", read-write mode. When the file access mode is read-only, you will not be allowed to Edit or Append. 4.3 Toggle Indicator Summary The default values for the toggle indicators are given below. ╚═╡ RW IC BO OV ╞══ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─── IN/OV: edit mode is insert/overstrike │ │ └────── BO/NB: field borders are on/off │ └───────── IC/CS: case sensitivity is off/on └──────────── RO/RW: file access mode is read-only / read/write Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 13 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files"Pick File 5 Pick File (Alt-P) Pressing any letter will move the lite-bar to the first file or directory that begins with that letter. Successive presses of the same letter will move to the next file or directory that begins with that letter. If no file or directory begins with the letter pressed, no movement will occur. 5.1 Select Directory/File/Index (Enter) Pressing RETURN will cause one of the following to occur: ■ If the file is a directory, you will move to that directory. Once in that directory the Pick File window is refreshed with the names of files that match the file specification. ■ If the file is a database, the action taken corresponds to the currently specified Action letter. This can be changed by pressing F5 (see "Change Default Action" on page 15). It is the same as pressing Alt-<action letter>. ■ If the file is an index (.NDX, .IDX, .NTX only), you will view the index expression used to create it. 5.2 Move to Parent Directory (BackSpace) Pressing BackSpace will take you to the parent of the current directory, unless you are currently in the root directory. 5.3 Change Directory and/or Drive (F2) Pressing F2 will allow you to change the current PopDBF directory and/or drive. The name supplied can be a drive letter followed by a colon (C:), a directory path (\DON\BOWEN), or both (C:\DON\BOWEN). If the new directory is invalid, an error message will be displayed. If the new directory is valid the file selection window will be filled with files matching the current file specification in that directory. 5.4 Enter A Specific File (F3) Pressing F3 will allow you to enter a specific file name. If the file is not found or is not a valid database or index, an error message will be displayed. If no extension is entered, the extension in the file specification will be used. This will Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 14 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files"Pick File cause an error if that extension contains a wildcard (*/?) and you will need to enter the file extension as well. 5.5 Change File Specification (F4) Pressing F4 will allow you to modify the file specification located in the upper right corner of the main window. The file specification is used to determine which files in the current PopDBF directory you are allowed to pick from. Entering a file specification of *.* will allow you to pick from all files, while *.DBF will allow only files with an extension of .DBF. The names of any sub-directories in the current PopDBF directory are included for possible selection regardless of the file specification. 5.6 Change Default Action (F5) The current default action is displayed in the upper left portion of the file selection window. The default action determines what happens when you press Enter and the selection bar is on a valid database file. Each press of F5 will change the action as follows: Append -> Browse -> Edit -> Structure -> Append, etc. The result is the same as holding the Alt key and pressing that letter. You can override the default action by holding the Alt key and pressing a different action key. 5.7 Delete File (F6) Pressing F6 will allow you to delete a file. You will be asked to verify that you really want to delete the file. If you answer with a Y for yes, the file will be deleted. Pressing ESC or N for no, will cancel the delete. 5.8 Move to Current DOS Drive & Directory (F10) Pressing F10 will move you to the current DOS directory. The current DOS directory is the directory you were in before the PopDBF hotkey was pressed. If that directory is on a drive other than the current drive, that drive becomes the current drive as well. 5.9 Frequent Database Access (Alt-1 thru Alt-=) To use this feature you must have already created an ASCII file named POPDBF.FRQ containing the names of up to 12 frequently used Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 15 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files"Pick File databases. Multiple POPDBF.FRQ files can exist. It will be looked for first in the current directory and then in the directory from which PopDBF was executed. Each database name can include a drive identifier and path. It MUST include file name and extension. Optionally, each file can be preceded by an action letter and a space. See "Change Default Action" on page 15 for more information on action letters. Pressing Alt-1 will access the database whose name is on the first line of this file, Alt-2 will access the second, and so on. If more than 12 lines are included POPDBF.FRQ they are ignored. Examples of lines in POPDBF.FRQ: C:\ME\DBF\ROLODEX.DBF E C:\PERSONAL\MILEAGE.DBF A MILEAGE.DBF Using this feature while in the middle of edit or append, will save any current changes. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 16 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" View Structure 6 View Structure (Alt-S) Pressing any letter will move the lite-bar to the first field that begins with that letter. Successive presses of the same letter will move to the next field that begins with that letter. If no field begins with the letter pressed, no movement will occur. 6.1 Number/Un-Number Fields (Space) Pressing the Space bar will number/un-number the field at the selection bar. If any fields are numbered, only those fields will be shown when you Browse or Edit records. The number beside the field determines the order in which it will be displayed. Two fields with the same number will remain in the same relative position to each other. 6.2 Clear Field Numbers (F2) Pressing F2 will clear all field numbers, but leave the file structure in the present order. This means that you can assign field numbers, press F4 to order the fields, and then remove all field numbers by pressing F2. This will allow you to view all fields but in an order different from the original. Field numbers are also cleared when a new file is selected from the Pick File window. 6.3 Assign a Specific Field Number (F3) Pressing F3 will allow you to assign a specific number (0-1024) to a field to affect its order. Assigning a zero will un-number the field. 6.4 Order Fields Using Field Numbers (F4) Pressing F4 will reorder the fields in the structure based on their field numbers. THIS NEW ORDER IS NOT PERMANENT. The actual structure of the file on disk is NOT affected. To restore the original field order either return to the Pick File window and re-select the file or clear all field numbers by pressing F2 and press F4 again. 6.5 Tag/Un-Tag Field for Exclusive Find (F6) Pressing F6 will tag/un-tag the field at the selection bar for exclusive find. When any fields are tagged for exclusive find, only those fields are used when doing a Find or Find Next from Browse or Edit. Also, if the field border indicator is on (see Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 17 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" View Structure "Toggle Indicators Summary" on page 13), the text being searched for MUST be found entirely within ONE field. For more information see "Find Text" on page 20. 6.6 Clear Exclusive Find Tags (F7) Pressing F7 will turn off the exclusive find indicator for all fields. This will allow Find and Find Next to locate text anywhere in the record, unless field borders are on, in which case it must be entirely within ONE field. Exclusive find tags are also cleared when a new file is selected from the Pick File window. 6.7 Copy Structure (F8) Pressing F8 will allow you to copy the current database file structure to another file. You will be prompted for the new database file name. Pressing ESC will abort this function. If any fields are marked, only those fields, and in their specified order, will be copied. 6.8 Print the File Structure (F9) Pressing F9 will print the file structure. If any fields are numbered only those fields will be printed. The file statistics are printed first followed by the field structure. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 18 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Browse Records 7 Browse Records (Alt-B) 7.1 Current Record and Delete Status The current record number and delete status are displayed in the bottom border of the Browse window. 7.2 Pan the Browse Window ( / ) The LeftArrow and RightArrow will allow you to pan to the left and right, respectively. 7.3 View Large Fields (Tab/Shift-Tab) Tab and Shift-Tab change the offset of fields that are wider than the Browse window. The offset is incremented or decremented by 10 characters. The current offset is displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the Browse window. 7.4 Zoom the Browse Window (F2) Pressing F2 will either expand or contract the Browse window. When expanded the window shows 18 records and when contracted shows only 12, but has the advantage of allowing you to see the file statistics as well. 7.5 Goto a Specific Record (F3) Pressing F3 will prompt you for a new record position. If the record number specified is greater than the number of records in the file, an error will occur and the lite-bar will stay on the same record. 7.6 Zap Database (F4) Pressing F4 will Zap the current database. When a database is zapped, all records are deleted AND physically removed. Because this is potentially a dangerous function, you will be prompted to make sure you really want to zap the database. Pressing ESC or entering N will abort. If the database is currently opened in read-only (RO) mode, this function will be ignored. 7.7 Pack Database (F5) Pressing F5 will Pack the current database. When a file is packed, all logically deleted records are physically removed. Because this is potentially a dangerous function, you will be prompted to make sure you really want to pack the database. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 19 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Browse Records Pressing ESC or entering N will abort. If the database is currently opened in read-only (RO) mode, this function will be ignored. 7.8 Find Text (F7) Pressing F7 will prompt you for the text you want to locate. Memo fields are not searched and dBASE dates need to be searched as follows. If the date you are looking for is 11/03/89 you would enter: "891103" or "19891103" (don't enter the quotes). When the case sensitivity indictor is off (IC) finding "don" will locate records containing "Don", "DON", and other combinations. To find only occurrences of "don", you must first turn on the case sensitivity indicator (CS) by pressing Alt-C. There may be times that you want to find text only if it occurs in a specific field or fields, not just anywhere in the record. To do this press Alt-S for the View Structure window. Now tag the fields you want searched exclusively by pressing F6. When you have tagged the fields to be searched, press Alt-B to return to the Browse window. Now Find will search only the fields you tagged. By default Find will locate text even if it crosses field boundaries. To prevent this you can turn on the field border indicator by pressing Alt-D. When field borders are on (BO), text must be found entirely within ONE field. Field borders are on by default. Find can also be used to locate deleted records. Do a find for "*" and make sure that field borders are off and no fields have been tagged for exclusive find. This will only work if an asterisk is not actually found in one of the database fields. Find ALWAYS begins with the first record in the file. See "Find Next Occurrence of Text" below to see how to start Find at the current record. If Find fails a beep will sound. 7.9 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) Pressing F8 will do a Find Next. Find Next ALWAYS begins with the next record in the file. To start a Find at the current record you can use Find Next. Press F7 to enter the find text and then press Esc. This will Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 20 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Browse Records cause the find text window to disappear. Now press F8 and the search will begin at the next record. If Find Next fails a beep will sound. 7.10 Print Records (F9) Pressing F9 prompts for print parameters and then prints the data. The parameters you will be asked for are the starting record, ending record, if only records matching the find text should be used, and the width of the print line. Data is printed exactly as it is seen in the Browse window, but more text may be printed if a longer print width is specified (this is how you print the additional data to the right of the Browse window). Print can be used in conjunction with the find text string to print only records that contain certain text. Find behaves here as described above under "Find Text". The maximum print width is 250 characters. 7.11 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-C) Pressing Ctrl-C will toggle the century on or off. When on, the date is formatted as MM/DD/YYYY. 7.12 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) Pressing Ctrl-U will toggle the delete status of the current record. The delete status of the current record is displayed in the bottom border of the Browse (and Edit) window. See "Find Text" on page 20 for a tip on how to find deleted records. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 21 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Edit/Append Records 8 Edit/Append Records (Alt-E/Alt-A) 8.1 Copy a Record (F2) Pressing F2 will prompt you for the number of the record you want to copy into the current record. To append a duplicate of a current record you must first go into Append by pressing Alt-A. Then press F2 and specify the number of the record to copy. To complete the operation, press PgDn. Pressing Ctrl-F2 will also copy a record, but will use the last record you specified to be copied instead of prompting you. 8.2 Goto a Specific Record (F3) Pressing F3 works the same as it does in Browse. See "Goto a Specific Record" on page 19. 8.3 Find Text (F7) Pressing F7 works the same as it does in Browse. See "Find Text" on page 20. 8.4 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) Pressing F8 works the same as it does in Browse. See "Find Next Occurrence of Text" on page 20. 8.5 Field Information (F10) Pressing F10 will pop-up a window containing information about the field in which the cursor is currently positioned. This can be helpful if you forget the field type or want to know exactly how long it is. 8.6 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-C) Pressing Ctrl-C works the same as it does in Browse. See "Turn Century On/Off" on page 21. 8.7 System Date (Ctrl-D) Pressing Ctrl-D while in a date field will place the system date in the field. It will only work in a character field if enough room remains from the cursor to the end of the field. It will also overwrite any existing data in the field at those positions. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 22 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Edit/Append Records 8.8 Move to Last Field Position (Ctrl-E) Pressing Ctrl-E will move the cursor to the last possible position in a field. 8.9 Restore Field Data (Ctrl-F) Pressing Ctrl-F will restore the field's original data. Once you have moved to another record any changes that were made become permanent and can NOT be restored. 8.10 Abort and Lose Changes (Ctrl-Q/Esc) Pressing Ctrl-Q or Esc will quit Edit and abort any changes made to the current record will be lost. If any changes have been made you will be asked if you want to lose the changes. Pressing escape will abort and leave you in Edit. Pressing N will save the changes and then exit, while pressing Y will exit and the changes will be lost. 8.11 Restore Entire Record (Ctrl-R) Pressing Ctrl-R will restore the entire record's original data. See "Restore Field Data" above for when changes in the current record become permanent. 8.12 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) Pressing Ctrl-U will toggle the delete status of the current record. The delete status of the current record is displayed in the bottom border of the Edit (and Browse) window. See "Find Text" on page 20 for a tip on how to find deleted records. 8.13 Quit and Save Changes (Ctrl-W/Ctrl-End) Pressing Ctrl-W or Ctrl-End will quit Edit and save any changes made to the current record. 8.14 Blank Current Field (Ctrl-Y) Pressing Ctrl-Y will fill the current field with spaces. 8.15 Blank to End of Field (Ctrl-Delete) Pressing Ctrl-Delete will delete from the current cursor position in the current field to the end of the field. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 23 PopDBF - "Instant Access to dBASE Files" Edit/Append Records 8.16 Move to End of Data (End) Pressing the End key will move the cursor to the first blank position after any data entered in the current field. 8.17 Move to First Position (Home) Pressing the Home key will move the cursor to the first position of the current field. 8.18 Move Word (Ctrl- /Ctrl- ) Pressing Ctrl-LeftArrow or Ctrl-RightArrow will move one word to the left or right, respectively. 8.19 Move to First/Last Field (Ctrl- /Ctrl- ) Pressing Ctrl-UpArrow and Ctrl-DownArrow will move to the first and last field respectively, on the current screen. Copyright (c) 1989-90 Bowen Software Page 24