DP Tool Club 8/CDASC08.ISO/VRAC/EHI10.ZIP/MANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1993-08-30 | 21KB | 500 lines

                       Essential Home Inventory

                        Version 1.0 Test Drive

                              User Guide



Essential Home Inventory is the ideal companion for keeping track of all
the items in your house or running a small business in your home. You can
never tell when disaster will strike and you NEED this information, and
this program is designed to be as painless and simple as possible to aid
you in cataloguing your belongings or small business inventory. We've also
added some features to make EHI flexible enough to do other tasks as well,
such as cataloguing your coin collections and so on. Careful use of this
program will also allow you to perform basic financial analyses and get a
grip on what you own. You can also reconfigure it to keep other data as
well such as phone/address books. See the supplied examples. In short,
EHI is a very simple program that not only does it's primary task (keeping
track of your belongings) but also can be used for a wide (and surprising)
variety of purposes.

This short manual will give you the basics of what buttons and menu items
do what, but the better learning experience is to run the program and look
at the supplied example data files. Enjoy!

                     --- G.L. Alston / Summer 1993


I. TEST DRIVE INSTALLATION

Unpack the archive file in a separate directory. Take the *.VBX files
and any *.DLL files and place them in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
Most of you have this on drive C:. An example? Sure? Let's say that you
have put a copy of the ZIP file in D:\EHI:

D:\EHI> copy *.vbx c:\windows\system
D:\EHI> copy *.dll c:\windows\system

(Start Windows)

D:\EHI> win

Once Windows is started, open the FILE menu in the PROGRAM MANAGER.
Select NEW. Select PROGRAM ITEM, choose OK. Enter the following:

Description:   Essential Home Inventory
Command Line:  EHI.EXE
Directory:     D:\EHI  <----- in keeping with our example!
Shortcut Key:  (none)

Select OK. The program will now be installed, and you can double-click the
icon to start as you would any other program.

A short aside:

What a pain, huh? Sorry, but Windows installers take up too much room, and
the name of the game in shareware distribution is DISTRIBUTION. The bottom
line is that the blasted installer takes up too much room for easy and fast
distribution. It's no sweat to add 150k to a floppy, but who wants to
download that? If you buy this program you'll get a real installer. We know
how to do it. Honest. No, seriously...


II. GETTING STARTED

Two important concepts to master here, and that's it. This is a very
simple, no nonsense program.

DATABASES:

A database uses the concept that information will always follow a given
format.  This format breaks down the individual pieces of information
into blocks called "fields." Each group of FIELDS is called a "Record."
As a 'for instance', take the case of a mailing list:


                   /       Name         <--- One Field
                  |        Street
      1 RECORD   <         City
                  |        Zip
                   \       Phone


The above constitutes a RECORD. Each line of information is a FIELD. In
the case of a mailing list, the database uses the same format for each
and every RECORD, although the information in each FIELD will change
depending on the RECORD viewed. A Rolodex (tm) is a database.


TEMPLATES:

A template is little more than a how a series of fields fit together
for a particular collection. In this program there is a series of 10
fields that you can define the name, purpose, and data type. Is this text,
or is this a number? There is also a pick list that you can use. The pick
list is a very powerful item in a data management tool. Rather than type
in redundant information record after record, a pick list simplifies
common data entry and keeps spelling error minimised. Take a look at a
sample file or two (provided on the distributon disk) to see how pick
lists are implemented. Essentially, the pick list is the definitive
categorization for any inventory or listing.

It's not required to use all available fields, either. The important
thing to know is that the template can be set up easily by YOU to work
with the type of data you need.


III. MORE THEORY AND OTHER NOTES

Print Mask:

EHI uses a PRINT MASK at any time data is printed. Simply put, the
print mask allows you to select what does and what does not get printed.
This is useful for a variety of purposes, such as printing a catalogue
but omitting the PRICE PAID field so that prying eyes don't know what
was paid for an item. Also, since EHI stores pictures as well, you
may not want a catalogue full of pictures. Manipulating the print mask
is very simple: when you get the print mask setup window, just click the
check box next to fields whose information is NOT to be printed. Think of
a print mask as being like like masking tape.

Addendum Files:

EHI allows you to append pictures and text to EACH record. This is
information that is too big to try to put ALL of the possible pictures in
memory at once. Addendum files are simply filenames that you specify that
hold any information about a given item. You can see the use of these in
some of the example files. Each record stores the addendum filename that
is germane to that record, and each one actually used should be unique.

In actual practice, the use of these make EHI more flexible than you may
realise. A description can only go so far, and a picture may be what is
needed to show an insurance agent just how good the condition of an item
really was.

Each text addendum can hold up to 30k of data, and it can be imported
from other applications. The data itself can be letters, instructions,
lists, and so on.


RAM Based Data:

EHI is RAM based, meaning that most all operations are carried out
in the fastest possible manner. Most data management products use the
disk as the file source and read data from the file as needed. This can
be slow. This is how EHI can search for many items at the same time (i.e.
a complex search) and still do it quicker than anything else out there.

The offset to this is a record per file limit of 5000 records. While on
the surface this sounds like a low amount, in practice it is more than
enough to work with the average household collection. Since EHI can work
with an unlimited number of files, we've put a lot of emphasis on the
ability to manage these properly.

File Management:

Above we talked about the speed of EHI searches. These can be quite
complex, using matching, inequality (i.e. less than or more than), or
range. Once you find your data, what do you do with it? For starters,
you can remove it from the present file and place it into another, or
you can append a copy to another file. Kids move away from home, accidents
happen, and so on; a program ought to be able to reflect real life.


IV. OPERATING

The Scroll Bar (on screen left) is used to move the view from record to
record. The Add and Delete buttons are used to Add and Delete complete
records.

The four pushbuttons with icons:

Graphics -- this will show any picture file associated with the record
that is on screen at the time. There MUST be a valid DOS filename in the
RED "Addendum Name" field.

Text -- this will show any text file associated with the record that is
on screen at the time. There MUST be a valid DOS fielname in the RED
"Addendum Name" field.

Statistics --  this is used to access and view statistical information.

Clipboard -- this is used to temporarily hold information from a record
(by copying) so that you can do less typing by duplicating it (pasting)
into an empty record.

The following is the instructions for the main menu. The convention used
here is the menu item, a separator, and the subitem. An asterisk (*) will
alert you to any notes. The menu follows standard Windows conventions,
including the use of accelerator (shortcut) keys. Items that include an
ellipses (...) will bring up another window.

FILE

The file menu allows you to create, open, save, print, and rename data
files, and EXIT the program.

FILE | NEW -- allows you to create a new data file from scratch. You will
need to choose the template used from the file dialog box.

FILE | OPEN -- shows you a file dialog so that you can choose a file to
open.

FILE | SAVE -- saves an opened data file.

* if OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE has been checked, a backup file of the
same data will be written to the disk as FILENAME.BAK

FILE | SAVE AS -- allows you to save the open data file to disk under
another name.

* if OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE has been checked, a backup file of the
same data will be written to the disk as FILENAME.BAK

FILE | EXPORT -- writes the open data file to the disk as a comma
delimited ASCII file readable by a database or spreadsheet program.
An extension of *.CSV will be appended; it will write as FILENAME.CSV

FILE | PRINT

FILE | PRINT | CURRENT RECORD -- prints the record shown on screen, using
the print mask.

FILE | PRINT | ALL RECORDS -- prints the entire data file, using the print
mask.

FILE | PRINT | LAST SEARCH -- when enabled, this will print all items
found in the last search that was made using the print mask.

FILE | EXIT -- Quits Program and returns to Windows


EDIT

The edit menu is only active when either the TEXT or GRAPHICS addendum
window is active. The top seven items pertain to TEXT operations, and
the bottom three apply to graphics-only operations. Note that the menu
items are disabled when they are not pertinent. For instance, PASTE
will be grayed out (disabled) if there is no text in the Windows
Clipboard to paste with. Text operations are Windows standard, i.e.
selecting, etc. If you do not know how to select text in Windows, please
refer to your Windows 3.x operation guide.

EDIT | UNDO -- this will "undo" a previous CUT or DELETE operation, and
acts as an "oops" selection for unintentional deletions.

EDIT | COPY -- this will copy any selected text to the Windows
Clipboard.

EDIT | CUT -- this will copy any selected text to the Windows Clipboard
and remove it from the screen.

EDIT | PASTE -- this will take text from the Windows Clipboard and place
it into the text window at the cursor position.

EDIT | DELETE -- this will remove text from the screen. You can change
your mind and choose UNDO to reverse the operation, but deleted text
does NOT go to the Windows Clipboard.

EDIT | IMPORT TEXT -- this allows you to read a separate text file and
add the contents to the text window. The File Open dialog will default
to the "*.TXT"  extension (in keeping with Windows Notepad conventions)
but it will read in ASCII text using any oher extension.

EDIT | SAVE TEXT -- saves the text in the text window to the file
specified by the "Addendum Name" data field. NOTE: EHI DOES NOT
AUTO-SAVE TEXT OR GRAPHICS ADDENDA FILES. THESE **MUST** BE SAVED BY
USING THE "SAVE TEXT" OR "SAVE GRAPHIC" MENU ITEMS.

EDIT | IMPORT GRAPHIC -- See IMPORT TEXT above. The default extension
for importing graphics files is *.BMP, but files of WMF, RLE, or ICO
format can also be read.

EDIT | COPY GRAPHIC -- allows you to copy any graphic in the window
to the Windows Clipboard.

EDIT | SAVE GRAPHIC -- See SAVE TEXT above. Same rules.


FIND

The FIND menu caters to searching operations. It allows you to bring
up the search window, and after a search is made, manipulate the data.
Menu items are disabled (grayed out) if they cannot be used.

FIND | NEW SEARCH -- brings up the SEARCH window.

FIND | COPY TO EXISTING FILE -- this allows found data to be copied
from the open data file into another existing data file. You will need
to pick a filename from the file dialog box that appears.

**IMPORTANT**

EHI does not check to see if the file you are copying data to
uses the same template as the currently open file. It is up to you
and your file naming practice to put data into similar files.

FIND | COPY TO NEW FILE -- this will allow you to name a new data file,
and EHI will create it and copy the found data into it. It also causes
the new file to use the same template as the currently opened file.

FIND | EXPORT -- this creates a comma delimited ASCII (*.CSV) file
that can be read by database and spreadsheet products. You will be
asked to provide a name for the new file, and EHI will append
the extension for you. The file on disk will be FILENAME.CSV.

FIND | MOVE TO EXISTING FILE --
AND
FIND | MOVE TO NEW FILE --

See COPY TO EXISTING / NEW FILE above. The difference between COPY and
MOVE is that MOVE will remove the data from the opened file and place
it into the EXISTING or NEW file (whichever was specified.) COPY simply
places a copy of the data into the file and leaves the data in the
oringinal opened file intact.


OPTIONS

The OPTIONS menu allows you to edit and create templates, specify
file writing and printing options, and set up the print mask.

OPTIONS | EDIT TEMPLATE -- this brings up a file dialog allowing you
to choose an existing template to edit. See TEMPLATE EDITOR.

OPTIONS | CREATE NEW TEMPLATE -- this will bring up a dialog to create
a new file name before bringing up the edit template window. See
TEMPLATE EDITOR.


OPTIONS | FILE OVERWRITE CHECKING -- when on: this is used when you are
writing an addendum file to disk. When saving, the disk is checked to
see if another file of the same name exists. If so, you will be asked
if you wish to overwrite the file. When this is off, addendum files are
written to disk without checking first.

* This is an option that is TRUE or ON when checked.

OPTIONS | FILE BACKUPS MADE -- when on: when data files are saved to
disk, this will create a new file on disk that is a duplicate of the
original. The extension *.BAK is used.

* This is an option that is TRUE or ON when checked.

OPTIONS | PRINT USING MASK -- when on: enables use of the PRINT MASK.

* This is an option that is TRUE or ON when checked.

OPTIONS | SET UP MASK -- this brings up the PRINT MASK SETUP window.


HELP

This menu allows you to access the online help, print this manual, and
place an order for the enhanced version.


HELP | TOPICS -- brings up the online help window.

HELP | ORDER INFO -- brings up the order form window.

HELP | ABOUT -- Who is responsible for this, anyhow?



V.  TEMPLATE CREATION USING THE TEMPLATE EDITOR

In the template editor there are ten fields and a pick list. Each of
these are defined by you. The fields can be either TEXT or NUMERIC
depending on which option you choose for each field. The text window
inside each frame is for you to give the field a name. This name should
be as descriptive as possible, and can be up to 35 characters long. If
a name is over 35 characters long, you won't be able to save the file.

The pick list is for entering the primary categorization of the item
that the template is about. By all means look at the supplied sample
files to see how this is done. The purpose of the list is to keep the
entry of your inventory data simple. It also serves another purpose:
you cannot misspell something chosen from a list when searching.

Adding to the list is simple: just type what you want it to say in the
text box above the list, and choose ADD. The new item will be added to
the bottom of the list. Deleting a list item is also simple: choose the
item from the list to delete so that it shows up in the list box window,
and choose DELETE.

When you are done editing or creating the template, choose SAVE.



VI. SETUP AND USE OF THE PRINT MASK

In the Print Mask window, you are shown a list of the available fields
next to check boxes. To prevent this item from being printed, simply
click the check box (an "x" will appear in it.) You can also click it
again to uncheck it if you change your mind. The CLEAR button will
uncheck all fields thus allowing EVERYTHING to get printed. The DEFAULT
button will check the VALUE, PICTURE, and COMMENT TEXT items. OK will
accept all entries and close the window.

Notes:

Printing picture files takes time, and a new page of paper is always
used (to place the picture in the desired position. Likewise, printing
the text addenda files also takes more time. These items default to NOT
being printed since they are usually not used when creating a general
catalogue.


VII. SEARCHING

In the search window, the fields have a check box next to them. Clicking
a check box will tell EHI that a search can be made. This brings up
a CRITERIA window that allows you to enter the data to sarch for. If the
field is numeric, you can search for MATCHING values, values LESS THAN or
GREATER THAN what you entered, or you can enter 2 values to initiate a
search for range: GREATER THAN the first value, and LESS THAN the second.
Text fields and lists are searched for MATCHING values only. If it is a
text field, the other options are disabled in the criteria window. Note
the IGNORE CASE check box: this will allow you to specify whether the
search should look for text EXACTLY as you typed it, or if it should
ignore letter capitalizing. When you are done filling in the values to
look for, just choose OK to close the criteria window.

All fields can be searched and the same process takes place on each one.
If you choose a check box that has already been marked, this has the effect
of clearing it. Just choose it again to re-enter a new search criteria.

If you choose the CLEAR button, all fields are forced into the unchecked
state and any search criteria is erased. If you choose the SEARCH button,
a search will be made through the data file on the checked fields.

Choosing DONE will close the window, but not erase it -- if you re-open
the window, it will be as you left it. This way you can either close or
minimize the window (and place it on the desktop) and not lose any data.

When a search is made, EHI calculates the number of records found and
shows them in the window. A scroll bar will appear that will allow you to
scroll through the found records -- these will show up in the main window.
As you scroll through, the main window scroll bar also changes to show a
relative file position.

You can switch back and forth between the windows as desired, and operate
either scroll bar at any time. Just remember that the one in the search
window scrolls only through records found in the search.

See the description of menu operations about how to take found data and
copy or move it from the current file.


VIII. SHAREWARE, DISCLAIMERS, AND CONTACT INFO

You have an implicit license to EVALUATE this program for a reasonable
period of time to see if it meets your needs. We figure 45 days or so is
pretty reasonable because it lets you take your time: no pressure! If you
want to use it beyond this time, you'll need to order the registered
version, which gives you a license to use it forever. If you don't want to
register it, you'll need to remove it from your system. It's illegal after
that to use it. Seriously. This is copyrighted software, just like the stuff
in the stores. We prefer to work this way though, because we get closer to
the average users, and it helps us write better programs. To sweeten the pot
a bit (we try to make it worth your while) you'll get lots of extra goodies
when you buy the program. (Hint: if you think it's fast and easy now,
well... it's even better!)

See the help file while in the program for details. There's a lot of stuff
that you'll get as a registered owner.


Standard Software Industry Disclaimer:

Alston Software Labs makes no claim or warranty whatsoever as to the
fitness or suitability to purpose of Essential Home Inventory.

Contact Information:

Alston Software Labs
1320 Standiford Ave #242
Modesto CA 95350
Tel (209) LAB - 8666
FAX (209) 522 - 8666

    (800) 959 - 6298 Orders Only

Compuserve: 76040,2247
GEnie     : G.ALSTON5
Internet  : [e-mail]

Or try our home BBS in Modesto, The Programmer's Retreat @ [phone]
to get the latest versions or other ASL software. Just log in, use ASL for
the password.

Essential Home Inventory and this manual are copyright 1993 by Alston
Software Labs, Modesto, CA.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA.