Risc World 3

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

/ Risc World 3 / Risc World 3.iso / SOFTWARE / ISSUE4 / POWERBASE / DOCS / !Contents < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 2001-01-24 | 14.1 KB | 281 lines

======== Contents ======== Ch 1 − Introduction to Powerbase 5 -------------------------------- - 1.1 Description and installation 5 1.1.1 Hardware requirements 5 1.1.2 Installation 5 1.1.3 Disclaimer 5 1.2 Starting and ending a work session 5 1.2.1 Loading Powerbase 5 1.2.2 Opening a database 6 1.2.3 Closing a database 6 1.2.4 Quitting Powerbase 6 1.3 Obtaining help 6 1.3.1 Using the Acorn Help application 6 1.3.2 Using the Helpreader text 6 Ch 2 − Browsing and Editing 7 --------------------------- - 2.1 Subfiles, record numbers and keys 7 2.1.1 Subfiles 7 2.1.2 Record numbers 7 2.1.3 Keys 7 2.2 Moving about the database 8 2.2.1 Browsing 8 2.2.2 Moving to related records 8 2.2.3 Changing keys 8 2.2.4 Changing subfiles 9 2.2.5 Using more than one subfile 9 2.2.6 Naming subfiles 9 2.3 Searching for a record 9 2.3.1 Searching by key 9 2.3.2 Searching by record number 10 2.3.3 Searching by filter 10 2.4 Editing the database − fundamental operations 10 2.4.1 Adding new records 10 2.4.2 Deleting records 11 2.4.3 Altering existing records 11 2.4.4 Undoing mistakes 11 2.5 Editing the database − special features 11 2.5.1 Using a template 11 2.5.2 Copying fields 12 2.5.3 Copying an entire record 12 2.5.4 Choosing the field where editing starts 12 2.5.5 Changing many records at once 12 2.5.6 Moving or deleting many records at once 13 2.5.7 Hiding sensitive data 13 2.6 External fields 14 2.6.1 Linking files to the fields 14 2.6.2 Editing External fields 14 2.6.3 Clearing and exporting field contents 14 2.6.4 Editing scrollable lists 15 Ch 3 − Printing from the Database 16 --------------------------------- -- 3.1 Output destination 16 3.1.1 The Window destination 16 3.1.2 The File destination 16 3.1.3 The Printer destination 16 3.2 Print formats 16 3.2.1 Horizontal 17 3.2.2 Vertical 17 3.2.3 Table 17 3.2.4 Label 17 3.3 What types of field can be printed? 18 3.4 Specifying which fields to print 18 3.4.1 Saving print selection files 18 3.4.2 Default selection 18 3.5 Specifying which records to print 18 3.5.1 The construction of search formulae 19 3.5.2 Numeric and other special fields in search formulae 21 3.5.3 Using “wild-cards” in search formulae 21 3.5.4 Comparing the contents of two fields 21 3.5.5 Saving search formulae for re-use 21 3.6 Query by example 22 3.6.1 What is QBE? 22 3.6.2 QBE vs SF 22 3.7 Other features of the Query panel and Match window 23 3.7.1 Printing records from more than one subfile 23 3.7.2 Including record number, key and subfile number 23 3.8 Marking records for inclusion or exclusion 24 3.8.1 Single records 24 3.8.2 Groups of records 24 3.9 Printing single records 24 3.10 The Print options window 24 3.10.1 Saving print options files 26 3.12 Field analysis reports 26 3.13 Subsidiary indices and printing speed 26 Ch 4 − Creating a New Database 27 ------------------------------ -- 4.1 Creating the database application shell 27 4.2 Designing the record layout 27 4.2.1 Simple field creation 27 4.2.2 Deleting, inserting and re-ordering fields. 28 4.2.3 Moving and re-sizing the bounding box 28 4.2.4 More about tags and descriptors 28 4.2.5 Other types of Editable field 29 4.2.6 Scrollable lists 29 4.2.7 Check-box fields 30 4.2.8 External fields 30 4.2.9 Computed fields 31 4.2.10 Stamp fields 31 4.2.11 Button fields 32 4.2.12 Mandatory fields 33 4.3 A short-cut to a working database 33 4.4 Specifying the database size 33 4.5 Specifying the primary key 33 4.5.1 General procedure 33 4.5.2 Some illustrative examples 34 4.5.3 Using more than one field in a key 34 4.5.4 Other matters concerning keys 35 4.6 Building the empty database 35 4.7 Renaming a database 35 Ch 5 − Input Validation and Validation Tables 36 --------------------------------------------- -- 5.1 Character validation 36 5.2 Validation tables 36 5.3 Creating a validation table 37 5.4 Linking tables to fields 37 5.4.1 The Replace on entry feature 37 5.4.2 When to turn off the Exact match switch 37 5.5 Displaying validation tables 38 5.6 The validation table menu 38 5.7 Loading validation tables 39 5.8 Including validation table data in printouts 39 5.9 Entering validation table data into a record 39 Ch 6 − Performing Calculations 40 ------------------------------ -- 6.1 Calculated fields 40 6.1.1 Simple calculations using Numeric fields 40 6.1.2 Making calculations retrospective 40 6.1.3 Calculations using non-numeric fields (!) 40 6.1.4 Calculations involving times 41 6.1.5 Calculations involving dates 41 6.2 Composite fields 41 6.3 User functions 41 6.4 Calculations on a column of a report 42 Ch 7 − Using extra indices 43 -------------------------- -- 7.1 Indexing a field 43 7.2 Automatic saving of indices 43 Ch 8 − Using CSV files 44 ---------------------- -- 8.1 What are CSV files? 44 8.2 Setting the CSV options 44 8.3 Exporting data as a CSV file 45 8.3.1 Scrollable lists and CSV files 45 8.4 Using CSV files to import data 45 8.4.1 Ensuring that the correct options are selected 45 8.4.2 Directing imported data to the correct fields 45 8.4.3 Importing data from plain text files 46 8.4.4 What if the imported data won’t fit? 46 8.5 Using CSV files to modify existing records 47 8.6 Creating a new, working database from a CSV file 47 Ch 9 − Mail-Merging with Impression and Ovation 48 ----------------------------------------------- -- 9.1 Mail-merging with Ovation 48 9.1.1 Preparing an Ovation document for mail-merging 48 9.1.2 Merging the data from Powerbase 48 9.2 Mail-merging with Impression 48 9.2.1 Preparing the Impression document 48 9.2.2 Merging the data 49 9.3 Mail-merging with other programs 49 Ch 10 − Utilities 50 ----------------- -- 10.1 Changing the Primary Key 50 10.2 Adjusting the record format 50 10.3 Changing the record format 50 10.4 Merging two databases 51 10.5 Changing the Database Length 51 10.6 Inspecting and balancing index trees 51 10.7 Finding duplicate primary keys 51 Ch 11 − Passwords and related matters 52 ------------------------------------- -- 11.1 Levels of protection 52 11.1.1 Individual I.D.s and passwords 52 11.2 Options selected from the password-setting window 52 11.2.1 Duplicate primary keys 53 11.3 Logging database changes 53 Ch 12 − Script Files 54 -------------------- -- Ch 13 − Subset databases 57 ------------------------ -- 13.1 Creating a subset 57 13.2 Using a subset to shorten a database 57 Ch 14 − Customising Powerbase 58 ----------------------------- -- 14.1 Overall control of the database 58 14.2 Defining the function keys 58 14.3 CSV options 58 14.4 Preferences 59 14.4.1 Separators in date and time fields 59 14.4.2 Wild-cards 59 14.4.3 Option switches 59 14.4.4 Save indices (Default: Manual) 60 14.4.5 Start editing at 60 14.4.6 Application for ImpulseII data-merging 60 14.4.7 Save choices 60 14.5 Colours of key fields and table-linked fields 61 14.6 Config files 61 14.6.1 Pathnames for External file objects 62 14.7 The Messages file 62 Appendix A − Powerbase as an Impulse server 63 ------------------------------------------- -- Appendix B − Keystroke equivalents 65 ---------------------------------- -- Index 66 ----- --