Amiga Format 76/af076a.adf/archives/af76a4.lzx/Chronicle/Chronicle.doc

Text File | 1995-07-31 | 22KB | 551 lines

Chronicle .. © 1995, J. Pritchard .. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome.

Chronicle  is  a  powerful text based database system designed for
everyday use.

With  it  you can design the layout and number of fields that your
database has.  Each  one  is  unique.  You  can also choose from a
number of database templates to save you the  trouble  of  setting
things  up  yourself.  These  include such templates as an address
book, business contacts, video library etc.  All you have to do is
load one in and edit the field names to suit your own tastes.

You also have powerful printing, edit, search facilities  as  well
as powerful preferences and encryption and password facilities.

With  this  shareware  release,  the number of records that can be
created is just 25.  However, that's  the  only difference between
this and the fully registered version.

You  may have up to 31 fields per record with the ability to place
each field exactly where you want it on the screen.

Once a database has been created, (the default is an address book)
you can add, delete and move fields around as you wish.

To install Chronicle to your system,  simply  copy the  Chronicle
directory to its new location.

This directory contains..

  ChroncileViaIconX °° The script file.
  ChroncileViaIconX.info  °° To execute the script via workbench.
  IconX

  ChroncileV1 °° The programme itself.
  ChroncileV1.info °° And its info file.

  Chronicle.doc °° The doc file & on-line help system.
  Chronicle.doc.info °° And its info file.

  And the example file for use with Chronicle.

The   reason   that   there   are   two   icons   for  Chronicle,
ChroncileViaIconX and ChronicleV1 itself is simple.  If  you  run
Chronicle from the ChronicleViaIconX icon then Chronicles current
directory will automatically be set to the directory  from  which
it   was  run, giving  it instant  access  to  the  example  file
and  more importantly, the  on-line  help  system.  Once you have
used Chronicle and have saved all your preferences  to  disk  you
can  then  get  rid  of  ChroncileViaIconX  and  of  course IconX
itself and run Chroncile  from  its own icon because it will  now
know where everything is.

Legal Stuff.

    Disclaimer.

    Chronicle  and  related files are provided `AS IS' without warranty
    of any kind either expressed or implied.  The entire risk as to the
    use of Chronicle and related files is assumed by the user.

    In  no  event will J. Pritchard  be liable for any damages, direct,
    indirect, incidental or consequential, resulting from any defect in
    Chronicle or the aforementioned files.

    Chronicle is copyright © 1995 by Jack Pritchard.
    All Rights Are Reserved Worldwide.

How To Register.

    As mentioned in the `Welcome' chapter, the  only difference between
this and  the  fully  registered  version is the number of records that
this  Shareware  version  can hold, just 25.  This is enough to get the
feel of the programme and to learn how to use it.

    However, if you want to "use it for real" may I  suggest  that  you
register to receive the full  version  which  can  handle  a  much more
useable 5,000 records.

    If you would like a copy of Chronicle you can obtain one by sending
a cheque/postal order for £12 to me at the following address..

    Jack Pritchard
    PO Box 65
    Gosport
    Hampshire
    PO12 4YB

    United Kingdom

    Overseas,  please  send  an  extra  £2  to cover air mail postage &
packing.

    If  you're  a  power  user who simply laughs at a mere 5,000 records
then you can order special versions of Chronicle with the maximum number
of records set to 10,000.

    Please  add an extra £3 for this version.

Getting Started..

Database Creation.

    Select `New Database' from the Project menu or Right Amiga N.

    Once `New Database' has been selected you will be presented  with a
blank screen in which you can design your database's layout.

    Simply use  the  mouse/cursor keys to locate the cursor anywhere on
the screen and start typing.   You can  position  your  database fields
anywhere  you  like  but  you  must remember to terminate each one with
a : character.

    Example:-

    Name:                             Surname:                  Title:

    Street:

    District:

    Town:

    County:

    Post Code:

    Telephone:

    Once  you have created a new database  simply click the Right mouse
button  and  Chronicle will build it for you.  You can then start using
it straight away.

    You can have up to a maximum of 31 fields per record.  Also, if you
intend  to  have  more that one field per line remember to leave enough
space between them for you to type in.

Using Templates.

    Select `Template' from the Project Menu or Right Amiga T.

    The Templates are there to provide you with a quick and easy way of
creating a  new database.  You can choose from Address  Book,  Business
Contacts, Inventory, Disk Catalogue & Yellow Pages.

    Selecting  anyone of these will instantly create a new database for
you.  You can then got on to change the field names, delete and/or move
them around.

Changing The Layout.

    Once you have created a database either by yourself or by using one
of the  templates  provided,  you can at any stage in the future change
it.

    There  are  four  main  functions provided for this purpose.  These
are..

    Delete Field.   `From the Edit menu or Right Amiga F.'

    Simply  click on the field name that you wish to delete and it will
be erased from your database.

    You can also use this function by pressing the  Left  Shift key and
keeping it pressed, select the field with the mouse.

    New Field.    `From the Edit menu or Right Amiga W.'

    Once this function  has been selected you can insert a new field at
any position in the current database  by simply clicking on the desired
location with the left mouse button.  You will  then  be  asked to give
this new field a name.

    Move Field.  `From the Edit menu or Right Amiga M.'

    This  function  gives you the ability to move the selected field to
a different location  on  the  screen.  Simply use  the  cursor keys to
move it up/down/left/right.

    N.B. You  cannot  move  a  field  in front of the previous field or
after the next field as all fields must  be  kept in the order in which
they where created.

    You  can  also  use  this  function  by  pressing  the Ctrl key and
keeping it pressed, select the field you wish to move.

    Rename Field.  Press  the  Left  Alt  key  and  keeping it pressed,
select the field you wish to rename.

Using The Database.

    Once you have created your database you can start creating records.
You  do  this  by positioning the cursor in  any one of the fields with
the: [ square brackets ] and start typing.  You can continue to type in
information  until  the  last  bracket  ] either reaches the end of the
screen or comes into contact with the beginning of another field on the
same line.

    If you find after creating the database  that one or more fields do
not have enough room for  the  text  you wish to write to them, you can
always move them around to increase the space  available.  See  chapter
`Changing The layout.'

    These functions will enable you to move around the record.

    Tab key, Cursor down  key  or Return will move the cursor on to the
    next field.

    Cursor up key will move the cursor back up.

    Shift Cursor up moves the cursor to the first field.

    Shift Cursor down moves the cursor to the last field.

    Shift Cursor left to the start of the current field.

    Shift Cursor right to the end of the current field.

    Use  the  mouse  to  click  on  any character in any of the fields
    available.

    After you are happy with your record you can move on to the next by
pressing either F2 or the »» button at the top.  More about this in the
`Search Routines' chapter.

    See  chapter  `Post-It  Notes', `Connecting Dos Commands' & chapter
`Connecting IFF Images' for more info.

File Routines.

The Project Menu..

    °° Erase  Database..  This   will   completely  erase  the  current
       database from memory.  If there is an existing database that has
       not been saved you will first be given the option to save it.

    °° Load..  Allows  you  to  load  a chronicle database file via the
       file requester.  If you have an  existing  database that has not
       been saved you will first be given the option to save it.

    °° Save..  Saves the  current  database  to  disk.  If  the current
       database is `Untitled', Save As will automatically be selected.

    °° Save As..  Allows you to  save the current database via the file
       requester.  This gives you the option to select the filename and
       path for this database.

    °° Previous File..  Whenever you save or load a database, Chronicle
       will automatically keep a record of the last 20.  Selecting this
       option  will  display  the list of previously loaded/saved files
       giving you the chance to load them in directly without having to
       hunt them down with the file requester first.

    °° Create Password.. Once  a password has been created it will then
       be encoded into the current database the next time it is saved.
       When this file  is  next loaded, Chronicle will first prompt you
       for the password.  If  not  given, Chronicle will refuse to load
       the file in.

    °° Erase Password..  Erases  a  password either created with Create
       Password or one that has been loaded in via a password protected
       file.  You will, of course, have to confirm the password first.

    °° Emergency Directory..  Using this facility, you are able to make
       backup copies when you save your files  to a location other than
       the one you are saving your  file  to.  This  is VERY useful if,
       for  example, the  part  of  the disk where your files are being
       saved  becomes  corrupted.  Normally  both the original file and
       its .bak copy will be located on the same  bit  of the corrupted
       disk.  However, with this facility you always know that you have
       a `safe' copy in a completely different location.

       The default Emergency directory is the Ram Disk:

       Example:  You set your emergency directory to `DH1:Rescue/' and
       then    you   save   your   database   as   normal   as,   say,
       `DH2:Files/MyDatabase'.

       You will now have two  copies  of this file.  The first will be
       `DH2:Files/MyDatabase' and  the second `emergency copy' will be
       `DH1:Rescue/MyDatabase'.

       For more info see the `Emergency Backup' item in file operations
       section of chapter `Preferences'.

Search Routines.

The Search Menu..

    °° Back A Record.. `««' Displays the previous record in the database
       for viewing/editing.

    °° On A Record.. `»»' Displays the next record, or if already at the
       last record, an empty record for viewing/editing.

    °° First Record.  Displays the first record in the database.

    °° Last Record. Displays the last record to date in the database.

    °° Goto Record.  Allows  you  to  type  in  a  record number to jump
       directly to.

    °° Find.  Enter a string that will make a match or partial match with
       any of your records and they will be displayed  in  turn until you
       reach the one that you are interested in.

    °° Indexed Search.  As  with  Find,  but  will  attempt to locate any
       records that match, partial or otherwise, with the selected fields
       of the current record.

       N.B. To Select a field in your database, simply click on the field
       name so that it turns blue.

       Example:  Selecting  the  fields  Surname,  Town & County and then
       performing an indexed search would locate all  other records whose
       Surname, Town & County fields match with this one.

    °° Sift Search.  This  function  will bring up a window consisting of
       three lines to enter text and a display panel.

       As you type text into the top  line any records that match will be
       displayed in list form in the panel  below starting from the point
       at which the match was found.

       The  extra  two text lines will enable you to make a more detailed
       search  of  your records by matching up three different strings in
       one go.

       You can elect to reset the database to any of the records shown by
       double clicking on the one of interest.

       Selecting  `Print' from  the sift windows title bar will print all
       records shown.

       Example:  Entering `Smith'  in the top line and then London in the
       second would give a list view  of all of your records that contain
       the text Smith & London.

       This facility is best explained by trying it out yourself with one
       of the example database files provided.

    °° Thumb Index.  Once  selected  Chronicle will prompt you to type in
       any  single character, such as A.  It will then reset the database
       to the first record whose first field begins with that character.

       Any normal ASCII character may be used.

Edit Routines.

The Edit Menu..

    °° Organise.  Will  allow  you  to  alphabetically  sort  the  entire
       database in either ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-A) order.

    °° Replace.  Will replace all occurances of  the first string entered
       with the second throughout your database.

    °° Cut.  Cuts  the  current record from the database and stores it in
       memory.  Any records after this will be moved back one.

    °° Copy.  As with cut, but instead only makes a copy of the record.

    °° Paste.  Pastes a   record  that has either been cut or copied into
       database at the current record  position.  All  other records will
       be moved up one.

    °° Global Delete.  Will  attempt  to  delete  ALL  records  that make
       either a full or partial match with the string that you provide.

    °° Indexed  Delete.  As  with  indexed  search (see  chapter  `Search
       Routines') but instead will delete any matches found.

    °° Delete  Previous.  Will  allow  you  to  remove previous filenames
       from the previous list.  (see chapter `File Routines')

    °° Delete Field, Move Field & New Field are covered in chapter
       `Changing The layout'.

Printer Routines.

Printer Options.

    °° Pagesize.  Allows you to set the number of  lines that are printed
       before   Chronicle  prompts you  for  another  page.  Type  0  for
       continuous.

       `The following items  are either selected (ticked ) or unselected
        or unselected (not ticked)'

    °° Include Field Names.  Whether  of  not to include  the field names
       with your printout.

    °° Print  Selected  Fields Only.  Only  the  fields  that  have  been
       selected (click on a field name to select it) will be printed.

    °° Maintain Line Integrity.  If this item is selected, Chronicle will
       do its best to print each record as it appears on the screen.

       I.E. If  Surname  and  First  Names  are  on  the same line in the
       database, then  they will be printed on the same  line.  Otherwise
       each field will be printed on a separate line.

    °° Eject Page After Each Record.  If selected, Chronicle will attempt
       to  instruct  your printer  to eject its current page and (if pos)
       load in a new one after each record has been printed.

The Print Menu.

    °° Print Record.  Sends the current record to the printer.

    °° Global Search.  Works  in  the same way as `Find' from  the search
       menu (see chapter  `Search Routines')  but  this time it will send
       any matching records found to the printer.

    °° Indexed Search.  The same is true for this function but will print
       any matches found.  (Obviously, this  function  will  disable  the
       `Print  Selected  Fields Only' item from the printer options while
       in use.)

    °° Print All.  As  it says, will  attempt to send the entire database
       to the printer.

Post-It Notes.

    To  create  a  post-it  note for a record click on the Post-It button
at the top of the screen.

    A post-it  note  is  simply  a few lines of text that can be added to
your record.  Once you  have  selected  the post-it button a small window
will appear in which you can type up to 12  lines  of text.  You can also
give your note a title.

    Once  you  have created your note, click on the OK button and it will
be stored as part of this record.  Also, you will notice that the Post-It
button that you  originally  selected  has now turned yellow, telling you
that there is a post-it note for this record.

    The following are facilities for the post-it notes.

    °° Clear.  Will erase the post-it note from the current record.

    °° Title.  Will allow you to create a title for your note.

    °° Help.  This chapter...

    °° OK.  Select this once  you  have  created  your note or click  the
       close button to abort.

    °° Return/Enter.  To insert a new line.

    °° Ctrl D.  To delete the current cursor line.

Connecting DOS Commands.

    To  connect  an  executable  Dos  command  to a record, select either
`Connect Dos' from the Edit menu or select Right Amiga 1.

    Any of Chronicles'  records  can  have  Dos  commands linked to them,
meaning that you can launch any  external  programme  or  script  file at
the click of a button.

    Example:  You may have a record that contains details of a particular
person with  whom  you  have regular correspondence.  By connecting a Dos
command such as..

                C:ED DH1:Letters/MyLetter

You  could instantly access your friends letter.  Not a very good example
perhaps, but you get the idea..

    You can have multiple  commands  on  a single line by separating them
with the | character.    I.E. Command 1 | Command 2 | Command 3 | etc.

    Once  you  have  created  your  Dos  command,  it  can be launched by
clicking on the button titled `Exec' at the  top  of the screen.  As with
the post-it notes, if there is a Dos command connected  to  a record, the
Exec button will be highlighted in yellow.

    To delete a connected Dos command  simply  select  `Connect  Dos' and
erase  the  command  with  Right Amiga X, then  select OK or Return.  The
yellow Exec button will then revert back to black.

    N.B. If you  intend  to launch a script file you must use the command
Execute.  I.E. Execute S:MyScriptFile

Connecting IFF Images.

    To  connect  an IFF picture file  to a record, select either `Connect
IFF' from the Edit menu or select Right Amiga 2.

    As with  connecting Dos commands, you can also connect an IFF picture
file to a record in the same way.

    Once   you  have  connected  your  IFF Image,  it  can  be viewed  by
clicking  on  the  button titled `IFF FILE' at the top of the screen.  As
with  the post-it notes, if there is a IFF Image  connected to  a record,
the IFF File button will be highlighted in yellow.

    To delete a  connected  IFF Image  simply  select  `Connect  IFF' and
erase  the  command  with  Right Amiga X, then  select OK or Return.  The
yellow IFF File button will then revert back to black.

Preferences.

File Operations..

  °° Default Database.  This  is  the  name &  path  of the database that
     Chronicle attempts to load when you first run it.

  °° Default Helpfile.  The path & name of this doc file.

  °° Backup Files.  Whenever  Chronicle  saves a file it will also backup
     any existing files of the same name with a .bak extention.

  °° Load Defaults.  Whether or not  you want the default database loaded
     when Chronicle is first run.

  °° Encrypt Files.  With this item  selected, all  files  that Chronicle
     saves will first be encrypted.

  °° Emergency Backup.  Ensure  that  this  item  is selected if you want
     backup  copies  of any files that you save to be made to a different
     location.  Default  is  the  Ram Disk:  See  chapter `File Routines'
     for more info.

Database..

  °° Ask  Before  Exec.  Whether  or  not  you  want  to  confirm  before
     Chronicle attempts to execute a connected dos command.

  °° Start Shrunk.  With  this  item selected, Chronicle will start up in
     shrunken  mode.  I.E. A  small  title  bar  window  on the workbench
     screen.  To get back to Chronicle again, close this window.

  °° Casesense.  Used with Chronicles search routines, etc.  If Casesense
     is selected then ABC will not match with abc, otherwise it will.

Colour Palette.

  If you don't like the colour scheme that I've chosen for Chronicle, and
why not?, then you can choose your own with this function.

Save Config.

  Once you have made all of your changes, via the preferences menu or in
the normal coarse  of  events,  select  Save  Config to make all of your
changes permanent.