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The WIZARD (c)
Music Database
Unregistered Version 1.51
Written By
SuperSoft
P.O. Box 43528
Phoenix, AZ 85O8O-3528
USA
Questions, Comments, Errors and other Scuttlebutt
Compuserve User ID [70642,3220], Brett Simpson
or leave a message on EXEC-PC to Brett Simpson
All products described herein are copyright/trademarks of
their respective companies.
There is no warranty of any kind (express or implied) related
to this product, including without limitation any implied
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose. The copyright owner/author may not be held liable
for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or
similar damages due to loss of data or for any other reason
including any loss of profit or other damages arising out of
or because of an inability to use the software. By using the
software you agree to this. The person using the software
bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the
software.
Copyright Brett A. Simpson, 1991, All Rights Reserved
Table Of Contents
I. Introduction ....................... 3
Software Introduction ....................... 3
System Requirements ......................... 3
Why Register ................................ 4
Future Enhancements ......................... 5
Getting Started ............................. 5
Quick Start ................................. 6
Definition Of Terms ......................... 6
II Using The Wizard(c) .......................... 7
The Main Menu ............................... 7
Entering New Data ........................... 7
Handy Entry Features .................... 8
Saving an Entry ............................. 8
Editing an Entry ............................ 9
Browsing your data .......................... 10
Displaying an Image ..................... 10
Playing Sound ........................... 11
Sound and Vision ........................ 11
Deleting an Entry ........................... 11
Understanding Searching and Sorting ......... 12
Sorting ..................................... 12
Query Builder ............................... 13
[Build A New Query] ..................... 13
[Restore Query From Disk] ............... 14
[Add To Current Query] .................. 14
[Count Number of Records That Match Query] .. 15
[View Records which matched Query] ...... 15
[Remove Existing Query] ................. 15
Disable Previous Query ...................... 15
Edit/Delete Query Titles .................... 16
Quick Reports ............................... 16
[Printing or Viewing List] .............. 16
[Saving List To Disk] ................... 17
[Restore List From Disk] ................ 17
[Edit/Delete Report Titles] ............. 17
Create Labels ............................... 18
[Create New Label File] ................. 18
[Select A Label File] ................... 18
[Modifications] ......................... 18
[Dimensions] ............................ 18
[Select Records] ........................ 19
[Print Labels] .......................... 19
[Test Pattern] .......................... 19
Table Of Contents
PAGE 1
[Quit] ................................. 19
Configure .................................. 19
Display Current Configuration .......... 19
Sound Configuration .................... 20
Select Sound Card .................. 20
Select Sound Directory ............. 21
Image Configuration .................... 21
Utilities .................................. 21
Enter Defaults ......................... 21
Re-Index Files ......................... 21
Customize Colors ....................... 21
Purge Deleted Records .................. 22
Quit ....................................... 22
Info ....................................... 22
Appendices
Appendix 1. Image files and their extensions ....... 23
Appendix 2. How can I get my images into The Wizard 23
Appendix 3. How can I get my sound into The Wizard 23
Appendix 4. How to make an internal speaker sound .. 24
better.
Appendix 5. Contact Information .................... 24
Appendix 6. Registration Order Form ................ 25
PAGE 2
I. INTRODUCTION
SOFTWARE INTRODUCTION
---------------------
Thank you for trying out The Wizard(c) Database. This
software was born out of a sense of perfectionism on my part.
I decided to write my own software after trying several other
Music collection software packages. The goal was to create a
Music database that would allow the user to do several tasks
that would make it easy to locate and print data and display
and hear selections from the database. This database was
designed to be feasible for all music collectors from A Disc
Jockey at radio station to a Novice Collector to a Record/CD
Dealer. I hope that the program succeeds in doing that. Here
are the main features of The Wizard(c).
1.) Simple entry of all music data in the user's
collection including extensive notes (64K byte) if
required.
2.) Plays back SOUND selections from that collection on
the most popular sound cards on the market, Sound
Blaster, Sound Master II and
on the internal speaker using Covox Sound Master II
files
3.) Displays IMAGES from the users collection in several
formats including GIF, TIF, PCX, TGA, IFF, LBM, IMG.
4.) Creates custom printouts of data in the database in
any format that the user desires.
5.) Allows the user to easily SEARCH the database
for data from any field in the database.
6.) Allows sorting on any field in the database.
I hope that you will find it a rewarding product to work
with. Many hours were spent in the development phase and in
analyzing sound cards and video output for the IBM PC family
of computers. This software was written specifically for IBM
PC's and 100% compatibles and it will function on any
compatible machine as long as that machine is 100% IBM
compatible.
This manual contains information on how to setup the software
on a hard disk, and how to use the software. The appendices
contain information on Graphics Formats, Sound formats and
analyses of Sound Cards. To print this manual type in
"TYPE wizard.doc > lpt1:" at the DOS prompt.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
PAGE 3
To run this software, you will need an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2
or compatible computer with a minimum of 640K of memory and a
hard disk. You will soon find that both SOUND and IMAGE
files require large amounts of disk free space. The
following table can be used as a rule of thumb for deciding
on how much free space on your hard disk you would need:
Number Disk Disk Disk Disk
of Space Space Space Space
Records Reqd. w/IMAGE w/SOUND w/IMAGE & SOUND
--------------------------------------------------------
100 50K 2Mg 2Mg 4Mg
500 250K 11Mg 11Mg 22Mg
1,000 500K 22Mg 22Mg 44Mg
10,000 5Mg 220Mg 220Mg 440Mg
Note that these figures are for 20K IMAGE files and 20K
SOUND files, which is quite conservative. However with the
coming increase in Hard Drive sizes and the new 20Mg floppy
disk technology this fact should not prove a hindrance in the
future because The Wizard lets you store your data anywhere
you want so it is feasible that large amounts of data could
be stored on disk if need be. Also note that the figures
above that include SOUND and IMAGES are only accurate if you
store a SOUND and IMAGE file with every record that you
enter. You might choose however to only store SOUND and
IMAGES with those records that are of most importance to you,
thereby keeping the overall size of the database manageable.
You might be able to run this system on a single high density
floppy but I wouldn't recommend it and it hasn't been tested
under these circumstances. A printer is required if you
desire printed reports.
No other software is required (except for the DOS operating
system). However, I strongly recommend that you obtain a
back up utility for your hard disk. Your data files should
be backed up any time you've made significant changes! (DON'T
FORGET TO DO THIS). A good rule of thumb is to completely
backup your data files (those ending with .DBF and . DBT)
anytime you've made more new entries than you'd want to type
over again. Your data is very important and backing it up
should NOT be neglected. I know from experience!
WHY REGISTER?
-------------
By registering this software you can help support the
programmer who has spent all his money and time writing it
(over 3 months in development). But there are also several
great advantages to registering this software they are listed
below:
1.) Unlimited technical support.
2.) An extra Print selection on the main menu which
PAGE 4
allows for the printing of MEMO fields and for the
totalling of numeric fields (value).
3.) The ability to print IMAGE files! Image files can
be printed on any HP Laser Jet compatible Laser
printer or on any Epson compatible dot matrix
printer.
4.) Notice of release of the next version.
5.) Next release mailed to you (additional $10.00 US)
There are two registration plans available. For $40.00 US
funds you receive the Registered version of the software that
includes all of the above benefits. For $50 you receive the
Registered version of the software with the above benefits
plus you will get the next major release sent to you FREE.
International Orders please add $2.00 US for
shipping/handling.
Future Enhancements
-------------------
The following enhancements/improvements are planned for
coming releases of The Wizard:
- Zoomable Notes Field, zooms to full screen.
- Definable columnar reports allowing column sizes
to be changed.
- Extended SOUND support for more Sound cards.
- Support for high resolution Super VGA IMAGES.
- Color Printer support for the HP Paint Jet.
- Searching allowed on Notes Field.
- Thumbnail Catalog IMAGES printout.
- Browsing Thumbnail Catalog of IMAGES on the screen and
selecting with a mouse.
- Full Mouse Support
- Playback of large SOUND files (up to amount of total
available memory, including Extended and Expanded)
- Template version allowing user to create there own
screen and fields/layout.
GETTING STARTED
---------------
To begin using The Wizard(c) you should uncompress all files
into one directory on your hard disk. Enter "Wizard" and
press return to startup The Wizard(c). You must first
configure the SOUND system that the Wizard(c) will use.
To do this choose SOUND CONFIGURATION from the Configure
menu and then choose SELECT A SOUND CARD. To get to the
menu you want use the arrow keys. And press Enter to make a
selection. Choose the Sound card that you will be using or
choose Internal Speaker if you don't have a Sound card
installed. Now choose Save Configuration from the
Configuration menu. This will make sure that your
configuration is remembered the next time that you use the
Wizard. Now the Wizard is ready to begin displaying and
PAGE 5
playing back your IMAGE and SOUND files. If you want to
store your IMAGE and SOUND files in different directories
than the current one you must configure them from the
Configuration options as well. Please see the Configuration
Menu section below for further details.
QUICK START
-----------
This is for those of you who don't like reading manuals
(myself included) and who are already experienced computer
users. First uncompress all of The Wizard's (c) files into
one directory. Now enter WIZARD and press enter to begin
The Wizard(c). You must first configure the program for the
Sound card you are using, to do this choose the SOUND
CONFIGURATION option from the Configuration Menu and then
choose the SELECT SOUND CARD option. Choose the Sound card
you will be using or choose INTERNAL SPEAKER if you don't
have a Sound card. Now to view the sample data choose the
BROWSE/SEARCH option from the MUSIC DATA menu. To begin
browsing data press the Page Down key. The Wizard(c) will
begin displaying the sample data. Insert a valid IMAGE file
name in the IMAGE File field and/or a valid SOUND File name
in the SOUND File field (you can use some of your pre-
existing files to try out The Wizard(c) since NO SOUND or
IMAGE files are distributed with the unregistered version.
Press <F4> to view an IMAGE file for a record listed. Press
<F5> to hear a SOUND file playback. Press <F6> if you want
to view an IMAGE file and hear the SOUND playback at the same
time.
You can edit the data or delete it, if you want to begin
entering your own data. To delete the sample data records
press the Delete key while you are browsing. A DELETED tag
should appear at the top left of the screen. Do this for all
Sample records in the Sample database. Now choose the PURGE
DELETED RECORDS option from the UTILITIES menu. This will
erase all the records that you just deleted. You can now
begin from scratch entering your own records. For more
details of the capabilities of The Wizard please see the
sections that follow below.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
-------------------
The Following terms will be used throughout this manual:
FIELD: One item of information within a database record.
See example below
RECORD: One group of items within a database that constitute
a unit of information. See example below.
DATABASE: A file of several records in a database. See
example below.
PAGE 6
Example One FIELD = F. Name = Bob
------- in 1st record
|
F. Name L. Name Age
-------------------
| Bob Jones 25 | <-Rec #1
One RECORD (2nd Record) ---->| Sue Smith 53 | <-Rec #2
=(Sue Smith 53) | Jenny Graham 39 | <-Rec #3
--------------------
|
|
One DATABASE = collection of all data (3 records)-
FIELDS in example = First Name, Last Name, Age
RECORDS in example = Record #1, Record #2, Record #3
II. USING THE WIZARD(c)
THE MAIN MENU
--------------
Make a selection from the Main Menu by using the right/left
cursor keys to get to the desired function or option. Use
the up/down cursor keys to make your selection in the desired
field, and then press ENTER. You can also press the single
key that each option begins with to select that option.
ENTERING NEW DATA
-----------------
Use the right/left cursor keys to get to the ENTER NEW MUSIC
function. Select the ENTER NEW MUSIC option and an
information entry screen will appear.
Enter in the new data. The length of the bar next to each
entry shows the amount of space available for each item. The
cursor will not go past the ends of the bar. To move the
cursor around within each field use the <HOME> and <END>
keys or the left/right arrow keys. This will move the cursor
to the beginning or end of the currently highlighted data.
Other standard keys are active also: <Del> - deletes a
character, <Insert> selects between Insert/Overwrite mode.
The cursor can be moved around the screen by pressing <ENTER>
or using the up/down cursor keys. If you have made several
mistakes and you want to start over fresh with a new data
record you can press <PgUp> or <PgDn>. This will clear out
all data currently displayed for this record and it will NOT
save it. The Notes section of the screen however is a little
different and it uses other keys to help you edit the large
PAGE 7
Notes area. To get to notes you press <Enter> or arrow keys
to move down through your data to the Notes area. Edit the
notes area as you would any other section, you can also
press <Ctrl-Y> to delete an entire line in the Notes section.
<Ctrl-PgUp> will take you to the Beginning of the current
Notes window on the screen. <Ctrl-PgDn> will take you to the
end of the current Notes window on the screen. <Ctrl-Home>
Takes you to the beginning of the data that you have entered
in the Notes field. <Ctrl-End> takes you to the end of your
data. When you are finished entering your Notes data press
the <F10> key to save the data and the rest of your data for
this record, if you still want to make changes to the other
field data on the screen you can get back to that by pressing
<Ctrl-F10>. If you don't want to keep this entry press the
<Esc> key. This will clear out all of your data and begin
again from the first data field.
HANDY ENTRY FEATURES
--------------------
There are a few other features which are very handy when
entering new data. You can press <F5> to get a Popup entry
list for certain fields (those marked with a '<' next to them
on the screen). This Popup entry list is also editable,
which means you can add or delete and create your own Popup
entry list. To do this Popup the entry list Popup menu and
press <Spacebar> over an entry that you want to edit
or delete. To delete it simple delete all characters or
space over them or enter your own Popup entry. The Wizard(c)
will remember your Popup entries and display them for you
again next time you Popup the menu. Two other features allow
for quick entry of data: these features which copy data are
<Ctrl-F> which will copy the same field that you are on from
the previous entered record into the current field. For
example if you are entering a collection of records and you
have just entered a Beach Boy's album and pressed enter, you
are now ready to enter another album. If you have another
Beach Boy's album to enter just press <Ctrl-F> while on the
Artist field and Beach Boy's will be automatically copied
into the new field from your previous entry! <Ctrl-R> will
copy the entire previous record into the current one. This
is very useful when entering several similar records.
SAVING THE ENTRY
----------------
After all necessary information is entered, press the <F10>
key to save the entry. Another blank information entry
screen will appear for your next entry.
When you are finished making entries, press <ESC> to return
to the Main Menu.
PAGE 8
EDITING AN EXISTING ENTRY
-------------------------
Use the right/left cursor keys to get to the Music Data
selection of the main menu. Select the BROWSE/SEARCH/
UPDATES/DELETIONS option and an information entry screen will
appear. At the bottom of the screen you will see the message
ENTER SEARCH CRITERIA. Before you can edit an entry you must
first search for it and find it in the database! To use the
SEARCH function, you can enter in any field of information on
the screen**. The Wizard(c) will search for up to two pieces
of information that you enter. For example if you enter
information that you want to search on in the Artist field
and in the Title field. The Wizard(c) will search for your
information in both of those fields. If it cannot find an
exact match it will leave you at the closest match that it
could find and will display that record. If you then wish to
view other records surrounding that one, you only need to
press the <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys. These keys will allow you
to browse through the data in the sorted order that you have
designated by using the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option of the
SORTING menu.
**If you have not SORTED on that field first the search will
be slower However, it will still locate your information.
You will know whether you have sorted on this data or not
because if you haven't you will see a small WAIT indicator
appear at the top left of the screen if you haven't sort on
this field. Also the Notes field cannot be searched (this
is coming in future versions.)
SORTING: Enables you to order information or fields any way
you choose. Subsequent editing, searches,
queries, etc., will then be processed in the new
SORTED order. For example, if the first sort
field is Artist and the second sort field is Time
all data is first searched in alphabetical order
pertaining to the Artist field and secondly
ordered by the Time field. So this sort would
show the records pertaining to each artist ordered
by the length of time of each record listed in the
Time field. SEE SORTING SECTION FOR MORE DETAILS.
Press <PgUp> or <PgDn> to scroll through the database
records. Use the <HOME> and <END> keys to get to the
beginning or end of the database. A list of available keys
and their actions are located at the bottom of the screen.
Changes are made in the same way you originally entered the
data information. To make changes or insert new information,
in a record that appears on your screen, press the <INSERT>
key. Use the <up/down> arrow keys to move through the
fields. Once you have made the changes press <F10> to save
your new information.
You can also use the escape feature with this screen . When
pressing <ESC>, you will be prompted to enter another SEARCH.
Pressing <ESC>, again will return you to the MAIN MENU.
PAGE 9
BROWSING YOUR DATA
------------------
After you have entered a search or whenever you see Data
Search Information at the top right of the screen, you will
be allowed to browse through your data records. To do this
you can press <PgDn> to go forward to the next record (in
sorted order) or press <PgUp> to go backward to the previous
record (in sorted order). The <Home> and <End> keys will
take you to the first or last sorted record respectively.
Note that the order that your data appears when using these
keys will correspond directly with the SORT order that you
have chosen from the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option on the SORTING
menu. If you haven't chosen a sort order then The Wizard(c)
will sort your data by Artist and Title. Whenever you exit
the program and return to it, The Wizard(c) will remember
your sorting specifications and will return to them. The
current sorting order can always be seen by looking at the
bottom of the screen. When you are browsing your data you
have several extended options available with The Wizard.
These options include displaying IMAGE files that are stored
with each record or playing back SOUND files on a sound card
or on the internal speaker. These options will be discussed
below.
DISPLAYING IMAGES
-----------------
When you are browsing through your data you will notice the
image file field listed near the bottom left of the screen.
To display an image file that is listed in the IMAGE file
field simply press <F4> (you can also display an IMAGE and
playback a SOUND file at the same time by pressing <F6>,
see further instructions below under SOUND and VISION)
The screen will go into graphics mode and display the image.
The IMAGE will remain on the screen until you press a key,
then it will clear and return you back to the Search
Information screen. Note that the sample data image included
with the WIZARD is for VGA and Super VGA monitors and cards
only, it will not display if you have a CGA, EGA or
monochrome monitor. The Wizard(c) is capable of displaying
in all graphics modes up to 640x350, 256 color VGA. This
include Hercules Monochrome, CGA, EGA, VGA and Super VGA,
however if an image is saved in a mode that is higher in
resolution than the mode that you have, you will NOT be able
to display it. This means that if you have an EGA monitor
you cannot display VGA images and likewise if you have a CGA
monitor you cannot display an EGA image, however if you have
an VGA monitor you will be able to display any of the
available modes, CGA, EGA, VGA and Hercules Monochrome (if
your card supports the Hercules Mode.)
This field is also where you can enter a valid IMAGE file
that you would like to display with this record. The
PAGE 10
Wizard(c) can display PCX, GIF, TGA, TIF, IFF, LBM, IMG
files. Note that the wizard distinguishes the file type by
looking at the file extension, so you should make sure that
these extensions are correct, see the extension table in the
appendix if you are unsure as to what the extensions are for
each file type. Also see the IMAGES appendix for more
details on IMAGE files.
PLAYING SOUND
-------------
Below the IMAGE file field is the SOUND file field. If there
is a valid SOUND file listed in this field you will be able
to play back that file on your Sound card or Internal Speaker
if you do not have an internal speaker. To playback the
SOUND file press <F5> (you can also playback a SOUND file at
and display an IMAGE file at the same time by pressing <F6>,
see further instructions below under SOUND and VISION).
While the SOUND file is playing back you can press any key on
the keyboard to stop the playback, and return to the Search
Information mode. Note that the current version of The
Wizard is limited to playing back SOUND files that are less
than 64K bytes in size. Future enhancements will allow the
playback of any size SOUND files up to the maximum amount of
memory available on your machine (including Extended and
Expanded memory.)
SOUND AND VISION
----------------
To display an IMAGE and play a SOUND file simultaneously
press the <F6> key. The screen will go into graphics mode
and display the corresponding graphics file, and your SOUND
file will playback on the SOUND system that you have
configured. To stop playback of the SOUND file press any key
on the keyboard. The screen will return to the Search
Information display.
DELETING AN ENTRY
-----------------
The BROWSE/SEARCH/UPDATES/ DELETES selection from the Main
Menu is also used to delete an entry from the database. This
feature is used when you wish to remove unwanted data
records. You first must use the SEARCH function to get the
entry that you wish to delete onto the screen. Next, press
the <DEL> key. A message will then appear on the screen to
DELETE RECORD or NO ACTION. If you do not wish to delete the
record, use the <right/left> arrow key to move the cursor to
NO ACTION and press the <ENTER> key. To delete the record,
leave the cursor on DELETE RECORD and press the <ENTER> key.
The entry will then be marked as deleted at the top left of
the screen. This will not erase the entry immediately, all
the information will still be there. When you are ready to
remove all of your marked DELETED records use the PURGE
DELETED RECORDS option of the UTILITIES menu. By choosing
PAGE 11
this option you will remove all of the records from the
database that you have marked for deletion.
UNDERSTANDING SEARCHING AND SORTING
-----------------------------------
To search for data, enter any form of information that is in
the database. You can search for up to two items of
information at a time.
However to find your information fastest you should always
sort your data first on the fields that you will be doing
searches on, because The Wizard(c) will find sorted data much
faster than it will unsorted data. This doesn't mean that
you need to sort your data every time you are going to do a
search, but if you are going to do alot of searches on a
field or set of fields which is not currently sorted than it
is advisable. Most of the time you will probably want to
view your data sorted by Artist and Title. This will be fine
for most searches, and even for those occasional searches
which are not Artist or Title information.
The first field that is entered in your sort will be the one
that is found the fastest. If you enter a first name and a
last name, it will order all the files or records by first
name, and THEN order by last name. If you enter by last name
only, then it will order all records by the last name. In
other words, when choosing several SORT fields, all records
will adhere to that corresponding sorted order. If you have
not done a SORT first on the information desired, your
information will be found. However, the search will be a bit
slower.
NOTE: SEE SORTING SECTION. You can use the ADVANCED
SELECTION feature along with the SORTING feature, but search
times will be even slower.
SORTING
---------
You use the SORT function to sort your data into the desired
order. When you choose the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option from the
SORTING menu you will be shown a list of all fields in the
database. You will choose from this list which fields you
wish to sort and the order that you would like to sort them
in. You can sort on up to seven fields. If you choose more
than seven you will be warned and sorting will begin with the
first seven you have chosen. Remember that the order that
you select the fields from the menu is the order in which
your data will be sorted; this means that if you choose Title
before Artist from the menu you will see your data in a
totally different order than if you choose Artist then Title!
Select the fields from the menu by pressing <ENTER> when the
lighted bar is on the field. The field will then have a
check mark appear next to it on the left side. If you select
PAGE 12
it again by pressing <ENTER>, the check mark will disappear
and this field will not be included in the current sort.
After you have selected all of the fields that you'd like to
include in the sort press <F10>. The Wizard(c) will then
begin to sort your data and will display a bar in a window
telling you how much of your data has been sorted by
percentage. After the sort is finished it will display your
sort conditions at the bottom of the screen. Keep in mind
that the sort order displayed is in order sequence. This
means that if the bottom of the screen shows
MUSIC_TYPE+FORMAT, your data is sorted first alphabetically
by Music Type and then alphabetically by FORMAT.
Now when you browse through your data using the BROWSE/SEARCH
option your data will appear in the new sorted order.
Please keep in mind that The Wizard(c) will find sorted
information faster than unsorted information. If you are
planning on doing several sorts using different fields than
those that you currently sorted under, you should sort under
those fields.
QUERY BUILDER
-------------
The QUERY BUILDING function lets you view only specific
entries from your database in which you set the conditions.
After you have built a query this query will be applied to
your data and it will affect the data that is displayed when
you do a browse until you disable the query! It will also
slow down your BROWSING operations, but it lets you be very
specific as to the data you wish to view.
Select the ENABLE QUERY BUILDER selection under the SORTING
menu and press ENTER. A new screen will appear, [ONLINE
QUERY BUILDER]. A QUERY is a set of conditions to be met
when selecting records from a database. Some examples are
all data that has the FORMAT Cassette, or all data on the
artist The Beatles with a VALUE of more than $10.00.
[BUILD A NEW QUERY ]
Select [BUILD A NEW QUERY] from the list of options. You
will then be prompted to pick a field or fields that you wish
to use. Let's use our example above. Use the up/down arrow
key to select FORMAT and press ENTER. You will now have to
pick an operation. We will select S (SOUNDS LIKE) because it
will find all data that is similar to the value you choose
even if the spelling doesn't match or if part of the field is
lower case and another part of the field is upper case.
If you choose = (EQUAL TO), it will only find the exact
information. You must now enter a CHARACTER or A VALUE TO
COMPARE. Enter the word "Cassette". We can stop now and
apply this query by selecting DONE and pressing ENTER. To be
more selective, you can enter additional information for
PAGE 13
example let's enter Artist S (SOUNDS LIKE) "Rolling Stones,
The", note that you it is a good idea to enter the group name
followed by The rather than The first, this way you will be
able to search your data easier. Now we can select DONE from
the menu and this query will be applied to our data. But
before we do this we might want to save this query so we can
call it up again later without having to retype it. To do
this we will select [SAVE QUERY TO DISK] and type in a name
for the new query, then press <ENTER>.
Select QUIT from the ONLINE QUERY BUILDER to Enable your
Query selection. Now you can view the records which match
your query with the BROWSE/SEARCH selection in the MUSIC DATA
menu.
NOTE: we could also use the CHOOSE SORT ORDER option to put
the data in the query in alphabetical order or whatever order
you wish. Just repeat the instructions for sorting at this
time.
OTHER QUERY BUILDER FUNCTIONS
-----------------------------
[RESTORE QUERY FROM DISK]
Choose RESTORE QUERY FROM DISK and press ENTER. You will now
have a list of queries that you have saved to select from.
Use the up/down arrow keys to select the desired query you
wish to use and press <ENTER>. The query will then be
displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Once you have restored a QUERY from the disk, you can edit
the query to correct any errors that may be in the query by
selecting EDITING CURRENT QUERY. The QUERY will appear in
the EDIT QUERY box. You can use your right/left arrow keys
to the position you wish to make any changes. When finished,
press <ENTER> and you will be prompted as to whether you wish
to save the query or not.
[ADD TO CURRENT QUERY]
If you wish to add something to a QUERY, restore the query
from the disk and select ADD TO CURRENT QUERY. You may now
select AND or any other option and continue on with the
instructions for building a new query. Select DONE when you
are finished.
PAGE 14
[COUNT NUMBER RECORDS WHICH MATCH QUERY]
Once you have selected "DONE" and your query is complete or
you have selected a query from disk you can select COUNT
NUMBER RECORDS WHICH MATCH CURRENT QUERY and press <ENTER>
to count the number of matches from the database that match
the query that you have entered. You can use this as a
testing method to ensure that the query you entered is
correct.
[VIEW RECORDS WHICH MATCH CURRENT QUERY]
To view the matches that match the query, select [VIEW
RECORDS WHICH MATCH CURRENT QUERY] and press ENTER. This view
of your records will be in a tabular format, which is not
very appealing, or easy to read. It is much easier on the
eye to view your records from the BROWSE/SEARCH option of the
MUSIC DATA Menu, however this option could be used as a
check to make sure that your query is selecting the records
that you desired, before you actually exit the query builder.
When using the tabular format, to go on to the next match
press <N>, to look at the other fields in the record use the
<up/down> arrow keys, to quit viewing matches press <Q>.
After you have built a QUERY and choose QUIT, you can view
your records through the CLIENTS UPDATES/DELETIONS selection
or you can print a list of the records from the QUICK
REPORTS option of the PRINTER menu. See the sections on
QUICK REPORTS and BROWSE/SEARCH for more information.
[REMOVE EXISTING QUERY]
If you need to change your query and start over you can
select this option to remove your query from the bottom query
display of the screen and to erase your current query. If
you have not SAVED YOUR QUERY TO DISK, your QUERY will be
erased. If you did save the QUERY, it will only remove the
displayed query as the CURRENT QUERY and these conditions
will not be used when locating a record. The QUERY will
still be on the disk.
DISABLE PREVIOUS QUERY
----------------------
You can select this option from the SORTING menu of The
Wizard(c) to disable any existing query which may currently
be active. After disabling an existing query you will be
able to view all of the records in your database again.
PAGE 15
EDIT/DELETE QUERY TITLES
-------------------------
This option allows you to choose a QUERY TITLE to EDIT OR
DELETE. Select EDIT/DELETE QUERY TITLE from the SORTING menu
and press <ENTER>. Use the <up/down> arrow to get to the
desired title and press <ENTER>. You will now be prompted to
enter in a new description. To delete, remove all the
characters from the TITLE box by using the <Delete> key or
the space bar, and press <ENTER>. This will delete the title
and the query from the disk. Pressing ESC (ESCAPE) will take
you back to the MAIN MENU. You can also change any of your
query title names by changing the text as desired and
pressing <ENTER>
QUICK REPORTS
-------------
By selecting QUICK REPORTS from the PRINTER menu, you will be
allowed to view or print the records in your database in any
order that you desire. These records can match all of the
records, QUERY RECORDS, or records that you tag within the
QUICK REPORT option (TAGGED RECORDS).
When you select QUICK REPORTS and press ENTER, a new screen
will appear which is the [LIST BUILDER]. You may now select
certain fields of information in the record you wish to view
or print.
Select PICK FIELDS TO LIST and press <ENTER>. You will now
see a list of the fields in the database. You can use your
<up/down> arrow keys to select each field and press ENTER for
each field that you want to list. After you have selected
all your fields that you want to list press <F10>.
The CURRENT FIELDS TO LIST that you have chosen will be at
the bottom of the screen. If you wish to add to the list
after you have pressed <F10>, you can select [MODIFY FIELDS
TO LIST] and enter what you want to add in the same order as
above. If you re-select a field you have already picked you
will delete or unselect that field from the LIST. Also be
aware of the columns required to print this list display in
the bottom right of your screen. This tells you how many
columns are required to print this report.
[PRINTING OR VIEWING LIST]
After you have selected all your fields you may now select
OUTPUT FIELDS TO LIST to generate a screen, printer, or text
file output list. You will be asked if you want to send this
information to the PRINTER, TEXT FILE, or SCREEN. If you do
not wish to have a printed report you can select screen or
file. If you do wish a printed report you can select
printer.
You will now be asked what RECORD SELECTION you want. You
have three choices, ALL RECORDS, QUERY MATCHES, or TAGGED
RECORDS. ALL RECORDS selects all records in the database.
QUERY MATCHES selects all records in your CURRENT QUERY or
you may build a NEW QUERY at this time. Notice in the right-
hand side of the screen you will see either NO QUERY, which
PAGE 16
means there is no ACTIVE QUERY. In this case, you will need
to build a QUERY and will be prompted to do so. Or you will
see QUERY ACTIVE letting you know that there is an ACTIVE
QUERY. In this case, the screen will ask if you want to
modify the QUERY or keep it as is. By selecting YES, you are
back to the ONLINE QUERY BUILDER and can follow the
instructions under QUERY BUILDER. [TAGGED RECORDS] will
reveal a list of records to TAG. When a query is active only
the records those query records in the QUERY will appear on
the screen. If you do not have an ACTIVE QUERY, then all
records will appear for you to choose from. Simply use the
up/down arrow key to the desired record, and press the SPACE
bar. This will TAG the record for you. When you are
finished simply press ESC (ESCAPE).
After you have chosen the records you wish to print, you will
be prompted as to the MAXIMUM LINE LENGTH TO PRINT, SPACES
BETWEEN COLUMNS, AND MAXIMUM RECORDS TO PRINT. If you wish
to make any changes, you may do so. If the VALUES are ok,
press ENTER for each field. NOTE: standard printer width is
80 characters and compressed width is 132 characters. Keep
this in mind as well as the fact that if you selected PRINT,
you will get a printed report and your maximum columns which
appears in the MAXIMUM LINE LENGTH TO PRINT should NOT exceed
the maximum number of characters for your printer. If you
selected SCREEN, a list of the records will appear on the
screen for you to view. In either case, you will want to
press ENTER for YES to view or print those records now.
If you don't want to view or print them now select NO.
[SAVING LIST TO DISK]
If you wish to save your LIST TO DISK for future use, select
SAVE LIST DEFINITION TO DISK and press ENTER. You will be
asked for a description of this list. You can ENTER a brief
description of what the list was used for to help you to
remember.
[RESTORE LIST FROM DISK]
To restore a saved list from the disk, you may select [
RESTORE LIST DEFINITION FROM DISK]. A menu with different
descriptions of your saved lists will appear, and you can use
your <up/down> arrow keys to move to the desired list and
press <ENTER>. This will place the desired list in the
CURRENT FIELDS TO LIST at the bottom of the screen, and allow
you to print, or view this list by using the previous
described commands.
EDIT/DELETE REPORT TITLES
-------------------------
This option allows you to choose a REPORT TITLE to EDIT OR
DELETE. Select EDIT/DELETE REPORT TITLES from the PRINTER
menu and press ENTER. Use the <up/down> arrow to get to the
desired title and press <ENTER>. You will now be prompted to
PAGE 17
enter in a new description. To delete, remove all the
characters from the TITLE box by using the <Delete> key or
the <space bar>, and press <ENTER>. This will delete the
title and the report. Pressing <Esc> will take you back to
the MAIN MENU. You can also change any of your report title
names by changing the text as desired and pressing <ENTER>.
CREATE LABELS
-------------
This feature will allow you to create custom labels that you
can use to mark your data. Select the option CREATE LABELS
under the printer menu and press ENTER.
[CREATE NEW LABEL FILE]
To create a new label file select [CREATE NEW LABEL FILE]
under the label file menu and press [Enter]. You will now be
asked to name your label file. You will notice that once you
select the name and press [Enter] the file name will appear
at the bottom of the screen.
[SELECT A LABEL FILE]
Choose [SELECT LABEL FILE] from the label file menu and use
your <up/down> arrow to select a label definition file and
press <Enter>. This label file will then appear at the
bottom of the screen.
[MODIFICATIONS]
To layout the label you will select CONTENTS under the
modifications menu. This will let you enter the field names
in whatever order you want them to appear on the label.
You will use the same procedure for the field picklist that
you did with the FORM LETTERS SECTION. You can enter in the
Artist and Format on line one, don't forget to space between
them. You will notice the space will be inside single
quotes. That is because anything that is not a fieldname
MUST be inside single quotes. The Wizard(c) will only print
the spaces or text you enter inside quotes as text. Anything
that is not inside of quotes will be printed as a field name!
[DIMENSIONS]
After you have entered in all fields you want you need to
choose the size of label you want to use. Select [DIMENSIONS]
from the modifications menu and press <Enter>. This option
will allow you to choose the height and width of your
labels. It is already set for three standard types:
1.) STANDARD - Used for small return address labels.
2.) LARGE - Used for large Avery labels.
PAGE 18
3.) CHESHIRE - Used for small return labels with three
across.
You can use the right/left arrow to select what size and
press <Enter>. If you need to edit any of the dimensions
choose edit and press <Enter>. You can now make any changes.
After you have selected the dimensions you want select QUIT
and press <Enter>.
[SELECT RECORDS]
Before you print your labels you need to TAG the records you
wish to print. You will need to pick [SELECT RECORDS] TO
PRINT] from the printing menu. Keep in mind that if you have
an ACTIVE QUERY only those records will be shown, otherwise,
all records will be shown. You may TAG these records with
the same procedure that you used for the FORM LETTERS.
[PRINT LABELS]
After you have tagged the records select [PRINT LABELS] from
the printing menu and press <Enter>. You will now be asked
if you want to print the tagged records. Select YES. You
will then need to select BEGINNING RECORD and tell the
printer the maximum number of records to print.
[TEST PATTERN]
You can select [TEST PATTERN] to make sure that your printing
will be aligned correctly on your labels.
[QUIT]
Select this option when you are finished and press <Enter>.
You will then return to the MAIN MENU.
CONFIGURE
---------
The configure options will allow you to configure directories
where you want to store your IMAGE and SOUND files. It will
also allow you to configure the SOUND system that you will be
using.
DISPLAY CURRENT CONFIGURATION
-----------------------------
This option will display your current configuration, telling
you which directories you have currently configured to read
IMAGE and SOUND files in and which SOUND system you will be
using. You should be aware that the current configuration
will not be retained unless you choose the SAVE CONFIGURATION
option of the menu. Therefore if you make changes and you
would like them to be used every time that you run The
Wizard(c) then you should save them through the SAVE option,
however if you want to temporarily choose a new SOUND or
PAGE 19
IMAGE directory you can do that for your current session
without affecting your saved configuration.
SOUND CONFIGURATION
-------------------
This option allows you to choose which SOUND system you will
be using and which directory should be used by The Wizard(c)
to read SOUND files.
SELECT SOUND CARD
-----------------
Choose the SELECT SOUND CARD option to configure your sound
system. You will be prompted with a list of currently
supported sound cards. The Wizard(c) will continue to add
new sound cards support in the future, including Disney Sound
Source and Silicon Shack Sound Cards. If you do not
currently have a sound card you can still playback Covox
SOUND files by choosing the Internal Speaker option. If you
have selected a sound card you will be prompted for other
specific information required for each card. This
information can be attained from your individual sound card
manuals, please refer to the manual for your sound card.
Note that default card selections will be indicated on the
menus. After you have selected all of the options for your
card you will be returned to the Main Menu. If an error
occurs while attempting to select your sound card, you must
try selecting it again. If you do not select a valid sound
card you will not be able to play back any sound files. Note
that even if you don't have a SOUND card you can choose
Internal Speaker and still hear the SOUND files, though the
quality will not be as good as with a Sound card. But this
is an excellent way for you to trade SOUND files with friends
allowing them to hear your SOUND files even if they don't
have a sound card! Note that future enhancements of The
Wizard(c) will feature much improved Internal Speaker sound
quality. For more information on Sound Cards and Internal
Speaker modifications see Appendix 3 and 4 on page 23, 24.
SELECT SOUND DIRECTORY
----------------------
This option allows you to choose which directory will be used
by The Wizard(c) to read SOUND files from. After choosing
this option you will be prompted for a directory name. You
must enter a valid directory name (see DOS manual) including
a drive name if required, for example to instruct The
Wizard(c) to read SOUND files from drive A in directory ROCK,
enter 'A:\ROCK', to use the currently active drive just enter
the directory name, ie. '\WIZARD\MUSIC\'. If you are unsure
about the directories on your machine press <F5> to get a
list of valid drives and directories available on your
machine. Pressing <F5> will first prompt you to choose a
drive. Choose a drive by using the <right/left> arrow keys
PAGE 20
and then pressing <Enter>. Now the program will read all of
the directories on the drive you selected and display a menu
of those directories. You can choose the directory that you
want to use for your SOUND directory from this menu by using
the arrow keys, and pressing <Enter> to select a directory.
IMAGE CONFIGURATION
-------------------
This option is used to let you tell The Wizard(c) where you
would like to store your IMAGE files. Choose this option
from the CONFIGURE menu and then follow the directions listed
above for SELECT SOUND DIRECTORY to instruct The Wizard(c) as
to where your IMAGE files are located at.
UTILITIES
---------
ENTER DEFAULTS
Entering defaults will let you enter default information
into the fields you specify. This default information will
then appear automatically in the fields that you specify
information for, every time that you choose to enter new
data. This default information can be typed over while you
are entering new data so it is recommended that if you are
entering the same data for a certain field quite often then
you should enter it as default information. By selecting
ENTER DEFAULTS and pressing ENTER, you will have a blank
default data information screen, which is identical to the
Data Entry screen displayed when you ENTER NEW MUSIC.
You can enter in any information in these fields and they
will show up on your ENTER NEW MUSIC screen automatically
when you are entering new data. For example, if the majority
of your entries are CD's you should enter CD in the default
data FORMAT field. Now every time that you ENTER NEW MUSIC
this default information 'CD' will appear and you won't have
to re-type it every time. You can also type over this
information. Defaults save time in entering repetitive
information.
RE-INDEX FILES
--------------
If you are having problems with sorting or searching for
information you can select RE-INDEX FILES. This will re-
index all your files to eliminate further problems.
CUSTOMIZE COLORS
----------------
This option will let you customize any of the colors and
menus of The Wizard(c). This option only works if you have a
color monitor! You can change any color that is displayed
except for the Error messages which always appear as White
PAGE 21
text on a Red background (sorry but that's a standard in my
book.)
PURGE DELETED RECORDS
---------------------
This function is used to remove all records that you have
marked DELETED while using the record search option, or while
browsing. You simply choose PURGE DELETED CLIENTS and press
ENTER. The screen will let you know it is removing the
deleted records and will then return to the MAIN MENU when
finished.
QUIT
----
To get out of the database simply select QUIT and press
ENTER.
INFO
----
To know more info about The Wizard(c) or how to get technical
information or where to send any questions or comments select
this option from the QUIT Menu and press ENTER.
PAGE 22
APPENDIX 1. IMAGE FILES AND THEIR EXTENSIONS
The following IMAGE files can be displayed with The Wizard(c)
Extension File type
------------------------------------------------------------
.PCX PC Paintbrush
.GIF Graphics Interchange Format (Compuserve)
.TIF Aldus/Microsoft/HP
.IMG GEM
.TGA Targa (8 bit only)
.IFF Amiga
.LBM Electronic Arts
APPENDIX 2. HOW CAN I GET MY OWN IMAGES INTO WIZARD?
To do this I'd recommend the product Computer Eyes, however
you can also use hand scanners or full page scanners to
create IMAGE files. Computer Eyes Professional will create
images by connecting it to a video camera. Once you have
created an IMAGE file put in your IMAGE File directory (as
you configured it for The Wizard(c)) and then when entering
the database record it pertains to, enter it as the IMAGE
File name. Now when you browse and press <F4>, there's your
image in graphics mode on the screen. (Note The Wizard
supports up to 640x480 resolution, 256 Colors)
If you need images digitized, SuperSoft has this service
available and will digitize an image for you (up to 640x480
resolution, 256 colors). The cost is $5.00 per image. For
ordering info see the order form. The best file type to use
is GIF in MCGA mode 320x200 256 colors creates an IMAGE file
that is about 25K bytes per image.
APPENDIX 3. HOW CAN I GET MY MUSIC/SOUNDS INTO THE WIZARD
Use a sound card or have it digitized from SuperSoft.
SuperSoft charges $4.00 per digitized sound. For ordering
info see the order form.
There are several sound cards available on the market which
allow you to digitally record your own music/sounds. So far
The Wizard(c) supports Sound Blaster (Creative Labs Inc.) and
Sound Master II (Covox Inc.). More cards will be supported
with future releases. After you have used a Sound card to
save your Digitized SOUND file, put it in your SOUND file
directory (as configured in The Wizard), enter it in the
SOUND file field for the data record that it pertains to.
Now when you browse your data press <F5> to hear your SOUND
file. A good sampling rate that conserves space is around
7500K Hz, and a good compression ratio to use is 3 bit or
2.6 bit. This yields about a 40K byte file for 20 seconds of
digitized sound.
PAGE 23
APPENDIX 4. HOW TO MAKE AN INTERNAL SPEAKER SOUND BETTER.
There are a few options for those of you with internal
speakers only. You can wire in an external speaker directly
to your mother board. To do this ask the folks at Radio
Shack or any local computer hardware supply store for help,
this is fairly cheap ($10-$15). Another option is a kit from
Gwalias Enterprises Inc. Their Sound-Off kit allows you to
control the volume of your internal speaker or connect an
ear-phone (head phones) to listen to your internal speaker!
It's list price is a mere $18.79 and it can be plugged into
a slot without doing any wiring. The kit is available from
Gwalia Enterprises Inc.
31-474 Southdale Rd. E
London, Ontario N6E-1A4
CANADA
Appendix 5. CONTACT INFORMATION
Contact information:
Send all questions, answers, comments, wishes, errors, bugs
to: SuperSoft
P.O. Box 43528
Phoenix, AZ 85O8O-3528
USA
Or leave me a message on Compuserve. My User ID is 70642,3220
Or leave me a message on EXEC-PC BBS
PAGE 24
Registration information:
To order send $40.00 and the following page to the address
listed above, or send $50.00 to receive the current version
and the next released version, when it is ready.
Please register me for ____ copies of The Wizard(c) at $40.00 each,
send me ____ copies of The Wizard(c) and the next release for $50.00
each.
Send me The Wizard(c) in the following disk format _____________.
I got my Unregistered version of The Wizard(c) from _________________.
Here's my address information:
Name: ___________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________
City: __________________________ State: ____ Zip:_______
I intend on using The Wizard the most for ____________________
My most favorite Wizard feature is _______________________
My LEAST favorite Wizard feature is ______________________
What I'd like to see added to Wizard _____________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
PAGE 25
