ABASE Updates ============= NOTICE - There are many updates at first as every time a bug is announced, I try and fix it. Update history (latest first) * indicates bug fix 1.34+ TBA Coming attractions: Note that these are not for definite but work is in progress on these additions: FULL AUTO RESUME - ABase will automatically resume where you left off when you Quit it! SPEEDMODE - Reduce ABase screen to 2 colours for TURBOCHARGED update. TINYPIC - NEW FIELD TYPE : Displays a monochrome version of the current picture. EXEC - NEW FIELD TYPE : Creates a CLI execute button. 1.33 New button set in bottom left of screen. The three tiny buttons indicate the following: K - Database has a key field C - Database is CODED (Encrypted) F - Currently using Filter *Bug in key field EDIT fixed. ABase now replaces the edited record in the correct place. When dragging fields, you can now choose for ABase to highlight the rest of the fields - thus allowing you to see the positions of the fields. May be turned off on preferences window. Base now remembers where you were in a database when you quit, and also remembers whether you were in table or form mode. (Remember Last - CONFIG). Calculation of database length is now calculated on DATABASE INFO window. AMAZING SUPER ADDITION : You may now flag a THREE button requester. Note that abase does not use these within the program yet, but they can be called from ARexx!. 2 Button positions BUTTON 1 BUTTON 3 3 Button positions BUTTON 1 BUTTON 2 BUTTON 3 1.32 12 Feb 1993 *Bug fixed in INSERT RECORD routine. 1.31 used to overwrite the current one instead of inserting! Logo changed on the ABOUT ABASE request box - new "1993" Euro Logo?!? B-) Export data to WORDWORTH added. Note that extensive beta testing is required for this routine so it may not work correctly in this incarnation. Insert/Delete record options speed increased when using encrypted databases. 1.31 18 Jan 1993 You can now choose whether to encrypt a database or not. Automatic detection of encrypted data is performed. *A slight bug in the password encryption and logging in routine fixed - caused the password to occasionally be encrypted TWICE!. Also, occasionally the manager password was repeated three times, in place of the two other passwords. 1.3 16 Jan 1993 NEW YEAR FIRST EDITION ENCRYPTION OF DATA ADDED! You may now choose to encrypt the database data, and the passwords. Note that an encrypted database is not as quick to access as a vanilla database file, but is highly secure from hacking. 1.23 25 Dec 1992 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Slideshow made more flexible. Note that typing 0 in the wait for ? seconds box will wait until the mouse button is pressed. ABase logo changed EVERSO EVERSO slightly. A now has a 'flick' on the tail. You can now edit fields in table mode!! (but not TINYTABLE or TRUNCATED). ABase modular programming tidied up generally, thus resulting in slightly faster run speed. Flicker (hopefully) removed from some gadgets. ABase now AUTOVALIDATES a database, making database doctor useless!. Should ABase have trouble reading the last record in a database, it will automatically force a validation on the database, fixing the problem. Note that the last record will probably go missing. 1.22 19 Dec 1992 *Field amendment fixed - the required gadget toggled incorrectly. Turbosort made even faster!. Note that due to the amazing speed of this routine, the mouse pointer animated hourglass may skip frames occasionally. This is perfectly normal and is due to the excessive processor usage of the subroutine. You can choose whether to show the field title or not. Note that when the title is not displayed, you can still position the field using a "DEAD ZONE" to the left of the field, approx 2" wide (on a 14" monitor!). You can now move through the database using the joystick!!. Fire toggles table/form display - pointless, but someone suggested it! Error trapping increased to trap for corruption in the database. If corruption is found, the database is closed IMMEDIATELY and tagged with an in-file marker saying it is corrupt. To repair it, simply run DATABASE DOCTOR on the database. 1.21 10 Dec 1992 *Major bug fix - discovered at computer club. When closing a shadow database, a bug caused the key field to remain in RAM: and cause MAJOR problems during opening of a future database - provided the new database was smaller than the one closed. FIXED *Problem on some old A500's caused the mouse pointer to disappear. *A slight problem with my hard drive caused the sprites and icons file to go missing, thus forcing me to replace it with an older version. Unfortunately, on 1.2, the disk pointer and the printing mouse pointer didn't appear. This was due to a slight problem with the number of colours in each of the images (the mouse pointer MUST be 4, the images had 16!). 1.2 9 Dec 1992 Notice: The finished 1.2 update seemed to crash a lot, so I increased the buffer space. This seems to have fixed the problem but if you get any GURU MEDITATIONS (software errors), please report them. SHADOW DATABASE - MAJOR ADDITION Checking the "Export Matches" box in the define search window creates a "shadow database" which co-exists with the physical one. This database contains all the records which match the aforementioned search, and can be toggled between using the "Toggle filter" menu option. KEY FIELDS! - MAJOR ADDITION New buttons added to icon bar (view key field and toggle form/list view). *Whoops, perhaps if you tried to exit printing you will have noticed that holding down both mouse buttons did a hell of a lot!. Oh well, sorry about that minor omission!. It now terminates printing like it should do. *The mouse now auto repeats during table mode (allowing you to hold the mouse button down over the icons and fast forward/rewind). Note that users of a vanilla 68000/68010 Amiga may find this option useless. YIPEE - You can now edit a field definition after creation!!! YEAH!!!!! Delete database option added to FILE menu. Note that you can only delete protected databases if you know the highest grade password. Picture fields now have an icon at the left hand side of the button (a little landscape picture!). Holding on the picture icon drags the button, holding on the button text changes the picture name. *MAJOR WHOOPS - I totally forgot privilige checking when trying to delete a field - so a grade 1 (der) user could DELETE A DATABASE FIELD! Configuration can now not be changed at all by USERs, Changed but not saved by EDITORs, and Changed and Saved by MANAGERS. (3 password levels that it!) You can now log on as a grade 3/2 user and drop down the levels. This is useful if say, you log on with the grade 3 password, and want to let your friend VIEW the database. You simply use the DATABASE>>DROP A LEVEL menu option twice to drop your access from 3 to 2 then to 1. 1.11 1 Dec 1992 *Numbers fixed - when input initially into a field, all was OK. but when the number field was amended, and a new value typed in, ABase used to place a space at the start, losing the last D.P, and wreaking havoc with the multi pass sort routine. No more, now, anyway! *Whoops, I removed the "SLOW BUBBLESORT" and forgot to remove it's option from the configuration window. Silly me!. Gone :-) and forgotten! Buttons and requestor boxes given a better closer WB2 look. Multiple add feature (Right mouse on " + " icon). Database info enhanced Database CREATE/SETTINGS menu item split into two. Editing of text items (fields, buttons etc) made easier. Mouse button now has same effect as pressing . Auto swap "THE". When a field is typed in starting with 'THE', the program automatically switches it to the end of the field. EG. "The Lord Of The Rings" becomes "Lord Of The Rings,The". Note that there is no space after the comma as although this is the practice in wordprocessing, it has not generally been accepted in database creation. 1.1 28 Nov 1992 - Released to Crazy Joes. FIRST MAJOR RELEASE Printing VERY GREATLY enhanced. *String error fixed (again!) Rotator buttons added to ABase Image Creation system. (Techno Jargon). ABASE NOW ON TWO DISKS DUE TO SIZE! 1.02d 26 Nov 1992 **URGENT BUG FIX FROM 1.01d - Not released *String error fixed Printing added - but not in demo version 1.01d 25 Nov 1992 - Released to SYPCG *Menu bar on WB1.3 should now look correct (use TOPAZ 8 instead of TOPAZ 9). Colour palette in Preferences window added. 1.0d 21 Nov 1992 - Not yet released Release version of 0.99e. No changes from 0.99e Versions are now dated ^^^ 0.99e - released to ß testers ARexx CAPTURE menu option removed - ABase now listens to ARexx all the time Screen update speed on FF/REW increased 4 fold (68000), 25 fold (68030) ARexx commands added : QUERY, STRING, LETBE, TELLME 0.99d Query function added Auto capitalise added 0.99c - result of reports back on ß test version * Databases worked in RAM now save correctly * Multitasks properly * Now flips to ABase to display ARexx error requester 0.99b - ß test Tiny form added ARexx commands added : NEXT PREV FIRST LAST and all others 0.99 Tidied and compiled ready for release and then AMOS PROFESSIONAL was slipped out and so I decided not to release yet and to add an ARexx interface. Also, a few suggestions were to be implimented. 0.35 Table view added 0.34 Picture fields added Rotator fields added Program name changed from MIGABASE to ABase. 0.20 and previous This was when it was not thought that ABase would ever be made public and so changes were not logged.