My address is: Mark M Forrester, 9 Tayview Road, Liff, Dundee, Scotland, DD2 5PE Software Lister v1.5 (c) 1992 Mark M Forrester. User Guide. Contents. Item. 1. Shareware Notice. 2. Introduction. 3. Menu Items. 4. Conclusion. 1. Shareware Notice. This Program is SHAREWARE. If you like and use the program please send £2 to the address found in this file. If this is done you will be added to my registration list regarding future versions or projects. Please send critical evaluations, bugs, improvements e.t.c. to the same address. All mail will be answered. Thank you very much. 2. Introduction. The purpose of this program is not to be the best database program in the world but to be a ready made database for a specific purpose. Since everyone who will use this program will have some kind of software collection it should be of use. As the program is a purpose built database it is ready to use for the intended purpose immediatly. No setting up is needed. Simply load and use the program. Hopefully you will enjoy and use the program. Thank you. 3. Menu Items. Next follows a descriptions of all the options available through the menu bar. Each item will be described in detail showing what it does and how to to it. First of all a brief summary of how to use the menus. Once the program has loaded and run the four menus may be highlighted by pressing and holding the RIGHT mouse button. Now, when you place the cursor over the name of the menu all the options avalable from that menu will be displayed. To select one of the options simply move the cursor down the menu until the desired function is highlighted. The option will be selected when you release the right mouse button. 3.1 Project Menu. All the following items are in the project section of the menus. 3.1.1 New. This command is used to create a new file on the disk ready for use. Beware, any existing data entered into memory will be erased when using this option. When selected you will be prompted for a file name. The file name must be just a name (i.e. no path). The file which is created will be in the current directory. 3.1.2 Open. Used to load an existing file from the current directory. The user will be prompted for the name of the file to be opened. Again it must contain no path information. Once the file name is entered the specified file will be loaded into memory. If the file is not on the disk (i.e. not in the current directory) a file not found error will occur. 3.1.3 Save. Allows you to save you're list onto disk. You must have either just created a file or opened an old file for this to work, as it simply writes the data in the memory to disk with the current file name. If this is done without previously opening or creating a file don't panic. The data will be automatically saved into a file called 'default' which will appear in the current directory (:files if not changed). 3.1.4 Save As. Used to allow the user to save the current list as a file anywhere on the system. When selected you will be prompted for a filename. With this filename you MUST specify the path of the desired directory as well as the name. For example: df1:backup/games-list And NOT: games-list If the second of the above examples is used the file will be saved in 'df0:'. 3.1.4 Directory. This command allows you to display a list of all the files in the current directory. When the option is chosen the list of files is displayed on the screen. 3.1.5 Change Dir. Used to allow the user to change directories in the disk system. Simply select from the menu and the current directory path will be displayed and the new directory asked for. At this point you must type in the full path name of the directory you wish to use. NOTE : Do NOT put a '/' at the end of the directory name. This is done by the software. The normal AmigaDos changing directory commands are true for use with this option (e.g. `/` for go back one dir). 3.1.6 Rename. Allows you to change the name of a file in the current directory. When selected the user will be asked to enter the old then the new file names. If the old file is currently not found on the disk an error will result, otherwise the file will be renamed. 3.1.7 Delete. Lets the user remove a file from the current directory of the disk. Simply type in the name of the file when prompted. If the file exists it will be deleted otherwise an error will occur. 3.1.8 About. Displays the name and version of the program and also the name of the programmer. 3.1.9 Quit. Used to exit from the program. When selected any unsaved file currently in memory will be lost and the user will be returned to the workbench. 3.2 Data. All the options in this menu concern changing the data currently held in memory. Data may be added, deleted or amended. 3.2.1 Add A Record. Allows the user to add a single record to the current memory contents. When selected the user will be prompted for all the details about the peice of software. After the name is typed in the program checks to see if the record already exists. If not the program will continue otherwise an error will occur. Once all the data has been entered the record will be inserted into it's correct position in the file. The file is alphabetically sorted on the NAME field. 3.2.2 Add Number Of Records. Similar to the add a record option except it allows the user to specify how many records will be added at once. Before any data about the software is entered the user will be prompted for the number of records they wish to add. Once this is entered the user will then be requested for the data about each software item until the specified number of records are added. As before, after each record is added it will be inserted into the correct position in the list. 3.2.3 Delete A Record. Lets you delete a record from the list. When selected the you will be prompted for the name of the software item to remove from the list. Once entered the record will be deleted from the list. 3.2.4 Amend A Record. Allows you to change a field in a record which already exists. The user will be prompted for the name of the software item which needs amended. Once the name has been entered the record will be displayed on the sceen along with a letter A, B, C or D next to each field. You will then be prompted to eneted which field to amend. Simply type A, B, C or D. You will than be asked to type in the new data for that field. If the name field is changed it will be repositioned in the list to ne correct place. NOTE: After data hs been alteded with any of these options you must remember to save the file or all amendments will be lost when the program is quit. 3.3 Display. All commands in this section are used to display the data in the memory in different ways. 3.3.1 Display A Record. Allows the user to display a record on the screen. Simply type the name of the item to be displayed when prompted. The record will then be displayed on the screen. 3.3.2 Dsiplay All Records. Lets you display all the records currently in memory onto the screen. When selected the first record will be displayed. Tehn when the LEFT mouse button is pressed (or any key except 'Q') the next record will be displayed. If 'Q' is pressed the command will be terminated. 3.3.3 Display On Producer. Allows the user to display all the items in the list which were made by a specified producer. Select the option and you will be prompted for a producer. Once entered a list of all the software items made by that producer will be listed onto the screen. 3.3.3 Display On Type. Displays a list of a specified software type onto the screen. A type is prompted for and once entered a list of all software of that type is listed. For example, a list of games: Shoot Em Up, Platform, e.t.c. Utilties: Text Editor, Copier, e.t.c. 3.3.4 Display List. Displays a complete list of all software currently in memory onto the screen. By selecting the option from the menu a list will be automatically displayed. 3.4 Print. All items in this menu are exactly the same as their 'display' counterparts except that the output is directed to the printer as opposed to the screen. All output will be paginated according to normal A4 or 11 inch paper. NOTE: Should you require to use a different printer driver than the one on this disk simply copy it into 'devs/printers' directory of this disk and set the printer using the preferences tool (details of how to do this are in the introduction manual supplied with the Amiga). 4. Conclustion. Well that's about it. Sorry the instructions are a little sparse but I'll probably update them with a later release. As I have said before, if you have any problems don't hesitate to contact me at the address I am about to give as all mail will be answered. If you copy this program onto another disk please ensure that this document file is copied along with it. Thank you for taking the time to read this file. My address is: Mark M Forrester, 9 Tayview Road, Liff, Dundee, Scotland, DD2 5PE Please support shareware programmers! Thanks again, I look forward to hearing from you.