PopDBF (tm) "Instant Access to X-Base Files" Version 4.0 User's Manual _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------ | O___|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| O | Professionals -----| | |-------------------- |___|___| MEMBER Copyright (c) 1989-1991 Bowen Software, All Rights Reserved PopDBF User's Manual Table of Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1 Overview of PopDBF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.2 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.3 Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.4 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.4.1 How to Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.4.2 Registration Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.5 What is "Shareware" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.6 ASP Ombudsman Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.7 Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 1.8 Trademark Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1.9 License Agreement, Disclaimer and Warranty . . . . . 9 1.9.1 Shareware Version License . . . . . . . . . . 9 1.9.2 Registered Version License . . . . . . . . . . 10 1.9.3 Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2.1 Installing PopDBF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2.2 Executing PopDBF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2.2.1 Running PopDBF in Memory Resident Mode . . . . 11 2.2.2 Running PopDBF in Non-Resident Mode . . . . . 12 2.3 Modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT to Load PopDBF . . . . . . . . 12 2.4 Removing PopDBF from Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 2.5 How to Invoke PopDBF (Using the "Hotkey") . . . . . . 13 2.6 Command Line Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 /A Default action . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 /C Color scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 /D Initial PopDBF Directory . . . . . . . 14 /E Edit buffer of size bytes . . . . . . 14 /F Maximum of num fields . . . . . . . . 15 /G Maximum of num files . . . . . . . . . 15 /H Command line syntax and options . . . 16 /I Ignore hotkey, toggles on and off . . 16 /L Directory where master .FRQ file is located . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 /[!]P[file] Use "Pass-Thru" non-resident mode . . 16 /R Read buffer of size bytes . . . . . . 17 /S Swap to Disk|EMS|None . . . . . . . . 17 /T Toggle indicator defaults . . . . . . . . . . . 18 /U Uninstall (remove) from memory . . . . 19 /X File name for swapping to Disk . . . . 19 /Y Initial PopDBF File . . . . . . . . . 20 i PopDBF User's Manual Table of Contents 3 Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 3.1 Generic Help (Alt-F1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 3.2 Context Sensitive Help (F1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 4 Alt Menu (Alt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 4.1 Alt Action Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 4.2 Alt Toggle Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 4.3 Toggle Indicator Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5 Cursor and Lite-Bar Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 5.1 The "Wordstar" Diamond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 6 Pick File (Alt-P) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 6.1 Select Directory/File/Index (Enter) . . . . . . . . . 26 6.2 Move to Parent Directory (BackSpace) . . . . . . . . 26 6.3 Change Directory and/or Drive (F2) . . . . . . . . . 26 6.4 Enter A Specific File (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 6.5 Change File Specification (F4) . . . . . . . . . . . 27 6.6 Change Default Action (F5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 6.7 Delete File (F6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 6.8 Move to Current DOS Drive & Directory (F10) . . . . . 28 6.9 Frequent Database Access (Alt-1 thru Alt-=) . . . . . 28 6.10 Show Names of Frequently Accessed Databases (Ctrl- N) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 6.11 Program Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 7 Setup View (Alt-S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 7.1 Return To Data (Enter) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 7.2 Number/Un-Number Fields (Space) . . . . . . . . . . . 30 7.3 Clear Field Numbers (F2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 7.4 Assign a Specific Field Number (F3) . . . . . . . . . 31 7.5 Order Fields Using Field Numbers (F4) . . . . . . . . 31 7.6 Tag/Un-Tag Field for Exclusive Find (F6) . . . . . . 31 7.7 Clear Exclusive Find Tags (F7) . . . . . . . . . . . 31 7.8 Copy File Structure (F8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 7.9 Print the File Structure (F9) . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 8 Browse Records (Alt-B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 8.1 Current Record and Delete Status . . . . . . . . . . 33 8.2 Toggle Vertical Separator Bars On/Off (Shift-|) . . . 33 8.3 Pan the Browse Window (LeftArrow/RightArrow) . . . . 33 8.4 View Large Fields (Tab/Shift-Tab) . . . . . . . . . . 33 8.5 Zoom the Browse Window (F2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 8.6 Goto a Specific Record (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ii PopDBF User's Manual Table of Contents 8.9 Find Text (F7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 8.10 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) . . . . . . . . . . 35 8.11 Print Records (F9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 8.12 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-K) . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 8.13 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) . . . . . . . . . . . 36 9 Edit/Append Records (Alt-E/Alt-A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 9.1 Copy a Record (F2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 9.2 Goto a Specific Record (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 9.3 Cut Field into Keyboard Paste Buffer (F4) . . . . . . 37 9.4 Clear Keyboard Paste Buffer (Shift-F4) . . . . . . . 38 9.5 Find Text (F7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 9.6 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) . . . . . . . . . . 38 9.7 Print Records (F9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 9.8 Field Information (F10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9.9 Restore Field Data (Ctrl-J) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9.10 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-K) . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9.11 System Date (Ctrl-M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9.12 Move to Last Field Position (Ctrl-N) . . . . . . . . 39 9.13 Restore Entire Record (Ctrl-O) . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9.14 Paste Data (Ctrl-P) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 9.15 Abort and Lose Changes (Ctrl-Q/ESCAPE) . . . . . . . 40 9.16 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) . . . . . . . . . . . 40 9.17 Toggle Verify Mode On/Off (Ctrl-V) . . . . . . . . . 40 9.18 Quit and Save Changes (Ctrl-W/Ctrl-End) . . . . . . . 40 9.19 Blank Current Field (Ctrl-Y) . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 9.20 Blank to End of Field (Ctrl-Delete) . . . . . . . . . 41 9.21 Move to End of Data (End) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 9.22 Move to First Position (Home) . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 9.23 Move Word (Ctrl-LeftArrow/Ctrl-RightArrow) . . . . . 41 9.24 Move to First/Last Field (Ctrl-UpArrow/Ctrl- DownArrow) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 9.25 Previous Record/Next Record, Same Page (Alt-PgUp/Alt- PgDn) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 10 Common Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 11 Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 12 Configuring PopDBF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 12.1 The Configuration Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 12.2 Configuring Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 12.3 Configuring Date/Number Formats . . . . . . . . . . 47 12.4 Configuring Main Hotkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 iii PopDBF User's Manual Table of Contents 12.5 Configuring Paste Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 iv PopDBF User's Manual Introduction 1 Introduction 1.1 Overview of PopDBF PopDBF is a pop-up memory resident program that uses only 4K of RAM! PopDBF allows you to have "Instant Access" to any dBase compatible .DBF database file. This includes, but is not limited to, files used by Clipper, dBASE III, dBASE IV, dBXL, FoxBASE+, FoxPro, PC- File/db and Quicksilver. The term X-base (which is in the public domain) refers to all of the different dialects referred to above. Memory resident programs, also call TSRs (Terminate Stay Resident), are special programs that stay in memory after you run them. To use a memory resident program that is in memory, you press the designated hotkey. It is this hotkey that causes the program, which is hibernating in memory, to "spring" to life and pop-up for you to use. After PopDBF has been loaded, you can access your database files from anywhere by pressing the hotkey (the default hotkey is Alt-BackSpace). To return to where you came from just press the hotkey again. It's that simple! There are many reasons why PopDBF is the best tool available for accessing your database files. Some of the reasons include: * Faster than using dBASE or a compatible program! You don't have to wait while a bulky database program loads just to take a quick look at a database file. "Instant Access" means just that - INSTANT! * Easier to use than dBASE! You don't have to know dBASE commands. Switching from append to browse to edit is a matter of pressing one key! * Access database files without leaving another application! You no longer have to exit your word processor, load your database program, look at the database file, exit the database program and reload your word processor - just press the PopDBF hotkey! * Cut and Paste information from a database directly into another application! Save time typing in name and address information to your word processor - let PopDBF do it for you! Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 1 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction * Searches on a database for ANY text are lightning fast. This means you don't have to know what field the text is in, PopDBF takes care of it for you! The applications for PopDBF are just as numerous. After just a few minutes of using PopDBF you will be thinking up your own ways of how to use its many features to improve your productivity. Here are just a few examples to spark your creativity. Great for Anybody who uses a phone: * Maintain and search a rolodex database of all the people you know with their place of business, address(es) and phone number(s). This could be applied to any type of information you need "instant" access to. Great for Secretaries and Order Operators * Take messages for people or log problems with products in the field without having to leave the program you are currently running. * Add an order to the order database or search the database to see the current status of the order. Great for Programmers: * Find out the name, type or length of a field. * Find out the key used to create any .IDX, .NDX or .NTX index file. * Pack or Zap a database file without having to get out of the application to use a database program. Great for Consultants: * Print the structure of any or all databases in a directory with ease. * Quickly get into any database to see what the data looks like. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 2 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction PopDBF provides an easy way to move throughout your hard disk(s) and networks to find your database files. It also has context sensitive help for novice (or forgetful) users, but you probably won't need it. PopDBF is that easy to use! You can use PopDBF to: * pick a database file * delete a database file * view file structure * print file structure * append and edit records * browse records * delete or undelete records * print records (design your own mini-report) * search for strings anywhere in a database * pack or zap a database * specify fields and assign their order for the above features * view index expressions of index files And if you don't feel comfortable using memory resident programs, PopDBF has a non-resident "pass-thru" mode so that you can run it from the DOS prompt like any other program. Programmers can even set up macros in some program editors (BOXER, Qedit, etc.) to execute PopDBF and have it automatically open the database the cursor is positioned on. PopDBF has four main areas: 1. Pick File 2. Setup View 3. Browse Records 4. Append/Edit Records Each of these areas is described more fully below along with the actions available from each. 1.2 Limitations Though PopDBF has many features, it does not do everything, yet!. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 3 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction Currently PopDBF does not do the following: * view or edit memo fields * use index files (it does display the expression used to create them) * view more than one database file at a time * handle database files with more 65,535 records * handle fields larger than 254 characters * lock individual records in a database on the network Also, PopDBF is not meant to be a complete replacement for the relational database management systems (RDBMS) many people are currently using (i.e. dBASE). In some instances the function being done with the RDBMS can be fulfilled entirely by PopDBF. However, in general PopDBF is meant to enhance those programs and improve productivity by providing "instant access" to your valuable database information. 1.3 Cautions When using PopDBF from within any RDBMS or application that allows dBASE compatible records to be changed, it is important to remember that most of those products do internal record buffering. This means that if a record is changed and resides in an internal buffer, the change will NOT be reflected when viewed from within PopDBF. Likewise, if a record is changed in PopDBF while that same record is in an internal buffer, the change will be overwritten by the RDBMS or application when it closes the file and/or flushes the internal buffer. As a general rule, do not use PopDBF to change records in a database that might be opened by an RDBMS or similar application. It should also be pointed out that because PopDBF does not currently use index files, no indexes will be updated. Care should be taken when changing databases that have associated indexes which need to stay up to date. For these types of databases, as long as you don't change key fields (fields used to create an index), add or delete records there will be no problem. Should you need to change information in databases falling into the category mentioned above, just make sure that you reindex the database. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 4 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction 1.4 Registration 1.4.1 How to Register PopDBF is not FREE! You may try it out at no charge for an initial trial period to determine if it fits your needs. If you want to continue to use PopDBF after the initial trial period you must register. This method of software distribution is known as Shareware. The registration fee for a single copy of PopDBF is $35US. All checks or money orders must be payable in US dollars. For a description of what you get when you register see "Registration Benefits" on page 6. Registration of PopDBF is mandatory for commercial and government users. To register your copy of PopDBF, send your registration fee of $35, payable in US funds (see the file ORDER.FRM), to: Bowen Software P.O. Box 2134 East Peoria, Illinois 61611 You can order by sending check, cash or money order to Bowen Software at the address listed above. You can also register with Master Card, Visa, Amex, or Discover by calling (800) 242-4775 or (713) 524-6394 or by FAX to (713) 524-6398 or by CompuServe Email to 71355,470. THESE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc, must be directed to Bowen Software at 309-699-0950. You can also mail credit card orders to Bowen Software c/o PsL, P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. There is a cash discount, which is waived for credit card orders. You can also order PopDBF by calling your local software distributor (i.e. Computerland, Egghead). Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 5 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction PopDBF must be registered for EACH USER at your site; alternatively, contact Bowen Software for current SITE LICENSE information. It is our desire at Bowen Software that you be completely satisfied with our software products and services. To insure this we offer a complete money back guarantee! 1.4.2 Registration Benefits The following benefits apply to all registered users of PopDBf: * FREE technical support over the phone for at least six months. * Notified of program updates and provided the first update absolutely FREE! * Registered version of PopDBF does NOT contain the registration information screen, which pops up on the screen twice during each 24 hour period (it does pop up when exiting each time if run in Pass-Thru mode). * FREE introductory subscription to CompuServe Information Service - the biggest national BBS! You will receive: a private user ID number and Password, a $15 usage credit (over 1 hour connect time at 2400 baud), a complimentary subscription to CompuServes's monthly computing magazine: 'Compuserve'. * Significant discount on Shareware Magazine where you can find out about the best shareware and how to get it. 1.5 What is "Shareware" "Shareware" is a term used to describe a system for distribution of software. Under the shareware concept, software may be freely copied and passed along to others, or distributed through bulletin board systems, etc. As a recipient of a shareware program, you may use the software for a short trial period to determine if it meets your needs. If it does, you pay the registration fee. By paying the fee, you are Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 6 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction granted the right to retain the software for your use. If the software is not suitable, then you may discard it. The shareware system provides significant benefits to the computing community (of which YOU are a member): 1) You get to try out the software BEFORE you buy it so you know exactly what you're buying. 2) Shareware is substantially less expensive than most commercial programs. You don't pay for costly marketing programs and fancy packaging. 3) You get access to a MUCH broader base of available programs. Thousands of excellent programs have been written by expert programmers who would never consider marketing commercially. Through the concept of shareware, these people make their programs available to the community. Usually, all they ask in return is a small fee to reward them for the time and effort they've put into the program. The system is based entirely on the honor system, and generally works quite well (Most people are honest and wouldn't violate the trust placed in them by the author of the software!). Shareware is NOT free software - the author counts on your integrity. 1.6 ASP Ombudsman Information Bowen Software is an author member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via Compuserve Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 7 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction 1.7 Technical Support You can contact Bowen Software by leaving messages on Compuserve to 76665,736. The latest version of PopDBF can be found on Compuserve in the IBMAPP forum Data Library 3. We recommend that anyone who accesses Compuserve frequently use another Shareware program called TapCIS to automate the online processes. TapCIS can save users both time and money. To learn more about TapCIS when on Compuserve, type GO TAPCIS when online. Bowen Software shareware products can be found on many Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) across the country. We directly upload our products to the Exec-PC bulletin board located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Exec-PC phone number is (414) 789-4210. Electronic messages can be left on Exec-PC and should be addressed to Don Bowen. To contact Bowen Software via Internet, leave messages to 76665.736@COMPUSERVE.COM. Contacting us using the above methods is preferred. If you do not have access to electronic communication you can contact us by phone at (309) 699-0950. Messages are usually returned within 24 hours. The cheapest way to ask questions or make suggestions is by mail. Send inquiries or recommendations to: Bowen Software P. O. Box 2134 East Peoria, IL 61611 Registered and commercial users are provided free technical support on the phone for at least six months. No support is guaranteed for non-registered users, but we are happy to answer questions about our products and consulting services. Bowen Software can be reached at (309) 699-0950. Registered users will be asked for their serial number. Also, if you are having problems, be prepared to describe the hardware and operating system you are using as well as the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 8 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction 1.8 Trademark Acknowledgements Association of Shareware Professionals and the ASP Logo are trademarks of the Association of Shareware Professionals. CLIPPER is a trademark of Nantucket Corporation. COMPAQ is a registered trademark of COMPAQ Computers, Inc. dBASE and dBASE III are registered trademarks of Ashton Tate, Inc. dBASE III Plus and dBASE IV are trademarks of Ashton Tate, Inc. dBXL and Quicksilver are trademarks of Wordtech Systems, Inc. Desqview and QEMM are trademarks of Quarterdeck Office Systems. FoxBASE+ is a registered trademark of Fox Software, Inc. FoxPro is a trademark of Fox Software, Inc. PC-FILE is a registered trademark of Buttonware, Inc. PopDBF is a trademark of Bowen Software. Sidekick is a trademark of Borland International, Inc. Other product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. 1.9 License Agreement, Disclaimer and Warranty BY INSTALLING PopDBF ON YOUR SYSTEM YOU INDICATE YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THEM YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THIS PROGRAM. PopDBF, its documentation and supplementary files and programs are Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software. All rights reserved world wide. PopDBF is not now, nor was it ever, public domain or free software. PopDBF is currently available in shareware and commercial versions. 1.9.1 Shareware Version License The Shareware evaluation (trial use) version is provided AS IS. Bowen Software MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. You are granted a limited license to use PopDBF for evaluation purposes for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days. If you continue to use PopDBF after the sixty (60) day evaluation period, you must make a registration payment of $35US to Bowen Software. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 9 PopDBF User's Manual Introduction Failure to make this payment after the evaluation period is considered to violate this license. 1.9.2 Registered Version License If you are a registered user of PopDBF, you may use the registered version on one computer at a time and make copies for backup (for your own use ONLY) as needed. You may not distribute the registered version of PopDBF to any other person via any form of media. 1.9.3 Warranty This software is provided "as is" without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software is with you. Should the software prove defective, the user, NOT Bowen Software, assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction. In no event shall Bowen Software be liable to the user for any damages, including lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this software, even if Bowen Software has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 10 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started 2 Getting Started 2.1 Installing PopDBF To load the PopDBF and its associated programs and files on your hard disk, you use the installation program called INSTALL.EXE. To run the installation program, do the following: 1. Place the PopDBF diskette in drive A: 2. Type A:INSTALL and press ENTER. (If you are using drive B, substitute B: for A: above) 3. Make sure that the name of the installation directory is correct and press ENTER. The installation directory is where the PopDBF files will be copied. If the directory you specify does not exist, it will be created. 4. You will see the names of each of the files as it is being copied to the destination directory. When all the files have been copied, the message "press any key..." will be displayed in the lower left corner of the screen. Press any key and you will be returned to DOS and will be in the directory you specified as the installation directory. NOTE: When PopDBF is executed it assumes that POPDBF.HLP, the context sensitive help file, is in the same directory as POPDBF.EXE. If POPDBF.HLP is not in that directory, context sensitive help will not be available. See "Help" on page 21. 2.2 Executing PopDBF PopDBF can be run in two modes. Normally, when PopDBF is executed it installs itself into memory for access from anywhere by pressing its hotkey. Alternatively, you can run PopDBF in non-resident "pass-thru" mode like any other DOS program. 2.2.1 Running PopDBF in Memory Resident Mode To run PopDBF in memory resident mode, just type POPDBF at the DOS prompt and press ENTER. It is in this mode that PopDBF can become an invaluable tool. Once loaded into memory, pressing the hotkey (the default hotkey is Alt-BackSpace) will give you "instant access" Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 11 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started to your X-Base files! See "Command Line Options" on page 13 for a list of configuration options. PopDBF does not need to be the last memory resident program. However, it can NOT be uninstalled from memory if it is not the last memory resident program or if another memory resident program has recaptured one of PopDBF's interrupts. When PopDBF is installed in memory it requires only 4K of RAM! If the /SN command line option is used to prevent swapping to disk or EMS, PopDBF will require around 45K of RAM. This may be a desirable mode if no EMS is available, the local hard disk is very slow and most of the lower 640K of RAM is available for application programs. 2.2.2 Running PopDBF in Non-Resident Mode The second mode of operation is to run PopDBF in "Pass-Thru" mode. In "Pass-Thru" mode, PopDBF works like most other programs. To do this type POPDBF /p at the DOS prompt and press ENTER. In this mode the hotkey is ignored. To exit PopDBF in this mode press the ESCAPE key until you return to the DOS prompt. When using this mode, the Ctrl-P paste key in Edit mode is disabled. Memory consumption in "Pass-Thru" mode depends on command line options, but will default to using 45K of RAM. 2.3 Modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT to Load PopDBF To have PopDBF load each time you start your computer, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: . [path\]POPDBF [options] . If the optional path is not specified, POPDBF.EXE must either be in the current directory or in the PATH. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 12 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started For help on which options to use when loading PopDBF see "Command Line Options" on page 13. 2.4 Removing PopDBF from Memory To remove PopDBF from memory use the /U command line option by typing the following at the DOS prompt: POPDBF /U PopDBF must be the last memory resident program or you will receive an error message indicating that PopDBF was unable to unload. See /U under "Command Line Options" below for further information on this option. 2.5 How to Invoke PopDBF (Using the "Hotkey") By default the hotkey to invoke PopDBF is Alt-BackSpace. To invoke PopDBF, press and hold the Alt key and at the same time press the BackSpace key. As soon as you press the hotkey, PopDBF will "pop" onto the screen. Pressing the hotkey again will take you right back to the interrupted program. You can pop out of PopDBF from anywhere in PopDBF, except a few places when you are being prompted for information. At those times, pressing the hotkey will abort that action just as if you had pressed ESCAPE. When you press the hotkey to leave PopDBF, any open database is automatically closed. Pressing the hotkey again will return you to the same location in PopDBF with the file being opened automatically as if it had never been closed. You can even pop out and back in while in the middle of using Edit or Append! 2.6 Command Line Options To load or execute PopDBF type the following at the DOS prompt: PopDBF [options], where options can be: /A Default action, where: A>ppend rowse E>dit S>tructure Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 13 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started The default is to open databases in Browse mode. To load PopDBF so that databases are opened in Edit mode, use the following command line: POPDBF /AE /C Color scheme, where: M>ononchrome O>riginal The original colors option is provided for those people who liked the colors used in versions of PopDBF before 3.7. To load or run PopDBF so that monochrome colors are displayed, use the following command line: POPDBF /CM /D Initial PopDBF Directory The format of is [d:\]path, where d: is the optional disk drive identifier. The initial PopDBF directory is set to the current DOS directory the first time PopDBF invoked, if this option is not specified. The PopDBF directory changes only when a move is made from within PopDBF. Each time PopDBF is invoked, the current DOS directory is saved and the PopDBF directory becomes the current directory. When leaving PopDBF the DOS directory is restored. See also "Move to Current DOS Directory" on page 28. To load or run PopDBF so that the starting directory is C:\DBASE, use the following command line: POPDBF /DC:\DBASE /E Edit buffer of size bytes (default = 512) If a file has a record size larger than the edit buffer size, you will not be allowed to Edit or Append. Should this occur an error message will be Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 14 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started displayed. To determine the minimum size that you will need to specify to allow Editing on the file, press Alt-S to view the record size. To load or run PopDBF so that you can Edit a record 1024 bytes long, use the following command line: POPDBF /E1024 /F Maximum of num fields (default = 64, max = 1024) The default value should handle most needs, however Clipper databases can have up to 1024 fields. Should you try to Browse or Edit a database with too many fields, an error message will be displayed. To determine the minimum number of fields you will need to specify to allow Browsing or Editing the file, press Alt-S to view the number of fields. To load or run PopDBF so that you can Browse or Edit a file with 95 fields, use the following command line: POPDBF /F95 /G Maximum of num files (default = 100, min = 3) The default value should handle most directories, unless the file specification is changed to *.*. Files matching the file specification are loaded first, then any sub-directories in the current directory. If too many files are found, you will be notified by an error message that the /G option should be used to correct the problem. Just press any key to respond to the error. Only the specified number of files will be displayed. To load or run PopDBF so that 200 files can be displayed in the Pick File window, use the following command line: POPDBF /G200 Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 15 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started /H Command line syntax and options This will list all of PopDBF's command line options. You can also specify a single question mark (?). /I Ignore hotkey, toggles on and off To use this option, run PopDBF from the DOS prompt with this option. This can be used if for some reason you want to disable the PopDBF hotkey temporarily. To reactivate the hotkey run PopDBF using this option again. /L Directory where master .FRQ file is located Normally, the frequent database access list file is located in the same directory as the PopDBF executable. However, when PopDBF is loaded from a Network drive, users will probably want to specify a local drive and directory where their personal frequent database access list file is located using this option. To load or run PopDBF and specify that the master .FRQ file is located in F:\PUBLIC, use the following command line: POPDBF /LF:\PUBLIC /[!]P[file] Use "Pass-Thru" non-resident mode This option will NOT load PopDBF into memory, but will execute it and allow you to use all of its features. If a file is also specified (no brackets are necessary), PopDBF will automatically come up in that file in Browse, unless the /A option is used to specify a different action. Pass-Thru mode is indicated on the screen by the word "PASSTHRU" in the upper left-hand corner. The /P option can also be used even if PopDBF is already in memory without affecting the resident version. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 16 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started Pressing the PopDBF hotkey will cause the resident version to pop up over the Pass-Thru version. Preceding the P with an exclamation point (!) will cause PopDBF to exit when ESCAPE is pressed from Append, Browse, Edit, or Setup. This is a nice feature to use from batch files, so that users only have to press ESCAPE once to exit PopDBF. To run PopDBF in "Pass-Thru" mode and automatically open C:\DBASE\ROLODEX in Edit mode, use the following command line: POPDBF /AE /PC:\DBASE\ROLODEX /R Read buffer of size bytes (default = 4096) If a file's record size is larger than the read buffer size, you will not be allowed to Browse the file. The larger the read buffer the faster scrolling and finding will be done when in Browse and Edit. Specifying a larger read buffer will not affect memory consumption unless PopDBF is run using the /SN option to prevent swapping. To load or run PopDBF using a 16K read buffer, use the following command line: POPDBF /R16184 /S Swap to Disk|EMS|None D for Disk swap, E for EMS swap, N for No swap. If this option is not specified, swapping to EMS will be attempted first and swapping to Disk will be attempted second. If both fail, no swapping will be done. If Disk swapping is done, it can be helpful to use the /X option to specify that the swap file be Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 17 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started located on a RAM drive or a Network drive. This can greatly decrease swap time. To load PopDBF so that it does disk swapping to a RAM drive E: and a swap file name called POPDBF.SWP in the root directory, use the following command line: POPDBF /SD /XE:\POPDBF.SWP To load PopDBF so that it does NOT swap to disk or EMS and resided entirely in memory, use the following command line: POPDBF /SN /T Toggle indicator defaults Any or all of the toggle indicator letters may be specified to override the defaults. The letters and the toggle indicator they modify are discussed below. The /W option should be specified as /TW. However, it will still function to provide backward compatibility. B - Borders for fields ON Specifying this option forces all finds to be successful only if WITHIN field borders. C - Case sensitive Specifying this option forces all finds to be sensitive to upper and lower case letters. I - Insert mode When insert mode is on and you are entering information or editing a record, characters to the right will move to the right as you enter data. V - Verify mode in Edit When verify mode is on you will be required to press ENTER in Edit to move to the next field. When verify Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 18 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started mode is on a "V" is displayed in the upper right border of the Edit window. W - Write file access Specifying this option will cause each database to be opened with read-write access. Z - Zoom the Browse window By default the Browse window shows only 12 records. When zoomed it will show 18 records. See also "Zoom Browse Window" on page 33. For more information on toggle indicators, see "Alt Toggle Keys" on page 23. To load or run PopDBF so that read-write mode is on and finds are done with case sensitivity, use the following command line: POPDBF /TCW (you can combine options) /U Uninstall (remove) from memory This will remove PopDBF from memory, but ONLY if it is the last memory resident program. In some special cases, even when PopDBF is the last memory resident program it can't be removed from memory. This occurs if another resident program recaptures one of the interrupt vectors after PopDBF has chained into it. Sidekick is an example of this type of program. /X File name for swapping to Disk If PopDBF swaps to Disk, it can be very beneficial to use this option to direct the swap file to a RAM drive or Network drive (if faster than local hard disk). This can greatly decrease the swap time. The default is POPDBF.SWP in the root directory on the current drive. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 19 PopDBF User's Manual Getting Started /Y Initial PopDBF File This is very similar to the Pass-Thru option, but is used for memory resident mode. This is the file that will be opened when PopDBF is first activated. It is an especially nice feature to use for people who usually access one file. To load PopDBF so that the first time it is popped up it opens C:\DBASE\ROLODEX in Edit mode with read- write mode on, use the following command line: POPDBF /AE /TW /YC:\DBASE\ROLODEX Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 20 PopDBF User's Manual Help 3 Help Help is available in PopDBF only if the file POPDBF.HLP is in the same directory as POPDBF.EXE, the main program. While in Help you can press the up and down arrow keys as well as PgUp and PgDn to scroll the help text. To get out of Help, press ESCAPE. 3.1 Generic Help (Alt-F1) You can get generic help about the system by pressing Alt-F1 from any area of the program. The generic help explains the Alt Action and Toggle Keys and the toggle indicators. See "Alt Menu" on page 22. It also explains cursor and lite-bar movement. 3.2 Context Sensitive Help (F1) Pressing F1 will provide specific help for any area of PopDBF. The help provided is basically the same text found in this manual and in some cases is even more thorough. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 21 PopDBF User's Manual Alt Menu 4 Alt Menu (Alt) Pressing the Alt key will show the Alt menu on the status line. Releasing the Alt key will restore the previous status line. The Alt menu is divided into two parts, "Action Keys" and "Toggle Keys". Pressing Alt and one of the highlighted Action Keys will cause the appropriate action to occur. Pressing Alt and one of the highlighted Toggle Keys will toggle the appropriate indicator in the indicator window located in the lower left border of the main window. 4.1 Alt Action Keys Alt Action Keys will have no effect when responding to an error, a prompt, or inside of Help. They also have no effect while positioned on a directory in the Pick File window. The Alt Action Keys are: Alt-A Append records in the current database. Ignored if file access mode is read-only. Alt-B Browse records in the current database. If pressed while in Edit or Append is the same as pressing ESCAPE to abort. See "Abort and Lose Changes" on page 40. Alt-E Edit records in the current database. If the file access mode is read-only, Edit acts as a full screen record viewer. Alt-P Pick a different database or directory. If pressed while in Edit or Append is the same as pressing ESCAPE to abort. Alt-S Setup View of current database. If pressed while in Edit or Append is the same as pressing ESCAPE to abort. There are potentially 12 other Alt Action keys. These keys are used to access frequently used databases. For more information on Frequent Database Access keys, see FREQUENT DATABASE ACCESS on page 28. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 22 PopDBF User's Manual Alt Menu 4.2 Alt Toggle Keys Alt Toggle Keys will function regardless of where you are in the program. The Alt Toggle Keys are: Alt-C Toggles the case sensitivity indicator between "IC", ignore case, and "CS", case sensitive. This indicator affects how the Find function does its search. See "Find Text" on page 34. Alt-D Toggles the field border indicator between "NB", no borders, and "BO", borders on. This indicator also affects how the Find function behaves. Alt-I Toggles the insert/overstrike indicator between "IN", insert mode, and "OV", overstrike mode. This indicator affects how text is placed into fields in Edit. It can also be toggled by pressing Insert. Alt-M Toggles the file access mode indicator between "RO", read-only mode, and "RW", read-write mode. When the file access mode is read-only, you will not be allowed to Edit or Append. On a NETWORK read-write mode will open files for EXCLUSIVE access. Read-only will open files so that multiple users can have access. Record level locking is not currently implemented. If opening a file in read-write mode fails, an attempt to open the file in read-only mode will automatically be made. If successful, when the file is closed, the mode will automatically return to read-write. Alt-F5 Toggle viewing underlying application screen. This avoids having to swap out and back. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 23 PopDBF User's Manual Alt Menu 4.3 Toggle Indicator Summary The default values for the toggle indicators are given below. --| RW IC BO OV |-- | | | | | | | -- IN/OV: edit mode is insert/overstrike | | ----- BO/NB: field borders are on/off | -------- IC/CS: case sensitivity is off/on ----------- RO/RW: file access mode is read-only/read/write Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 24 PopDBF User's Manual Alt Menu 5 Cursor and Lite-Bar Movement UpArrow/DownArrow Move up or down one entry or line Ctrl-UpArrow/Home First entry or line in current window Ctrl-DownArrow/End Last entry or line in current window PgUp Move up one "screen" PgDn Move down one "screen" Ctrl-PgUp Move to first entry or record Ctrl-PgDn Move to last entry or record 5.1 The "Wordstar" Diamond Many of the basic Wordstar control key combinations have been implemented to maintain some compatibility with other programs. These keystrokes are found in many of the editors users have become familiar with. Ctrl-Q Abort Ctrl-E Move up one entry or line (like UpArrow) Ctrl-R Move up one page or screen (like PgUp) Ctrl-A Move one word to the left (like Ctrl-LeftArrow) Ctrl-S Move one character or field to the left (like LeftArrow) Ctrl-D Move one character or field to the right (like RightArrow) Ctrl-F Move one word to the right (like Ctrl-RightArrow) Ctrl-X Move down one entry or line (like DownArrow) Ctrl-C Move down one page or screen (like PgDn) Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 25 PopDBF User's Manual Pick File 6 Pick File (Alt-P) Pressing any letter will move the lite-bar to the first file or directory that begins with that letter. Successive presses of the same letter will move to the next file or directory that begins with that letter. If no file or directory begins with the letter pressed, no movement will occur. 6.1 Select Directory/File/Index (Enter) Pressing ENTER will cause one of the following to occur: * If the file is a directory, you will move to that directory. Once in that directory the Pick File window is refreshed with the names of files that match the file specification. * If the file is a database, the action taken corresponds to the currently specified Action letter. This can be changed by pressing F5 (see "Change Default Action" on page 27). It is the same as pressing Alt-. * If the file is an index (.NDX, .IDX, .NTX only), you will view the index expression used to create it. You can press Ctrl-I to change the file specification to show only index files. Pressing Ctrl-B will change the file specification back to show only database files. 6.2 Move to Parent Directory (BackSpace) Pressing BackSpace will take you to the parent of the current directory, unless you are currently in the root directory. This feature is especially useful on a network, where no parent directory will be shown in the Pick File window, but the function still works. The lite bar will be positioned on the name of the directory you came from. 6.3 Change Directory and/or Drive (F2) Pressing F2 will allow you to change the current PopDBF directory and/or drive. The name supplied can be a drive letter followed by a Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 26 PopDBF User's Manual Pick File colon (C:), a directory path (\DBASE\PAYROLL), or both (C:\DBASE\PAYROLL). If the new directory is invalid, an error message will be displayed. If it is valid the file selection window will be filled with files matching the current file specification. 6.4 Enter A Specific File (F3) Pressing F3 will allow you to enter a specific file name. If the file is not found or is not a valid database or index, an error message will be displayed. If no extension is entered, the extension in the file specification will be used. This will cause an error if that extension contains a wildcard (*/?) and you will need to enter the file extension as well. 6.5 Change File Specification (F4) Pressing F4 will allow you to modify the file specification located in the upper right corner of the main window. The file specification is used to determine which files in the current PopDBF directory you are allowed to pick from. Entering a file specification of *.* will allow you to pick from all files, while *.DBF will allow only files with an extension of .DBF. The names of any sub-directories in the current PopDBF directory are included for possible selection regardless of the file specification. 6.6 Change Default Action (F5) The current default action is displayed in the upper left portion of the file selection window. The default action determines what happens when you press Enter and the selection bar is on a valid database file. Each press of F5 will change the action as follows: Append -> Browse -> Edit -> Setup -> Append, etc. The result is the same as holding the Alt key and pressing the first letter of the appropriate action. You can override the default action by holding the Alt key and pressing a different action key while the lite bar is positioned on the desired database. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 27 PopDBF User's Manual Pick File 6.7 Delete File (F6) Pressing F6 will allow you to delete a file. You will be asked to verify that you really want to delete the file. If you answer with a Y for yes, the file will be deleted. Pressing ESCAPE or N for no, will cancel the delete. When the lite bar is on a directory, this function is ignored. 6.8 Move to Current DOS Drive & Directory (F10) Pressing F10 will move you to the current DOS directory. The current DOS directory is the directory you were in before the PopDBF hotkey was pressed or when you loaded PopDBF. If that directory is on a drive other than the current drive, that drive becomes the current drive as well. This is a handy function to use when you want to move from wherever you were using PopDBF last to the directory where you are currently. 6.9 Frequent Database Access (Alt-1 thru Alt-=) To use this feature you must have already created an ASCII file named POPDBF.FRQ containing the names of up to 12 frequently used databases. Multiple POPDBF.FRQ files can exist. PopDBF will look first in the current directory and then in the directory from which it was executed, unless the /L option was specified on the command line. Each database name can include a drive identifier and path. It MUST include file name and extension. Optionally, each file can be preceded by an action letter and a space. See "Change Default Action" on page 27 for more information on action letters. Pressing Alt-1 will access the database whose name is on the first line of this file, Alt-2 will access the second, and so on. If more than 12 lines are included POPDBF.FRQ they are ignored. Examples of lines in POPDBF.FRQ: C:\ME\DBF\ROLODEX.DBF (use default action) E C:\PERSONAL\MILEAGE.DBF (open database in Edit mode) Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 28 PopDBF User's Manual Pick File A MILEAGE.DBF (open database in Append mode) Using this feature while in the middle of Edit or Append, will save any current changes. The mode and current record number is maintained on each frequently accessed database. If you press Alt-1, then go off and use other files and press Alt-1 again you will be returned to the same mode and positioned at the same record. This is very handy for toggling between any of the 12 possible frequent databases. 6.10 Show Names of Frequently Accessed Databases (Ctrl-N) Pressing Ctrl-N will pop up a window to show the names of the files in the current frequent database access file. Each name will be preceded by an action letter, if it was specified. Currently, you can not change these names from within PopDBF. 6.11 Program Information Pressing Ctrl-H will pop up a window to show you the version of the context sensitive help file, along with other information on PopDBF and Bowen Software. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 29 PopDBF User's Manual Setup View 7 Setup View (Alt-S) Setup View can be used to create a customized view of the currently opened database. You can select only the fields you want to view in Browse or Edit. You can even order the fields differently than they are physically laid out in the database. This ordering (as described below) is not permanent. Pressing any letter will move the lite-bar to the first field that begins with that letter. Successive presses of the same letter will move to the next field that begins with that letter. If no field begins with the letter pressed, no movement will occur. 7.1 Return To Data (Enter) Pressing ENTER will return you to either Browse or Edit/Append, depending on which you were in last. This makes changing the Setup View (by pressing Alt-S) and returning to data (Browse or Edit) a little easier. 7.2 Number/Un-Number Fields (Space) Pressing the SPACE bar will number/un-number the field at the selection bar. If any fields are numbered, only those fields will be shown when you Browse or Edit records. The number beside the field determines the order in which it will be displayed. Two fields with the same number will remain in the same relative position to each other. Pressing SPACE will automatically move the selection bar down to the next field, unless it is on the last field. 7.3 Clear Field Numbers (F2) Pressing F2 will clear all field numbers, but leave the file structure in the present order. This means that you can assign field numbers, press F4 to order the fields, and then remove all field numbers by pressing F2. This will allow you to view all fields but in an order different from the original. Field numbers are also cleared when a new file is selected from the Pick File window. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 30 PopDBF User's Manual Setup View 7.4 Assign a Specific Field Number (F3) Pressing F3 will allow you to assign a specific number (0-1024) to a field to affect its order. Assigning a zero will un-number the field. 7.5 Order Fields Using Field Numbers (F4) Pressing F4 will reorder the fields in the structure based on their field numbers. THIS NEW ORDER IS NOT PERMANENT. The actual structure of the file on disk is NOT affected. To restore the original field order either return to the Pick File window and re- select the file or clear all field numbers by pressing F2 and press F4 again. 7.6 Tag/Un-Tag Field for Exclusive Find (F6) Pressing F6 will tag/un-tag the field at the selection bar for exclusive find. When any fields are tagged for exclusive find, only those fields are used when doing a Find or Find Next from Browse or Edit. Also, if the field border indicator is on (see "Toggle Indicators Summary" on page 24), the text being searched for MUST be found entirely within ONE field. For more information see "Find Text" on page 34. Pressing F6 will automatically move the selection bar down to the next field, unless it is on the last field. 7.7 Clear Exclusive Find Tags (F7) Pressing F7 will turn off the exclusive find indicator for all fields. This will allow Find and Find Next to locate text anywhere in the record, unless field borders are on, in which case it must be entirely within ONE field. Exclusive find tags are also cleared when a new file is selected from the Pick File window. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 31 PopDBF User's Manual Setup View 7.8 Copy File Structure (F8) Pressing F8 will allow you to copy the current database file structure to another file. You will be prompted for the new database file name. Pressing ESCAPE will abort this function. If any fields are marked, only those fields, and in their specified order, will be copied. If the specified file already exists, you will be asked if you want to overwrite it. NO CHECK IS DONE TO INSURE THAT YOU DO NOT SPECIFY THE SAME FILE YOU ARE CURRENTLY VIEWING. 7.9 Print the File Structure (F9) Pressing F9 will print the file structure. If any fields are numbered only those fields will be printed. The file statistics are printed first followed by the field structure. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 32 PopDBF User's Manual Browse Records 8 Browse Records (Alt-B) 8.1 Current Record and Delete Status The current record number and delete status are displayed in the bottom border of the Browse window. See below for directions on how to delete a record. 8.2 Toggle Vertical Separator Bars On/Off (Shift-|) Pressing Shift-| (pipe symbol) will toggle the vertical separator bars on and off. The default is off. Viewing can be a little easier with them on, but printing is best done with the separators off. 8.3 Pan the Browse Window (LeftArrow/RightArrow) The LeftArrow and RightArrow will allow you to pan to the left and right, respectively. 8.4 View Large Fields (Tab/Shift-Tab) Tab and Shift-Tab change the offset of fields that are wider than the Browse window. The offset is incremented or decremented by 10 characters. The current offset is displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the Browse window. 8.5 Zoom the Browse Window (F2) Pressing F2 will either expand or contract the Browse window. When expanded the window shows 18 records and when contracted shows only 12, but has the advantage of allowing you to see the file statistics as well. 8.6 Goto a Specific Record (F3) Pressing F3 will prompt you for a new record position. If the record number specified is greater than the number of records in the Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 33 PopDBF User's Manual Browse Records file, an error will occur and the lite-bar will stay on the same record. 8.7 Zap Database (F4) Pressing F4 will Zap the current database. When a database is zapped, all records are deleted AND physically removed. Because this is potentially a dangerous function, you will be prompted to make sure you really want to zap the database. Pressing ESCAPE or entering N will abort. If the database is currently opened in read- only (RO) mode, this function will cause an audible beep. 8.8 Pack Database (F5) Pressing F5 will Pack the current database. When a file is packed, all logically deleted records are physically removed. Because this is potentially a dangerous function, you will be prompted to make sure you really want to pack the database. Pressing ESCAPE or entering N will abort. If the database is currently opened in read- only (RO) mode, this function will cause an audible beep. 8.9 Find Text (F7) Pressing F7 will prompt you for the text you want to locate. Type in the text to find and press ENTER to begin the find. Memo fields are not currently searched. Date fields need to be searched as follows. If the date you are looking for is 11/03/89 you would enter: "891103" or "19891103" (don't enter the quotes). When the case sensitivity indictor is off (IC) finding "don" will locate records containing "Don", "DON", and other combinations. To find only occurrences of "don", you must first turn on the case sensitivity indicator (CS) by pressing Alt-C. There may be times that you want to find text only if it occurs in a specific field or fields, not just anywhere in the record. To do this press Alt-S for the Setup View window. Now tag the fields you want searched exclusively by pressing F6. When you have tagged the fields to be searched, press ENTER to return to the Browse window. Now Find will search only the fields you tagged. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 34 PopDBF User's Manual Browse Records By default, Find will locate text even if it crosses field boundaries. To prevent this you can turn on the field border indicator by pressing Alt-D. When field borders are on (BO), text must be found entirely within ONE field. Field borders are on by default. Find can also be used to locate deleted records. Do a find for "*" and make sure that field borders are off (NB) and no fields have been tagged for exclusive find. This will only work if an asterisk is not actually found in one of the database fields. Find always begins with the first record in the file. See "Find Next Occurrence of Text" below to see how to start Find at the current record. If Find fails an audible beep will sound. 8.10 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) Pressing F8 will do a Find Next. Find Next always begins with the next record in the file. To start a Find at the current record you can use Find Next. Press F7 and enter the text to find and then press ESCAPE. This will cause the find text window to disappear. Now press F8 and the search will begin at the next record. If Find Next fails an audible beep will sound. 8.11 Print Records (F9) Pressing F9 prompts for print parameters and then prints the data. The parameters you will be asked for are the starting record, ending record, if only records matching the find text should be used, and the width of the print line. Data is printed exactly as it is seen in the Browse window, but more text may be printed if a longer print width is specified (this is how you print the additional data to the right of the Browse window). Print can be used in conjunction with the find text string to print only records that contain certain text. Find behaves here as described above under "Find Text". Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 35 PopDBF User's Manual Browse Records The maximum print width is 250 characters. 8.12 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-K) Pressing Ctrl-K will toggle the century on or off. When on, the year of the date displays using four positions as in MM/DD/YYYY (unless the date format was changed using the configuration program) to show the century. 8.13 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) Pressing Ctrl-U will toggle the delete status of the current record. The delete status of the current record is displayed in the bottom border of the Browse (and Edit) window. See "Find Text" on page 34 for a tip on how to find deleted records. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 36 PopDBF User's Manual Edit/Append Records 9 Edit/Append Records (Alt-E/Alt-A) 9.1 Copy a Record (F2) Pressing F2 will prompt you for the number of the record you want to copy into the current record. To append a duplicate of a current record you must first go into Append by pressing Alt-A. Then press F2 and specify the number of the record to copy. To complete the operation, press PgDn. Pressing Ctrl-F2 will also copy a record, but will use the last record you specified to be copied instead of prompting you. 9.2 Goto a Specific Record (F3) Pressing F3 works the same as it does in Browse. See "Goto a Specific Record" on page 33. 9.3 Cut Field into Keyboard Paste Buffer (F4) Pressing F4 will "cut" the current field into the keyboard paste buffer for later pasting inside PopDBF (using Ctrl-P) or outside PopDBF (using Ctrl-Alt-P). If data has been cut it will be indicated by a "P" in the upper right border of the Edit window. Trailing blanks are not cut. Each cut field is terminated by a user selected key. The termination key is placed into the paste buffer after the cut field, unless it is ESCAPE. If a comma (,) is pressed, an additional space is placed in the paste buffer after it. This is for use with City, State cuts, as well as Lastname, Firstname cuts. If there is not enough room to cut the current field, a beep will sound indicating that the field was NOT placed into the buffer. The entire contents of the keyboard paste buffer can be pasted inside PopDBF using Ctrl-P or into an underlying application using the paste hotkey Ctrl-Alt-P (the default). Data can be pasted multiple times. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 37 PopDBF User's Manual Edit/Append Records The keyboard paste buffer is cleared when a cut is made and the previous paste buffer had been pasted at least once. It can also be pasted by pressing Shift-F4. 9.4 Clear Keyboard Paste Buffer (Shift-F4) Pressing Shift-F4 will clear the keyboard paste buffer. If data has been cut into the keyboard paste buffer, it is indicated by a "P" in the upper right border of the Edit window. Pressing Shift-F4 will turn this indicator off. 9.5 Find Text (F7) Pressing F7 works the same as it does in Browse. See "Find Text" on page 34. 9.6 Find Next Occurrence of Text (F8) Pressing F8 works the same as it does in Browse. See "Find Next Occurrence of Text" on page 35. 9.7 Print Records (F9) Pressing F9 will prompt you for the print parameters and then print the data. Data is printed exactly as it appears in the Edit/Append window. Blank fields product blank lines. The extra lines parameter can be used to print labels even if the data you are using doesn't fill up all the lines on the label. It defaults to one to space between records (or labels). Records requiring multiple pages of fields currently have to be printed separately. Print can be used in conjunction with the find text string to print only records that contain certain text. Find behaves here as described above. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 38 PopDBF User's Manual Edit/Append Records 9.8 Field Information (F10) Pressing F10 will pop-up a window containing information about the field in which the cursor is currently positioned. This can be helpful if you forget the field type or want to know exactly how long it is. 9.9 Restore Field Data (Ctrl-J) Pressing Ctrl-J will restore the field's original data. Once you have moved to another record any changes that were made become permanent and can NOT be restored. 9.10 Turn Century On/Off (Ctrl-K) Pressing Ctrl-K works the same as it does in Browse. See "Turn Century On/Off" on page 36. 9.11 System Date (Ctrl-M) Pressing Ctrl-M while in a date field will place the system date in the field. It will only work in a character field if enough room remains from the cursor to the end of the field. It will also overwrite any existing data in the field at those positions. 9.12 Move to Last Field Position (Ctrl-N) Pressing Ctrl-N will move the cursor to the last possible position in a field. 9.13 Restore Entire Record (Ctrl-O) Pressing Ctrl-O will restore the entire record's original data. See "Restore Field Data" above for when changes in the current record become permanent. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 39 PopDBF User's Manual Edit/Append Records 9.14 Paste Data (Ctrl-P) Pressing Ctrl-P will paste any data currently in the Paste buffer. If there is data to paste, a "P" will be displayed in the upper right border of the Edit window. This feature can be used to copy information from one part of a record to another or from one record to another. You can even copy data from a record in one database to a record in another database. 9.15 Abort and Lose Changes (Ctrl-Q/ESCAPE) Pressing Ctrl-Q or ESCAPE will quit Edit and abort any changes made to the current record will be lost. If any changes have been made you will be asked if you want to lose the changes. Pressing ESCAPE will abort and leave you in Edit. Pressing N will save the changes and then exit, while pressing Y will exit and the changes will be lost. 9.16 Mark Record as Deleted (Ctrl-U) Pressing Ctrl-U will toggle the delete status of the current record. The delete status of the current record is displayed in the bottom border of the Edit (and Browse) window. See "Find Text" on page 34 for a tip on how to find deleted records. 9.17 Toggle Verify Mode On/Off (Ctrl-V) Pressing Ctrl-V will toggle verify mode. When verify mode is on you will be forced to press ENTER to move on to the next field. Verify mode is indicated by a "V" in the upper right border of the Edit window. 9.18 Quit and Save Changes (Ctrl-W/Ctrl-End) Pressing Ctrl-W or Ctrl-End will quit Edit and save any changes made to the current record. 9.19 Blank Current Field (Ctrl-Y) Pressing Ctrl-Y will fill the current field with spaces. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 40 PopDBF User's Manual Edit/Append Records 9.20 Blank to End of Field (Ctrl-Delete) Pressing Ctrl-Delete will delete from the current cursor position in the current field to the end of the field. 9.21 Move to End of Data (End) Pressing the End key will move the cursor to the first blank position after any data entered in the current field. If the entire field is full, the cursor will move to the last position. 9.22 Move to First Position (Home) Pressing the Home key will move the cursor to the first position of the current field. 9.23 Move Word (Ctrl-LeftArrow/Ctrl-RightArrow) Pressing Ctrl-LeftArrow or Ctrl-RightArrow will move one word to the left or right, respectively. You can also use the Wordstar commands Ctrl-A and Ctrl-F to do the same functions. 9.24 Move to First/Last Field (Ctrl-UpArrow/Ctrl-DownArrow) Pressing Ctrl-UpArrow and Ctrl-DownArrow will move to the first and last field respectively, on the current screen. 9.25 Previous Record/Next Record, Same Page (Alt-PgUp/Alt-PgDn) Pressing Alt-PgUp or Alt-PgDn will move to the previous or next record, but stay on the same page. This is very helpful when a database has more fields than will fit on one page. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 41 PopDBF User's Manual Common Questions 10 Common Questions and Answers 10.1 How can I change the PopDBF hotkey? You can change both the main PopDBF hotkey (defaults to Alt- Backspace) and the Paste hotkey (defaults to Ctrl-Alt-P) by using the PopCFG configuration program. 10.2 Why doesn't PopDBF pop up in the right directory? By default PopDBF pops up in the first directory in which the hotkey is pressed. To load PopDBF so that it pops up in a specific directory, regardless of where you are when you first press the hotkey, use the /D command line option (POPDBF /Dc:\dbase). 10.3 Why are files always opened in Browse mode? PopDBF uses the default action, displayed in the upper left corner of the Pick File window, whenever a database file is selected. To change the default action you can press F5 from the Pick File window or use the /A command line option (POPDBF /Ae). 10.4 Why doesn't PopDBF display on my Monochrome monitor? If you have problems getting PopDBF to display on your monitor, use the /Cm option to force PopDBF to use monochrome colors. You could also use the configuration program to force the current colors to be monochrome. 10.5 How can I change the PopDBF colors? To change the PopDBF colors you use the configuration program PopCFG. 10.6 How can I use my extended memory? Load the device driver RAMDRIVE.SYS or VDISK.SYS, following directions in your DOS manual. Then use the /X command line option and specify the name of the swap file on the RAM drive. This will cause PopDBF to swap in and out exceptionally fast. 10.7 How can I limit displayed fields in Edit or Browse? Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 42 PopDBF User's Manual Common Questions After selecting a database file, press Alt-S to go to Setup View. To mark the fields you want to use press the SPACE bar. Press F4 to see the order the fields will be displayed in and use F3 to change the order to suit your needs. 10.8 Why does PopDBF hang when I pop it up on a network? When loading PopDBF in memory resident mode, it must be loaded after any network TSR programs (i.e. IPX, NET3, RPRINTER). PopDBF can be loaded first if it resides entirely in memory. This can be done using the /SN switch. When loading PopDBF in swap mode (to disk or EMS) it is important to load it AFTER programs which must be able to operate at all times. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 43 PopDBF User's Manual Error Messages 11 Error Messages 11.1 Too many files, Re-install using new /G parm. The default number of files that will fit into the Pick File window is 100. This can be changed using the /G command line option. Another way to avoid this error message is to change the default file specification to something other than *.DBF (which is the default). 11.2 Too many fields, Re-install using new /F parm. The default maximum number of fields a file can have is 64. To change this use the /F command line option. Until this is fixed, you will not be able to load any databases that have more fields than were specified (64 if none specified). 11.3 EDIT buffer too small, Re-install using new /E option. If the record size of a database is larger than the Edit buffer size you will not be allowed to Edit the database. To correct this problem, press Alt-S to see the record size and reinstall PopDBF using the /E command line option. 11.4 READ buffer too small, Re-install using new /R option. If the read buffer size is smaller than the record size of a database, you will not be allowed to Browse or Edit the file. To correct this problem, press Alt-S to see the record size and reinstall PopDBF using the /R command line option. A multiple of at LEAST 12 times the size of the biggest record is recommended. 11.5 Not a dBASE compatible file. If this message is displayed, the first byte of the file is not one of the following: 03h - dBASE3, dBASE4, Foxbase+, FoxPro 43h - dBASE4 63h - dBASE4 83h - dBASE3, Foxbase+ (with memos) 8bh - dBASE4 (with memos) f5h - FoxPro (with memos) Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 44 PopDBF User's Manual Error Messages 11.6 Sharing Violation. If this error message is displayed, it probably means that someone else is using the database on the network. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 45 PopDBF User's Manual Configuring PopDBF 12 Configuring PopDBF The program PopCFG is provided to allow customized configuration of the PopDBF program. You can use PopCFG to change the colors, date/number formats, hotkeys and paste options. To execute the PopDBF configuration program, type the following command line at the DOS prompt: POPCFG To force monochrome attributes use the command line option /M by typing the following command line at the DOS prompt: POPCFG /M 12.1 The Configuration Main Menu ------| Configuration Options |------ | Colors | | Date/Numbers Formats | | main Hotkey | | Paste Options | | Quit - Do NOT Save Changes | | eXit - Save Changes | ------------------------------------- To execute any menu option, type the first capital letter in that option or move the selection bar using the arrow keys and press ENTER. If you press ESCAPE or select the Quit option from the menu and changes have been made, you will see the prompt "Abort and lose changes [N]?". To quit and lose changes you must then press the letter "Y". Pressing ENTER or the letter "N" will return you to the main menu. Changes made using the configuration program are written directly into the POPDBF.EXE file. 12.2 Configuring Colors To change colors use the up and down arrow keys to change the category. Use the left and right arrows to change the foreground color. Use Ctrl-left and Ctrl-right (press and hold the Ctrl key Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 46 PopDBF User's Manual Configuring PopDBF and then press the left or right arrow key) to change the background color. To restore the default color for the current category, press the letter "D". The default color is the "factory default", meaning it is the way PopDBF was when you first received it. To restore the color for the current category to what it is currently in the POPDBF.EXE file, press the letter "O". To restore all "factory default" colors, press the letter "R". Press ESCAPE when you are done making color changes to return to the main menu. 12.3 Configuring Date/Number Formats ---------- Date/Number Formats ---------- | Date Format: U.S. (MM/DD/YY) | | date Separator: / | | decimal Point: . | | Return to Main Menu | ----------------------------------------- press ENTER to toggle an option The date format rotates through one of the following: U.S. (MM/DD/YY) ANSI (YY/MM/DD) European (DD/MM/YY) The date separator toggles between a slash (/), dash (-) and period (.). When the separator is changed the format correctly reflects what the date will look like in PopDBF. The decimal point toggles between a period (.) and comma (,). Press "R" or ESCAPE to return to the main menu. 12.4 Configuring Main Hotkey The main PopDBF hotkey defaults to Alt-Backspace. It can be changed to almost any key combination. At least one of the shift keys, Alt or Ctrl must be included. It can include Alt, Ctrl and both shift keys, but must include at least one of those keys. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 47 PopDBF User's Manual Configuring PopDBF The left and right shift keys are treated differently. Left and right Alt and Ctrl keys are treated as being the same key. After selecting this option you will see: ------------------------------------------------------------------- | Main Hotkey Selection: Backspace | | | | Enter new hotkey selection (press ESCAPE to cancel): | ------------------------------------------------------------------- Of course the main hotkey selection will display the current main hotkey, which may be different if you have changed it. To cancel changing the hotkey, press ESCAPE at this point. After you have pressed the new main hotkey, you will be asked to confirm your selection. Press "Y" if the hotkey selection is correct. Press "N" or ESCAPE if you want to change your selection. NOTE: Though it is possible to have A or other similar keys as the PopDBF hotkey, it is recommended that this be avoided. 12.5 Configuring Paste Options ---------| Paste Options |--------- | Paste Rate | | Paste Frequency | | Paste Hotkey | | Return to Main Menu | ----------------------------------- Changing the paste rate, affects the number of keys that are pasted per timer tick. This is a number between 1 and 15 and defaults to 15, the maximum paste rate. Changing the paste frequency determines how many timer ticks to wait between each group of pasted keys. There are 18.2 timer ticks per second. The default is 0, which means keys are pasted every timer tick. This can be any value between 0 and 255 (approximately 14 seconds). Changing the paste hotkey is the same as changing the main hotkey. See "Configuring Main Hotkey" above. Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 48 PopDBF User's Manual Index A C Action Keys 22 Change Alt-A (Append) 22 Default Action 27 Alt-B (Browse) 22 Directory 26 Alt-E (Edit) 22 Disk Drive 26 Alt-F5 (Screen) 23 File Specification Alt-P (Pick) 22 27 Alt-S (Setup) 22 Clipper 1, 9, 15 Alt Menu 22 Colors Alt-A 22, 37 configuration 46 Alt-B 22, 33 Command Line Options 13 Alt-BackSpace 1, 11, 13, /A 13 42, 47 /C 14 Alt-E 22, 37 /D 14 Alt-F1 21 /E 14 Alt-P 22, 26, 37, 42 /F 15 Alt-S 15, 22, 30, 34, 43, /G 15 44 /H 16 Append 1, 3, 13, 14, 17, /I 16 22, 23, 27, 29, /L 16 30, 37, 38 /P 16 Append Records 37 /R 17 Applications 2 /S 17 for Anybody 2 /T 18 for Consultants 2 /U 19 for Programmers 2 /X 19 for Secretaries 2 /Y 20 ASP 7, 9 Compuserve 5-8 ASP Ombudsman 7 CONFIG.SYS 8 AUTOEXEC.BAT 8, 12 Configuration 12, 36, 42, 46 B Configuring PopDBF 46 Copy Blank File Structure 32 Current Field 40 Record 37 to End of Field 41 Cursor and Lite-Bar Browse 1, 3, 14-17, 19, Movement 25 22, 27, 30, 31, Cut 1, 37, 38 33, 34-40, 42, 44 D Browse Records 33 Browse Window Date fields Panning 33 searching 34 Zooming 33 Date format configuration 47 Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 49 PopDBF User's Manual Index Dates context sensitive Turn Century On/Off 11, 21 36 Generic Help 21 dBASE 1, 4, 9, 14, 17, Hotkey 1, 11-13, 16, 17, 20, 27, 42, 44 28, 37, 42, 46, dBASE III 1, 9 47, 48 dBXL 1, 9 configuration 47 Delete default hotkey 1 current record 36 Invoking PopDBF 13 File 28 Disclaimer 9 I E Index files Updating 4 Edit 1, 3, 4, 12-15, 17, using 4 18, 19, 20, 22, Installation 11 23, 24, 27-31, 36-38, 40, 42, J 44 Edit Records 37 K EMS 12, 17, 18, 43 Enter A Specific File 27 L Exit 1, 12, 17, 40, 46 License 6, 9, 10 F Registered Version License 10 Field Shareware Version exclusive find in 31 License 9 selection 30 Limitations 3 Find Load order 43 deleted records 35 Exclusive 31 M Next 35 Text 34 Memo fields Foxbase+ 1, 9, 44 searching 34 FoxPro 1, 9, 44 Memory Consumption 12 Frequent Database Access Memory Resident 1, 3, 11, 28 12, 13, 19, 20, 43 G Modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT 12 Move to H Current DOS Drive & Directory 28 Help 3, 7, 11, 13, 21, Parent Directory 26 22, 29 Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 50 PopDBF User's Manual Index N Quit 40, 46 quit Edit and abort Network 4, 16, 18, 19, any changes 40 23, 26, 43, 45 quit Edit and save Number format 40 configuration 47 R O RAM Consumption 12 Options 12, 13, 16, 19, Registration 5, 6, 9 46, 48 for commercial and Ordering government 5 form 5 How to Register 5 How to 5 Registration Benefits using a credit card 6 5 registration fee 5 Overview 1 Removing PopDBF from Memory 13, 19 P Restore Entire Record 39 Pack Database 34 Field Data 39 Pass-Thru 3, 6, 11, 12, Running PopDBF 16, 17, 20 Memory Resident Mode Paste 1, 12, 37, 38, 40, 11 42, 46, 48 Non-Resident Mode 12 changing frequency 48 S changing hotkey 48 changing rate 48 Select Directory/File/Inde clearing buffer 38 x 26 inside PopDBF 40 Setup View 30 into underlying Shareware 1, 5-9 application 37 Swap to Disk|EMS|None 17 PC-FILE 1, 9 Swapping 12, 17-19 Pick 3, 15, 22, 26, 27, specifying name of 30, 31, 42, 44 disk file 19 Pick File 26 when to avoid 12 Print File Structure 32 T from Browse 35 from Edit 38 TapCIS 8 Technical Support 8 Q Toggle Keys 23 Alt-C (Case) 23 Questions and Answers 42 Alt-D (Borders) 23 Quicksilver 1, 9 Alt-I (Insert) 23 Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 51 PopDBF User's Manual Index Alt-M (Mode) 23 TSR 43 definition 1 U V Verify Mode 40 Viewing specific fields 30 W Warranty 9, 10 Wordstar commands 25 X Y Z Zap Database 34 Copyright (c) 1989-91 Bowen Software Page 52