REFM 4.5 Help Menu

What's New

The Main menu has more features. I for initialise is now on the main menu and now also displays the current default file. / has been introduced to scroll up or down through the data using the arrow keys and ? to search for data. M now displays available and used slots and bytes. General reconstruction of the program. Allows for 4500 slots, 500 more than previous versions. On Exit you are no longer first asked to SAVE if you have not worked on your data. Z was used for testing and shows the available DOS String Memory left. In Version 1.5 this value changed as you used up space, but in version 2.0 it remains at around 32k as the dos string space is no longer used in your array. In Version 2c it will drop to 13k.

ADD NEW DATA

This is where you enter your data to build your data base file. In these versions the layout is set up so you can use this program for Music Cassettes or for CD's in both Computer Program Data and Music. This is the place you will work in most. Here is where you Add new data to your array or create a new array. Listed here is File name if one is loaded else it defaults to "NEWFILE" which must be saved on program exit to avoid loss of data. Previous Title Entry will show if a Array is loaded. It tells you if it is Adding a new slot item or reusing a erased or blank slot.

Early versions created some blanks that could not be seen or used. This version upon loading older data base files will find these blanks and use them. To help with entries in the fields here we used error trapping. First a visual black window appears at each field point where you fill in the data. You CAN overflow the window, it will simply open up bigger but the idea is to keep text length to fit the window size without touching the end of window. If you do overfill it turns red with warning text and so it repeats until you do it correct.

The first time you use this section the Function keys (F Keys) will be blank so you need to cycle through once to load them with information. If you load a file then the F keys will automatically receive their information. The F8 and F9 keys work a bit different and can be the best help you got or your worst frustration if used wrong. Only use these once you cycled through a entry so you load them with Information you using. If you exit, then on returning to ADD Entry they will have exit programmed in them so if you use them before a manual entry it will just take you out again.

Each Field has a F key next to it. These are your reminders. The bottom of the screen shows F5-F7 Which repeats last entries from the array so you know where you are or you can use the same info again or change it before pressing enter to accept it. F8 and F9 remembers your last key strokes on their respective fields so you can use this information to enter the same stuff again without retyping or pressing enter as it also inserts a enter for you.

First field is CD Title. You can use F8 to insert it with a automatic enter if you have cycled through or F5 to insert the Previous entry title and press enter to accept. A reminder of previous title is over to the right as well.

Second field is Prog / Song / Title. If you lose your place then you can use F6 to recall the last one entered. Press enter to accept or backspace to redo with new data.

Third field is Developer / Artist. Once again F9 will insert the last one you typed with a automatic enter to accept or you can use F7 to drop in the previous one stored in the array which you can modify before pressing enter to accept.

The forth field is CD Location and track. Printed to the right is the last one you used so you can recall what you entered the previously.

After all fields are entered and on pressing enter the menu option at bottom allows you to REDO or SAVE and go to the next slot or Exit. If you press enter without data in any field you are returned to the menu, hence why F8 F9 can be a frustration.

Character LIMITS ARE: Program 29, Developer 25, Title 15, Location 4.

Change Edit

Edit is the section for making changes to information in slot numbers. You can type keywords but using slot numbers is accurate and recommended. Here you have a choice to quit, change, erase, or enter another slot number. F9 opens "ADD DATA". Erase does just that to the slot.

Change brings up a change bar and F key hints. Any data you wish to keep can be reinserted by the correct F key. There is a key buffer of about 12 characters so you may have to complete the entry manually if it is short. After changing data you are given a choice to make it permanent or redo or no change. F keys used here are F1 to Reinsert Program / Name. F2 to reinsert Developer / Artist. F3 to reinsert Title. F4 to reinsert Location. After reinsertion the curser remains in the field so you can still add extras or make changes. Once you press enter it becomes permanent. Long fields overflow but this is not a problem as you get a spare line to cater for this.

There is no line limit here but for the sake of neatness the guide to use is the start of each field heading in yellow so stop before the curser is in line with the start of the next field.

View Data using V or /

View all data Lists 20 per page and repeats the last entry each time a page is viewed. Pressing F10 or Esc will exit else it will scroll till the end with pages of 20. Pressing "]" will toggle to the Viewer 2 which lists 5 per page and pressing Esc from there will toggle back. Pages will still increment while you do this. Pressing "[" will interrupt and take you to the selective menu in viewer 2.

"/" Allows you to scroll through the data using the UP and DOWN arrow keys. Viewer 2 format is used here.

If a older style Music data base is loaded with locations that would cause overflow in "VIEW" then Viewer 2 will automatically be used and Viewer 1 will not be available.

Review CD Title

Will list all the items on that CD and give you a total of the items on that CD.

Open

Open will give you the option 2 of loading the default file or option 1 of selecting a file to open. Pressing F10 or Enter will Exit you to Main Menu. To Set up Default File Press "I" and follow the Instructions. Once again Enter or F10 escapes.

Save

Save allows you to save file as ANY NAME you like, but DON'T type file extension and keep the name 8 characters long. Pressing enter once the files are listed will update the current file loaded. F10 will exit with no change. The main menu prompt can be closed by pressing Enter.

Delete

ERASE OR Delete does just that. The whole file name and extension must be typed in before it will delete. If nothing is entered and you press enter you return to the main menu.

Create

This will create a new file array for you to work on. If you had one loaded you are asked to save first before the array is cleared for a new one. The name defaults to NEWFILE. Although this can be saved it is advisable to rename the file to your own name before exiting the program.

Find Data using F or ?

Find Data Will search forward up to 29 (Program), 25 (Artist) and backward up to 15 characters to find a match for your typed words in Artist and Program. Exact matching is used for Title. Matches will be either keywords or an Actual match. Keywords are a part of a sentence and actual or matching is exact. Best way for accurate keyword find is to use words you know like DVD, Pictures, graphics, etc. The first and last words of each field is the best for keywords. Middle of sentences is not scanned. Example: "HARD DAYS NIGHT" "BEATLES UP TEMPO". Here keywords are tempo, beatles, night, hard, hard days, days night, beatles up, up tempo, har,hard, hard da, and so on up to 15 characters. UP and DAYS mean nothing on their own. Also Scanning starts from 2 in so try avoid a single character on its own as a start and end unless its a version number it scans ends backwards for this. ".2" ".3" "version 1" It can find the 1 + the space before Version. Case does not matter. ? scrolls up and down using arrow keys through the found list, but this has not been implemented in Version 2.0 and works the same as F. Version 2c exempt.

Print Options

Option 1.. Prints the data on a cd or 2.. Prints all the data in the array. These 2 also gives you the option of 12cpi or condensed which is tiny print of about 10cpi close together and fit CD sleeving. Choice 3.. is a selective print so you can choose the range of slots to print. This is 12cpi only. 4.. Prints all the array like 2 but in WordPad format. 5.. Prints Cd Data like 1 but to WordPad format. The WordPad format can also be opened in word to edit or print. The word filenames don't have error handling yet so ensure you do 8 characters and don't type an extension. It defaults to .doc.

Create New File

Create new file will give option of saving current data to file if one is loaded or you can back out with no change or continue and clear existing arrays. If you press enter here you are saying NO don't save and create a new file and you will create a temp array called NEWFILE which as soon as possible you should save as a filename of your choosing and not as NEWFILE. Remember that this program unlike the earlier version does not save the array to a file until you actually tell it to

Viewer 2 "]" "["

"[" This one is the selective menu where you can choose to view between a choice of slots using viewer 2. "]" will also view from the main menu all slots using viewer 2 in sets of 5 per page. This is great where longer names are used and in some cases it will default to using this and not the main viewer of 20 per page. Esc F10 will exit you as shown in bottom bar.

Exit to Dos

Exit to Dos will return control to windows and shut down the program. If you got a loaded array or file that has been modified you are asked if you want to save. This is a reminder so choose Yes to save. If you don't wish to save then simply press enter to exit. If No additions have been made to the file the program will exit without asking if you wish to save.

Help

Help is what you are viewing now.

I Initialise

"I" Allows you to choose a default file to load. It also displays your current default file. Use this from the main menu to choose your file to load as default. Do not type the .cdf extension only the name up to 8 characters long. The extension is automated and if you did type it, it would try load .cdf.cdf and the result is nothing will load and you may get a error report. I never tried it.

M Memory

Pressing M from the main menu Displays the available free slots and displays slots currently used. This is useful when you wish to know how much slots you have left for your Array and File. All up you have a default of 4500 slots. With all array fields full a total of 37 bytes are used per slot. Strings are now handled in a way that exceeds the dos string space default.

Function keys or Fast Keys

Here is a recap of Function keys used and special keys. From the main menu I will Allow option of setting default file to load, M will show Dos String Memory available. In Create or Add To File, F5 to F8 repeats the previously entered fields, F8 and F9 repeats last entered fields Plus inserts a Enter. In Edit Data File / Change, F1 to F4 Reinserts Data up to 12 characters. F10 usually Quits a operation.

Limitations

You are not limited to DOS Available memory as a default. String Memory is whatever characters you type into the Array's PLUS ALL printable characters stored in the program. In version 2c ? has a limitation of 100 due to the dual array search and sort used here. If there are more than 100 matches then it will ask you to use F to find. Dos string memory will be used in version 2c due to the dual array sort for ? when you reach the maximum slots.

This Program will run in all OS's that support DOS up to Windows 98 SE.

Version 2.xx allows far greater default string memory than its predecessors, thus files with maximum slots made with this version will not work with earlier versions.

Ending Note

This program was designed for easy and speedy use. I have enclosed some sample files to have a play with. This program will load all previous Dos and RE versions of Music, Tape and Cd data array files. The early Cassette music one had different field settings so when viewed here they overflow to second line. The viewer 2 however views these files very nicely. Version 1.4 on, now automatically uses Viewer 2 for these longer location field files. For latest upgrades Visit http://arach.net.au/~wam/support/software.html

RE12 FILE MANAGER HELP V2.0