Welcome to V-Tapes!

This software is designed to allow you to keep track of your video recordings. With it, you can easily enter every program that you tape into a database. V-Tapes will keep track of them and sort them. As you desire, you can display: every program on a tape, every instance of a program title on your tapes, or every program in one of your pre-defined categories.

This version is still beta software, and as such, it still has some insects crawling around inside. However, I still think you will find that the functionality it provides can not be matched by any paper and pencil tracking  system you may have used previously. In addition to a few functional bugs, you will notice that it is a little rough around the edges aesthetically, in places. I chose to spend my initial programming time adding features, rather than making it pretty. V-Tapes was written in PowerBuilder. I developed it with a Multiple Document Interface using Inheritance for all of the functional windows.

One feature that is still on my "to do" list is a "Help". This file represents the total documentation of V-Tapes, for now. I am writing this with two separate audiences in mind. First and foremost, my teacher Mr. Rich Groh, without whom, this software would not have been possible. This program was a project for my Systems Applications class. The later part of this class was spent on PowerBuilder. Mr. Groh will read this documentation when reviewing my project. However, I have a second audience in mind as well. This is the first truly functional application that I have written. Prior to this, my programming has been limited to bits and pieces, designed to help me learn concepts. As such, I can not help but feel a certain amount of pride in this work. Therefore, my friends and relatives will be required to dutifully Ooh! and Aahh! after trying it out.

I tell you all of that so that you understand if parts of this documentation do not seem to be relevant to you. Now, enough of this. Let's begin your tour...

When you run V-Tapes you will be presented with a blank screen. You have to close The initial window to get rid of the second tool bar. I have more serious bugs to deal with before I get to fixing that. Next, I suggest that you right click on the tool bar and select show text. I haven't had time to find better icons yet. I will now walk you through each of your options individually.

The windows were sized on my 17" monitor with in 1024 x 768, so if your set-up is different you may have to size the windows manually to see everything.


---Click the Edit menu. Then click Programs or use the equivalent tool bar icon

Here is where you will enter the programs that you tape. I left my test data in so that you had something to use as to play around with, initially. You can easily delete my entries by pressing the DELETE button. After deleting, if you are sure that you don't want my test data anymore, press the COMMIT button.

This window was designed in free form style using quick select. In designing this window I utilized all of the PowerBuilder edit styles. The tape number, program, and category selections are drop down data windows. This was one of the most difficult features for me to implement. It allows you to select from among any of the selections already in the database. Each time you enter the database, any new entries, since the last time will be added to this list. The minutes and channel selections are standard drop down lists with choices that I pre-determined.. The date selection incorporates an edit style so you do not have to enter the slashes.

In addition to DELETE, which I already discussed, you need to push the INSERT key when you are ready to begin entering a new program. Again you must push the COMMIT key when you are sure that all your data is correct. If you later want to modify an entry, you move through your entries with the NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons to your choice. When you find it you simply change the data and press the COMMIT key. Future releases of V-Tapes will allow you to find your old entries in a more efficient manner using similar techniques to those I used in the search screens. Some of the entries that are available were added to make my class project more complex, for learning purposes. If you do not wish to use them, simply leave them blank. You are only required to enter the tape number, beginning minute (which indicates where on the tape the program begins) and the category. These entries are part of the Primary key of the database.  When you are finished you can leave the window open or push CLOSE.


--- Next click Edit, then Categories or use the equivalent tool bar icon

When you come to the category entry, you will be presented with a list of choices. If you don't like your choices, you must come to this window to add, delete or modify your choices. This window was designed in tabular form, using SQL select.


---Next click Edit, then Tapes or use the equivalent tool bar icon

When you buy a new tape you need to come to this window. If you like, you need only assign it a number and type it in. You must do that much so that the number will appear in the drop down window of the Edit Program screen.

---Next click Edit, then Stores or use the equivalent tool bar icon

This screen was added to make my database more complex for my project. If you do have a use for it, it works the same as the previous screens. The output from this screen appears in PowerBuilders' N-Up presentation style.

Now we move on to the search functions or use the equivalent tool bar icon

--- Click Search, and then your choice of Program, Category, or Tape or use the equivalent icon
For now, try select Tape.
By simply selecting your criteria from the drop down data window you will be presented with a screen showing the matching data. These screens contain my top priority bug. To get the correct data to appear you must click on the drop down arrow, then select your choice, then click the arrow again to display your data, then click the arrow again to get the drop down list out of the way (the last two clicks can be executed as a double click as well). Sorry about that! I have tried putting that script in about 8 different events and have yet to find one that works. Another problem is that the drop down windows don't drop down in the Search and Sort windows. I haven't figured out what I did different from the tape window, yet.. 

Finally the sort functions

--- Click Sort, and then your choice of Program, Category, or Tape or use the equivalent icon
You may need to re-size your window to see all of these reports. A formal report can be printed by pushing the large print button. Throughout V-Tapes you may print the current window by selecting Print from the File menu, or pushing the toolbar icon. If you want to view a couple of reports at once, you can do so using all of the standard display options under the Windows menu..

That's about it. I hope you find it useful. I really enjoyed the experience of actually creating a complete application. I ran into numerous frustrating bugs along the way, but I know that that is all part of the process. Now I have to stop writing and get back to conquering the remaining bugs so that I can start adding more features.... which will create more bugs....